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After the settlement of Britain by the Celts, the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Vikings, Britain was finally unified as one Kingdom under King Æthelstan. -
Magna Carta laws were edited by Barons who rebelled against King John’s taxes and abuses of
power. There were three main "laws" in this "edict":
- Regulated feudal obligations (payments to the King).
- Forced the King to take advice (especially on taxes).
- Prohibited imprisonment without trial. -
the Tudor dynasty is beginning with King Henry VII, Henry VIII's father -
England and Scotland were originally catholics until King Henry VIII decides to divorce from his wife Katherine of Aragon, which lead to the separation of Roman church, which means, the Pope is no longer at the head of English church as it is now the King. Britain is building a large empire with
colonies in America and the West Indies. this is leading to the creation of “First British Empire”, the Early British Empire. -
King Henry VIII was married to Queen Katherine of Aragon for 18 years, he asked for divorce to the Pope who refused his demand because it was not accepted by the bible. So Henry VIII decided to divorce from the Catholic Church to be able to marry Anne Boleyn the woman he was in love with. he wrote the Act of supremacy in which the king is considered as the chief of the british church -
After the conquest of Wales by King Edward I of England, the act of union is being settled with main conditions:
English laws are extended to Wales
Wales is represented in the English Parliament.
English becomes the official language in the courts and the administration. -
In 1534, one of the most famous king of England died from a persistent chronic leg ulcers which was not well treated. Apparently, the putrefaction of his ulcer could be smelled from several meters away, or even when he was not in the same room -
Mary I also known as Bloody Mary, restored Catholicism in England in only 18 month of reign.
Her mother Katherine of Aragon was very involved in religion and she "raised" her daughter with a catholic education.
She was known as Bloody Mary because when she was queen a lot of protestants were executed. -
The starving time was a period of starvation during only 60 of the 500 colonists survived because there was not enough drinkable water, the crops were not sufficiently growing up, and there were also conflicts with the Native Powhatan tribe -
The first English colonies in the Caribbean were founded in the 1620s. the colony of Plymouth was founded on the same year by puritans who left England on the arrival of James I on the Mayflower) -
King Charles I imposed illegal taxes without Parliament’s approval and ignored the Petition of Right (1628), ruling without Parliament for eleven years. These tensions led to the English Civil War (1642–1649) between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell, ending with Charles’s defeat, imprisonment, and beheading. -
At the end of Civil War, and Charles I's beheading began the commonwealth led by Oliver Cromwell. England was governed by Parliament, and later effectively by Oliver Cromwell, who became Lord Protector in 1653 until monarchy was restored by King Charles II. -
The Commonwealth ended in 1660 because the country was unstable after Oliver Cromwell died. Parliament decided that ruling without a king was not working. They invited Charles II to return to England. This event, called the Restoration, brought back the monarchy and the traditional system of government, with a king ruling alongside Parliament. -
The English took over the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which included the state of New Amsterdam. The English renamed this New York. -
The Glorious Revolution was declared when King James II was removed from the throne because many people feared his Catholic rule. Parliament invited William of Orange and his wife Mary, James II’s daughter, to take power. It led to the Bill of Rights (1689) and confirmed that England would be ruled as a constitutional monarchy with Parliament holding real power. -
The English Bill of Rights, was a law that limited the power of the king and strengthened Parliament. It was passed after the Glorious Revolution, when William and Mary became rulers. The Bill of Rights said that the king could not rule without Parliament, raise taxes, or keep an army in peacetime without approval. It also protected some basic rights, like free elections and freedom of speech in Parliament, helping to make England a constitutional monarchy. -
In 1707, England and Scotland agreed to unite through the Acts of Union. They already had the same king, but separate parliaments. The union created the Kingdom of Great Britain with one Parliament in London. Scotland kept its own laws and church but sent representatives to the new Parliament.
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The Anglo-Irish Union happened in 1800 (and took effect in 1801) through the Act of Union. Ireland and Great Britain were united into one state called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with one Parliament in London. The Irish Parliament was abolished, and Ireland sent representatives to Westminster. -
Full universal suffrage means that all adult citizens can vote, no matter their gender, wealth, or social background. For a long time, only rich men could vote. The right to vote was slowly extended during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The UK reached full universal suffrage in 1928, when women were given the same voting rights as men. -
Brexit is the name given to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. After a referendum in 2016, where a small majority voted to leave, the UK officially left the EU in 2020. Brexit ended free movement between the UK and EU and allowed the UK to make its own laws and trade agreements again.