History of Britain Lecture 1 chapter 1 history of britain for students

6/12/2015

Outline
Chapter 1

A HISTORY OF BRITAIN
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
University of Languages and International Studies

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Prehistory
The Roman period (43 - 410)
The Germanic invasion (410 - 1066)
The medieval period (1066 - 1485)
The sixteenth century
The seventeenth century
The eighteenth century
The nineteenth century
The twentieth century

Introduction to British Studies * By Mi Do, Thuy Pham & Hong Nguyen

PREHISTORY
• Important physical remnant of the early
Britons: Stonehenge built some time between
3050 and 2300 BC.
o The construction took several phases to
complete.
o
Theories of its use: ceremony ground,
burial ground, astronomical clock,
sundial …etc
• Since 8th cent. B.C: Land of the Celts and the
Celtic culture.

The Roman period

A Celtic tribe (the Scots)
migrated from Ireland to
Scotland

The Hadrian’s Wall

Scotland: The Scots allied
with the Picts (also Celtic)
against the Romans

The Romans built the
Hadrian’s wall to protect from
attacks by the Scots and the
Picts

(most of) England & Wales:
The Roman province of Britannia

THE ROMAN PERIOD
• AD 43: The Romans came to invade Britain,
and stayed.
• AD 410: The Romans left, leaving little impact
behind.

Notable event:
• AD 61: The revolt of Queen Boudicca against
the Romans.

GERMANIC INVASIONS
• 400s: Two tribes Angles and Saxons invaded Britain
and soon ruled the South-east.
With their arrival, Christianity spread throughout
Britain.
800s: Another wave of invasion raised by the Vikings ,
yet halted by King Alfred.
England was divided.
• 900s: Cultural and religious similarities merged two
divisions into one united kingdom.

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MEDIEVAL PERIOD II

MEDIEVAL PERIOD I

• Late 1300s: Spread of the English monarch to
other part of the British Isles.
• 1300s: English became the dominant language.
• Cultural split still existed in the British Isles.

• Norman invasion of England in 1066.
• England brought into the mainstream of western Europe.

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• Formation of language and class division.

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Notable event:
• 1066: The Battle of Hastings – the last time Britain was

Notable figure:
• The legendary folk hero Robin Hood.

successfully invaded.

Medieval Period II

Notable events:
Magna Carta (1215)

The Black Death (1348-1350 in Britain)
The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485)

Medieval Period II
The Norman culture after 250 years did not gain predominance

• A strict feudal system in England
King

The beginning of
the English class system

Great lords or Barons

Eastern Ireland: controlled by AngloNorman lords in the name of the
English king

The lords remained loyal to the
English king

French-speaking Normans

Lesser lords
Peasants

Wales: under the English
king’s direct rule

English-speaking Saxons

THE SIXTEEN CENTURY

The (Celtic) Welsh language and
culture remained strong, e.g.
Eisteddfod

Henry VIII (r.1509-1547)
& the rise of Protestantism

Scotland: Remain independent
a gradual shift to English language
and customs (in the lowlands) 
culture split

England: A strict feudal
system brought by the
Norman since 11th century
• Germanic language, not the
Norman language (=French)
•The Anglo-Saxon concept of
common law, not Roman law

Elizabeth I
(r.1558-1603)

• The increasing power of the English monarch.
• The reign of the Tudor dynasty (1485-1603)

• The rise of Protestantism – majority religion
in England.

Notable figures:
• Henry VIII
• Elizabeth I

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The 16th century
Rejection of
Roman Church

A new spirit of
patriotic
confidence

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The country became an
“island nation”

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The exploration of the Americas
and other parts of the world

THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY I

Protestantism,

taking a form as
Anglicanism
became the major
religion in England

• The rise of the Stuart dynasty.
• Conflict between the parliament and the
Stuart monarchs about their way of raising
money.

Britain was
closer to the
geographical
centre of the
western
civilization
(not on the
edge)

• Puritanism and its classification of
immorality.

Notable event:
• The Civil Wars & the execution of Charles I

THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY II

The Civil Wars (1642 - 1651)
Cavaliers

Victory
‘Roundheads’

Fun-loving, aristocratic
royalist

Over-serious, puritan
Parliamentarian

Oliver Cromwell
Results:
• Execution of Charles I, the 2nd son of James I (1649)
• the exile of his son Charles II
• Cromwell, leader of the Parliamentary army became ‘Lord
Protector’ of the republic with a military government
 Britain became a republic for the 1st and only time

The shift of power among the monarchs, from Charles I
to Cromwell, James II to William of Orange.
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Powers of the monarch was limited: the monarch could
rule only with the support of Parliament.
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Origin of the split in society in modern Northern Ireland

THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

• A politically stable period.
• Establishment of annual budget system.
• Two divisions in Parliament
• Colonization & industrialization.

