Simplified History of The 4 Countries Of The British & Irish Isles

Chart made by Dank · JayThe map chart above shows the history of each of the nations (or countries) found on the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. (also see: England vs Great Britain vs United Kingdom Explained).

Here is more about all of them:

The Four Nations of the United Kingdom

England

• Capital: London
• Status: Founding and largest nation of the UK
• History:
  • Unified in the 10th century (Kingdom of England, 927 AD).
  • Merged with Wales in 1536 under Henry VIII (Laws in Wales Acts).
  • United with Scotland in 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
  • Later joined with Ireland in 1801 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Scotland

• Capital: Edinburgh
• Status: Constituent country of the UK
• History:
  • Independent Kingdom of Scotland until 1707.
  • The Act of Union (1707) merged Scotland and England into Great Britain.
  • Retained separate legal, educational, and religious systems.
  • Has its own Parliament since devolution in 1999.

Wales

• Capital: Cardiff
• Status: Constituent country of the UK
• History:
  • Conquered by England in the late 13th century under Edward I.
  • Formally incorporated into England by the Laws in Wales Acts (1535–1542).
  • Gained devolved governance with the Welsh Assembly (1999), now the Senedd Cymru.

Northern Ireland

• Capital: Belfast
• Status: Constituent country of the UK
• History:
  • Created in 1921 when Ireland was partitioned.
  • The rest of Ireland became the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland).
  • Experienced conflict during The Troubles (1960s–1998).
  • The Good Friday Agreement (1998) established devolved power-sharing.

The Republic of Ireland (Eire)

Although not part of the UK today, it’s shown in the diagram because its history is so intertwined.

• Independent: 1922 (as Irish Free State)
• Republic declared: 1949
• Capital: Dublin

The History of Each

Kingdom of England

Early History

• Unified: 927 AD under King Æthelstan, forming the Kingdom of England.
• Before this, there were several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, etc.).

Union with Wales

• 1536–1543: The Laws in Wales Acts under Henry VIII fully incorporated Wales into the Kingdom of England.
• England and Wales were thereafter governed as a single political unit known as “England and Wales.”

Union with Scotland

• 1707: The Act of Union merged the Kingdom of England (including Wales) with the Kingdom of Scotland, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain.
• A new flag, the early Union Flag (Union Jack)m combined England’s St. George’s Cross with Scotland’s St. Andrew’s Cross.

Union with Ireland

• 1801: The Act of Union 1800 joined Ireland with Great Britain, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• The Union Flag was modified to include the red saltire of St. Patrick, representing Ireland.

After Irish Independence

• 1922: Most of Ireland left the UK to form the Irish Free State.
• The remaining part, Northern Ireland, stayed within the union, forming today’s United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Kingdom of Scotland

Early History

• A unified Kingdom of Scotland emerged in the 9th century under Kenneth MacAlpin.
• Scotland remained an independent kingdom for centuries, with its own monarchy, parliament, and legal system.

Union of the Crowns

• 1603: When James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne as James I of England, the two crowns were united personally, but the kingdoms stayed legally separate.

Act of Union

• 1707: Scotland formally united with England and Wales to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
• Despite political union, Scotland retained its own church (the Kirk), legal system, and education system.

Modern Era

• Became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland  in 1801 when Ireland joined the union.
• 1999: The Scottish Parliament was reconvened through devolution, giving Scotland a high degree of self-government.

Kingdom (and later Principality) of Wales

Early History

• Before English conquest, Wales was divided into several small kingdoms (Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth, etc.).
• United temporarily under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (1055–1063) but later fragmented again.

English Conquest

• 1282–1283: Edward I of England conquered Wales.
• His son became the first Prince of Wales (title still held by the British heir apparent).

Legal Union with England

• 1536–1543: The Laws in Wales Acts fully incorporated Wales into England’s legal and administrative system.
• From this point onward, it was politically part of England and Wales, though culturally and linguistically distinct.

Modern Era

• 1999: The National Assembly for Wales (now Senedd Cymru) was established, granting self-government in domestic affairs.

Kingdom of Ireland

Early History

• Independent Gaelic kingdoms and the High Kingship of Ireland existed before Norman invasion.
• 1169–1171: Norman invasion led to the Lordship of Ireland under the English crown.

Kingdom of Ireland

• 1542: Henry VIII declared Ireland a separate Kingdom of Ireland, still ruled by the English monarch.
• Remained under English and later British control for centuries.

Union with Great Britain

• 1801: The Act of Union joined Ireland with Great Britain, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Partition and Independence

• 1921–1922: Following the Irish War of Independence, most of Ireland became the Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland).
• Northern Ireland remained part of the UK, forming the modern United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Oh and in case you’re wondering here’s how the Union Jack evolved:

 

Development of the Union Jack: The cross of St. George (flag of England) was combined with the saltire of St. Andrew (flag of Scotland) to form the flag of Great Britain.

The flag of Great Britain was then combined with the red saltire of the insignia of the 1783 royal Order of St. Patrick (not the flag of Ireland) to form the flag of the United Kingdom.

Why wasn’t Wales included in the flag?

Wales isn’t represented separately in the Union Jack because, when the first version of the flag was created in 1606, Wales was already legally part of the Kingdom of England, not a separate kingdom.

Here’s one proposal of what it might look like if it was included:

Books on the subject:

• The History of the United Kingdom: From Stonehenge to Skylines
• History of Britain and Ireland: The Definitive Visual Guide
• British History For Dummies