History,Key Figures, Holidays in UK
Year Periods:
Stone Age(2.6 billion years ago): 3,000–4,000 BC
Bronze Age: 3300 BC – 1200 BC
Iron Age: 1200 BC – 550 BC
Roman Period: 55 BC to AD 43
Anglo Saxon: AD 410 - AD 600
Vikings Period:
Key Acts:
1. Magna Carta (1215): Limited the king's power and established basic rights for the people.
2. Act for the Government of Wales (1500s, under King Henry VII): United England and Wales.
3. Habeas Corpus Act (1679): Prevented unlawful imprisonment.
4. Bill of Rights (1689): Confirmed Parliament's rights and limited the king's power.
5. Act of Union (1707): United England and Scotland, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain.
6. Reform Act (1832): Ended corrupt voting districts and gave more parliamentary seats to cities, increasing the number of male voters.
7. Emancipation Act (1833): Abolished slavery in the British Empire. Leading abolitionist William Wilberforce and Quakers helped form anti-slavery groups. (Migrants from India and China replaced the lost labor force.)
8. Women's Suffrage (1918 and 1928): In 1918, women aged 30+ were granted the right to vote. By 1928, women could vote at 21, equal to men.
9. Home Rule (1913): Proposed self-government for Ireland while remaining part of the UK. Delayed by WWI, Irish nationalists staged the Easter Rising in 1916, leading to a guerrilla war.
10. 1921 Peace Treaty: Split Ireland into two parts, Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State.
Battles and Wars:
Here are the simplified facts in chronological order:
1. 1066: William of Normandy conquered England at the Battle of Hastings, shown in the Bayeux Tapestry.
2. 1314: Scottish King Robert the Bruce defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn.
3. 1455-1485: War of the Roses: Civil war between the House of Lancaster (red rose) and the House of York (white rose). It ended with Henry Tudor of Lancaster becoming King Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth Field and uniting the families through marriage.
4. Mid-15th century: The last Welsh rebellions were defeated.
5. 1588: The Spanish Armada was defeated under Queen Elizabeth I.
6. 1640: The English Civil War began between Parliament (Roundheads) and the King (Cavaliers). King Charles I was defeated and executed.
7. 1776: The American colonies declared independence over taxation.
8. 1805: The British, led by Lord Nelson, defeated the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar.
9. 1815: Lord Wellington defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
10. 1889-1902: The Boer War took place in South Africa.
11. 1916: The Battle of the Somme during WWI saw British forces suffer 60,000 casualties on the first day.
12. 1918: World War I ended at 11:00 AM on November 11.
13. 1939: Germany’s invasion of Poland led the UK and France to declare war on Germany, starting WWII.
14. 1940 (WWII): The Dunkirk evacuation rescued 300,000 British and allied soldiers using volunteer boats.
15. 1940 (WWII): The Battle of Britain was an aerial conflict between Germany and Britain.
16. 1982: Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.
Key Figures:
Sir Robert Walpole: first PM (1721-1742) as King George I (a German) relied heavily on ministers because of his poor English
Oliver Cromwell: titled Lord Protector (circa 1640s-1650s) and led Britain whilst it was without a monarch
King Alfred the Great: united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and defeated the Vikings.
Cnut: Danish Kings before they were Anglo Saxons
Kenneth MacAlpin:
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: engineer (bridges, trains, tunnels, ships)
Dylan Thomas: Welsh poet (“Under Milk Wood” & “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”)
Robert Burns: Scottish poet (“The Bard”), Auld Lang Syne
Richard Arkwright: Efficient and profitable factory owner during Industrial Revolution
Sake Dean Mahomet: set up first curry house in Britain and introduced shampooing
Florence Nightingale: founder of modern nursing
Emmeline Pankhurst: Suffrage leader
Rudyard Kipling: Indian-born author and poet. Work reflected idea that British empire was a force for good.
George and Robert Stevenson: famous pioneers of railway engines
St Columba & St Augustine: led missionaries from Rome.
Sir Francis Drake: Elizabethan sailor who helped defeat Spanish Armada and who later sailed around the world.
