Lecture 2

THEME: HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE USA

Outline

1. From the history of Great Britain.

   1. The Celts.

   2. The Roman Conquest of Britain.

   3. The Anglo-Saxon invasion.

   4. The Scandinavian invasion. The establishment of the kingdom of England.

   5. The Norman Conquest.

2. The most important events in the history of the United States of America.

1. From the history of great britain

1.1 The celts

About 3000 years B.C. many parts of Europe, including the British Isles, were inhabited by a people called the Iberians who are still found in the North of Spain (later they were mixed with the Celts).

During the period from the 6^th to the 3^rd century B.C. a people called the Celts spread all over Europe from the east to the west. The Celts were ancient people who lived in Central and Western Europe during the New Stone Age, the Bronze Age and moved to the British Isles during the Iron Age. More than one Celtic tribe invaded Britain. From time to time these tribes were attacked and overcome by other Celtic tribes from the continent.

Tribes of Scots crossed over to Ireland and settled there. Later the Scots returned to the larger island and in time the name of Scotland was given to the country. Powerful Celtic tribes, the Britons, held most of the country, and the southern half of the island was named Britain after them.

The Celts had no towns, they lived in villages. They were acquainted with the use of copper, tin, iron. They kept large herds of cattle and sheep and cultivated crops. The Celtic tribes of the Britons, who inhabited the south-­eastern parts of the island, made their houses of wood while the other Celts made them of skins.

Some of the Celtic tribes were quite large and fighting was common among them. In times of war the Celts wore skins and painted their faces. They were armed with swords and spears.

The Celts worshipped Nature. They lived under the primitive system. They worked collectively in clans or family communities; they owned common property and were all equal. In the last centuries B.C. and the first centuries A.D. the Celts were in a period of transition from a primitive communal society to a class society.

1.2.The roman conquest of britain

In the first century A.D. the Romans who ruled the entire civilized world at that time conquered Britain. Two thousand years ago the Celts were living in tribes. Roman society differed greatly from that of the Celts. It was a slave society divided into antagonistic classes, the slaves and the slave-owners. One of the last countries to be conquered, by Rome was France or Gaul. The war against the Gauls, who were Celtic tribes, lasted for eight years. In the course of his campaigns Caesar reached the Channel. In 55 B.C. the Roman army of 10,000 men crossed the Channel and invaded Britain. The Celts fought bravely for their independence, but they were not strong enough, in spite of their courage, to drive the Romans off.

Although Julius Caesar came to Britain twice in the course of two years, he was not able to conquer it. In 43 A.D. the Roman army invaded Britain and conquered the South-East. Other parts of the country were taken from time to time during the next 40 years. Straight roads were built for the legions to march quickly. They can still be found in Britain today,

The civilized Romans were city dwellers and they began to build towns, splendid villages (York, Gloucester, Lincoln, London). The Roman towns were military stations surrounded by walls for defence which were guarded by the Roman warriors. Among the Celts inequality began to grow - the tribal chiefs and nobility became richer than other members of the tribe. The noble Celts adopted the mode of life of their conquerors. They lived in rich houses and dressed like Romans.

In the 3^rd – 4^th centuries the power of the Roman Empire gradually weakened. Early in the 5^th century (407) the Roman legions were recalled from Britain to defend the central provinces from the attacks of the Barbaric and Germanic tribes.