B) 1600 to 1783 - Britain in North America - we would rather forget

The name of Sir Walter Raleigh and his efforts to found the colony in Virginia in the 1580s, named after Elizabeth I, brought the American colony to prominence at court in London. Then there was the voyage of the Pilgrim fathers in the Mayflower in 1620. But all in all the American colony was not a major factor in British life.

It was only in the middle of the 18^th century that the bitter quarrel over tax emerged as a major problem. Riots resulted, George III became more and more repressive. Finally the British governments concession for the East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonists, resulted in the merchants, who would have been bankrupted by the action, tipping the entire cargo of £10000 worth of tea into Boston harbour. The British response was to declare martial law, which led to further riots and eventually to rebellion. The colonists declared independence in 1776 at Philadelphia. The British army and their weapons were ill suited to guerilla warfare, and Cornwallis's surrender of his army of 3700 men at Yorktown was the end of the war.

From the British point of view the whole thing was an unmitigated disaster. The army was 3000 miles from home, and difficult to supply. The British navy temporally lost control of the sea to the French. And the two British commanders, Cornwallis and Clinton, quarrelled over how to conduct the campaign. Even in Britain the political parties were not united on who to support, with the Whigs attacking the king for his tyranical rule.

The British suffered their first major defeat for centuries, and retreated to continue controling Canada, leaving the American Colonists to their new country.

c) 1714 – 1815 - the House of Hanover ruled Britain

There were a lot of better qualified people available to be king of England - unfortunately most of them were Catholic. George I was a German who did not speak a word of English, but was Protestant. So started the rule of the House of Hanover, under whom Britain achieved wealth and peace over the next century.

George was immediately challenged by James II's son, James the Old Pretender, landing in Scotland in an abortive attempt to seize the throne. James soon fled back into exile in France. With foreign kings parliament became more powerful, and the leading politician was Walpole who was prime minister until 1742. He avoided the expense of war, and Britain prospered. In 1745 the exiled Stuarts’ Highland army led by James II's grandson, Bonnie Prince Charlie got as far south as Derby, but a poor supply line and English reinforcements forced them to retreat; with the final defeat at Culloden.

The coming of George III to the throne in 1760 brought the first British born king for 50 years. And a king who was to reign for the next 50 years. They were exciting times, marred only by the loss of the American Colonies. A canal network was built. Captain Cook explored the Pacific. Robert Adams was the architect to commission, John Wilkes won liberties for the people, Josiah Wedgwood made china, Gainsborough and Stubbs painted, Capability Brown designed gardens.

Britain won new territories in Canada and India, but lost the oldest settlement of all, with the declaration of independence by the American colonies in 1776 and the final surrender at Yorktown in 1781. The loss of the American colonies brought about changes in Britain with the appointment of Pitt the Younger as prime minister, whose legislative programme was to bring about the end of royal power.

At home the industrial revolution was in full swing. Coal fires lit the night sky as they powered steam engines in factories. But in Europe, French power was manifesting itself following the French revolution in 1789. Nelsons's victory at Trafalgar ensured the Britain ruled the seas, but French troops controlled Europe. A major war loomed.

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 735