British History

British history

Once upon a time... there was an island called Britain. Its soil was fertile and its weather was mild. It was the Bronze Age, about 2200 BC, when the magnificent monument of Stonehenge was built by the first inhabitants of the island. It seems to be a temple of worship or an astronomical observatory. Some archaeologists say it is a funeral site.
Around 700 BC some Celtic tribes invaded Britain.

Among these we remember the Britons. They wore skins of wild animals and lived in huts. When the Romans came to Britain a few centuries later, they were the ones who fought against them...

The Romans

Britain was invaded by the Romans in 43 AD but they never fully conquered the island. Britain remained independent but the Roman civilization had a big influence. Romans stayed in Britain for four centuries and built many temples, roads and the first real towns, such as London, York, Chester and Bath. The Celts who learned to live like the Romans were called Romano-Britons. The others still farmed their lands and lived in huts. During the Roman occupation Britain enjoyed a relatively peaceful period. The Romans believed in many gods while the Celts worshipped their own gods. Their priests were called Druids. In the religious ceremonies they killed animals and sometimes people. The Romans were opposed to the Druids and killed many of them.
When the Romans left Britain to defend their empire from the barbarian attacks (towards the end of the 4th century), the country was invaded by the Anglo-Saxons.

The Anglo-Saxons

The Anglo-Saxons were people of Germanic origins, consisting of three tribes. The Jutes, the Saxons and the Angles. The strongest of these tribes was the Angles and the word “England” is derived from them. They settled in England at the beginning of the 5th century and defended their new country. After 50 years of battles the Celtic peoples were defeated and had to settle in Wales.
During this period a famous legend was born about King Arthur. According to the legend he led the Britons in a resistance against the Anglo-Saxons invaders. He was a very brave man and was able to pull the sword “Excalibur” out of a stone becoming the king oh the Britos. He married the beautiful Princess Guinevre and with the Knights of the Round Table helped his people against the invaders. The Anglo-Saxons were mainly farmers and lived in small villages; their life-style was similar to that of the Celts. They loved feasting and listening to poems and stories. They were pagans but in 597 Pope Gregory the Great sent a monk named Augustine to convert them to Christianity.

The Normans

In 1066 Britain was invaded again by people from Normandy in the North of France. The Normans were led by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. He defeated the English King Harold II in the Battle of Hastings and on 25th December 1066 he was crowned King of England. He introduced the feudal system to England. This meant that, in return for help during war, the kings gave land to the Barons, the Barons gave land to the Knights and below the knights came to the peasants who had to serve their lords.
Another important innovation during the Norman period was the Domes – day Book which was a survey of all the lands and economic resources in England, so that taxes could be calculated and paid by everybody.
When William the Conqueror died he was succeeded by Henry I and Stephen. Henry II was followed by his son Richard, who was known as the Lionheart because he was very brave and took part in the crusades in the Holy Land. He was succeeded by his brother John Lackland, so nicknamed because he had lost many possessions in France. He was very cruel and imposed many taxes. In 1215 barons and clergy who were not happy with Prince John, made him sign the Magna Carta. This was a document that limited the king's power and promised certain rights and privileges to his subjects. It is considered the foundation stone of an Englishman's liberty, the first step towards a democratic government. During the reign of King John, the legend of Robin Hood began. He was a hero who lived as an outlaw to defend the poor against injustice.
The Normans had a lasting influence on Britain. They built many importants castles and cathedrals, some of which still stand today. They also had a great influence on the English language, introducing many new French terms.