Europe
Europe and its Intriguing Connections to the History of Britain and the making of the Union
Britain the island, and its complicated relationship with Europe, a continuing debate, as relevant today as it has been over a thousand years. Scroll down beyond the Map and see our Timeline and chronology of major European events that provide context, background and/or directly impact on British History, its friends, neighbours, allies and enemies throughout history.
Europe and its connection to British History using our interactive Map
[geo_mashup_map map_content=”global” width=610 height=750 zoom=4]
The connections reach far and wide, from the Norman Conquest to WW2, geography has more than played its part. Here the map zooms out for a pan-european view. This page is centered on the Poland (which became the focus of some of us in Europe, all too late) at the start of WW2, But you can pan and zoom to wherever you would like to roam. Pins mark places where we have content posted and mapped but you can also use the maps to get a feel for the geography, as globally or locally as you like.
European timeline and chronology related to Britain and its history
A timeline and chronology that will grow over time and focus during 2015 on events relevant to Wars and major events across Europe, initially in the 18th,19th and 20th Centuries in particular.
Regional: European Events Timeline and Chronology
Date(s) | Event | Parties | Place |
---|---|---|---|
1789-1799 | French Revolution : a major force across engaging British sympathy for different factions and in particular the hard-pressed French Aristocracy with relations and kindred spirits in Britain. Revolutionary fervour was a real concern to British government in the period to 1815. | French Civil War the population of France, Royalist, Aristocrats and Republicans and the poor. | France |
1803-1815 | Napoleonic Wars a continuation and extension of the French Revolutionary wars. Battle of Waterloo and Battle of Trafalgar. British forces fwages part unded by Rothschilds. | Napoleon, Wellington Nelson British French Russian | Mediterranean France Egypt Germany |
1914-1918 | WW1 World War I the first world war of two in just a hundred years. | Germany Britain USA Ottoman Empire British Empire and its Dominions German Empire and its Dominions. European Allies France Belgium | European Middle East, African Theatres of War, global in scale. Too many to list major events will be added with places. |
1917 | Political: Balfour declaration re homeland for Jewish People in Palestine | BALFOUR Foreign Secretary to Rothschilds and Zionists | Britain , Palestine (See Middle East Map) |
1921 | IRISH QUESTION: Treaty is agreed for formation of Irish Free State excludes 6 counties of Northern Ireland | British Government, Irish Republicans, Northern Ireland Unionists | Southern Ireland EIRE Irish Free State, 6 counties of Northern Ireland. |
1933 | Political: Hitler comes to Power in 1933 | Germany, Adolf Hitler, Nazi Party | Berlin Germany |
1933 | Public opinion: King and Country debate in Oxford University Union. Post WW1 interpreted as younger generation are anti-war. | Oxford University Students | Oxford England |
1935 10 OCT | Military and Political - Ethiopian Crisis: Italy invades Ethiopia. Unopposed by Western European Powers. | Italy, Ethiopia | Ethiopia Africa |
1935 10 OCT-DEC | Political - Hoare Laval Pact: Britain ready to accede to the Italian act of Aggression in ethiopia | Italy, France,Britain Samuel Hoare British Foreign Sec and Pierre Laval French PM Denounced in the press in UK as an act of appeasement. | Ethiopia |
1935 | Political and Military Hitler repudiates/rejects the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles | Hitler, Germany, Nazi party | Germany,Europe |
1935 | Military and Political -Anglo-German Naval Agreement enabling Germans to build their naval strength to 1/3rd of British Naval Strength | Germany, Britain, Naval forces | Navy |
1935-1937 | UK Political BALDWIN wins General Electionon policy of no Big Armamens | Stanley BALDWIN ConservativeBritish Prime Minister PM | Britain UK Parliament |
1936 | Germany reoccupies with troops 'demilitarised zone' of Rhineland defying the Treaty of Versailles | Hitler, Germany | Rhineland Germany |
1936 | Spanish Cvil War Commences, Britain adopts non-interventionist approach despite heavy German and Italian involvement. | Hitler Germany, Italy, Spain Franco | Spain |
1937-1949 | CHAMBERLAIN elected Prime Minister in Britain pursuing line of 'appeasement.' | Conservative Party Neville Chamberlain | Britain UK |
1938 | Anschluss Austria Capitulates without a fight and absorbed into Third Reich contrary to Treaty of Versailles. Jewish and civilian oppression and persecution commences. | Germany, Austria, Nazi Party | Austria |
1938 | Germany threatens Czechoslovakia over province of German Czechs 'Sudetenland' It is a pretense and excuse for invasion. Britain does not act to protect the Czechs but sues for peace with Hitler. | Czechs, Germans, Hitler, Britain, France | Czechoslovakia, Sundentenland (German Speaking Czechs and non-germans, ) |
