Arthur "England" Kirkland

[/color]:[/b] Arthur Kirkland
Nickname/Alias: Was once known as Albion (a name given to him by his original people), was christened Britannia by Rome, and later became the United Kingdom. To his misfortune, he also has several additional nicknames (e.g. ‘Artie’ or ‘Iggy’) that he does not approve of and will not answer to if he can help it.
Gender: Male
Character Type: Country
Country or Country of Origin: England, though he often has represented the UK as a whole.
Canon or Original: Canon
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[/color]:[/b] Green
Hair: Ash blond
Height and Weight: 175 cm; 9.7 st
Other Distinguishing Features: His most distinctive features are probably his large, dark eyebrows, set sharply against his pale fringe, making him quite difficult to misplace in a crowd. The contrast gives the overall impression that he’s in a constant state of irritation—though this expression varies from slight to intolerable. On the less blatantly visible side, his body is littered with scars, each telling its own story along with a cartel of memories.

Overall Appearance:

England has always been the owner of a slight build and has never been particularly proud of it despite being a rather proud individual. Something that has never changed much while steadily growing centimetre by slow centimetre through the centuries is how Arthur tends to look a bit on the undernourished side with his sharp, bony angles beneath pale flesh. His skin is pale with a pinkish undertone, meaning that he gets ever so red and blotchy whenever the sun damages it and is never able to retain a proper tan. His cropped hair is dry—never smooth—and difficult to tame into something manageable. So it has stayed the same for centuries: messy and short. His lithe build is a tad bit smaller compared to the other taller, more toned nations. Despite this, he is stronger than what his body suggests (even more so during his Empire days), though again, it is still not able to hold a light to other hulking nations. His skin is lightly marred by multiple scars, the minor, older ones mostly faded and layered. There are some that are much more visible and recent, such the deep lacerations from the last world war that he is still recovering from, which is verified by the evidence still visible in his cities.

Before the Norman invasion, England had very simple tastes—dressing himself in what was available and practical. This still remained somewhat unchanged after the conquest for some centuries, but it marked his introduction to the fashions of Europe (which he later strived to emulate in his own way.) Eventually, upon entering his prepubescent and teenage segments, his tastes soon shifted from unassuming to lavish. In some ways, it may have been an unconscious attempt at making up for his thin frame. Especially in his pirate privateer days. He wore bright colors and the outlandish blending of plundered silks and cloth as a means of unconventional intimidation. It’s debatable as to whether these tactics paid off (of course they were memorable either way), but he continued on with his efforts to look a bit unusual back then, feeding off of as much fear and uncertainty as he could and using it to his advantage. Of course, even afterwards, England continued to retain that bit of extravagance and eventually began to take some pride in his appearance while still being somewhat self-conscious of the thin, marred body beneath the gold, adornments, and expensive cloth.

A bit more presently, England went through another phase of odd dress and behaviour in the ’70 with the emerging punk era. This is when he got his first tattoo, though someone would have to know him well to know exactly what and where it is. Though that time frame has had a long-lasting effect on him, he still reverts to some of those old habits once in a while (namely if he’s too plastered to even remember what year it is…), though he’d like to think of these incidences as far and few between. Currently, he is quite comfortable with his wardrobe of sweaters, button ups, and clean cut trousers.

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• Control
  
• The open sea
  
• His navy
  
• Cooking/Baking (although his abilities are limited… he still enjoys it.)
  
• Classic black teas (Good lord, yes—Earl Grey, Assam, and Ceylon)
  
• Herbal teas (chamomile, peppermint, red vanilla, and blackberry)
  
• Scones, especially with ones with currants
  
• Spirits (Whisky, Gin, Somerset Brandy, and Rum… are all very welcome.)
  
• Portugal
  
• Good literature
  
• Football
  
• Rugby
  
• To an extent, societal decorum
  
• Most of his leaders have been decent (with the exception of a select few that were greatly loved. Or… greatly hated.)
  
• Shakespeare
  
• The liberty to be his occasionally snide self
  
• Embroidery, crochet, and lace-making (It’s an art form!)
  
• Insightful minds
  
• The fae
  
• Banter (Secretly, he does enjoy a good row.)
  
• An efficient fuck. (It is what it is. He’s seen enough to know that romance is a load of utter bollocks.)
  
• Being aware of a world beyond normal perception (At times, however; this can also be a tad bit disconcerting.)
  
• The idea of being needed, not necessarily just wanted.
  
• Alfred (ern—well... yes. He did raise him after all.)
  

Dislikes:

• Defeat
  
• Losing his foothold in the world
  
• Being insulted (him or his cooking)
  
• Incompetence
  
• A certain wine-sodden bastard.
  
• Spain
  
• His brothers
  
• Russia (Just—yes. Just Russia.)
  
• Apologies (giving them, to be exact.)
  
• Weak alcohol
  
• Impropriety
  
• Being interrupted
  
• Irritating presences
  
• Sodding technology
  
• Some of the restrictions of gentlemanly behaviour.
  
• Bastardisations of his language (Then again, it has already been botched thanks to Rome, France, Germany, and the Nordics to a degree.)
  
• America (sometimes.)
  
• Receiving orders
  
• Completely unnecessary mayhem
  
• Throbbing hangovers
  
• The absence of vital memory from the night before…
  
• Abandonment
  
• Being alone
  
• And yet, being bothered when he wants his privacy.
  

Strengths:

• His naval capabilities. England’s history is evidence of this, being the queen’s privateer (not a pirate!) in his younger years followed by gaining the seat of unchallenged sea power during his empire rule.
  
• Strong resolve. His people are known for their fierce determination and perseverance, chiefly in difficult times. Even during multiple invasions and subjugation by other nations trying to impress their culture on him when he was young, England never took it lying down. Though he was changed by their influence through the process, he continued to fight to retain his identity.
  
• Although he may not be as physically strong as other nations, England is certainly not one to easily skirt. He’s able to endure harsh times for excruciatingly long periods and can be quick on his feet when he needs to be, a lesson in self-preservation that he was forced to learn early on.
  
