Introduction to British Studies * By Mi Do, Thuy Pham & Hong Nguyen Chapter 1 A HISTORY OF BRITAIN Vietnam National University, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies
Trang 1Introduction to British Studies * By Mi Do, Thuy Pham & Hong Nguyen
Chapter 1
A HISTORY OF BRITAIN
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
University of Languages and International Studies
Outline
• Prehistory
• The Roman period (43 - 410)
• The Germanic invasion (410 - 1066)
• The medieval period (1066 - 1485)
• The sixteenth century
• The seventeenth century
• The eighteenth century
• The nineteenth century
• The twentieth century
PREHISTORY
• Important physical remnant of the early Britons: Stonehenge built some time between
3050 and 2300 BC
o The construction took several phases to complete
o Theories of its use: ceremony ground, burial ground, astronomical clock, sundial …etc
• Since 8 th cent B.C: Land of the Celts and the Celtic culture
THE ROMAN PERIOD
• AD 43: The Romans came to invade Britain,
and stayed
• AD 410: The Romans left, leaving little impact
behind
Notable event:
• AD 61: The revolt of Queen Boudicca against
the Romans
The Roman period
(most of) England & Wales:
The Roman province of Britannia
A Celtic tribe (the Scots)
migrated from Ireland to
Scotland
Scotland: The Scots allied
with the Picts (also Celtic) against the Romans
The Romans built the Hadrian’s wall to protect from attacks by the Scots and the Picts
The Hadrian’s Wall
GERMANIC INVASIONS
• 400s: Two tribes Angles and Saxons invaded Britain and soon ruled the South-east
With their arrival, Christianity spread throughout Britain
800s: Another wave of invasion raised by the Vikings , yet halted by King Alfred
England was divided
• 900s: Cultural and religious similarities merged two divisions into one united kingdom
Trang 2MEDIEVAL PERIOD I
• Norman invasion of England in 1066
• England brought into the mainstream of western Europe
• Formation of language and class division
Notable event:
• 1066: The Battle of Hastings – the last time Britain was
successfully invaded
MEDIEVAL PERIOD II
• Late 1300s: Spread of the English monarch to other part of the British Isles
• 1300s: English became the dominant language
• Cultural split still existed in the British Isles
Notable events:
• Magna Carta (1215)
• The Black Death (1348-1350 in Britain)
• The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485)
Notable figure:
• The legendary folk hero Robin Hood
• A strict feudal system in England
Medieval Period II
French-speaking Normans
English-speaking Saxons
The beginning of the English class system
King
Great lords or Barons
Lesser lords
Peasants
Medieval Period II
England: A strict feudal
system brought by the Norman since 11th century Wales: under the English
king’s direct rule
Eastern Ireland: controlled by
Anglo-Norman lords in the name of the
English king
The (Celtic) Welsh language and culture remained strong, e.g
Eisteddfod
The lords remained loyal to the English king
• Germanic language, not the Norman language (=French)
•The Anglo-Saxon concept of common law, not Roman law
The Norman culture after 250 years did not gain predominance
Scotland: Remain independent
a gradual shift to English language and customs (in the lowlands) culture split
THE SIXTEEN CENTURY
• The increasing power of the English monarch
• The reign of the Tudor dynasty (1485-1603)
• The rise of Protestantism – majority religion
in England
Notable figures:
Henry VIII (r.1509-1547)
& the rise of Protestantism (r.1558-1603) Elizabeth I
Trang 3The 16th century
Rejection of
Roman Church + A new spirit of patriotic
confidence
The country became an
“island nation”
+
Britain was closer to the geographical centre of the western civilization
(not on the edge)
Protestantism, taking a form as Anglicanism became the major religion in England
The exploration of the Americas
and other parts of the world
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY I
• The rise of the Stuart dynasty
• Conflict between the parliament and the Stuart monarchs about their way of raising money
• Puritanism and its classification of immorality
Notable event:
• The Civil Wars & the execution of Charles I
The Civil Wars (1642 - 1651)
Results:
• Execution of Charles I, the 2nd son of James I (1649)
• the exile of his son Charles II
• Cromwell, leader of the Parliamentary army became ‘Lord
Protector’ of the republic with a military government
Britain became a republic for the 1st and only time
Fun-loving, aristocratic royalist
Cavaliers
‘Roundheads’ Over-serious, puritan Parliamentarian
Victory
Oliver Cromwell
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY II
• The shift of power among the monarchs, from Charles I
to Cromwell, James II to William of Orange
• Powers of the monarch was limited: the monarch could rule only with the support of Parliament
• Origin of the split in society in modern Northern Ireland
THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
• A politically stable period
• Establishment of annual budget system
• Two divisions in Parliament
• Colonization & industrialization
Notable events:
• The 1707 Act of Union
• Industrial Revolution
Territory Expansion
• This century was marked by cultural change
• Britain expanded its empire in
– The Americas – West African coast – India
New markets
Trang 4First Industrial Revolution
• Causes: new markets + technological
innovations in manufacturing & transports…
• Industrial growth and urban development
• The North being the industrial centre, the
reverse of today situation
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
• The biggest empire in the world after the end of the
century
• An enormous increase of wealth
• A change in attitude towards colonization (the white
man’s burden)
• Most people lived in towns or cities
• Set of moral values built
• Reform in political (more of a modern state) and
public life (human rights recognized in laws)
• A turn from industrial life-style to the country-side
Notable figure:
• Queen Victoria
The expansion of the British Empire
• Biggest empire the world had ever seen (in early 20th cent.)
Ireland: British
culture and way of
life predominated
Canada, Australia and
New Zealand:
self-governed but recognized
the overall authority of
British government
Africa: most colonies started as
trading bases on the coast and had little British settlement, except for South Africa
India: British officials
developed a distinctive Anglo-Indian way of life, imposing British institution and methods of government
The 19th century
• Changes in social structure
Most people live in rural areas
Most people lived in towns and cities Depended on landowners
for their living owners for their living Depended on factory
Together with the middle class of tradespeople
Held the REAL POWER in the country Victorian values
Victorian Era
• One of the most memorable and endearing
of the English monarchs
• Nostalgia and protests against new lifestyle
Queen Victoria (r.1837-1901)
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY I
• No longer the world’s richest country
• A period of extremism during the first 20 years
• Two major problems resolved:
- Women’s right to vote – the Suffragettes
- New types and levels of taxation
• Urban working class made their voice heard (1)
• Trade unions able to self-organize
• Divided community in Northern Ireland
• Notable events: World Wars
Trang 5THE TWENTIETH CENTURY II
• End of the British Empire
• Part of the Commonwealth, NATO and EU
• A major growth in population & large-scale immigration
• Changing moral codes (people became more individualistic and
less differential)
• Labour Party and its Conservative rival alternating in power
• Notable figures:
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Margaret Thatcher
Winston Churchill
41 st PM
In office:
1940 - 1945
Political party: Conservative and Liberal
Margaret Thatcher
47 th PM
In office:
1979 - 1990
Political party
Conservative
Tony Blair
49 th PM
In office:
1997 - 2007
Political party: Labour
Gordon Brown
50 th PM
In office:
2007- 2010
Political Party: Labour
David Cameron
51 st PM
May 2010 - now
Political Party:
Conservative
Queen Elizabeth II
(r.1952-)
Questions for discussion
1 What were the invaders’ influences on the
British society?
2 How did the industrial revolution in the 18th
century contribute to British wealth, power
and confidence?
3 How would you describe the changing
relationship between religion and politics in
British history? Are these changes that have
taken place similar to those that have
occurred in your country?
Questions for discussion
4 Britain is unusual among European countries
in that, for more than 300 years now, there has not been a single revolution or civil war
What reason can you find in this chapter which might help to explain this stability?
5 It is clearly seen from the chapter that Britain has experienced several significant historical periods in its long history Which period, in your opinion, was the most critical one in shaping the nation’s history? And why?
REVIEW: True or False?
1 Germanic peoples are those from German
2 Britain was defeated by the French people in the 18th
century
3 The power of the great barons were weakened mainly
because of the Wars of Roses
4 Britain used to be on the edge of the world
5 Britain has never been a republic country
6 In the 18th century, social power and prestige rested on the
possession of houses in the urban area
7 Victoria Era was a long period of prosperity for the British
people
8 Britain started to lose its position as the richest country in
the world in the 21st century
Put the following phrases into the correct period of time
a The beginning of the English class system The Roman Period
b Enormous increase in wealth
c Power of the great barons was weakened
d Introduced new farming methods
e Iron Age Celtic Culture
f British territory expansion
g Impressive development in many fields of the society
h A system of government department was established
i England and Scotland were united
j Urban development
1 Prehistory
2 The Roman period
3 The Germanic invasions
4 The medieval period
5 The sixteenth century
6 The seventeenth century
7 The eighteenth century
8 The nineteenth century
9 The twentieth century
k Industrial revolution
l Brought Christianity to Britain
m Built the Hadrian’s Wall
n No longer the richest country