Introduction video
1) You have read the book The British Isles and learnt about the history of Britain. With the help of the book and after watching the video below, draw a timeline of British History from the Neolithic Age to the Modern Day including the most important periods that made Britain what it is today.
*BC: Before Christ (used to indicate that a date is before the Christian era).
*AD: Anno Domini (used to indicate that a date comes the specified number of years after the traditional date of Christ’s birth).
Hello, this is our timeline:
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/1744626
By Eric Berenguer, Albert Valiente and Gal.la Ballester
By Laia Samà
2) Choose one historic period of Britain and explain why it was important in your opinion. Explain the main events that took place and include relevant pictures.
Iron Age to Golden Age
The Iron Age of the British Isles covers the period from about 800 BC to the Roman invasion of 43 AD, and follows on from the Bronze Age.
Iron was more common than copper and tin but it had a much higher melting point than bronze. This meant they couldn’t cast tools with iron in the same way.
Over time, people developed ways to increase the temperature of furnaces by using bellows to pump in oxygen. This allowed people to cast objects out of iron.
The main events were:
- The discovery of the Stonehenge, at the beginning the Stonehenge were a group of huge standing stones, Archaeologists believe that it was built around 2500 BCE, but the first work at the site was done earlier, in 3100 BCE. ,any people believe that the stones were placed in this way to look at the movement of the stars, the sun and the moon.
- The Celts, lived in britain in the Iron Age from around 600 BCE. They came from central Europe and we know about the Celts from the objects which archaeologists have found and form some Greek and Roman writers, who tell us that the Celts loved gold and fighting. In England in 1984, some workers discovered “Lindow Man”, that was killed in the first century.
- The warrior queen: In BCE, Julius Caesar invaded Britain. The Celts were great warriors but the Romans had better organisation and defeated them. Caesar returned in 54 BCE. This time, the Roman army crosses the River Thames but Caesar left after the Britons agreed to give money to the Romans. A hundred years later the Roman Emperor Claudius sent another army of about 50,000 men to Britain. This time the Romans stayed and Britain became part of the Roman Empire.
By Laia Peire and Júlia Esteve
THE ROMANS
The Romans were an empire that came from Italy, they expanded from Italy to the most part of Europe, they were the biggest empire of the world, but they lost in some battles against German’s town first and then the Arabs. Roman economic and cultural influence was a significant part of the British late pre-Roman Iron Age, especially in the south.
The Roman conquest of Britain includes the events that go from the arrival of the first Roman troops to Britain until its union to the Roman Empire, with the process of Romanization of its inhabitants. Then Londinium becomes the new capital of Britain.
We think that the Roman invasion in the British Isles was important because the advantage they gave to Britain, like roads, technology, baths… etc.and they were very important for the age.
They contributed to the expansion of new cities like Manchester, Leicester or others. The Romans didn’t control Scotland, where the Picts (groups of Celts) were living.
That’s why Emperor Hadrian decided to build a wall from Wallsend, in the east coast of England form Bowness, the west coast of England in CE 122, the wall was very strong and large parts of it are still there today. The wall is called Hadrian’s wall, as the name of the emperor.
Also, the Romans built some spectacular constructions like Fishbourne palace, which was built in the first century, it was very extravagant at the age.
By Berta Tous, Oleguer Rovira and Maya Amat
THE NORMANS
Normans were important because they conquered England also they fought in the battle of Hastings and they won. And William became to first king called William the conqueror. The Normans built many castle and cathedrals and they created the feudal system.
By Tommy Pedrós
ANGLO-SAXONS
The anglo-saxons and the vikings were important for influencing the language and dividing the country into five kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Kent and Anglia. They also gave name to Egland, being before Angle-land.
By Ferran García, Fiona Ballesteros, Laia Samà and Pol Zapata
Victorian age:
-Explain why it was important in your opinion
It is important because during this time the British empire was the greatest nation in the world and we really like Victorian architecture.
-Explain the main events that took place and include relevant pictures:
Tha main event was the coronation of the Queen Victoria, a young woman of only 18 years old, it happened in 1834. During her reign, many British men and women, like Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell among others, became world-famous.
There were changes in the society such as using children as workers, which became illegal, education became free and cities were made safer and healthier. There were advances in science and the railway system, covered the whole country. The British Empire grew to include parts of Africa and Asia. It was the centre of the world trade. The government of Victoria had many problems like the Great Potato Famine in Ireland. From 1854 to 1856 there was a war with Russia and many British soldiers died. During the Victorian age Britain changed greatly. At the end of this period, there were electric lights, telephones, the London underground and many things became modern.
By Eric Berenguer, Gal.la Ballester and Albert Valiente
THE MIDDLE AGES
Explain why it was important in your opinion:
The middle age was a problematic period, there were a lot of wars, and all the inventions that Romans had introduced to the island disappeared, all the experts call this age the “dark period of the history”.
But in this part of the history there are also good things, because the countries that we know now, were created in the middle age, England, Spain, France….
In my personal opinion I think that the middle age was one of the worst periods in the history, because all the technology and inventions that were in the past disappeared, and the world became a dark place, I think that’s why the experts called it this way.
Explain the main events that took place and include relevant pictures:
In this period the King and the Church had a lot of power.
There was also a fight for power between kings and the rich men in England, these fights happened because the King had to collect money to pay for his wars but the rich men totally refused.
In 1215 they made King John sign the Magna Carta (it means “The Great Charter”, it is a document that created a strong parliament).
1348 was a terrible year because the Black Death came to England and soon killed nearly half of the 5-6 million of people living there.
In 1337, it was an important war called “Hundred Years War”. In this war they fought between England and France. During this war a young woman named Jane of Arc, fought for the French and, although the English burned her, she helped the French to win. At the end of this war, England had lost all the territories that they had in France except Calais.
Richard was the last English king who was killed in a battle.
By Clara Julve
THE TUDORS
This historic period was very important because it was during this time that the English church was separated from Rome. The first King of this period was Henry VII, he created the tudor rose which was a symbol of peace between Lancaster and York. The King Henry VIII, who was son of Henry VII, was famous for having six wives. Queen Elizabeth I was a golden age for the reign, England became rich and powerful and successful, also in this period lived important people like william Shakespeare and sailors like Francis Drake.
Here you can see the main events in the TUDOR PERIOD.
- 1492: Treaty of Etaples with France.
- 1493: Perkin Warbeck, pretender to the Crown, emerges in Ireland.
- 1502: Arthur dies.
- 1509: Henry VII dies and Henry VIII ascends; Empson and Dudley are arrested; Henry and Catherine marry.
- 1536: Catherine dies; Dissolution of the Monasteries; Act of Supremacy; Pilgrimage of Grace; ‘Silken Thomas’ revolts in Ireland; the English Bible is approved; Henry marries Jane Seymour.
- 1537: Prince Edward is born; Jane dies.
- 1539: Act of Six Articles.
- 1547: Henry VIII dies; Edward VI – aged 9 – becomes king; duke of Somerset forms the protectorate; war with Scotland; Act of Six Articles is repealed.
- 1559: Protestant religious settlement by the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity; Protestants revolt in Scotland.
- 1599: The earl of Essex is sent to Ireland and fails in his mission.
- 1601: The earl of Essex revolts.
- 1603: Elizabeth dies; Robert Cecil secures the peaceful accession of James VI of Scotland.
English Explorers! 