• Excellent retention (hence experience.) Coming from an exhaustive history, he recollects things rather well, even from the time when he was the equivalent to a child. He knows magic—the old ways and workings that have long been lost to human memory. And he would never deny that there was a world beyond the awareness of most.
  
• His needlework. Honestly, he can embroider, crochet, and sew very well. He has a penchant for complicated patterns, knots, constructing articles of clothing, as well as being able to mend things.
  

Weaknesses:

• Pride. Naturally, even as a child that started out with nothing, England does think fairly well of himself, perhaps a little too well at times. Although, it seems to be an accompanying attribute for any nation that has ever tasted world power.
  
• Tends to be rather unforgiving and vindictive. He has often been accused of holding grudges for longer than any of their kind would think sensible. Sometimes old wounds still feel a little too fresh for comfort, which is one of many things that fuel his long-standing rivalry with that fucking$#@%#@France.
  
• Has trouble letting go. Some may see this as a strength, but it most definitely has the capability of being a hindering weakness. If it were up to England, he would prefer the more archaic way of seeing the world/doing things as opposed to the innovations of progress. In a way, the newer ways remind him of his age—which he is very aware of, thank you very much. Not only does he have trouble letting go of tradition, but also of past endeavors and transgressions (namely those against him, of course.)
  
• Possessiveness: Logically, as Arthur has some issues with letting things be, he also holds on tightly to the things that he fears losing the most. Some of the time, however, he also takes great pains and enjoyment with holding onto things just for the sole sake of hurting his enemy/rival/what-have-you.
  
• Alcohol. A lot. He loves his liquor storage as much as he loves those late-night visits to the pub.
  

Fears:

• Arthur has had a bit of an issue with abandonment starting when he was very young. It began with Rome showing him how weak he really was as a child. And although England hated the old man with a passion, it still stung to be left to fend for himself after the faded Empire’s hasty departure. Soon after, it became a relentless pattern of being wanted by others and sequentially discarded by the following succession of invasion, raids, and harassment.
  
• Feeling anything more than trivial affection for anyone. Opening one’s heart is the gateway to vulnerability—and vulnerability is most definitely something to avoid, in Arthur’s most passionate opinion. That soft, virtually unseen side of England feels, to him, as damaged and used as the scars on his body. No longer worthwhile or desirable. He tried a while back to open up once more when he thought that it would be safe to do so, but was again left predictably heartbroken.
  
• Becoming weak—and not being able to do anything to possibly avoid it. When he was young, he made a promise to himself to become the strongest he could be so that others would think twice before even attempting to impress themselves upon him again. He hates not being in control of where he will be going in the future, of those that he still desires to look after, and what will eventually become of him.
  

Secrets: (for his age and with how tight-lipped he can be, there are quite a few)

• As much as his attitude might suggest otherwise, he doesn’t hate America. Though he may think him irritating at times, he really does have a soft spot for his former charge and if it’s within his power, he might do just about anything for him (within reason.) Covertly, of course, so it’s not so bleeding obvious. Having raised the boy and opened up so completely to him is not something that can be easily erased. Even Arthur isn’t fully aware of (or is just unwilling to acknowledge) how complex his feelings truly are.
  
• He really does not enjoy his seclusion as much as he lets on. Arthur, as an individual, can only stand it for a short while before it begins to stip away his supposed contentment with it. Of course, he stubbornly refuses to admit anything to the contrary.
  
• Even though he denies the rumours, it is actually true that Arthur harbours some odd kinks. Age does have its advantages… and experience is one of them. Of course, he will never let another living soul know this. He has a reputation to uphold after all (or so he believes.)
  
• Interestingly, he cannot swim as well as others might think. In fact, he’s kind of terrible at it.
  
• One of the most harrowing and memorable experiences Arthur ever had was being killed for the first time as a child. He could barely recall his first brush with death, but he never forgot the shudder of that first wakening: strewn alone and freezing on his own shore as the Channel lapped at his ankles, retching up a vile mixture of old blood and stagnant seawater, his long-starved lungs desperate to make up for the deprivation. Of course after frequent confrontations with it, death seems inconsequential to nations, but that first encounter is always the most memorable.
  

Any Quirks/Habits: He has a funny habit of always putting the kettle on his cooker whenever arriving home, as if unintentionally preparing for a stressful evening. More often than not, he resorts to it. Another quirk is the way that he can compulsively clean if he’s in a particular mood—even in inconvenient places, such as briefly wiping down his section of the tabletop at meetings. But only if it’s not too much trouble. On the flip side, he can also get very drunk very quickly… if that’s what he wants. Most of his free nights are, unfortunately, spent quite plastered and alone or with a complete stranger that he has no recollection of ever picking up.

Overall Personality:

Like most nations, England can be a bit difficult to understand, given that he has been around for quite some time. Existing for centuries has given him multiple dispositions, which at times are contradictory. One facet of his temperament (that many have pointed out) is that his level of approachability is sorely lacking. Although, this may just be because he’s generally unpleasant to be around for those he dislikes—which is several. He has a sharp tongue, can be sarcastic to the point of being offensive, and extremely obstinate. Part of this hardness was developed after enduring a difficult, centuries long youth. He was already a willful, assertive child to begin with and with the additional hounding from his siblings and later foreign aggravations, he became even more so. Ambition and centuries long grudges were born (particularly ones directed at France) and they were harboured and nurtured until he was able to make his fanciful visions a reality by winning the seat of naval power and the eventual emergence of the Pax Britannica.

England also has an excellent memory (aside from mundane details) and is able to recall things that have been long lost to human minds and records, which only manages to amplify his longing for them. He’s notorious for being one of the most nostalgic nations—constantly looking back, constantly remembering and honouring the “giants” among his people, and constantly renewing old wounds or refueling old rivalries. It truly frustrates him that the world seems to move on so fluidly, which also includes forgetting about the existence of things beyond what can be seen by focusing only on the superficial. Although he doesn’t talk about it much, England will never discount the existence of something beyond the corporeal world. He’s been thought of as being a bit on the fanciful side for still believing in the old ways and still being able to see traces of his fae. In a way, it does ease the loneliness, knowing that he’s not really alone most of the time.

