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THE STORY OF
BRITAIN
WELCOME Take a look around Britain You will also meet famous figures
today and you will see a like Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare,
country that is shaped by its Isaac Newton and Winston Churchill.
past. Whether it is the style As well as these historical celebrities,
of buildings we live in, the youll get to see how ordinary men,
languages we speak, the women and children lived and faced
COVER IMAGES: ALAMY/GETTY/THINKSTCOK. BACK COVER: GLEN MCBETH. THIS PAGE: JENI NOTT
religions we may (or may the challenges that came their way.
not) follow, or even the mix This book has been put together by
of peoples that inhabit these the makers of BBC History Magazine,
isles, there is no getting away which takes a fresh look at the past
from our history. In fact, it is every four weeks. If you like what
almost impossible to understand the youve read here, then why not head
Britain of 2016 without a knowledge to your local newsagent to pick up a
of its past. copy? There is so much to explore, in
In this special edition, you will so many different ways, that I hope for
discover 5,000 years of British many of you The Story of Britain will
history, from the mysteries of be just the beginning.
Stonehenge, to the modern Internet
Age. Along the way, you will find out
about some of the most dramatic
events in our journey, including
the Roman invasion, the battle of Rob Attar
Hastings, the gunpowder plot and Editor
the two world wars. BSME Editor of the Year 2015, Special Interest Brand
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The Story of Britain 3

CONTENTS
6 Pre-Roman Britain
42 The Black Death Early human settlements
Discover how the plague
spread through Europe
82 Napoleon
How he was finally
defeated at Waterloo
6 Pre-Roman Britain
What were the first-ever Britons like? People of the age
s
34 Timeline: People
The kings, queens and notable figures of the nation
60 Timeline: Inventions and discoveries Culture & soc

iety
All the inventions, from flushing toilets to steam engines
86 Timeline: Culture and society

Follow the development of money, art and entertainment
Roman Britain The Invaders Medieval Britain Early Modern

AD 43410 4101066 10661485 14851603
10 Roman Britain 22 The Invaders 36 Medieval Britain 48 Early Modern

Part of the Roman empire Everyone wants a bit of Britain Knights battle it out The Tudors rule England
WIKIPEDIA/HOLBEIN, ALAMY X2, THINKSTOCK, GETTY, CORBIS, CHISELHURST CAVES
12 Julius Caesars 24 King Arthur 38 Thomas Becket 50 Henry VIII

double invasion Was he real or a myth? Murder in the cathedral And his many wives
He tries to conquer, twice
25 Anglo-Saxons 39 Scottish 51 Mary, Queen of Scots
13 Boudica Rule for six centuries independence Murder, marriage and treason
Revolts against the Romans Did Robert the Bruce triumph?
26 Alfred the Great 52 William Shakespeare
14 How Roman What made him great? 40 Owain Glyndwr ^ The man behind the plays
was Britain? Drives the English out of Wales
Did we embrace their way? 27 The rise of 53 The Spanish Armada
Christianity 41 The Magna Carta Victory against the odds
15 What did the Romans How the religion spread What was its significance?
do for us? 54 Tudor seafaring
The legacy they left behind 28 The Vikings 42 The Black Death The importance of the navy
Raiders, traders and colonists What caused the plague?
16 Roman life 56 The Reformation
What was daily life like? 30 Norman invasion 44 Wars of the Roses The rise of Protestantism
The start of a new age Henry Tudor takes the throne
18 Hadrians wall
Why was it built?
4 The Story of Britain

25 Anglo-Saxons
What these people
brought to Britain
106 The world

at war
Blitz, bombs, rockets
40
and rationing
Historicuatl
Days O
Places to visit
At the end of every chapter, youll find five
fantastic days out that relate to that period.
Designed to bring history alive, these are
guaranteed fun for all the family. Why not
explore Cosmeston Medieval Village in
Glamorgan? Or perhaps Southwell
Workhouse, where you can experience
what life was like as a destitute Victorian?
The Stuarts Georgian Britain Victorian Britain Modern Britain

16031714 17141837 18371901 1901present
62 The Stuarts 74 Georgian Britain 88 Victorian Britain 100 Modern Britain

Plots, fire and civil wars Britain is a world power Industry continues to boom Building a more diverse state
64 The Union 76 The Jacobite 90 Queen Victoria 102 The labour

of the Crowns uprisings The longest reigning ruler movement
The formation of a single state Dispute over the rightful king Demand for workers rights
91 The workhouses
65 The gunpowder plot 77 The abolition The fate of the poor 103 Womens suffrage
The story behind Guy Fawkes of slavery Women win the right to vote
Slaves are freed in 1833 92 Isambard Kingdom
66 Sir Isaac Newton Brunel 104 The end of the empire
One of the greatest scientists 78 Jane Austen Trains, stations and bridges The rise of the Commonwealth
The woman behind Mr Darcy
67 The Restoration 93 Charles Darwin 105 Northern Ireland
The return of the king 79 Ireland and Britain And his theory on evolution The Good Friday Agreement
The creation of the UK
68 The Civil Wars 94 The British empire 106 The world at war
Crown vs. parliament 80 The industrial The largest empire in history Two wars leave their mark
revolution
70 The Plague and Great From agriculture to machines 96 Railways 108 Technology
Fire of London The rail network expands A century of change
Destruction in the capital 82 Napoleon
And the battle of Waterloo

Pre-Roman Britain
In the
beginning
Early humans first came to Britain across a land bridge; the
Romans came to invade by boat. But what happened in between?
O
NE OF THE MOST important archaeologically invisible. Small amounts
questions in British of human bone have been found at
archaeology today is also one Swanscombe in Kent and Boxgrove in West
of the most unanswerable: Sussex, both sites dating to between
when, exactly, did the first humans arrive in 500,000400,000 BC, but the best evidence
these islands? Half-a-million years ago, the for the period comprises the stone tools that
area we now understand as Britain and our ancestors made and used.
Ireland simply did not exist. The waters that Chief among these was the handaxe, a
today define the British Isles and separate it multi-purpose object used for chopping,
from mainland Europe were then locked in cutting, skinning, dismembering and
an immense ice sheet. With sea levels 100m jointing animal carcasses. Its basic
lower than today, large areas of land shape made it surprisingly easy to grip,
connected what is now southern England to especially when its owner was
northern France, the Netherlands, Germany covered up to the elbows in blood
and Denmark. It was across this land bridge, and gristle, and their long sharp
sometime between 814,000 and 478,000 cutting edges meant they could be
years ago, that early humans first moved. used in a variety of ingenious ways.
Finding traces of our Paleolithic
(or Old Stone Age) ancestors can be Humanity arrives
notoriously difficult, given that they had A resurgence of the ice fields pushed the
very little impact upon their surroundings. first humans out of northwestern Europe
The first hunters did not create houses, nor but, at the end of the last ice age, around
build monuments; they did not enclose 13,000 years ago, average temperatures
the land nor formally bury their dead began to rise and humanity returned. By
and, as a consequence, they can appear 7000 BC, following the melting of the
The earliest p
humans in B rimitive
found in Norritain were
GETTY X3, ALAMY, THINKSTOCK
they hunted folk, where

ma
and giant elmkmoths
s.
Pre-Roman Britain
through
Scraping aper dating from
nd scr
A flint knife a2000 BC. These would
between 8500d to skin carcasses and to
have been use animal bones. During this
d
scrape pelts an ans developed the skill of
period, hum polishing these flints to
grinding andtter cutting edges.
create be
unter-
Hello, h oman, look
r. I, a w and
gathere roots, berries at,
ib le an e
for ed nts that we c
e n p la go ou t hunting
gre m an, e,
s you, a ich is fin
wherea for meat. Wh ut I was
animals t me wrong. B inist
dont ge ding these fem
just rea e paintings...
cav
Avebury stone circle

forms part of a sacred
landscape, but its purpose
remains unknown

eer
les of d orn as d in
Pre-Roman Britain mp rs w un
Exa d antle been fo years.
an e 0
lls hav ,50 or
sku resses back 9 worn f ers
d- d in g ee n u t
n
hea ain dat have b or by h me!
on Brit ey may asions ook at
An artists impressi and more Th al occ ise. L nest!
of early communit
y life ci u o
permanently spe s a disg deer! H
occupied a m a
I
camps started
to develop.
Settling down
The Neolithic (or New Stone
Age) period that followed,
from around 4000 BC, represents
a dramatic time of social change,
marking the beginning of farming, the
arrival of new artefacts such as pottery, the
domestication of animals and the formation
of more permanent settlements such as
Skara Brae on Orkney. The earliest forms of
monument, such as the large ditched
enclosures of Windmill Hill in Wiltshire,
northern glaciers and the subsequent and the long barrows and megalithic tombs
release of water into the rivers and seas. like Stoney Littleton in Somerset and
Britain and Ireland finally become Newgrange in County Meath, were
separated from the rest of mainland Europe. constructed; the former acting as well-
Humans returning to the British Isles defined centres of settlement, the latter as
were modern in every sense of the word but places of burial.
remained, like their Paleolithic ancestors, Between 2700 and 2000 BC, objects of
dependent upon hunting and gathering for copper and gold were imported into Britain
food. Mesolithic (or Middle Stone Age) and Ireland by a new wave of settlers during Iron Age, further change came in the form
society was remarkably successful, with the Early Bronze Age. Use of metal appears of ways of treating the dead cremation
human groups adapting to a series of varied alongside new forms of pottery, such as the dates back past this time and new types of
landscapes and environments over several beaker, and new types of monument such metal technology were also developed.
thousand years. During this period, humans as the round barrow, henge and stone circle. By the end of first century BC, the
began to build animal traps, shelters and These were all built by humans struggling to emerging tribes of Iron Age Britain
houses, as well as removing trees through understand and control the natural world and Ireland were coming into contact with
cutting and deliberate burning. around them. traders from Greece and Rome. These
These hunter-gatherers were highly Mediterranean explorers documented what
THINKSTOCK X3, ALAMY X3
mobile, exploiting the resources of different Force fields they saw; a process accelerated when the
parts of the country throughout all times of By 1400 BC, in the Later Bronze Age, the Roman empire acquired territory in what
the year. Most sites of the period were appearance of metal swords and daggers is now France and Germany. The British
small-scale and temporary, hunters moving suggests that pressure on the land and Isles were starting to emerge from the
between seasonally occupied bases, such as subsequent disputes between different darkness of prehistory and onto the pages
the famous lakeside groups were being resolved by force. The of recorded history.
settlement of Star first clear evidence of permanent farming
h
Buried trut
Carr in North settlements also appears at this time, with
Yorkshire. substantial roundhouses enclosed by fences For more about prehistoric
ved that Britain, visit www.bbc.co.uk/history/
It is belie rais ed After 6000 and fields, as do our first defended hillforts. ancient/british_prehistory
nge was
Stonehe 00 B C. BC, larger By 600 BC, with the beginning of the Early
300025
between a burial
ve been
It may ha emated
nd initially; r
c
gr ou n found
have bee
remains e.
on the sit

Pre-Roman Britain
Barrow, from the

ney Littleton Long
The entrance to Sto ns mu ltiple burial chambers
ich contai
Neolithic era, wh
ld in g t h e future g
Mou e th od for makin
ies t m
The earl Bronze Age would
axes in the ting a mould. The
ea
have been cr axe would have been
shape of the o a block of stone.
carved int be poured into the Skara Brae, Or
kney. The settl
ld ement discover
Bronze wou r having been fired.
a storm in 1850 ed after
dates back to
32002200 BC
mould afte
Advances in pottery
reveal the advance in
civilisation. The food
vessel above dates back
over 4,000 years and
was found in Kilmartin
Valley, west Scotland.
The vessel on the left
could easily have been
used as a vase
ra
Each of the eight Ska
a
Brae dwellings had
on
fireplace and a bed
in room
either side of the ma

This Medusa mosaic
floor was found intact at
ALAMY
Bignor, West Sussex

AD 43410
Roman
Britain
They came, they saw, they
conquered. But what legacy
did the Romans leave Britain?
AT A GLANCE
Julius Caesars
p12
invasions
Boudica p13
How Roman p14

was Britain?
What did the p15

Romans do for us?
Life in
p16
Roman Britain
Hadrians wall p18

AD 43410
Roman Britain
A
t the end of the first century while iron, lead, gold and tin could be found
BC, society in Britain and in relatively abundant quantities in the
Ireland comprised a series of south and west. War in Britain could also
competing clans and tribal mean the acquisition of slaves prisoners of
groups. Land was being intensively war who could do all the difficult and
farmed and food supply was unpleasant jobs within the empire The Romans came on rowing boats that
under the control of wealthy that Roman citizens could not werent suitable for stormy Channel waters
es
Roman slav
kings and queens, each (or would not) do.
supported by their own
private army. Once bo
ught, a s
life, un
la
le
ve
s s
w a
they
sa Since the time of Julius
Caesar, in the mid-50s BC, Julius Caesars
Settlements were
being increasingly
slave for
bough t the ir own freed
ed by the
ir m
om or
a s ter.
the tribes of south-eastern
Britain had been allies of double invasion
defended as territories were fre c ou ld h ave Rome, protected by treaty,
y citizen
expanded and came A wealth s la v es . so that any imperial army If at first you dont succeed... come back
into open conflict. All up to 500 landing in this part of the next year and try invading again
this was happening at a island would be treated as
time when over in mainland friends, rather than invaders By 55 BC, the Roman general Julius
Europe, large areas of land were being to be resisted. All things Caesar had conquered much of France
absorbed into the rapidly expanding considered, Britain looked like and Belgium, and led troops on a
Roman empire. By the mid-first an ideal place for Rome to add to campaign into Germany. These
GETTY, ALAMY, THINKSTOCK
century AD, Roman eyes were turning its empire. superhuman achievements were being
towards Britain. celebrated by the people of Rome and
Britain represented a great prize Expanding the empire were used by Caesar as a way of
for Rome: it had large amounts of When the invasion came in AD 43, advancing his own personal power.
grain and cattle, necessary to feed ordered by the Emperor Claudius, a The expeditions he led into Britain in
Romes army and urban poor, man who desperately needed to win 55 and 54 BC were part of this plan of
self-promotion: they were not intended
as permanent conquest, but they
helped advance his cause as Romes
premier general.
The expedition of 55 BC was not a
King Caratacus great success. Trapped on the beach
When the Romans attacked in AD and hemmed in by the enemy, Caesar
eventually managed to strike a deal
43, they met some resistance in the with the British, leaving hastily in a
form of King Caratacus and his fleet of storm-damaged ships. Within a
year he was back. This time, he
tribe, the Catuvellauni. During one advanced deep into Britain. Caesar
battle, Caratacus escaped capture defeated King Cassivellaunos, the first
Briton whose name we know, before
and fled north, where he was returning to France in triumph.
promptly arrested and handed Ultimately, the campaigns achieved
very little, although they did result in a
over to the Romans. Emperor number of British tribes, such as the
Claudius was so impressed with Trinovantes of Essex, being left as
him, he let Caratacus live out the nominal allies of Rome, thus setting
the stage for further intervention
rest of his days in Rome. should these British friends ever
be threatened.
Timeline
55 BCAD 78
c10 AD
Cunobelinus begins to
build a powerful kingdom
in southern England
AD 51
Caratacus, British
resistance leader, is
captured by the Romans
AD 78
Roman conquest of Wales is
completed in Anglesey, by
general Agricola
55 BC AD 43 AD 60
Julius Caesar Emperor Claudius Boudica leads the
invades Britain for launches an invasion Iceni tribe in a revolt
the first time force on Britain against Roman rule

Boudica was born into a
wealthy family and given
lessons on how to fight
AD 43410
The Romans
4101066
Come on troops,
follow me! Lets show these
pesky Romans whos boss.
Thinking they can come in, steal
our land and abuse us well
10661485
well soon show them what
we think of that!
Boudica 14851603
16031714
17141837
This fearless warrior queen led a revolt against the Romans

she might not have won the war, but she certainly gave them a fright
18371901
Boudica is arguably one of the best known encouraging them to remain loyal to Rome. action of the governor, Gaius Suetonius
leaders from Roman Britain. As queen of In AD 60, after the death of Prasutagus, Paulinus, whose army inflicted a huge
the Iceni tribe, based in Norfolk, she is agents of the new emperor Nero stripped defeat on the rebels, the province would
remembered as the leader of a revolt the Iceni of their lands and decided to rule have been lost. Boudica did not survive the
against Rome that killed between 80,000 them directly. Angered by this, the tribe rebellion and her tribe, the Iceni, were
and 200,000 civilians. rebelled and, together with the Trinovantes almost wiped out in the punishments that
What tends to be forgotten, however, is tribe of Essex, descended upon Colchester, followed. It is unsure exactly how or where
that both Boudica and her husband, London and St Albans, burning them to the Boudica died. Some have suggested that
1901present
Prasutagus, were initially friends of Rome, ground and killing everyone they found. she poisoned herself rather than be
the Iceni being treated as an important ally. captured by the Romans. The revolt had
As the Roman military advanced west The aftermath been a huge shock for Rome and, from this
into Wales, the Iceni were left to their own Romes whole investment in Britain was at point on, emperors would never again rely
devices, with payments of silver stake and, had it not been for the swift solely upon native leaders for support.

AD 43410
Roman Britain
ales
Invading W
s
h of Wale
lt
a war in order gain popularity with his were fighting tribes who, eral wea uest the mid-first century.
The min ealing conq
own people, only one tribe in the south-east, unlike those of southern it an ap p a s When Rome had first
ad e if it w
the Catuvellauni of Essex, resisted. After a England, did not see them
m
Ro m an s even ed invaded, the strategy had
for the nquer
series of battles, the leader of the British as friends. Eventually, y . T hey finally co 7 . been to establish control,
trick AD 7
untry in
resistance, King Caratacus, eventually fled to Wales and northern all the co delegate authority to
the relative security of northern England, England were added to the friendly natives and then,
his capital at Colchester being captured after Roman empire, remaining an when everything appeared
a short siege. The remaining tribes of important part of it for over three secure, withdraw troops to fight
southern Britain all appear to have quickly centuries. During this time, Scotland was elsewhere. To this end, the new towns
surrendered to Rome at this time, their only temporarily Roman and Ireland was recognised old tribal identities, being placed
leaders being rewarded for making such a never under Roman rule. on or near to former Iron Age native
sensible decision with cash as well as with centres. Local princes, kings and queens
brand new Roman towns and roads. Different leagues were expected to work for Rome and
With the south-east of Britain secure, the Roman Britain, from the first to the fourth persuade their people to do the same.
armies of the Emperor Claudius moved century AD, can be roughly divided into Colony towns, for retired soldiers who
west, into less certain territory. The three unequal parts: the civilian south and had completed 25 years of service in the
conquest of western and northern Britain east, the militarised north, and the west Roman army, were also established in some
would take another forty years, Roman where mining took precedence over areas of Britain, close to former army bases.
troops finding it difficult to fight and build everything, including the development of The provincial capital was created in
forts to control the natives in the towns. In the civilian south, new towns with London, on the north bank of the river
mountainous landscape of Wales. Here, they all the comforts of Rome were created from Thames, a location with excellent access
How Roman was Britain?

From baths to battles the Romans enforced
their way of life on every country they conquered
In the south and east of England, the In the north and west of
influence of Rome looks thin in England and in northern Wales,
comparison with other parts of the large areas of the countryside look
empire. New towns were created, though about as Roman as Ireland, which
few were truly successful, most never was never exploited by Rome. Yes,
being used to their full potential with only there were forts, but these were
the houses of the wealthy having mosaics small pockets of Roman culture
and painted plaster. set in uncertain or hostile
Beyond the towns, there were villas, territory where troops
though these provided accommodation worshipped their own gods and
for less than one per cent of the total officers imported Roman
population. Those who wanted to be part delicacies. Beyond this artificial
of the new system, making money through bubble, the native population
business, displayed their Roman-ness continued to live much as it had
THINKSTOCK, ALAMY X3
much as the supremely rich demonstrate always done. Some Britons

their wealth and status today, but the vast moved to the forts to exploit the The temple at the Roman baths, Bath, was
bulk of the population possessed neither new markets. However, most continued built in AD 6070 and construction on the
the desire nor the cash to be Roman. with life as it had been before. complex continued for the next 300 years
Timeline
AD 90410
AD 122
Construction of
Hadrians Wall begins
c160 AD
The Romans withdraw
from the Antonine to
AD 213
Britannia is split
into two superior
by order of the emperor Hadrians Wall and inferior
AD 90 AD 140 c210 AD
Roman troops are The Antonine Wall is the Emperor Caracalla
pulled back from north northern-most frontier puts a stop to the war
and east Scotland of Roman Britain against Scotland

AD 43410
Fighting for the empire
The Romans
The Roman army was a force to be Romans adop
reckoned with. There were at least artillery of Gr
ted the torsion
eek engineers

catapults powe
25 legions with 5,0006,000 red by tension
men in each one. Soldiers would be

and twisted ro
pe springs
ed
What did the
armed with a spear, a short sword Romans ever
4101066
and a dagger. They also developed
catapults for long-range combat. do for us?
When soldiers retired, they were Apart from building some
given a plot of land. fabulous public baths...
Roman culture never fully
10661485
embedded itself within Britain
during the four centuries it was
part of the Roman empire, and
had no lasting impact in the
period that followed. Spain and
France were more successfully
assimilated into Rome, but both
areas had been on the fringes of
14851603
Roman influence for centuries
longer than Britain ever had.
Also, both countries were
devastated by the invasion of
the Romans over two-thirds of
the population of France was
killed or enslaved by Julius
Caesar alone, making any
16031714
resistance to the Roman model
of control and development far
less effective. There was no
Some of the Roman army would such widespread disruption and
have been auxiliaries non- death in Britain, where tribal
Romans from conquered tribes
networks remained in place.
If Roman culture and identity
were only really adopted by the
17141837
people who made the province
in
ROMAN BATHS - There were three marium
run effectively, then perhaps it
is unsurprising that Roman
ida
rooms: the caldarium (hot room), tep
culture did not leave a legacy.
room). Some
Unlike France and Spain, the
(warm room) and frigidarium (cold language, legal system, culture

a steam room.
also had an outdoor gym area and
and customs of Britain
ultimately owe very little to
18371901
ancient Rome.
AD 286 AD 367 AD 399 AD 409

Britain is declared Scots, Saxons and Order is temporarily Britons fight back and
1901present
independent by Picts raid Britain in restored in Britain by expel any remaining

Emperor Carausius a barbarian attack general Stilicho Roman officials
AD 260274 c296 AD AD 383 AD 407

Britain becomes Britannia is divided Many legions follow the Constantine III is
part of Postumus once again, leaving revolutionary Magnus chosen as emperor
Gallic Empire four provinces Maximus to Gaul of Britain

Life in Roman
Britain
tes
DireecRtormoauns, Britain
th e
Before cks. Th
dirt tra
just had w the quickest
s kne e was in
a
Roman
ge t a ny wher w hy
way to hich is
t line, w
straigh d to be
ads n
What was daily life like
te
their ro ht.
so straig
for Britons under Roman rule?
pied by
house fronting the street was occu
A number of new towns were created basi c acco mm odat ion above.
first a shop, with
across southern Britain in the late ne living in the town wou ld have
prov ided with a Anyo
century AD. Each was used
and a basilica (the encountered Roman fashions and
forum (the mar ket) ng and selling goods
ent). Roman coins for buyi
town hall and centre of local governm s.
of priva te on a daily basi
Beyond this, streets were full
s.
houses and a range of public amenitie
town wou ld have a Farming in style
Ever y Roman s
e to In the countryside, along the new road
bathhouse, the most important plac d betw een the town s, som e
othe r that stretche
meet, relax and socialise with mor e pros pero us farm s evol ved
of the
people. Theatres, amphitheatres and
and into high-status villas. A villa was the
circuses housed essential sporting
amp hitheatre s for grand centrepiece to a great farming
spec tator even ts: of
the estate, much like the stately houses
gladiator fights, wild beast hunts and Britain in the 17th
execution of and 18th centuries,
criminals; theatres
for plays and A villa was the grand and provided the
luxurious home for
When
my leg I discovered
religious
performances; and
centrepiece of a a well-to-do family.
Here, agricultural
Britain ion was com
only go , I wasnt thr ing to
circuses for chariot great farming estate estates were retire a t five more ye illed. Ive
nd d ars
racing. Temples managed and, in the anothe idnt fancy c before I
r count onquer
were set up to a forc e, villa owners bad I su ry. ing
variety of Roman gods, such as Jupi
ter, abse nce of a police ppose, Its not that
dispensed the law, deciding would I ju
Minerva and Mars, and their native
British stop ra st wish it
punishments as they saw fit. ining...
equivalents.
Aside from being a farm,
family home and place of
Urban living
local law enforcement, a
Away from the grandeur of the main
t villa also acted as a place
buildings, little is really known abou
of entertainment, where
ever yday life in the towns of Britain.
le landowners, aristocrats
Excavation has shown a variety of watt
es and officials could meet,
and daub, timber and thatched hous
e have fun and do business. In most
and more Mediterranean-style ston
villas, the distinction between
houses with rooms facing an enclosed set
of a private rooms and those
courtyard. In some instances, the part
aside for dinner parties was
clear enough dining
Witcombe Roman villa in Gloucestershire rooms possessed the
was extremely luxurious with its own best mosaics and the
bathhouse. It was built around AD 250 most elaborate forms
of wall-painting.
The poorer classes

By contrast, slaves have left
very little mark in the
archaeological record
and were not even
mentioned by
contemporar y Roman
writers and historians.
did
QUICK QUIZ! How many troopsBritain?
de
emperor Claudius bring to inva AD 43410
Find the answer on p19 Roman Britain
In the Roman empir

produced in largeeq, pot tery was
Everyday ittems wer uantities.
e quite p
f rmal occasions plieain,
but more fo
would be intricately ce s
decorated.
The Romans
Roman currency incorporated other

countries beliefs into
Roman currency consisted of their culture, as this gold
ring of Medusa from
coins made of gold, silver, brass Greek mythology shows
and copper. Up until Julius

Caesar, the Romans had put
portraits of their ancestors on
the coins. However, Caesar
decided he was important enough
to have his portrait on a coin.
The baths were discovered at

Binchester when a cart accidental
NEWARK & SHERWOOD MUSEUM SERVICE X4, ALAMY X2, GETTY, THINKSTOCK
ly
fell into the hypocaust in 1815
The hypocaust system

Romans enjoyed the finer things in life, which definitely included
a nice warm bathhouse especially in the north of England
The Romans were extremely inventive and liked to live in comfort.

To counteract the British winters, they developed a system of
under-floor heating. Pillars were used to raise floors above the
ground. Then, hot air and smoke would then be pumped into this
space. The rooms would warm up, but without any unpleasant
smokiness that could arise from having a fire directly in the room.

