- •1. Early Britain. Ancient population.
- •2. The Roman invasion.
- •4. The raids of the Danes and their role in the unification of the country.
- •5. The Norman invasion. The main principles of feudalism.
- •6. Early British education. The first universities. A medieval town.
- •7. England in the 14-15th centuries (the 100 Years’ War, the Peasants’ Revolt, the War of the Roses).
- •8. The policy of the new monarchs: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I.
- •9. Gaining power and expansion during the Tudor period.
- •10. British government and society in the 16th century.
- •11. British economy and the problems of the poor in the 16th century.
- •12. The Crown and Parliament during the Stuart period.
- •13. Republican and restoration Britain.
- •14. The 17th century British society.
- •15. Changes in political life in Britain in the 18th century.
- •16. Life of the British in town and in the country in the 18th century.
- •17. Industrial revolution in Britain and the war with Napoleon.
- •18. Reforms in Britain in the first half of the 19th century.
- •19. Britain’s international and home policy in the first half of the 19th century.
- •20. The years of self-confidence in Britain: industrial power, towns and the rise of the middle class.
- •22. Social and economic changes in Britain between 1876 and 1914.
- •21. The years of self-confidence: population, politics, the British Empire and life in Ireland.
- •23. Britain the World War I.
- •24. The after-effects of World War I for Britain.
- •25. Great Britain in World War II.
- •26. Britain after World War II. The Suez Canal conflict.
- •27. Attitude to the British towards the monarchy in the 20th century and Thatcher’s government.
- •32. Seas and coastline of the uk. Climate.
- •33. Britain in 1957-1979. Harold Macmillan.
- •Harold Wilson and Edward Heath
- •34. Tony Blair. Brown as Prime Minister.
- •Foreign policy. Brown remains committed to the Iraq War, but said in a speech in May 2007 that he would "learn the lessons" from the mistakes made in Iraq.
- •36. Legislative branch of government. Constitution. Passing a bill. Function of the monarch in the Parliament.
- •39. Migration in the uk.
- •37. Elections and parties. Local government. European Union.
- •38. Population of the uk. Population density and distribution.
- •40. Ethnic and geographic identity. Being British. Family and class.
- •41. The place of Britain in the world economy. Chief industries.
- •42. Agriculture. Transport and communication. Overseas trade.
- •43.Compulsory schooling. Educational reforms. Exams.
- •44. Post 16 education. Higher education.
- •45.British culture. Arts.
- •46. British culture. Science and technology. Religion. Religious, political, social and everyday contacts.
- •47. British culture. Sport. Food. National costume. Naming conventions.
- •48.British press.
- •Magazines
- •49. British radio and television. Television
- •50. Places to see in London.
7. England in the 14-15th centuries (the 100 Years’ War, the Peasants’ Revolt, the War of the Roses).
In the first half of the 14’th century the king of England was Edward |||. He was a powerful king and he wanted to become King of France. At that time France was eager to become some towns of Flanders. So, saying that he wanted to defend English trade, Edward the third in 1337 declared war on France. It was called the hundred years’ war. It was the war between England and France. The term “hundred years’ war” does not mean that this war lasted the whole hundred years. It were series of wars, it means that it lasted with some intervals of peace.
At first England was successful in the war. They defeated the French fleet and they won battles on land. But still England was defeated. This war ended in 1453. The results of this war were terrible. The ruins and famine caused a disastrous plague called in England the Black Death. The population decreased greatly. The level of industry and trade was very low. There were not enough workers on the lord’s fields, they had to work very hard, but the payment was very little. So, peasant outbreaks occurred first in Essex and Kent and soon in the whole England. The leader of these outbreaks was the soldier Wat Tyler. The peasants were burning the houses of landlords. They destroyed officials. They demanded to establish freedom of trade for all towns, they demanded also more land and better payment, they demanded freedom. The king Richard the Second met them and promised to do this. But it was only words. In reality he ordered to kill Wat Tyler. So it was the first great peasant’s rebellion in England against the feudal lords.
In 1215 when the Magna Charta was signed, the Norman barons united with the Saxon nobles and they took part in governing of the country.
The 15’th century was an age of violent contrasts. While feudal relations were decaying, bourgeois relations were developing rapidly. The War of Roses was a vivid expression of the anarchy of the period. The bourgeoisie were not very strong to form the basis for a powerful monarchy.
The war of roses started on the background of England defeat in the Hundred Years’ War between England and France.
At that time there were two most powerful feudal families-the House of Lancaster and the House of York. Each family wanted to become a Crown. That is why in form the war of roses was dynastic struggle between these two powerful families and their supporters. So it was the war between Lancastrians and Yorkists. The Lancasters had a red rose in their coat of arms and the Yorkists had a white rose. That’s why the war between them got the name of the War of Roses. The war ended in 1485. It lasted 30 years.
The battle Bosworth ended the war and with it the whole historic Epoch of England. King Richard the Third, who belonged to the house of York, was killed and Henry Tudor, who belonged to the House of Lancaster, became the king of England. The war of roses had considerably weakened economically and politically the old feudal families. They not only lost many of their most powerful members, but they also wasted a considerable portion of their property. The new Tudor monarchy was absolute.