Hugunots: French Protestants feeling prosecution settled in England pre-1720
Henry VIII: famous for marrying 6 times and breaking away from Church of Rome so he could get a divorce. Wales was united with England under his rule. Wives (in order): (1) Catherine of Aragon (2) Anne Boleyn (3) Jane Seymour (4) Anne of Cleves (5) Catherine Howard (6) Catherine Parr
Margaret Thatcher was first female PM and the longest serving PM of the 20th century.
Alexander Fleming: Scottish doctor who discovered penicillin (1928)
Clement Attlee: Churchill’s Deputy PM. Became PM in 1945. Nationalised major industries and created NHS.
Mary Peters: Olympic athlete who promoted sport and tourism in Northern Ireland.
Roald Dahl: Welsh author (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” & “George’s Marvellous Medicine”).
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Scottish author (“Sherlock Holmes”)
Eras:
Romans: ruled Britain from 43-410 AD (approximately 400 years). Hadrian’s wall built on orders of Roman Emperor Hadrian to keep out tribes (Picts) who lived in what is now Scotland.
Middle Ages (1066-1485): period of constant war, including Crusades and Hundred Years’ War.
Elizabethan period (1500s): known for growing patriotism, expanded trade and rich poetry and drama.
The Enlightenment (1700s): development of new ideas about politics, philosophy and science. Adam Smith (economics) and David Hume (philosopher) influential Scottish thinkers.
Industrial Revolution (from mid-1700s to 1800s). Britain produced over half of the world’s supplies of cotton cloth, coal and iron. Machinery and stream power developed.
Victorian Age (1837-1901): Queen Victoria reigned; Britain increased power and influence abroad. Became largest empire in world history. Middle classes grew significantly and reformers improved conditions for the poor.
Holidays
Patron Saints Holidays
1 March: St David’s Day, Wales
17 March: St Patrick’s Day, Northern Ireland
23 April: St George’s Day, England
30 November: St Andrew’s Day, Scotland.
Other holidays
Here are the holidays and traditions in the UK in chronological order:
- New Year's Day (1 January): Public holiday. Celebrations on New Year’s Eve (31 December), called Hogmanay in Scotland.
- Valentine’s Day (14 February): Lovers exchange cards and gifts.
- Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) (Date varies, before Lent): People eat pancakes before fasting for Lent.
- Ash Wednesday (Date varies): Marks the start of Lent, a 40-day period of reflection.
- Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day) (Three weeks before Easter): Children give cards or gifts to their mothers.
- Good Friday (Date varies): Public holiday marking the death of Jesus Christ.
- Easter Sunday (Date varies in March or April): Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ; people give Easter eggs.
- Easter Monday (Date varies): Public holiday following Easter Sunday.
- Early May Bank Holiday (First Monday in May): Public holiday.
- Spring Bank Holiday (Last Monday in May): Public holiday.
- Father’s Day (Third Sunday in June): Children give cards or gifts to their fathers.
- Battle of the Boyne (12 July): Public holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Summer Bank Holiday (First Monday in August in Scotland; last Monday in August for the rest of the UK): Public holiday.
- Halloween (31 October): People dress in costumes, carve pumpkins, and children go trick-or-treating.
- Diwali (October or November): Festival of Lights celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs.
- Bonfire Night (5 November): Celebrates Guy Fawkes' failed attempt to blow up Parliament with fireworks.
- Remembrance Day (11 November): Commemorates those who died in wars, with a two-minute silence at 11 am.
- Hannukah (November or December): Jewish festival celebrating religious freedom with the lighting of candles.
- Christmas Day (25 December): Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ; public holiday with festive traditions like gift-giving and a special meal.
- Boxing Day (26 December): Public holiday following Christmas Day.
- Eid al-Fitr (Date varies): Celebrates the end of Ramadan for Muslims.
- Eid ul Adha (Date varies): Muslim festival of sacrifice.
- Vaisakhi (14 April): Sikh festival celebrating the founding of the Khalsa.
- April Fool’s Day (1 April): People play jokes on each other until midday.