Historical Development of the UK

Iberians -ancient people of eastern and southern Spain. The Iberian Peninsula, comprising Spain and Portugal, takes its name from them.

Stonehenge -prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain, north of Salisbury, in southwestern England, that dates from the late Stone and early Bronze ages (about 3000-1000 BC).

Brittons -name applied to the inhabitants of Britain before the invasions by the Germanic Angles and Saxons in the 5th and 6th centuries ad.

Picts -ancient inhabitants of central and northern Scotland and of northern Ireland. They are believed to have arrived in Scotland from the Continent about 1000 BC and in Ireland from Scotland about AD 200.

Scots –Celtic tribes which inhabited the British Isles in 600-300 BC and settled mostly in nowadays Scotland

Celts -a people who dominated much of western and central Europe in the 1st millennium BC, giving their language, customs, and religion to the other peoples of that area.

Druidism, religious faith of ancient Celtic inhabitants of Gaul and the British Isles from the 2nd century BC until the 2nd century AD.

Roman Invasion -Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC to conquer the native peoples, called Britons. The native tribes resisted subjugation for several decades, and annihilated a Roman garrison, at what is now York, in the 2nd century AD.

Hadrian’s Wall –a wall in northern Britain constructed by the command of Roman Emperor Hadrian (ad 117–138) to keep out the unconquered Caledonians of Scotland.

Germanic Tribes - the Angles, the Saxons and Jutes invaded Britain during the 5th century AD.

Vikings,Nordic peoples—Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians—who raided and settled in large areas of eastern and western Europe during a period of Scandinavian expansion from about 800 to 1100.

Egbert (775?-839), king of Wessex (802-839), and the first Saxon king recognized as sovereign over the English kingdoms (829-839).

Alfred the Great (849-899)-king of the West Saxons (871-899), and one of the outstanding figures of English history. He came to the throne during a Danish invasion. By 886 he had captured the city of London, and soon afterward he was recognized as the king of all England. Alfred was a patron of learning and did much for the education of his people. He began a court school and invited British and foreign scholars to come there. Alfred translated such works as The Consolation of Philosophy by the Roman statesman and philosopher Boethius, The History of the World by the Spanish priest Paulus Orosius, and Pastoral Care by Pope Gregory I.

Danelaw -area of northern England controlled by Danish adventurers and settlers in the late 9th century.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,common designation of several texts in Old English that record the history of England from the beginning of the Christian era to the middle of the 12th century.

Edward the Confessor (1002?-1066),king of England (1042-1066), son of King Ethelred the Unready.

William I of England , known as William the Conqueror, was king of England from 1066 to 1087.

Battle of Hastings –the battle between the English and the Normans which took place on October 14, 1066. The Normans defeated the English forces and William then proceeded to London, crushing the resistance he encountered on the way. On Christmas Day he was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey.

Domesday Bookwas compiled in 1086 under the direction of William the Conquerer, the Domesday Book was a meticulous survey of feudal society.

King John (of England), called John Lackland (1167-1216), king of England (1199-1216), best known for signing the Magna Carta.

The Magna Carta. King John of England set his seal to the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215. The document limited the power of the English monarchy and granted rights to John’s vassals.

Edward III. In 1338 Edward III, king of England and son of Isabella of France, declared himself king of France, instigating the Hundred Years’ War between England and France.

Hundred Years’ War, armed conflict between France and England during the years from 1337 to 1453.

Joan of Arc, Saint (1412-1431), called the Maid of Orléans, national heroine and patron saint of France, who united the nation at a critical hour and decisively turned the Hundred Years' War in France's favor.

Wars of the Roses,series of dynastic civil wars in England fought by the rival houses of Lancaster and York between 1455 and 1485.

Henry VIII (1491-1547), king of England (1509-1547). Henry VIII had six wives, fought numerous wars in Europe, and even aspired to become Holy Roman Emperor in order to extend his control to Europe.

Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, ruled England from 1558 to 1603 during what is known as the Elizabethan Age. Elizabeth’s reign was a time of great prosperity and achievement, and her court was a center for poets, writers, musicians, and scholars.