Hadrians wall
It divided England and Scotland, but why did the emperor
feel the need for such protection against the north?
The conquest of southern Britain had soldiers who could be used elsewhere,
gone relatively well for Rome. True, there and spending vast sums of cash in order to
had been major setbacks, such as the build necessary roads and forts from
Boudican revolt, and the war in Wales had scratch. Troop withdrawals to troubled
dragged out over two decades, but zones elsewhere in the empire finally
Romes well-organised army had necessitated the abandonment of
eventually swept all before it in a territory in Scotland and the
characteristically impressive display of establishment of a frontier between
shock and awe. Newcastle and Carlisle.
Things had started to unravel as Rome The Emperor Hadrian fixed the
moved further north. Here, they northern limits of Roman Britain in the AD
encountered people with no history of 120s by establishing a permanent barrier
contact with the Mediterranean world and in stone known today as Hadrians wall.
with leaders who saw no real benefit in This was designed to separate, in the
being Roman. On top of this, the terrain emperors own words, Roman from I, Em
was mountainous and the population was Barbarian, ensuring that lands to the order y peror Hadria
wall th ou all to b n,
at uil
extremely dispersed with no unified south prospered and developed, while
from t will protect d a big
control or large settlements to target. those to the north were forever excluded. hos ou
in the e nasty barb rselves
Finally, the area had very limited For the next three centuries, the north. arians
myself I
economic potential unlike western northern frontier remained relatively , it will n honour of
Britain, which had reserves of gold, lead stable, Rome leading campaigns against Hadria be known a
ns wa s
and tin. All of these factors ensured that the tribes beyond the wall when it suited ll.
Roman interest in northern England and it. Over time, the continued intervention of
Scotland was lukewarm at best. the Roman military and the tantalising
A military campaign against the presence of prosperous lands to the
northern tribes by the governor Julius south, eventually led to the
Agricola in the AD 80s had brought a formation of two large tribal
series of stunning victories for Rome. So confederacies in Scotland: the
swift had the conquest been that Agricola Maeatae and the Caledones,
had seriously considered sending troops both of whom, by the late
to Ireland, bringing the whole of the fourth century AD, felt
British Isles under Roman dominion. powerful enough to
The reality of the conquest soon dawned challenge the Romans.
on the Roman government, however.
Scotland proved to be a huge
drain on resources, tying down
etres of
QUICK QUIZ! How many kilom itain?
roads did the Romans build in Br AD 43410
Find the answer below Roman Britain
AD 43410
The Romans
by ship out into the North Sea and to homes for soldiers families, eventually grew Eventually, the pressures elsewhere
the north-western provinces such as up outside the more permanent frontier forced the Emperor Honorius in AD 410 to
Germany and Belgium. forts, but the bulk of the native population write to the cities of southern Britain, telling
The Roman government was broadly appears to have stayed put on their farms, them to look to their own defence. For the
tolerant of all native religions, never fully engaging with Rome. first time in nearly four centuries, Britain
understanding that persecution of British Throughout its history, Roman Britain was free from Roman control. Within a
gods would not only upset the locals but remained heavily garrisoned, one-tenth of generation, it reverted to a nation of
also create unhappiness and rebellion. all Romes available forces being based there. competing tribes, the same as before AD 43.
British gods and goddesses were regularly Thats not to say Britain was a drain on
4101066
combined with Roman ones, hence the Rome resources far from it, the grain,
British goddess of the hot springs at Bath, metals and tax collected from the
Sulis, was merged with her Roman population contributed greatly
equivalent to become Sulis to the empires annual
Minerva, a goddess that would profits. The enlarged
empire
appeal to both Roman and
Briton alike. The Roman ig h t in A D 117, th
e
garrison was considered
necessary in order to
At its he hed from
10661485
e s tr e tc maintain control over
North-south divide empir ales to n
orth
the difficult highland
d an d W n
Englan pulatio
In the north of the had a po region of Britain,
Afr ica, and 88 million. protecting the civilian
province, the army held xim a te ly
sway. Timber then, later, of appro south from the un-Roman
stone-built forts controlled north beyond Hadrians wall. Hadrian presided over an empire that stretched
the land, connected by a brand However, this strong section of from the British Isles to the Middle East
new series of military roads. Civilian the army became increasingly difficult
14851603
authority was not encouraged in these areas, and rebellious. It was a constant source of For more about Roman Britain,
towns and villas never being as prominent instability at the margins of the empire, visit www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/
here as they were in the south. Some repeatedly setting up its own emperor or romans/
settlements, filled with bars, shops and breaking away from empire rule altogether.
16031714
Fresh water
The Romans constructed
aqueducts all across their empire
to ensure a fresh supply of water
to towns. Traces of aqueducts
have been found in many British
17141837
cities such as Chester and Exeter,
though none as grand as the ones
in Italy, Spain or France.
18371901
TOP 10
THINKSTOCK, ALAMY X2/GETTY/MAPART.CO.UK
1 Roads: built to help move the military around 6 Pottery wheel: made it quicker to make pots
ROMAN
2 Counting: introduced their number system 7 Arts: such as mosaics and sculptures
3 Concrete: made from volcanic sand and water 8 Theatre: the Romans loved to be entertained
1901present
GIFTS 4
5
Large ships: early Brits only had small boats
Public baths: encouraged cleanliness
9 Games: such as backgammon and jacks
10 Wine: they introduced us to a favourite tipple
Quiz answer p19: Over 4,000km of roads were built by the Romans during their occupation of Britain.
Quiz answer p17: 40,000 Roman troops invaded Britain in AD 43.

AD 43410
Roman Britain
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
The Romans came and they conquered, and their legacy can still
history come
alive!
be enjoyed across Britain 2,000 years later at these fun days out
HOUSESTEADS FORT AT ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE

separate the Romans
3
HADRIANS WALL 4 CHESTER
A wall 80 miles long to
bar barian s Hadrians biographer NORTHUMBERLAND Amphitheatres in Roman times were a
from the
Explore the former base of 800 Roman source of entertainment think of a football
soldiers as you wander around this rich ground, but with more gladiators fighting.
archaeological site. Visit the museum for Excavated in 20042005, Chester is home to
a snapshot of Roman life. the largest stadium in Britain and is filled
Haydon Bridge, Hexham, Northumberland with Roman history.
NE47 6NN Little St John Street, Chester CH1 1RE
01434 344363 0370 333 1181
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/ www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/
properties/housesteads-roman-fort- properties/chester-roman-amphitheatre/
hadrians-wall Admission free, available to view
Adult ticket 6.60 all year round
Child ticket 4.00
ROMAN BATHS BATH

5 As one of the most developed
Roman towns in the UK, Bath is home
to the best example of a bathing
complex, which is believed to have
FISHBOURNE ROMAN been built on the instructions of
1PALACE AND Emperor Claudius. The temple itself
GARDENS WEST SUSSEX was built in AD 6070 and the bathing
The largest Roman palace in Britain is also complex was then developed over the
THINKSTOCK X3, CAROLE RADDATO/FLICKR, CHARLES DRAKEW/WIKIPEDIA, FRYSLAN0109/WIKIPEDIA/ALAMYX4
home to the earliest garden found in the next three centuries. Romans and
country. Certainly fit for a king, this Britons would come from all over the
residence is one that you dont want to miss. country to visit this natural hot spring,
Roman Way, Fishbourne, West Sussex and thankfully they left a great deal of
PO19 3QR history behind. The museum contains
01243 785859 many Roman objects that were thrown
es here
www.sussexpast.co.uk/fishbourne into the spring, presumably as re of 46C ris
a temperatu
Hot water at 0 litres every day
Family ticket 24.00 (2 adults, up to offerings to the goddess. These include 1,170,00
at the rate of
4 children) 12,000 Roman currency coins. See
where the Romans bathed, socialised
THE ROMAN REMAINS and even shaved, and even enjoy A Sun God carving in
2 CAERLEON atmospheric torchlight-led tours in stonework at Bath
Roman Museum
Discover 2nd-century Roman Britain with a one of the best historical attractions
walk around the fortress, baths, impressive Britain has to offer.
amphitheatre and the finest Roman barrack Abbey Church Yard, Bath BA1 1LZ
remains in Europe. Be sure to visit the 01225 477785
National Roman Legion Museum too. www.romanbaths.co.uk
High St, Caerleon, Newport NP18 1AE JulyAugust 9am9pm, September
0300 111 2333 October 9am5pm, November
www.museumwales.ac.uk/roman February 9.30am5pm
MondaySaturday 10am5pm, Sunday Family ticket 44.00 (2 adults,
2pm5pm up to 4 children)
Admission free
20 The Story of Britain * Unless otherwise stated, all family tickets are for two adults, two children
AD 43410
Roman Britain

Viking warrior re-enactors set
sail for Britain, looking for land
GETTY
to raid as well as to colonise

4101066
The Invaders
For 600 years, Britain was descended
upon by immigrants, marauders and
plunderers all seeking a slice of the
green and pleasant land
AT A GLANCE
The Romans
p24
retreat
Anglo-Saxon
p25
invasions
Alfred the Great p26
The rise of
p27
Christianity
The story of
p28
the Vikings
The Norman
p30
invasion

4101066
The Invaders
The legend of
King Arthur
T
HE AGE OF invaders in Britain Powerful army generals fought civil wars
lasted from the end of Roman over what money was available to the The mythical figure may well have been
rule in 410 to the Norman government. In 407, a general in Britain based on a real justice-seeking fighter
conquest of England in 1066. named Constantine declared himself to be
During those centuries, the nations of the Emperor. He led his troops to Europe to Medieval folklore tells of a mighty king
British Isles that we know today were invade Italy, but was betrayed by his key named Arthur who ruled Britain wisely
formed. Unfortunately, the years were supporters and killed. and well. He lived in Camelot, was
filled with warfare and chaos, married to Guinevere, had a magical
meaning that few records have Fights and famines adviser named Merlin and trusted
ct
Vanishing a
survived. Little is known for Meanwhile, tribes from knights who gathered at his round
certain about these years in s fo u nd outside the empire were table. But historians cannot agree how
o
Roman c
and historians often The last a de in 407. also suffering poor much truth lies behind the stories.
were m
disagree over dates, in Britain e co in s were harvests and poverty. They If King Arthur really existed, he
onz
names and events. These br s, an d their raided Roman Britain to would probably have lived and ruled
y ite m
What is known is everyda a rk s the steal food and wealth. early in the 500s. Very few records
arance m
that by the year 400, disappe e em pire. Raiders from Ireland and have survived from this era, and even
f th
the Roman empire was retreat o north of Hadrians Wall fewer mention Arthur. Those that do
collapsing across western launched frequent attacks. This are later copies, so the sections on
Europe. The economy was in fighting only served to worsen Arthur might have been added once
ALAMY X2, CORBIS X2, THINKSTOCK
decline as the climate became cooler and conditions in the long run, as more farms the legends became famous.
wetter, which badly affected agricultural were destroyed, reducing the already- These early sources indicate that
output. Health and well-being declined as depleted harvest even further. Arthur was a military leader who
food became scarcer, and disease became In 410, the Roman Emperor commanded British armies
more of a threat. Honorius told the British that he could against the invading Saxons
The government had less money to not help them. He told them to choose and Angles. He is said to have
spend repairing roads, canals and drains. new dignitaries to replace those loyal fought 12 battles in Scotland,
Lincolnshire and other places we
cannot now identify. His
greatest victory may have
been the battle of Badon
Hill, probably fought in
about 510 in the
southwest of Britain.
tone
Sword in the sArthur After Badon Hill there
According to myth, ch of
was peace for many
years. Arthur seems to
became the monar lled have been killed in a
England after he pufrom a

civil war against other
Britons. Later legend
d
an enchanted swor the true says he was killed by
stone, which only ove.

Mordred at the Battle
of Camlann.
king could rem ch as Ultimately though,
su
Arthurian legends, sword we cannot be certain
that of his magical ue to

where the story ends,
and the truth begins.
Excalibur, contin in.
ta
fascinate and enter
This statue of King Arthur
shows him ready for battle
in medieval armour
Timeline
410757
410
The Romans retreat
c510
Battle of Badon Hill
possibly one of King
757
Offa becomes King of
Mercia. He takes control of
from Britain entirely Arthurs victories other Anglo-Saxon tribes
407 446 669

Constantine III The British ask the Theodore of Tarsus is named
tries and fails to Romans for help against Archbishop of Canterbury. He
invade Italy Barbarian raiders starts to reform the church

Anglo-Saxons
This impressive
iron helmet was
found in the
AngloSaxon
burial site at
AD 43410
Sutton Hoo
The Anglo-Saxons ruled for six centuries, but who were they?
The term Anglo-Saxon refers to the areas the immigrants formed a minority
peoples who lived in the British Isles of the population.
between the Roman period and the Although we refer to the people of
The Invaders
- 1066
Norman conquest of 1066. this time as Anglo-Saxons, they were
4101066
The Angles were immigrants who came really a mix of Angles, Saxons, Jutes,
from in and around Angeln, in northern Britons and others. Over several
410
Germany. They settled mostly in the north generations, these peoples mixed to
and east of what is now England. The form a new nation: the English.
Saxons came from what is now Saxony. Anglo-Saxon culture, language and could be large and heavily decorated with
They settled heavily in the south and religion dominated England. At first, the carvings and paint. After about the year
Midlands. Others also came to Britain, Anglo-Saxons worshipped a variety of 900, some stone buildings began to be
10661485
including Jutes (from what is now pagan gods. These included Tyr, Woden, built, and a few churches still stand.
Denmark) who settled in the southeast. Thunor and Frigg, after whom Tuesday, The Anglo-Saxons excelled in arts such
The incomers did not replace the native Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are as embroidery and especially jewellery.
Britons, but settled among them. In most named. Later, the old gods were Their works were exported all across
abandoned and Christianity took over. Europe. The gold and silver pieces were
Anglo-Saxon buildings were mostly intricately patterned and embellished with
simple made of wood, so few have survived. They precious stones and enamel.
buildings were
Anglo-Saxon ctures
atch stru
timber and th
14851603
The Anglo-Saxons divided Britain up into
many different kingdoms each with a
leader known as the cyning, or king
16031714
17141837
18371901
1901present
4101066
The Invaders
Holy man id was
t Dav
Admira tion for S
to Constantine. The Britons chose their Britain, the high death rate s, that he power they could amid
g in Wale
own government officials and raised an added to the hardship and so stron a tr on saint o
f
the disruption.
th e p
army. Some of the mercenaries were from misery of life. became h rin e stands One reaction against
n. His s
Germany, but still thought of themselves as Archaeology reveals the natio s Ca th edral, these upheavals was a
id
Roman citizens. As Roman power waned, that towns had been at St Dav ke shire. growth in religious fervour
b ro
increasing numbers of Germanic settlers abandoned, that villages in Pem people turned to the church
(historians now tend to refer to them as were smaller and poorer than for protection and stability.
Anglo-Saxons) moved to Britain, as farmers, before and that wealth had also Christianity had become firmly
soldiers and merchants. For a while, the fallen. At this time, nobody could afford rooted in Roman Britain, and it continued
Roman-style government continued and mosaics, piped water or heating systems. to be important for some people even after
the famous King Arthur may have been a The great villas turned to ruin and wooden the Romans retreated. One leader of the
Roman-style official at this time (or he may shacks were the best housing on offer. movement was St David, who founded a
not have existed at all). However, there are indications that traces number of monasteries to act as centres of a
At some point around the year 540, of Roman civilisation survived in some of new Christian community. David expected
Britain fell into chaos. This may have the towns. monks to set an example by abandoning
followed a terrible plague that ravaged personal possessions, spending their days in
Europe. We know that the city of Politics and religion physical labour and their evenings in prayer.
Constantinople, now Istanbul, saw 5,000 As well as this squalor and poverty, there The pure lifestyle favoured by David
people die each day at the height of the was complete political chaos. The old involved drinking only water and eating
plague. It is thought that around 25 per cent system of government vanished as petty only bread and herbs. The monks gained
of the population of Europe was killed. In rulers tried to grab whatever wealth and reputations for holiness that allowed
Alfred defend
the Vikings an
ed Wessex fro
d was ad or
many of his su
ed
m
by
bjects
Alfred the Great
The only English king to be known as the Great, theres a lot
more to Alfred than just beating the Vikings
Alfred the Great was king of the months after his defeat, Alfred smashed the
Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex Viking army at the battle of Edington. The
from 871 to 899. He spent most of Viking leader, Guthrum, became a Christian
his life fighting the Vikings. and left Wessex forever.
Born in 849, Alfred was the In the years of peace that followed, Alfred
fourth son of King thelwulf, so reformed his kingdom. He built a series of
nobody expected him to inherit fortified towns, or burhs, and created a new
the crown. However, Alfreds style of army and navy. He also revived
elder brothers all died, so at education, reformed the church, introduced a
the age of 22 Alfred became new tax system and generally made the
king. Alfred had already fought running of Wessex more efficient. His
the Vikings, but they attacked daughter, thelfld, married the ruler of
again and in 878 Alfred was Mercia. Together, Wessex and Mercia
GETTY, ALAMY, THINKSTOCK
heavily defeated. He fled to defeated a renewed Viking assault in 898.

the Isle of Athelney in Alfred left a peaceful and united kingdom
Somerset. From there he to his son, Edward. Alfreds grandson,
summoned the men of thelstan, is seen by many historians as
Wessex to join him. Just six the first king of England.
Timeline
7931066
794
Vikings target
Scotland, attacking
869
East Anglia falls to
927
Athelstans conquest of Northumbria
the Isle of Iona Viking raiders makes him king of all England
793 795 878 892

The first Vikings The Vikings reach King Alfred of Alfred earns his
arrive in Britain. They Ireland, destroying Wessex flees to the reputation, defeating
ransack Lindisfarne the Rechru monastery Somerset Marshes a new Viking invasion

end, which
QUICK QUIZ! According to legof a peasant
English king once burnt a batch on page 31 4101066
womans cakes? Find the answer The Invaders
AD 43410
The rise of
My name is Bede.
I am a monk, and study, Christianity
teaching and writing have always
been my delight. Having said that, It wasnt always the
I would have loved a photocopier, UKs number one
so that I didnt have to copy all
The Invaders
410 1066
those books by hand. Christianity reached Britain in
Oh, the aches! Roman times, but was almost
wiped out in the sixth century
before being revived to take
over the whole of Britain.
The religion is first known in
Britain around the year 240. By
10661485
350, most of the population of
Roman Britain was Christian,
and missionaries took the
St Bede wrote about 40 books, religion to Ireland and Scotland.
most of which focussed on
When the Anglo-Saxons took
theology and history
over what is now England, they
replaced Christianity with their
own pagan religions.
The Venerable Bede
14851603
Missionaries from Ireland
had tried to convert the English,
Born in the early 670s, Bede became a but it wasnt until St Augustine
monk and lived in the monastery at arrived from Rome in 597 that
things really changed. Armed
Jarrow, Northumbria. He was an with authority and resources
intelligent man with a passion for from the Pope, Augustine
quickly converted Kent. He soon
learning. He wrote the most significant
16031714
found that Irish and Welsh
literature that we know of from Anglo- Christianity was slightly
Saxon times, and built up a huge library of different from his own. They
had their own rituals and
manuscripts, each of which would have calculated the date of Easter in
been copied by hand. a different way. The differences
were finally sorted out at the
synod of Whitby in 664, by which
17141837
time most people in Britain
ous
FAMOUS WORDS St Bedes most fam
were Christians.
Englishthe
book is The Ecclesiastical History of
n about
People. Its a key source of informatio
Christianity.
early British history and the rise of
991 1014 1042 1066

Vikings attack Essex. They In Dublin, the Cnuts grandson, King Edward the
1901presen
are paid a 10,000-pound Vikings and their Harthacnut, dies and the Confessor dies.
tax, or Danegeld to leave allies are defeated crown passes to Edward Harold is crowned
973 1012 1016 1066

Six kings of England King thelred pays After thelreds Harold dies at the battle of
submit to the rule of a Danegeld of 48,000 death, Cnut becomes Hastings and William the
Edgar of Wessex pounds of silver king of all England Conqueror is crowned

QUICK QUIZ! Which
Irish city was founded by
The story of Vikings? Find the answer

on page 31
Despite popular belief, Vikings
the Vikings
did not have horned helmets.
They were simple bowls
with nose guards
More than just raiders, the Vikings

were traders and colonists, too
to farm. They sailed their ships into
For more than two hundred years from
ked the North Atlantic, seeking more
the 790s, Britain was repeatedly attac
gs. lands to settle on. In 874, Ingolfur
by warriors from Scandinavia: Vikin
Arnarson became the first Viking
The Norse invaders first attacked the wed
to set up home in Iceland. He was follo
northern islands, conquering the othe rs, and with in a
eighth by hundreds of
Shetland and Orkney islands in the to
ed sout h to raid century, they spread further west,
century. They then head d. Som e Vikin gs travelled
Gree nlan
the mainlands of Britain and Ireland rica, but the
Vikings even further, to North Ame
during the early ninth century. The flour ish ther e.
hing colonies didnt
also raided in western Europe, reac
ern
the Mediterranean, as well as east
into Russ ia. Afte r the 850s , Melting pot
Europe and re
in By the year 1100, the Vikings cultu
the Vikings began settling in Ireland the Ang lo-S axon s,
had merged with
large numbers. and they had
They also occupied become
coastal areas The Great Heathen Christian.
of Scotland
and Wales. Army conquered the The Viking
kings
In 865, the three
brothers Halfdan Anglo-Saxon kingdoms imposed
a ban on
Ragnarsson, Ivar es, whic h reduced the
trading in slav
the Boneless and Ubbe Ragnarsson, raid ing. At the same time,
gs into profits of
gathered together many of the Vikin s of Brita in had become
s the kingdom
a single army. Over the next nine year
y, better able to defeat invading armies. Viking jewellery, like this gold
this aptly named Great Heathen Arm
As a result, the Viking Age in Britain
pendant, was intricate and valuable
s of
conquered the Anglo-Saxon kingdom
cia. came to an end.
East Anglia, Northumbria and Mer
While most of the Vikings became
the
landowners, one large group led by
warrior Guthrum invaded the last free
English kingdom: Wessex. They were
defeated by Alfred the Great in 878.
Engl and
Viking
was
g words
Vikin
raid s cont inued, and in 1016
nam ed Cnu t,
conquered by a Viking king
d for near ly 20 year s.
or Canute, who rule
ay many
Making a mark ld N o rse every d origins
The Vikings were pagans who brought
with We spe a k o
h w or d s h ave Viking
nglis
and lang uage . Their common E s,
them a new culture e word h
influence was stronges t in northern and
N D c om es from th lder
HUSB A , for h o
eastern England, where they settled
in the
and bndi
was obse rved for house, d eye, from
largest numbers. Danish law
me know n as lite ra lly means win auga
there and the area beca
WINDOW e words vindr and
Danelaw. Many places in the area have the old No
rs
orse
Scandinavian names, while Norse word
s
d fro m th e ancient N
erive
entered the English language . KNIFE is d ame meaning, knifr
of th e s
word gligr,
Further afield s fr o m th e word ug
e
The Vikings were not only raiders and UGLY com s dreadful or fearful
m e a n
invaders. Many were just looking for
land w hic h ordic word
s tra igh t from the N
taken
ANGER is r grief, angr
tre s so
28 The Story of Britain for dis
4101066
The Invaders
AD 43410
The Invaders
4101066
Evidence of old Norse
settlements can still be seen
on some of the Orkney Islands
10661485
In battle, soldiers up front
would draw together in a line,
creating a shield wall
14851603
16031714
Ive b
rowed a uilt a ship,
fough cross th
e oce
monaste t a battle and lo an,
ry. Row oted a
You mus all the way b
exhauste t be joking! I ack?
d. m
that farm Im staying her
over the e
re looks
17141837
nice. Do
nt you tr
y
Pushing the
18371901
ALAMY X2, CORBIS, GETTY, DREAMSTIME, JORVIK VIKING CENTRE
boat out
rs of the sea,
Vikings were maste ngships were
and their wooden loTerrifying
expertly crafted. is dragon,
figureheads, like th ships bows
1901present
e
were carved into th eir foes
to intimidate th

l
il li a m a s ki ng,
With W came the
4101066
410
101066
10
F r e n ch be
106
ag e ,
leading languds like
Warwick Castle is one of
The
he Invaders
I d many fortresses built
during William Is rule
giving us wornd duke.

beef, knight a
The Norman invasion

William the Conquerors invasion in 1066 was a turning point in British
history, marking the start of period of Norman rule
In 1066, England was taken over by a new Edwards cousin and said that Edward had fled. Some nobles tried to make Edgar
class of foreign rulers the Normans. promised him the crown. The English king, but they soon realised that Williams
They imposed a new culture and later nobles chose Harold Godwinson. army was too strong to beat. He was
spread out to Wales, Ireland and Scotland. crowned king on Christmas Day.
King Edward the Confessor of England Hostile takeover Over the next 20 years, William
died childless in January 1066. There was In September 1066, Harald Hardrada reorganised the government of England.
no obvious heir, but four men claimed the landed in the Humber and defeated the Nearly all the English nobles and
crown. Edgar Atheling was Edwards local English army. Harold Godwinson landowners, and senior officials in the
nephew, but he was only 14 years old. Earl marched north with his own army. On 25 Church and government, were replaced by
ALAMY, DREAMSTIME, CORBIS
Harold Godwinson of Wessex was September, he defeated and killed Harald Normans. Norman-French became the
Edwards brother-in-law and was related at Stamford Bridge, near York. language used by the upper classes.
to an earlier king, Canute. King Harald Meanwhile, William of Normandy had Castles manned by Norman soldiers
Hardrada of Norway claimed the previous also invaded, landing at Pevensey on 28 were built across England to stop any
king, Harthacanute, had left England to September. As soon as he heard the news, rebellions. Risings by men such as Edric
him. Duke William of Normandy was Harold marched his army back south. the Wild and Hereward the Wake were
Gathering new forces on the way, Harold mercilessly put down. In 1086, William
arrived at Senlac Hill north of Hastings to ordered officials to compile what became
block Williams route to London. known as the Domesday Book. This listed
On 14 October, William attacked Harold. all the landowners in England who owed
The battle of Hastings lasted all day. After tax to the king. When William died in 1087,
nine hours, Harold was killed and his army England was fully under Norman rule.
Norman nobles later spearheaded the
After victory at Hastings, William and English conquest of Wales and Ireland,
his army march into London while Norman culture affected Scotland.
4101066
Je su The Invaders
Conquer is William the
Ah, if on or, from Norm
ly an
told his my cousin Edw dy.
fellow E ard had
that little ngli
chat we shmen about
AD 43410
them to resist the demands of Britain, Sometime around 750, the climate
nasty ba had, the
of rulers, and to offer some ttle at n that though, warmed up, improving crops and allowing
protection to farmers and others have bee Hastings could and now the population to grow and to become
n av
who had been oppressed by heavy Cest la v oided. historians wealthier. The isles had become a desirable
ie
taxes or unjust laws. tend to target once more and at the end of the
The network of monasteries differentiate eighth century, Britain was invaded again.
spread across Wales, Cornwall between the Anglo- Several waves of Viking warriors from
and Ireland. They offered Saxons in England, and Scandinavia attacked Britain. Some came
The Invaders
beacons of hope and refuge the British to the north for loot, then left again, others came to
4101066
for the population. In and west of them. acquire farming land or to take over as
England, however, By around 590, what rulers. Viking settlement was heaviest in the
Christianity suffered a had been Roman Britain had northern isles, Ireland, and in northeastern
reverse at the hands of the become divided into a number England, but all areas were affected.
incoming Anglo-Saxon of small states. Some of these
rulers. They came from were Anglo-Saxon kingdoms Nations are born
outside of the former in what we now call England, In the 850s, Kenneth MacAlpin united the
10661485
Roman lands and followed such as Kent, Mercia and people in northern Britain into a single
pagan religions. The Northumbria. Others were kingdom, forming the origins of modern
Germanic mercenaries who British principalities such Scotland. In around 1050, the Scottish
had arrived over the as Powys, Gwynedd and conquered Strathclyde, acquiring more-or-
previous decades now Dalriada. Written records less its modern boundaries. Ireland
grabbed power to set up from these kingdoms remained divided, with a number of small
their own kingdoms. became more numerous states, though all the rulers owed a vague
after about the year 600. loyalty to the High King of Ireland.
14851603
The simple life By the year 700, the Anglo- The final invasion of this age came in
The new Anglo-Saxon lands Saxons had completed the 1066, when England was conquered by the
operated on a system that was conquest of what is now Normans. By this time, the British nations
less sophisticated than the Romans had England, forcing the British rulers to that we know had been formed and the
been. There were fewer taxes, but they also retreat into Wales and Cornwall. Also boundaries between them established.
provided little in the way of roads, water during this period, Christianity began
supplies or other services. They developed to be re-established as a religion across
For more about Anglo-Saxon
a new model of government more suited to England, due to the efforts of missionaries Britain, visit www.bbc.co.uk/history/
16031714
the new world of a lower population and from Rome, and from the surviving ancient/anglo_saxons
less wealth. They did not spread across all Christian British population.
ry
The Bayeux Tapest lls the
e te
This hand-embroidered sceny, from an
epic story of Williams victorr, seen here,
17141837
ageing Edward the Confessoe last section
to the battle of Hastings. Th t it probably
of the tapestry is missing, bunation.
shows Williams coro
18371901
TOP 10 1 Anglo-Saxon burial chamber Suffolk 6 Huge haul of Viking jewels Yorkshire
HISTORICAL 2
3
Evidence of an Iron-Age town Reading
Viking treasure chest Lancashire
7
8
Anglo-Saxon war helmet Coppergate
Skeleton of a Saxon king Lincoln Castle
1901present
FINDS 4
5
Anglo-Saxon skeletons Anglesey
Coins from the Viking capital York
9
10
Remains of a monastery Lindisfarne
Viking burial Ardnamurchan, Highland
Somerset marshes, the king sought shelter with a peasant woman. She asked the king to watch the cakes, but apparently baking wasnt one of Alfreds strengths!
Quiz answer p27: Dublin the city became a maritime staging post to dock and repair ships, as well as a slave-trade centre. Quiz answer p28: Alfred the Great in the