1938 | Chamberlain continues appeasement policy and seeks to negotiate with Hitler, believes victory with MUNICH AGREEMENT surrendering Sudetenland to Germany | Britain, Germany, Hitler, Chamberlain (British PM) | Munich Germany |
1938-1939 | Russia is double dealing, negotiates with Britain in Moscow and in parallel with Germans | Soviets do not enter as a World War at this stage/ | Russia/Soviet powers. |
1939-1945 | WW2 2nd World War in the 20th Century, events added during the war as additional lines Germany Italy and Japan largely against the Western Allies | Germany western Allies | Too many to list but starts Czechoslovakia Austria and Poland aggressions by Nazi Germany under Hitler. |
1939-1940 | World remained neutral apart from Britain France and Germany. The rest of the world was nervously and notionally at peace. This was not unlike other territorial disputes and many nations sought to avoid being absorbed into war, post WW1 experience. But in this War it was different Germans introduced oppression, persecution and execution of civilians and there was no moral outcry of substance from the rest of the World. | Germany, France, Britain | Poland, Czechoslovakia |
1939 03 MAR | Germany invades and occupies PRAGUE in Czechoslovakia. | Germany Hitler, Czechs | Prague Czechoslovakia |
1939 04 APR | Britain introduces peacetime Conscription | British Government | Britain Parliament |
1939 08 AUG | ANGLO-POLISH Agreement Signed with guarantees to Poland and Romania. | British and Polish Government | Poland and Romania |
1939 | Hitler demands Polish frontier adjusted in German favour. | Hitler Germany | Poland Germany |
1939 09 SEP 01st | Nazi Germany stages a Polish act of aggression to justify invasion. It is two full days before Britain responds. | Germans posing in Polish uniforms | Polish/German territories. |
1939 09 SEP 03rd | Britain declares War on Germany but despite Anglo-Polish Agreement does nothing to prevent German advance and invasion of Poland. By the end of September Poland is crushed. | Britain Germany France and Poland | Poland |
1939 09 SEP 17th | Soviet Russian joined attack against Poland. Britain and France do not respond and decalre war on the Russian Soviets. | Russia and Germany | Poland |
1939 WINTER | French strategy was focused on defending the Maginot Line along its frontier border with Germany and Britain on the support of France wits initial small and ill-equipped British Expeditionary Force deployed. German manpower nd forces were not much larger than Britains and France's combined but the Germans were superior in air power at this point and had a small technological lead and valuable experience from operations in Spain Austria Czechoslovakia and Poland. | France Britain Germany | French border with Germany Maignot Line |
1940 04 APR | Denmark and Norway occupied by Hitler and Germany. Aim to delay Britain and France from marshalling their forces in effective response. | Denmark, Norway, Germany | Denmark ad Norway |
1940 05 MAY 08th | Disasterous attempt to defend DENMARK leads to British Prime Minister CHAMBERLAIN resigning replaced by CHURCHILL and Coalition Government. | Denmark and Britain | DENMARK |
1940 05 MAY 10th | Germany invaded the Netherlands. (Holland) powerless to maintain resistance Netherlands surrenders in just 4 days. | Germans, Dutch | Netherlands |
1940 05 MAY 28th | Belgian resistance finally gives way and surrenders to Germany. Anglo-French forces on route to engage Germans are cut off from north by German attack from the Ardennes Forest north of the Maginot Line which reached the English Channel. Allied forces were forced back to Dunkirk. | Belgians, Germans | Belgium |
1940 06 JUN 04th | DUNKIRK 338k troops survived the German onslaught and were evacuated by the British civilian and naval rescue force. | British and German forces | Dunkirk France |
1940 06 JUN | French forces split by Germans and Paris falls to German occupation. | German and French forces | Paris France |
1940 06 JUN 10th | Italy declares war on France and Britain | France Italy and Britain | Italy and Europe |
1940 06 JUN 22nd | France surrenders signing armistice with Germany accepting German occupation of Northern France and appointing a puppet regime at Vichy that would become know as the Vichy. | France Germany | Northern and Vichy France |
1940 07 JUL | British sink French Navy at Mers-El-Kebir to prevent it falling into Geman hands | British forces | Mers-El-Kebir |
1941 06 JUN | British overan French troops in Syria and Lebanon to prevent German occupation as effective opposition had ceased in Jun 1940 with the exception of the French Resistance and Partisans, | British and French forces | Middle East Syria and Lebanon. see Middle East Map, |
1944 06 Jun 06 | D DAY Allied Forces Normandy Landings | Americans British Canadians and Allies | Normandy France |
1945 05 May 08 | VE DAY Victory in Europe 8th May 1945 | Allied Forces and peoples of Europe | Europe London and throughout. |