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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legions were finally withdrawn because of more pressing needs closer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:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Mary Platt Parmele
CreateSpace
Paperback (126 pages)
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Wirtten many years ago by Mary Parmele, she begins this book with the following passage: The remotest fact in the history of England is written in her rocks. Geology tells us of a time when no sea flowed between Dover and Calais, while an unbroken continent extended from the Mediterranean to the Orkneys. Huge mounds of rough stones called Cromlechs, have yielded up still another secret. Before the coming of the Keltic-Aryans, there dwelt there two successive races, whose story is briefly told in a few human fragments found in these "Cromlechs." These remains do not bear the royal marks of Aryan origin. The men were small in stature, with inferior skulls; and it is surmised that they belonged to the same mysterious branch of the human family as the Basques and Iberians, whose presence in Southern Europe has never been explained. When the Aryan came and blotted out these races will perhaps always remain an unanswered question. But while Greece was clothing herself with a mantle of beauty, which the world for two thousand years has striven in vain to imitate, there was lying off the North and West coasts of the European Continent a group of mist-enshrouded islands of which she had never heard. |
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By Andrew Marr
Macmillan UK
Paperback (640 pages)
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This engaging volume tells the story of how the great political visions and idealisms of Victorian Britain came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity, and self-gratification. It explains how in each decade, political leaders found themselves confounded by the British people, who always turned out to be harder to herd than predicted. Historically Britain has been a country on the edgefirst of invasion, then of bankruptcy, then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War, and later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital and migration. This history follows all the political and economic stories of the modern era as well as with such social trends as comedy, cars, the war against homosexuals, oil-men and punks, Margaret Thatcher’s wonderful good luck, political lies, and the true heroes of British theater. |
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Oxford University Press, USA
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This superb volume tells the story of Britain and its people over two thousand years, from the coming of the Roman legions to the present day. Edited by esteemed historian Kenneth O. Morgan, this informative volume illuminates the political, social, economic, and cultural developments of the British Isles. Ten leading historians--including Peter Salway, John Morrill, and Morgan himself--provide a penetrating and dramatic narrative, offering the fruits of the best modern scholarship to the general reader in a highly engaging form. A vivid, sometimes surprising picture emerges of continuous turmoil and change in every period of Britain's history. By exploring the many ways in which Britain has shaped and been shaped by contact with Europe and the wider world, this comprehensive book brings the modern reader face to face with the past and thus the foundations of modern British society. The new edition brings the story into the twenty-first century, covering the changes to British society and culture during the Blair years and examining the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath. |
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By Barry Cunliffe
Penguin Global
Released: 2006-08-30
Paperback (320 pages)
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Compiled by a team of leading historians, this is a wonderfully rich, lavishly illustrated history of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The reader is taken on a journey from prehistoric times to the present day, examining such topics as the spread of literacy, the development of transport, and the evolution of country houses on the way. British cities are brought to life in artwork reconstructions that take the reader back to the Dublin of the 18th century or London in the 1850s. Scholarly yet accessible, this is the ideal introduction to British and Irish history. |
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By Mike Ashley
Running Press
Paperback (464 pages)
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In one portable volume, A Brief History of British Kings and Queens offers a royal biographical A–Z, its pages lavish in details on all the rulers of the kingdoms within the British Isles, together with their wives or consorts, pretenders, usurpers, and regents, from Queen Boadicea of the early Britons to today's Elizabeth II. This complete record of Britain's kings and queens contains more than 1,000 monarchs and 2,000 years of fascinating history. "Everything its title promises. The pages are filled with ... everything anyone might ever want to know about the royals."—Publishers Weekly "Highly recommended."—Choice |
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By Charles Phillips
Anness
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A magnificent and authoritative history of the royalty of Britain, the rulers, their consorts and families and the pretenders to the throne, from Saxon times through the Tudors and Stuarts to today. An updated and revised edition to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, with over 500 photographs, fine art paintings, sculptures, family trees and maps that reveal the heritage and pageantry of royal Britain. | |
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By Ellis Wasson
Wiley-Blackwell
Paperback (424 pages)
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A History of Modern Britain: 1714 to the Present presents a lively introduction to the history of the modern British Isles from the Hanoverian succession to the present day. - Develops themes of tradition and change, the role of the four nations of the British Isles, and Britain in a world context
- Complements the narrative with descriptions of fascinating personalities from Britain's past, from the arsonist James Aitken and the female adventurer Jane Digby, to the celebrity footballer George Best
- Includes features to help orientate the reader: illustrations, maps, royal family genealogies, chronology, and glossary; online supplements include preliminary chapter from 1688
An accompanying website containing additional support and materials for lecturers and students is available at www.wiley.com/go/wasson |
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By Norman Ferguson
Released: 2011-06-14
Kindle Edition (14 pages)
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‘Unspeakable Voices’ is a collection of memories and anecdotes of what life was like in Britain in the post-war years. Fictional people from all walks of life tell, for the first time, of some of the events that have affected them, from the first successful ascent of Everest to Adrian Chiles leaving ‘The One Show’.
There are six short ebooks that make up the ‘Unspeakable Voices’ series. This is the third one, telling of life in the 1970s. It’s a decade seen as dreary and drab, ridden with industrial disputes and horrible music. But there was more to it than that: sweets that gave you mouth ulcers and shoes that gave you broken ankles. |
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By John Cannon
Oxford University Press, USA
Paperback (744 pages)
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The rich pageant of Britain's history emerges nowhere more colorfully than in the story of its kings and queens. This spectacular book offers the most authoritative account of the British monarchy ever published for the general reader. With over 400 illustrations--a third of them in color--it traces the crown's full history from Anglo-Saxon times to the present.
The authors begin with the rise of recognizable kingdoms in Scotland, Wales, and England in the fifth century and conclude with a discussion of the crown's constitutional role, which emerged in Queen Victoria's reign, and how this has affected the monarchy of today. Along the way, we see how key traditions evolved: the right of succession, coronations and marriages, oaths of loyalty and military service, the granting of lands and titles, and the propagation of a powerful image of royalty.
Supporting the text and illustrations are sidebars on each of the monarchs and on key general themes, color maps, an illustrated section on royal residences and tombs, a consolidated list of monarchs, genealogies, annotated lists of further reading, and a full index with personal dates. |
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