4101066
The Invaders
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
history come
alive!
From pillaging Vikings and a monastic pilgrimage to the gore and glory
of the battle of Hastings. Theres plenty of places for you to invade...
The raid on Lindisfarne

in KIDWELLY CASTLE KING ALFREDS
AD 793 is seen as the star
t 3 CARMARTHENSHIRE 4 STATUE WINCHESTER
of the Viking Age The Norman castle in this ancient village Marking the millennium of Alfreds death,
has been so well preserved and was built the magnificent bronze statue, designed by
with such skill that it still stands today. the wonderfully-named Hamo Thornycroft,
Climb the towers, enjoy the beautiful setting was constructed in 1901 and stands tall in
and get an idea of how the Normans lived. the historical town of Winchester.
You can also explore the recently discovered The Winchester Guildhall, High St,
underground passage. Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9GH
Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire SA17 5BQ 01962 840500
01554 890104 www.visitwinchester.co.uk/site/
www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/ tourist-information
kidwellycastle Admission free
Open daily 9.30am5pm (1 July31 August
until 6pm)
LINDISFARNE PRIORY Family ticket 10.80*
1 NORTHUMBERLAND
The first port of call when the Vikings
attacked Britain, Lindisfarne is steeped in
history and housed many frightened monks
during the attacks. Take in the coastal views SUTTON HOO BURIAL
and see the stunning ruins and carvings. 5 SITE SUFFOLK
Holy Island, Berwick Upon Tweed, Soak up the atmosphere of Britains
Northumberland TD15 2RX most important Anglo-Saxon burial site,
01289 389200 dubbed Englands Valley of the Kings,
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/ where the remains of 7th-century King
properties/lindisfarne-priory Raedwald of East Anglia were
Open daily, 25 March30 September discovered within the ghostly imprint of
10am6pm a 90ft wooden ship. Find out how the
Adult ticket 5.60 grave yielded phenomenal treasures,
Child ticket 3.30 making it the richest burial ever found in tton
the famous Su
northern Europe. Many of the artefacts e, inspired by
This sculptur lay at the burial site
is on disp
BATTLE OF HASTINGS are now held at the British Museum, but Hoo helmet,
2 ABBEY AND BATTLEFIELD the exhibition hall helps bring the site to
ALAMY X5, WIKIPEDIA X3(MATTHEW HUNT, JOHN ATHERTON, ODEJEA)
EAST SUSSEX life and includes a replica burial

Discover the battle site of King Harold and chamber. You can also learn about other
William the Conqueror. Atmospheric abbey discoveries from inside the mounds,
ruins and an interactive museum bring that including that of a young warrior,
momentous day to life. complete with his horse and weapons.
High Street, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0AD Now a National Trust site, there are
01424 775705 guided tours available to help you get
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/ the most from your visit.
properties/1066-battle-of-hastings-abbey- Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DJ
and-battlefield 01394 389714
Open daily, 25 March30 September www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo A reproduction of the bur
ial chamber of
Raedwald, 7th-century
10am6pm Open daily 10am6pm king of East Anglia
Family ticket 21.60 (2 adults, Family ticket 20.50*
up to 3 children)
3
4
2
1
The Story of Britain

33
The Invaders
4101066
The Invaders
1901present 18371901 17141837 16031714 14851603 10661485 4101066 AD 43410
People of the ages
This nations kings, queens and notable figures reveal the story of the island kingdom...
849899
Alfred the Great
The Anglo-Saxon king of Wessex
stands firm against Viking raiders 11571199
and provides the platform for his King Richard I
grandson Athelstan to become the Lionheart
King of the English. A militarily-minded
monarch, Richard I
spends much of his reign
on crusade.
c10281087 c13431400
King William I Geoffrey Chaucer 13671400
The Conqueror Best known for King Richard II
from Normandy. penning The At the age of 10, Richard
c11421214 Canterbury Tales, becomes King of England after
William the Lion Chaucer is widely his grandfather Edwards death.
of Scotland considered the
Reigns as King of greatest English
the Scots from poet of the
1165-1214. Invades Middle Ages.
northern England
in 117374.
01000 10001200 12001400
11671216
King John I 12741329 c13501416
Died c60 AD Angered his barons and Robert the Bruce Owain Glyndwr
Boudica lost lands in France. The King of the Scots The last Welshman to
The Queen of fights for Scotlands claim the title of Prince
the British Iceni independence of Wales, he leads a
tribe leads a from England. revolt against English
(nearly rule, but is eventually
successful) unsuccessful.
revolution
against the
occupying 14911547
Roman King Henry VIII
forces. Arguably the most
famous of monarchs,
Henry VIII takes the
throne and so begins the
c15541618
English Reformation
Died c873 c11721240 Sir Walter Raleigh
and many marriages.
Ivar the Boneless Llywelyn the Great A man of many talents,
Viking leader and Prince of Gwynedd in the writer, poet, soldier, spy
beserker who Wales and focus of and explorer is blamed for
invades East Anglia Welsh resistance popularising tobacco use
as part of the Great against the English. in Britain.
Heathen Army.
1570-1606
c12701305 Guy Fawkes
William Wallace After being caught
The Braveheart guarding the explosives
warrior leads the during the gunpowder
Scottish resistance plot of 1605, Fawkes is
against Edward I hung and quartered for
of England. treason. This eventually
brings about the burning
of a guy on Guy Fawkes
night in Britain.
18191901
Queen Victoria
Victoria reigns
for an unrivalled
16001649 63 years and
King Charles I seven months.
Beheaded outside Londons Banqueting
House after his defeat in the Civil Wars. 18471922
Alexander
Graham Bell 18941972
Credited with King Edward VIII
inventing the Abdicates after less than
telephone. 12 months to marry
American divorcee,
Wallis Simpson.
c14941536
William Tyndale
Translates the New Testament into English for the
first time. Seen as an act of heresy at the time, he
is executed for the crime.
15641616
William Shakespeare
Considered the greatest
writer that Britain has
ever produced, he 16761745
writes 47 major Sir Robert Walpole
plays or poems. Considered the first prime
minister of Great Britain,
Walpole resigned after facing 18951952
accusations of corruption. King George VI
15331603 The wartime king is
Queen Elizabeth I famed for his
The last monarch of speech trouble.
the Tudors, her
reign lasts for 44
years. Defeats the
Spanish Armada.
14001600 16001800 18002016
1926present
1633-1703 Queen Elizabeth II
15991658 17691852 18631945 Takes over from her
Samuel Pepys The Duke of Wellington David Lloyd George
Lord Protector father. Her reign
A naval administrator and Defeats Napoleon at Prime minister from
Oliver Cromwell continues to be
member of parliament, the battle of Waterloo 19161922, Lloyd
Establishes a successful.
Pepys keeps diaries and twice becomes George leads the
republic, the
between 166069 that tell prime minister. country through the
Commonwealth
us much about the final years of the
of England.
Great Plague and First World War.
Great Fire of London.
17751847
16421727 Daniel
Sir Isaac Newton OConnell
Sir Isaac creates the theory of Known as The
gravity, the laws of motion and Liberator, this 18741965
shapes our knowledge of science. lawyer becomes Sir Winston Churchill
a great Irish The charismatic
nationalist Churchill leads Britain
leader. to victory in the Second
World War.
THINKSTOCK X7, ALAMY X5, BILL INGALLIS/NASA

The restored
Arundel Castle
offers a glimpse
into Norman times
ALAMY

10661485
Medieval
Britain
Knights in shining armour
battled it out for king and
country as long as the Black
Death didnt kill them first
AT A GLANCE
The murder of
p42
Thomas Becket
Scottish
p43
independence
Welsh hero
p44
Owain Glyndwr
Magna Carta p45
The Black Death p46
Wars of the Roses p48

Becket was murdered
by knights in 1170
10661485
Medieval Britain
T
HE MIDDLE AGES in Britain estates of land to men who would perform
saw important changes in services for him. Those men would then
society, technology and culture grant smaller estates to other men in return
as the fragmented world of the for services.
Age of Invasions moved towards a more There was a clear distinction between
united modern world. men who performed military services
The Norman conquest of 1066 brought (noblemen and knights) and those who
to Britain a number of important performed manual services (farmers
changes. These were
introduced over a number ing
and shepherds).
Thomas Becket
of years and had a Country liv es, much
of
Knightly service
profound impact on how d le A g Generally a knight was This archbishop learnt the hard way that
people led their lives. In the Mid on lived in
the
expected to serve for 40 crossing a king is rarely a good idea
p u la ti tha t
These changes would the po cottages days each year. He had to
ys id e in s t
dominate the Middle countr y c on sist of ju provide his own horses, The murder of Thomas Becket,
su a ll
Ages in Britain. would u o rooms. weapons and food. If the archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170
one or tw
The Normans king wanted the knight to shocked Europe. King Henry II of
organised their government serve for longer he would pay a England was forced to give the church
GETTY, ALAMY X3, CORBIS, WIKIPEDIA
and society according to the cash sum. Often knights were more powers, which it kept until the
feudal system, which was widespread across instructed to bring a set number of archers, Reformation under the Tudors in
Europe. This was a system of interlocking infantry or mounted scouts as well as the 16th century.
obligations that involved military, economic themselves. Nobles might be expected to Thomas Becket was born in 1118,
and social duties. The basic form of bring small armies to serve the king. In the son of a London merchant. He was
economic activity was farming, so most theory this gave the king the military might intelligent and worked hard so, in 1155,
wealth came from land. Under feudalism all to protect his kingdom, but the fact that King Henry II made him Chancellor.
land belonged to the king. The king granted nobles had the ability to raise armies The two men became great friends.
In 1162, with the archbishop of
Domesday Book Canterbury dead. Henry nominated
Becket to take over, hoping his friend
During Christmas 1085, would support him in disputes he had
William I sent men all over with the church. When Henry and the
nobles tried to restrict the powers of
England to find out who owned the church with the Constitutions of
what, how much it was worth, an Clarendon in 1164, Becket declared
therefore what taxes were owed d them invalid. Henry and Becket ended
to up arguing constantly.
the king. All the findings were In December 1170, Henry is alleged
to have lost his temper over dinner and
recorded in the Domesday Book. shouted Will nobody rid me of this
turbulent priest? Four knights
supposedly heard him, rode to
Canterbury and murdered Becket in
the cathedral on 29 December 1170.
Becket was declared a saint for the
way he had defended the powers of the
church. Henry was blamed for the
murder. To earn forgiveness, he
agreed to most things that Becket had
wanted. As a result, the church
increased its power.
Timeline
10661282
1096
The University of
Oxford is founded
1189
Richard I is king of
the Angevin empire
1282
Edward I conquers
Wales in the War
of Conquest
1067 1154 1216

Work begins on the Henry II is crowned Henry III becomes
Tower of London king he also rules king of England
half of France aged nine

AD 43 410
4101066
Medieval Britain
10661485
t have let
I migh , but dont allace
on W
paint illiam .
face- ou, I am W ave knight
This statue at the Bannockburn Heritage ool y d br ay
that f e fierce an e of you m
14851603
Centre celebrates King Roberts fight for
Scottish independence th ugh som iliar with e
Altho ore fam ayal of m
be m ns portr t.
ibso ear
Mel G in Braveh
Scottish
16031714
independence
Edward, John, Robert, William, Roberts grandson Robert, Edwards son
Edward, and his son Edward all battled it out to be king of Scotland
17141837
In 1290 Queen Margaret of Scotland died returned to Scotland and beat
without leaving an heir. Fearing civil war, Wallace at Falkirk. Fighting continued
the Scottish nobles asked King Edward I of until Wallace was captured and executed
England to choose which of the claimants in 1305.
should be king of Scotland. Edward chose
John Balliol over Robert Bruce, but only A new generation
after Balliol had sworn to recognise Edward In 1306, a new rising began led by Robert
18371901
as Lord Paramount. When Edward began Bruce, grandson of the Bruce rejected as
giving orders to Balliol, the new king of king by Edward I. Bruce was crowned King
Scotland raised an army. Edward invaded of Scotland and began a campaign to wear
and defeated Balliol at the battle of Dunbar. down the English forces. In 1314 at
Edward now declared that he was the new Bannockburn, Bruce defeated King Edward
ruler of Scotland. II of England. In 1328 Edward III agreed to
the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton
Defying the crown which recognised Robert Bruce as king of
1901present
In 1297, a series of rebellions against an independent Scotland. This wasnt the

English rule broke out. These came to be end of the story though, as there was a
led by a knight named William Wallace who second war of independence from 1332 to
defeated the English at Stirling Bridge on 11 1357, and intermittent warfare throughout
September in 1297. The next year Edward the later Middle Ages.
QUICK QUIZ: What year were
d?
10661485 surnames introduced in Englan
Medieval Britain Find answer on p45...
Knights in ur
o
shining armed armour
meant it was easy to start civil wars and merchants and ialis grew in importance
had spec igh up
resulted in instability. mercenaries tended to Knights th at could we during this period.
ting ou r
Farmers were granted their own land operate outside this for jous la r co m bat arm Throughout the
Regu r to
near their village, and in return they had to service culture. In the to 50kg. g h te r and easie Middle Ages
h li
work on the lords land for a set number of early part of the period, was muc t e v en that c
ould
manufacturing and trading
, b u
move in kg.
days per year. Free men and women could very few people worked in weigh 20 increased in importance.
choose which lord to serve and could move these industries, but by the More and more people left
from one village to another. The lowest class, end of the Middle Ages it was working on the land to live in towns
serfs, were not able to do this. They were tied much more common and they became and earn a living making things. This
to their home village. Serfs were not able to quite wealthy. By the late 15th century a process increased after the Black Death
move, marry or give their land to a child few merchants were as rich as the when feudalism began to break down and
without the permission of their lord. In the wealthiest noblemen. Britain adopted an economy based on
early Middle Ages there were many slaves In 1067 towns were small and relatively money instead of one based on service.
in England, up to 10 per cent of the unimportant. Gradually the towns grew in Because the church owned large estates,
population. The number of slaves declined size and number. Charters given to a town bishops and abbots were often treated as
sharply after 1100 as the church led a by the king would give the town important nobles. They did not perform military
campaign to have slaves made into serfs. rights in return for cash payments to the duties, but hired other men to do it for
crown. The wool trade grew to be very
The rise of industry important, bringing much wealth into
Not everyone earned their living from the England by the 15th century. Other trades,
land of course: people such as blacksmiths, such as tin mining and iron smelting also
Owain Glyndwr
^
The man responsible for driving the English out of Wales
and then letting them back in again
By the late 12th century, much of south Glyndwr defeated an English army at the
Wales was under Anglo-Norman control, battle of Hyddgen and, by 1404, had
while north Wales was divided among largely driven the English out of Wales.
several Welsh princes. One of their
number, Llewellyn ap Gruffudd, achieved Back under English control
superiority among the Welsh princes in In 1407, Prince Henry (later King
the mid-13th century, but in 1277, Henry V) began the reconquest of
Englands Edward I attacked him, after a Wales. He used the English navy to
perceived slight. The English military was stop French ships bringing guns and
overwhelming and within a couple of other weapons to Glyndwr. He then
ALAMY X2, WIKIPEDIA (SELBY MAY), GETTY X2
years, Wales was under English control. adopted a slow strategy he took one
In 1400, Welsh nobleman Owain town or castle at a time, clearing the
Glyndwr lost a legal dispute with English surrounding land of men loyal to
nobleman Baron Grey de Ruthyn. It turned Glyndwr before moving on to the next.
violent and, on 16 September, Glyndwrs In 1412, Glyndwr led a successful
supporters declared him to be prince of ambush of an English force at Brecon.
Wales, since he was descended from the After this, he vanished into the hills and Owain Glyndwr ^ was the last native Welshman
old royal family of Powys. In June 1401, was never seen again. to claim the title prince of Wales
Timeline
13061485
1346
Edward III invades
France and defeats
1356
Edward the Black
Prince captures the
1381
The Peasants
Revolt is eventually
Philip VI king of France defused by Richard II
1306 1348 1377

Robert the Bruce leads The Black Death Edward III dies and
Scottish rebellion and reaches England is succeeded by
is crowned king Richard II

Bonjour!
I am a fearl
ess warrior
wants to c who 10661485
Although I a onquer the world.
m
I am rarely the king of England, Medieval Britain
there. You c
in my chate an find me
au in
fighting my France or
bigge
foe, Saladin st
.
AD 43 410
Richard
the Lionheart
Richard I was known as the
Lionheart because he was
4101066
such a fearless warrior. He
spent most of his time in
France, ruling the Angevin There are
empire, and was one of the only four
surviving copies
commanders of the Third of the 1215
Medieval Britain
Crusade (118992). Their Magna Carta
10661485
aim was to reclaim the holy
land from the Muslim Magna Carta
warrior, Saladin. This ancient document meant even kings had
to obey the law, or face the consequences
14851603
In 1199, John became king of England. He proved to
be a hard working king, good administrator and
successful general. However, he was also cruel,
unreliable and vindictive towards those who
disagreed with him. In 1215, many barons, merchants
and churchmen raised an army to oppose Johns
behaviour and high taxes. They forced John to agree
to a Great Charter (Magna Carta in Latin), which John
16031714
sealed at Runnymede, in Surrey, on 19 June. Magna
Carta repeated several older laws that John had
been ignoring. These included habeas corpus, that
nobody could be put in prison without a fair trial, and
The Third Crusade won many victories but legal protection for widows and heiresses.
failed to recover Jerusalem. On Richard Is The most important new rule in Magna Carta was
return to England he was captured and that even the king had to obey the law. Each
handed over to Emperor Henry IV who subsequent ruler agreed to Magna Carta, or to a
demanded a large ransom.
1714 - 1837
similar document, for
generations. Most of the
clauses in Magna Carta
CAUGHT RED-HANDED refers to were repealed during

the 19th and 20th
ntury.
poachers in Scotland in the 15th ce centuries. Only three
s,
They would have blood on their hand
clauses remain in
force including
.
which would be proof of their crime
1837 - 1901
habeas corpus.
1396 1453 1476 1485

Richard II marries Bordeaux falls to the William Caxton sets Battle of Bosworth
1901present
Princess Isabella of French ending the up a printing press Henry Tudor defeats
France, who is six Hundred Years War at Westminster Richard III
1387 1400 1460 1483

Chaucer begins The Owain Glyndwr^ Richard of York is Edward IV is succeeded
Canterbury Tales starts a rebellion defeated and killed at by Edward V who is
against England the battle of Wakefield deposed by Richard III

The Black
Death ny people,
It came from the continent, killed ma
in society
and helped bring about big changes
of
a Black Death got to London, Robert
In 1346 rumours reached Europe of on cler k, rem arke d:
g large Avesbury, a Lond
terrible disease that was killin ked for deat h were scar ce
Asia . The dise ase Those mar
numbers of people in or
and permitted to live longer than three
became known as the Black Death ne,
people right acro ss Euro pe, four days. It showed favour to no-o
killed man y the wea lthy. On the
except a very few of
Asia and Africa. 20, 40 or 60 bodi es, and on
same day
occasions many more, might be
Spreading through Europe
the committed for burial together.
In 1347 the disease reached Caffa in
to Sicily by By 1351 the first attack of the
Crimea, from there it spread
year it had reac hed plague was over. However, the
ship. By the end of the
and Fran ce, arriv ing in disease returned several times.
Italy, Spain
These returns stopped the
England in June 1348 and reaching
le at population of Europe from growing
Scotland and Ireland by 1350. Peop
rsta nd how the as fast as it otherwise would have
the time did not unde in the
done. Not until the plague vanished
disease spread, so they could not take the popu latio n of
agion. 17th-18th century did
effective measures to stop the cont Europe recover to The spread of the
We now know the the level that it had
disease was A high percentage of been in 1346.
Black Death
caused by the The Black Death is thought to
bacteria Yersinia people who caught The impact have started in Asia and
pestis, which is
usually spread by the disease died on society
The massive death travelled along the silk road
bites from In the
infected rat fleas, but which can be
spread toll had profound effects on society.
reak of
to the Crimea. From there it
short term ther e was an outb
by coughing up blood.
religious fervour. People thought the
was carried to Europe by the
The symptoms of the plague began ans fleas on black rats that lived
in the plague was sent by God to punish hum
with pus-filled growths or buboes (they were not
and arm pits. The bubo es were for their sins. In Europe on board merchant ships.
groi n, neck called
that known in Britain), groups of people
followed by a high fever and a rash s travelled arou nd whip ping
kles . The patie nt then flage llant
looked like dark frec ess
, often brin ging up bloo d. themselves and others in order to expr
began vom iting the long er term the
toes wou ld often turn blac k repentance for sins. In
Fing ers and to the grad ual
fall in populatio n led
and fall off.
collapse of feudalism. A social and
d on
economic system that had been base
A speedy death s chan ged to one
le service and obligation
The plague could be spread by peop
of whic h land ed that was far more based on mutual
coughing up blood, flecks
d com e so quic kly agreements and cash payments.
on others. Death coul
that a person might collapse and die
without suffering any of the usual
le
symptoms. A high percentage of peop
ase died , usua lly
who caught the dise
within seven days, though some died
within a few hours. When the

10661485
Medieval Britain
as the epidemic spread
AD 43 410
ied neatly in graves, but
Initially, bodies were bur hap hazard ly into mass graves
wer e thrown
out of control, corpses
4101066
Medieval Britain
10661485
14851603
s
Flagellaenretligious The Black Death sw
ept through London
indiscriminate of wh ,
pe, thes ue
o it infected
In Euro the plag
atic s believed m G od.
fan
n ish m ent fro
u s
was a p mselve 0 the Black Death caused
ping the se God Between 1348 and 135
16031714
By whip pp ea arrived on British shores
ped to a fear and death when it
they ho be spared
.
and so
17141837
18371901
THINKSTOCK X4, CORBIS, GETTY, ALAMY X5, DREAMSTIME
1901present

b o d y o f Ric hard III
The iscovered
Wars of the Roses wa s r e c e n t ly d
park in
beneath a carwas buried
Leicester. He nds tied.
This famous conflict raged for 30 years and resulted in Henry Tudor with his ha
taking the crown and marrying Edward IVs daughter
England and Wales were torn apart by a In 1460, the Lancastrians killed York at the Edward V and his brother to live in the
civil war that lasted over 40 years, from battle of Wakefield. Yorks son, Edward Tower of London. The boys later vanished
1455 to 1497. Thousands died, trade was Earl of March, now declared himself to be and their fate remains a mystery.
disrupted and the crown changed hands King Edward IV. He crushed the Two years after Richard took the throne,
several times. Lancastrians at the battle of Towton. This Lancastrian nobleman Henry Tudor hired
King Henry VI was a weak and was the largest battle ever fought on mercenaries, landed in Wales and
ineffectual ruler. He allowed his wife, English soil with about 80,000 men summoned all those opposed to Richard to
Margaret of Anjou, and his friends to help involved, of whom 20,000 were killed. join his army. On 22 August 1485, Henry
themselves to government money and Tudor defeated and killed Richard at the
to give well paid jobs to themselves. King Edward battle of Bosworth. Henry became King
Discontent grew, led by the Duke of York. Edward IV ruled England well, but he fell Henry VII and founded the Tudor dynasty.
In 1455, York raised an army, captured out with both the Earl of Warwick and his The fighting did not end with Bosworth.
the king and then made himself head own younger brother, George Duke of The Yorkists tried to organise several
of government. Clarence. In 1470, Warwick and Clarence rebellions that led to
organised a rebellion that put Henry VI further fighting, but
Yorkists v Lancastrians back on the throne. Edward returned the none of them were
Supporters of the Duke of York became following year. Warwick was killed in successful. The
known as Yorkists and used a white rose as battle, while Clarence and Henry died in new Tudor rulers
their badge. Those supporting Henry and prison soon afterwards. were firmly
Margaret were named Lancastrians Edward was now secure on the throne in control.
because Henrys grandfather had been the and ruled until his death in 1483. Edward
Duke of Lancaster. The Lancastrians used left the crown to his eldest son, Edward V. Henry Tudor returned
a number of badges, one of which was a red But within a few months, Edward IVs from 14 years of
rose. Later historians dubbed the wars that brother Richard of Gloucester took the exile in France to
claim the crown
followed the Wars of the Roses. throne as Richard III. Richard sent young

gland
QUICK QUIZ: Which queen of En ring her
never set foot in the country du .. 10661485
reign? Find answer below. Medieval Britain
AD 43 410
them. The church had its own system of respect for it. So as the period progressed, its England also fought a series of wars
law and justice, its own taxes and its own independence was eroded: from the 13th against France. Their possessions in France
parliaments. Clergymen could not be tried century onwards, for example, the church led to frequent disputes and small scale wars
by royal courts, but only by church courts. was drawn into making grants of taxation as the English kings squabbled with French
Many church lands were exempt from to the king on a regular basis. kings over ownership of Normandy, Anjou,
royal taxation. So although the Throughout the Middle Aquitaine and other valuable provinces.
earlier medieval church was
highly-regulated, the rules Joan of Arc claim e d
Ages, England was the
largest state in Britain. In
King John was notably unsuccessful in his
dealings in France, losing much of the land
were set by itself rather than e asant who fact, under Henry II in he had inherited on the continent, and
4101066
nc h p J oa n
A Fre ance,
by the king. This meant ha ve d ivine guid v er a l the 12th century, eventually angering his nobles so much that
that the church could
to
e F r e n ch to se e England was part of the they invited Prince Louis of France to
led th ring th
concentrate on its tasks of tan t v ic tories du a s Angevin empire, which become king of England (Johns death in
impor r. She w
worshipping God, helping nd re d Y ears Wa th e stretched from Britain 1216 prevented that from happening).
Hu e at
the stak
the poor and educating burnt at .
through France and right
children without worrying age of 19 down to the Pyrenees. The Hundred Years War
about the need to keep a king English kings were richer and In 1328 King Charles IV of France died
Medieval Britain
10661485
happy (though kings allowed this more powerful than any other without children. French law said the crown
state of affairs to exist). rulers. Slowly they sought to increase their could go only to a man. The French nobles
In the early Middle Ages the church was power over the rest of the British Isles. By claimed this meant the new king should be
highly respected and most people the end of the Middle Ages, Wales was being Charless cousin, Philip. But King Edward
supported church independence. In the ruled from England (after the conquest of III of England was the son of Charless sister
later Middle Ages the church became Edward I), as were some areas of Ireland, Isabella. The English said that this meant
disunited and several scandals undermined while Scotland remained independent. Edward should rule France, although
Isabella could not. War broke out between
14851603
Edward and Philip in 1337. The war would
last until 1453 and became known as the
Hundred Years War. Although the English
won some spectacular victories at Crcy,
The Angevin Poitiers and Agincourt, the French
empire eventually won the war. England was left
owning only the city of Calais.
Henry II became king of
England at 21, but he was
16031714
already an experienced
leader having been Duke of
Normandy since he was 17.
During his lifetime, he
ruled the Angevin Empire,
17141837
which was then passed on to
his son Richard I and then
younger son John.
There were many battles throughout the Hundred
Years War, including this one at Crcy
For more about Medieval Britain,

visit www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/
18371901
10
middle_ages/
TOP
ME DIEVAL
1 Trepanning: making holes in the skull 6 Opening cupboards: encouraged childbirth
2 Confessions: to cure the plague 7 Clysters: used to insert medicine into the anus
ME DICAL
3 A knife: forced into the eye to cure cataracts 8 Hot irons: used to treat hemorrhoids
ALAMY X3, DREAMSTIME, GETTY
1901present
4 Unclean tubes: unblocked bladders 9 Spoon: used to remove arrowheads

S
TREATMENT
5 Bloodletting: to balance the body fluids 10 Dwale: potion that did more harm than good
through the generations. Quiz answer p45: Berengaria of Navarre, who was Richard the Lionhearts wife. She only came to England after his death.
Quiz answer p40: 1066 the Normans introduced surnames after their conquest. Initially, they changed frequently but gradually they began to stick and get passed down

10661485
Medieval Britain
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
Mysterious clans of knights, resplendent jewels, rugged castles and
history come
alive!
cryptic carvings. The medieval world comes alive on these days out...
ghts Templar MEDIEVAL SECTION, V&A

Do the secrets of the Kni
lie in the carvings of Rosyton Cave? 3 ROYSTON CAVE 4 MUSEUM LONDON
HERTFORDSHIRE Visit one of Britains most prestigious
This man-made cavern in the shape of a museums to see its bursting medieval
beehive is believed to have once been visited section. A dazzling jewellery section,
by the mysterious and intriguing Knights along with sculptures, paintings and
Templar. Carvings and symbols only begin music, means there is something to
to hint as to what really happened there. please everyone.
Melbourn Street, Royston, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
Hertfordshire SG8 7BZ 020 7942 2000
01763 245484 www.vam.ac.uk
www.roystoncave.co.uk Open daily 10am5.45pm (10am
Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays 10pm Fridays)
2.30pm5pm. Also Bank Holiday Mondays. Admission free
Adult ticket 5.00
CASTLE RUSHEN Child ticket 1.00 enactments
1 usades-era re
Enjoy the Cr ge
ISLE OF MAN at Cosmesto
n Medieval Vi
lla
One of the best-preserved medieval castles
in Europe is home to figures in period
costume, historical furnishings and wall
hangings, realistic food and contemporary COSMESTON
music. With panoramic views from the 5 MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
castle, this is a beautiful day out. GLAMORGAN
Castletown, Isle of Man IM9 1LD Arguably the best medieval
01624 648000 reconstruction site in Britain,
www.visitisleofman.com/placestovisit/ Cosmeston includes a Reeves house, a
heritage/castlerushen.xml pub, medieval gardens and a
Open daily 10am4pm (5pm, swineherds cottage, complete with
JuneSeptember) pigpen. Only discovered in the 1980s, it
Adult ticket 6.00 has been lovingly restored to resemble
Child ticket 3.00 the old village, which was constructed
around a fortified manor house built by
GOODRICH CASTLE the De Costentin family in the early 12th
2 HEREFORDSHIRE century. The De Costentins were
The castle is considered by historians to Norman knights who had arrived with
ALAMY X6, WIKIPEDIA, VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON
be one of the best examples of English William the Conqueror. The village was
military architecture. See the cannons that used for the BBC TV series Merlin. Take
eventually led to its capture and marvel at an independent walk around or visit for
the medieval living quarters. one of its special events.
Castle Lane, Goodrich, Ross on Wye, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan CF64 5UY
Herefordshire HR9 6HY 029 2070 1678
01600 890538 www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/ cosmeston
properties/goodrich-castle Open daily 10am5pm (4pm, October
Acorns were gathered
Open daily 10am5pm (6pm, April March) in November, ready to
for the villages pig
use its meat in winter
September) Admission free 10am12pm, then
Family ticket 20.00 (2 adults, adult ticket 4.00, child ticket 3.00
up to 3 children)
1
4
2

47
Medieval Britain
10661485
Medieval Britain
1901present 18371901 17141837 16031714 14851603 10661485 4101066 AD 43 410
Almshouses in Stratford-upon-Avon.
These were built in the 15th century
ALAMY
by the Guild of the Holy Cross to act

as homes for the elderly

14851603
Early
Modern
Famous figures such as Henry VIII and
Elizabeth I dominate this period, when
great changes were afoot in almost
every aspect of life and society
AT A GLANCE
Henry VIII
p50
and his wives
Mary, Queen
p51
of Scots
William
p52
Shakespeare
The Spanish
p53
Armada
Conquering
p54
the seas
The Reformation p56

QUICK QUIZ! Which Tudor
e
14851603 monarch played the lute and th
Early Modern harp? Find the answer on page 57
T
HIS PERIOD is perhaps most realm should never again be torn part by
famous for the dynasty that dynastic wars such as the Wars of the Roses.
ruled in England, Wales and They overhauled government with a view to
Ireland from 1485 to 1603: the centralise power and to curb the influence
Tudors. Scotland remained an independent of overmighty nobles. However, many
kingdom throughout these years. When the scholars now actually believe that the
last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, died in nobility was almost as strong in 1603
1603, the crown of England as it had been in 1485.
passed to her cousin James VI
p
Wales on to
of Scotland who thus also Power shift Divorced, beheaded, died,
first divorced, beheaded, survived
became James I of n o f th e There were economic
accessio ed that
would you take those odds?
England. In this way, the With the o b se r v developments under the
g, it was e said to
entire British Isles came Tudor kin y no w b Tudors too. Englands
h ma
under the control of the
same monarch for the
the Wels
have rec
ove r
dence, fo
ed th e
r th
ir forme
e m o st
r growing wool trade had
wise been bringing prosperity to Henry VIII
first time in history.
By the time Henry VII
became the first Tudor
indepen
an d fo r tu
is a We
n ate
ls h
Henry VII
m a n .
the country for some
generations, but during the
early Tudor period it became
and his wives
King of England in 1485, increasingly important accounting Marrying this king was
Britain was starting to undergo dramatic for 90 per cent of all exports at its height. a risky business
changes. These developments would International trade also boomed, as new
continue over the following centuries, and types of ship were developed that made King Henry VIII knew that if he did not
by the end of the dynasty, people would lead long-distance trade more possible. produce an heir, England might
very different lives from those living under An important innovation was the collapse into civil war. His first wife,
the earliest Tudor sovereigns. joint-stock company, today better known as Catherine of Aragon, gave him a
ALAMY X4
In England, King Henry VII and his son a limited company. This allowed a group of daughter, later Mary I. But Henry
Henry VIII were determined that their merchants to each invest a fixed sum of wanted a son. Henrys marriage to
Catherine was declared invalid and, in
1533, he married Anne Boleyn, who
gave birth to another girl, Elizabeth.
Henry believed that Anne would give
him no more children, and in 1536, she
was accused of having been unfaithful
The Golden Hinde to the king and was executed. A third

wife, Jane Seymour, produced the
Sir Francis Drakes flagship much wanted son, Edward, but died
galleon, the Golden Hinde, within days of giving birth. Henrys

fourth wife was Anne of Cleves, but
charted the course for Henry annulled his marriage to her
British history. Home to a within days. At the age of 49, Henry
crew of over 70 and armed

next married Catherine Howard, who
was just 17. After only a year of
with cannons, the vessel was marriage, Catherine, like Anne, was
not only intended to sail

accused of adultery and executed.
The following year Henry married
around the globe, it was Catherine Parr, who was 31 years
also essential for Drakes old and had twice been widowed.
Henry died four years later, leaving
raids on the Spanish. Catherine a widow once more.
of a number of
The Golden Hinde II one
Tudor galleon can
reconstructions of the
rie Dock, London
be seen at St Mary Ove
Timeline
14851534
1502
Henry VIs successor
dies, leaving the
1521
Henry VIII is named
defender of the
1534
Act of Supremacy is
passed in Parliament
throne to Prince Henry faith by Pope Leo X
1485 1509 1533

Henry Tudor wins the Henry marries Elizabeth is born
battle of Bosworth Catherine of Aragon to Henry VIII and
and becomes king Anne Boleyn

ar ys e xe c ut ion was
M it took
n ot c l e a n
the
two strikes ofaxe to
executionerser neck.
AD 43410
cut through h
4101066
10661485
Early Modern
- 1603
14851603
1485
Found guilty of plotting to kill
Queen Elizabeth, Mary was
beheaded at Fotheringhay
16031714
Castle, Northamptonshire
Mary, Queen of Scots

14 - 1837
Marys life was full of drama, with murder, marriage and treason in the plot
Born in 1542, Mary Stuart became Queen that forced Mary to abdicate in favour of her Babington. The
of Scotland at the age of just six days. son James. Moray then became regent. correspondence
The young queen was sent to France when showed them
just six years old and Scotland was ruled by Family politics plotting to murder
her mother, Mary of Guise. In 1558, Mary Mary fled south to England where she Elizabeth. After a
01
married Prince Francis, who became king hoped her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, would trial, Mary was
of France the following year. Francis died lend her an army with which to regain the executed for
18 months into his rule, and Mary returned Scottish throne. Elizabeth, however, had a treason in
to Scotland to take over the government problem. The marriage of her father Henry February 1587.
from her brother. VIII to her mother Anne Boleyn was invalid
Mary married her cousin, Lord Darnley, according to Catholic law. The true
but the marriage was unhappy. In 1567, the monarch of England, in Catholic eyes, was
Some argue that
house where Darnley was staying was Mary. Elizabeth ordered that Mary be given
Mary was an
blown up and he was killed. It was widely comfortable lodgings befitting a queen, but ambitious leader,
thought that the murder was carried out by to be kept under armed guard. In 1586, the others, an
James, Earl of Bothwell. Just three months English spymaster Lord Walsingham immature one
later, Mary married Bothwell. The Scottish intercepted letters between Mary and a
nobles were outraged and led a rebellion Catholic plotter named Sir Anthony
XXX
14851603
Early Modern
money in a particular venture, such as a rich and powerful multinational businesses VIII passed a series of laws that established a
merchant voyage. If the venture succeeded, within a few years. formal system of government over Wales.
each person took a share of the profits, but if In the later Tudor period, the population The local lords were stripped of powers,
it failed the participants lost only what they grew rapidly. This led to shortages of good which passed to the government. For the
had agreed to put in. The Muscovy farming land in the country, so many rural first time, the Welsh could elect MPs to sit in
Company, formed in 1555, and the East families moved to towns and cities to look the English parliament, and the border was
India Company, formed in 1600, became for work. This rapid urbanisation caused a legally established. Laws that discriminated
fall in wages and an increase in poverty. In against the Welsh were repealed and the
time, the continuing growth of trade and counties of Wales were put on an equal
prosperity would rectify the situation, but footing with those of England. Less
this process was not firmly in place by the welcome in Wales, was the fact that English
end of the Tudor period. became the official language to be used in all
legal and government documents.
House rules
Wales had for centuries been ruled by the Changes in Ireland
Kings of England (ever since the In Ireland, the political and
conquest of Edward I). It wasnt social conditions were
until the Tudors (a dynasty that a g , but put yet more confused.
had Welsh origins), that the Not to br hand and I The kings of
my
relationship between a quill in phrase master. England had, for
the .
England and Wales was become be kind mine some generations,
.
At the Guildhall in Lavenham, Suffolk, you can find codified. Between 1535 Cruel to e chase mine . been using the
os in e
out about the history of the wool trade and 1542, King Henry Wild go d monster m title Lord of
eye ot
Green- is blind you g
Love
it, mine!
William Shakespeare
The bards poems and plays are even more popular today than
they were in his lifetime but who is the man behind the verse?
Born in 1564, William Shakespeare has Shakespeares writing is noted for its
long been recognised as the greatest strong portrayal of characters, its lyrical
playwright in English history. measure and poetic sound. It is generally
Shakespeare was born in Stratford- reckoned that his later works are
upon-Avon, to a prosperous family of superior to his earlier plays and that the
glove-makers and wool merchants. At the tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello and
age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway and Macbeth are among the greatest works
had three children. He moved to London in the English language.
some time between 1585-92 and became In 1623, most of Shakespeares plays
an actor and was soon writing plays and were published in a book named the
becoming part-owner of the theatrical First Folio. There have since been
company The Lord Chamberlains Men. At endless disputes about how accurate the
ALAMY X4
first, Shakespeare wrote comedies and First Folio is, whether other plays may
histories, but he later turned to tragedies. have been written by Shakespeare and
In 1613, he retired back to Stratford even if Shakespeare himself wrote the
and died three years later. plays that carry his name.
1542
Timeline
15361603
The battle of Solway
Moss. James V dies and
is succeeded by Mary,
1553
Lady Jane Grey ascends
the throne for nine days,
1569
Catholic nobility try
to overthrow
Elizabeth in the
Queen of Scots before being beheaded Rising of the North
1536 1547 1559

Dissolution of the Henry VIII dies and Elizabeth I is crowned
monasteries is put his son, Edward VI, queen regnant of
into action takes the throne England and Ireland

Out of the fire and into the storm
the Spanish were trapped by
extreme elements
Stage of change
AD 43410
In Elizabethan times, attitude
towards theatre changed from Bankside was
known as a de
n of iniquity
with brothels,
that of a disreputable pastime, and theatres ju
pubs, bear-bait
st outside the
ing rings
to a highly popular one. As
theatres were banned within the
city walls
The Spanish
Armada
4101066
capital citys walls, a thriving
scene grew just outside, in Bad weather and good luck led
Bankside where Shakespeares to victory in unlikely circumstances
Globe Theatre stands today. When Mary, Queen of Scots, was
executed, she left her claim to the
10661485
English throne to her cousin King
Philip II of Spain. Philip was the leading
Catholic monarch of Europe and he
resented the way England gave
support to fellow Protestants.
In 1587, Philip ordered that a vast
fleet sail to the English Channel,
smash the English navy and then
Early Modern
14851603
transport a Spanish army waiting in
the Netherlands to invade England.
When the Spanish fleet set sail it
numbered 130 armed ships. The
English fleet numbered 34 warships
with around 150 merchant ships
carrying some guns. For eight days in
July 1588, the two fleets fought a
16031714
series of battles as the Spanish sailed
Shakespeare and up the Channel. At midnight on 28 July,
his men put on plays the English sent fireships toward the
for Elizabeth I in her anchored Spanish fleet. The Spanish
palaces at Greenwich,
captains panicked and fled. A storm
seen here, and Whitehall
then scattered the Spanish across
the North Sea. Steady winds stopped
the Spanish returning to the
17141837
s plays Netherlands, so the commander, the
REWRITING HISTORY Shakespearetions, Duke of Medina Sidonia, ordered the
uta
sculpted many historical figures rep
Armada to sail back to Spain around
the north of Scotland. More storms
III is portrayed
sometimes detrimentally. Richard
battered the ships, already damaged
by English gunfire. In all, 63 ships
ile the Scottish
as a power-hungry child-killer, wh and 20,000 men were lost by the
n in his bed. Spanish, while the English lost only
king, Macbeth, murders an old ma
18371901
the fireships and about 100 men.
1585 1588 1595 1603

Elizabeth I signs the The English are The Nine Years War After a 44-year
1901present
Nonsuch Treaty, victorious against begins, against reign, Elizabeth dies

giving her support to the Spanish Armada English occupation of ill health
1586 1593 1601

Mary, Queen of Scots is tried Hugh Roe ODonnell The Earl of Essex attempts a
and executed for treason in leads an Irish rebellion coup against Elizabeth I. He is
1587 against English rule executed for treason

Tudor
seafaring
ploring
Between defending the nation and ex
portant
new frontiers, Tudor ships were all-im
nents
ships so that they could pound their oppo
During the 16th century, European on and gunfire, inste ad of
e seaw orthy ships with cann
were being built in new, mor so that they could boar d the
of navi gatio n were closing in
designs, and methods and
dly. This mad e long enemy vessel and fight with swords
improving rapi were first
pistols. The new tactics
voyages safer than ever before. ada,
deployed against the Spanish Arm
Fishermen would regularly sail the r beca me the mos t usua l
and and ther eafte
Atlantic to catch cod, while whalers e of the
red nort h to Gree nlan d. method of sea warfare. By the clos
sealers stee y
India Tudor period, the English Royal Nav
European merchants had reached hern Euro pean wate rs.
a. Now dominated nort
by sailing around the south of Afric
ng
they wanted to reach China by saili
around the nort h of Euro pe or
ry
Nort
VII
h
hire d
th e e a s y- to - grow,
When
Ame rica. In 1496 , King Hen
Italian sailor, John Cabot, to expl ore Nort h
io u s p o t at o arrived
nutrit
year , Cabo t
America. The following
reached Canada. In 1576, Sir Martin
ita i n , it c ha n ge d
Frobisher set out to sail to China. He
was
in B r ing
food and farmntly.
stopped by ice off Baffin Islan d and
d to
although he tried twice more, he faile
almost insta
a. In 1584 , Sir Walt er Rale igh
reach Chin
now
tried to establish a colony in what is
ough he
Virginia, North Carolina. Alth
to
brought potatoes and tobacco back
Britain, the colo nies failed.
Tudor monarchs realised that the
merchants, fishermen and English
coasts all needed
protecting from
enemy warships in Ships could
time of war. Henry
VII was the first
sail faster, turn
British monarch to quicker and carry
have a permanent
fleet of warships heavier guns
15 in all and he
established the
Royal Dockyards at Portsmouth. The
royal fleet was doubled by Henry VIII.
THINKSTOCK X2, CORBIS, PRESS ASSOCIATION, GETTY X2
e
Intelligent design Drak
I, Francis all the an
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth ! d h
Ahoy ve saile happier t ls.
l dock yards .I r w
Englands world-leading nava he re ne v e f bo
gn. They t Im me o pted
revolutionised wars hip desi
orld bu ying a ga a interru t be
invented the ship rig layout of sails
, w pla mad on
used for the next four when anish Ar they w n
h would be p c e i
whic
low, The S ame on hat again
centuries, and produced ships with y g g t
d sail faste r, turn
m doin a hurry!
sleek hulls that coul
l
quicker and carr y heavier guns. Nava
captains deve lope d nove l tacti cs with
re
their new ships. They would manoeuv

14851603
Early Modern
AD 43410
4101066
10661485
Raising the
After the Mary Rose san Mary Rose
raise it from the seabed, k, attempts were made to
bu
its wreck was rediscover t none succeeded. In 1971,
ed
salvaged in 1982. Man and it was successfully
reconstruction followed y years of painstaking
Early Modern
14851603
, and now
home at the Portsmouth the ship has a new John Cabot sets sail
from Bristol,
docks. seeking a sho rt rou te to China
th coa st of America
around the nor
16031714
17141837
!
Codtsrwetuarlnleodpfrom his
o
John Cab with a
America
voya to
ge
the king
of old cod, and
load Spices
just 10.
Sir Walter Raleighs pla
ns to
start a colony in Virginia gave him d him a
ve earne
ended in failure would ha ward.
eater re
much gr
The Mary Rose sank during battle with the

French in 1545, after 34 years of service. About
500 crew members went down with the ship
During Marys short reign, many
Protestants were executed for their beliefs
ar y
came queen. M
, his Ca th ol ic sister Mar y be ath, th e old faith
1553 t, with her de
The Reformation
th ol icis m , bu me to the
reintroduced Ca ce more. Whe
n Elizabeth ca
ln er ab le on e fo rm of
was left vu e moderat
15 58 , sh e in troduced a mor pe op le as
throne in w as many
es tant ism th at aimed to allo ga nisa tion that her
Prot
ce pt th e na tional church or
possible to ac
ifted across father had deve
loped. oroughly.
ds Catholicism sh later, but more th
As attitudes towar roug hout Britain Scotland beca
me Prot es ta nt
land as early
, so too did they change th ga n to be di scussed in Scot s
Europe Lutheran idea
s be s that the idea
consequences t until the 1540
with often bloody as the 1520s, bu t it w as no
d ken seriously.
n Luther challenge began to be ta
17 , a Ge rm an m onk named Marti
In 15 nt lifestyles of
e Pope, the opule an, John Knox
,
the authority of th ch ing s of the Catholic chur
ch Preaching a ri
ot
estant clergym
veral tea ry Pr ot w ns
churchmen and se fol low er s In May 1559, th e fie
ed a riot. Th e to
d on Biblical texts.
Hi s
on in Perth that caus hi ch
that were not base s, be ca use they proteste
d preached a se rm
e pillaged by th
e m ob , w
ow n as Pr ote stant o priories wer estant mobs
beca m e kn church and tw d gl ass. Pr ot
against the Pope. s and staine nd, forcing the
e of the ongoing smashed statue central Scotla
VIII took advantag ss
In England, Henr y of a new form of erupted in to w ns ac ro
t. By July, Knox
was
make himself head en t army to retrea
religious debate to re m oving power Catholic go ve rn m
ise lead to m ob s
nit y th e Church of England

g in Ed in bu rgh, which likew ot tis h
Ch ris tia hop Cranmer of preach in In 1560, the Sc
is enabled Archbis olic churches.
from the Pope. Th ge to Catherine of smashing Cath that fully establ
ished
re Henr ys marria th re e law s
Canterbury to decla d refused to do. parliament pa ss ed
d in 15 33 , which the Pope ha as the religion
of
Aragon inv ali
e monasteries so
as Protestantism
y de cided to dissolve th l pe op le w er e
In 15 36 , He nr s. In York shire, Scotland. Loca
h into his own hand t the sorts of
to divert their wealt to de m an d that the allowed to ad op
gather ed ls that they
40,000 armed men ted, and that the prayers an d rit ua
be lef t alo ne, that taxes be lif ng in a more
monas ter ies
This Pilgrimage of wanted, resulti
n his religious reforms. Protestant faith
kin g ab an do
wake, Henr y adop
ted mixed form of
t down, but, in its
Grace was soon pu . than in Englan
d.
e religious policies
more conser vativ
dical
John Knox, a ra
nt clergyman,
Back and forth Protes ta
came king and in the
stant Edward VI be figure
was a key
In 1547, the Prote When Edward die
d in
Scottish Reform
ation
l radical reforms.
introduced severa
ost half
QUICK QUIZ! What caused alme 16th
of all accidental deaths in th 14851603
century? Find the answer below Early Modern
AD 43410
Ireland. However, the Lord of Ireland The government forcibly ordered the by which learnings from classical Greece
had only limited powers and did not rule in church to break from Rome and adopt and Rome were rediscovered anew). It was
the sense that the same monarch ruled in Protestant rituals. Most Irish people mandatory for the sons of landowners to
England or Wales. In fact their area of refused to accept this and continued to attend schools, and as a result, by the 1580s,
authority was geographically very limited to practice Catholicism, under the guidance Scotland had the best educated population
the area around Dublin. Elsewhere, power of their priests. The divide between those in Europe. The Scottish kings pushed hard
mostly rested with local noblemen, who who took on Protestantism and those who to increase their powers over the semi-
were often Gaelic chiefs as well. The Irish wished to continue to follow the Catholic independent clans and nobles of the
nobles fought private wars with each other, church set the tone for centuries of Highlands and islands. The efforts were
4101066
made treaties as they wished and lived by problems in Ireland thereafter. partially successful.
their own laws. Throughout the period, Scotland was The period starts and ends with a link
Ireland was strategically important to the ruled by the Stewart dynasty, as it had been between the Scottish and English thrones.
kings in England. The Tudor monarchs since 1371. In 1513, the Scottish king James In 1503, the Scottish king James IV married
sought to increase their powers in Ireland by IV and most of his nobles were killed at the Margaret, the daughter of the Tudor Henry
bringing the nobles under their control. In battle of Flodden during a disastrous VII. A century later, in 1603, it was James
1541, Henry VIII was declared King of invasion of England. Other wars and Margarets great-grandson, also
10661485
Ireland by the Irish parliament. Henry with England followed until James, who added the title of
promised the Gaelic chieftains that they 1547, causing bloodshed James I of England to his
could keep most of their powers and rights, and economic n ly ev e r talk existing one of James VI of
and a seat in the Irish House of Lords, if they damage. People o t that Im not Scotland, after the death of
e fa c t in
recognised the new system. He also granted Despite the about th , I am also fluen the childless Elizabeth I.
W ell ile d
the nobles grand titles such as Earl of wars, Scotland married. nguages, have fo the
sever al la nd s a nk
Tyrone for the head of the ONeill clan. became wealthier s plots a t
treasonou mada. Talk abou For more about
Henry then sought to convert the loose, and more ish A r !
Span ch ange the period, log onto
Early Modern
a
14851603
informal overlordship of the King of Ireland prosperous during THAT fo r www.bbc.co.uk/history/
into a centralised, effective monarchy like the 16th century. british/tudors
that of England. This led to a series of Many artistic, scientific
rebellions, wars and riots that rumbled on and cultural advances were
throughout the Tudor period. The religious introduced to Scotland as part
reformation in England spread to Ireland. of the Renaissance (the process
16031714
Courtly behaviour
In the hope of disguising their
true emotions, members of the
Tudor court would use polite,
respectful language with their
17141837
fiercest enemies. Right up until
Elizabeth ordered Mary, Queen
of Scots execution, she referred
to her as a beloved sister.
18371901
TOP 10 1 Scavengers daughter Ultimate body crusher 6 The rack The limb-stretcher extraordinaire
TORTURE
2 Denailing Pliers meet fingernails pliers win 7 Hot irons Feel the burn of the branding iron
3 Little ease A tiny room and days of mental agony 8 The brank Putting a clamp on wagging tongues
1901present
ME THODS
4 Manacles Speak, or get strung up by the wrists 9 The boot Breaks nearly every bone in the foot
ALAMY X2, THINKSTOCK
5 Torture chair Take a seat on 1500 spikes! 10 Thumbscrew Cracks a thumb like a brittle twig
Quiz answer p57: Drownings. Most people couldnt swim not great in a time when boats and water-powered factories were very important.
Quiz answer p50: Henry VIII the hunting, jousting, womanising king also had a gentle, musical side.

