Timeline+British+History

= = Main Historical Events in Britain

 **43-409**- **Invasion of Britain by Emperor Claudius.**  We do not know to much about this invasion but the invasion of Britain was very important for expanding the roman empire. **871 - King Alfred defeats the Vikings.**  King Alfred defended England and the Anglo-Saxon from the vikings. When the Vikings were defeated King Alfred became the first King of the West Saxons and styled himself King of The Anglo-Saxons. 

**1066 - Norman conquest.**  28 September 1066 William, duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the battle of Hastings on 14 October defeating the then king Harold II of England.The Roman conquest was a pivotal event in the English history.  It largely removed the native ruling class, replacing it with a foreign, French speaking monarchy, aristocracy and clerical hierarchy. This, in turn, brought about a transformation of the English language and the culture of England in a new era often referred to as Norman England.

 **1348/9 - Black Death**  It isn't clear exactly when or where the Black Death reached England. Some reports at the time pointed to Bristol, others to Dorset. The disease may have appeared as early as late June or as late as August 4. We do know that in mid-summer the Channel Islands were reeling under an outbreak of the plague. From this simple beginning the disease spread throughout England with dizzying speed and fatal consequences.The effect was at its worst in cities, where overcrowding and primitive sanitation aided its spread. On November 1 the plague reached London, and up to 30,000 of the city's population of 70,000 inhabitants succumbed. 

**1534 - [|Henry VIII breaks with the Catholic church.]**  To be able to divorce his wife Queen Catherine, Henry had to break with the Catholic Church and become Supreme Head of the Church of England since neither Catherin or the pope would let him divorce. **1558- Elizabeth I is crowned Queen**  On January 15, 1559, Elizabeth I was crowned Queen by Owen Oglethorpe, bishop of Carlisle at Westminster abbey, a little less than two months after the death of Mary I. The total cost of the celebrations, excluding the coronation banquet was £16,741, which according to one calculation would equal about £3.5 million today. Like her predecessors, Elizabeth knew the importance of a good show, especially for a new monarch who needed to re-affirm her right to her crown. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1588 - defeat of the Spanish Armada** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The Spanish Armada was driven from its anchorage by an English fire ship attack, and in the ensuing naval battle at Gravelines the Spanish were forced to abandon their rendezvous. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1620 - Pilgrim Fathers sail to New England** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> In 1620 one hundred Puritans boarded the ‘Mayflower’ bound for the New World. These people were the Pilgrim Fathers. The Pilgrim Fathers saw little chance of England becoming a country in which they wished to live. They viewed it as un-Godly and moving from a bad to worse state. The Pilgrim Fathers believed that a new start in the New World was their only chance. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1642-51 - Civil War** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">The civil War was a series of armed conflicts <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> machinations between Parliamentarians(Roundheads) and Royalists (Cavaliers). <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1689 - Bill of Rights** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The Bill of Rights lays down limits on the powers of sovereign and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement to regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1776 - America declares independence from the UK, starting the war of independence** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The war of independence was a war between USA and the UK. USA wanted to break lose from the UK and succeeded. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The Parliament insisted on its right to tax colonists; the Americans claimed their rights as Englishmen to No taxation without representation. This was the main problem that made USA want to break free.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1780s - Industrial revolution begins** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The industrial revolution found place in England in the 18th century and lasted till the 19th. The industrial revolution meant <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the times. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1899-1902 - Boer War** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The Boer war, was the Boer republics war against the British empire for independence. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;">**1914-18 - World War I** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The Great War was centred in Europe. The War began in 1914 and involved all of the world's Greatest power. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;">**1939-45 - World War II** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The second World War was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's nations. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million military personnel mobilised. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days after invasion of Poland.

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<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: left;"> **1973 - UK joins the EU** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> The European Union is a partnership of 27 countries. Britain has been a member of the EU since 1973.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 54px; text-align: left;">**Language development** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">Language:

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**Old English (450-1100)**Anglo-Saxon languages. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anglo-Saxon is an early form was of English that were spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**Middle English (1100-1500)** Anglo-Saxon languages, mixed with French – a transformation and development of the language. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Middle English is the stage in the history during the high and Late middle ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**Modern English (1500-1700)** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">A development towards a more standardised language, at least the written language

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**1700****** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Development towards present day English, including American English, Australian English and other local varieties

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**The Anglo-Saxons** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">came from Germany and Denmark, and brought with them their language. The structure and the grammar of the English language are roughly the same as in the language of the Anglo-Saxons. The largest part of the vocabulary also comes from the Anglo-Saxons.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**The Vikings** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">came from Scandinavia, and they also had an influence on the English language. They brought with them a lot of words describing landscape and agriculture. The pronouns __they, their and them__ also come from Old Norse.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**The Normans** came from France and brought with them a lot of words about culture, food and administration. A word like __government__ is for example French.

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