His Majesty's Naval ServiceHis Majesty's Naval Service, referred to colloquially as the Royal Navy, is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and maritime service. It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Maritime Reserve, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and Naval Careers Service. The Naval Service as a whole falls under the command of the Navy Board, which is headed by the First Sea Lord. This position is currently held by GeneralSir Gwyn Jenkins (appointed May 2025). The Defence Council delegates administration of the Naval Service to the Admir...
British Armed ForcesHis Majesty's Armed Forces, also known colloquially as the British Armed Forces, are the unified military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, support international peacekeeping efforts and provide humanitarian aid. Since the formation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 (later succeeded by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, and finally by the United Kingdom of Gr...
Naval warfareNaval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. The armed forces branch designated for naval warfare is a navy. Naval operations can be broadly divided into riverine/littoral applications (brown-water navy), open-ocean applications (blue-water navy), between riverine/littoral and open-ocean applications (green-water navy), although these distinctions are more about strategic scope than tactical or operational divis...
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a population of over 69 million in 2024. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering 94,354 square miles (244,376 km). It shares a land border ...
Kingdom of EnglandThe Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 927, when all of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were united under the rule of Æthelstan, until 1 May 1707, when it relinquished its sovereignty along with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, which would later become the United Kingdom. The Kingdom of England was among the most powerful states in Europe during the medieval and early modern periods. The political unification of England was a complex process that took place over ...
Monarchy of the United KingdomThe monarchy of the United Kingdom, or simply the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British constitution. The term may also refer to the role of the royal family within the United Kingdom's broader political structure. The monarch since 8 September 2022 is King Charles III, who ascended the throne on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch and the immediate royal family undertake vario...
British Overseas TerritoriesThe British Overseas Territories (BOTs) are fourteen dependent territories of the United Kingdom (UK) that lie outside the British Islands. These territories are remnants of the former British Empire, which remained under British sovereignty following decolonisation, albeit with varying constitutional statuses. Britain is notably the only country to still have territories in every continent on earth, except Australia. The permanently inhabited territories exercise varying degrees of internal self-governance, alt...
Kingdom of ScotlandThe Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England. During the Middle Ages, Scotland engaged in intermittent conflict with England, most prominently the Wars of Scottish Independence, which saw the Scots maintain and assert their independence from the English. Following Scotland'...
Kingdom of FranceThe Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from the High Middle Ages to 1848 during its dissolution. It was also an early colonial power, with colonies in Asia and Africa, and the largest being New France in North America geographically centred on the Great Lakes. In the 16th to the 18th centuries, the French colonial empire stretched from a total area ...
Hundred Years' WarThe Hundred Years' War (French: Guerre de Cent Ans; 1337–1453) was a series of conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a claim to the French throne made by Edward III of England. The war grew into a broader military, economic, and political struggle involving factions from across Western Europe, fuelled by emerging nationalism on both sides. The periodisation of t...
Middle AgesA medieval stained glass panel from Canterbury Cathedral, c. 1175 – c. 1180, depicting the Parable of the Sower, a biblical narrativeDurationc. 1000 yearsLocationEuropeIncludingEarly Middle AgesHigh Middle AgesLate Middle AgesKey eventsFall of the Western Roman EmpireSpread of IslamTreaty of VerdunEast–West SchismCrusadesMagna CartaHundred Years' WarBlack DeathFall of ConstantinopleExploration of North AmericaIn the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to la...
Crown DependenciesThe Crown Dependencies are three offshore island territories in the British Isles that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey (together known as the Channel Islands), and the Isle of Man. They are closely related to the United Kingdom (UK), although they are not part of it. They have the status of "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible", rather than sovereign states. As a result, they are not member states of the Commonwealth of N...*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.