Having retained his deep roots, Arthur does find some satisfaction in seemingly mundane activities such as needlework, crochet, compulsively cleaning, re-reading good literature, discovering new works of literary art, or finding something or other to give his scathing opinion about—whether it be Hollywood films, music, or France’s ridiculous fashion trends.

Staying true to his scrappy nature, England is thick-skinned, willing to weather through just about anything. He has known the ache of isolation, backstabbing, and abandonment for so long, that he most definitely has hardened from it and grew to lash out, releasing an unresolved cocktail of resentment during his “adolescent years.” In the end, when he was finally able to grow enough from his backwater origins, he quickly adapted to the European way of war, alliances (broken, reworked, and rewritten in every way possible), and strategic liaisons. And dear god—the more he grew into the role of the instigator instead of the target, the more he grew to like it. He liked having power for once—liked the thrill of coercion and being the cause of another’s submission, and even enjoyed the occasional one-night-stand for political gain. In the end, the island nation never lacked enemies, though he often felt that it was far better to be feared than loved, allowing little room for regret.

England also has a possessive streak—one that can border on the unnatural at times. There are very few things in the world that ever brought him any level of true satisfaction. He wouldn’t call it happiness, exactly. Even so, he would fight to keep them for himself—whether it was sea or land. Overall, England once loved having that sense of control and hated seeing it slip away as the modern age approached. As that form of thinking was obviously no longer acceptable in the more “civilised” present time, England was careful to adapt. He took on one decade at a time to ensure his place, more specifically, though the age of industrialisation and several other, smaller stretches of time that slowly altered the world into what it is today.

In lieu of all of this, a shorter explanation would be that Arthur can be on the stubborn, volatile side, but can also be steadfast when he needs to be. Emerging from the chaos and cruelty of his youth, he craved stability and strength. Some form of this stability came out through his unexpected dedication to the unspoken rule of decency and gentlemanly expectations that he believes forms a strong and proper society (although, obviously, this gentlemanly side of him extends to few concerning his kind.) Overall, he can be irritable, unapologetic, coarse, and these days, seldom ever smiles.

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• 3500 BC: First ceremonial centres appear along the British Isles.
  
• 3300-1200 BC: First stone circles and ‘henges’ are built.
  
• 3000-1500 BC: ‘Passage’ graves are developed; Settlements proliferate and more land is cleared for farming; ‘Ritual landscapes’ like henges and round barrows proliferate; Single graves in round barrows replace communal burial
  
• 2300 BC: ‘Amesbury Archer’ dies near Stonehenge.
  
• 2049 BC: ‘Seahenge’ is constructed on the Norfolk coast.
  
• 2000-1400 BC: Elite leaders are buried with elaborate grave goods; Lockington Gold Hoard is buried.
  
• 1800 BC: First industrial-scale copper mines are dug.
  
• 1500-800 BC: Ceremonial practices change as new religious ideas develop; Major lowland valleys are extensively settled.
  
• 1200-800 BC: Celtic culture and tribal kingdoms start to emerge.
  
• 800-700 BC: First hill forts are constructed.
  
• 700 BC-43 AD: Small farming settlements with networks of fields start to develop.
  
• 500-100 BC: British landscape becomes dominated by hill forts; First ‘brochs’ or stone towers are constructed in Scotland.
  
• 330 BC: Pytheas of Massilia circumnavigates Britain.
  
• 300 BC-0 AD: Somerset Levels lake villages of Glastonbury and Meare are built.
  
• 100 BC: Coins are used and produced for the first time.
  
• 54 BC: Julius Ceasar launches a full-scale invasion.
  
• 20 BC-43 AD: Roman influence grows; Roman emperor Augustus plans invasion of Britain.
  
• 9/10 AD: Cunobelinus becomes king of the Catuvellauni tribe.
  
• 43 AD: British capitol Camulodunum (Colchester) falls to the Romans.
  
• 47 AD: Aulus Plautius, who led the invasion of Britain is received as a hero in Rome.
  
• 51 AD: British resistance leader Caratacus is defeated and captured.
  
• 52 AD: Guerrilla war flares up in south east Wales.
  
• 61 AD: Romans campaign against the druids in the far west of Britain.
  
• 69 AD: Nero’s death sparks mutiny of Roman army in Britain.
  
• 71 AD: Romans conquer northern England.
  
• 78 AD: Romans invade Mona and destroy centre of druidism.
  
• 79/80 AD: Local aristocrats are encouraged to abandon ancient British culture.
  
• 78: Romans conquer Wales.
  
• 82: Romans contemplate the invasion of Ireland.
  
• 100: Romans establish a new frontier on the Tyne-Solway line.
  
• 182: Full-scale war erupts in northern Britain.
  
• 191-196: Clodius Albinus becomes governor of Britain and is hailed as emperor by the legions of Britain and Spain.
  
• 211: Britain is divided into two separate Roman providences.
  
• 250: New foes attack northern and western Britain and the Picts appear on record.
  
• 255: Work begins on a riverside wall in Londinium (London).
  
• 287: Usurper Carausius declares himself emperor and seizes Britain.
  
• 296: Roman emperor Constantius recovers Britain.
  
• 314: The Edict of Milan ends persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.
  
• 383: Magnus Maximus is hailed Roman emperor by the army in Britain.
  
• 400: Roman troops are withdrawn from Britain to defend Italy.
  
• 407: Constantine III is proclaimed emperor by the army in Britain.
  
• 409: Britons throw off their allegiance to Rome.
  
• 449: Angles and Saxons arrive in south east Britain.
  
• 516: Britons under an unknown leader defeat the Angles and Saxons at Mount Badon.
  