14851603
Early Modern
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
history come
alive!
Enjoy all the pomp and circumstance of life in early modern

Britain with these fun activities to see and do!
Canongate tollbooth MARGAM PARK THE ROYAL MILE

on The Royal Mile 3 PORT TALBOT 4 EDINBURGH
in Edinburgh acted
as the local jail
Visit this breathtaking Tudor-gothic Take a historical trip through the heart of
mansion and see how the other half lived. Edinburgh past Edinburgh Castle,
After a disastrous fire in the 1970s major Parliament Square and Queen Marys Bath
restoration was needed, but the original House where she bathed in white wine.
architecture and outbuildings still remain, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1
as does a rumoured ghost. www.royal-mile.com
Margam, Port Talbot SA13 2TJ Available to visit all year round
01639 881635 Charges apply to choices made on trail
www.margamcountrypark.co.uk
Open daily 10am4.30pm
Admission free
0m
oximately 23
uction is appr
This reconstr eatre
inal Globe th
from the orig
PEOVER HALL AND
1 GARDENS CHESHIRE THE GLOBE
This Tudor mansion has a regal feel, 5 LONDON
featuring magnificent stables and an The Globe theatre was originally built in
impressive moat. In the gardens are a 1599 but was destroyed by fire in 1613.
500-year-old oak tree and an avenue of Opened in 1997 and standing a few yards
peached limes. away from where the original theatre
Over Peover, Knutsford, Cheshire was first built is the Globe as it is today.
WA16 9HW The Globe exhibition and tour explore
01565 830395 the story of Shakespeare, the way he
www.tattonestate.com/peover-hall- lived and the theatre where his famous
gardens-park plays were first acted. Uncover the
Open Tuesdays and Thursdays, May tragic history of the original Globe
August, tours at 2.30pm and 3.30pm theatre and follow the reconstruction
Admission from 4 (children free) project that gives us the stunning
building that we can see today.
THINKSTOCK X5, DREAMSTIME, ALAMY, KIM TRAYLOR/WIKIPEDIA
HAMPTON COURT Or, if you really want to get the Tudor

2 PALACE SURREY theatre experience, book tickets to see
Henry VIII, the infamous serial husband, one of their many shows.
resided in the palace for most of his life. 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT
See the house that he spent 62,000 020 7902 1400
(equivalent of 18million) on and discover www.shakespearesglobe.com
the secrets, mysteries and myths behind Open daily, tours every 30 minutes
his lavish lifestyle. 9.30am5pm
East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU Family ticket for the exhibition and
020 3166 6000 tour (2 adults, up to 3 children), 41.00
Take a tour around the
www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace famous theatre
or treat yourself to a sho
w
Open daily 10am6pm
Family ticket 46.80 (2 adults, 3 children)

4
5
1

59
Early Modern
14851603
Early Modern
1901present 18371901 17141837 16031714 14851603 10661485 4101066 AD 43410
Inventions & discoveries
From flushing toilets to Shakespeare and steam engines, Britain has long been a land of invention
1075 1596
Tower of London Modern toilet
Now one of the biggest tourist attractions in Sir John Harrington,
700800 BC the UK, the Tower of London is first built as a also a writer,
Forts fortress stronghold in turbulent times. invents the first
Iron Age hill flushing toilet.
forts begin
to emerge 1589
across Britain. Knitting machine
William Lee invents a
knitting machine.
1702
First newspaper
The Daily Courant, the
worlds first regular
daily newspaper, is first
published on the 11th
March 1702.
150 BC 1131
1634
Coins Tintern Abbey
Sedan chair
Metal coins are The first abbey of its
Allowing
in use for the kind to be built in Wales,
passengers to sit on
first time. Tintern Abbey houses 1779
a covered bench and
c4500 BC Cistercian monks. Ironbridge
be transported by
Pottery two porters, the The first bridge
Early Britons sedan chair lets made of cast
begin to make aristocracy navigate iron is built,
simple items through the narrow during the
of pottery. streets quicker. industrial
revolution.
4000 BCAD 0 01500 15001800
1096 1476
Oxford Univeristy The printing press
The first university William Caxton
in Britain starts introduces the printing
educating students. press to the UK, and a 1728
year later the first dated Marine chronometer
book is printed. John Harrison invents
the first accurate
chronmeter, allowing
mariners to calculate
longitude while at sea.
c13001400
The hourglass
The hourglass
1599
becomes
The Globe
commonly used as a
The Globe theatre is built
reliable method of
as the professional home
measuring time
of William Shakespeare,
while away at sea.
c2500 BC probably the
Stonehenge most famous
The lintelled stone circle is playwright
erected. Work on the Wiltshire to ever live.
site took place in several
stages over hundreds, if not
thousands, of years.

1911 1958
1821 The Titanic Motorway
Electric Motor The building of the RMS Titanic is finished. The first section of
After years of experiments with A year later the unsinkable ship would motorway in Britain
electric power, Michael Faraday finally leave the dock at Southampton and sink on is opened. The M6
creates the first ever electric motor. her tragic maiden voyage. Preston Bypass paves
the way for a new
national high-speed
road network.
1829
Metropolitan 1845
Police Force London Road
Prime Minister Robert The Victorians
Peel is credited with begin replacing
creating the Met Police cobblestones with
1967
Force in London. tarmac the first road
BBC2
with this flat surface is
BBC2 becomes the
London Road in
first channel in Europe
Nottingham.
to start regularly
showing programmes
in colour.
1916
Tanks
A tank is used for
the first time in the
First World War, in
the battle of the
Somme in France.
1840
Postage stamp
The Penny Black stamp
is introduced. All post 1938
costs one penny and is Gas masks
paid in advance The first gas 1992
(previously it was 1864 masks are Text messages
paid on delivery). Jelly Babies distributed, a The worlds first
The first jelly babies portent of the SMS message is
are made in Lancashire. coming Second sent through the
World War. Vodafone network.
18001900 19002016
1940
Rationing
People are given ration
cards to determine how
much basic food they
1873 can have in a week. The 1981
Easter egg whole country gets Humber bridge
Bristolians were behind the war effort. The then-largest
blessed with the first single-span bridge
taste of a chocolate opens. The Humber
Easter egg thanks to bridge is 2,200m long.
Fry, Vaughan & Co.
1969
Concorde
Built jointly with France, the
1863 first supersonic jet Concorde
Football Association takes its maiden flight.
Ebenezer Morley forms
1838 the FA to create a
The bicycle standardised set of
1959
Originally known as a rules for the game.
The Mini
velocipede, the first For 496 (a whole years
pedal-driven bike is
THINKSTOCK X4, WIKIPEDIA X9, GETTY, CORBIS
wages for many) Brits can

invented by a Scotsman, buy a new Mini Cooper,
Kirkpatrick Macmillan. which rolls off the
production line for the
first time in August 1959.
XXX

The Civil Wars are
ALAMY
estimated to have cost the

lives of 190,000 people

16031714
The Stuarts
Bomb plots, plagues and city-destroying fires, the
time of the Stuarts saw a Scottish house rule Britain,
the murder of a king and bloody civil war...
AT A GLANCE
The Union
p64
of the Crowns
The
p65
gunpowder plot
Sir Isaac Newton p66
The Restoration p67
The
p68
Civil Wars
The Great Plague

and Great Fire of p70
London

16031714
The Stuarts
T
WO MAJOR CONTROVERSIES where favouritism flourished and
dominate the history of Britain corruption thrived but his government
in the 17th century. One was the never faced such danger again. The court
ongoing struggle between king of his son was less sexually scandalous James I was
also James VI
and parliament over who would hold the and less financially dubious but it was
of Scotland
reins of power. The other was the Charles I who lost his throne. His own
complicated religious quarrel defects of personality, and his
between those with differing
interpretations of the
determination to rule without
what he saw as the interference The Union of
ge! the Crowns
Dutch coura
Christian path to of parliament, led him into
redemption. Often the two n g war with his own subjects.
n reeli
elements were so closely 6 67 , w ith Londo , Religion was just one of
In 1 fire
gue and
woven together as to be from pla ailed up th e the battlegrounds on In 1707, England and Scotland finally
indistinguishable. h navy s d which Charles and his came together as a single state
the Dutc ary an d sta r te
James I, arriving in e s E stu a s opponents fought.
Tham ace w
London from Scotland as kin g s hips. A pe Although England and Scotland had
sin in July.
the successor to Elizabeth reached Religious divide shared a monarch since 1603, the two
I, soon had to survive a At one end of the religious countries were still separate states as
Catholic threat to his regime spectrum were the Puritans; at the the 18th century dawned. Attempts
in the shape of the gunpowder plot of other, Roman Catholics. The Puritans had been made to bring about a
1605. He went on to preside over a court were radical Protestants who felt that the parliamentary union in the previous
English Reformation had not gone far century but none had been successful.
enough and that the Church was still In 1706, powerful groups in both
contaminated by rituals and practices too nations had something to gain from
g o a l, S ir, is a close to Catholicism. During the reign of such a union. In England, the rule of
Our ht
o ne ! W e will fig ve James I and the early years of Charles Is Queen Anne would be consolidated
noble p reroga ti
e r o y al h and the succession of a Protestant
to limit th fend true Englis e member of the House of Hanover
an d to d e is, w e v
es! T o c larify th e guaranteed if Scotland could not
liberti rselves th
called ou heads. choose another monarch in the future.
Round North of the border, the Scottish
economy had been devastated by the
Darien scheme, an ill-fated attempt to
establish a colony in Central America,
and it would benefit from access to
English markets abroad. Negotiations
between English and Scottish
representatives began in April 1706.
Opposition to the union was strong,
both among the populace and in the
two parliaments, but the Act of Union
was finally passed in 1707. It
took effect on 1st May of that year,
abolishing the separate Scottish
parliament and making provisions
for Scots to return MPs to the
Westminster parliament and Scottish
peers to sit in the House of Lords.
Timeline
16031649
1605
The gunpowder plot
attempts to blow up the
1625
Charles I becomes
king, dispenses with
1649
Charles I executed
before a crowd at
king and parliament parliament in 1629 Whitehall
1603 1616 1642

Elizabeth I dies William The Civil Wars
and is succeeded Shakespeare begin. Charles I
by James I dies aged 52 flees the capital

Guy Fawkes, who
was born in York,
fought in the Eighty
AD 43410
Years War for Catholic
Spain against Dutch
Protestant reformers
before joining the
gunpowder plot
4101066
10661485
14851603
The actual le
a
gunpowder pder of the
Robert Cates lot was
b
to see a Cathyo, who wished
- 1713
16031714
The Stuarts
l
king of Engilc named
and.
1603
The gunpowder plot
Remember, remember the time a Catholic gang attempted to blow up James I... 17141837
In the early hours of the morning of 5th Fawkess capture got out, Robert Catesby, They were hanged, drawn and quartered
November 1605, soldiers acting on a tip-off the leader of the plot, fled London with a opposite the building they had tried to blow
searched the cellars under the House of handful of companions. On the run, they up. The gunpowder plot is remembered in
18371901
Lords in Westminster and found 36 barrels were finally cornered in Holbeche House in Britain every 5th November, which is still
of gunpowder hidden under piles of Staffordshire and, in the ensuing fight on called Guy Fawkes Night.
firewood and coal, and a man calling 8th November, Catesby and several other
himself John Johnson. His real name was conspirators were killed. Meanwhile,
rks
l the king to firewo
Guy Fawkes. He had been planning to blow Fawkes had been bravely resisting From a plot to kil os s Britain
dis pla ys all acr
up the building later that day, during the torture in the Tower of London, but
state opening of parliament, killing the his resolution had broken the day
king, James I, much of his family and most before the violence at Holbeche
1901present
of his ministers. Fawkes and his fellow House. He had told the authorities all
conspirators in the gunpowder plot he knew about the plot. In January
believed that this would pave the way for a 1606, eight of the surviving
popular uprising that would make England conspirators, including Guy Fawkes,
a Catholic nation once again. When word of were put on trial and found guilty.
XXX
QUICK QUIZ! How many
II
16031714 illegitimate children did Charles...
The Stuarts have? Find the answer on page 71
True Britths e last
were
The Stuarts er
use. Aft
rule, many saw Royal Ho from London taverns
themselves as an endangered British e , th e throne and the ranks of the
A nn
minority in English society. Queen ve rian kings New Model Army with
Ha n o
Some voted with their feet, passed to th e H ouse of notions of popular
to
or their sea-legs, and left for and then b urg. sovereignty, voting rights
Sa x e -C o
America to escape persecution. and the need for religious
The Pilgrim Fathers, who sailed tolerance. At a series of
from England on the Mayflower in debates in Putney Church in 1647,
1620, were only the most famous of these Leveller opinions were strongly expressed.
emigrants. In the course of the Civil Wars, One of their leaders, Thomas
many people who would earlier have been Rainsborough, provided an early but
described as Puritans came to wield power. somewhat eloquent expression of
One result was the suppression during democratic beliefs when he said that he The Mayflower took 102 Pilgrims to New England.
Cromwells rule of what was seen as the thought the poorest he that is in England Almost half the company died in the first winter
popish celebration of Christmas. hath a life to live, as the greatest he and
The Civil Wars and the Commonwealth every man that is to live under a radical ideas were frowned upon by
were years of intellectual ferment, rarely government ought first by his own consent Cromwells government in the 1650s, but
THINKSTOCK, ALAMY X2
equalled in British history. In what was, to put himself under that government. they were driven underground rather than
according to the title of a pamphlet of the The Diggers, under their leader Gerrard destroyed completely.
day, a world turned upside down, radical Winstanley, anticipated some of the ideas of No popery was a potent cry throughout
ideas, both religious and political, were both communism and the green movement, the century. In the 1630s and 1640s, much
allowed to flourish. The Levellers emerged when they briefly created a small agrarian of the Archbishop of Canterbury William
community near Weybridge in Surrey. Such Lauds unpopularity rested on the belief
Sir Isaac Newton

Removed from school by his mother so he might train as a farmer, Newton
returned to education and became one of the worlds greatest scientists
In the second half of the 17th century, an intellectual became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics,
revolution gathered momentum as developments in a post more recently held by Stephen
mathematics, astronomy, physics and other Hawking. He made advances in nearly every
disciplines marked the emergence of modern branch of science and mathematics but his
science. The Royal Society, founded in 1660 most influential work was his Principia
and granted a royal charter 18 months later, Mathematica, in which he stated his laws of
championed the new learning and made motion and his law of universal gravitation,
the polymath Robert Hooke its Curator of the foundation stones of classical mechanics.
Experiments. The greatest Often described as the greatest scientist of
representative of this scientific all time, Newton was modest about his own
revolution, however, was an eccentric, achievements, once writing that, I seem to
unsociable and occasionally have been only like a boy playing on the
quarrelsome genius named Isaac sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and
Newton. Born in Lincolnshire in then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier
Newton built the first reflecting 1642, Newton was educated at shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of
telescope and created a
Cambridge, where he truth lay all undiscovered before me.
universal law of cooling
Timeline
16501714
1651
Civil wars end and
Charles II flees for
1660
The Restoration as
Charles II returns
1666
The Great Fire of
London consumes
exile in France and is named king over 13,000 houses
1650 1658 1665

Charles II leads the Oliver Cromwell The Great Plague
Scots loyalists in an dies a year after of London kills
invasion of England refusing the crown 100,000 people
66 The Story Of Britain

s II
C harle in my
s have
King joke e
I am paniel e! I may disguis k
no s ea s in c
ba
and nce, pl Britain ed me
es e o m o m b y
pr run fr welc rance th.
t o ple in F pa
had he peo y exile s in my
t
but from m flower IELS!
g N
win SPA
Call the doctor! thro NOT
AD 43410
When Charles II had a fit while shaving in 1685, 14 top
doctors gave him an array of treatments including drawing
a pint of his blood, giving him a strong laxative, putting
plasters made from pigeon droppings onto the soles of his feet
and feeding him gallstones from the bladder of a goat.
4101066
He died two days later.
The
Restoration
10661485
The return of the king and
the end of Republicanism
Oliver Cromwell died at the

beginning of September 1658.
Those who tried to rule the
country after his death did not
14851603
have his abilities. Less than
two years later the English
experiment in Republican
government came to an end
the country had a monarch once
again. Charles II, who had fled
to France in the aftermath of the
battle of Worcester in 1651,
16031714
returned in triumph as king in
The Stuarts
May 1660. Landing at Dover on
the 25th of the month, he
entered London on the 29th, his
30th birthday. According to the
Charles II, unaided by his physicians, on his death bed at the Palace Of Whitehall, London diarist John Evelyn, the kings
path was strewed with flowers,
the bells ringing, the streets
1714 1837
hung with tapestry, fountains
ous
LARGE APPETITE? Charles II was fam
running with wine. Charles had
been obliged to make a number
them,
for having many mistresses. One of
of promises to ensure his return
and the support of George
Fubbs,
Louise de Keroualle, was nicknamed Monck, a general under
chubby. Cromwell, and his soldiers had
from an old English word meaning been essential. The monarchy
18371901
was restored.
1685 1688 1702 1711

The Duke of Monmouth The Glorious, or William III dies and New St Pauls
1901present
tries and fails to Bloodless, Revolution is succeeded by his Cathedral is

overthrow James II sees James II overthrown sister-in-law Anne declared complete
1685 1687 1689 1707

Charles II dies and Isaac Newtons William III and Mary The Act Of Union
his brother James II Principia states the II are crowned joint creates the Kingdom
takes the throne laws of motion monarchs of Great Britain
The Story Of Britain 67

The
Civil Wars
Crown vs. parliament, with three
kingdoms as the prize... n g a n d country s
For k i
outside the Banqueting House in inal C ivil W ar pamphlet
The term English Civil War is a
Whitehall. Later the same year, Crom
well These or ig
u per ts victory at the
R
tell of Prince e of Newark on 21st
le
misleading one. This was not a sing atch ed to Irela nd to subd ue that
les I and his Engl ish was desp
conflict between Char
parliament but a serie s of civil wars that country. His brutal campaign, invo
lving
ford , second sieg and of the kings
March 1644 the surrender of
massacres at Drogheda and Wex
had a major impact on all the countries r been forg otten by the
Wales, which have neve
ruled by the Stuart king England,
Scotland and Ireland. They bega n with the Irish, was soon over and he returned
to
conditions for May 1646.
Bishops War s of 1639 -40, in whic h face the threat to parliamentar y rule
offered by a new Newark in
Charles attempted alliance of Charles
unsuccessfully to Charles II famously II and the Scots. His
impose his own victories at Dunbar
ideas about hid in an oak tree to (1650) and
religion and the
role of bishops on evade his pursuers Worcester (1651)
soon put an end to
Scotland. His in an
tion it. Charles II, after famously hiding
defeat by the Scots weakened his posi uers , fled into
whe re his insis tenc e on his oak tree to evade his purs
in Engl and, inen t. Although mino r
was exile on the cont
own divine right to rule as he wished sing s cont inue d to occu r,
iame nt he was royalist upri
challenged by the parl .
mon. the Civil Wars were effectively over
obliged, for financial reasons, to sum
ront ation betw een the king and his
Conf
s
opponents culminated in both side
raising troops, and civil war cam e to
England.
PARLIAMENTARY DOMINANCE
Early battles, such as Edgehill in 1642
dly
were indecisive. The country was rapi
ed, with parliame nt hold ing Lond on
divid
e the king ,
and the east of England whil
rd, was stro nges t in
with his court in Oxfo
Nort h and the Wes t Cou ntry .
Wales, the
les and skirm ishe s took plac e and
Batt
towns and cities were besieged but
neither side could gain a decisive
of the
advantage. Only with the formation
NEWARK & SHERWOOD MUSEUM SERVICE, GETTY X2, ALAMY, WIKIPEDIA
Mod el Arm y and the rise to milit ary

New
well did the
prominence of Oliver Crom
inate.
parliamentar y troops begin to dom
ries at the batt les of Mar ston
Their victo
r (164 4) and Nas eby (164 5) force d
Moo
e talks and
Charles into surrender. Peac
negotiations repeatedly failed. War
ght
resumed in 1648 but was swiftly brou
an end whe n the New Mod el Arm y
to
s
over whelmed the English and Scot
. Char les was put on
Royalists facing them
ary 1649 , wea ring two shir ts A musket volley fired by Civil
trial. In Janu War re-enactors. Musketeers
he wou ld not trem ble with the cold
so that made up around two-thirds of
aded
and be accused of fear, he was behe infantry and wore no armour

Thomas Fairfax and his
subordinate, Oliver
Cromwell, rout the
Royalists at the battle of
Naseby, 14 June 1645
AD 43410
4101066
10661485
ended the siege at York,
The battle of Marston Moor
Rhine was defeated
where Prince Rupert of the
14851603
16031714
The Stuarts
17141837
18371901
w a x d e ath m a s k of
The e l l.
Oliver Cromwwere
1901present
Death masks ef figies

often used fornerals.
at state fu
emely
I am extr narrowly
to have f
relieved e Great Plague o ew!
d th . P h
survive ok 100,00 lives w I
at to as. N o
London th lose call that w emely
What a c erate in my extr
p
can recu ooden house on
dry w Lane.
Pudding
The fire destroyed the

medieval city of London within
the old Roman City Wall
The Great Plague and

Great Fire of London
Only a year after 15 per cent of Londons population was killed by bubonic
plague, 13,000 of the capitals houses were destroyed in a monstrous fire...
London faced two disasters in the 1660s. In Houses with the plague were marked alarming speed. The wind helped to create
1665, bubonic plague struck many of its with a red cross and could not be left. a firestorm, which began to sweep through
inhabitants. Fleas carried by rats brought Burial grounds were soon overflowing. the largely wooden buildings of the
the disease to the city. By the summer, With cries of Bring out your dead, men overcrowded city. Pulling down buildings in
thousands were dying every week. Those carted bodies to specially dug plague its path in order to create firebreaks did not
citizens who could do so left London. The pits where they were dumped en masse. at first succeed. Only when the winds
king travelled to the safety of Hampton and As many as 100,000 people may eventually began to die down and gunpowder from the
then Oxford. Most of the population, have died. Tower of London was used to make larger
particularly in the poorer areas of town Plague was followed the next year by gaps in the streets did the fire begin to
where conditions actively encouraged the another catastrophe. On Sunday 2nd abate. By the time it had been brought
spread of the disease, were given no September 1666, fire broke out in a bakery under some sort of control on Wednesday
option. They were forced to stay. belonging to a man named 5th September, it had destroyed St Pauls
Thomas Farriner. Farriners Cathedral, 87 parish churches and more
premises were situated on than 13,000 houses. The devastation was
e s pit e the e n ormous Pudding Lane, close to London enormous (London was, but is no more,
D the
Bridge. From there, the Great the diarist John Evelyn wrote) and yet,
destruction oof nly

Fire of London spread with astonishingly, only a handful of people died.
Great Fire, eaths

six verified dded.
were recor
XXX
s diarist
QUICK QUIZ! What did famoufore fleeing
be
Samuel Pepys bury in his garden er below... 16031714
the Great Fire? Find the answ The Stuarts
AD 43410
that his High Church policies were attempts to draw a line under many of the the habits of the nation tea was also
letting in Catholicism by the back door. constitutional disputes that had plagued the becoming popular. Sugar sweetened the
After the Restoration, Charles IIs reigns of earlier Stuarts. palates of the rich. Trade with distant parts of
government faced plenty of troubles. The In cultural and intellectual life, the 17th the world brought luxury consumer goods to
Great Plague was quickly followed by the century was also a time of creative upheaval. those who could afford them. The newspaper
Great Fire. Wars against the Dutch, which The scientific revolution was under way industry had its tentative beginnings in the
had begun under Cromwells regime, were and the Royal Society, founded at the pamphlets of The Civil War and the gazettes
renewed. However, perhaps Charless greatest Restoration, marked the beginnings of of the Restoration. The first London daily,
difficulties were caused by religious hatreds. modern scientific experimentation in The Daily Courant, was to roll off the presses
4101066
Britain. Its work may have seemed remote in 1702. During Queen Annes reign, as the
Popish paranoia from the lives of ordinary people, but political gains of the Glorious Revolution
Between 1678 and 1681, a hitherto the rebuilding of London after were consolidated, the chaos of the previous
obscure clergyman named the fire was largely century was over. A new Britain of trade and
crown
Cromwells
Titus Oates invented an undertaken by Royal empire was in the making.
entirely imaginary Popish Society members
omwell
Plot against the king, 16 5 7, Oliver Cr by Christopher Wren and
In rown
red the c
10661485
which threw London and w a s off e it y th is Robert Hooke. The
stabil
the court into a state of ent. The to theatre, popular with all
parliam app ea le d
paranoia. Charless country ed ranks of society in the
gave the tu ally he turn
position was not helped by bu t e ven Jacobean era, was
him down.
the fact that his brother the offer suppressed during the
James, next in line to the Commonwealth. It returned
throne, was an avowed after the Restoration as the St Michaels
Alley, Cornhill,
Catholic. When he became king, Jamess favoured entertainment of debauched was the site of
14851603
attempts to make life easier for his co- courtiers. In the second half of the century, Londons first
religionists led to his own overthrow and new places for men of the growing coffee house
the accession of his daughter Mary and her mercantile classes to gather and exchange
impeccably Protestant Dutch husband news and gossip developed. The first coffee
William. In the wake of what came to be house in London opened in 1652 in an alley
For more about the Stuarts visit
known by some as the Glorious Revolution, off Cornhill. By the 1670s, there were more www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/
the Bill of Rights (1689) and later the Act of than 3,000 throughout the country. Coffee civil_war_revolution
Settlement (1701) were largely successful was not the only drink to have an impact on
16031714
The Stuarts
Mutual monarchs
In 1689, William of Orange and his
wife, Mary II, were named joint
17141837
sovereigns at Westminster Abbey. Mary
had more entitlement to the throne than
her husband, but William wished to rule
in his own right and not be a consort.
18371901
TOP 10 1 Theory of gravity Isaac Newton 6 Discovery of cell biology Robert Hooke
SCIENTIFIC
2 Orbit of a comet Edmond Halley 7 The first laws of gases Robert Boyle
3 The circulatory system William Harvey 8 The Newtonian telescope Isaac Newton
1901present
S
DISCOVERIE
4 Infinitesimal calculus John Wallis 9 The marine barometer Robert Hooke
5 Theory of personal identity John Locke 10 Introduction of > and < symbols Thomas Harriot
3
1603-171
ALAMY X3
Quiz answer p71: He buried his papers, some wine and some Parmesan cheese before running from the flames.
Quiz answer p66: King Charles II supposedly had 17 illegitimate children, by eight different mistresses!

