Britain's royality

In 1215 the Magna Carta, a document giving greater power to barons, was forced to be signed by King John. The King had to meet with, the barons and the people from the counties to discuss important issues. These meetings became known as "Parliament", the barons were named the "House of Lords", and the people of the counties - the "House of Commons".

In the Middle Ages England was ruled by ten different kings, most of them ruled with the help of the barons. Since the 13^th century the powers of the monarch have been reduced and the continuous struggle between the king and his nobles began. Four kings were murdered, and three came to the throne by violence.

The 14^th century was marked by disasters and wars. The terrible plague, known as the Black Death, killed almost one third of the popula­tion in England and in Europe. The English people suffered much from the wars waged against France and within the country . The war begun by Edward III did not finally end until 1453. The English Crown lost almost all its possessions in France. This war was later called the Hundred Years War. There was continuous struggle for the throne between the Houses of York and Lancaster, known as "Wars of the Roses".

Henry VII, the first Tudor king (1485-1509), married Edward's daughter and could unite the House of Lancaster (to which he belonged) and the House of York. Thus the Wars of the Roses came to an end.

The members of the powerful Tudor Family continued to rule in the 16^th century. The most famous of all the Tudors was Henry VIII, known as a cruel tyrant, who murdered his wives, friends, advisers. He broke with the Roman Catholic Church and made himself head of the church of England. Mary, Henry VIII's cousin (some people say that she was his daughter), was the Queen of Scotland and she was against the Church of England. Mary plotted¹ with Spain to restore the Catholic Church. She ordered to burn hundreds of Protestants, and because of her cruelty was given the name "Bloody Mary". Mary was executed, but her execution led to the war with Spain. The English won, they succeeded in defeating the Spanish fleet of ships.

Elizabeth, Henry VIII's daughter, supported the Church of England. Elizabeth I ruled Britain 45 years and is known as one of the best-loved English monarchs. Her reign was glorious. Under her rule England became a flourishing country.

The 17^th century is associated with a new family of rulers - the Stuarts. It was the age of a bitter struggle between the Stuarts and the Parliament. After Elizabeth Fs death, her succesor² James VI of Scotland became also James I of England. Catholics did not like James I. On November 5, 1605 they made an attempt to kill him while he was in the Parliament. This became known as the Gunpowder Plot³.

When James died, his son, Charles I, became the ruler of the coun­try. He was often in conflict with Parliament. That led to the civic war. Charles was declared guilty. He was put on trial⁴ for waging the war against his people and beheaded. Oliver Cromwell, a general, began to rule England. He dissolved Parliament and became Lord Protector of England. After his death Charles I's son, also called Charles, was invited by the English army to return as king.

The 18-19^th centuries are known as the Georgian period, because the four kings who ruled Britain were all named George. During this period Britain became the most important industrial and manufac­turing country and the most powerful empire of the world. But grad­ually the British Empire began to lose its colonies though remained a highly developed industrial country.

During the 20^th century the British monarchy became more popular than ever before. George V, the grandson of the queen Victoria, did much to seem closer to the public. He attended football matches at Wembley Stadium. He made his tradition have speeches to all peoples of the empire on radio and TV. To his own great surprise, George V had become a "people's king". But George V's son, Edward VIII, experienced a serious crisis when gave up the throne because he decided to marry a divorced woman. As for George VI, Edward's brother, he became greatly loved by. the Britons because during the Second World War he and his wife did not leave Buckingham Palace even after it had been bombed.

In 1952 Elizabeth II became queen, and since that time the monar­chy has increased in pppularity. Princess Diana, the former wife of Prince Charles¹ and the mother of Prince William and Prince Henry, was the most popular and best-loved member of the royal family because of her work with charities². Her funeral, like her wedding, was watched by almost a fifth part of the world's population.

Queen Elizabeth II, the Sovereign of the United Kingdom and the Head of the Commonwealth, is a symbol of Britain's stability.

¹¹ Vikings - викинги; скандинавы; варяги

12. conquest - завоевание, покорение, победа

13. conqueror - завоеватель, победитель.

SECTION RECAP

1. How did the first inhabitants from Continental Europe come to Britain?

2. What archaeological remains date from the Stone Age?

3. What is Stonehenge?

1 ВС (before Christ) - до роэкдества Христова; до нашей эры

2. burial mound - могильный холм

3. sun-worshipper - почитатель солнца (тот, кто поклоняется солнцу как бо­жеству) • v ^!.

4. Celts - кельты . ..

5. warrior - поэт, боец, воин

6. nobleman - дворянин, пэр

7. craftsman - ремесленник, мастер (своего дела)

8. enchanter - волшебник, чародей

9. Julius Caesar - Юлий Цезарь

10. AD (лат. anno Domini) - после рождества Христова; нашей эры

1 to plot - устраивать заговор

2 successor - приемник, наследник

3 Gunpowder Plot - Пороховой заговор английский католиков против короля Джеймса I с целью убить его

4 to put on trial - привлекать к суду

1 Prince Charles - Прииц Чарльз, принц Уэльский, сын королевы Елизаветы II, наследник престола

2 charities - благотворительные организации, помогающие бедным, бездом­ным, детям, старикам, животным.

SECTION RECAP

1. When were the words "parliament, the House of Lords and the House of Commons" first used? What was meant by those words?

2. What disaster happened in England in the 14^th century?

3. What wars were waged in England in the 14^th century?

4. Why did the Wars of the Roses come to an end?

5. What was Henry VIII famous for?

6. What have you learned about Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I?

7. What does the Gunpowder Plot mean?

8. Why was Charles I put on trial and beheaded?