Ancient mysteries: Stonehenge is a group of huge standing stones. It was built around 2500 BCE. The first work at the site was done in 3100 BCE. The builders used to types of stones, 'the bluestones' ans 'Sarsen' stones.Many people that the stones were placed in this way because of the movement of the stars and the sun and the moon. It was probably important for the religion of the people who built it.An also ancient monument is The Stone Ring at Avebury, near Stonehenge. This is the largest stone circle in the world.
The
Celts: The Celts lived in Britain in the Iron Age from
around 600 BCE. They came from Central Europe and we know about them
because of the objects which archaeologists have found. Their priests
were called druids and had a great power in the society.We also know
about the Celts from the 'bog bodies'. Bogs are areas of wet land; if
a body is buried in a bog, it is kept in good condition, perhaps for
centuries.
A
warrior queen:In 55 BCE, Julius Caesar Britain. The Celts were
great warriors but the Romans had better organisation and defeated
them. Caesar returned in 54 BCE and this time the Britons agreed to
give money to the Romans.In 43 BCE the Roman Emperor Claudius and his
army stayed in Britain and became part of the Roman
Empire.Camulodunum (Colchester), was the first capital. In CE 60 was
a revolution against the Romans. Boudicca was queen of the Iceni
tribe and a warrior too. She hated Romans because they were very
cruel to her and her daughters. Her army attacked and destroyed
Colchester and then burnt Londinium. The Romans won the battle and
Boudicca killed herself. Later the Romans controlled the most of
Britain.
The
Roman occupation: Londinium now became the new Roman
capital. If a modern British citi name ends in -cester,-caster or
-chester, it was originally a Roman camp. The Romans improved the
services in the country, and built straight roads.But they did not
control Scotland. In Ce 122 the Emperor Hadrian decided to build a
wall across the north of England to defend Roman Britain against the
Picts(different group of Celtics who lived in Scotland).
The
King Buried in a Ship: In CE 410, The Romans left Britain.
They went to defend Rome against the barbarians and left Britain
without any protection. The Anglo-Saxons and the Jutes arrived from
the north-west Europe and they took the control of the country. We
know a lot about them because archaeologists have found many objects
from their times. The Staffordshire hoard, it's the largest discovery
of objects from the time of the Anglo-Saxons.
The
Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings: The Anglo-Saxons had a big
influence on England; in facte the name England comes from
Angle-Land. They divided the country into five kingdoms (Northumbia,
Mercia, Wessex, Kent and Anglia). Most of the basic English words
also come from them (ex.mother, woman, day, night, bed, go,...)and
also some of the days of the week.In CE 597, a monk called Augustine
came to England. He was sent by Pope and he slowly told people about
the Christian religion. From CE 800, vikings from Denmark and
Norway began to attack Britain. The most famous Anglo-Saxon king was
Alfred the Great. He fought against the Vikings and he won. Then he
allowed them to live in the area around York.
The
Normans: the best-known date in the British history is 1066.
A duke from Normandy said that he was the real king of England and
invaded it. The Saxon king, Harold, was fighting in the north but he
returned and there was a battle at Hastings. Harold was killed, the
Normans won and William the conqueror became the first Norman
King.Normans built many castles and cathedrals. French became the
language of the rules for about 300 years. They created a feudal
system where they were lords and the Saxons were serfs.
The
Middle Ages: The king and the church had great power. This
sometimes led to problems. There was a fight for power between the
kings and the rich men in England. The king wanted to collect money
to pay for his wars but the rich men didn't like this. They invaded
London and in 1215 they made king John sign the Magna Carta(document
which limited the king's power). It was very important because it
introduced shared power between the king and the people. Later the
Black Death came to England. This was a terrible disease. It killed
nearly half of the 5-6 million people living there.Also, there were
important wars. In 1337, 'The Hundred Years War' between England and
France. It began when King Edward III of England said that he should
also be king of France. He invaded France and for the following 116
years there were wars between England and France. During this war a
woman, Joan of Arc, fought for the french and she helped them to win
because she was brave. At the end of the war England had lost all its
land in France except Calais.Later there was a war in England between
two leading families: The Lancaster and the York. Both 'houses'
wanted someone from their family to be king of England. It was called
the war of the Roses 1455-1485 ( the symbol of the both families was
a rose,Lancaster-red and York-white).Finally Henry Tudor, from the
house Lancaster, defeated Richard III from the house of York. Richard
was the last king who was killed in a battle.
The
Tudor period: Henry Tudor became King Henry VII. He created
the 'Tudor rose'. -it was a symbol of peace between Lancaster and
York. His son, Henry VIII, is famous for having 6 wives.When
Catherine of Aragon became queen, she returned England to a Roman
catholic church. People called her 'Bloody Mary' because many
protestants were killed during her reign. When she died her sister,
Elisabeth became the queen. She started the protestant Church of
England again. Her reign was a golden age for England because it
became rich and powerful and successful. There were many famous
writers like Shakespeare. English sailors such as Francis Drake
explored the world and challenged the power of Spain.
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