A Chronology of the British Empire
1815 Congress of Vienna. Britain retained most of her conquests made during the Napoleonic wars, including the Cape of Good Hope, Malta and Mauritius
1819 Raffles acquired Singapore
1820 5,000 settlers arrived in the Cape Colony
1824 First Burma War (to 1825)
1829 'Suttee' abolished in Bengal
1834 Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire
1837 Canadian Rebellion
1838 Lord Durham's mission to Canada resulting in the Durham Report
1839 'Opium War' between Britain and China
Wakefield settlers settled in New Zealand
1840 Upper and Lower Canada united
New Zealand annexed
1841 Britain wins the 'Opium War'. China paid £1.3 million war indemnity, opened five ports and ceded Hong Kong.
1843 Natal annexed
Maori wars against Britain in New Zealand began
Sind conquered by General Napier
1845 First Sikh war (to 1846)
1846 Kaffraria and Labuan annexed
Repeal of the Corn Laws
1848 Nova Scotia first colony with responsible government
Second Sikh War
1849 Navigation Acts abolished
Annexation of the Punjab
1852 New Zealand received responsible government
Second Burma War
Livingstone exploration of the Zambesi area
1854 Bloemfontein established Independence for Orange Free State
1856 Second Chinese War (to 1858)
Annexation of Oudh
1857 Indian rebellion began at Meerut
1858 British Columbia established
Queen Victoria's Proclamation of British Rule over India
Government of India Act
Burton and Speke discovered Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria
1859 Queensland became a separate colony
1860 Second phase of Maori Wars
1861 Select Committee on Colonial Military Expenditure recommended cuts in British troops in the colonies.
Lagos annexed
Gold discovered in New Zealand
1865 Commons Select Committee recommended no more annexations in west Africa.
Morant Bay rebellion in Jamaica
1866 West African settlements united
1867 British North America Act established the dominion of Canada.
1869 Suez canal opened
Hudson Bay Company ceded its right to territory to the government of the Dominion of Canada.
1870 Ruskin's 'Imperial Duty' speech at Oxford
Riel's rebellion in Canada
1871 Stanley met Livingstone in Ujiji
1872 Responsible government granted to Cape Colony
Disraeli's Crystal Palace speech
1873 The Ashanti war began
1875 Disraeli purchased the Khedive of Egypt's shares in the Suez Canal
1876 Queen Victoria proclaimed 'Empress of India'
1877 Transvaal annexed
1878 Congress of Berlin
Afghan War began
1879 Zulu War
1880 First Anglo-
Annexation of Griqualand
1881 British defeat at Majuba Hill led to British withdrawal from Transvaal.
1882 Wolseley's defeat of Egyptian forces led to British occupation of Egypt.
1883 Publication of Seeley's 'Expansion of England'.
1884 West Africa Conference in Berlin decided rules for partitioning Africa.
Conference of London confirmed Transvaal's independence.
1885 General Gordon died at Khartoum.
Indian National Congress founded.
1886 Gold discovered in Transvaal
Niger Company received royal assent and control of Nigerian coast.
1888 Imperial East Africa Company chartered
1889 British South Africa Company chartered
1890 Treaties between Britain and Germany over east Africa and Britain and France over west Africa
Cecil Rhodes became Prime Minister of Cape Colony
Zanzibar acquired from Germany in exchange for Heligoland
British East Africa formed
Pioneer column settled Mashonaland and founded Salisbury.
1893 Natal given responsible government
Expedition against the Matabele
1895 Joseph Chamberlain became Colonial Secretary
Jameson Raid ended in failure
1897 Lord Milner appointed High Commissioner for South Africa
1898 Chamberlain announced Five Year Plan for West Indies
Battle of Omdurman
'Fashoda Crisis' with France
Lord Curzon became Viceroy of India
1899 Bloemfontein Conference failed to resolve Anglo-
Second Anglo-
1900 Kitchener replaced Buller in South Africa and March on Pretoria
Relief of Mafeking
Royal Niger Company replaced by protectorates over Southern and Northern Nigeria
1901 Queen Victoria died
Emily Hobhouse made public the conditions in the Boer concentration camps
Federation of Australia
1902 Treaty of Vereeniging ended war in South Africa
Anglo-
1903 Chamberlain resigned as Colonial Secretary to form the Tariff Reform League
1904 Anglo-
Empire Day began
1905 Bengal partitioned
Milner replaces as High Commissioner of South Africa
1906 Liberals won General Election
1907 Anglo-
Self government for Transvaal and Orange Free State
1909 Morley-
1910 Union of South Africa formed
1911 Delhi Durbar for the coronation of George V
1914 First World War began