HISTORY OF THE BRITISH ISLES

Prehistory

• C.25,000 BP: 1st humans (Homo sapiens)

- paleolithic/mesolithic hunter-gatherers
- land bridge with Europe (result of ice age)
- gradual rise in sea levels (c. 120m)
• C.12,000 BC: Ireland, then Isle of Man separated from
Great Britain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles)
(British Isles -

• By c. 5,600 BC: GB probably completely separated

from Europe (Ibid)

- beginning of agriculture (long after Middle East)

 Doggerland

Map showing hypothetical extent of

Doggerland (c. 8,000 BC), which The red line marks Dogger Bank,
provided a land bridge between which is most likely a moraine
Great Britain and continental Europe formed in the Pleistocene[1]
 (Mesolithic Hunter-gatherer)
Cheddar Man: c. 7,100 BCE

“A reconstruction of Cheddar Man. As with other Mesolithic hunter-gatherers,

DNA results suggest he had dark skin and blue or green eyes”
(BBC 16-4-19: Stonehenge: DNA reveals origin of builders)
The earliest dated culture in the British Isles appeared about 6000 B.C.
(Neolithic Farmer) Whitehawk Woman: 5,600 BCE

“A facial reconstruction of Whitehawk Woman, a 5,600-year-old Neolithic woman

from Sussex. The reconstruction is on show at the Royal Pavilion & Museum in
Brighton” (BBC 16-4-19: Stonehenge: DNA reveals origin of builders)
 Neolithic Villages: 4500 BC
Newgrange (N.I.) Passage Grave (Barrow)
Skara Brae (Orkneys)
Stonehenge: 3000-1100 BC
Bronze Age: Beaker People
c. 2000 BC Beakers
 Iron Age (Celts)
From 500 BC
The Celts
Celtic Villages & People
Celtic religion was dedicated
to a number of deities that
they believed inhabited the
forests and fens of Britain.
The Druid priests made
sacrifices and served as
teachers, judges, and
religious leaders.
 Contact with Romans

• Trade with Romanized Gaul

- Exports: raw materials (gold, silver, iron, grain,
wool, hides, cattle, hunting dogs, salves)
- Imports: manufactured products (glass,
jewellery, etc)
• Julius Caesar’s “visits”
- 55 BC (after conquest of Gaul) & 54 BC
- Veni, vidi, vici & tribute from Celtic chieftains
• Invasion by Emperor Claudius
- AD 43
- Arrived in person (Publicity stunt?)
Julius Caesar led the Roman legions into Britain in 55 B.C.
– and again a year later
Roman conquest of Britain from A.D.
43-80
Boudicca (Boadicea): Warrior Queen

Boudicca (d. AD 61?) Land of the Iceni (East Anglia)

 Boudicca’s Statue
(Westminster Bridge, London)
 Lunt Fort (near Coventry)

Discovered 1930’s, Excavation /

Reconstruction From 1960’s

Probably built c. 60 AD “as a supply depot and headquarters for

the Roman Army during the final campaign against Boudica”
(Wikipedia 8-Sep-19)
 Frontier Walls
Hadrian’s Wall (Begun AD 122 by Emperor Antonine Wall (Begun AD 142 by Emperor
Hadrian: ruled 117-138) Antoninus Pius: ruled 138-161)

Built of stone, mortar, sod, and clay, Hadrian’s Wall

was 73 miles long, 10 feet thick and 20 feet high.
Reconstruction of Part of Hadrian’s Wall
(Walltown Crags) Begun 122 AD
 Small forts housing troops were built
into the wall and alternated with
taller turrets that served as
watchtowers.