• 540: Gildas writes about the arrival of the Anglo-saxons.
  
• 597: Augustine arrives in Kent to begin the conversion of England.
  
• 616: Aethelberht, the first Christian English king, dies in Kent.
  
• 627: Edwin of Northumbria becomes the first Christian king in the north of England.
  
• 664: Synod of Whitby is held to settle differences between Roman and Celtic clergy.
  
• 668: Theodore is consecrated as archbishop of Canterbury.
  
• 731: Bede finishes his ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English people.’
  
• 786: Cynewulf, King of the West Saxons, is killed.
  
• 789: First recorded Viking attack happens in Dorset; Constantine becomes king of the Picts.
  
• 851: Athelstan, son of the king of Wessex, defeats a Viking fleet in battle.
  
• 867: Viking army kills rival kings of Northumbria, capturing York.
  
• 871: Aethelred and Alfred and Wessex meet Vikings in several battles
  
• 874: Vikings conquer the kingdom of Mercia.
  
• 878: Wessex is overrun by Vikings and King Alfred goes into hiding.
  
• 886: King Alfred agrees to a treaty with Vikings to divide England.
  
• 899: Alfred the Great dies and is succeeded by his son Edward the Elder.
  
• 954: Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king in England, is forced out of Yorvik (York) Stupid Danish bastard.
  
• 960: Dunstan becomes archbishop of Canterbury.
  
• 978: Edward the Martyr, King of England, is murdered.
  
• 991: Byrhtnoth, the chief magistrate of Essex, dies fighting the Vikings.
  
• 1013: Swein Forkbeard forces Aethelred the Unready into exhile.
  
• 1016: Cnut of Denmark becomes king of the English.
  
• 1042: Edward the Confessor becomes king of England.
  
• 1051: Edward the Confessor exiles the powerful nobleman, Earl Godwin of Essex.
  
• 1066: Edward the Confessor dies and is succeeded by Harold Godwinson; Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, invades England and defeats the English in at the Battle of Fulford; Harold II defeats herald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge; William of Normandy lands at Pevensey on the south coast of England; William of Normandy defeats and kills Harold II at Hastings; William of Normandy is crowned king of England—thus, starting a new fucking age. Thank you, France.
  
• 1070: First Norman stone castle is built in Wales.
  
• 1077: Bayeux Tapestry illustrating the Battle of Hastings completed. Because it needed to be immortalized, of course.
  
• 1085: Domesday Book is instituted to survey the English lands of William the Conqueror.
  
• 1087: William the Conqueror dies at Rouen, Normandy; William II is crowned at Westminister Abbey.
  
• 1091: Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland, invades England.
  
• 1096: Oxford University is founded.
  
• 1100: William II is killed while hunting in the New Forest; Henry I is crowned in Westminister Abbey.
  
• 1114: Henry I invades Wales, forcing Gwynedd and Powys to submit.
  
• 1119: Henry I defeats Louis VI, King of France, at the Battle of Bremule.
  
• 1135: Stephen is crowned king after the death of Henry I in Normandy
  
• 1136: Welsh forces defeat Norman lords in the Battle of Crug Mawr.
  
• 1154: Henry II, the first ‘Plantagenet’ king, accedes to the throne.
  
• 1171: Henry II visits Ireland to assert his overlordship.
  
• 1189: Henry II dies and is succeeded by Richard I.
  
• 1190: Richard I joins the Third Crusade.
  
• 1199: Richard I dies and is succeeded by his brother John.
  
• 1209: John is excommunicated over a dispute with Pope Innocent III.
  
• 1214: John loses Normandy and other French possessions after the Battle of Bouvines.
  
• 1215: John and his barons sign the Magna Carta.
  
• 1217: France invades England in support of rebel barons and John dies; Henry III is crowned king of England.
  
• 1237: Treaty of York decides the Anglo-Scottish border.
  
• 1245: Henry III begins to rebuilt the Westminster Abbey.
  
• 1259: Treaty of Paris settles the future of English possessions in France.
  
• 1272: Henry III dies and is succeeded by his son Edward.
  
• 1282: Edward I defeats Welsh leaders and annexes Wales.
  
• 1295: Scotland and France seal the ‘Auld Alliance’
  
• 1305: Scottish rebel William Wallace is executed by the English.
  
• 1307: Edward I dies and is succeeded by his son Edward II.
  
• 1314: Robert the Bruce defeats Edward II at Bannockburn; leads an expedition to Ireland.
  
• 1326: Isabella invades England and overthrows Edward II.
  
• 1327: Edward II is murdered and Edward III becomes king.
  
• 1330: Edward III seizes control of the throne from his mother, Isabella.
  
• 1337: Hundred Years’ War between England and France begins.
  
• 1340: English defeat a Franco-Castilian fleet at Sluys off Flanders.
  
• 1346: English defeat the French at the Battle of Crecy.
  
• 1348: ‘Black Death’ enters Britain.
  
• 1356: Edward, the ‘Black Prince’, defeats and captures John II, King of France.
  
• 1377: Edward III dies and is succeeded by Richard II.
  
• 1382: Winchester College is founded.
  
• 1387: Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ appear.
  
• 1399: Henry IV is proclaimed king of England.
  
• 1400-09: Owain Glyn Dwr leads a Welsh revolt against the English.
  
• 1413: Henry IV dies and is succeeded by his son, Henry V.
  
• 1415: Henry V defeats the French at the Battle of Agincourt.
  
• 1420: Charles VI cedes France to Henry V in the Treaty of Troyes.
  
• 1422: Henry VI becomes king of England and France before his first birthday.
  
• 1431: Jeanne d'Arc is put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon and burned at the stake for heresy.
  
• 1435: Treaty of Arras breaks the alliance between Burgundy and England.
  
• 1437: Henry VI assumes power as king of England.
  
• 1453: French defeat the English at the Battle of Castillon.
  
• 1455: War of the Roses begin with first Battle of St Albans.
  
• 1477: William Caxton publishes the first printed book in England.
  
