British History

By Anita Szalai
British History

The Celts arrived on the island about 900 BC. But even before them the islands
were inhabited. Huge megaliths prove to archeologists that well-developed
cultures lived on the British Isles thousands of years ago. Good examples are the
stone circle of Stonehenge in England or the megalith in Ireland, to mention only
the best-known ones.
British History

Although the Romans stayed there for about 4-500

years, they left very little behind. Some words
remained, like „chester” in place-names (from
„castrum” or camp), and a few of their buildings.
First Julius Caesar went to Britain in 55-54 BC, but
after his quick return back to Rome the Romans
needed about another hundred years to go back to
Britain again. Then they stayed until about the middle
of the 5th century.
British History

Jutes, Angles and Saxon

tribes started to arrive from
the Continent from about
450 onwards and pushed the
Celtic tribes to the west and
north. They came from the
places where today Germany
and Denmark lie.
British History

Vikings from the North of Europe settled

in the country and mixed with the people
already there. Scandinavia remained
their land for a short time. They were
brilliant sailors and brave warriors and it
must have been very difficult to fight
them when they decided to loot and
pillage a region.
British History

1066 is a date that signals a real change

in British history. This is when French-
speaking Normans invaded the country so
successfully that it influenced not only
the language but traditions and society
as well. With the leadership of William
the Conqueror they won at Hastings over
the Anglo-Saxon army of King Harold. As
a result of this victory, Norman lords
received lands to rule and the Saxons had
to obey the newcomers.
British History

In 1215 the lords forced King John

(1166-1216) to sign Magna Carta
(The Great Charter of the Liberties
of England) that gave more power
to them. This was the event that
set the stage for parliamentary
development. The document put a
kind of control over the power of
the monarch into the hands of the
lords.
 British History

Two very important Tudor rules (King Henry VIII, 1491-1547 and
Queen Elizabeth I, 1533-1603) established and reinforced the
position of the Anglican Church in the country and also the
country’s position in Europe. As his most important decision Henry
VIII declared himself Head of the Church of England in 1534 and
this created the Anglican Church separate from Rome. Although he
is said to have been a cruel ruler in the end, at the beginning of
his reign he was popular. But to have a son as his heir he had to
divorce the first wife. Finally, he had six wives, executed two
them and had a daughter to inherit the crown. Of these, Elizabeth
I made England strong, which was clearly proved when Spain
attacked in 1588 with the Armada and England won the battle at
sea. She also had the power and brave subjects like Sir Walter
Raleigh to start colonies in the American continent.
 British History

During the reign of Queen Victoria (1819-

1901), industry developed very fast and
the British Empire reached its greatest
extent. At its peak, England ruled about
one fourth of the world. Despite the
greatness of the inventions of the time,
child work and poverty together with
workhouses were the reality for a lot of
people.
 British History

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