England is the largest and most populous of the four major regions in Britain. The reason for this regional division can be traced back to the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. The political unification of England began in 10 century. This article is mainly about the history of this area. It should be noted that from 1603, when King James VI of Scotland ascended the throne as King of England, until the 10 century, the history of England was actually difficult to be separated from the history of the whole of Great Britain.
Prehistoric Britain.
Britain before Roman times can be divided into the following periods (years are approximate):
8000 years ago, the Middle Stone Age began.
The Neolithic Age began 2500 years ago.
The Bronze Age began before 1600.
Celts moved here 900 years ago.
The early iron age 400 years ago
There are many pre-Roman relics in southern Britain. About15th century ago, Stonehenge in the Bronze Age was a large-scale relic.
In Avebury near Stonehenge, there is an earlier Stonehenge circle. In Wincombank, Sheffield, in the north of England, you can see the remains of iron age hill fortresses, while in the south of England, there are many such hill fortresses, from the big girl castle in Dorset to the much smaller Grims Burry Castle in Berkshire. Located in Devon, Dartmoor National Park has the largest bronze age settlement in Britain, with about 5,000 houses, stone pillars, stone pillars, sarcophagus, megalithic circles and stone graves. Many of them are very well preserved, and the most famous one is Grims Peng settlement.
Tudor period
Tudor dynasty, which started at 1485, ended with wars of the roses and henry vii ascended the throne. 1603, the last Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth, died.
The Tudor dynasty is over. The Tudor period of more than one hundred years was the golden age in British history.
Tudor rulers include:
Henry vii, henry vii, Henry VI's nephew (father is Henry VI's half-brother)
Henry VIII, the second son of henry vii.
Edward VI of England, the youngest son of Henry VIII.
Princess jean grey, the daughter of henry vii's granddaughter.
Only nine days in office, generally not the Queen of England.
Mary I, half-sister of King Edward VI of England of England.
Elizabeth I, Mary I's half-sister.
Religious Conflicts and Puritan Revolution
the Industrial Revolution
1at the end of the 8th century1at the beginning of the 9th century, the agricultural society was transformed into a scientific and mechanized industrial society on a large scale, which was called the industrial revolution.
A large number of agricultural producers moved to urban suburbs and neighboring cities for large-scale centralized production. The new technology based on steam power expands the economic scale, saves and increases the output of individual workers, thus reducing the traditional cottage industry. As a result, there is almost no bottom support in these areas, which greatly increases infant mortality (in this regard, many Sunday schools, mainly preschool children aged 5 or 6, have funeral clubs to arrange funeral affairs for each other), crime rate and social exploitation.
This industrial transformation is not completely painless for workers, and many people's lives are threatened in the process. Some of them often carry out and prepare to destroy factories. These saboteurs are called "Dales". There should also be different views on the history of these "Dellers", such as E.P. Thompson. (Thompson)
modern history
The House of Hanover is a dynasty that ruled Hanover during 1692- 1866 and Britain during1714-1901. 1688, a glorious revolution took place in England, and the Catholic King James II and his descendants were expelled from England. James's Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne, succeeded to the throne one after another, but unfortunately, after both died, no surviving children succeeded to the throne.
After the death of Queen Anne's eldest son, the British Parliament passed 170 1 law of succession to the throne/1kloc-0/law of succession to the throne, stipulating that if all the heirs stipulated in the Bill of Rights of 1689 died childless, the throne would go to the granddaughter of King James I of England.
This law makes the top 50 members of the royal family in the succession sequence of the British throne lose the right to inherit the throne. Although the bill caused several conflicts over the throne, George I, the elector of Hanover who ranked 52nd in the succession sequence, finally succeeded to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland in 17 14, and died in 1727. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland merged in 180 1 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
The Windsor family, a family that ruled Britain and its overseas territories from 19 17, was formerly the Saxon-Coburg-Gotha dynasty, and its actual surname was Witting.
Dynasty background
The paternal ancestor of the Windsor dynasty was the Witting family. Later, one of the branches was enfeoffed to the Principality of Saxony-Coburg-Gotha (now Thuringia, Germany). Since then, this branch took the country as the name of the dynasty, but kept Wei Ting as the private surname.
