Download Prehistoric Britain

Prehistoric Britain
Around 6000 BC, after the end of the last Ice Age, melting ice formed the English
Channel and Britain became an island.
The Iberians
About 3000 BC the British Isles, were inhabited by the Iberians. They used axes made of
stone and made bones and antlers into leather-working tools. These Neolithic men put up
buildings of stone and wood and built the first roads. The best known prehistoric megalithic
monument in Britain is Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain. It was built in several stages from about
3000 BC. The site is considered to be connected with the sun and seasons. The ruins consist of
two stone horseshoes and circles.
Stonehenge
The Celts
The Bronze Age in Britain began between 2100 – 1650 BC. The Celts brought the
technique of smelting iron to Britain in 700 BC. European Celts invaded Britain in two waves.
The Gaels came around 600 BC and then Cymri or Britons around 300 BC. The Celts lived in
villages, they built forts on the hilltops and protected them with ditches and ramparts. These
people lived under the primitive system – there was no private property, no classes, no
exploitation. Their priests were called Druids. They grew wheat and corn, caught fish and tamed
or bred animals. The Celts were warring tribes. Art of pottery, making things of wool, metal and
copper. Celtic is the ancestor of the Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh languages.
Celts` way to Britain
Roman Britain
2000 years ago the Romans were the most powerful people in the world. Julius Caesar
reached the Channel in 55 and 54 BC. The Romans who had better arms and were better trained,
defeated the Celts. Rebellion in Gaul forced Caesar to withdraw his soldiers from Britain. In 43
AD Emperor Claudius invaded Britain and it was ruled as a colony.
In AD 61 Queen Boudicca led a revolt against Roman rule and her followers burned
down London, Colchester and St. Albans. The rebellion was put down and the queen took poison
rather than submit.
Romans in England
In 122 Hadrian` s Wall was built to keep out the raiding Picts
and Scots. Romans established many towns and cities like
York, St Albans, Bath and London. Place names ending in –
caster and –chester reveal the places of Roman military
camps. The Roman baths in Bath (Aquae Sulis) were built
between the 1st and 4th centuries around a natural hot spring.
Romans brought to England Christianity and in the 4th century
they established the Christian Church in Britain.
Queen Boudicca
Roman Baths
Anglo-Saxon Britain
Roman legions left Britain in 410 and by the mid-5th century, Angles, Saxons and Jutes
from Northern Germany and Denmark had started to raid the eastern shores of Britain. Soon
Saxon kingdoms (including Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria) were established. The new
settlers destroyed Roman villas and lived in small farming communities. But in the 7th century
the towns began to spring up as the trade increased. Many towns had names ending in “ham”,
which is the Anglo-Saxon word for “home”.
Society
Saxon kings were supported by nobles but free peasants formed the majority of the population.
The Celts who were not absorbed or enslaved were driven away to remote areas such as Wales
and Cornwall or to upland. Anglo-Saxons were an agricultural people. The villages were selfsufficient. Arable-farming and cattle-breeding were very important.
Culture
The Angles gave England its name (Angel-land) and the Saxons the language and their
mythology. The legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are based on a
Celtic leader who defended his country against Anglo-Saxons. The heroic epic poem “Beowulf”
was recorded in writing.
Religion
In 579 St Augustine from Rome became the Archbishop of Canterbury and the conversion of the
Anglo-Saxons to Christianity began. The Roman monks brought many books to Britain and
helped to spread Roman culture in Britain. The most famous writer was the monk named The
Venerable Bede (673-735) who wrote “Ecclesiastical History of the English People”, is also
called “father of English history”.
King Egbert became the first king of England and under his rule all
the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms formed one kingdom called
England.
Vikings
The Vikings invaded Britain at the end of the 8th century. The Viking people came from
Denmark, Norway and Sweden. They settled in northern Scotland and eastern England. In
Ireland, Vikings founded Dublin. The Vikings lived in tribes and were pagans.
Invading Wessex
The Danes invaded Wessex again in 871. Under the reign of King Albert, Wessex became the
centre of resistance against the Vikings. The army of horsemen was increased and the first
British Navy was built. The Anglo-Saxons won several victories over the Danes, who were
allowed to settle in the northern boundary that separated the Danelaw from Wessex. York was
made the capital.
