BRITISH HISTORY

BRITISH HISTORY

British history is really rich and can not be explained in a few minutes, so I would like to point out the major and most important information.

The British Isles have been inhabited since the prehistoric times. It is believed that people from Europe migrated there across the land bridge which used to connect the Isles with continental Europe. Stonehenge was probably built by these early inhabitants. Stonehenge is large prehistoric monument. It is a huge circle of standing stones and no one is sure about its purpose. Maybe it used to be astronomical clock. Stonehenge is a huge mystery.

The next settlers were Celtic tribes. Celts arrived about 750 B.C. They were divided into many tribes. Each of the tribe had own chief. They worshipped many gods and their priests were called Druids. Later on, they converted to Christianity and spread it to Scotland and northern England. Their language survives in Welsh and Gaelic and in names oh rivers.

In 40 B.C. England was invaded by the Romans. England became a Roman colony called Britannia. To protect themselves from Celtic tribes they built the Hadrian’s Wall. In 41 A.D. Londinium was found and lately became a capital city. Romans were building roads, cities, forts and baths. They had a huge influence on English language. Romans stayed in the isles until the 5th century when the Anglo-Saxons from Northern Europe pushed them out.

In the middle of the 5th century the Angles, Saxons and Jutes came from Germany, Denmark and Netherlands. They drove Celtic people into the Wales and Scotland mountains. There were 7 kingdoms. Anglos gave England its name.

At the beginning of the 11th century there had been a huge unrest. The king died. The new king Harold had to face several attacks from north and south. On the north he defeated King of Norway. But he wasn’t lucky on the south. William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, defeated Saxon king Harold in Battle of Hastings in 1066. Harold was killed, and William became the new king. This was a major turning point in English history. England became a strong, centralised country under military rule. William was a harsh ruler, he destroyed many villages to prevent riots. He introduced feudal system and French language.

In 1215, king John signed the Magna Carta which limited the power of ruler and gave some rights to ordinary people.

In 15th century there were two wars. The first - War with France (The 100 years war) started as a dynastic conflict between Edward III of England and Philip IV of France. The second was War of the Roses. Two great English noble houses wanted the crown – Lancastrians (red rose) and Yorkists (white rose). The 30 years of civil war ended with the last war when Lancastrians defeated Yorkists. Actually, it was Henry Tudor’s army. He lately brought peace between the families by marrying Yorkist princess Elizabeth.

The Tudor period in 16th century was a turning point in English history. England was in the middle Ages a small unimportant country but in Tudor period it became one of the leading world countries. There were several factors that contributed the rise of England.