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The_history_of_Great_Britain

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The history of Great Britain

In prehistoric times Britain was a part of the continent. The first people came there over dry land. The present English Channel which separates Britain from Europe appeared at the end of the Ice Age.

The first inhabitants of the island came from the Iberian peninsula where Spain is located after 3000 B.C. After 2000 BC people from the east of Europe entered the country. The two peoples intermixed.

After 800 BC the Celts arrived from Central Europe. The name "Britain" comes from the name of a Celtic tribe known as the Britons.

In 55 BC Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler, invaded Britain. The Celts fought well. He left the country.

In 54 BC he invaded the country with a larger army. The Celts were defeated. He made the Celts pay a regular tribute to Rome. In 43 AD the country was conquered by the Romans. The Romans built many towns and connected them by good roads. The largest of the towns was called Londinium. The town was built on the River Thames. The occupation continued till the beginning of the 5th century (410 AD).

By the end of the 5th century the greater part of the country was occupied by Germanic tribes: the Jutes, the Saxons and the Angles. In 829 the greater part of the country was united under the name England. The Northern part was called Scotland. In the 11th century a united Scottish kingdom was formed.

In 1066 William the Conqueror and his people came to England from Normandy in France. The French language became the official language of the ruling class for the next three centuries. England began to spread its power on Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

In 1603 the son of Mary Queen of Scots James Stuart became James I of England- The unification of Scotland and England took place in 1707. They formed a single parliament in London. The county became known as Great Britain.

The adoption of Christianity in England took place in 664. In the 16th century Henry VIII of England quarreled with Rome and declared himself the head of the Anglican Church, which was a Protestant Church. The Irish people were divided into two religious groups: Catholics and Protestants,

Henry VIII tried to force Irish Catholics to become Anglican. After a long struggle the southern part of Ireland became a Free State. The northern part of Ireland remained the part of the UK. But even now there are problems there connected with religion.

Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

used by Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 to the present

(used in all her realms except Scotland).

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