- •1. Describe the geographical position of the British Isles, offering an explanation for its advantages and disadvantages. Define the term “continental shelf”, its importance for the economy.
- •3.Examine the main stages in the formation of the population of gb (Ancient Britain, Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons)
- •6)In 829 the Kingdom of Wessex united all the other smaller kingdoms into one kingdom – England.
- •4. Describe the Danish raids on England. The struggle of Alfred the Great and its result.
- •5.Outline the Norman Conquest and the establisment of feudalism in England and further consolidation of the English state.
- •1707 – Formation of gb.
- •9. Give a general survey of the main 8 economic regions of the u.K., the main cities of each regoin. Expand on the role of the British economy.
- •10. Major political parties in gb.
5.Outline the Norman Conquest and the establisment of feudalism in England and further consolidation of the English state.
The last of the invaders to come to Britain were the Normans from France.
In 1066 the Duke of Normandy William claimed the English throne and on the 14th of October 1066 defeated the English in the battle at Hastings which became the largest battle in England and the last battle so far.
After it William was crowned as William the Conquer and the Norman period in English history began.
This period was characterized by strong central power of William, which lead England escape a number of local laws that were in progress in the rest of Europe.
In 1086 William wanted to know how many people lived in England and what they posses. He ordered a register which became known in the history as a Domes [dəum] Day (День Страшного Суда). The version of the title of the book says that the officers who collected this information were very cruel to people so they thought that their Domes Day had come.
The Domes Day is an invaluable historical document because it’s considered to be the first known written Census (перепись) of population in Europe. According to which, 2 million people lived in England in that time. 90 % of the populations were serfs.
The linguistic situation in England in that time was very peculiar (особенное), because, actually 3 languages were being spoken:
Norman dialect of French was the language of rulling classes and aristocrates (‘эристокрэт)
Latin was the language of church and education
Anglo-Saxon was the language of local population
It took 3 centuries for these languages to influence one another, so that only in the 14th century there gradually developed the single for the whole country, known as English.
The first author who wrote in English was Gefrey Choser “The Kenterberry tales”. In modern English almost 80% of english words have french origin.
The Norman Conquest is associated with the establishment of feudalism ['fjuːd(ə)lɪz(ə)m]. The system of serfdom ['sɜːfdəm] (крепостное право) was imposed.
The king owned all or most of the land and gave it to his leading nobles in return for their loyalty and military service. The nobles in turn held land that peasants, including serfs, were allowed to farm in return for the peasants' labor and a portion of their produce. Under feudalism, people were born with a permanent position in society.
Unique features of feudalism:
-The system reached a higher regularity than elsewhere;
-The king’s power was greater than barons;
-The power of the state was built around the king’s power and the big lords had to accept it whether they liked it or not.
The main dates in the formation of The British state:
664 – the adoption of Christianity in England contributed to the unification of the country. 829 – the Saxon kingdoms fought one against the other. Wessex became the leading kingdom and united the rest of England in the fights against the Danes. The Greater part of the country was united under the name England. 1536, 1542 – Henry VIII brought Wales under the English Parliament through special acts of union.
1603 – monarchial union of England and Scotland.