Periods in history - A Bit About Britain

What are the eras of British history? Below is a summary of the periods of Britain’s history, with dates.

Click on a period to take you to a timeline for that period – or select from the drop-down menu. Each timeline includes the dates of significant events in Britain’s story.

Click on a featured article to give you some selective background.

A Bit About Britain’s History – from a long time ago until quite recently
Britain has an amazing story and it obviously interests you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. So consider buying “A Bit About Britain’s History”, available as an e-book or paperback from an Amazon near you. The book pulls articles from the website into a single volume, briefly covering every period, from prehistoric to modern, and includes timelines for each. Serious history, lightly told, it is perfect for putting the school syllabus in context, or for the older reader who didn’t enjoy history at school, but would like to understand it better now.

Find it on Amazon UK, Amazon USA or search for other regions.

PERIOD	WHEN WAS IT?	FEATURED ARTICLES
PREHISTORIC	Before 43^AD (the Roman Conquest)	Early British History
ROMAN	43^AD – approx 425^AD	What did the Romans do for Britain?
DARK AGES	From approx 425^AD – 1066 (the Norman Conquest). Sometimes called the ‘Early Medieval Period’. The time of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings	Dark Age Britain Vikings murder defenceless monks Why London is the capital of Britain
MEDIEVAL	1066-1485 (the Battle of Bosworth) Sometimes divided into ‘the High Middle Ages’ up to the 13^th C and the ‘Late Middle Ages’ from 1300-1500	How the Normans shaped world history Brits invent parliamentary democracy How Scotland was born Whatever happened to Wales? Why France isn’t part of Britain When death walked the land A violent royal soap opera
TUDOR	1485-1603	The victor of Bosworth Losing our religion – how Henry VIII changed the world and his wife Dawn of Empire
STUART	1603-1714	The Stuarts and the Republic of Britain Glorious Revolution When Britain got a German king
GEORGIAN	1714-1837 Sometimes referred to as ‘Hanoverian’	The last battle British expansion Why they don’t play cricket in the USA Britain’s industrial revolution The greatest happiness of the greatest number Revolting Britain How Britain got the vote
VICTORIAN	1837-1901	Wasn’t Victorian Britain great? Poor Britain The Empire on which the sun never set
EDWARDIAN	1901-1914	Fog in Channel, Europe cut off How did the First World War happen?
MODERN 1	1914-1945	Britain and the First World War The legacy of 1914-18 Britain in the 1920s and ’30s? Could Britain have avoided war in 1939? Britain and the Second World War 1939-45
MODERN 2	1945-2000	Shop till you drop – Britain since 1945

What do people say

Helen Devries on Anniversaries in 2025What a super post! Still laughing at the surfeit of palfreys.... So much I remember, so much I remember at second hand from parents and grandparents and so much from 'book learning'....thank you for bringing it all back to mind.....and so much more! I remember the 1975 referendum very well....returning
Darlene on Anniversaries in 2025Some amazing history here. Thanks for compiling this.
GP on Anniversaries in 2025You've had an amazing history.
April Munday on Anniversaries in 2025I don't know why I persist in reading this every year. The events of 50 years ago feel as if they happened yesterday and I can remember most of them. I just feel old and depressed. Happy New Year!
Derrick Knight on Anniversaries in 2025Well done for sorting this link. I have previously attempted to respond by e-mail - saying I even remember some of the 1950s
mekslibrarian on Anniversaries in 2025Your anniversaries posts are always great. I love to read the headlines, trying to match them with what I remember (or know from history lessons and other reading), and always find fascinating information. Thank you!
V.M.Sang on Anniversaries in 2025Hey, I just managed to get here! At last. Great post.
Peter's pondering on Anniversaries in 2025You had fun getting this one to press Mike, and what a marathon you must have had in putting it together. Well done indeed.
John on Anniversaries in 2025Wow, Mike, that took a long time to get through but it is so interesting! America has boring history by comparison! I appreciate your work, have a great weekend!
V.M.Sang on Happy Christmas, 2024Amazon have taken to doing that. What happens if a parcel left on the doorstep when the recipient is out gets stolen?

Share this:

Like this: