A bit about Britain’s history – a full set of timelines from the prehistoric to the present, articles about events and themes from all periods of British history, a complete list of Britain’s kings and queens. You’ll also find separate pieces on particular events and a summary of anniversaries for the current year.
The fate of a nation decided on a king’s whim – or his desire for a male heir No challenge blighted Henry VIII’s accession to the English throne. The country was at peace and it seemed to be a golden age. In contrast to the ailing, bloated, tyrant he was to become, the youthful king […]
Losing our religion – how Henry VIII changed the world and his wife Read More »
History
New dynasty, fresh start? There was by no means unanimous agreement that the new Tudor King, Henry VII, had the best claim to the throne of England in 1485. In fact, depending on your point of view, his claim could be considered quite flimsy. Henry was the son of a formidable mother, Margaret Beaufort, and
The victor of Bosworth Read More »
History
Something was wrong with the English monarchy; the only answer seemed to be war English history in the second half of the 15th century is scarred by civil war – the Wars of the Roses – a label which became popular in Victorian times based on the red and white roses of the rival houses
A violent royal soap opera Read More »
History
The only defence was to run away – if you could The ‘Black Death’ or ‘Great Pestilence’ swept through Europe between around 1346–1353, where it eventually killed between 30-60% of the population – maybe 25 million people, though some historians estimate twice that figure. The disease originated ‘somewhere in the east’ and arrived in southern
When death walked the land Read More »
History
Problems with close neighbours You may have noticed that France isn’t part of Britain. But at one time the Kings of England ruled enormous chunks of what is now France. The French Connection all began when Duke William of Normandy became King William I of England in 1066. Under his great-grandson, Henry II (1133-1189), the
Why France isn’t part of Britain Read More »
History
Wales is conquered and becomes an English colony Wales, like Scotland, was not a unified political entity in the early Middle Ages. It consisted of a number of kingdoms, the largest of which were Gwynedd in the north west, Deheubarth in the south west and Powys in between the two. It was ruled by kings
Whatever happened to Wales? Read More »
History Wales
Scotland manages to create itself – with a little help from the King of England In the 9th century, Kenneth MacAlpin (Cionnaith mac Ailpin) merged Dalriada or Dál Riata, the Kingdom of the Scoti, with the Kingdom of the Picts. The new kingdom, known as Alba, would eventually become Scotland and Kenneth MacAlpin is traditionally
How Scotland was born Read More »
History Scotland
The medieval roots of modern British government Most people know that the ancient Greeks invented democracy (demos – ‘the people’ and kratia – ‘power’). But we Brits like to imagine it was us – Westminster is “the mother of parliaments”, and all that. In fact, Iceland’s Althing and Sweden’s Jamtamot date back to the 10th
Brits invent parliamentary democracy Read More »
History
The Normans crushed the Saxons and a hybrid culture evolved that became uniquely British Britain changed forever on 14 October 1066. In fact, the defeat of the English (Saxons) under King Harold, by the bastard Duke William of Normandy and his invaders at the Battle of Hastings is one of those events that came to
How the Normans shaped world history Read More »
History
People talk of a north-south divide in Britain, but it was once even more serious than it is now It’s all a matter of power and geography. The Danes had defeated the old Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia. If the Danes had beaten Alfred of Wessex too, maybe the capital of Britain
Why London is the capital of Britain Read More »
History
Terrible portents appeared over Northumbria and miserably frightened the inhabitants: there were exceptional flashes of lightning, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air. A great famine followed these signs; and a little after that, in the same year on 8 June, the harrying of the heathen miserably destroyed God’s church in Lindisfarne by
Newsflash – Vikings murder defenceless monks Read More »
History
How Britain not only became Christian, but also specifically Roman Catholic Britain, like the rest of Western Europe, has a long Christian heritage. The Church came to wield enormous political and socio-economic power, and religion is such a part of Britain’s continuing story, so it is important to understand a bit about how Christianity arrived.
Christianity and the age of the saints Read More »
History