16031714
The Stuarts
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
history come
alive!
History comes alive when you explore key sites from the era of the
Stuarts. Here are five great days out of science, war and witchcraft
MARSTON MOOR MUSEUM OF LONDON

3 YORKSHIRE 4 LONDON
See for yourself where the biggest battle Visit the Museum of London and explore the
ever fought on British soil took place. Tens Great Fire of London collection. Fire squirts,
of thousands fought here in July 1644 in the burnt barrels and books about the fire give a
first English Civil War. Signposts positioned sense of how unprepared the city was. Did
in key places take you through the story of the fire stop the plague? Did Londoners
how a joint force of Parliamentarians and believe the fire to be a Catholic plot?
Scots crushed the Royalist army of Prince Discover the truth behind the myths.
Rupert of the Rhine. 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN
Marston Moor Monument, Long Marston, 020 7001 9844
Pendle Hill home of wit
chcraft? Tockwith Road, Tockwith, Yorkshire www.museumoflondon.org.uk
YO26 7PL Open daily 10am6pm
www.historic-uk.com/historymagazine/ Admission free (charges apply for special
destinationsuk/the-battle-of-marston-moor exhibitions)
BRAEMAR CASTLE Open all year round
1 ABERDEENSHIRE Admission free
Thanks to its owner, the Earl of Mar, being
ace
a big supporter of the Union of the Crowns Manor a pl
Woolsthorpe ientists
e for sc
in 1603, this castle is steeped in history. of pilgrimag
the world
Burned by the Black Colonel, John WOOLSTHORPE from all over
5
THINKSTOCK X2, DREAMSTIME, PLUCAS58/WIKIPEDIA, NED TRIFLE/FLICKR, ALAMY, HEL-HAMA/WIKIPEDIA, EWAN MUNRO/FLICKR
Farquharson, in 1689, Braemar was later MANOR

rebuilt. Following refurbishment, it opened LINCOLNSHIRE
its doors to the public in 2008. Sir Isaac Newton was born (1642) and
Braemar, Aberdeenshire AB35 5XR raised in this modest manor house,
01339 741219 which is furnished and laid out as it
www.braemarcastle.co.uk would have been when the scientist lived
Open 10am5pm WednesdaySunday (daily there. Some of Newtons most famous
in July and August) work concerning light and gravity was
Family ticket 18.00 (2 adults, up to 3 undertaken when he lived at
children) Woolsthorpe during the plague years of
1666-67. See the famous apple tree that
PENDLE HILL WITCH aided Newtons genius on the theory of
2 TRIALS LANCASHIRE gravity, which still sits in the garden, and
Follow in the steps of the Pendle Hill explore some more of his most
witches a group of men and women who celebrated scientific ideas and
were put on trial for witchcraft over 400 philosophies at the Science Discovery
years ago. See the dungeons, Grand Jury Centre next door.
room and courthouse where the Water Lane, Woolsthorpe by
accusations were made. Colsterworth, Lincs NG33 5PD
Pendle Heritage Centre, Park Hill, 01476 862823
Barrowford, Lancashire BB9 6JQ www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
01282 677150 woolsthorpe-manor
www.visitlancashire.com/explore/ Open daily (except Tuesday) 11am5pm
The apple tree that insp
pendle-hill (3pm, Monday, FridaySunday in Newtons theories on gra
ired
Available all year round NovemberMarch) vity
Charges differ according to choice Family ticket 16.18
made on trail
1
4
2

73
The Stuarts
16031714
The Stuarts
1901present 18371901 17141837 16031714 14851603 10661485 4101066 AD 43410
Construction on The Circus in
ALAMY
Bath started in 1754 and was

completed in 1768

17141837
Georgian
Britain
As industrialisation turned
Britain into a world power, the
American colonies were lost and
the slave trade abolished
AT A GLANCE
The abolition
p77
of slavery
Jane Austen p78
Ireland
and Britain p79
The industrial
revolution p80
Nelson,
Napoleon and p82
fighting France
The empire
p83
expands

17141837 The battle of
Culloden, 1746, the
Georgian Britain end of the uprising
I
N BRITAIN, THE 18th century was more of the rural landscape to productive
a period of social and economic use but had a devastating impact on those
change at home and empire and whose lives had depended on the old way of
expansion abroad. The Hanoverian doing things. At the same time, other
dynasty followed the Stuarts, with the economic forces were driving people off the
accession of George I. He was followed by
three further Georges, before William IV
land and into industrial labour.
The Jacobite
broke the trend at the end of the period.
Outside the court, ordinary Britons
found their lives transformed by the long
Into the city
As the century progressed, Britain became
more and more urbanised. Most people still
uprisings
and large-scale historical processes earned their living from agriculture but the William of Orange took the throne, the
historians have called the agricultural proportion of people in the towns and cities followers of James II wanted it back
revolution and the industrial revolution. On increased. In 1700, the population of
the land, new methods of farming were London was probably just over 500,000. By Jacobites were the supporters of King
ALAMY X2, BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY, THINKSTOCK, GETTY
needed to feed a growing 1801, when the first official census was James II, deposed in 1688, and his heirs.
population. New taken, it was around a million. By Twice they mounted serious uprisings
I
crops were holde am Josep 1831, it had increased to against the Hanoverian monarchy.
introduced and in Bri r of a me h Fry, approximately 1,600,000. In 1715, the son of James II, also
in 175 s tol dic a
technological 9. I w until I mad l practice It was not just the capital that James, called upon his supporters in
developments which as conv e cho
c expanded its population in Scotland to rebel. He was proclaimed
from c am in ce o la te
allowed the ne e into Bris d that coco the 18th century. Although it king at a gathering of the Highland
farmers to get healt w world tols por a, remained by far the biggest clans but the uprising was not a
h pro , h eld p t s
pe
larger yields. Yumm rties. Mm ositive urban area in the country, its success. Few in England joined the
Enclosures y hea mm. growth was matched and rebellion and James proved himself to
lth.
(reassigning the indeed exceeded by other towns be an uninspiring leader. His troops
ownership of land) put and cities. Manchester, a medium- were defeated in both England and
sized town of 10,000 at the beginning of Scotland and he was swiftly forced to
the 18th century, had more than 140,000 escape to France.
inhabitants by 1831. 30 years later, his son Charles
In both country and city, this was a Bonnie Prince Charlie, also known as
violent and unruly society. Riots were The Young Pretender landed with
commonplace. There were election seven companions on the Hebridean
island of Eriskay. He had grown up in
exile in Italy. Once again the Highland
clans rallied to the Stuart cause.
Within months the Prince had
several thousand men and marched
for war into England. He travelled as
far south as Derbyshire before his
council persuaded him that, faced with
a large Hanoverian force, he should
turn back to Scotland. After the
retreat, the Jacobite army was badly
beaten at the battle of Culloden near
Inverness in April 1746 and Charles
was forced to flee the country. The
bonnie prince died in Rome, an
The Gordon riots of 1780, where thousands vented anti-Catholic anger, embittered drunk, in 1788.
later featured in Charles Dickens novel Barnaby Rudge
Timeline
17141765
1721
Robert Walpole
becomes the first
British prime minister
1745
Charles Stuart arrives in
Scotland to lead Jacobite
army into England
1760
George III becomes
King of England
1714 1727 1746 1765

Queen Anne dies and George II succeeds The Jacobites are Stamp tax provokes
is succeeded by King his father defeated at the protests in Britains
George I battle of Culloden American colonies

The abolition of slavery
AD 43410
Much of Britains wealth was built on slavery, but moral opposition was growing...
The Atlantic slave trade was the source of a Both philanthropists and politicians From 1791 onwards, Wilberforce
significant portion of Britains wealth like William Wilberforce and Thomas introduced a series of bills in the houses of
during the 18th century but opposition to Clarkson, and former slaves of African parliament proposing the abolition of the
its inhumanity and to the very existence of descent such as the writer and campaigner slave trade, but it was not until 1807 that
slavery grew as the century progressed. Olaudah Equiano, drew attention one of them passed into law. The Slave
to the horrors of the traffic in Trade Act of that year made the slave trade
4101066
human beings. A landmark illegal throughout the British Empire.
legal judgement in 1772 in the
case of James Somersett, an Freedom from slavery
enslaved American brought Although the trade itself was illegal, there
to England by his master, were still plenty of slaves held, quite
ruled that he could not be legally, in British territories throughout the
forcibly returned to the West Indies. The abolitionists continued to
10671485
colonies to be sold. 15 years campaign for a complete end to slavery.
later, the Society for Finally, in 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act
Effecting the Abolition of the was passed. The government set aside 20
Slave Trade, its early million to compensate slave-owners who
membership consisting had lost their property. There was no
primarily of Quakers, compensation at all for those who had been
was founded. enslaved and taken from their homes.
14851603
(far left) A poster advertising the sale
of slaves from 1829. (left) The
manacles that held a slave captive
(below) The positioning of slaves on a
1786 slave ship, showing the horribly
cramped conditions
16031714
Georgian Britain
1714 - 1837
17141837
18371901
ha s b e e n e s t im ated
1901present
I t s
that Britissh shiplpion
carried 3.4 milns to
enslaved Africaas.
the Americ
17141837
Georgian Britain
est
Rising intmeranned hot
st
In 178 4, the fir Englis h
riots, food riots, riots against enclosures in London. The scaffold
b alloo n flight in an
began to emerge. Rising
and against new machinery. The anti- was not only where air
a s m a d e by Itali prosperity meant that
Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780 caused popular heroes like the skies w z o L u nardi. It more people had more
ince n
turmoil in London for many days. highwayman Dick Turpin aviator V e n s ation and disposable income and
s
Punishments were often savage and public. ended their lives, but also caused a ia sprea
d.
they wanted to spend it on
n om an
In 1746, the Jacobite rebels heads were stuck hundreds of less well- balloo luxury goods as well as lifes
on spikes and placed on view at Temple Bar remembered criminals. essentials. It is noticeable that
Capital punishment was part of continental visitors during the period
the theatre of urban life. As the 18th century nearly always commented on the splendour
went on, the number of offences for which and magnificence of Londons shops.
you could lose your life came to include At the same time as conspicuous
crimes such as damaging Westminster consumption was on the increase among
Bridge. Men and women were hanged for the upper classes and the growing middle
stealing cattle and sheep, and for what we classes, new spiritual forces were also
would consider petty theft. The Bow Street at work. John Wesley, an evangelical
Runners were formed in London in 1750, clergyman within the Anglican Church,
but they were never more than a small force. founded the Methodist movement. In
It was only in 1829 that the Metropolitan the course of his life as an itinerant preacher,
Police Service was created. he is said to have ridden 250,000 miles
and delivered 40,000 sermons, many of
The beheading of the rebel lords Kilmarnock Shopping spree them in the open air to the kind of working
and Balmerino, who followed The Young Pretender It was during the 18th and early 19th people whom the established church
centuries that a modern consumer society rarely reached.
Jane Austen
The daughter of a lower gentry clergyman would go on to become one of
the foremost literary detailers of love and social mores of the 19th century
When Jane Austen was writing in the early years of the numbers that the works of Byron and
19th century, bestselling books included the romantic Scott did. Her contemporaries would be
poetry of Lord Byron and the historical fiction of Sir surprised that, two centuries later, Jane
Walter Scott. They did not include Austens Austen has become the most popular
novels (Pride and Prejudice, Sense writer of the period. Three or four
and Sensibility, Emma and several families in a country village is the very
others, some published thing to work on, she once wrote in a
posthumously). These did not letter to a relative, and her books focus on
even appear under her name, being the world of the provincial gentry in which
credited to A Lady or, later, The she lived her outwardly uneventful life.
Author of Sense and Sensibility. They do so, however, with brilliant wit and
They did attract readers at the time, irony and a penetrating insight into the
although not in anything like the complexity of human relationships. Jane
Austen, who never married, died in 1817 at
Austen did accept a marriage proposal but the age of only 41 and is buried in
changed her mind and died a spinster Winchester Cathedral.
Timeline
17681837
1775
Fighting breaks out
between the British
1780
Anti-Catholic
violence begins with
1803
Britain complete its
conquest of India at
and the Americans the Gordon Riots the battle of Assaye
1768 1776 1800

Captain Cook sets The Declaration of Act of Union means the
sail on his voyage to Independence is Irish are represented
the Pacific approved in Westminster

aze swept
QUICK QUIZ! What sporting crcenturies?
the nation in the 18th and 19th ...
Find the answer on page 83 A beloved patriot,
Daniel OConnells
monument stands
on OConnell
Street, Dublin
AD 43410
high Im th
e
adven wayman, dandy
Victo tures wer Dick Turpi
rian n e n
Ain ovelis made fam ! My
I acci sworth. In t William H ous by
denta reali arris
4101066
and w lly shot m ty though on
as ha y acc ,
theft. nged for h omplice
Roma o
nce! rse
Ireland
and Britain
Union and emancipation
10671485
were hot topics in Ireland
Henry VIII became King of

Some of the British armys Redcoat soldiers in the Ireland, as well as England, in
American Revolutionary War were recruited from prisons the 16th century but it wasnt
until 1800 that the Act of Union
between the two countries was
Independence in
14851603
passed, by the parliaments in
both Dublin and London. Union
the colonies meant that Irelands parliament
In 1775, the American Revolutionary was abolished and the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and
War began between Britain and the 13 Ireland established (Scotland
colonies. Britain insisted it had the right and England were already in
union). Thereafter, MPs from
to tax colonists to finance their military
16031714
Ireland would be members of
defences. The war lasted until 1783, even parliament in London, though
though the United States Declaration of not if they were Catholic.
Catholics were subject to laws
Independence was signed in 1776. limiting their civil rights, and
emancipation (to give the right
for them to sit in parliament)
was informally promised
Georgian Britain
17141837
after the Act of Union.
vances
YE SCURVY DOG! There were many adm, in
Emancipation did not in fact
come to pass until 1829, after a
g the
in health in the Georgian era. Amon
campaign led by the Catholic
lawyer Daniel OConnell. After
s fruit cured
1747, James Lind proved that citru 1829, OConnell set his sights on
of sailors. getting the Act of Union
scurvy. Vitamin C was added to diets repealed. He died, unfulfilled in
18371901
that ambition, in 1849.
1805 1815 1829 1837

Admiral Nelson dies Napoleon is finally Emancipation for Irish Catholics Victoria inherits
1901present
but is victorious at defeated by Wellington after Daniel OConnells election the throne after her
the battle of Trafalgar at Waterloo victory at County Clare uncle dies
CORBIS, GETTY, ALAMY X2
1811 1820 1830 1832

George III is deemed King George III dies. George IV dies and The Great Reform
unfit, his son rules as His son, George IV, his brother, William Act is passed and
Prince Regent succeeds him IV, succeeds him becomes law

The industrial A woolcombing works
in Bradford during the
revolution
late 19th century
ricultural
Britain was transformed from an ag
ouse
nation into a manufacturing powerh
Not ever yone welcomed the changes
Beginning about the middle of the 18th lution,
brought about by the industrial revo
century and lasting well into the 19th The Ludd ites, cloth work ers who
l however .
century, a major social, technologica the new mac hine s that were
in sma shed
and economic upheaval took place
usua lly know n as the taking their jobs and reducing their
Brita in. It is erve
families to destitution, fought to pres
industrial revolution. ity. Man y othe r peop le were
h their dign
From an agricultural nation in whic were
work ed on the land , the uprooted from their rural lives. They
the majority msta nces to
ds forced by economic circu
country was transformed into the worl s like
The head for sprawling industrial town
first great industrial power. expa ndin g Man ches ter (known
the rapidly
manufacture of cloth was one of the as Cottono polis )
first processes where their
to undergo
major changes.
Conditions in the mills working day was
long and the
Inventions such and factories were conditions in the
as Richard
Arkwrights often hellish mills and factories
were often hellish.
water-powered n may seem an inappropriate
hts Revolutio
spinning frame and Edmund Cartwrig wha t happ ened in Britain,
word for
steam power loom revolutionised the
mill in because it was actually a slow and
production of textiles. Arkwrights over
, which gradual process of industrialisation
the Derbyshire village of Cromford des, but it shap ed the worl d in
many deca
began operating in 1772, became the
which we all now live.
prototype for hundreds of other such
e of
enterprises that altered the landscap The famous Shropshire
with
the north of England. In association Iron Bridge, which passes
turin g tech nolo gies ,
these new manufac over the River Severn
of ener gy were deve lope d.
new sources
the
Water was the driving force behind
m pow er.
mills but the future lay in stea
m engi ne date d
The origins of the stea
by
back as far as the water pump built
Thom as New com en in 1712 , but it was
James Watt who built the engines that
drove industrial expansion.
ng
Other industries were also undergoi
IRONBRIDGE GORGE MUSEUM TRUST, ALAMY X3, GETTY, THINKSTOCK
atic chan ge. Coal -min ing, mad e

dram
nes,
more profitable by Watts steam engi
and mor e abun dant
produced a cheaper
d. The
fuel for the new factories than woo
iron prod uced by thre e gene ratio ns
cast
broo kdal e,
of the Darby family in Coal
can
Shropshire, was of a new quality and
in the famo us Iron Brid ge,
still be seen
these
built in 1779. In conjunction with all
n in tran spor t,
changes came a revolutio
as first the canal syst em and then the
ased
railway network dramatically incre
the spee d with whic h good s coul d be
moved about the country.

n act 17141837
Com, pbainrliaatmioent passed Georgian Britain
In 1799 it was
t stated
a law tha more
r two or
illegal fo gether
Child labour was
rife. Here,
k ers to come to g children learn cra
r workin
wo r ftsmanship
nd bette and wood engravin
AD 43410
d de m a ay. g in 1853
an re p
ns or mo
conditio
4101066
Odi rat. Namenis con pro occasion re, ipic
tem quia et aut ate re nosam ent
dessitaturis magnati volupta con corem ut
am et alitiis aut aut et autem et ut volorei
10671485
14851603
talfields
Weaving seen at Spi
during the 1700s
16031714
The effects of coke
smelting from an
ironworks
alongside the
River Severn
Georgian Britain
17141837
18371901
James Wat tos the

t
improvementssteam
1901 - present
Newcomen ormed
engine transfld
the wor
XXX
Napoleon at the battle Of Waterloo.
A soldier will fight long and hard
for a bit of coloured ribbon, he said
an
vy, you c
In the na seas, in the
even
sail the s an put your mind
uc es.
navy, yo r so the song go lost
o n ,
at ease al Horatio Nelso and
d m ir eye
But I, A the sight in one a
my arm, as shot dead by
then w niper!
French s
How Napoleon met

his Waterloo
A continuous state of war existed in Europe through the
Georgian period, and France was Britains great enemy
Between 1793 Europe was bound to continue. He made In 1812, Napoleon made the biggest
and 1815, Britain himself emperor in 1804 and, by that time, misjudgment of his career by invading
and France were the brief peace brought about by the Treaty Russia. Caught by the onset of winter, he
at war for all but a of Amiens had ended. was forced to retreat from Moscow and lost
short interlude of just Britains victories in the Napoleonic hundreds of thousands of his troops. In
over a year. The French Wars were at first at sea where Admiral 1813, he suffered major defeat for the first
Revolution propelled Horatio Nelson proved himself a brilliant time at the battle of Leipzig and was forced
France into conflict with the exponent of a new form of naval warfare. In to abdicate. Exiled to the Mediterranean
older regimes of Europe. the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, although island of Elba, he refused to stay there. In
Britain was drawn into the Nelson was killed, his ships destroyed the March 1815, he landed in France and
wars in various coalitions with combined French and Spanish fleet that embarked on his Hundred Days
Prussia, Austria and other faced them. Britain had control of the seas. campaign. It culminated in the battle of
states. When political power Napoleon, with victories over Britains Waterloo, which took place south of
was seized by Napoleon allies at Austerlitz and Jena, continued to Brussels on 18th June 1815. The French
Bonaparte, this struggle for dominate Europe. For several years, the lost to a coalition under Wellington and the
only successes against French troops Prussian general, Blcher. Napoleon was
came in the Peninsular War in Spain and sent to the South Atlantic island of Saint
Nelsons Column, London. Nelson Portugal, where a British general named Helena where he died in 1821. The long
joined the navy at 12 and was a Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of wars between France and other European
captain by the time he was 20 Wellington, won a number of victories. powers had finally come to an end.
e Georgian era went by
QUICK QUIZ! Four kings in th is known as the mad
the name of George. Which one er below... 17141837
king? Find the answ Georgian Britain
AD 43410
Wesley was one of those who spoke out one 19th-century historian wrote, Britain its political and economic muscle, and an
against slavery, and the existence of the slave acquired an empire in a fit of absence of urban working class was coming into
trade became increasingly a matter that mind, expansion was often a consequence existence. Unruliness still bubbled beneath
troubled consciences in the 18th century. It of chance and opportunism as much as the surface (the pro-Reform riots of the
was, however, still deeply embedded in the planning and design. In India, the early 1830s proved that) but some of the
economic life of the nation. Many of the acquisitive power was a private company, more violent elements of Georgian society
wealthy individuals who built the villas and the East India Company, which began by had been tamed. The Victorian age was
country houses we still admire today had seeking trading markets, but became a about to begin.
made their money from plantations run by political power in its own right. Other
4101066
slave labour. Major cities like Bristol and territories were accumulated in the
Liverpool had grown rich on the proceeds aftermath of wars with France and
of the slave trade. It was not until the Spain. While colonies were lost,
19th century that first the slave most notably those in
ssacre
Peterloo ma
trade (1807) and then slavery America, more were
itself (1833) was abolished s quickly added to a
f voter
within the British Empire. gr y about lack o ns , a burgeoning empire.
An nditio
d poor co
10671485
rights an 00 gathere
d in
Empire expands ro wd of 60-80,0 ca va lry Industrial
c in 1819. A
The century after the Act of h este r a d strength
Manc t 15 de
Union of 1707, and the ft at leas Britain in 1714 was a
charge le ed.
70 jur
0 in
creation of Great Britain, and up to largely agricultural nation
saw a new British identity that defined itself in relation
being forged. More Britons to its European neighbours, Captain Cook takes possession of New South Wales.
became more aware of a wider world. This particularly France, the ancient enemy. By He would later be killed in a fight with Hawaiians
14851603
was an age of discovery. Captain Cooks 1837, it had become the first great industrial
voyages to the Pacific in the 1760s and 1770s nation of modern times and rightly saw
For more about Georgian Britain,
opened up other continents for those who itself as a world power. Many of its citizens visit www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/
read or heard about them. It was also an age still lived in terrible poverty. However, a empire_seapower
of empire. Although it is not true that, as growing middle class was beginning to flex
Musical messiah
16031714
The most famous British
composer of the Georgian
period was actually a
German. George Frideric
Handel was born in Halle
Georgian Britain
17141837
and came to London aged
27. He became a British
subject 15 years later,
writing successful operas
and choral works.
18371901
TOP
TIC
10 1
2
Hermits Hiring a recluse for the garden
Panniers A cage to make ladies hips look wider
6 Performing pig Apparently, it could spell
7 Shaped beauty spots Heart on your cheek?
ARISTOCR A 3 Wigs Bigger the wig, wealthier the wearer 8 Bedlam Pay a penny to watch mental patients
1901present
4 Desserts Always time for an elaborate dessert 9 Showpiece homes Posh houses just for art
FADS
5 Lapdogs An easier alternative to children 10 Exotic beasts Elephants and tigers especially
Quiz answer p83: George III, who was intermittently mentally ill for the last 11 years of his reign.
Quiz answer p79: Long-distance walking! Professional pedestrians were the David Beckhams of their day.

