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King James I
In 1603 after the death of Queen Elizabeth I of the house of Tudor. He occupied both the Thrones of Scotland and England bringing the two countries together under one government.Thus starting the British Empire. -
Jamestown Colony
This was the first English colony in the New World and it would be the first of many in the region that would later go on to be the larger colony of Virginia. This was the first colony outside of the British Isles. -
Plymouth Rock Colony
This was the first British colony in what would become New England later on. It would become a center of trade and commerce and house the large city of Boston. This was yet another important step in the creation of the British Empire. -
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Oliver Cromwell
This was a coup by Oliver Cromwell who overthrew the British Monarchy and sending it into exile. It was also a time of persecution for religious minorities in Britain and a very violent time in Ireland. Because of this many more people decided to the leave the British Isles to escape persecution by escaping to the new American colonies. -
Kingdom of Great Britain Created
This was an official unification of the English and Scottish Thrones into one though a single monarch had occupied both thrones for well over a hundred years. This brought about English supremacy over all in the British Isles solidifying their hold over the homeland and allowing them to focus their efforts abroad. Though there were a few rebellions in Scotland and Ireland they were easily crushed and Britain became a unified power. -
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The French and Indian War
Though the Seven Years War raged in Europe it also reached the colonies. The part of the war that took place in North America came to be known as the French and Indian War to the colonists. This defeat by the British over the French gave them room to expand west and also gave Britain a foothold in what would become Canada. This would allow Britain to push across the continent and eventually create its largest colony, Canada. -
Colonization of India
The start of British contact and colonization in India actually started in 1612, it wasn’t until 1757 that the East India Trading Company came to control most of the subcontinent and British rule was very much so established in the region. It continued to expand in the region over the next 150 years. -
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The American Revolutionary War
This was the first major blow to the expansion of the British Empire. The Thirteen American Colonies declared their independence after issues over taxation without representation among other grievances. These colonies supplied a lot of resources for the Empire and made the British very rich. Losing these colonies was a major blow to British possessions in the Americas though they maintained control of much of the Caribbean and Canada. -
Colonization of Australia
This was a major milestone in the expansion of the British Empire. This started just after the British lost control of what became the United States. The acquisition of Australia, and later New Zealand, gave them a lot more land and more resources that the Empire could use. This included the strategic location of the two regions in the South Pacific. It also allowed for Britain to ship many of its prisoners out of the British Isles and their colonies keeping rebellions to a minimu -
The Creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
This was the final unification of thrones in the British Isles and the flag of the country that became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland came into existence and hasn’t changed to this day. Not long after this many Irish started to leave Ireland because of persecution and the Irish potato famine. Many of them went to America but many of them also went to other British colonies thus expanding their presence overseas. -
The Invasion of Burma
This another major expansion in Asia. It gave the British more control in the area and allowed them to rival Siam and China as regional powers in the South Pacific Ocean. This brought with it more resources as well. -
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Queen Victoria's Reign
In 1837 Queen Victoria came to power and would ultimately be the last British monarch that wielded at least some power over the country. She was a major figure of the time that was famous all over the world. She was also crowned the Empress of India and showed the world the power that the British Empire had. It was also during her reign that Britain came to control even more territory in Asia and Africa. It can be argued that she was one of the most powerful figures in history. -
The Boer Wars
The Boer Wars was actually a series of a couple of wars between the British Empire and the the Netherlands over control of the colonies along the Cape of Good Hope that would come to be known as South Africa. This gave the British control over most of the southern part of Africa and allowed the British almost complete control over the shipping routes along the southern cape of Africa. This also gave them the idea to build a transcontinental railroad that would start in Cairo and go to Cape Tow -
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World War I and Middle East Expansion
Though the British had a presence close to the Middle East prior to the First World War in Egypt and Sudan they did not control large amounts of land in the region because the Ottoman Empire was still the hegemonic power in the region. However, the Ottoman Empire was considered the “Sick Man of Europe” because its empire was crumbling, it wasn’t until World War I that it completely collapsed. British and French. The British would ultimately come to control Palestine, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, & Iraq