Cheat sheet · Life in the UK test
Dates to Remember
The dates that show up most often — grouped by era so they actually stick.
Early Britain
| 55 BC | Julius Caesar's first attempt to invade Britain |
| AD 43 | Romans invade Britain (under Claudius) |
| AD 410 | Romans leave Britain |
| c. 927 | Æthelstan unifies England as a single kingdom |
| 1066 | Battle of Hastings — William the Conqueror |
| 1215 | Magna Carta sealed by King John |
Medieval
| 1314 | Battle of Bannockburn — Scottish victory |
| 1346 | Battle of Crécy — Hundred Years' War |
| 1415 | Battle of Agincourt — Henry V |
| 1455–1485 | Wars of the Roses |
| 1485 | Battle of Bosworth Field — Tudor dynasty begins |
Tudor & Stuart
| 1534 | Act of Supremacy — Church of England founded |
| 1588 | Spanish Armada defeated |
| 1605 | Gunpowder Plot fails |
| 1642–1651 | English Civil War |
| 1649 | Charles I executed |
| 1660 | Restoration — Charles II returns |
| 1665 | Great Plague of London |
| 1666 | Great Fire of London |
| 1688 | Glorious Revolution — James II deposed |
| 1689 | Bill of Rights |
Empire & Industry
| 1707 | Acts of Union (England + Scotland) — Great Britain |
| 1801 | Act of Union with Ireland — UK formed |
| 1805 | Battle of Trafalgar — Nelson's victory |
| 1815 | Battle of Waterloo — Napoleon defeated |
| 1832 | Great Reform Act |
| 1833 | Slavery abolished in the Empire |
| 1837 | Queen Victoria's reign begins |
| 1851 | The Great Exhibition (Crystal Palace) |
Modern
| 1914–1918 | First World War |
| 1918 | Women over 30 gain the vote (Representation of the People Act) |
| 1928 | Equal franchise — women vote at 21 like men |
| 1939–1945 | Second World War |
| 1948 | NHS founded; Empire Windrush arrives |
| 1949 | UK is founding member of NATO |
| 1969 | Voting age lowered to 18 |
| 1973 | UK joins the EEC |
| 1998 | Good Friday Agreement |
| 1999 | Scottish Parliament + Welsh Assembly established |
| 2020 | UK leaves the European Union (31 January) |