• 1483: Edward IV dies and is succeeded by his 12-year old son, Edward V.
  
• 1485: Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.
  
• 1496: Henry VII signs the ‘Magnus Intercursus’ trade treaty with the Netherlands.
  
• 1502: Prince Arthur of Wales dies, leaving his widow, Catherine of Aragon.
  
• 1503: James IV of Scotland marries Margaret, daughter of Henry VII of England.
  
• 1509: Henry VII dies and is succeeded by Henry VIII.
  
• 1505: Thomas Wolsey becomes a cardinal and Lord Chancellor.
  
• 1521: Henry VII meets Francis I of France at the ‘Field of the Cloth of Gold’; The pope grants Henry VIII the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ -snorts-
  
• 1527: Henry VIII appeals to the pope to annul his marriage.
  
• 1533: Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn, following divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
  
• 1534: Act of Supremacy makes Henry head of the English church.
  
• 1535: Former Chancellor Sir Thomas More is executed for treason.
  
• 1536: Henry VIII confiscates and sells monasteries; Act of union regulates England’s relationship with Wales; Anne Boleyn is executed; Archbishop Thomas Cranmer receives the first Bible in English.
  
• 1537: A male heir, Edward, is born to Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
  
• 1541: Henry VIII changes his title from Lord of Ireland to King of Ireland.
  
• 1547: Henry VIII dies and is succeeded by nine-year-old Edward VI; English army wins the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in Scotland.
  
• 1553: Edward VI dies and is succeeded by Lady Jane Grey and is killed; Mary, an ardent advocate for a return to Catholicism in England, becomes queen.
  
• 1554: Mary marries Philip of Spain despite widespread opposition; Sir Thomas Wyatt leads a rebellion against Mary.
  
• 1555: English Church in Geneva is founded by exiled Protestants.
  
• 1556: Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burnt for heresy.
  
• 1558: England’s last French possession, Calais, is lost; Mary dies and Elizabeth I accedes to the throne.
  
• 1559: Book of Common Prayer becomes the only legal form of worship.
  
• 1560: Treaty of Edinburgh is signed between England and France.
  
• 1562: English mariners enter into the slave trade.
  
• 1569: Forfeiture of O’Neill lands opens the way for English colonization of Ulster.
  
• 1570: Papal bull declares Elizabeth I a heretic.
  
• 1571: Elizabeth I opens the Royal Exchange.
  
• 1579: Francois, Duke of Anjou proposes marriage to Elizabeth I.
  
• 1580: Francis Drake arrives at Plymouth after circumnavigating the world.
  
• 1585: First Treaty of Nonsuch sparks conflict with Spain.
  
• 1588: English disperse the Spanish Armada at the Battle of Gravelines.
  
• 1598: Irish forces defeat the English at the Battle of Yellow Ford.
  
• 1600: British East India Company receives its charter from Elizabeth I.
  
• 1601: Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, attempts to seize London.
  
• 1603: Elizabeth I dies and James VI of Scotland accedes to the English throne; Nine Years’ War ends with the surrender of the Irish.
  
• 1604: James I ends the war with Spain.
  
• 1605: Gunpowder Plot to assassinate James I is discovered.
  
• 1611: ‘King James Bible’ is published.
  
• 1613: James I’s daughter Elizabeth marries Frederick V, Elector Palatine.
  
• 1616: William Shakespeare dies.
  
• 1619: First record of Africans in British North American colonies.
  
• 1620: ‘Pilgrim Fathers’ sail for America in the ‘Mayflower.’
  
• 1625: James I dies and Charles I accedes to the throne; Barbados comes under British control.
  
• 1627: English forces are defeated at La Rochelle, France.
  
• 1629: Charles I dissolves parliament and begins 11 years of personal rule.
  
• 1640: ‘Short Parliament’ opens at Westminster; Scots defeat the English at Newburn on the River Tyne; ‘Long Parliament’ opens at Westminster.
  
• 1642: Civil War begins as Charles I raises his standard at Nottingham; Cornishmen rise in support of Charles I; Royalist and Parliamentarian armies clash at Edgehill, Warwickshire.
  
• 1643: Royalists sign a ceasefire with the Irish; Parliamentarians enter into an alliance with the Scots.
  
• 1644: Scottish and Parliamentarian armies destroy Charles I’s northern army.
  
• 1645: Parliament establishes the ‘New Model Army’; Royalists are crushed by the New Model Army.
  
• 1646: Charles I surrenders to the Scots.
  
• 1649: Charles I is executed at Whitehall, London.
  
• 1655: Britain takes Jamaica from Spain.
  
• 1660: Charles II is restored to the throne.
  
• 1665: Great Plague of London begins.
  
• 1666: Great Fire of London destroys two-thirds of the city.
  
• 1667: Dutch ships attack the English fleet in the Medway.
  
• 1672: Royal African Company is established to regulate the African slave trade.
  
• 1685: Charles II dies and James II accedes to the throne.
  
• 1689: William and Mary are formally proclaimed king and queen; James II lands in Kinsale with a French army; William III defeats James II at the Battle of the Boyne, Ireland.
  
• 1694: Bank of England is established to manage mounting debts; Mary dies, leaving William III to rule alone.
  
• 1699: 80% of those living in the Caribbean are African slaves.
  
• 1701: Act of Settlement places the House of Hanover in line for the English throne; English, Dutch, and Austrians sign the Treaty of the Grand Alliance.
  
• 1702: William III dies and Anne accedes to the throne.
  
• 1707: Act of Union of England and Scotland is ratified.
  
• 1713: Treaty of Utrecht ends a decade of war in Europe.
  
• 1714: Anne dies and George I accedes to the throne.
  
• 1718: British convicts start being transported to penal colonies overseas.
  
• 1721: Sir Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister.
  
• 1723: Poaching becomes a capital offense.
  
• 1727: George I dies and is succeeded by the second Hanoverian king, George II.
  
• 1739: Britain declares war on Spain and the ‘War of Jenkins’s Ear’ begins.
  
