British History
Here is a fantastic collection of poems for kids, on the theme of Britiish history from Tudor times to Victorian. They make excellent bedtime stories for young children, or can be used as a teaching resource for older children
All story poems on history-for-kids are funny, educational, and best of all, free!
As a parent or teacher you may copy or print out any of these poems and
read them to your little ones without having to ask permission. Please,
however, do not use the poems for any commercial purpose (such as
magazines, newspapers, or websites) without contacting us first.
British History poems are added regularly, so please bookmark this site and check back later for more.
British History Poems
Tudor Kings and Queens
From Henry to Elizabeth I, the Tudor monarchs were some of the most notorious rulers in British history.
Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada
Queen Elizabeth's pirate, Francis Drake, was playing bowls by the sea
in his home town in England, when the Spanish fleet were spotted on the
horizon, coming towards them...
The Great Fire of London
In 1666 a small fire started in a baker's shop in London, and soon it spread, to become the biggest fire anyone had ever seen.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the SS Great Britain
Brunel was a great engineer who built many amazing things. This is
the true story of one of his greatest creations, the SS Great Britain,
the biggest and fastest ship in the world.
Horatio Nelson
Nelson was a great British admiral who fought against the French.
This fun poem tells the story as though he were a little boy playing a
game with his brothers.
Florence Nightingale
The story of the Lady with the Lamp - the woman who made nursing a respectable profession.
British History Timeline
55-54 BC: Julius Caesar and the Romans attack England
43-410 AD: England ruled by the Romans
410AD Romans go home, leaving Britain to be invaded by Angles and Saxons
410-600 : The dark ages
800 : Vikings begin to attack from Scandinavia
878 : King Alfred the Great fights off the Vikings at The Battle of Edington
1013 : King Ethelred the Unready defeated, Vikings rule England
1066 : The Normans invade from France. William the Conqueror becomes king.
1191 : Richard the Lionheart leaves England for the crusades.
1272-1307 : Edward I is king. He defeats the Welsh and the Scots.
1455-1485 : The War of the Roses
1509-1547 : Henry VIII is king. He married six times, fell out with the pope, and ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
1558-1603 : Elizabeth I is queen. The last Tudor monarch.
1642–1651 : The English Civil War. Charles I is executed and Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector
1660 : The Restoration. Charles II becomes king.
1770 : Captain Cook claims Australia for Britain
1780 : The beginning of the Industrial Revolution
1783 : British surrender in America and acknowledge their independence
1803-1815 : Napoleonic Wars, ending in the Battle of Waterloo.
1837-1901 : Victoria is queen. The British Empire expands.
1912 : The sinking of the Titanic
1914-1918 : World War One - against Germany and Austria-Hungary.
1939-1945 : World War Two - against Germany, Italy and Japan.
