Timeline of key events  Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763-1914 

1763 

Britain victorious in Seven Years War  

1764 

Sugar Act 

1765 

Quartering Act 

Stamp Act  

1766 

Repeal of the Stamp Act 

Declaratory Act 

1768 

Cook's exploration of South Seas 

1770 

Captain Cook discovered New South Wales  

Boston Massacre 

1773 

Tea Act 

Boston Tea Party 

1774 

Coercive Acts  

Quebec Act 

1775 

Fighting began in American colonies – Lexington & Concord 

Second Continental Congress 

Olive Branch Petition  

1776 

Adam Smith published ‘Wealth of Nations’  

Thomas Paine published ‘Common Sense’ 

American Declaration of Independence 

1777  

Articles of Confederation 

Battle of Saratoga 

1779 

Trade restrictions removed from Ireland 

1781 

Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown 

1783 

Treaty of Paris – United States of America Independence recognised 

1788 

First penal colony established in New South Wales 

1803 

British settlement in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania)  

1803 

1815  

Napoleonic Wars  

1805 

British victory at Battle of Trafalgar  

1807 

Abolition of slave trade  

1809 

Lachlan Macquarie became Governor of New South Wales 

1813 

First crossing of the Blue Mountains 

1815 

British victory at Battle of Waterloo 

Corn Laws introduced   

1816 

Navy bombarded Algiers in the struggle to end piracy  

1819 

Singapore acquired as an entrepot  

1826 

First settlements in Western Australia 

1829 

Sati (Suttee) abolished 

1830 

Drive against Thugi (Thugee) 

Whigs win general election  

1832 

Representation of the People’s Act / Great Reform Act 

1833 

1833 

Abolition of slavery in the British Empire  

Britain acquire Falklands 

1837 

Rebellion in Canada  

1838 

Durham goes to Canada  

1839-1842 

First Opium Wars 

1839 

Aden acquired  

Publication of the Durham Report 

1841 

Conservatives win general election under Robert Peel  

1842-46 

Adoption of free trade – many customs duties abolished  

1842 

Hong Kong and Shanghai acquired under Treaty of Nanking 

1845-49 

Great Famine in Ireland  

1846 

Corn Laws repealed  

Sugar Duties removed  

1848 

Dalhousie appointed Governor General 

1849 

Repeal of the Navigation Acts 

Punjab annexed 

1856 

Awadh (Oudh) annexed 

1857 

Outbreak of Indian Rebellion / Mutiny  

1858 

Government of India Act abolished the East India Company 

1875 

British government bought 44% of Suez Canal shares  

1878 

Britain acquired Cyprus  

1882 

Occupation of Egypt by British forces 

1883 

Evelyn Baring appointed Agent and Consul General in Egypt 

1884-1885  

Berlin Conference  

1884 

Gordon sent to Sudan 

1885 

Death of Gordon 

1890 

Britain acquired Zanzibar 

1898 

Weihaiwei leased  

Conquest of the Sudan by Kitchener 

1904 

Fisher's naval reforms began  

1906 

HMS Dreadnought launched  

1914 

Opening of Panama Canal 

First World War breaks out