By the Act of Succession of 1701, on the death of Queen Anne the throne passed to her nearest Prostestant relative. This proved to be George, Elector of Hanover 
, the great-grandson of James I.
During this period the United Kingdom is created when Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Ireland are formally joined under the Act of Union in 1801.
| Georgian Britain |
| 1714 |
George of Hanover, Germany succeeds
Queen Anne to the Throne |
| 1721 - 1742 |
Sir Robert Walpole becomes
the first Prime Minister |
| 1727 |
 11 January George I dies and is succeeded by his son George II
|
| 1739 |
19 October Britain declares war on Spain |
| 1740 - 1744 |
British naval commander George Anson sails around the world |
| 1742 |
13 April
Handel's 'Messiah' gets its first performance, in Dublin |
| 1743 |
27 June George II becomes the last British monarch to take part in a battle when he commanded the British Army at the Battle of Dettingen |
| 1745 |
23 July 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' lands in Scotland to claim the British throne
Charles Edward Stuart, or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', was the grandson of the deposed James II. |
| 1746 |
16 April 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' is
defeated at the Battle of Culloden |
| 1756- 1763 |
May 1756 The Seven Year War with France begins |
| 1757 |
First canal in Britain is completed |
| 1759 |
James Wolfe captures Quebec and adds Canada to the British Empire
Robert Clive brings India under British rule |
| 1760 |
 25 October George III succeeds his grandfather George II |
| 1769 |
James Cook becomes the first European to land on New Zealand |
| 1770 |
James Cook 'discovers' the south east coast of Australia, landing in Botany Bay. |
| 1771 |
'Factory Age' begins with the opening of Britain's first cotton mill |
| 1773 |
16 December Boston Tea Party |
| 1775 |
18 April American War of Independence begins |
| 1776 |
America declares independence
from Britain on July 4 1776 |
1778 |
Parliament passes the Catholic Relief Act, which removes many of the traditional restrictions on Catholics in Britain. |
1779 |
World's first cast iron bridge built in Ironbridge, England |
1780's
|
Industrial Revolution begins |
| 1780 |
2 - 11 June Gordon Riots break out in protest against the Catholic Relief Act
These were amongst the worst riots in English history. |
| 1783 |
Steam powered cotton mill
invented by Sir Richard Arkwright |
| 1787 |
13 May First fleet of convicts sails to Australia |
1788 |
1 January First edition of 'The Times' of London is published |
1789 |
14 July French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille |
1793 |
1 February Britain goes to war with France
War continued until the final defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. |
1796
|
Edward Jenner invents a
vaccination against small pox |
1800 |
1 January Act of Union creates the United Kingdom
Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Ireland were formally joined under the Act of Union to create the United Kingdom in 1801. |
1801
|
The first census. Population
of Britain 8 million
Ireland made part of the United Kingdom |
1801 |
10 March Britain holds its first census |
1804
|
Richard Trevithick
builds the first steam locomotive |
| 1805 |
21 October Lord Nelson defeats Napoleon
at the Battle of Trafalgar |
| 1807 |
25 March Britain abolishes the slave trade |
| 1815 |
18 June Duke of Wellington defeats
Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo |
| 1820 |
 29 January George III dies after occupying the throne for 60 years and is succeeded by his son George IV.
|
| 1825 |
27 September World's first steam locomotive passenger service opens
between Stockton and Darlington |
1829
|
June 1829 - Robert Peel set up the Metropolitan
Police force |
1830 |
26 June George IV dies and is succeeded by his brother William IV |
1831 |
October - Riots break out over the parliamentary Reform Bill |
1832 |
4 June Great Reform Act changes parliamentary representation
The Great Reform Act made important changes to parliamentary constituencies and extended the franchise (those allowed to vote), but did not introduce parliamentary democracy or a secret ballot. |
1833 |
Factory Act restricts work hours for women and children
Under the terms of the act, mill owners were required to show that children up to age 13 received two hours of schooling, six days per week. |
1833 |
31 July Parliament passes a bill to abolish slavery in the British empire |
1834
|
The Poor Law set up workhouses,
where people without homes or jobs could live in return for doing
unpaid work. |
Project Britain
Victoria
© 
