Top 10 Most Important Moments in British History

#10: The Failure of the Commonwealth (1659)

The Protectorate was a period that took place during the Commonwealth when England, Ireland and Scotland were under the rule of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell and subsequently his son, Richard Cromwell. This was the only time in history that England had republican rule. Monarchists refer to this period as the Interregnum, a time when there was no ruler on the throne of England. This resulted in the Restoration, which took place the following year. The demise of republican rule still allowed many of the recently established democratic institutions to remain which have endured until modern times.

#9: American Colonies Declare Their Independence (1776)

Prior to 1776, what we now know as the United States of America was simply a collection of thirteen colonies on the east coast bordering the Atlantic. Residents there were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with British rule and had been waging war on the Brits for more than a year. Finally, by the summer of 1776, all thirteen of the colonies had agreed to segregate from England. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence when was then adopted by Congress. The American War for Independence was not yet finished- it would go on for another five years.

#8: Great Fire of London (1666)

In the summer of 1666, a blaze engulfed the city of London, destroying almost everything in its path. 13, 200 houses were taken as well as 87 churches. It is estimated that the vast majority of London residents lost their homes to the fire. Strangely, amid all of this destruction there are hardly any reports of deaths taking place due to the fire. Historians have established several reasons for this: firstly, the deaths of commoners were not always recorded and secondly, the bodies may have been completely incinerated, leaving no evidence of how many really perished. The city had to be entirely rebuilt and some historians believe that the fire was actually beneficial in a way because it eliminated many unsanitary and plague infected buildings.

#7: The Peasants Revolt (1381)

In the 14th century, British commoners had a lot to be upset about. The plague had recently wiped out a huge portion of the population which meant that laborers were able to demand more money because workers were no longer so readily available. The government however set the Ordinance of Labourers which cemented wages at the low amounts they were before the Black Death. They also levied a poll tax to fund the war against the French which ate up even more of the peasants wages. All of this led to The Great Rising of 1381 which had an impact on the Hundred Years' War because authorities were not able to raise taxes for funding as they had for prior conflicts.

#6: The Suffragette Movement is Formed (1903)

Though the women’s suffrage movement had been underway for several years already, 1903 marked an important event in British history. The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was created by Emmeline Pankhurst and others, which took direct action to further their goals. The First World War put a pause on suffrage campaigning though there was still some progress. Many cite 1918 as the year that women in the UK gained the right to vote but in fact at that point it excluded women under the age of 30 as well as those who did not independently own property. It was only a decade later in1928 that all women were granted the right to cast a vote.

#5: End of WWII (1945)

The entire period of the Second World War ranging from 1939 to 1945 was evidently a remarkable time in the history of the United Kingdom. Of the many things that came of the war, one of the most notable was a push for a bigger and more intervening government. The welfare of the people during wartime had become a government problem that was dealt with to the satisfaction of the population. A spirit of community-mindedness was also fostered by the difficult times of war and the English people came out of the conflict with strengthened class relationships which would lead to more left leaning social policies moving forward.

#4: Henry VIII Severs Ties with Church (1529)

Henry VIII is probably most famous for his six wives (two of whom he had beheaded) and it was his desire to end his marriage with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, that spurred on one of the key events in British History. Catherine was unable to give Henry the male heir that he so needed, so he petitioned Pope Clement VII to annul his marriage. When he was refused, he took the radical step of severing ties with Rome and starting the English Reformation. He named himself Supreme Head of the Church of England and was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church though he always remained true to his Catholic upbringing.

#3: The Magna Carta Was Signed (1215)

The Magna Carta (which can be translated to “The Great Charter”) is one of history’s most revered and renowned documents. It was instituted by King John of England and the premise behind it was to ensure that every citizen (including the monarchy) would be subject to the law of the land. Much of the text has been edited since its inception and very few of the clauses remain in modern law, but nonetheless The Magna Carta is the basis of the British Constitution. Many principles represented in the document have been influential in bills of rights around the world.

#2: Battle of Waterloo (1815)

On June 18th, 1815, Napoleon and his army marched on the Belgian village of Waterloo to fight against the Duke of Wellington and his army of Brits, Germans and Belgians. Napoleon made some critical strategic errors which led to his troops losing the battle. This victory for England marked the end of France’s dominance in Europe and a return to the previous power Britain had exerted for centuries. The result of this conflict is thought to have had an impact on world history as well, bringing in a period of relative peace, which allowed for technical innovations and prosperity.

#1: Battle of Hastings (1066)

Nearly a thousand years ago, the face of England was forever changed. In a battle won by William the Conqueror, the Anglo-Saxon King Harold was killed with an arrow through the eye. The outcome of the Battle of Hastings impacted British life, culture and language in innumerable ways. The language of official documents became Latin, but of even more impact was the influence of the French language over English especially in the tradition of names. Traditional Anglo-Saxon names began to disappear in favor of French names that we today consider inherently English like William, Henry and Robert…