|
Historical
Background
Britain has a long and fascinating history.
While little is known about ancient Britons before the invasion of Julius
Caesar in 55BC, the ancient Britons continue to inspire our imagination
through archaeological finds and historical sites such as Stonehenge in
Wiltshire. At the time of the Roman invasion, the Britons lived in tribes,
some of the most famous tribes being the Iceni; Silures; Ordovices; Brigantes;
Trinovantes and Catuvellauni. These tribes all had their own leaders and
the tribes did not always live in peace with each other. This made it easier
for the Romans to invade. One of the most famous ancient Britons is Queen
Boudicca, leader of the Iceni tribe following the death of her husband
Prasutagus. In 61 AD she lead a rebellion against the Romans and successfully
destroyed many Roman settlements, including Londinium (modern London) which
was burnt to the ground. Eventually Boudicca's army was defeated and she
was killed (legend says by her own hand), but her rebellion was a mighty
blow that shook the Roman Empire. The Romans continued to occupy Britain
until around 400AD.
The end of the Roman Occupation began what
is known as The Dark Ages. During this time, the Britons were invaded
by Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and then Normans. It was during
The Dark Ages
that the legendary Briton, King Arthur, is believed to have lived. As a
result of all these invasions, the Britons moved westward, settling in
Wales and the west of what became England.
Following The Norman Conquest in
1066, the English kings tried to conquer Scotland and Wales. The Scots
managed to maintain their independence but the last Prince of Wales (Llewellyn
the last) was defeated and killed by Edward I's invading forces in 1282.
Edward I made his son and heir (the future King Edward II) Prince of Wales,
a title still held by the heir to the throne today. For his campaigns against
the Scots, Edward I earned the title Hammer of the Scots.
For many years the Welsh also resisted
English rulership, hence why Edward I needed to build so many castle fortresses
in Wales, but in the reign of Henry VIII Wales was officially united with
England. The deposition of King Richard III by Welsh Henry Tudor at the
Battle of Bosworth (1485) was not only seen as a triumph of the Welsh,
but of the Britons. It was believed that the Welsh were the last
of the true Britons, so Henry Tudor's victory at Bosworth was seen as a
final victory of the Britons after generations of invasion and oppression.
The Tudors, including Elizabeth I, made much of their Welsh heritage.
When Queen Elizabeth I died without an
heir in 1603, the crown passed to Henry VII's great great grandson, King
James VI of Scotland, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. Now England, Scotland
and Wales all had the same King. Even though Scotland was not formally
united with England until 1707, Great Britain had been born. |