King Alfred
King Alfred was very smart, he could read and write and
translated Ecclesiastical History of the English People. During
his reign The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was written in AngloSaxon. During this time Anglo-Saxon was spoken by the
people and Latin was the language of the church.
Danish king Canute
In 1016 the Danish king Canute (Cnut or Knut) conquered England. He became king of
Denmark, Norway and England. He divided England into territorial lordships and ended the
practice of paying Danegeld. After Canute`s death the throne was soon passed to Edward the
Confesser.
Canute and tide
Norman Conquest
Edward the Confessor became king in 1042. His reign is marked by the demographic
growth and agrarian expansion. After his death Harold Godwin (the Earl of Wessex), William
(the Duke of Normandy) and Harald Hardraada (the King of Norway) claimed the throne. On 25
September 1066 Godwin defeated Harald Hardraada at Stamford Bridge. At the same time Duke
William had landed on the south coast and the English king marched to Hastings. The Normans
won the battle and king Harold was mortally wounded. The Battle of Hastings is depicted on the
Bayeux Tapestry. On Christmas Day (in 1066) William was acclaimed king in Westminster
Abbey.
The Normans created an aristocracy and treated Anglo-Saxons as serfs. In 1086 the
Domesday Book was compiled for tax purposes. French was spoken by aristocracy, Latin was
the language of clergy and English became the language of the peasants. The White Tower in
London and Durham are remains from Norman England.
Bayeux Tapestry
The Early Middle Ages
The Anglo-Saxons often rebelled against the Normans and William the Conqueror had to create
a strong monarchy. He gave to his nobles small pieces of land in different parts of the country.
He created new state-system, organizing the kingdom according to the feudal system. William
controlled both Normandy and England.
When William died in 1087, he left the duchy of Normandy to his son Robert and England to his
second son William Rufus, who died soon and as at this time Robert was in war, the third brother
Henry was crowned king. In 1106 Henry invaded Normandy and reunited Normandy and
England. His only son was drowned at sea., so Henry I’s hopes rested on his daughter Matilda,
who married Geoffrey Plantagenet, heir to Anjou.
Matilda lived in France and when Henry` s nephew (son of Adela, the daughter of William I)
Stephen of Blois seized the throne, she invaded England. This fight led to civil war. In 1153 it
was agreed that Stephen could keep the throne if Matilda` s son Henry could succeed him.
The Plantagenets
Henry II (1154-1189)
Inherited the English kingdom, Normandy, Anjou, Maine and
Touraine. He married Eleanor of Aquitaine and acquired vast areas of
France. He was a strong king. Henry II quarreled with his wife and
their sons Richard and John took mother` s side. He quarrelled with
Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, finally had him
murdered in his cathedral.
Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) (1189-1199)
Henry II`s son. Richard spoke little English (but was well educated) and spent only seven
months in England, the rest of the time he was on crusades. Richard was killed there in a battle.
John I (John Lackland) (1199-1216)
Richard I`s brother. John lost the Plantagenet dominions in France,
taxed heavily his nobles and quarreled with the Pope. In 1215 he was
forced to sign Magna Carta, the predecessor of the Constitution, which
defined the rights of the crown. During John` s reign, the first stone
bridge across the Thames was built in 1206.
Henry III (1216-1272)
Henry was John` s son. Patronized arts, constructed Salisbury Cathedral. In 1265 the 1st
parliament was summoned, but after the quarrels Henry reassumed control of the government.
Edward I (1272-1307)
Henry III` s son. He brought together the first real parliament in 1295, annexed Wales to
England in 1282, brought Scotland under English control. Trying to have good relations with
France, he married his son Edward to the daughter of the king of France Isabella.
Edward II (1307-1327)
A weak king. He did not love his wife Isabella and she fell in love with Roger Mortimer.
Together they forced Edward to abdicate in favour of his son.
Edward III (1312-1377)
Claimed the French throne and started the 100 Years’ War. During the war: Geoffrey Cahaucer`
s “Canterbury Tales”, the Bible was translated into English, Winchester College was established
in 1382, Oxford University. Edward III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348. During his
reign Black Death killed half of the population of England.
