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As we all know, Britain once established the largest colonial empire in world history, known as the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets" or the "British Empire", but neither the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets" nor the "British Empire" are the names of the United Kingdom, they are just titles. Britain has used four names in history. Although there are only four, it is a country with relatively many names in European history. France, for example, has almost only used the name of the Kingdom of France in history, and only during the reign of the Bonaparte dynasty did it briefly change its name to the French Empire.

The four country names used in British history are the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Let’s introduce them one by one.

Buckingham Palace in London, UK

England is the main body of the four parts of the present-day United Kingdom, so the history of England can be considered the beginning of British history. In the 5th century AD, seven kingdoms emerged on the land of England, known as the "Seven Kingdoms Era". These seven kingdoms fought for hundreds of years without a clear winner.

It was not until 927 AD that King Æthelstan I of Wessex, one of the seven kingdoms, successfully conquered the other six kingdoms, completed the unification of England, and named the country "Kingdom of England". From then on, the Kingdom of England became the first country name in British history and was ruled by the Dynasty of Wessex.

The Kingdom of England is the longest-used country name in British history, from 927 AD to 1707 AD, a period of more than 700 years. It went through six dynasties: the House of Wessex, the House of Normandy, the House of Plantagenet, the House of Lancaster, the House of York, and the House of Tudor.

Plantagenet Dynasty

In 1603, before her death, Elizabeth I, the last queen of the Tudor dynasty, passed the throne to James I, king of the Stuart dynasty. Therefore, the Stuart dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Scotland while also ruling the Kingdom of England, as well as the Kingdom of Ireland and the Principality of Wales which were affiliated with the Kingdom of England. This model is called the "Personal Confederation".

In 1707, Queen Anne I of the Stuart dynasty made a major decision to formally merge the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and name the country "The Kingdom of Great Britain". This was the second country name in British history and it was still ruled by the Stuart dynasty.

Anne I of the Stuart Dynasty

In 1714, Anne I passed away. As the Stuart dynasty had no heirs, the British selected a member of the German royal family, George I, to become the King of England, founding the Hanoverian dynasty. The country's name remained the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The name of the Kingdom of Great Britain was used from 1707 to 1801, a total of 94 years. It is the shortest-used name in British history, with only one dynasty, the Hanoverian Dynasty. In 1801, King George III of the Hanoverian Dynasty formally merged the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland, naming the country "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland", which is the third name in British history.

The name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was used until 1921 AD, a total of 120 years, and it experienced the Hanoverian Dynasty, the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Dynasty, and the Windsor Dynasty. In 1921 AD, the 26 counties in the south of Ireland became independent as the Republic of Ireland, and the 6 counties in the north remained. King George V of the Windsor Dynasty changed the name of the country from "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" to "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". This is the fourth name of the country in British history, which has continued to this day, a total of 98 years, and according to the current situation in the UK, it will be used for a long time.

King George V of Windsor

The above are the four country names in British history: the Kingdom of England for 780 years, the Kingdom of Great Britain for 94 years, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for 120 years, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for 98 years.

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland