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British History
Members of the genus Homo have lived in Britain
for hundreds of thousands of years, and Homo sapiens for tens
of thousands. Although it is possible that
that the islands were temporarily depopulated during the glacial periods
that occurred during the ice ages.
Stone Henge, W Essex, England Photographic Print
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By the first century BC, Britain had developed
a sophisticated culture with farming, iron-working, coinage,
and trade (principally of metals, especially tin, mined within the British Isles)
with mainland Europe. It is also known
that during this period, there was an influx
of refugees from Gaul (France and Belgium)
known as the Belgae, who had been displaced by the growth of the Roman Empire.
Britain was not unknown to the classical civiliations
of the Mediterranean. Greeks and Carthaginians are known to have visited
Britain as early as the 4th century BC. However,
the first major contacts with the classical world were in 55 BC and 54 BC
when Julius Caesar launched two military
raids on southern England, as he believed the Britons were helping the
resistance to his campaigns in Gaul.
After Julius Caesar's raids, Rome settled into
a pattern of trade and diplomacy with the Britons, which was to last
almost a hundred years. While some consideration was given to invading
Britain, the Romans did not actually do so
until 43 AD during the reign of Emperor Claudius. The Romans were eventually
able to conquer all of England and Wales, and parts of southern Scotland.
The Romans ruled Britain until 410 AD, when the
legions were finally withdrawn because of more pressing needs closer
to home. During the period of Roman occupation, many buildings
were constructed in the country including villas, bath-houses, ampitheaters,
and fortifications, including, of course, Hadrian's Wall.
2nd Century Roman Wall, Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland, England Photographic Print
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After the fall of the Roman Empire, various German tribes (the Angles, Saxons and Jutes)
arrived in southern Britain. These tribes eventually became the
English, and either assimilated the indigenous Celtic peoples of England, or displaced them into
into Cornwall, Wales and southwestern Scotland. They in turn faced Viking invasions,
and finally the Norman conquest of 1066, which introduced a French ruling nobility
who eventually were to become assimilated with the English.
King Harold is Killed and the English Turn in Flight, Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry, Before 1082
Giclee Print
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During the Middle Ages, England's rulers conquered Wales, campaigned extensively in
Ireland, held huge lands in France, and also tried, but failed,
to conquer Scotland. England and Scotland did not finally unite until 1604, when
James VI of Scotland (James I of England) declared himself
"'King of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland" (the claim to the French
throne, while maintained by British monarchs for some time, was not actively
enforced since the French had their own ideas about who should be their monarch).
Initially this combination was a personal union, by virtue of having the same
monarch, and it was not until the 1707 Act of Union that England and Scotland
combined their parliaments. In 1801, a second Act of Union made Ireland
part of the country, the state now officially became named the
"United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland".
Britain was the first country to industrialize, and
this, together with its financial dominance, powerful navy, and victory in
the Napoleonic Wars, allowed it to become the most powerful country in
the world during the 19th and early 20th century. As a result of its
position, Britain was able to establish an extensive
colonial empire overseas, that eventually was to become the largest empire
in history.
Map of the World Showing the British Empire Coloured in Red at the End of the Nineteenth Century Giclee Print
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By the late 19th century, new powers had arisen and became powerful rivals to the
British Empire: the United States and
Germany, both outstripped
Britain economically, and in the case of
Germany, became involved involved
in a naval building race with Britain.
The Battleship Dreadnought Sails Past Nelsons Victory Photographic Print
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In the last decades of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century, extensive thought was given to granting "home rule"
to Ireland, however a final decison on what policy to adopt had not been made when war broke out.
In 1916,
while World War I was still raging, Irish nationalists launched a rebellion against British rule in Ireland,
seizing control of strategic points in Dublin.
Although this rebellion was relatively easily defeated miitarily, it did succeed in bringing about a sea change
in Irish political opinion. As a result, in
1922,
most of Ireland became a separate country, the Irish Free State - the forerunner of today's
Republic of Ireland. The United Kingdom
retained control of six northern counties on the island of Ireland, and henceforth became
officially known as the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
The 20th century saw a relative decline in Britain's position in the world,
as the country was virtually bankrupted by the costs of fighting two World Wars, especially World War II.
Although, unlike many other countries, Britain was never occupied by the Nazis,
World War II has nevertheless less a deep imprint on the British national psyche: Winston Churchill,
Dunkirk, "their finest hour", the Battle of Britain, El Alamein, the Spitfire, and other details of
World War II are very much engrained on the national consciousness.
Winston Churchill British Statesman and Author Gives the V-Sign in 1940 Photographic Print
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Following the end of World War II, the British Empire was gradually wound-up, because of financial
difficulties, pressure from Americans, and increasing nationalism in the colonies. Although there
were some conflicts during the
retreat from empire, such as the
1956
Suez Crisis,
on the whole, disengagement was surprisingly peaceful.
Britain retains good relations and cultural links with many of its former colonies,
and most (but not all) are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
In the immediate post war period and the Cold War with the USSR that followed,
Britain was also an important ally (perhaps the most important ally) of the
United States of America,
and a leading member in the NATO alliance.