17141837
Georgian Britain
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
history come
alive!
From the glory of Georgian architecture to the shadowy story of

Britains slave trade, theres a host of historical days out to have
were involved in INTERNATIONAL HMS VICTORY

Follow characters who
the battle of Culloden
3SLAVERY MUSEUM 4 PORTSMOUTH
LIVERPOOL Launched in 1765 and best known for its
As a major slave-trading port, Liverpool is a role in the battle of Trafalgar as Admiral
city immersed in the history of the shameful Nelsons flagship, the HMS Victory is now
industry. The museums interactive displays home to an impressive naval museum. See
tell the story of slavery, all the way up to the where over 800 men used to live, work and
abolition of the trade and onwards to the fight, as well as where Nelson was killed by
present day. Gain an honest insight into this a French sniper.
still-controversial subject. National Museum of the Royal Navy HM
Albert Dock, Liverpool Waterfront, Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3NH
Liverpool L3 4AX 023 9283 9766
0151 478 4499 www.hms-victory.com
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism Open daily 10am6pm (5.30pm November
Open daily 10am5pm March)
ROYAL CRESCENT Free admission Family ticket 49.60 (2 adults, up to
1 MUSEUM BATH 3 children)
This magnificent Georgian house museum
is situated in the centre of the beautiful city
of Bath. Not only can you see what life was
like for the residents of resplendent houses IRONBRIDGE
such as these, but also how the servants 5 SHROPSHIRE
lived and worked. The birthplace of the industrial
1 Royal Crescent, Bath BA1 2LR revolution and the location of the first
01225 428126 ever iron cast bridge, Ironbridge, just
www.no1royalcrescent.org.uk outside of Telford in the Midlands, is
Open 10.30am5.30pm certainly a Georgian historical hub.
(Mondays open 12pm) With ten different museums to visit,
NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND X2, THINKSTOCK X3, IRONBRIDGE GORGE MUSEUM TRUST
Family ticket (2 adults, up to 4 children) detailing early industry such as

22.00 furnaces, factories, workshops and
canals, youll be spoiled for choice and harness
A cart in the
SITE OF THE BATTLE OF the small, picturesque town in its yard at Blists
2 -makers
CULLODEN INVERNESS beautiful valley manages to have Hill Museum
See the final battlefield in the 174546 something for everyone. Learn about
Jacobite rising, now restored to how it how Britain nearly got overtaken by
would have looked at the time. At the machinery in this quaint little village and
exciting visitor centre there are films, watch and talk to the museums
characters and interactions that help to craftsmen and women and costumed
bring the battle to overthrow the House of demonstrators as they work iron, and
Hanover to life. fashion china and glass.
Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire
Culloden Moor, Inverness, 01952 433424
Highland IV2 5EU www.ironbridge.org.uk
0844 493 2159 Open daily 10am5pm
Visit the Coalport China
www.nts.org.uk/Culloden Charges vary across each of the pot throwing and china
Museum to see how
Open daily attractions painting was done
Family ticket 26.00*
4
1
2

85
Georgian Britain
17141837
Georgian Britain
1901 present 18371901 17141837 16031714 14851603 10671485 4101066 AD 43410
Culture & society
From early coins to concept art, life and style have come a long way
c1400
Children play
with pewter
toys, such as
animals and
1180
mini teacups.
Stained glass
windows are 17th century
installed at
Canterbury
Cathedral.
1505
800900 Henry VII
Britons have a 1348 commissions
taste for seafood The Black many paintings
many fish bones Death wipes of himself,
c100 AD from the time have out a third leading to a rise
Birthday parties are been discovered. of the in the popularity
held tablets found in population. of portraits.
Vindolanda show an c900
invitation from one Leather boots
woman to another. and shoes are
commonly
worn.
c55 AD c1500
A wooden c400 AD Around 90 per c1520
amphitheatre Roman cent of people live Jousting is at
is built in Britons hold 1086 in small villages
Work on the the height of its
Silchester, and dinner parties and rural areas, popularity
is probably using platters, Domesday living mostly on
Book begins. tournaments
used for dishes, and fresh food. are held in
religious cutlery, which Henry VIIIs
festivals. have been found palaces.
at Mildenhall.
AD 43410 4101066 10661485 14851603

ROMANS INVADERS MEDIEVAL EARLY MODERN
600-700
Religion is very c1390 1512
important. Bell Geoffrey People enjoy sport
c900
c200 AD shrines are used to Chaucer so much that a law
Music plays a big
Animal bones call villagers writes The is passed banning
part in British
such as cattle, to prayer. Canterbury certain people
life, with
pigs and sheep panpipes, bone Tales. from playing it.
hint that Roman whistles and The working
Britons eat the tuning pegs from c1200 classes must
same meats as the era found An early form of work harder and
modern Brits. in York. chess is played. play less.
AD 60-70 c800
The Aquae Sulis Antler combs
Roman Baths are are used to 1595
built in Bath, and remove lice 15,000 people a
become the centre from long hair week watch
of social life. by both men plays in London.
and women.
c375 AD
Intricate
jewellery is worn by
the wealthy classes.
c1500
1100 Toys advance
Leather is used more. to items such as
Specialist leatherworks the cup-and-ball,
and textile-dyeing spinning tops and
workshops are juggling balls.
developed.

c1730
The Bethlem
Royal Hospital for
the mentally ill
puts its patients
on public display
c1600 for entertainment
With candles for thousands visit. c1830
light and open fires Dolls houses
for heat, fire is a and music boxes
common hazard. are the toy
of choice.
1901 1960s
c1850 The first A musical British
Charles Dickens tins of Heinz invasion, spreads
and Robert Louis Baked around the world, led by
c1649 Stevenson lead Beans go the Beatles.
Puritan religion takes the increase in on sale.
over and activities such popularity
as drunkenness, of reading.
bear-baiting and
gatherings of people
without permission
are banned. 1992
The Saatchi Gallery
1871 unveils Damien
The Bank Holiday Act is Hirsts artwork,
passed and with the rise The Physical
of the railways, seaside Impossibility of Death
resorts like Blackpool in the Mind of
1760
and Torquay thrive. Someone Living.
First-ever celebrity actor,
David Garrick reached the
c1700 height of his fame. He is 1850-1900 1971
Expanding trade regularly mobbed by fans. Around The United
routes makes more 80 per cent of Kingdom adopts
shopping available. people now a decimal
Shop fronts become live in cities. system for
more elaborate to currency.
attract customers.
16031714 17141837 18371901 19012016

THE STUARTS THE GEORGIANS THE VICTORIANS MODERN BRITAIN
THE VINDOLANDA TRUST, WIKIPEDIA X5 (J MIALL, ANDREW DUNN, HENDRICK DANCKERTS) THINKSTOCK X2, ALAMY, FOOTBALL MUSEUM/GETTY
c1760
Industrial 1922
c1680 revolution The BBC is
Coffee becomes begins. founded.
popular, as do
coffee shops. 1896
Britain takes
part in the first
Summer
1660 Olympic Games
The three-piece in Athens.
suit and necktie is
created for King 1843
Charles II. The first
1880
Christmas
Education 1966
cards are sent.
becomes Englands football team
1811 mandatory for wins the World Cup. They
Jane Austen children up to beat West Germany 4-2.
publishes her the age of 10.
first novel.
1746
Formal pleasure
gardens become
more popular with
the opening of the 1997
exclusive garden The first Harry
at Ranelagh. Potter book, The
Philosophers Stone,
is published.

The 19th century saw
great advances in rail
ALAMY
travel and engineering

18371901
Victorian
Britain
The boom in industry made
some people very rich while
the poor were left to suffer
in the workhouses
AT A GLANCE
Queen Victoria p90
The introduction
p91
of the workhouses
The Irish famine p93
Charles Darwin
p93
and evolution
The expansion of
p94
the British empire
The boom of
p96
steam railways

Victoria was 81
when she died
the average life
expectancy at the
18371901 time was just 48
Victorian Britain
W
HEN QUEEN VICTORIA pay and dangerous conditions they faced.
came to the throne in 1837, The Victorians had a strong sense of religion
Britain was still largely an and morality. They took poverty very
agricultural country, but seriously, though they thought many poor
by the end of her reign it was transformed people had only themselves to blame. These
into one dominated by large industrial undeserving poor people had to go into
cities, like Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and workhouses, where they were made to work
Birmingham. Victorian factories produced long hours in return for basic food and
huge numbers of manufactured goods clothing. But the Victorians
and gadgets that found their way also introduced new
into shops and homes.
Victorian engineers created
paren ts
My posh ght nursing
e thou n
regulations for
working hours and Queen Victoria
machinery to make steel, may hav ath me but I soo ted conditions in
e n
mine coal and build ships. was ben wrong! They wa dull. factories and The death of her husband left her
Industrial production o v ed them an how mines, they built distraught, but Victoria still managed
pr hm
arry a ric ounded
made factory and mine me to m looking after w proper sewers and to be a very popular queen
owners very rich, but the I prefer soldiers
. established better
people who worked for hospitals. Victorian Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years
them were often poor and had cities appointed health the longest of any ruler in British
to live in filthy, unhygienic inspectors, laid out parks for history. Initially, people found her
conditions. Slum housing was a fresh air and exercise, and provided headstrong and stubborn, but then she
breeding ground for serious diseases healthcare advice for mothers and fell in love and found happiness with her
like cholera, tuberculosis and typhus. families. Even so, when the second German cousin, Prince Albert. They had
Journalists, writers and artists all helped nine children and liked to present their
ALAMY X3
reveal the grim truth of how working people happy family life as an ideal, which all
had to live and the long working hours, low families should copy. However, their
eldest son, Bertie, the Prince of Wales,
thought his parents were too strict and
often argued with them. In 1861, Prince
Albert died and Queen Victoria was
heartbroken. She went into deep
mourning and for years refused to
appear in public. Many people thought
Nurses in training that it was hardly worth having a queen

if they never saw her. They even
Florence Nightingale was born to gossiped that she was in love with her
wealthy British parents in Italy. She Scottish servant, John Brown.

However, when she did start
became famous for nursing the appearing in public again, she found
wounded soldiers during the she was still very popular. In 1877, she
was made Empress of India and, in
Crimean War (1853-56). She was 1887 and 1897, the whole empire
sent to Turkey with a team of nurses, celebrated the Golden and Diamond
where their efforts greatly reduced

Jubilees of her reign.
A number of her children married
the mortality rate. In 1860, she set into the various royal families of
up the Nightingale Training School

Europe, so that, by the time she died in
January 1901, she was grandmother to
for nurses in London. many of Europes rulers.
Timeline
18371840
1838
Charles Dickens
publishes the novel
1838
The London
Birmingham line kick-
1840
Parliament brings
in free vaccinations
Oliver Twist starts the railway boom for the poor
1837 1838 1840

Victoria becomes Slavery ends in The penny post is
queen on 20 June, at the British empire introduced. All mail
the age of 18 on 1 August. costs one penny

Dinnertime in the womens section of
St Pancras workhouse in 1901
AD 43 410
4101066
10661485
14851603
Poor beginn
Having b ings
The workhouses
een sent
a factory to work
as a chil in
Dickens d, Charle
knew all s
of the wo the horr
ors
16031714
rkhouse
campaig and
ned thro
life for c ughout h
hildrens is
Conditions in the workhouses were intentionally bad, often worse than rights.
prison, in order to discourage people from claiming poor relief
Help for the poor (poor relief) was run by could find rather than face the shame of
local parishes. At first, parishes just doled going into them. Even people too old or ill
money out to people who needed it, but to work had to go into the workhouse.
17141837
the industrial revolution forced so many There would be no more handouts. Most
people into poverty that the parishes often Victorians saw nothing wrong with this
couldnt cope. Many skilled craftsmen lost system, thinking it was perfectly fair.
their jobs to new machines, and workers However, then they started to learn
in the new factories were so badly paid what really went on in the Union
they could hardly feed their own families. Workhouses. One workhouse manager
In any case, many Victorians thought poor starved the inmates so badly they tried to
people were just lazy and should be forced gnaw marrow out of old bones. Charles
Victorian Britain
- 1901
18371901
to work. The Poor Law Amendment Act Dickens set Oliver Twist in a cruel
(1834) allowed parishes to club together in workhouse for orphans. Slowly,
Poor Law Unions to build workhouses, workhouses began to take better care
1837
which were run rather like prisons, with of their inmates, some of them even
uniforms, hard work, strict rules and very developed into hospitals. But the fear
plain food. Inmates even lost the right to and shame of going into the workhouse
vote. The idea was to make workhouses lasted right through the Victorian age
so bad that people would do any work they and beyond.
1901present
XXX
QUICK QUIZ: How many
copies did Mrs Beetons book
18371901 sell in its first year? Find the
Victorian Britain answer on p97
Boer War broke out in 1899, huge start of Queen Victorias legal owner of all his wifes
numbers of volunteers from industrial cities reign, railways were new property. The Victorians
were found to be medically unfit to serve in and rather scary many believed that men and women
the army. people only decided should operate in separate
trains were safe and spheres: men should go out to
The middle class respectable after the work and run the economy
More and more Victorians fitted into the queen travelled on one. and the country while women
new middle classes. They usually had desk In the early years of her should run the home. One of
jobs in offices as managers or clerks, or else reign, there was a mad the most widely-read books of
joined a profession, such as law, journalism, rush to lay railway this time was Mrs Beetons
banking or engineering. The middle classes tracks between London Book of Household
employed large numbers of servants as and other big cities; by Management, which gave
cooks, butlers, maids and valets. By the time the end of her reign, shorter railway lines women
Queen Victoria died in 1901, domestic also ran out to the suburbs. London and instructions on
service was one of the biggest forms of work Glasgow even had underground railways. housekeeping. Some
in the country. The richest of the middle Victorians also
classes lived very comfortably indeed. The Man of the house believed women
lower end of the middle class lived in Victorian Britain was very much a mans were weaker,
smaller but smart houses in the new world. The husband was in charge of his less serious and
suburbs and took the train or omnibus (a wife, his children and his servants. Until the less intelligent
public horse and carriage) to work. At the law was changed in 1883, he was even the than men.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel

From bridges and tunnels to boats and trains Brunels influence
stretched far and wide and his legacy is still visible today
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an Cornwall. He even designed an atmospheric

amazingly talented railway and shipping railway along the Devon coast, using a
engineer and inventor. He started out by vacuum to propel the trains, but it proved too
building a tunnel under the Thames at costly. Brunel hoped other companies would
Rotherhithe and the beautifully elegant use his broad gauge track, but instead their
Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. narrow gauge became the standard size.
From trains... ...To ships

Brunel went on to design the Great Brunels Great Western was the first
Western Railway, which ran from London steam-powered transatlantic passenger
to the South West using a broader, more ship, while the Great Britain, launched in
GETTY, SUPERSTOCK, CORBIS, ALAMY X2
stable track than other railways. He 1843, had an iron hull and a screw propeller
designed Paddington station and Bristol instead of a paddle wheel. These ships were
Temple Meads, and all the bridges and revolutionary. Brunel also designed the
tunnels, including a sloping tunnel nearly Great Eastern, the biggest ship in the world. Brunel was a
heavy smoker
two miles long through Box Hill in However, it ran into problems and never took and died 10 days
Wiltshire and a spectacular double-span passengers, though it did lay a telegraph after suffering
bridge over the River Tamar at Saltash in cable across the Atlantic Ocean. a stroke in 1859
Timeline
18411901
1845
Irish Potato famine
1851
The Great
Exhibition opens at
1861
Prince Albert dies
from typhoid aged
starts in September the Crystal Palace just 42
1841 1848 1854

Sir Robert Peel Irish nationalist John Britain and France
forms a Conservative Mitchel is arrested declare war on Russia,
government for treason entering the Crimean War

18371901
Starving peasants beg
to get into Victorian Britain
workhouses as shown
in this drawing from
The Life and Times of Que
en Victoria (1887)
AD 43 410
The Irish famine Charles
From 18451852, around 1 million
Irish starved to death and another
Darwin
million emigrated to more The man who changed the
prosperous countries way we view life on Earth
4101066
Although Victorian Britain created a lot of depended so heavily on potatoes. Instead they Charles Darwin (18091882)
wealth, some areas were very poor, including provided work schemes that enabled the Irish was a British naturalist and a
much of Ireland. Many Irish people could not to earn enough money to buy food. pioneer of the theory of
afford a varied diet and lived almost entirely Unfortunately, the work was far too heavy evolution. He developed the
on potatoes. In 1845, however, disaster for people who were already desperately idea of natural selection to
struck: a disease destroyed the whole potato hungry and it made the situation even worse. explain how animal life changes
crop and the poor people of Ireland faced Thousands of people starved to death in the and evolves, as some species
10661485
starvation. The British government organised Irish famine, and many of those who survived and varieties survive and others
a famine relief operation, but they didnt hand left Ireland to seek better lives in America, die out. He developed his ideas
out free food: they said the real problem was Australia or South Africa. Many Irish people on a voyage on HMS Beagle,
that the Irish were extremely poor. If they had still blame the British government for not where he saw how animals of
had more money they would not have doing more to help them during the famine. the same species living on
different islands had developed
in different ways. He collected
huge numbers of specimens, to
14851603
see how they differed. He
concluded that life on Earth
does not stay the same for
ever: it evolves by natural
selection. Those that
adapt, survive; those that
dont, die out. He put his
ideas in a book, On the
16031714
Origin of Species, which
created huge
controversy
when it was
published in
1859 because
it challenged
the story of
17141837
creation in the
Bible. Darwin also
The Great Exhibition of 1851 the
suggested humans
Prince Albert came up with the idea of pire might have evolved
from apes, but
Great Exhibition as a chance for the emwas scientists are still
to show off its modern technology. It r working out
housed in the Crystal Palace with ove

exactly how
Victorian Britain
18371901
this occurred.
100,000 objects on display.
1872 1880 1894 1901

Voting by secret It is compulsory that Parish councils are Queen Victoria dies
1901present
ballot is introduced children under 10 go created for parishes on 22 January.

to school over 300 people Edward VII is king
1867 1879 1883 1899

The Second Reform Tay Bridge collapses A husband no longer The Second Boer
Act virtually doubles killing all 75 train owns his wifes War begins
the electorate passengers on board belongings by law

The British
empire
imately
Under Queen Victorias reign approx
British
400 million people were added to the
tory
empire making it the largest in his
:
ruled by Britain than by anyone else ABOVE: The ex
Many Victorians were convinced they able to get a
tent of the Briti
sh empire is
ire under British rule, they were shown in red in
should rule the world. The British emp
this map, mad
er. But by the end of Victoria e towards the
e, good education and a care s reign
covered a huge area of the glob
end of the century, many of these
including Canada, India, Burma, nning
g, vast educated colonial people were begi
Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kon run their
Africa and islan ds in the Paci fic, to ask why they could not
area s of
iterr anea n. countries themselves.
the Caribbean and the Med
to
The British believed they had a duty
tern technolo gy, med icine, Facing war
bring wes t
and law to all thes e diffe rent The British sent troops to China, Wes
educ ation a bid to exte nd their
Africa and Sudan in
parts of the world. some
empire. They were in for a shock as
nativ es were exce llent at defending
Trade and the empire of South
panies themselves the Zulu people
The empire began with trading com one Briti sh inva sion
Africa destroyed
buying and selling goods. These e the peop le of
in force, and twic
companies became very powerful:
took over huge area s of land Afghanistan cut invading British
Africa they
India troops to pieces. The longest and
from their local chiefs, and the East
India. most difficult war was with the
Company ended up ruling much of
a to Boers, the Dutch farmers of South
The British went to war to force Chin
e Africa, in the two Boer Wars
accept the British trade in opium, whil (188081,
the British mining 18991902).
companies in South More than a At the
Africa helped to start
the Boer War. quarter of the end of the
century,
The British also
sent missionaries worlds population more than a
quarter of
around the empire to
spread Christianity
lived in the empire the worlds
population
and to run schools ire. But as a result
lived in the emp
and hospitals. They werent always Briti sh were
us of the wars , the
welcome. In India, Muslims and Hind
susp icious that miss iona ries beginning to doubt whether they
were so
that, in could sustain their empire for
were trying to attack their beliefs
started much longer.
1857, Indian soldiers mutinied and
against Briti sh rule .
a huge uprising
In some areas, like Canada, Australia
and South Africa, large numbers of
British
o r m e d in 18 9 5 , the
people emigrated to settl e and farm the F sa
Indian Army witaains
take n from the loca l
land that had been
Tasm ania , thes e settl ers
vital part of Brem.

inhabitan ts. In
lation.
completely wiped out the local popu
y of thes e
d e f e n c e syst
By the end of the century, man
British colonies were star ting to act
independently and rule themselves.
ALAMY X8
The British firmly believed that the

being
people of the empire were better off

18371901
Victorian Britain
admill
On theitistrh ine troduced is
The Br , like th
prisons
AD 43 410
ills in r to
treadm , in orde
angoon ep
one at R r and ke
en er ate powe ied.
g
s occup
inmate
4101066
10661485
ABOVE: The Br
itish foresaw th
change the cit eir rule would
y of Kumasi in
straw huts to Ghana from
thriving centre
of business
14851603
Time for tea
International The British love a good cup of tea, but
As an attempt to gai sports
16031714
importing it all from China was proving costly,
n
the new colonies, thpopularity in so they decided to try and grow it in India
introduced their fa e English In order to try and break the Chinese monopoly on tea, Robert
cricket. While theivourite game

Fortune, a Scottish botanist, was sent to China in 1848 by the
East India Company to smuggle out some tea plants. Most of
may have been good r intentions the plants he brought over died. However, the British then
, th
highlighted differene sport often
discovered a variety of tea that was endemic to northern India.
17141837
Using the Chinese techniques that
Caribbean, the Brit ces. In the Fortune had learnt, the Indian tea
while the natives wous would bat business boomed.

ld be
to bowl and field. forced
Victorian Britain
18371901
901present
K Q UIZ ! Wh o, as a result
QUIC
way network
of the railw
edd their
expansion, launchh841 ? Find
1
travel business in p97
the answer on
The railways
St Pancras station bec
Although railways existed before the Victorians, there was a boom during largest train station
ame one of the
s in the UK
the 1840s resulting in 2,441 miles of railway in Britain by 1845
Before railways, the fastest means of Soon there was a craze for building carrying goods, not passengers, so
transport had been a horse, meaning railways. There was plenty of work for the some passengers wanting to travel were
travel was a slow and tedious process. The navigators (navvies for short) who put in open carriages.
vast expansion of the railway network actually dug the railway cuttings and
during this era enabled steam locomotives tunnels many of them were Irish Travelling in style
to transport thousands of people, relatively labourers coming to England to look for But then companies started designing
quickly and comfortably, for work, school work. Hundreds of companies were set up, proper carriages with varying degrees of
or pleasure. building lots of railway lines and waiting for luxury for first, second and third class.
the money to roll in. They thought railways Different companies competed to have the
Early developments were a sure-fire bet for getting rich. The smartest carriages. Their lines came into
The earliest steam engines, like Puffing richest of these railway builders was different London terminals and they built
Billyy, which is on show in the Science George Hudson, who became known as the grand hotels there for their passengers
Museum in London, ran on tracks to carry railway king. But there were too many new the hotel at St Pancras was like a palace.
heavy goods like coal or iron. The first railways and not all of them made money. They also provided bookstalls and cafes
railway lines opened in 1825 between two This meant people stopped investing and for passengers on station platforms. In
industrial towns, Stockton and Darlington, many railway builders lost their money, 1863, the worlds first underground
and ran the Locomotion n steam engine, including Hudson himself. After that, lines railway, the Metropolitan line, was built to
designed by George Stephenson. When a were only built if they would definitely make link up some of these big London
line was planned between Manchester and a profit. Initially, railway firms terminals. Seaside towns began to grow
Liverpool, Stephensons new engine, the expected to be as people could take the train to them for
Rocket, won the competition to find the a holiday. By 1900, the railways were being
CORBIS X3, ALAMY, GETTY
fastest engine. Sadly, when the line opened used for everything from transporting
there was an accident and the Rockett killed goods to shopping and pleasure trips
William Huskisson, an MP. even for war.
Puffing Billy, the first ever

locomotive, was built in
181314 by William Hedley
18371901
Victorian Britain
AD 43 410
This was why they began reforming end of the century they could find work as to go to school. At first, most schools were
factory conditions by cutting the hours typists, telephone operators, or in one of the run by the churches. But in 1870, the
women and children were allowed to work, brand new department stores. government said all children should go to
and why many men didnt want women to school, and started training teachers and
get a proper education. These attitudes Its all childs play building new schools. Middle-class parents
changed, but only very slowly. Schools and At first the Victorians saw children as often didnt see much of their children the
colleges for women were opened and miniature adults, very useful for dangerous children had their own separate nurseries
women won the right to qualify as doctors, work like climbing chimneys to clean them with a nanny to look after them, and boys
though only after a long struggle. Florence or crawling under moving machinery in would go off to boarding school when they
4101066
Nightingales famous nursing work made factories. But some Victorians, like the were seven years old. The Victorians also
nursing and midwifery respectable writer Charles Dickens and the reformer produced some of the first childrens
professions for women. New technology Lord Shaftesbury, said this was cruel and literature: Alice in Wonderland, Treasure
also opened up opportunities that children should be treated kindly. Island and The Secret Garden.
for young women. By the Above all, they should be allowed
k s po t! The start of modern politics
lac
The b Where might ! The modern political parties developed in
h t s o. y, hillo
I thou he paper? Wh lucky!
g
10661485
Victorian times: the Conservatives, Liberals
ve t int
you ha re now; this a is out of a and, at the end of the period, the Labour
Loo k he dc hut t ? Party. The two most famous Victorian
uve gone an s cut a Bible
Yo at fool , prime ministers were William Gladstone
h VER
Bible. W NG JOHN SIL d (Liberal) and Benjamin Disraeli
LO re Isla n
Treasu (Conservative). Gladstone believed the
government should help people improve
themselves; Disraeli believed in expanding
14851603
Britains empire. The Victorians believed
that people needed to earn the right to vote
in elections. Working men campaigned for
the vote in the Chartist movement. Later,
they set up their own political group, the
Labour Party, to speak for them in
parliament. By 1901, many working men
and all women still did not have the vote.
16031714
The Victorians took their religious beliefs
seriously. Thousands of new churches were
built to cope with expanding populations,
and missionaries took the Christian gospel
to all the continents of the Earth. But some
Victorians challenged the church, especially
Bedtime stories after Darwin published his book On the
As educating children became more Origin of Species, which put forward the
17141837
theory of evolution and caused considerable
of a priority, there was a big increase controversy. Even so, most Victorians went
in the amount of literature written to church regularly and even joked that
Britain was so wealthy that God must be
for children. Robert Louis an Englishman!
Stevensons Treasure Island, first
published as a serial in a comic, is one For more about Victorian Britain,
Victorian Britain
visit www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/
of the most dramatised novels ever.
18371901
victorians
TOP 10 1 Great Expectations Charles Dickens 6 Alices Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Caroll
VICTORIAN
2 Wuthering Heights Emily Bront 7 The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
3 Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson 8 The Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling
1901present
NOVELorSder...)
4 Jane Eyre Charlotte Bront 9 Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray
5 The Mill on the Floss George Eliot 10 Agnes Grey Anne Bront
ar
(in no particul
Quiz answer p96: Thomas Cook. His first holiday was a day trip for 500 campaigners to Loughborough.
Quiz answer p92: 60,000 copies were sold in 1861, with an estimated 2 million being sold by 1868.

