When people start diving into history, they often get lost in a sea of dates, kings, and battles without a clear sense of how it all fits together. So let’s fix that. Whether you’re prepping for a pub quiz, writing a travel blog about ancient sites, or just want to sound smarter over a pint, knowing the eras of history is a solid place to start. From the early days of hunter-gatherers in the Stone Age to the chaos of the 21st century, this guide walks you through the key historical periods in Britain and Europe. Think of it as your no-nonsense timeline to understanding how we got from mammoths to memes — with plenty of useful trivia along the way.
Prehistoric Eras (No Written Records)
These are broadly defined by the materials used for tools and weapons:
1. Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age)
- Approx: 2.5 million years ago – 10,000 BC
- Hunter-gatherers, stone tools, no farming.
- Britain was mostly under ice for a lot of it.
2. Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)
- Approx: 10,000 – 4,000 BC (in Britain)
- Still hunter-gatherers, but starting to use more advanced tools and settle seasonally.
- Post-Ice Age warming.
3. Neolithic (New Stone Age)
- Approx: 4,000 – 2,500 BC
- Farming begins, permanent settlements like Skara Brae in Orkney.
- Megalithic monuments (Stonehenge begins here).
4. Bronze Age
- Approx: 2,500 – 800 BC
- Metalworking arrives – bronze = copper + tin.
- Burial mounds (barrows) become common.
- Trade networks develop.
5. Iron Age
- Approx: 800 BC – AD 43 (Roman invasion of Britain)
- Use of iron tools and weapons.
- Hillforts like Maiden Castle.
- Tribes like the Durotriges and Iceni emerge.
Historic Eras (Written Records Start)
This is where most schoolbooks kick off properly.
6. Roman Britain
- Approx: AD 43 – 410
- Britain becomes part of the Roman Empire.
- Roads, towns, villas, Hadrian’s Wall.
- Latin introduced; Christianity appears.
7. Sub-Roman / Post-Roman / Early Medieval (aka “The Dark Ages”)
- Approx: 410 – 600
- Collapse of Roman systems.
- Mythic time of King Arthur (if he existed).
- Migration of Angles, Saxons, Jutes.
8. Anglo-Saxon Period
- Approx: 600 – 1066
- Formation of kingdoms like Wessex, Mercia.
- Christianity spreads again (thanks Irish and Roman missionaries).
- Epic poems like Beowulf written.
9. Viking Age
- Approx: 793 – 1066
- Raids and settlements from Norsemen.
- Danelaw established in parts of England.
- Ends with the Norman conquest.
10. Norman and High Medieval Period
- Approx: 1066 – 1300
- William the Conqueror, feudalism, Domesday Book.
- Castles everywhere.
- Gothic cathedrals begin rising.
11. Late Medieval Period
- Approx: 1300 – 1485
- Black Death, Hundred Years’ War, War of the Roses.
- Richard III loses to Henry Tudor at Bosworth.
Post-Medieval to Modern Eras
12. Tudor Period
- 1485 – 1603
- Henry VIII, the Reformation, Elizabeth I.
- Golden Age of exploration and theatre (hello Shakespeare).
13. Stuart Period / Early Modern
- 1603 – 1714
- Union of Crowns, English Civil War, Cromwell, Restoration, Glorious Revolution.
14. Georgian Period
- 1714 – 1837
- Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution begins, Napoleonic Wars.
- Massive changes in science, architecture, and social life.
15. Victorian Era
- 1837 – 1901
- Queen Victoria, Empire expansion, trains, telegraphs, Dickens, workhouses.
16. Edwardian Era
- 1901 – 1914
- Short but distinctive – elegance, suffragettes, Titanic, teetering toward war.
17. World War I and Interwar Period
- 1914 – 1939
- Total war, decline of aristocracy, rise of socialism and fascism.
18. World War II
- 1939 – 1945
- Global conflict, Blitz, Holocaust, atomic bomb.
19. Post-War / Modern Britain
- 1945 – 1990s
- NHS, decolonisation, welfare state, punk rock, Thatcher.
20. Contemporary / 21st Century
- 1990s – present
- Globalisation, digital age, Brexit, climate crisis, pandemic, AI.
Bonus Glossary for the Confused:
- Hillfort – A fortified settlement on a hill (obviously), used mainly in the Iron Age.
- Barrow – An ancient burial mound.
- Feudalism – Medieval land system where everyone owes loyalty and land to someone above.
- Danelaw – Region of England under Viking control.
- Reformation – Religious upheaval that split the Church and led to Protestantism.
- Industrial Revolution – Shift from farming and handwork to machines and factories.
- Decolonisation – The process of former colonies gaining independence from empire.
Pub Quiz Gold Nuggets:
- The Iron Age ends in Britain with the Roman invasion in AD 43.
- 1066 is the big year: Norman Conquest.
- The Black Death hit Britain in 1348.
- The Industrial Revolution began in around 1760 in Britain.
- The Victorian era lasted 64 years, one of the longest reigns in history (until Queen Elizabeth II).
- The Stone Age is divided into Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic.