• 1743: George II becomes the last British monarch to lead his army into battle.
  
• 1745: ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ lands in Scotland to claim the British throne.
  
• 1746: Jacobites are defeated at Culloden, the last battle on British soil.
  
• 1747: Liverpool overtakes Bristol as Britain’s busiest slave trading port.
  
• 1756: Seven Years’ War between Britain and France begins.
  
• 1757: Indian province of Bengal passes into British control after the Battle of Plassey.
  
• 1760: George III succeeds his grandfather George II.
  
• 1763: Radical journalist John Wilkes is arrested for criticising the king.
  
• 1765: Riots erupt in American colonies after parliament levies ‘stamp’ taxes.
  
• 1767: American colonists are taxed on imports.
  
• 1768-1771: Captain James Cook leads his first expedition to the Pacific.
  
• 1770: Lord North becomes prime minister.
  
• 1771: ‘Factory Age’ begins with the opening of Britain’s first cotton mill.
  
• 1772: Slavery is effectively outlawed in England.
  
• 1773: ‘Boston Tea Party’ heightens tensions in North American colonies.
  
• 1774: Methodist John Wesley publishes ‘Thoughts Upon Slavery.’
  
• 1775-1783: …
  
• 1787: Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade is formed.
  
• 1788: Under pressure from abolitionists, parliament investigates the slave trade; First edition of ‘The Times’ of London is published.
  
• 1789: Former slave Olaudah Equiano publishes his autobiography; French Revolution begins with the storming of Bastille.
  
• 1791: Parliament rejects William Wilberforce’s bill to abolish the slave trade.
  
• 1792-1794: Radical artisans form the London Corresponding Society; Sierra Leone is established under British rule as a home for former slaves.
  
• 1793: British troops attempt to suppress Toussaint L’Ouverture’s rebellion in Haiti.
  
• 1794: The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and The United States of America is formed—or just the Jay Treaty.
  
• 1797: Naval mutinies occur at Spithead and the Nore.
  
• 1798: Society of United Irishmen rebel against British rule in Ireland.
  
• 1800: Trade unions are outlawed.
  
• 1801: Act of Union creates the United Kingdom; Britain holds its first census; Matthew Flinders circumnavigates Australia.
  
• 1805: Royal Navy defeats a French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.
  
• 1807: Britain abolishes the slave trade.
  
• 1808: British West Africa Squadron is formed to suppress slave trading.
  
• 1815: Corn Laws are introduced to protest British agriculture; Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, defeats Napoleon at Waterloo.
  
• 1817: Working class ‘Blanketeers’ mount a march to London.
  
• 1819: Eleven die at the Peterloo massacre in Manchester.
  
• 1829: George III dies and is succeeded by George IV.
  
• 1825: World’s first steam locomotive passenger service begins.
  
• 1829: Parliament grants Catholic emancipation; Robert Peel sets up the Metropolitan Police.
  
• 1830: George IV dies and is succeeded by his brother William IV.
  
• 1831: Riots break out over parliamentary Reform Bill; Samuel Sharpe leads a massive slave revolt in Jamaica.
  
• 1832: Great Reform Act changes parliamentary representation.
  
• 1833: Factory Act restricts work hours for women and children; Parliament passes a bill to abolish slavery in the British empire.
  
• 1834: New Poor Law reforms Britain’s social security system; Municipal Corporation Bill creates town councils.
  
• 1837: Victoria comes to the throne after the death of William IV.
  
• 1838: Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’ is published; People’s Charter advocates social and political reform; Slavery is abolished in the British empire; London-Birmingham line opens and the railway boom starts.
  
• 1840: A uniform postage rate of one penny is introduced; vaccination for the poor is introduced.
  
• 1842: Income tax is introduced for the first time during peacetime.
  
• 1845: Irish potato famine begins.
  
• 1848: Public Health Act aims to reduce death rates.
  
• 1849: Important artists establish the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
  
• 1850: Robert Stephenson’s Britannia Tubular Bridge is opened.
  
• 1851: The Great Exhibition opens at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London.
  
• 1854: Britain and France declare war on Russia and the Crimean War begins.
  
• 1857: Members of the Bengal army mutiny in India.
  
• 1858: Britain’s first permanent symphony orchestra is founded.
  
• 1859: Devon and Cornwall are linked by a revolutionary new bridge; Charles Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’ is published.
  
• 1868: William Gladstone becomes prime minister for the first time.
  
• 1870: New Law introduces secular school boards; Women obtain limited rights to retain their property after marriage.
  
• 1876: Victoria is declared empress of India.
  
• 1878: Congress of Britain aims to settle European problems.
  
• 1879: Tay Bridge collapses in gale force winds.
  
• 1880: Education becomes compulsory for children under ten.
  
• 1881: Sir William Armstrong’s home becomes the first to use electric light.
  
• 1883: Married women obtain the right to acquire their own property.
  
• 1894: Parish councils are created; Death duties are introduced.
  
• 1897: Guglielmo Marconi is awarded a patent for radio communication; Women’s suffrage campaign gains momentum.
  
• 1899: Second Boer War begins in South Africa.
  
• 1901: Victoria dies and is succeeded by Edward VII.
  
• 1902: Arthur Balfour succeeds Lord Salisbury as prime minister.
  
• 1903: Women’s Social and Political Union is formed to campaign for women’s suffrage.
  
• 1904: ‘Entente Cordiale’ is signed between Britain and France.
  
• 1905: Germany tests the ‘Entente Cordiale’ by triggering a crisis in Morocco.
  
• 1906: Royal Navy launches the first ‘Dreadnought’ class battleship.
  
• 1907: Britain and Russia agree an entente on ‘spheres of influence’ in Asia.
  
• 1908: Olympic Games open at White City in London; Parliament approves old age pensions.
  
• 1910: Edward VII dies and is succeeded by George V.
  
• 1911: Germany gunboat provokes the ‘Agadir crisis’ with France; National Insurance Act provides cover against sickness and unemployment.
  