The number prince in this branch is married or elected as the king of many countries, such as Portugal, Belgium and Bulgaria. 1840, 10 In February, Queen Victoria of England married her eldest brother, Prince Albert of Saxony-Coburg-Gotha, and the German surname Saxony-Coburg-Gotha was brought into the British royal family.
190 1 year 65438+1October 22nd, Queen Victoria died, and her eldest son Edward VII succeeded to the throne, becoming the first monarch of the Saxony-Coburg-Gotha dynasty.
The beginning of the dynasty-changing dynasties and surnames
1965438+On August 4th, 2004, Britain entered the First World War. However, due to years of complicated marriage, most European monarchs are cousins at this time. The British royal family has a German surname, which makes the British feel uncomfortable. In order to reassure people, King George V, who was in power at that time, issued an Order in Council on July 19 17, announcing that the British royal family name and the private family name of the royal patrilineal descendants were changed to Windsor. Windsor Castle is one of the oldest royal palaces in Britain. It is said that Windsor Castle was built by King William Ⅰ the Conqueror of England.
milestone
The Windsor dynasty experienced two world wars, and both successfully made Britain a victorious country. On the other hand, the British colonial empire collapsed rapidly after World War II, and the colonies declared their independence one after another, which made Britain's influence in the world worse than before and gradually lost the title of King of Ireland and Emperor of India.
However, through various ways of compromise, Britain's influence in the former colonies still plays an important role. These compromises include the establishment of the Commonwealth, allowing some countries to be independent, but still regard the British king as the head of state. Today, 15 countries, including Canada and Australia, still regard the king of England as the head of state, so that the king of England is still the monarch who nominally rules the largest territory.
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Source: /baike/400 1.htm.
[Edit this paragraph] Overview
England, a translation of English. The main part of the territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Britain), so it is customary that the word England also refers to Britain. England is located in the southwest of Great Britain, south of Scotland and east of Wales, including the Isle of Wight, the Sealy Islands and coastal islands, with an area of about 1.3 million square kilometers. It is the largest, most populous and most developed area in Britain. Historically, Scotland was bounded by Hadrian's Great Wall. The name England comes from the abbreviation of "Anglo-Saxon". Anglo-Saxon is a Germanic people who came here after the Vikings and Celts. The population is 46.845 million (65.438+0.983), accounting for 83% of the British population. With an average population density of 359 people per square kilometer, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The urban population accounts for 80%. Pennines runs through the north and the middle, with an average elevation of 200-500m. There are coal and iron resources on both sides of the mountain. The southeast is a plain with little ups and downs. The climate is warm and humid. The main rivers are Thames, Severn and Trent. It is a major industrial and agricultural area in Britain. Important industries include coal mining, steel, machinery, oil refining, chemicals, textiles and medicine. There are old industrial zones near the coalfields on both sides of Benning Mountain, new industrial zones around London, and oil refining and petrochemical industries are concentrated in coastal ports. Important agricultural and livestock products include wheat, barley, beets, potatoes, vegetables, cattle and pigs. Southeast England is a major agricultural region. Important big cities and good ports include London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Southampton and Plymouth.
[Edit this paragraph] History
The word "Britain" comes from Greek and Latin, and may eventually be traced back to Celtic. Although the Celtics came to the British Isles relatively late by the measure of "prehistoric times" (before that, those civilizations had created famous historical sites, such as Stonehenge and Stonehenge in Avebury), the written record of British history began with telling the Celtics. The word "Celtic" is very common and is often used to distinguish the early inhabitants of the British Isles from the later Anglo-Saxon invaders.
Roman rule lasted for more than 300 years from AD 43. Before the Romans finally retreated in 408, the island began to be invaded by Angles, Saxons and Jutes from northern Europe, and experienced an increasingly chaotic period. The word "England" comes from "Angles". In the next two centuries, intrusion gradually turned into settlement, and many small kingdoms were established. The British live independently in what is now Wales and Cornwall. Among these small kingdoms, there emerged a kingdom with strong power to rule the whole country, first in the north (Northumbria Kingdom), then in the middle (Mercia Kingdom), and finally in the south (Wessex Kingdom). However, Vikings from Scandinavia subsequently invaded and settled in England, although the Wessex dynasty defeated the invading Danes in the 10 century and once ruled a large area of England.
