History of Great Britain

The first people to inhabit the British isles were settlers from Europe, they arrived around 3000BC and they lived in the south og England. STONEHENGE was built by these people. The first CELTIC tribes invaded(vtrhnout) Britain between 6th-3rd century BC. After one of thein tribes Britons vas named Britania. As well as lot sof names of english rivers and places were taken from the Celts(Avon, Dower). Three Celnic languages( Welsh, Gaeli, Irish) survived. The Celnic influence is most stronglyfelt in Wales, Ireland, the Highlands. The country was dividend into small units under local chiefs(náčelník). Originálky the Celts were pagans(pohané) with priests(kněz) known as Druids. The Celts were known for thein artists

In 43 AD the ROMANS invaded southern Britain, it became the roman colony, called Britania, they set up their capital in London , they built cities in York, Bath and Chester.(public baths). The most serious opposition against the Romans was a revolt in 60AD. It was led by Queen Boadicea. Three cities including London were destroyed, but finally the Romans stoped the rebellion and Boaticia killed heself. But even today people romembered her as a national heroine and her name is symbol of courage. The Romans occupation lasted nearly 400 years, but its permanent effects were fewBut the Roman striaght payed roads(dlážděné cesty) are still in use and remains of Hadrian´s wall too. The latin words-castra(´millitary camp) names such as Chester…In 5th century the Roman Empire was collapsing an their legions left Britain to defend Rome itself.

In the middle of 5th century 3 GERMANIC tribes (ANGLES, SAXONS, JUTES) invaded Britain from the Kontinent. They came from Germany, Denmark, Holland. They conquered(podrobit) the Celts and drove them to the west and north. In those days a Welsh hero Artur lived(he was born in Tintagel, he was brough up by Marlin-old celnic magician, at the age of 15 he became a king. He managed to pull a magic sword Excalibur from the rock, he lived in Kamelot, his knights(rytíř) sat at the Round table-they were equal(rovný) When he died, Excalibur was thrown back to the lake and Arthur was taken to the Isle of Avalon. People belive he didn´t die, but he lives on and will return when his country needs him.

The JUTES settled in Kent, the ANGLES occupied the northern, central and eastern part of England, the SAXONS the south. The largest part was occupied by Angles, after whoom the country was called England. As Christianity spread England under the rule of Anglo-saxons was dividend into 7 kingdoms: KENT, WESSEX, SUSSEX, ESSEY(in the south), EAST ANLGLIA(in the east), MERCIA(central part), NORTHUMBRIA(in north). All these kingdoms were united in 829 by Egbert- King of Wessex, who is known as a firt king of England. From 8th century the VIKINGS started to invade Britain, they came from Norway and settled in Scotland and Ireland. The north and the east of England were occupied by DANES.  The scandinavian indig is by meanig town, village(Derby,Whitby).Vikings were excellent travers, navigators and warrios. The Anglo-Saxons fough to them. Saxon Kings was Egbert´s grandson – ALBERT THE GREAT– a wise(moudrý)ruler(vladař),good soldier, educated man. He created a lot of fortified(opevnit) towns, established schools. He stopped the Danes and forced them out of Wesex. England was dividend into Saxon part and The Danish part. The Scandinavian invasion continued till the 11th century, when the Danish king Cnut conquered England for 25 years, his son didn´t manager hold the empire together, so in 1042 the old Saxon line was restored and ruled by Edward the Confessor(westminster abbey was built under his rule) He died 1066 and hi left no heirs, so his brother in–law Herold became a new king. But William, Duke of Normandy decided to obtain the Crown by conquest. In September 1066 Harold was defeated and killed at the battle of Hastings. William became a king known as William the Conqueror and England became a strong country. Since that England has never been invaded . The 12th century was a period of subjugation(podrobení, útisk). The struggle(boj) for power between the king Henry 2. and the Church resulted in the murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury in Canter. Now is famous place for many pilgrims(Canterbury tales).RICHARD I. THE LION-HEART, Henry´s oldest surviving son was war-like and anxious to rescue the Holy Land from Egyptian ruler. The famous outlaw(psanec) Robin Hood lived in those days. Richard´s brother  John the Lackland(bezzemek) lost almost all English possession in France. He was forced by barons to sign the Magna Charta, wich limited the absolute power of the king.(Oliwer Cromwell) THE WAR OF ROSES a dynastic struggle for possession of the Crown, between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, whose emblems(symbol) were white and red rose, took place in 15th century, lasted 30 years. The wars ended when Richard 3. was killed (last king of House of York)in the battle of Bosworth, and the victor Henry Tudor founded a new monarchy, the House of Tudor wich lasted till 1603-in this period England became one of leading world power. HENRY 8. who had six wives. He married Catherine of Aragon, but they didn´t have son.When his mistress, Anne Boleyn, became pregnant,Henry asked the pope for divorce, the pope didn´t answer, so henry got a divorce from Archbischop of Canterbury, then he made Church in England independent of rome. Henry became Head of the Church of England, wich became Protestant.Anne Boleyn´s daughter ELIZABETH became the greatest monarch. The second half of 16th century is called after her- Elizabethan age-time of discoveries,renessaince,Shakespeare.During her reign England´s sailors captured many spanish ships bringing treasure from America. It was also during her reign that the Spanish Armada a powerful fleet(flotila) which  Philip of Spain had built fot the purpose of conquering England- was completely destroyed-great victory-the end of Spain as the world´s greatest sea power. Half-timbered houses (poloroubené) in England. Elizabeth was unmaried. So JAMES 6,king of Scotland became the English king as James 1. He was son of E’s cousin Mary Stuart. The Tudor house was followed by House of Stuart. England and Scotland were united and their parliaments were united a century later in 1707. In 17th century there was a CIVIL WAR caused by a power  struggle, between King and Parliament. King Charles 1 believed that the monarch had asbsolute power. The elected Parlament disagreed. The result of the war was the execution of the king in 1649. For the next 11 years, England was a republic and Oliver Cromwell the leader. He became a dictator. After his death the parliament asked the executed king´s son to return to England. There was no return to the absolute rule of kings and no future monarch would seriously challenge the power of Parliament.Since then the P. has kept its power. During 18th and 19th c. Britain itself was peaceful and was a powerful and rich country ‘cause of its Empire and industry.Cheap raw materials were imported from the colonies.The technological ganges of the Industrial Revolution allowed Britain to manufacture products cheaply for export, revolution also caused great social changes in Britain.Many people→to cities, work in factories,creating an urban working class which was often very poor.Many people died from diseses caused by poor hygiene and housing. Queen Victoria was on the throne for 64 years and the 19th c. is called Victorian Age. Her husband – Prince Albert, was a great supporter of science and arts. During that time the British Empire doubled in size→it was the age of the greatest colonial expansions,especially in Africa.Queen was the symbol of continuity,prosperity and stability of the British way of life.Victoria was the first monarch to live in Buck.palace. In the 20th c. Britain had colony in every continent.The British Empire reached its greatest importace in the 1920’s.In 1926 the British Commonwealth of Nations(a free association of equal states under one sovereign)was declared.The end of Empire happened quickly, just after WW2 Britain’s colonies became independent one by one.India-one of the most important became independent in 1948. In the 1960s the African and Caribbean countries also became independent.Britain’s influence began to decline.Now Britain isn’t an imperial,word power, but just one country in a European Community.Queen Elizabeth II. of the House of Windsor became the Queen and the head of the Royal family in 1952.(3sons,1daughter)