• 1912: Royal Flying Corps is established; Titanic sinks with the loss of 1,503 lives.
  
• 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo; Austro-Hungarian ultimatum to Serbia provokes a crisis in Europe; Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium; First battle of Ypres exhausts the British army; Britain declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
  
• 1915: British and allied troops land on the Gallipoli peninsula; Lusitania is sunk by a German submarine; First British use of poison gas at Loos, France;
  
• 1916: Conscription is introduced in Britain; British garrison at Kut-el-Amara surrenders to the Turks; Battle of Jutland results in a bruising British victory over the German fleet; Battle of Somme begins with a British and French attack; Tanks are used for the first time by the British at Flers, France.
  
• 1917: Germans declare unrestricted submarine warfare; ‘Balfour Declaration’ gives British support to a Jewish homeland in Palestine; General Edmund Allenby leads British forces into Jerusalem.
  
• 1918: Limited numbers of women are given the vote for the first time; Treaty of Brest-Litovsk takes Russia out of WWI; German offensive makes massive gains on the Western Front; Massive flu epidemic reaches Britain; British make major advances at the Battle of Amiens; General Ferdinand Foch launches an Allied offensive on the Western Front; Turkey opens armistice talks with Britain; WWI ends when Germany signs an armistice.
  
• 1919: Paris Peace Conference, to draw up treaties to end WWI, opens; Massive rally in Glasgow sparks fears of a Russian-style revolution; Rowlatt Act extends the suspension of civil liberties in India; British soldiers kill hundreds of unarmed Indian civilians at Amritsar, India; British troops are withdrawn from the civil war in Russia; Lady Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in parliament; Government of India Act fails to meet demands for greater independence.
  
• 1920: Women at Oxford University are allowed to receive degrees; Britain is given mandates for Mesopotamia and Palestine; First British high commissioner of Palestine is appointed.
  
• 1921: Unemployment reaches a post-war high of 2.5 million; British mandate of Mesopotamia becomes the Kingdom of Iraq; Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty is signed, resulting in partition of the island.
  
• 1922: Irish Civil War breaks out.
  
• 1925: Chancellor Winston Churchill returns Britain to the ‘Gold Standard.’
  
• 1926: John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television; Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa are recognised as autonomous.
  
• 1927: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is created.
  
• 1928: The first ‘talkie’ (film with dialogue) is shown in Britain; Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.
  
• 1929: Wall Street Crash sparks the Great Depression.
  
• 1930: London Conference on Naval Disarmament starts; Mohandas Gandhi leads a march to the sea in protest against the Indian salt; ‘Simon Report’ proposes representative government for India; ‘Round Table’ conference in India opens in London.
  
• 1931: Mohandas Gandhi agrees to suspend civil disobedience in India.
  
• 1932: Iraq joins the League of Nations after the British mandate ends.
  
• 1934: New air defense programme adds 41 squadrons to the RAF
  
• 1935: Italy, France, and Britain meet to discuss German rearmament; First Penguin paperbacks go on sale, bringing literature to the masses.
  
• 1936: Geroge V dies and is succeeded by Edward VIII; Anglo-Egyptian Treaty ends the British protectorate of Egypt; Edward VIII abdicates in order to marry Wallace Simpson.
  
• 1937: Geroge VI is crowned king; New constitution makes Ireland a republic in all but name.
  
• 1938: First refugee children of the ‘Kindertransport’ arrive in Britain; Germany occupies and then annexes Austria, ‘Munich Agreement’ cedes the Sudentenland to Germany.
  
• 1939: Britain guarantees territorial integrity of Poland; Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland.
  
• 1940: Germany mounds surprise invasions on Norway and Denmark; Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of the coalition government; German invasion of the Low Countries and France begins; Thousands of Allied troops are evacuated from Dunkirk, France; German forces occupy the Channel Islands; French fleet in North Africa is destroyed by the Royal Navy; Battle of Britain begins with heavy raids by the German Luftwaffe; ‘Destroyers for bases’ agreement gives Britain 50 American destroyers; ‘Blitz’ begins with a massive daylight raid by the Luftwaffe.
  
• 1941: 1,000 people killed in the Belfast Blitz; German troops invade Crete, diving the Allies out of the Eastern Mediterranean; HMS ‘Hood’ sunk by the German battleship ‘Bismarck’; Anglo-American alliance is sealed with the Atlantic Charter.
  
• 1942: First American troops arrive in Europe, landing in Belfast; British colony of Singapore surrenders to Japanese forces; Start of the RAF’s ‘thousand bomber raids’ on German cities; ‘Dieppe Raid’ ends in disaster for the Allies; Decisive British victory over German forces at Battle of El.
  
• 1943; Axis siege of the island of Malta is lifted; Germany calls off the Battle of the Atlantic; First Allied troops land in Europe as invasion of Sicily begins.
  
• 1944: Allies win the Battle of Monte Cassino after five months of fighting; Allied forces land in Normandy on D-Day, starting the liberation of France; Allies defeat the Japanese at the battles of Imphal and Kohima; Allied forces are defeated at the Battle of Arnhem.
  
• 1945: Allied leaders shape the post-war world at the Yalta Conference; British troops liberate the concentration camps at Bergen-Belsen in Germany, discovering 53,000 prisoners (most of them half-starved and seriously ill) and another 13,000 unburied corpses, revealing the true horror beneath the war; Britain celebrates the end of war on Victory in Europe Day; Victory over Japan Day marks the end of WWII; United Nations comes into existence with Britain as a founding member.
  
• 1947: Britain’s coal industry is nationalised; India gains independence from Britain.
  
• 1948: Post-war immigration from the Commonwealth begins; National Health Service is established; Berlin Airlift begins after Soviet forces blockade the city; Olympic Games open at Wembley Stadium in London.
  
• 1949: Republic of Ireland comes into being; George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’ is published.
  
• 1950: British troops arrive to support US forces in the Korean War.
  
