- •1. Geographical position of the uk and its significance.
- •3. Climate and weather in the uk.
- •4.Ancient Britain: early prehistoric evidence, prehistoric monuments.
- •5. Anglo-Saxon Britain, the Heptarchy.
- •6. Norman Invasion. Norman Britain - Social and Political Developments.
- •Conquest of England
- •Значение нормандского завоевания:
- •8. The Seventeenth Century - the Rise of Puritanism. The Civil War; the Restoration. The Great Plague, the Great Fire of London
- •9. The 18th Century: the political parties, expansion of the empire. The Agricultural Revolution.
- •10. Britain and the Napoleonic Wars.
- •Victorian Britain. Victorian values.
- •11. The rise of Liberalism and the working class in the late 19th century; creation of the Labour Party.
- •12. Great Britain in the First World War.
- •13. Great Britain in the Second World War.
- •15. Creation of the affluent society in gb in the 20 century
- •28. Great Britain and the European Union
- •16. Scottish national symbols and notable Scots.
- •17. Welsh national symbols.
- •18. Irish national symbols, notables and signs of national identity.
- •Irish and Scottish Problems
- •19. Ethnic Minorities in Great Britain; immigration to the uk.
- •20. The United Kingdom as a Constitutional Monarchy.
- •21. The Origin and the Present-Day Role of the British Parliament.
- •23.The Functions of the uk’s Cabinet.(Prime-Minister)
- •24. The Labour Party now.
- •25. British election system: for and against
- •26. The Type of Ownership and Structure of Britain's economy: the changes it underwent in the 20th century.
- •43. Religion and church in Britain.
- •32. The History of the English Language: the Middle English Period.
- •33. The History of the English Language: the Early Modern English Period.
6. Norman Invasion. Norman Britain - Social and Political Developments.
The Norman conquest of England was the invasion of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. The conquest linked England more closely with Continental Europe through the introduction of a Norman aristocracy. It created one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe and engendered a sophisticated governmental system. The conquest changed the English language and culture, and set the stage for rivalry with France.
Conquest of England
King Harald of Norway invaded northern England in September 1066 which left Harold of England little time to gather an army. Harold's forces marched north from London and surprised the Vikings at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25th. In the Anglo-Saxon victory, King Harald was killed and the Norwegians were driven out. Meanwhile William had assembled an invasion fleet of approximately 600 ships and an army of 7000 men. William recruited soldiers from all of Northern France, the low countries, and Germany.
William finally landed at Pevensey in Sussex on September 28, 1066 and assembled a prefabricated wooden castle near Hastings as a base. William began immediately to lay waste to the land. They fought at the Battle of Hastings on October 14. It was a close battle but in the final hours Harold was killed and the Saxon army fled. With no living contender for the throne of England to oppose William, this was the defining moment of what is now known as the Norman Conquest.
After his victory at Hastings the remaining Saxon noblemen surrendered to William, and he was acclaimed King of England around the end of October and crowned on December 25, 1066 in Westminster Abbey. Although the south of England submitted quickly to Norman rule, resistance continued, especially in the North. After six years William moved north in 1072, subduing rebellions by the Anglo-Saxons and installing Norman lords along the way. However, particularly in Yorkshire, he made agreements with local Saxon Lords to keep control of their land in exchange for avoidance of battle and loss of any controlling share.
Hereward the Wake led an uprising in the fens and sacked Peterborough in 1070. Harold's sons attempted an invasion of the south-west peninsula. Uprisings also occurred in the Welsh Marches and at Stafford. William faced separate invasion attempts by the Danes and the Scots. William's defeat of these led to what became known as The Harrying of the North in which Northumbria was laid waste to deny his enemies its resources. The conquest of Wales was a gradual process, concluded only in 1282 during the reign of King Edward I. Edward also subdued Scotland but did not truly conquer it; it retained a separate monarchy until 1603, and did not formally unite with England until 1707.
William the Conqueror
After William had won the Battle of Hastings was crowned King. King William owned all the land in England. He lent much of it to the barons who promised to pay William money and provide him with soldiers for his army when he needed them. He also made everyone swear an oath of loyalty to him.