A reconstruction of one of the

watchtowers
Reconstruction of Part of the Antonine Wall (Begun 142 AD)
Roman cities and
roads in Britain
The Romans founded Londinium on the banks
of the Thames in 50 A.D.
Remnants of Roman Britain
are still visible in modern
London.
Wealthy people lived in large detached houses, made of stone or brick, called
villas.
The Roman Baths in the city of Bath
are the best preserved Roman
buildings in Britain.
 End of Roman Britain
• Rome sacked by Alaric (Visigoth) (AD 410)
• Departure of last Roman Legions from Britain to protect
Roman Empire
• Invasions by Picts (from Scotland) & Scots (from Ireland)
• Invasions by Germanic tribes:
- Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Frisians
- Mercenaries for Roman Army …
- … then for Romanized Britons (against Picts & Scots)
after departure of Roman legions
- Settled in Britain with families
Painting of Picts
The barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire
Between 200-400 A.D., the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes all invaded Britain
 “King” Arthur
• Semi-mythical figure
- Probably Romanized Briton
• Late 5th – early 6th century
• Associated with Tintagel Castle & Cadbury
Castle
• Organized resistance against Saxons
• Battle of Badon Hill
- Defeat of Saxons (Roman cavalry)
 Tintagel Castle
View from Beach Alternative view
Cadbury Castle (Somerset)
(Arthur’s Camelot?)
 Anglo-Saxon Expansion
C. 650 AD 802 AD
 Return of Christianity (1): Ireland
• Palladius (from 431) mainly
in Munster & Leinster
• Patrick (from 432) mainly in
Ulster & Connacht
• Monastic tradition (monks &
abbots / priors)
St. Patrick holding St. Patrick expelling
• Kept Christianity alive in a shamrock snakes from Ireland
northern Europe during
“dark ages”
• Illuminated writing:
- e.g. Book of Kells (gospels)
& other manuscripts
Book of Kells
 Return of Christianity (2) From Ireland to Scotland
• St. Columba (521-597)
o Founded abbey on island of
Iona (Inner Hebrides,
Scotland) in 565
• St. Aidan (from Iona)
o Founded Priory, (island of
Lindisfarne, Northumbria) in
635

Ruins of Lindisfarne Priory Close-up of Lindisfarne Priory

 Return of Christianity (2):
from Rome (Bishops)

• St. Augustine 597 (Kent)

• Pope Gregory
o Non anglii sed angeli
• Venerable Bede (673?-635)
o Ecclesiastical History of
the English People
o only record of these
events
St Augustine (d. 604 Pope Gregory the
• Conflict with Celtic church 1st Archbishop of Great (540-604)
o Autonomous monastic Canterbury
system (abbots) vs
centralized, hierarchical
system (bishops)
 Anglo-Saxons
Typical Dress Typical Homes
 Reconstructed Village
(West Stow, Bury St.
Edmunds, Suffolk) Introductory Video (West Stow)

• Early Anglo-Saxons lived in small thatched

huts arranged around a central hall.
• Being mainly farmers, they had little or
no use for towns
Introductory Video (West Stow)
 Viking Invasions

Viking Expansion Attacks from 793 (Lindisfarne)

 Traditional vs
more authentic
appearance of
Viking warriors

Sea Stallion: reconstructed Viking longship Modern replica

 Anglo-Saxons vs Danes
Alfred the Great (849-899) Danelaw (from 1886)
• King of Wessex (871-899)
• Admirer of Charlemagne
• Promoted education & culture
• Improved legal system &
military
• “Father of the English Navy”
• Established “Danelaw” (limits of
Danish & Anglo-Saxon rule)
• Stories:
- Spying on Viking army
- Burning of cakes
 Beowulf
• Epic Anglo-Saxon poem (like
the Iliad, the Odyssey, etc)
• Written 8th-11th cent
- probably c. 1000
• Rediscovered in 18th cent.
(in private collection)
• Setting: Scandinavia
(probably Sweden)
 England United

Athelstan (893/5 – 939) Anglo-Scandinavian Empire

• King of Wessex (924-927) • Cnut (Canute) 985/95 –
• 1st King of England (927- 1035
939) • King of England (1016),
• Grandson of Alfred the Denmark (1018), Norway
Great (1028) & parts of Sweden
• Defeated Scots & Vikings • Danish, but treated Danes &
(Brunanburh 937) English as equal
• Story: holding back tide
- (to show piety)
 Legend of Lady Godiva

• Wife of Leofric, Earl of

Mercia (968-1057)
• Real name: Godgifu
(Latinised to Godiva)
• Legend: rode naked
through Coventry
• Peeping Tom (tailor
struck blind – for
peeping!)
Statue of Lady Godiva: Broadgate, Coventry, c. 1966 / 1967
 Unveiling of statue by wife of Statue In 1966/7
US ambassador 22-10-49

Statue in 2012 (after 90° repositioning

in 1990) and “Peeping Tom”
Lady Godiva (Peter and Gordon 1967)
 Norman Invasion
Battle of Hastings (1066)
William Harold Godwinson
• Protagonists:
- Duke William of Normandy
(“The Conqueror”): 1028-1087
- King Harold II (Godwinson) of
England
• William I: 1066-1087
• England finally subdued c. 1070 Detail of battle from Bayeux Tapestry
• Beginning of Feudal System in
England
• French language (for nobility),
Norman law & administration
 King John and Magna Carta
• Reigned 1199-1216 Original text (Latin version)

