UK

Political system

Economy

History

Population

Geography

WIlliam II

1087-1100

Milestones in British history

Neolithic period

Pre-Celtic tribes

1000 BCE

Celts

55 BC

Romans

410 AD

Romans leave Britain

5th century

Germanic tribes

Late 8th century

Vikings.

1066

Normans

The Vikings arrived from Scandinavia and started the conquest of whole island but King Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxons against the Vikings. The Danes maintained possession of north-eastern England, the Danelaw, only Wessex remained to Anglo-Saxons. Anglo-Saxon England continued to flourish after Alfred’s death. His son, Edward the Elder (900-924) reconquered the Danelaw and later the century the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that king Edgar (959-975) issued laws recognising the multi-ethnic character of England at the time. Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon king, defeated the Vikings at the battle of Stamford Bridge in the north of England in 1066

The Vikings

The Celts

• Artisans, farmer, fishers, warriors
• Pagans: druidism
• Druids

The Romans leave Britain

The Romans were forced to leave the country to defend Rome against the Barbarian invasion.

Germanic tribes

Left defenceless, Britain was invaded by German tribes

• transformed moors or forests into cultivable lands thanks to their ploughs

• 7 kingdoms --> heptarchy

• Language: Old English

• Religion: paganism

Norman invasion

The Normans

• 14th October 1066: Battle of Hastings. William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy defeated the Anglo-Saxons

• Harlod was killed --> Anglo-Saxon reign came to an end.

• On Christmas Day 1066 William the Conqueror (1066-1087) was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey --> beginning of the Middle Ages

William II

William II succeeded William I but he proved to be very unpopular

Pre-Celtic tribes

• Use of stone and metals
• Construction of wooden huts
• Introduction of agriculture
• trade-routes to link up the centres of distant tribes
• large temple (Stonehenge) = a great feat of engineering for that time

The Romans

• Julius Caesar

• 43 AD: Emperor Claudius

• 122 AD: Emperor Hadrian --> Hadrian's Wall