History of Britain-Part 1

Pre-feudal society

• 3000 B.C. – The Iberians sail around west coast into Scotland and Scandinavia

• 750 B.C. – Gaels (Celts) –Scottish language and culture• 500 B.C. - Britons (Celts)-Welsh culture

– The Britons drove the Gaels to the north (modern Scotland)

• 100 B.C. – The third group comes from Gaul

• The Celts was one of the first civilized cultures in Great Britain with their knowledge of agriculture and trade.

The Romans

43 A.D. -410 A.D.• Constant revolts•122 A.D. –built Hadrian’s Wall

•Came to govern and trade, not to settle

The Anglo-Saxons

• Originally invited to defend against the Picts and Scots (Celts)

• Celts were defeated and pushed into Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

• 7 kingdoms fought against each other

• King Alfred united kingdoms against the Danes

• Christianity helped link the kingdoms together

Bead and Beowulf

Bede- “Ecclesiastical History of the British People”

Beowulf- Considered greatest Old English Poem

Danes (the Vikings)

• Many battles between Danes and Anglo-Saxons during the 9th and 10th century A.D.

• Alfred (Anglo-Saxon King) defeats Guthrum (Dane) and make an agreement– Danes allowed to rule the north of England– Alfred forced the Danes to accept Christianity

• Move towards feudalism and class polarization

Normans and the rise of feudalism

• William of Normandy arrived in 1066 to claim the throne– The Battle of Hastings– Established strong monarchy

• Feudalism established

• What is feudalism?– King gives land to nobles– Nobles must takes oath– It is a class system with the king at the

top. Nobles are below the king, and peasants or serfs are under the noble.

King John and the “The Great Charter”

• Henry II-increases power of British crown, class struggle• 1213 A.D.-More class struggle• 1215 A.D. –King John forced to sign the Magna Carta or “The

Great Charter”– 1. King will not exact extra payments from feudal vassals

without their consent– 2. Laws not to be modified by the arbitrary action of the

king– 3. If the king attempts to free himself from the law,

vassals (nobles ) have the right to force the king to obey it by civil war

Parliament

• “All Estates Parliament” (1265)– The beginning of Parliament– Power of King Henry III is checked

• “Model Parliament” (1295)– Henry's son, Edward, recognized the need for

change– Beginning of the “commons” or representation of

the middle class

Decline of Feudalism

• The 100 Years War• Economic changes• The Black Death• Rising of 1381– The Lollards: against the abuses of the church– Poll Tax- started the rising–Wat Tyler, led peasants to London– Serfs (lowest class) become free peasants or wage

laborers

The War of the Roses (1455-1485)

• House of Lancaster and the House of York– Feudal war in which the families fight over power,

money, and land– The two groups fight against each other and

essentially destroy each other–Weakens the feudal nobility