• Succeeded brother (Richard I –

“Coeur de Lion”)
• Called “Lackland” (lost Duchy of
Normandy)
• Forced by barons to sign Magna
Carta [Libertatum] (15 June,
1215) at Runnymede (on
Fragment of modern transcription
Thames (west of London)
13. The city of London shall enjoy
• 63 articles in Latin all its ancient liberties and free
• 1st step towards constitutional customs, both by land and by water.
We also will and grant that all other
law cities, boroughs, towns, and ports
• Basis for U.S. constitution shall enjoy all their liberties and free
customs.
Towards a United Kingdom (1)

The Welsh Connection

 Wales (1): Origin of Name
• Old English Wealas (Wales) & Wealisc (Welsh) to
indicate any Celtic Briton
• Welsh name: Cymru (Wales) & Cymry (Welsh)
• From Brythonic Combrogi (fellow-countrymen)
• Older term Brythoniad more common until c. 1100
• Latinized form: Cambria (as in e.g. Cambrian Mountains
& Cambrian geologic period)
• Retained in the name Cumbria (region in North-west
England)
• Welsh language: Cymraeg
 Wales (2): Saint David (Dewi Sant)

• Lifetime: c. 500 - c. 589

(Both dates disputed)
• Born Pembrokeshire
• Feast day: 1st March
• Promoted strict
monasticism in Wales,
Dumnonia (Cornwall) &
Brittany (in France)

St. David’s Cathedral

(Pembrokeshire) (Present form: 1181)
 Wales (3): Saxons & Offa’s Dyke
• Several Welsh principalities
• Offa’s Dyke (Offa: King of
Mercia 757-796)
- unofficial “border”

Offa’s Dyke (Modern path)

Modern path across Wales

Cross-section of dyke
 Wales (4): Conquest
• 11th century: William I creates
March of Wales (border
territories) as a reward for
about 150 of his warriors
• Marcher Lords gradually win
more territory from Welsh
• 1282: Edward I, called
“Longshanks” or “Hammer of
the Scots” (r. 1272-1307),
defeats & kills Llewellyn ap
Gruffyd of Gwynned (North
Wales) Wales c. 1267 Wales c. 1284
• 1284 (Statute of Rhuddlan)
Wales incorporated into
Kingdom of England (as a
principality)
 Wales (5): Incorporation into
Kingdom of England
• 1284: Construction of
Caernarfon Castle (1st of
many)
• 1301: 1st Prince of Wales
(Edward II) Caernarfon Castle
• Marcher Lords still
continued to rule
• 1536: Act of Union (under
Henry VIII)
- Welsh law replaced by
English law
Conwy Castle
 Wales (6): The Welsh Revolt
• Owen Glendower (c.
1349/1359 – c. 1415)
• From Powys (related to the
obscure Tudors)
• Land dispute with His great seal His banner
neighbour (friend of king)
• Forced to rebel (in self-
defence) in 1400
• Proclaimed Prince of Wales
• Supposedly died in 1415
(but no definite proof)
Harlech Castle
 The Welsh in Patagonia
• Idea of Michael D Jones: Welsh
nonconformist minister and ardent
nationalist
• Aim: permanent settlement of Welsh-
speakers in New World
• 1865: 150 Welsh-speaking immigrants
arrived at New Bay (Port Madryn) Río
Chubut, Patagonia
• Many from coal-mining areas of
South Wales (Chubut area supposedly
similar)
• Chubut not yet part of Argentina
(disputed by Chile)
• Permanent settlement at Rawson
(officially recognized by Argentina
1875)
• Later: other European immigrants
Flag of Puerto Madryn &
Welsh colony in Patagonia
Hay on Wye
The Wye Valley

Chepstow Castle
Towards a United Kingdom (2)

The Scottish Connection

 Scotland (1): Origins
• Known to Romans as
Caledonians, then Picti
(“Painted Ones”) due to use
of woad (blue pigment) for Picts (again)
tattoo-like markings
• Calgacus (c. 84 AD) resisted
Romans
- 1st Scottish hero (?)
Scene from film
“King Arthur”
Calgacus (Colin
Machlachlan – BBC)
 Scotland (2): Irish Connection

• Invasion/settlement of
Gaels (Scoti) from
Northern Ireland)
• 6th-7th cent: Kingdom
of Dalriada (N. Ireland &
W. Scotland)
• 565: St. Columba (from
Ireland founded
monastery on Iona

