The Norman Conquest of England / Нормандское завоевание Англии

To make it clear we should remember: before the Normans, there were four different peoples who invaded England.They were:

• the Celts (the 6th century BC)
• the Romans (the 1st century AD)
• the Anglo-Saxons (the 5th century)
• the Vikings (the end of the 8th century)

The Norman Conquest was the fifth invasion. And it is so well-known because it was the last invasion of Britain.

In the 11th century the Normans came to England from Normandy. They were Norsemen who had already settled in the northern part of France. This means that the Normans adopted the French language, French manners, customs and way of life, because they lived among French people.

On October 14th, 1066, King William (Duke of Normandy) defeated the army of the English King Harold in the Battle of Hastings.

No matter how hard the people of England tried to defend their country, the Normans were still much stronger than the Anglo-Saxons.

The Normans made many poor English people their own serfs. Besides this they burnt their houses and killed them.

When William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned, he became the King of England. He settled in London and was called William the Conqueror.

For 500 years the Normans were masters of Britain.

A great number of important changes are connected with the Normans. They brought with them Latin and French civilizations, the laws and the organization of the land. Many Latin and French words penetrated into the Old English language. Commerce and trade grew very quickly, but the population grew even faster.

London became a busy, rich and crowded city. The Normans did their best to make it look beautiful.

At that time the Tower of London was built on the Thames and it stands there still unchanged.

Westminster Abbey was finished and William was the first King to be crowned there. Since then all English kings were crowned in Westminster Abbey.

The purpose of the Civil War was to restore the Union of the Individual states and to preserve the Constitution. However, Congress was determined to make emancipation (freeing of the slaves) the primary issue of the war.

Just before the outbreak of the Civil War, two issues faced the nation. The first was the freeing of the slaves, which the Southerners believed was a loss of property.

The second issue was the right of secession (the withdrawal of a state from the Union). The Constitution was an agreement between the states, so therefore each state had the right to leave the Union when they pleased. These issues divided the nation.

In February of 1861, the Confederation states of America was formed. It consisted of South Caroline, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arcansas and Texas.

On the 1st of January, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the freedom of slaves. However, the actual end of slavery did not come until 1865. The Civil War came to an end on the 1st of April, 1865.

With the end of the war came the concept that the United States is not a group of states but rather one nation. With the emancipation of the slaves, new issues, such as civil rights, appeared.

The flag of the United Statesfeatures thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states; the 13 stripes the 13 original colonies.The flag is known as Old Glory, and no one knows for certain who designed it. Most historians believe that U.S. Congressman, Francis Hopkinson was the original designer, while a few still believe that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, made the first one.
Great Seal of the United States:
The seal was developed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the direction of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1776. A final design was approved in 1782, and today (both sides) are found on the back of the U.S. one-dollar bill, and often stamped onto specific documents, including foreign treaties and presidential proclamations
National Emblem:
The Bald Eagle was officially declared the National Emblem of the United States by the Second Continental Congress in 1782. It was selected by the USA's founding fathers because it is a species unique to North America. It has become the living symbol of the USA's freedom, spirit and pursuit of excellence. Its image and symbolism have played a significant role in American architecture, art, folklore and music.
Official Motto:"In God We Trust"
Note that "E Pluribus Unum" (out of many, one) was made popular during Revolutionary War times, and there is ample basis in Congressional actions, history and law for referring to it as a motto of the United States.
National Anthem:"The Star-Spangled Banner"
Originally a poem, it was composed by Francis Scott Key during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry;

Meaning and origin of the England-Flag:The Flag of England is the St George's Cross. The red cross appeared as an emblem of England during the Middle Ages and the Crusades and is one of the earliest known emblems representing England. It achieved status as the national flag of England during the 16th century.Saint George became the patron saint of England in the 13th century, and the legend of Saint George slaying a dragon dates from the 12th century.The proportions of the flag are that the red cross has a width of 1/5 of the height of the flag. "God Save the King"

The national flag of Wales is Y Ddraig Goch (English: The Red Dragon), consisting of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with any heraldic charge, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many renderings exist. "Land of my Fathers"

The Flag of Scotland is a white saltire, a crux decussate (X-shaped cross) representing the cross of the Christian martyr Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, on a blue field. It is named the Saltire or the Saint Andrew's Cross. In heraldic language, it may be blazoned Azure, a saltire argent. Flower of Scotland

Northern Ireland has not had its own unique, government sanctioned flag since its government was prorogued in 1972, and abolished in 1973 under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. During official events, the British government uses the Union Flag which is the official flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is the only flag used by the government in Northern IrelandThe Ulster Banner remains in use by Unionists, a number of sporting organisations in Northern Ireland and some local government authorities under Unionist control. Londonderry Air

he British Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 49 independent states that have been or still are ruled by Britain. Independent states are "full members of the Commonwealth". Among these states are Barbados, Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Singapore, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Cyprus, etc. Dependent territories (colonies + protectorates) are "Commonwealth countries", among them are Bermuda, Falkland Islands, British Antarctic Territory, British Virgin Islands and other. The new Commonwealth has grown out of the old British Commonwealth and British Empire. In the days of the old Commonwealth the only self-governing nations were Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The population of Australia, New Zealand and Canada (except for the French-speaking Canadians of Quebec) was almost entirely of people of British descent.

When the old British Commonwealth and the British Empire came to an end with the 2nd World War, the new Commonwealth was born. It was born after Britain granted independence to India and Pakistan in 1949. The Commonwealth has no charter, treaty or constitution. The Commonwealth people are drawn from all the world main races, from all continents. The Commonwealth people confess many different religions. Among Commonwealth countries are those in which the dominating religious confessions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism. The queen is recognized as head of Commonwealth; she is also head of state in 18 countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand. The Commonwealth Secretariat is in London. It is headed by a Secretary-General appointed by the heads of governments of member states. In 1990, for example it was headed by Emeka Anyaoko from Nigeria. The Secretariat promotes consultations, spreads information on matters of Commonwealth interests, organizes meetings and conferences. It coordinates Commonwealth activities related to economic, social and political affairs including youth programs, food, production, technology, science, law and health.

Britain plays an active part in the Commonwealth activities, it values the Commonwealth as a means of consulting and cooperating with people of different cultures and perspectives. Britain plays an active part in the work of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical cooperation, established within the Secretariat to provide technical assistance for economic and social development in Commonwealth developing countries, and Britain contributes almost a third of its income. The Fund provides experts to undertake advisory assignments or fill specific posts. It has a special program to help countries develop their exports, production and rural development. This fund also contains a small technical assistance group to give advice in key areas. Britain is a major contributor to the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, a system of awards for people of high intellect organized in order to make them study in Commonwealth countries. It was agreed in 1984 that the number of awards would be increased to about 1700 of which Britain would provide some 800.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2514