The last successful invasion of England took place in 1066. Duke William of Normandy defeated the British in the Battle of Hastings, and Normans from France and other places came to settle here. In the following three centuries, French became the language of nobles, and the legal structure was influenced by the laws prevailing across the English Channel, and the social structure was also influenced to some extent.
Although Wales is often within the sphere of influence of the English, it has always been a fortress of the Celtics. However, after Prince Llewellyn was killed in 1282, Edward I of England of England launched a campaign and won, putting Wales under English rule. The national sentiment of the Welsh people continues to rise,1The uprising led by Irving Gellind at the beginning of the 5th century is an example. The joint decrees 1536 and 1542 integrated England and Wales administratively, politically and legally.
Most people who originally lived in Scotland were Picts. In the 6th century, Scots from Ireland settled in what is now argyle. The English lived in Lothian, while the British in Wales continued north to Strathclyde. In the 9th century, all parts of Scotland united against the Vikings. Throughout the Middle Ages, the powerful monarchy in England threatened the independence of Scotland.
The final union of England and Scotland showed that the religious differences at that time were more critical than the national hatred in the past. In England, after the death of Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland (James I, England) succeeded her to the throne on 1603. Even so, England and Scotland remained independent of each other in the17th century, but were once forcibly unified under the rule of oliver cromwell. By 1707, realizing the benefits of closer political and economic union, the two sides agreed to establish a single British parliament. Scotland still retains its own judicial system and religious groups. However, during the reign of Hanover Protestants George I and George II, the relationship between England and Scotland became tense, and the James II Party launched two rebellions in an attempt to restore the Catholic Stuart dynasty.
1 169 Henry II of England invaded Ireland. British Pope Adrian IV granted power to Henry II, the supreme ruler, because he was anxious to make the Irish Church obey Rome completely. Most of Ireland fell into the hands of Anglo-Norman dignitaries, but in the Middle Ages, England hardly exercised jurisdiction directly here.
Several Tudor monarchs preferred to interfere in Ireland. During the reign of Elizabeth I, a series of campaigns were launched against Irish rebels. The resistance movement is mainly concentrated in the northern province of Ulster. 1607, due to the failure of the resistance movement and the escape of its leaders, Ulster became the settlement of immigrants from Scotland and England.
Due to the English Civil War (1642~ 1652), many uprisings broke out in Ireland, but they were all suppressed by Cromwell. After James II was abandoned in 1688, the war between Britain and Ireland continued. /kloc-most of the 0/8th century was a fragile period of peace. /kloc-at the end of 0/8, the British government made efforts to achieve stability. 1782, the Irish parliament (established in the middle ages) gained legislative autonomy; The only connection between the Constitution and the irrelevant people is the Royal Government. However, the parliament only represents a few Anglo-Irish privileged classes, and Catholics are excluded. 1798 There was an uprising, but it didn't succeed. 180 1 year, Ireland and Great Britain were unified into one.
Although the national uprising in Dublin was suppressed in 19 16, at the end of World War I, a guerrilla named Irish Peace Army began to take military action against the British authorities. /kloc-the Irish government bill passed in 0/920 provides for the establishment of two local self-government committees, one in Dublin and the other in Belfast. The Act was implemented in Northern Ireland on 192 1. Six of the nine counties in the province have accepted their own parliaments, and at the same time, they still enjoy seats in the British Parliament, which is under the highest jurisdiction of the British Parliament. However, the Irish peace forces continued to struggle for independence from the British authorities in the south. 192 1 After the armistice agreement was signed in June, it was established in the Irish Free State according to the Anglo-Irish Treaty concluded in February of the same year, and the Free State became the Republic of Ireland in June of 1949.
Although the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man do not belong to Britain, they have a special relationship with Britain. The Channel Islands were once a part of the Principality of Normandy in 10 century and 1 10 century. The isle of man was nominally exercised by Norway until 1266, and finally came under the direct jurisdiction of the Royal Government until 1765. Today, both the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have their own legislatures and legal systems, and the British government is responsible for national defense and international relations there.
Source: /view/58688.htm#2