Richard II (1377-1399)
Edward III` s grandson, who became king at the age of 11. His advisers introduced a tax
payment which caused a revolt. Richard suppressed the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.
The Wars of the Roses 1455-1485
In 1377 Richard II became king and was placed under the control of his uncle John, duke of
Lancaster, who wanted his son Henry to become the king. There was another possible successor,
the son of his uncle Edmund, who was the Duke of York. The nobility was divided between
those who remained loyal to the House of Lancaster and those, who supported the duke of York.
The House of York was identified with a white rose, Lancaster with a red rose.
House of Lancaster:
Henry IV (1399-1413) – spent his reign establishing his royal authority
Henry V (1413-1422) – one of England` s favourite kings
Henry VI (1422-1471) – The Wars of the Roses began in 1455 with the battle of Saint Albans
House of York:
Edward IV (1461-1483) – became king when the York forces crushed the
Lancaster army
Edward V (1483)
Richard III (1452-1485) - was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in
1485 against Henry Tudor (Henry VII) ending the Wars of the Roses. (A
horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!)
Richard III
The Tudors
The House of Tudor ruled the kingdom from 1485 until 1603.
Henry VII (1485-1509)
His claim to the throne derived from his mother. On 18 January 1486 he married Elizabeth of
York and united the Houses of York and Lancaster. He had 7 children: Arthur Tudor (Prince of
England), Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII (King of England), Elizabeth Tudor, Mary Tudor,
Edmund Tudor (Duke of Somerset) and Katherine Tudor. Henry arranged a marriage between
his son Arthur and the daughter of the king of Spain and a marriage between his daughter
Margaret and James VI of Scotland. He kept England out of European wars.
Henry VIII (1509-1547)
Kept a magnificent court. He married Catherine of Aragon (widow of his
brother, Arthur) in 1509 and divorced her in 1533. This marriage produced
one daughter, Mary. Then he secretly married Anne Boleyn, who bore a
daughter Elisabeth. Anne was beheaded. King`s third wife died, he divorced
his fourth wife, fifth was beheaded and Henry` s sixth wife outlived him.
Henry's obsession with producing a male heir led to the separation of the
Church of England from Roman Catholicism.
Edward VI (1547-1553)
Died at the age of 16, as he was under legal age, the country was ruled by a council. After his
death, Lady Jane Grey reigned for nine days.
Mary I (1553-1558)
The first queen of England since Matilda. Unfortunate marriage with King Philip of Spain.
Enacted a policy of persecution against Protestants and earned the nickname “Bloody Mary”.
Elizabeth I (1558-1603)
Never married to keep England out of wars, led England back to Protestantism. She made
England a powerful country and defeated Spanish Armada. Supported arts, golden age of theatre.
Elizabeth agreed to Mary Stuart` s execution.
The Stuarts
Mary Stuart
She was the queen of Scotland and claimed the crowns of France, England and Ireland. She was
married to Francis I (prince of France), Lord Darnley (this marriage produced James VI) and
Bothwell (was believed to be the murderer of Lord Darnley). Mary fled
to England in seeking the protection, but was executed.
James I (James VI of Scotland) (1603-1625)
The first joint ruler of England and Scotland. He was a Scottish
Catholic who believed in the “Divine Right” and ruled as he wanted.
Conflict with the English Parliament. The failed Catholic Gunpowder
Plot in 1605 led to anti catholic riots.
Charles I (1625-1649)
Son of James I, his wife was Catholic. He dissolved Parliament three
times between 1625 and1629. He wanted to rule alone and this led to civil war (1642-1645).
Oliver Cromwell created the new “model” army which defeated the Royalist army. Charles was
executed and Cromwell became the ruler.
1649-1660 - Dictatorship of Cromwell. He was unable to find anything to replace the monarchy.
Charles II (1660-1685)
Restoration in 1660. The fear of Charles` interest in Catholic church resulted in the first political
parties in Britain: “Whigs” (were afraid of absolute monarchy, supported Parliament) and
“Tories” (supported the Crown). The Plague in 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666. Ch.
Wren designed a new capital.
