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British History

Questions covering key dates, events and people in British history from the Romans to devolution.

85 questions

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The values of British society are based on:

✓ History, traditions and customs, protected by law and expectations

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have:

✓ Their own parliaments or assemblies with devolved powers in defined areas

In which year did the Romans invade Britain?

✓ 43 AD

What was the name of the wall built by the Romans to keep out the Picts?

✓ Hadrian's Wall

When did the Romans leave Britain?

✓ 410 AD

Who was the Viking leader who eventually ruled most of England?

✓ Cnut (Canute)

When did William the Conqueror defeat King Harold at the Battle of Hastings?

✓ 1066

What was the Domesday Book?

✓ A survey of English land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror

When was the Magna Carta signed?

✓ 1215

What did the Magna Carta establish?

✓ That the king must obey the law and could not imprison people without trial

When did the Black Death reach Britain?

✓ 1348

What proportion of the population of England died in the Black Death?

✓ One third

In which year was William Shakespeare born?

✓ 1564

Who was the first king of both England and Scotland?

✓ James I

What was the main cause of the English Civil War?

✓ Parliament versus King Charles I over who had the right to rule

What happened to King Charles I in 1649?

✓ He was executed

Who ruled England after the execution of Charles I?

✓ Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector

When was the Act of Union creating the Kingdom of Great Britain passed?

✓ 1707

Who invented the steam engine?

✓ James Watt

What were the "father and son" pioneers of the railway engine?

✓ George and Robert Stephenson

What was the Great Western Railway?

✓ A major railway in Britain designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel

During Queen Victoria's reign, the British Empire grew to cover:

✓ All of India, Australia and large parts of Africa

Emmeline Pankhurst is famous for:

✓ Leading the suffragette campaign for women's right to vote

When did the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly come into existence?

✓ 1999

When was the first Parliament set up in England?

✓ In the 1200s during the reign of Edward I

Which event marked the end of the British Empire era and independence for many countries?

✓ Decolonisation, particularly in the 1940s-1960s

Scotland was joined to England in 1707 but retained which of the following?

✓ Its own legal and education systems and Presbyterian Church

Charles Dickens is famous for writing novels that highlighted:

✓ The harsh social conditions and poverty of Victorian England

The Pre-Raphaelites were a group of artists in the:

✓ Second half of the 19th century

The Scottish Parliament was established in:

✓ 1999