Iona Monastery
 Scotland (3): Unification

• Creation of Kingdom of Alba

• Kenneth MacAlpin (King of the
Picts: c. 843 – c. 848)
- United Picts & Scots (Dalriada)
against Vikings
- Considered “father” of
Scotland Lawrence Olivier as
• Constantine II (MacAlpin’s grandson): Shakespeare’s Macbeth
1st King of the Scots (900-943)
• Macbeth (“Red King”)
- King 1040-1057
- Basis for Shakespeare’s Macbeth – idealized
19th cent. portrait
play of the same name
 Scotland (4): Expansion
• Alba gradually became known as
Scotland
• Acquired parts of Strathclyde &
northern Northumbria (Bernicia)
• Modern Scotland is the result of
the merging of four different
peoples & languages:
- Picts / Pictish (Unknown
origin)
- Irish / Gaelic
- Britons / Brythonic
- Angles / English (“Scots” or
“Lallans”)
 Scotland (5): Consolidation
• Dynastic dispute in Scotland
used by Edward I to extend
influence
• Edward I invades 1296
• Revolt led by William Wallace
(but not supported by
William Wallace (Aberdeen)
Scottish nobility)
• Wallace executed 1305
• Robert Bruce defeated English
at Bannockburn (1314)
• Continual border disputes
- lasted for nearly 300 years
- reflected in Scottish ballads
Robert Bruce (Bannockburn)
 England & Scotland (1): English
Succession Problems
Tudor Dynasty:
• Henry VII (1485-1509)
• Henry VIII (1509-1547): King of England &
Ireland (since 1541)
- only one legitimate son (Edward)
- two daughters:
(1) Mary (daughter of 1st wife:
Catherine of Aragon)
(2) Elizabeth (daughter of 2nd wife: Henry VII (1505)
Anne Boleyn): considered
Henry VIII
illegitimate by Catholics faithful
to the Pope)
• Edward VI (1547-1553)
- no direct heir (no children)
• Mary (1553-1558) (“Bloody Mary”)
- married Philip II of Spain
- no direct heir (no surviving
Edward VI (1550)
children) Mary I (1554)
 England & Scotland (2): Union of
Scottish & English Thrones
• Elizabeth I (1558-1603) (“Virgin Queen”,
“Gloriana”, “Good Queen Bess”)
- never married / no children
• Nearest blood relative: James VI of
Scotland (1567-1625)
- son of Mary Stuart (“Queen
of Scots”) deposed Queen of
Elizabeth I (1575) Mary Stuart (1559)
Scotland (1567) &
executed by Elizabeth (1587)
• James VI became James I of England &
Ireland: 1st of Stuart dynasty (1603-
1625) James I (1621)
• Separate parliaments & legal
systems
 England & Scotland (3): Events Leading to
Parliamentary Union (1)
Stuart Dynasty (Part 1)
• James I (1603-1625)
• Charles I (1625-1649)
Civil War & Commonwealth (1642-60)
• Civil War: King vs Parliament
- Charles beheaded 1649
- Oliver Cromwell: Lord Protector Charles II
Stuart Dynasty (Part 2): Restoration Oliver Cromwell
• Charles II (1660-1685) Charles I
- Great Plague of London (1665)
- Great Fire of London (1666)
• James II (1685-1688)
• The “Glorious Revolution” (1688)
• William III (1689-1702) & Mary II (James
II’s daughter) (1689-1694)
- Bill of Rights (1689)
- No children: constitutional crisis James II William & Mary
 England & Scotland (3): Events Leading to
Parliamentary Union (2)
Darién Scheme (1698-1700)
• Attempt to found Scottish colony in Darién
(present-day Panama)
• Aim: control Atlantic-Pacific trade (i.e.
alternative to Cape Horn route)
• Result: disaster, bankruptcy, union with
England (which many Scots wanted to
avoid)

Act of Settlement (1701)

• Parliament decided the line of succession
- Crown to pass to Princess Anne (last
surviving daughter of James II)
- After Anne’s death, crown to pass
to House of Hanover (because last
surviving son died in 1700)
• Anne (1702-1714)
- last Stuart monarch
Queen Anne (1705)
 England & Scotland (4):
Birth of Great Britain
Act of Union (1707)
• - English & Scottish Parliaments
united
• George Louis (Elector of Hanover) became
George I of Great Britain & Ireland
Jacobite Risings
• Various rebellions aimed at restoring
James Francis
Stuarts (1688-1746)
Edward Stuart
(1) James II
(2) James’s son (“Old Pretender”)
(3) James’s grandson (“Young
George I (1714)
Pretender” or “Bonnie Prince Charlie”)
• Generally supported by France, Spain,
Vatican & many Highlanders & Irish
• Battle of Culloden (1746)
- Effectively ended Jacobite hopes
- Destruction of Highland culture
(Gaelic, clans, lifestyle, etc)
• Risings romanticized in literature & song
Charles Edward
Stuart
Towards a United Kingdom (3)

The (Northern) Irish

Connection