The British Empire By sleepyheaad 1580 Discovery of the West Indies Period: 1580 to 1945 The British Empire 1600 Discovery of the Bahamas. 1600 England and Scotland came together (United Kingdom) 1600 British Virgin Islands 1600 India 1600 13 American Colonies 1703 The British took over Gibraltar 1757 The French and the Native Americans declared war on Britain 1765 The war ended. Canada and Florida became British. 1773 Boston Tea Party 1775 American declaration of Independence. 1775 America declared war on Britain. 1782 James Cook discovered Australia and New Zealand 1783 The war ended. The British surrendered at Yorktown. 1795 Napoleón declared war on Britain. 1801 Ireland's flag became part of the Union Flag 1815 Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. 1857 Indian Revolution. Government took control of East India. 1890 War against the Zulu tribe in South Africa. (Britain won). 1914 Imperial Germany declares war on Britain. 1918 The war was won by Britain. 1921 Empire at its highest. 1939 Germany, Italy and Japan started WWII. 1945 The Allies won the war. 1945 Britain went bankrupt, (too expensive to have all the colonies)