History of the United Kingdom ( From East to West )

The British Isles have a rich history going back thousand of years. The first men and women who arrived in the British lsles were hunters and gathers of food, and used simple stone tools and weapons.

                  Map of the Old England 

Nearly 2000 years ago, the Romans came to Britain and changed the country. Even today, the ruins of Roman buildings, forts, roads, and baths can be found all over Britain. They established medical practice, and a language of administration and law. Many English words are derived from the Latin launguage of the Romans.

Around AD 410, when the Roman army left, the Anglo-Saxon tribes invaded. In AD 800s, the island was divided among several small Kingdoms. In AD 886, the Anglo-Saxon leader Alfred The Great  united these kingdoms into one nation, which he called Angleland. This would later be changed to  England.

                            Alfred The Great

The Middle Ages in Britain saw some devastation and war. One of the most exciting periods of Britain history was from 1485 to 1603, during the rule of the Tudors, a Welsh-English family. The United Kingdom came into being on 1 May 1707, as a result of the political union of the Kingdom of England ( which included Wales ) and the Kingdom of Scotland.

                            Queen Victoria

 Another period of enormous change was during 1837 to 1901, the reign of Queen  Victoria. Registration of births, marriages and deaths came into practice; Mines Act ended child  labour; and the first post boxes were built.

                          King Edward VII 

Queen Victoria died in 1901 and her son Edward  VII became king. The new century was characterized by a feeling of great optimism.  Things such as motion pictures, automobiles, and  airplanes came into use. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II  as  the head of state. It is governed by a  parliamentary system with its seat of government  in London, its capital... 

“ HEAVEN TAKE THY SOUL, AND ENGLAND KEEP.                           MY BONES! ”

                                      - William Shakespeare.