18371901
Victorian Britain
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
history come
alive!
Live the high life in glasshouses or slum it in the workhouse

these fantastic days out will give a real insight into Victorian life
FOX TALBOT MUSEUM LLECHWEDD SLATE

3 WILTSHIRE 4 CAVERNS GWYNEDD
Visit the home of Henry Fox Talbot, the man A former slate mine, this popular museum
credited with the invention of photography. takes its visitors underground to the old
See the first ever negative, taken in 1835, working mines. With over 25 miles of
and follow the story of this intriguing connecting chambers, the fascinating tour
character and his world-changing creation. shows just how dangerous the conditions
Lacock, near Chippenham SN15 2LG were for workers in the 1800s.
01249 730459 Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3NB
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock 01766 830306
Edinburghs Royal Open daily 10.30am5.30pm (4pm www.llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk
Botanic Garden NovemberFebruary) Open daily 9am5.30pm (MarchJan)
Family ticket from 24.40 (2 adults, Admission 20.00 (5.00 discount for
up to 3 children) families with one child)
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN

1 (GLASSHOUSES)
EDINBURGH
The Temperate Palms Glasshouse was built to discover
in 1858. In a time when foreign lands were orking garden
Explore the w ian tim es
in Victor
of huge curiosity to Britons, glasshouses what they ate
such as these popped up to give a greater
5 SOUTHWELL
cultural understanding. Just a mile outside WORKHOUSE
the city, the gardens (admission free) NOTTINGHAM
provide over 70 acres of tranquillity. The National Trust saved this
Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR workhouse after it was potentially going
0131 248 2909 to be turned into a block of flats and
www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens theyve certainly put it to good use. With
Open daily 10am5pm (3pm November the help of an introductory film and
January, 4pm February and October) audio guides, explore this authentic
Glasshouse: adults 5.50, children free workhouse, meet characters from real
archive records and uncover the stigma
THE WEAVERS TRIANGLE that came with being a poor Victorian.
2 LANCASHIRE Visit the segregated work yards, day
This area was once the heart of Burnleys rooms, dormitories and masters
textile industry. In the visitor centre you can quarters. Then go out into the recreated
discover how they made cotton, have a go at 19th-century garden and discover what
NATIONAL TRUST X3, ALAMY, WIKIPEDIA, ROBERT WADE
weaving and visit a Victorian schoolroom. the inmates would have eaten. They also
The original steam engine from 1887 has put on lots of special events days, check
been restored and can be seen in action. out their website for more information.
85 Manchester Road, Burnley, Upton Road, Southwell NG25 0PT
Lancashire BB11 1JZ 01636 817260
01282 452403 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/workhouse-
www.weaverstriangle.co.uk southwell
Open SaturdayTuesday, 2pm-4pm Open WednesdaySunday, 2pm5pm
(AprilSeptember), weekends only in Family ticket 20.00* Find out what daily life
would have been like
October for workhouse inmates
Admission free
1
3
5
2

99
Victorian Britain
18371901
Victorian Britain
1901present 18371901 17141837 16031714 14851603 10661485 4101066 AD 43 410
The 20th century saw rapid
SUPERSTOCK
advances in technology and a

dramatic increase in leisure
time for many families

1901present
Modern
Britain
The 20th century was marked by two
world wars. Later, as the British
empire ended, the UK moved into a
more peaceful, racially diverse state
AT A GLANCE
The labour
p102
movement
S FOR
VOTE EN
WOM Womens suffrage p103
End of
p104
the empire
The troubles in
p105
Northern Ireland
The two
p106
world wars
Technology p108

1901-present
Modern Britain
M
ODERN BRITAIN HAS demanding votes for women, and in Ireland
changed breathtakingly fast. nationalists were demanding Home Rule The Jarrow Marchers of
1936 walked nearly 300
When the 20th century the right to govern themselves. Trade unions
miles to parliament
started, Queen Victoria was were staging a series of major strikes to
still on the throne and most transport was improve the appalling pay and working
pulled by horses; by the end of the century
travel by road and air was quite normal, and
conditions that many workers had to put up
with. All of these conflicts were put on hold The labour
we are now even used to satellite technology
in our everyday lives.
Even before the First World War, big
in August 1914, when Britain entered the
First World War. movement
changes were happening. The government Entrenched suffering The rights of ordinary, working
ALAMY X3, SUPERSTOCK
fought a huge battle with the House of The British were badly caught out by the people could no longer be ignored
Lords to pass a budget that would tax the First World War. They had expected a fairly
rich to pay for pensions for old people, so short war, but it dragged on Trade unions started in Victorian
they would no longer have to go into the for four years, mostly times, but the law made it difficult
workhouse. The Suffragettes were in trench warfare. MY HUSBAND AND I... for them to do much. The 1926
(sorry, force of habit). I am General Strike failed and, in
your current Queen, Elizabeth II, the Thirties, industries like
and Ive been on the throne for 64 shipbuilding completely
years now. Not literally, obviously. collapsed. Workers from
One would suffer awful pins the shipyards in Jarrow
and needles were that to staged a hunger march to
be the case. London to draw attention to
peoples suffering.
The big change came in the Second
World War. People thought they
deserved a better world, and in 1942,
Sir William Beveridge wrote a report
that proposed free health care for all,
secondary schooling for all children,
and a whole range of benefits as part
of a welfare state. The Labour Party
The grave of a boy said they would put Beveridges ideas
seaman who died of into action and, in 1945, they were
Spanish flu in 1919 elected to do just that.
The Labour government set up the
National Health Service and took over
Non-Spanish flu all the major industries. But by the
1970s, the unions seemed more
Its estimated that the 1918 flu pandemic powerful than the government. Mrs
killed 50100 million people across the Thatchers Conservative government
took away many of the unions rights
globe between 3-6 per cent of the global and, in 1984-5, it defeated the Miners
population. Wartime censors limited the Strike, which was protesting against
plans to close down coalmines. In
news of fatalities to aid moral, but the 1997, Labour was elected under Tony
Spanish press did report it, creating the Blair, but this was New Labour, which
wanted as little as possible to do with
impression that Spain was hardest hit. the Old Labour movement.
Timeline
19011918
1910
Edward VII dies, to
be succeeded by his
1914
First World War.
Britain declares
1918
First World War
ends. Peace terms
son, George V war on Germany imposed on Germany
1901 1912 1918

Queen Victoria Titanic sinks on her Women over 30
dies after reigning maiden voyage with are given the
since 1837 a loss of 1,500 lives right to vote

AD 43410
4101066
10661485
14851603
p r is o n , E m m eline
I n t on
Pankhurst wene to
Edith New and Mary
Leigh leave Holloway
Prison in 1908. They
hunger strik ns for had thrown stones at

the windows of the
mprove condittio
prime ministers
im h er c ells. official residence
o
16031714
c ol l e a g u e s in
Womens suffrage
17141837
The right for women to vote was a battle that would eventually turn violent
By 1900, women had gained equality with attach a Suffragette banner to the bridle of
men in some ways, but they hadnt yet won the kings horse. Davison had already been
the right to vote in general elections. A jailed nine times for her protests.
group known as Suffragists (suffrage is The Suffragettes were led by Mrs
18371901
another word for the vote) campaigned Emmeline Pankhurst. Although her slogan Despite her noble intentions, some criticised the
peacefully for the vote but, in 1903, a more was Votes for Women, she only wanted actions of Emmeline Pankhursts Suffragettes,
militant group, known as the Suffragettes, women to have votes on the same terms as which included arson and even throwing an axe
started to campaign, disrupting public men. Many working men did not have the
meetings, committing vandalism and even vote, so Mrs Pankhurst didnt want working However the First World War showed
planting bombs. The government reacted women to have the vote either. When her just what women could do, standing in for
forcibly: women were arrested and often own daughter, Sylvia, called for votes for men in the factories, munitions works, or
brutally treated. When Suffragettes went working women, Mrs Pankhurst threw her on the railways. Mrs Millicent Fawcett,
1901 - present
Modern Britain
on hunger strike, they were force-fed, out of the Suffragettes. leader of the Suffragists, negotiated with
using a rubber tube forced down their nose Many men did support the Suffragettes, the government and, in 1918, women over
or throat. One Suffragette, Emily Davison, but others thought the militant campaign 30 were given the right to vote. Ten years
was even killed by a horse at the Epsom showed that women were too unstable and later, women finally got the right to vote at
Derby, possibly because she was trying to unpredictable to be entrusted with the vote. 21, the same age as men.

1901present
Modern Britain
Big dip
pression
Great De
Britains until the
om 1918
The huge losses, often for very little gain, Irish nationalists staged a lasted fr World virtually stopped,
e Second
shook peoples confidence in their leaders. rising in Dublin at Easter start of th uld argue. The thousands were thrown
e w o
Some 20,000 men were killed on the 1916, and after the war War, som om ic output out of work and faced
s econ
disastrous first day of the battle of the they launched a full-scale country ce n t between genuine hunger. Some
pe r
Somme in 1916. At home, women took rebellion that forced the fell by 25 1 9 21 alone. people turned to the new
1918 an d
mens places in the factories and the field, British to pull out of Ireland, extremist political parties, like
and at the end of the war they were except for the six counties of the Communists and the Fascists.
rewarded by being given the right to vote. Northern Ireland, which remained Even the monarchy seemed to let the
part of the UK. country down, when King Edward VIII
The years after the First World War were abdicated so he could marry the American
very difficult, especially in the industrial divorcee, Wallis Simpson.
areas. In 1926, Britains miners went on When Hitler began taking over parts of
strike for better pay and the whole trade Europe, most British people were uneasy
union movement came out with them in a but didnt think it was necessary to fight
huge General Strike. However, the him. That changed in 1939 when Hitler
government called on troops, police and invaded Poland and Britain declared war.
ALAMY X2, GETTY, CORBIS
volunteers to keep essential services going The Germans soon defeated the British
and the General Strike was defeated. The troops and their French allies in France and
1930s were even worse because the world looked set to invade Britain. However the
1,600,000 women joined the workforce economy collapsed in what was called the new prime minister, Winston Churchill,
between 1914 and 1918, across all walks of life Great Depression. Industrial production defied them and the Royal Air Force was
The end of the empire

Despite the victory of the Allies in the Second World War,
much of Britains global prestige and wealth had been eroded
s sailed to
492 Jamaican
Britain on SS Empire
19 48 , looking
Windrush in After the First World War, the fighting battles across the globe, it was hard
settled in
for work. They on British empire was bigger than to think of the British as the empires ruling
Brixton, Lond
ever: it took over former German people. At Singapore in 1942, a whole British
colonies in Africa and former and Commonwealth army surrendered to the
Turkish territories in the Middle Japanese. Although colonial people helped
East. In 1924, there was even a Britain win the war, they thought they should
British Empire Exhibition at be allowed to have their independence
Wembley. But the empire was afterwards. India and Pakistan became
getting weaker. Australia, independent in 1947 and, in the 1950s and
Canada, New Zealand and South 1960s, Britain pulled out of Africa.
Africa were all governing The British replaced the empire with a
themselves and many in India much looser Commonwealth of Nations.
thought they should too. Many people from Britains colonies came to
Mahatma Gandhi led a live in Britain. At first, some British people
campaign of non-violent opposed this immigration and there were
protest to put pressure on the violent fights. But gradually these ethnic
British to leave India. At the communities settled into British life and
start of the Second World War, became a normal part of the scene.
Timeline
1922present
1936
Edward VIII
abdicates. George VI
1945
Germany
surrenders. Second
1948
The National Health
service is founded by
is named king World War ends Labour government
1922 1939 1947

Northern Ireland is Second World War India and Pakistan
partitioned from starts. Germany are granted
Irish Free State invades Poland independence

QUICK QUIZ: In the
battle of Britain, which British aft?
an cr
aircraft shot down the most Germ9
Find the answer on page 10
AD 43410
Concorde made its maiden supersonic
flight in 1969, with its first commercial
flight for British Airways following in 1976
Hello goodbye!
We fab four Liverpudlians are
the Beatles, you know. We made
our first single in 1962 and sold The troubles
hundreds of millions of records
before we let it be in 1970. Were in Northern
4101066
the biggest band of all time,
yeah yeah yeah! Ireland
Terrorism within the
modern United Kingdom
After the First World War, most
10661485
of Ireland became independent,
but the Protestant people of
Ulster chose to stay in the
United Kingdom. Some Irish
nationalists were angry and
even fought a war against the
new Irish government for
allowing it to happen, but they
14851603
Breaking the were unable to stop it. In 1968
69, trouble broke out and British
sound barrier troops arrived to restore order.
Concorde, a joint project The IRA planted bombs and
shot people to try and force the
undertaken by Britain British to withdraw from
and France, was an air Northern Ireland. In 1972,
British soldiers opened fire on a
liner that cut the journey
16031714
peaceful protest march and 13
time from London to people were killed, with another
New York from 7-8 victim dying later: it became
known as Bloody Sunday.
hours to 3.5 hours. The killing dragged on for
years. Protestants started
planting bombs too, so it
sometimes seemed that
17141837
Northern Ireland was falling
THEY THINK ITS ALL OVER! In 1966 mbley

into chaos. On Good Friday 1998,
the two sides reached a deal:
p at We
England won the football World Cu
Northern Ireland remained part
of the United Kingdom, but the
d a hat-trick
Stadium, London. Geoff Hurst score two sides would share power in
in the final. a specially-elected Northern
as England beat West Germany 4-2 Ireland Assembly. This system
18371901
still exists today.
1966 1979 1998 2003

1901present
England wins the Margaret Thatcher Good Friday Second Iraq War
Modern Britain
football World Cup named first female Agreement. Peace in starts. Britain
at Wembley Stadium Prime Minister Northern Ireland invades with the USA
1952 1973 1982 1999

Elizabeth II takes Britain joins the The Falklands War. Scottish Parliament
the throne after European Economic Britain battles opens after
death of George VI Community Argentina devolution vote

The world The First
at war wars would
World War
In a span of just 31 years, two world
itons
take the lives of around 1.5 million Br
war Germany back and once again the navy
The First World War was unlike any n the
had to hunt for German U-boats. Whe
the British had fought before. Their the USA cam e into the war on
e USSR and
soldiers were stuck in trenches, whil
tried to work out how to Britains side, it was clear that
their generals
lie
break through the German trenches
ecte d
. The
with
Britain was the weakest of the
three allies. British troops Little Wil t tank
trenches were deep and prot the firs
to get fought in North Africa, Italy and In 1915, tory wa
s
barbed wire and it was very difficult pe in his
if they were bom bard ed at D-Day against the prototy e W illie
past them, even d. Littl
Germans. They were also unveile ad a
days by artillery. Both side s even used nnes, h
for
the fighting in India and Burm a ighe d 6.5 to chine gun
1
poison gas to blind their enemy, and w e
2-poun
d ma
against the Japanese. But the Vickers ph.
British came up with the idea of tank s.
tr avel at 2m
sand s of sold ers were kille d British were no longer the and co uld
Even so, thou
Germ an fron t line and often main players in the global
attac king the
conflict. In 1945, the US dropped
they gained very little. ly
t the atomic bomb on Japan with hard
At sea, the British still had the mos s end
, but whe n they foug ht the a word to their allies, but by the war
powerful fleet d.
over 450,000 Britons had been kille
German navy at Jutland in 1916, they Boys playing war in France. France suffered over
werent able to United front 1.6 million casualties in the First World War
defeat it as they The Germans bombed In both wars, the
had hoped. This colonies played a
was further British cities with crucial role. Indian
aircraft and rockets
The Second
complicated by the troops fought in the
fact that the trenches in the
Germans were New
First World War and Australians and
World War
cargo
using submarines (U-boats) to sink ht in Turk ey. In the
s. Even Zealanders foug
tuall y,
vessels and passenger liner rs from
were defe ated Second World War, many voluntee
, but
in 1918, the Germans in
the empire fought in the Battle of Brita
was
by then many were just glad the war ins colo nies foug ht
lled at its cost . and troops from Brita
over and appa paig ns.
in all the majo r cam
During The Blitz,
ain In both wars, the home front was Londoners were
The Battle of Brit
rent. cruc ial. Food supplies were limited, and forced below ground
The Second World War was very diffe n
at women had to work in war productio to tube stations
The British had to pull out of France uce the enor mou s
aged to factories to prod
Dunkirk and the RAF only just man that the
in the Battle of Britain. amount of weapons and transport
defeat the Germans say that
country needed. Historians often
The Germans bombed British cities ge peop les
aft and the wars helped to chan
mercilessly, first with bomber aircr
sh bom bed opinions of women.
later with rockets. The Briti
The Supermarine Spitfire

the iconic fighter of the
Battle of Britain
1901present
Modern Britain
3,000 tonnes
of conkers
AD 43410
were collected
by British
schoolchildren.
They were used to
make the cordite
needed to propel
shells and bullets
4101066
10661485
14851603
A recruiting poster
for the British Army
Soldiers go over the top of a trench.
in the First World War
Sometimes opposing trenches For the first years of the war, imports to Britain were unaffected,
would be just 100 metres away but in 1917, German U-Boats began sinking merchant vessels
16031714
A German V2 rocket
We wil
launches. In terms
on the b l fight them
of technological Winston eache
advances, the Churchil s! I am Sir
from 1 l, prime
Germans were
Britons 940 to 45, and minister
ahead of Britain, to NEVE I inspire
were alo Rs d
yet they still lost ne in fig urrender when
big ciga htin we
rs got pa g Germany. My
the war
s t rationin
17141837
too, som g
ehow! GETTY X4, ALAMY X4, SUPERSTOCK
18371901
As cities were being bombed, children were

moved to the safety of the countryside.
1901present
Modern Britain
Around 800,000 were evacuated
With German forces sinking

cargo ships bound for Britain,
food for the population was
short. As a result, rationing
was introduced

In 1954, the first colour
TV set went on sale in
New York. It cost $1,295
(around 870). That
would be almost 7,000
today. The first UK
colour transmission
was in 1966
5 0 , 5 7 p er c ent of
In 19 g e p o p ulation
the dr iv i n g a
a d r v
iv e rs li cence. By
had n u m ber had
20 0 0 th at
is e n to 8 8 p er cent.
r
Technology
At the start of the 20th century humans hadnt flown; by 1969 we had landed
on the moon. But communication was, perhaps, the biggest innovation
Some of the biggest changes in modern Dr Beeching proposed massive cuts in

Britain have been in technology. At the these local railway lines: he believed that
start of the century, radio transmission most people would be travelling by car in
was still a novelty: by the 1930s millions of the future.
people were tuning in to the BBC to hear Many important pieces of technology
music, news or comedy. By the 1950s, radio were in the home. Vacuum cleaners,
Two Hoover vacuum clea
was more popular than ever, but television washing machines and refrigerators ners
are demonstrated in the
1960s
was quickly catching on. The first sets were made a huge difference to ordinary life
fuzzy and difficult to watch but the quality and they made it possible to get by
soon improved. In 1953, thousands of without having to employ servants. down TV pictures, and even helping
people watched the Queens coronation on Domestic service, which had been one of people drive from A to B.
television and from then on it became more the biggest forms of employment in 1900, Even bigger was the impact of
common for people to have their own set. had virtually disappeared by the 1950s. computing. This had started with the
Cars began as a luxury item until Henry Some technological breakthroughs wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park,
ALAMY X2, GETTY X2, PRESS ASSOCIATION
Ford made them affordable. Even so, by the were so exciting it was difficult to see how solving fiendishly clever ciphers, but by the
1930s cars were really for the middle they could affect ordinary people. When 1980s personal computers were becoming
classes: most working people couldnt astronauts walked on the moon, it was more widely available and beginning to
afford one. By the 1960s, however, more exciting to see that it was possible, but it appear in homes and schools. Tim
people had their own cars and motorways wasnt clear what difference it would make Berners-Lee invented the world wide web
had to be built to take them all. On the other to anyones lives. But space exploration put as a way of allowing everyone to have
hand, train travel was in trouble: many thousands of satellites into orbit, and these access to all the worlds information at the
small lines were uneconomical and in 1963 soon became part of ordinary life, beaming click of a button.
XXX

QUICK QUIZ: Who was the first Briton
to travel into space? Find the answer below... 1901present
Modern Britain
AD 43410
able to defeat the German air force in Palestine. In 1956. Britain and France sent In 1979, Margaret Thatcher was elected
the Battle of Britain. The Germans bombed troops into Egypt to take hold of the Suez prime minister and she brought in big
London and other cities very heavily. Food, Canal, but the rest of the world said what changes: industries were privatised and
petrol and clothing were all rationed and they had done was wrong and they had to unions were not allowed to call people out
many children were evacuated from the pull out again. on strike so easily. She helped many buy
cities to the countryside to keep them safe Moreover, thousands of immigrants were their own homes and when Argentina
from the bombs. Thousands of Americans arriving from parts of the empire, like India, invaded the Falkland Islands, she sent an
were stationed in Britain during the war and, Pakistan and the West Indies. Britain was army to drive them out. However, many
AD 4101066
in 1944, British and American troops staged becoming much more ethnically mixed. In people bitterly opposed her radical reforms.
a huge landing in France on D-Day, to start 1973, Britain seemed to turn its back on the
the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. empire when it joined the European Present day
Economic Community (now the By the 21st century, people in Britain
Health and safety b
Growing we
European Union, or EU). enjoyed watching television and were
Britain was on the winning By the 1960s, money increasingly owning computers. They were
side in the Second World e 2 2 .5 million was flowing in the more racially mixed, more tolerant and had
som
War, but it was exhausted. In By 2015, h o ld s aroun
d
economy again and much better housing, schools and
ou s e
British h connecti
on
10661485
1945, Churchill was voted n t h a d young people spent it healthcare than at any time in the past.
out of office and a Labour 86 per ce net. Acc
ess to on new fashions and
e inte r d
to th starte
government took over. The ly really pop music. British
th e web on to ho mes
biggest change they made g it in groups like the Beatles
makin
was to create the National in 1997. and the Rolling Stones
Health Service: for the first made Swinging London the
time, people would not have to world centre of pop culture: in
pay when they went to the doctor. The 1966 England even won the World Cup. But
14851603
government also nationalised (took over) the Sixties mood didnt last. In the 1970s,
the railways and the main industries. Much prices shot up and many workers came out
less popular was their policy of austerity on strike for more wages. The trade unions
even stricter rationing than during the became so powerful that people began to
war and big cuts in public spending. To wonder who was really running the country.
make things even gloomier, Britains empire In the winter of 1978-79, so many unions
seemed to be collapsing: India became came out on strike that there were piles of Margaret Thatcher was Britains first female prime
independent and Britain pulled out of uncollected rubbish in the streets. minister and would win three general elections
16031714
(left) Jessica Ennis
2012 Olympics celebrates gold in the
heptathlon. (below)
and Paralympics Swimmer Ellie
Simmonds took two
London became the first city to golds at the London
Paralympics
host the Olympic Games three
17141837
times, having previously done so
in 1908 and 1948. The games
were considered a huge success,
as were the Paralympic Games,
which immediately followed.
18371901
TOP
UT-
10 1
2
You cant keep a pigsty in front of your house
Singing obscene songs in the street is illegal
6
7
No drinking and driving cows in Scotland
Its illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament
STR ANGE-B 3 Knocking on doors needlessly is against the law 8 Beached whales must be offered to the Queen
1901present
Modern Britain
4 9
TRUE L AWS
No driving cows along the street during daytime Londons black cabs cant carry corpses
5 Only the monarch can eat swans in Britain 10 No handling salmon in suspicious circumstances
Quiz answer p109: Helen Sharmon, a chemist, travelled to the Mir space station on 18 May 1991.
Quiz answer p105: The Hawker Hurricane fighter plane.

1901present
Modern Britain
Get out of
the house
and make
Places to visit
From football history and the view high above London to 22 miles
history come
to life!
of caves beneath the nations capital. Theres plenty to see
THE VIEW FROM THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL

3 SHARD LONDON 4 MUSEUM MANCHESTER
At a height of 1,016ft (310m), The Shard Experience the countrys most loved
currently stands as the tallest building in sport in one of the most famous footballing
western Europe. Get an unrivalled view of cities in the world. This museum has over
London from the colossal 72nd floor and 140,000 collectable items from footballing
see one of the greatest cities in the world as history and truly tells the story of the
youve never seen it before. beautiful game.
32 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9SG Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens,
0844 499 7111 Manchester M4 3BG
lter in
Around 15,000 took she www.theviewfromtheshard.com 0161 605 8200
urst Caves dur ing the bombing
Chisleh Open daily 10am10pm www.nationalfootballmuseum.com
World War
of London in the Second
Adult ticket 25.95 Open daily 10am5pm,
Child ticket 19.95 (advised to pre-book) Free admission
CHISLEHURST
1 CAVES KENT
At the height of The Blitz these caves were
some of the largest air-raid shelters in
Britain, saving over 15,000 people. The
caves went on to became a music venue in MUSEUM OF
the Sixties for some of the most famous 5TRANSPORT
names in pop and rock. GREATER MANCHESTER
Caveside Close, Old Hill, Chislehurst, Kent Take a ride through time at one of
BR7 5NL Britains biggest collections of restored
020 8467 3264 trams, buses and coaches. Get up close
www.chislehurst-caves.co.uk and personal with movie and television
Wednesday to Sunday 10am4pm (every vehicles that appeared in Harry Potter,
day in school holidays) East is East and Life on Mars, to name a
Adult ticket 6.00 few. From a horse-drawn bus to a transport
The original
Child ticket 4.00 Metrolink tram, youll find out how we e has been
offic
got to the high-tech cars that we drive recreated alon
g
cles
PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS today. Enjoy 90 vintage vehicles, many of with the vehi
2 NORTHERN IRELAND which have been fully restored and now
The impressive Parliament Buildings in look resplendent in their original
MARIO RIBERTO DURAN ORTIZ, NORTHERN IRISH TOURIST BOARD
Stormont were built in 1921 to house the liveries, with pride of place going to the
Government of Northern Ireland and since Victorian horse-drawn bus, circa 1890.
the Good Friday agreement of 1998 have Manchester travel through the years!
been home to the Northern Ireland Boyle Street, Cheetham,
Assembly. Look around the House on the Manchester M8 8UW
Hill and enjoy the beautiful grounds of 0161 205 2122
Stormont estate. www.gmts.co.uk/index.html
Parliament Buildings, Ballymiscaw, Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday,
Stormont, Belfast BT4 3XX all bank holidays, and every day in
The museum is housed
028 9052 1137 August, 10am4.30pm Manchesters first bus
in one of
depots
www.niassembly.gov.uk Adult ticket 4.00
Open MondayFriday 9am4pm Children free
Free admission

2
1
5
4

Modern Britain
1901present
Modern Britain
1901present 18371901 17141837 16031714 14851603 10661485 4101066 AD 43410
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Britain in numbers
Fascinating facts about the eighth largest island in the world
60,000
British troops killed or wounded 8mph the speed for which the first
on day one of the First World speeding fine was issued, in a 2mph zone
War battle of the Somme
11
million
38 9,375 250
gallons of tea
are drunk in
Britain
The sum paid
The for a pair of million every day
number of Queen Victorias The amount
6
minutes bloomers at of whisky in
the Anglo- auction litres that
Zanzibar Scotland
war lasted. produces The age of Richard IIs
(Although, each year second wife,
some thats 4,546 Princess Isabella
people swimming of France
claim it pools
went on for
up to 45
minutes. No place in Britain is
Either way,
it was
more than 74
4 miles
pretty away from the sea
short!)
250
The number of
names in the first
58
telephone directory
characters in the name of a Welsh village. The next station is...

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

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The Story of Britain 3

60 Timeline: Inventions and discoveries Culture & soc

All the inventions, from flushing toilets to steam engines

86 Timeline: Culture and society

Roman Britain The Invaders Medieval Britain Early Modern

10 Roman Britain 22 The Invaders 36 Medieval Britain 48 Early Modern

12 Julius Caesars 24 King Arthur 38 Thomas Becket 50 Henry VIII

4 The Story of Britain

106 The world

The Stuarts Georgian Britain Victorian Britain Modern Britain

62 The Stuarts 74 Georgian Britain 88 Victorian Britain 100 Modern Britain

64 The Union 76 The Jacobite 90 Queen Victoria 102 The labour

The Story of Britain 5

they hunted folk, where

Avebury stone circle

The Story of Britain 7

8 The Story of Britain

Barrow, from the

The Story of Britain 9

Bignor, West Sussex

10 The Story of Britain

How Roman p14

What did the p15

Hadrians wall p18

The Story of Britain 11

12 The Story of Britain

This fearless warrior queen led a revolt against the Romans

The Story of Britain 13

How Roman was Britain?

much as the supremely rich demonstrate always done. Some Britons

14 The Story of Britain

men in each one. Soldiers would be

Roman culture never fully

(warm room) and frigidarium (cold language, legal system, culture

AD 286 AD 367 AD 399 AD 409

independent by Picts raid Britain in restored in Britain by expel any remaining

AD 260274 c296 AD AD 383 AD 407

The Story of Britain 15

The poorer classes

In the Roman empir

Roman currency incorporated other

and copper. Up until Julius

The baths were discovered at

The hypocaust system

The Romans were extremely inventive and liked to live in comfort.

The Story of Britain 17

The Story of Britain 19

HOUSESTEADS FORT AT ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE

ROMAN BATHS BATH

The Story of Britain 21

to raid as well as to colonise

22 The Story of Britain

Alfred the Great p26

The Story of Britain 23

England after he pufrom a

stone, which only ove.

that of his magical ue to

407 446 669

24 The Story of Britain