James II (1685-1688)
He was a Catholic king. His daughter Mary was Protestant and married to the ruler of Holland,
William of Orange. When James` second wife produced a male heir, William was invited to
invade Britain. James was defeated and forced to depose. The Parliament made William king in
1688- the Glorious Revolution.
William III and Mary II (1689-1702)
William was not very popular, but his wife was. After her death in 1694 William ruled alone
until 1702.
Queen Anne (1702-1714)
Mary II` s sister. The first monarch to rule over the Kingdom of Great Britain. 1707- Act of
Union (Scotland was united with England and Wales). She had 17 children, but none of them
survived her and she was the last Stuart.
Georgian era
The Georgian Age (1714 until the French Revolution) was the age of the Enlightenment. Britain
had the strongest navy in the world and trade was very important. The ministers became real
decision-makers.
George I (1714-1727)
George I, grandson of James, was the first monarch of the House of
Hanover to rule Britain. After the death of Queen Anne, some Tories
wanted the deposed James II` s son James to return to Britain. But
James did not want to give up his religion and tried to win the throne in
war. In 1715 he started a rebellion against George I, but was defeated.
Towards the end of George`s reign, actual power was held by Sir
Robert Walpole, who is considered to be the first Prime Minister of
Great Britain. George spoke little English and the power of government
rose during his reign. Walpole developed the idea of the “Cabinets”
formed by ministers and made sure that the power of the king would
always be limited by the constitution.
George II (1727-1760)
During his reign, Lord Chatman became an important political enemy of Walpole, who wanted
Britain to be economically strong and beat France in the race for an overseas trade empire. War
with France (1756-1759).
George III ( 1760-1820)
The first Hanoverian king to be born in Britain. In 1763 he made peace with France.
Loss of the American colonies: A serious quarrel over taxation in 1764, Boston tea party in
1773. The American War of Independence from 1775 until 1783. July 1776- Declaration of
Independence.
Napoleonic wars (1793-1815), Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815 (by Wellington).
George IV (1820-1830)
Between 1815 and 1835 Britain became a nation of townspeople, but the electoral system had
remained virtually unchanged since 1680s. When the Tories collapsed over the Question of
Catholic Emancipation in 1829, the Whigs were willing to implement parliamentary reform.
William IV (1830-1837)
George IV` s liberal brother. Reform Bill in 1832, a political recognition that Britain had become
an urban society. William was the last monarch to appoint a Prime Minister contrary to the will
of Parliament.
The Victorian Age
Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
William IV` s niece. Came to throne at 18, married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha,
reigned over 63 years, many of the royal families of Europe descend from Queen Victoria.
Victoria loved her husband, they had nine children and when Albert died, she went into deep
mourning, “Widow of Windsor”. During her reign Britain became the most powerful country in
the world with the largest Empire that had ever existed (in 1876 Victoria became Empress of
India). During Victoria` s reign, elementary education was made free. Important inventions and
discoveries: Great Exhibition in 1851, in 1859 Charles Darwin published “Origin of Species”, in
1880 there was the first demonstration of electric lighting, antiseptic surgery, turbine engines,
railway and first car. “Victorian values”, famous writers like Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and
Kipling.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
The Edwardian Age
Edward VII (1901-1910)
Queen Victoria` s son. When he became king, he was 59 years old. He
was successful, travelled the world on goodwill visits, promoted the
“entente cordiale” with France and did his best to head off the
approaching war with Germany. During the Edwardian era the British
class system was very rigid. In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst founded the
Women`s Social and Political Union to fight for women`s suffrage.
Darwinism melded with the rapid technological advances and
Edwardians felt man to be invincible. When Germany started building
a massive navy, an arms race began between Germany and Britain.
George V (1910-1936)
Edward VIII` s son. The first sovereign of the House of Windsor
(changed his family name). During his reign: the First World War, the
Russian Revolution, the Irish troubles, votes for women, the General
Strike, the Depression, the Rise of Hitler and the first radio broadcast
by the reigning monarch. George was loved by his people. After the
First World War, in 1931, Parliament passed a statute that recognized
the dominions` (Canada, Australia, New Zealand , South Africa)
complete independence from Britain (British Commonwealth).