Britain before 1066
Britain was joined to the rest of the European continent by a land bridge thousands of years ago. In this period, about 4000 BC, Britain was inhabited by man. Stonehenge is a famous monument from this period.
The Romans invaded Britain with a force of about 50 000 soldiers in the year 43. As the Romans moved from south to north, they built the network of main roads which still can be followed. At the border between England and Scotland they built a wall, Hadrian's Wall, to control the frontier. The period in which Britain was under Roman control, was a peaceful period. After the Romans left, Britain entered a 600 year period with wars. The Romans had supplied both law and civilization in Britain. On their own they had problems organizing and defending themselves from the attacks from enemies - both from within and without. To solve this they hired soldiers from Europe to defend themselves. These soldiers were Angles and Saxons from Germany. The hired soldiers brought their families and got paid with land they could farm. In the end, the Anglo Saxons became so powerful that they could take control over the areas themselves. The Anglo Saxons moved slowly north and west. They pushed the native Celts to the outskirts of Britain.
By 850 AD England was divided into three kingdoms. They were, Mercia, Northhumbria and Wessex. The kingdoms fought between themselves and also against the Vikings. In 1066 Harold, the Earl of East Anglia, claimed the throne. So did William, duke of Normandy. They met at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 where the Normans won. The Duke of Normandy became William I of England. The Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings are described on the famous Bayeux Tapestry.
From 1066 to 1660
Now England was unified again for the first time since the Romans left. In addition to this, the Norman Kings also grabbed control over Wales and Ireland. This period also contained wars between different powerful people in the kingdom.In 1509 Henry the 8th was crowned as king. He was a cruel and ruthless person, something his wives learnt. He was married six times, and there is a children's rhyme summing up their destinies: Divorced - beheaded- died - divorced - beheaded - survived!
Henry the 8th never got any boys who could inherit the throne. After Henry's death his daughter Mary came to throne. She was not a very popular queen, and got the nickname "Bloody Mary".
The last of the Tudors to have the English crown was Elizabeth. She ruled in one of Britain's most glorious periods. Britain had many explorers and got colonies around the world. This is also the era when Shakespeare wrote his plays. Elizabeth died without any children. Therefore she asked James, King of Scotland to be her successor. This united England and Scotland for the first time in history. The Scottish kings, The Stuarts, came quickly in conflict with Parliament. This led to a civil war between those who supported King Charles I and those who supported the Parliament. The last party won the war, and Oliver Cromwell and the army took control over the country in 1649. This is England's only period of dictatorship in history.The Cromwells didn't rule for long. In 1660 the monarchy was restored and Charles II was king of England.
From 1660 to WWI
The Great Fire of London is an important historical issue for London. It happened 2nd September 1666 in the King's Bakery in Pudding Lane close to the old Billingsgate Fish Market. The fire lasted for 4-5 days, and during this time a lot of houses, churches and important culture pieces went up in smoke. The one to blame for the fire is said to be King Charles 2nd's baker, Thomas Farrinor, after he forgot to extinguish his oven. The flames raged uncontrollably for the next few days, helped along by the wind, as well as by warehouses full of oil and other flammable substances. Fire-fighting methods of the time were insufficient ,and approximately 13,200 houses, 90 churches and 50 livery company halls burned down or exploded. But the fire claimed only 16 lives, and it actually helped impede the spread of the deadly Black Plague, as most of the disease-carrying rats were killed in the fire.
In 1760 the first British born king for 50 years to the throne. The king was George 3rd and he was to reign successfully for the next 50 years. Britain now won new territories in Canada and India. At the same time, Britain lost their American colonies by the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
In 1837 Victoria was crowned Queen of England. She was only 18 when she became queen. She reigned for 64 years, and this is the period when the British Empire gets the most powerful in the world. In 1900, the Empire consisted of Canada, Australia, India and large chunks Africa, the Caribbean and the Far East. Victoria died in 1901.
Britain after 1914
Britain participated in both World War I and World War II. The wars caused considerable losses, both economical and human.In the period between the wars, Ireland managed to get out of British hands and women got the right to vote.
In the sixties Britain's most famous pop group ever was brought on to the rest of the world, the Beatles gained a level of fame which hardly ever had been seen before.
The eighties were strongly influenced by "The Iron Lady", Mrs. Thatcher.Margaret Tatcher
Wales' history
Scotland's history
Northern Ireland's history
The fight for independence
The Irish people tried to fight against the British. At the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 the Irish lost the fight - and also the right to be in their own parliament. This battle is still celebrated by Protestants in Northern Ireland to remember the English victory. Most of the land was in English hands and this made people want to reform Irish landownership. At the same time there was a struggle for Home Rule, that the Irish again could control their own country. In 1914 the Home Rule Bill was passed but not carried out because of World War I.
The Easter Rising
The Easter Rising is an important moment in the Irish fight for independence. On Easter Monday, April 24 1916 about 1000 people seized key buildings in Dublin. The leader of the revolt, Patrick Pearse proclaimed an Irish republic and ordered the British to leave. English troops were shipped in and after five days of fighting the rebels surrendered. The leaders of the revolt were executed in May the same year. The executions made many people sympathize with the rebellions and many attempts to create an Irish republic followed. In 1920 Ireland got Home Rule, but it was also divided in two. The North was made up of six counties with largely Protestant population. The remaining 26 counties formed the Republic of Ireland with a majority of Catholics.
Bloody Sunday
The division of Ireland did not stop the violence. Some thought it was a treachery to let the six northern counties be associated to the UK. The fighting got even harder and hundreds and hundreds of people were killed. To stop the killings British troops were sent to Northern Ireland with the only result: The violence escalates. One of the most violent incidents is Bloody Sunday, January 30 1972. 13 Catholics were shot dead by soldiers in a civil rights march in Derry. The soldiers said they were fired upon first, but it seeded as if many of the Catholics were shot in the back as they tried to escape... After this Northern Ireland is governed from London. The direct rule was brought on to last for 12 months in the beginning, but lasted for more than 25 years... There is now an inquiry to find out what really happened in Derry 30th of January 1972.
The future