As already noted, during the post-war period Britain faced extensive
economic problems. These were not helped by antiquated labour and industrial policies,
numerous strikes and high inflation.
In the 1980s however, Britain embarked in a new free market
direction under the leadership of Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher:
union power was restricted, inflation was brought under control, free enterprise encouraged,
and subsidized state-owned industries either sold off ("privatization") or
closed. These changes were not without pain, including for a time, massive unemployment,
but eventually they succeeded in reviving the faltering economy. The increased prosperity
that was brought about through these changes,
the 1981 Royal Wedding of
Prince Charles and
Lady Diana Spencer,
and victory in the 1982
Falklands War,
brought a new mood of optimism to the country.
Margaret Thatcher Photo
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While not as powerful as she once was,
Britain is nevertheless still a leading economic, political, cultural
and military power, with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security council.
Britain remains a close ally of the
United States of America
and has forces fighting in both Iraq and
engaged in Afghanistan.
Here are some books about the history of
Britain:
By Ken Follett
NAL Trade
Released: 2007-11-14
Paperback (973 pages)
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Ken Follett had long been a staple of the bestseller lists for his novels of intrigue and espionage. Then came The Pillars of the Earth, a grand novel of epic storytelling that readers and critics quickly hailed as his crowning achievement. Now, The Pillars of the Earth is available for the first time to a new audience of readers, in this attractive new trade paperback edition.
In 12th-century England, the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral signals the dawn of a new age. This majestic creation will bond clergy and kings, knights and peasants together in a story of toil, faith, ambition and rivalry. A sweeping tale of the turbulent middle ages, The Pillars of the Earth is a masterpiece from one of the world's most popular authors.
"A novel of majesty and power...Will hold you, fascinate you, surround you." --Chicago Sun-Times
"A towering tale...There's murder, arson, treachery, torture, love, and lust...A good time can be had by all." --New York Daily News
"Touches all human emotions...truly a novel to get lost in." --Cosmopolitan |
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By Alison Weir
Grove Press
Paperback (656 pages)
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The tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of Henry VIII of England (1509-1547) is one of the most fascinating in all history, not least for his marriage to six extraordinary women. In this accessible work of brilliant scholarship, Alison Weir draws on early biographies, letters, memoirs, account books, and diplomatic reports to bring these women to life. Catherine of Aragon emerges as a staunch though misguided woman of principle; Anne Boleyn, an ambitious adventuress with a penchant for vengeance; Jane Seymour, a strong-minded matriarch in the making; Anne of Cleves, a good-natured and innocent woman naively unaware of the court intrigues that determined her fate; Catherine Howard, an empty-headed wanton; and Catherine Parr, a warm-blooded bluestocking who survived King Henry to marry a fourth time. |
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By Alison Weir
Ballantine Books
Released: 2008-04-29
Hardcover (496 pages)
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Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, which recounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen.
Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as “Lady Princess” and now call her “the Lady Elizabeth.” Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her.
What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy. The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier she is imprisoned in the Tower of London–and fears she will also meet her mother’s grisly end. Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, “Bloody” Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth’s resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen.
Alison Weir uses her deft talents as historian and novelist to exquisitely and suspensefully play out the conflicts between family, politics, religion, and conscience that came to define an age. Sweeping in scope, The Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time–an orphaned girl haunted by the shadow of the axe, an independent spirit who must use her cunning and wits for her very survival, and a future queen whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness. |
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By Philippa Gregory
Touchstone
Paperback (464 pages)
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The National BestsellerIn the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen. One woman hears the tidings with utter dread. She is Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, and she knows that Elizabeth's ambitious leap to the throne will draw her husband back to the center of the glamorous Tudor court, where he was born to be. Elizabeth's excited triumph is short-lived. She has inherited a bankrupt country where treason is rampant and foreign war a certainty. Her faithful advisor William Cecil warns her that she will survive only if she marries a strong prince to govern the rebellious country, but the one man Elizabeth desires is her childhood friend, the ambitious Robert Dudley. As the young couple falls in love, a question hangs in the air: can he really set aside his wife and marry the queen? When Amy is found dead, Elizabeth and Dudley are suddenly plunged into a struggle for survival. Philippa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover answers the question about an unsolved crime that has fascinated detectives and historians for centuries. Intelligent, romantic, and compelling, The Virgin's Lover presents a young woman on the brink of greatness, a young man whose ambition exceeds his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them. |
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By Alison Weir
Ballantine Books
Released: 1997-07-08
Paperback (416 pages)
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The royal family may have its problems these days, but as Alison Weir reminds us in this cohesive and impeccably researched book, the nobility of old England could be both loveless and ruthless. Weir, an expert in the period and author of a book on Henry's VIII wives, focuses on the children of Henry VIII who reigned successively after his death in 1547: Edward VI, Mary I ("Bloody Mary") and Elizabeth I. The three shared little--living in separate homes--except for a familial legacy of blood and terror. This is exciting history and fascinating reading about a family of mythic proportions. |
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By Alison Weir
Ballantine Books
Released: 2007-11-06
Paperback (432 pages)
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I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live.
Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen”–a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century.
The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. With the premature passing of Jane’s adolescent cousin, and Henry’s successor, King Edward VI, comes a struggle for supremacy fueled by political machinations and lethal religious fervor.
Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy.
Alison Weir uses her unmatched skills as a historian to enliven the many dynamic characters of this majestic drama. Along with Lady Jane Grey, Weir vividly renders her devious parents; her much-loved nanny; the benevolent Queen Katherine Parr; Jane’s ambitious cousins; the Catholic “Bloody” Mary, who will stop at nothing to seize the throne; and the protestant and future queen Elizabeth. Readers venture inside royal drawing rooms and bedchambers to witness the power-grabbing that swirls around Lady Jane Grey from the day of her birth to her unbearably poignant death. Innocent Traitor paints a complete and compelling portrait of this captivating young woman, a faithful servant of God whose short reign and brief life would make her a legend.
“An impressive debut. Weir shows skill at plotting and maintaining tension, and she is clearly going to be a major player in the . . . historical fiction game.”
–The Independent
“Alison Weir is one of our greatest popular historians. In her first work of fiction . . . Weir manages her heroine’s voice brilliantly, respecting the past’s distance while conjuring a dignified and fiercely modern spirit.”
–London Daily Mail
From the Hardcover edition. |
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By Alison Weir
Ballantine Books
Released: 1999-10-05
Paperback (560 pages)
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The long life and powerful personality of England's beloved Virgin Queen have eternal appeal, and popular historian Alison Weir depicts both with panache. She's especially good at evoking the physical texture of Tudor England: the elaborate royal gowns (actually an intricate assembly of separate fabric panels buttoned together over linen shifts), the luxurious but unhygienic palaces (Elizabeth got the only "close stool"; most members of her retinue relieved themselves in the courtyards), the huge meals heavily seasoned to disguise the taste of spoiled meat. Against this earthy backdrop, Elizabeth's intelligence and formidable political skills stand in vivid relief. She may have been autocratic, devious, even deceptive, but these traits were required to perform a 45-year tightrope walk between the two great powers of Europe, France and Spain. Both countries were eager to bring small, weak England under their sway and to safely marry off its inconveniently independent queen. Weir emphasizes Elizabeth's precarious position as a ruling woman in a man's world, suggesting plausibly that the single life was personally appealing as well as politically expedient for someone who had seen many ambitious ladies--including her own mother--ruined and even executed for just the appearance of sexual indiscretions. The author's evaluations of such key figures in Elizabeth's reign as the Earl of Leicester (arguably the only man she ever loved) and William Cecil (her most trusted adviser) are equally cogent and respectful of psychological complexity. Weir does a fine job of retelling this always-popular story for a new generation. --Wendy Smith |
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By Chris Hunter
Delacorte Press
Released: 2008-04-29
Hardcover (368 pages)
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It’s a blazing hot day in Iraq. Wearing eighty-five pounds of armor, Major Chris Hunter crosses a barren landscape toward a bomb that has been expertly rigged to kill and maim. Exposed to snipers, prepared for the demonic tricks the enemy plays—like trip wires and secondary devices—Chris knows this mission could be his last. But with his heart hammering in his chest, he also knows one thing above all: he simply cannot afford to fail. In this riveting first-person account, bomb-disposal operative Chris Hunter takes us behind the scenes in an eye-opening, never-before-seen portrait of the most dangerous job in the most dangerous place on earth. . . .
By the time he got to Iraq, Chris Hunter was one of the most experienced bomb-disabling operators in the British armed forces. But Iraq was different. A place where terrorists and soldiers were climbing the same deadly learning curve. Where new devices and new tactics led to countermeasures, and the line between killer and innocent bystander was impossible to draw. As Hunter’s unit became more skilled at disabling bombs, the bombers became more skilled and determined—until Hunter ended up with a price on his head and bombs designed just for him.
From a horrifying ambush in the heart of Shia-dominated Basra to the chilling interrogation of a captured bomber, Hunter guides us through his hellish high-stakes, high-pressure world, where every decision could be your last, and where boredom is interrupted by terror, fury, and raucous humor. A first-of-its-kind account, Eight Lives Down is gritty, immediate, and heart-breaking—the chronicle of a man clinging to his sanity, his marriage, and his duty to his fellow soldiers. |
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By Diane Haeger
NAL Trade
Paperback (416 pages)
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For fans of The Tudors comes a captivating drama about the only woman who could defy Henry VIII -and keep her life.
Mary Tudor, the headstrong younger sister of the ruthless King Henry VII, has always been her brother's favorite-but now she is also an important political bargaining chip. When she is promised to the elderly, ailing King Louis of France, a heartbroken Mary accepts her fate, but not before extracting a promise from her brother: When the old king dies, her next marriage shall be solely of her choosing. For Mary has a forbidden passion, and is determined, through her own cunning, courage, and boldness, to forge her own destiny.
The Secret Bride is the triumphant tale of one extraordinary woman who meant to stay true to her heart and live her life just as her royal brother did- by her own rules... |
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