• 1953: Elizabeth II succeeds her father, Geroge VI.
  
• 1953: Watson and Crick publish their discovery of the structure of DNA.
  
• 1955: Winston Churchill retires as prime minister, Sir Anthony Eden becomes prime minister.
  
• 1956: ‘Cambridge spies’ surface in Moscow after disappearing in 1951; Worsening pollution prompts the passing of the Clean Air Act; Britain switches on its first nuclear power station; Britain and France invade Egypt after nationalisation of the Suez Canal.
  
• 1957: Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden resigns and is replaced by Harold Macmillan.
  [*1958: Motorway system opens with the M6 Preston bypass.
  
• 1963: France vetoes Britain’s entry into the European Common Market; New universities open and students get state support; Conservative Sir Alec Douglas-Home becomes prime minister.
  
• 1964: Abolition of Resale Price Maintenance prompts the rise of supermarkets.
  
• 1965: Death penalty is abolished.
  
• 1966: England wins the football World Cup.
  
• 1967: Abortion and homosexuality are legalised; Beatles release ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.’
  
• 1969: Concorde, the world’s first supersonic airliner, makes its maiden flight.
  
• 1971: Decimalised currency replaces ‘pounds, shillings and pence.’
  
• 1972: British army kills 14 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on Bloody Sunday.
  
• 1976: Britain is forced to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund.
  
• 1978: World’s first test-tube baby is born in Oldham.
  
• 1979: Conservative Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female prime minster.
  
• 1981: Humber Bridge opens, the longest single-span bridge in the world.
  
• 1982: Economic recession leads to high unemployment; Argentina invades the British territory of the Falkland Islands.
  
• 1984: IRA bombers strike at the Conservative conference in Brighton.
  
• 1986: Major national industries are privatised.
  
• 1989: Time Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web.
  
• 1990: Introduction of the new local taxes sparks ‘poll tax’ riots in London; Margaret Thatcher resigns and John Major becomes prime minister.
  
• 1991: Liberation of Kuwait begins as Allies launch Operation Desert Storm.
  
• 1992: Channel Tunnel opens, linking London and Paris by rail; ‘Black Wednesday’ forces withdrawal of sterling from the ERM.
  
• 1994: First women priests are ordained by the Church of England.
  
• 1997: Labour wins the general election, with Tony Blair as prime minister; Britain hands Hong Kong back to China; Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris; Scotland and Wales vote in favour of devolution.
  
• 1998: Good Friday Agreement establishes a devolved Northern Irish assembly.
  
• 1999: Britain decides not to join the European Single Currency.
  
• 2000: Global stock markets tumble as the ‘dotcom bubble’ bursts.
  
• 2001: Labour wins the general election, with Tony Blair returning as prime minister; Islamic terrorists crash aircraft on targets in New York and Washington DC, killing nearly 3,000 American civilians; Britain joins the US in strikes on Taleban-controlled Afghanistan.
  
• 2003: Britain joins US in an invasion of Iraq.
  
• 2004: Ten new states join the European Union.
  
• 2005: Labour wins a third consecutive term with Tony Blair as prime minister; Suicide bombers kill 52 people on London’s transport system; Civil partnerships give same-sex couples legal rights.
  
  

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[/color]:[/b][/size]

(From another site)

[/i] interesting things happening outside of school that unintentionally took precedence. Most of the time that Gavin did manage to fit in a library outing, he would usually be the one that got mentally lost amongst the thousands of books that literally lay at their fingertips. Not to mention that tombs unrelated to his field of study managed to find their way beneath his arm as he strolled through the isles upon isles of titles.

He carelessly briefed the research section before completely abandoning it in favour of the far more tempting fiction that lie right across from it. What stupid placement, he thought as he allowed himself to get so distracted. Ignoring the imagined voices of his professors telling him to stay on track, something that they repeatedly ordered the class to do—particularly on Monday mornings, whilst half the class was still recovering from throbbing hangovers. Gavin willfully ignored it as he thumbed through the pages of his most recent exploit.

He could tell that it had been untouched for a while, judgeing by the strong odor of the thickly layered dust within the pages. Barely making his face into his sleeve, he sneezed. Hard. He heard someone say ‘bless you’ rather absent-mindedly, though when he peered around, he couldn’t tell where it had come from. Probably only an isle down... or the librarian that seemed to be looking intently into her computer screen. He shrugged it off before returning the book to its previous spot on the bookshelf. Just as it was placed within its proper location, the title of the one next to it caused his gaze to glide over its lettered spine. Without thinking, he pulled the volume from its place and turned it over to read its back.

Finding enough pull within its description, Gavin’s quick fingers flipped it over to the first chapter. Its words instantly pulled his mind into the sounds, sights, and scents of a place far from the dusty Uni library. So engrossed he was within his reading, he barely heard the sudden commotion of something (or some things… really, he couldn’t remember) falling on the opposite side of the bookshelf or the words that followed. Even if he had paid more attention, he might have ignored it in the first place, as those living among the thin University walls became accustomed to such racket after being around it so much. However, it woke him a little bit from his reading stupor enough for him to notice how long he’d been there without doing any real work. A little frustrated and paying little attention, Gavin swiftly attempted to shove the book back into its place, not realising quickly enough that he had pushed it against the other books that were alongside it right over the bar that separated the two isles of books from each other, pushing a few of the books on the other side of the case to slide right out of their slots and onto the floor… or whomever was in the way at that time. From the sound of it, they had hit something other than the floor.

Gavin froze for a moment, looking at the small amount of damage he had just done to the alignment of the books before the warm flush of embarrassment came over his face. ”Oh God,” he mumbled. From the look of the small gap he made, looking over into the other isle, it didn’t seem that anyone was there, but it still sounded as if it hit something or someone. ”I’m really sorry about that...” He apologised quickly upon seeing the scene he had accidentally caused on the other side… [/size][/ul]

[/ul]

[/color]:[/b] Rye!
Timezone: Typically GMT-6. But it changes, as I’m in an area where there is no DLS.

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