History cram sheet

Dates and names from the question bank, grouped chronologically with memory hooks. Skim the table of contents, then read top to bottom.

Patron saints

Also: St Augustine = first Archbishop of Canterbury (not a patron saint — commonly confused).

Roman / Ancient Britain

• 6,000 years ago — first farmers arrived in Britain
• 55 BC — Julius Caesar's invasion (failed)
• AD 43 — Emperor Claudius led the successful Roman invasion
• Boudicca — queen of the Iceni, tribal leader who fought the Romans
• Emperor Hadrian — built the wall in the north to keep out the Picts (ancestors of the Scots)

Middle Ages

• 1066 — Norman Conquest, the last successful foreign invasion of England. William the Conqueror built the Tower of London and ordered the Domesday Book.
• 1215 — Magna Carta
• 1348 — Black Death arrived (just remember "Middle Ages" if the year isn't an option)
• William Caxton — first person in England to print books using a printing press

Tudors & Stuarts

• Henry VIII — father of Queen Elizabeth I
• Elizabeth I — English settlers first colonised the east coast of America during her reign
• 1588 — English defeated the Spanish Armada
• William Shakespeare — born in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Charles I executed → England declared itself a republic called the Commonwealth (no monarch)
• Oliver Cromwell — given the title of Lord Protector; ruled until 1658
• 1666 — Great Fire of London; Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt St Paul's Cathedral
• 1688 — William of Orange invited to invade (Glorious Revolution)
• 1689 — Bill of Rights
• 1690 — William of Orange defeated James II at the Battle of the Boyne (Ireland)

Georgian (18th century)

• 1721–1742 — Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister
• 1745 — Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart, grandson of James II) raised an army with Scottish highland clansmen to put a Stuart back on the throne
• William Wordsworth — wrote The Daffodils
• Thomas Chippendale — 18th-century furniture designer

19th century

• Admiral Nelson — in charge of the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar (vs the Spanish fleet); killed in the battle
• 1833 — Emancipation Act abolished slavery throughout the British Empire
• William Wilberforce — politician and abolitionist who helped change public opinion against slavery
• Florence Nightingale — nurse, often regarded as the founder of modern nursing

Suffragettes & WWI

• Emmeline Pankhurst — leader of the suffragettes; founded the WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) in 1903
• 1918 — WWI ended at 11.00 am on 11 November 1918
• 1918 — women over 30 got the right to vote (partly in recognition of their WWI contribution)
• 1928 — voting age equalised: men AND women at 21

WWII & modern Britain

• 1939 — Germany invaded Poland
• Sir Robert Watson-Watt — developed radar
• Sir Edwin Lutyens — designed the Cenotaph in Whitehall
• Clarice Cliff — Art Deco ceramic designer
• UN — set up after WWII, to prevent war and promote international peace
• 1945 — Clement Attlee (Labour) elected PM
• 1949 — Ireland became a republic
• 1953 — DNA structure discovered; Francis Crick co-discovered it (with James Watson) at Cambridge
• 1954 — Sir Roger Bannister, first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes
• David Hockney — important contributor to the 1960s pop art movement
• 1966 — England won the football World Cup; Bobby Moore was captain
• Ernest Rutherford — led the team that first split the atom (Manchester then Cambridge; later Manhattan Project)
• Sir Tim Berners-Lee — invented the World Wide Web
• Margaret Thatcher — first female PM; also longest-serving PM of the 20th century (1979–1990)
• 1997 — Tony Blair (Labour) elected; introduced the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly
• 2002 — Winston Churchill voted the greatest Briton of all time
• Sir Terence Conran — 20th-century interior designer

Literature & arts (quick fire)

• William Shakespeare — born Stratford-upon-Avon
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — wrote Sherlock Holmes
• William Wordsworth — wrote The Daffodils
• Sir Christopher Wren — architect, rebuilt St Paul's after the 1666 Great Fire
• Sir Edwin Lutyens — designed the Cenotaph
• David Hockney — 1960s pop art
• Clarice Cliff — Art Deco ceramics
• Thomas Chippendale — 18th-century furniture
• Sir Terence Conran — 20th-century interior design

Government & church roles

• The monarch is the head of the Church of England
• The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader of the Church of England
• The Home Secretary is responsible for crime, policing and immigration

Confusion pairs — the ones the exam loves

Famous Prime Ministers

Builders & architects

The 1918 / 1928 / 1939 cluster

Battles & opponents

The two Williams of 1066 vs 1688

Roman invaders

Final 60-second check before you go in

If you can rattle off these ten things, you've covered most of the history questions:

1. Four patron saints + their dates (D-P-G-A: 1 Mar, 17 Mar, 23 Apr, 30 Nov)
2. 1066 Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror, Tower of London, Domesday Book
3. 1215 Magna Carta
4. 1588 Spanish Armada
5. 1666 Great Fire → Wren rebuilds St Paul's
6. 1688 William of Orange invited; 1690 Boyne, defeats James II
7. 1721 Walpole = first PM
8. 1833 Emancipation Act (slavery abolished in British Empire)
9. 1918 WWI ends (11am, 11 Nov) + women over 30 vote; 1928 vote at 21
10. 1939 Germany invades Poland; 1945 Attlee PM; Thatcher first female + longest 20C; Blair 1997 devolution