Renaissance, series of literary and cultural movements in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. These movements began in Italy and eventually expanded into Germany, France, England, and other parts of Europe. The participants’ thinking was influenced by the concept of humanism, which emphasizes the worth of the individual. George I (of Great Britain and Ireland) (1660-1727), king of Great Britain (1714-1727) and elector of Hannover (1698-1727), first of the Hannoverian line of British rulers.

Charles I was king of England from 1625 to 1649. Charles believed in the divine right of kings and did not feel accountable to Parliament.

English Revolution, also called the Puritan Revolution, general designation for the period in English history from 1640 to 1660. It began with the calling of the Long Parliament by King Charles I and proceeded through two civil wars, the trial and execution of the king, the republican experiments of Oliver Cromwell, a member of England’s Parliament and a Puritan

Oliver Cromwell led his forces to victory against the army of King Charles I. Even though he had no military experience, Cromwell was a brilliant cavalry leader. The defeat and subsequent execution of the king left Cromwell as virtual dictator of England.

Charles II (of England) (1630-85), king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1660-85), whose reign marked a period of relative stability after the upheaval of the English Revolution.

The British Empire, established over the course of three centuries, began in the late 16th century with chartered commercial ventures in sugar and tobacco plantations, slave trading, and missionary activities in North America and the Caribbean Islands. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the British Empire reached the height of its power, ruling over large parts of Africa, Asia, and North America

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain during the last half of the 18th century and spread through regions of Europe and to the United States during the following century.

Irish Revolution, movement to transfer the government of Ireland from British to Irish hands, beginning in 1912 and ending in 1922 with the establishment of the Irish Free State.

The Loss of Empire.Even before World War II, Britain had begun to adjust its relationship with many of its colonies. In 1931 Britain created the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth conferred what was called dominion status on several colonies that had been heavily settled by British immigrants. This effectively ended British rule over Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

British Education

Local Educational Authority (LEA) - the local government body that is responsible for the state schools in а district, as well as further education, and that engages teachers, maintains school buildings and supplies schools with equipment and materials.

National Curriculum (NC) - was introduced into the education system in

1989. Until that time LEA decided оn the сurriсulum, the subjects which would bе taught in school in their area.

Grammar schools are university preparatory schools, most of which have been replaced by comprehensive schools catering to students of all academic abilities.

Secondary modern schools provide vocational education rather preparation for university entrance.

Comprehensive school - а large state secondary school for children of аll abilities from а single district, providing а wide range of education. Over 90% of аll secondary school students attend а comprehensive school. Comprehensive schools were introduced in 1965 to provide аn equal secondary (11 - 18 years old) education.

Secondary school- а state school or private school education for school children aged between 11 and 18.

Nursery school- а school for very young children, usually three or four years old (before compulsory education, which begins at the age of five ).

Private boarding schools (public schools)are the most famous schools in Britain, such as Eton College, Harrow School, Rugby School, and Winchester School.

Cathedral school (choir school) - а school in а cathedral city, usually а preparatory school or, occasionally, а public school, some of their pupils sing in the cathedral choir.

General Certificate of Education, the (GCE) - the standard school leaving examination. It is taken bу school pupils at the end of their fifth year of secondary education, at the age of 16.

A-level (advanced level) - an examination usually taken bу pupils at their final year at school at the age of eighteen. The ехаm was introduced in 1951. A-levels are needed to enter most types of higher education and а student must usually have three good grades to enter university.

AS level (advanced supplementary level) - an examination taken bу some pupils in their final year at school when they are taking their A-level. The AS level is а simpler examination than the A-level and саn bе studied in half the time. The ехаm was first introduced in 1989 and is intended to give pupils the chance to study а greater variety of subjects.

College - 1. An independent institution of higher education within а university, typically оnе at Oxford University or Cambridge University.

2. А specialized professional institution of secondary higher education, such

as а college of music or а college of education.

3. The official title of certain public schools, such as Eton College.

Oxbridge - а colloquial term for the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, jointly regarded as being superior to other universities and as enjoying and giving special privilege and prestige.

Open University - British institution of higher education that offers instruction to students largely through methods of distance education.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1074