Territory Expansion
• This century was marked by cultural change
• Britain expanded its empire in
– The Americas
– West African coast
– India

New markets

Notable events:
• The 1707 Act of Union
• Industrial Revolution

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First Industrial Revolution

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
• The biggest empire in the world after the end of the
century
• An enormous increase of wealth
• A change in attitude towards colonization (the white

man’s burden)

• Causes: new markets + technological
innovations in manufacturing & transports…
• Industrial growth and urban development.
• The North being the industrial centre, the
reverse of today situation.

• Most people lived in towns or cities.
• Set of moral values built.
• Reform in political (more of a modern state) and
public life (human rights recognized in laws).
• A turn from industrial life-style to the country-side.

Notable figure:
• Queen Victoria

The expansion of the British Empire

The 19th century

• Biggest empire the world had ever seen (in early 20th cent.)
India: British officials
developed a distinctive
Anglo-Indian way of life,
imposing British institution
and methods of
government

Ireland: British

culture and way of
life predominated

Canada, Australia and
New Zealand: selfgoverned but recognized
the overall authority of
British government

Africa: most colonies started as
trading bases on the coast and
had little British settlement,
except for South Africa

Victorian Era
• One of the most memorable and endearing
of the English monarchs

• Changes in social structure
In the past

In the 19th century

Most people live in rural
areas

Most people lived in towns
and cities

Depended on landowners
for their living

Depended on factory
owners for their living

Together with the middle class of tradespeople

Victorian values

Held the REAL POWER in
the country

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY I
• No longer the world’s richest country.
• A period of extremism during the first 20 years.
• Two major problems resolved:
- Women’s right to vote – the Suffragettes
- New types and levels of taxation
• Urban working class made their voice heard. (1)
• Trade unions able to self-organize.

• Nostalgia and protests against new lifestyle

• Divided community in Northern Ireland
Queen Victoria (r.1837-1901)

• Notable events: World Wars

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THE 21st CENTURY

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY II

Queen Elizabeth II
(r.1952-)

• End of the British Empire
• Part of the Commonwealth, NATO and EU
• A major growth in population & large-scale immigration
• Changing moral codes (people became more individualistic and
less differential)
• Labour Party and its Conservative rival alternating in power

Winston
Churchill

• Notable figures:
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Margaret Thatcher

41st PM
In office:
1940 - 1945
Political party:
Conservative
and Liberal

Margaret
Thatcher

Tony Blair

47th PM

49th PM

In office:
1979 - 1990

In office:
1997 - 2007

Political party
Conservative

Gordon Brown
50th PM

Political party:
Labour

David Cameron
51st PM

In office:
2007- 2010

May 2010 - now

Political Party:
Labour

Political Party:
Conservative

Questions for discussion

Questions for discussion

1. What were the invaders’ influences on the
British society?
2. How did the industrial revolution in the 18th
century contribute to British wealth, power
and confidence?
3. How would you describe the changing
relationship between religion and politics in
British history? Are these changes that have
taken place similar to those that have
occurred in your country?

4. Britain is unusual among European countries
in that, for more than 300 years now, there
has not been a single revolution or civil war.
What reason can you find in this chapter
which might help to explain this stability?
5. It is clearly seen from the chapter that Britain
has experienced several significant historical

periods in its long history. Which period, in
your opinion, was the most critical one in
shaping the nation’s history? And why?

Put the following phrases into the correct period of time

REVIEW: True or False?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Germanic peoples are those from German
Britain was defeated by the French people in the 18th
century
The power of the great barons were weakened mainly
because of the Wars of Roses
Britain used to be on the edge of the world
Britain has never been a republic country
In the 18th century, social power and prestige rested on the
possession of houses in the urban area
Victoria Era was a long period of prosperity for the British
people
Britain started to lose its position as the richest country in
the world in the 21st century

a. The beginning of the
English class system The
Roman Period
b. Enormous increase in
wealth
c. Power of the great barons
was weakened

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

d. Introduced new farming
methods
e. Iron Age Celtic Culture
f. British territory expansion

g. Impressive development in
many fields of the society

Prehistory
The Roman period
The Germanic invasions
The medieval period

The sixteenth century
The seventeenth century
The eighteenth century
The nineteenth century
The twentieth century

k.
l.
m.
n.

h.

i.
j.

A system of
government
department was
established
England and Scotland
were united
Urban development

Industrial revolution
Brought Christianity to Britain
Built the Hadrian’s Wall
No longer the richest country

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