Life in the UK · Chapter 3 · 4 min read

Chapter 3: A long and illustrious history

British history from the Stone Age to the end of the 20th century, era by era: invasions, kings and queens, the growth of Parliament, the Industrial Revolution, the Empire and two world wars. Study notes for the Life in the UK test.

Why this chapter matters

History is the largest chapter in the handbook, and it supplies the most test questions: often six to eight of the twenty-four. Learn it era by era, and focus on who, what and when for the turning points.

Early Britain

• In the Stone Age, people crossed from mainland Europe when Britain was still joined to it by land. Stonehenge in Wiltshire and the village of Skara Brae on Orkney date from this time.
• In the Bronze Age, people worked metal and buried their dead in round barrows. In the Iron Age, they lived in hill forts and made the first coins.

The Romans (AD 43 to around 410)

• The Romans invaded in AD 43 under the Emperor Claudius, and stayed for about 400 years.
• Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, led a revolt against them.
• Hadrian's Wall was built in the north of England to keep out the Picts.
• The Romans brought roads, public buildings, a legal system and new plants and animals.

Anglo-Saxons and Vikings

• After the Romans left, the Anglo-Saxons settled much of England, and Christianity spread: St Augustine came to the south and St Columba went to Scotland.
• The Vikings raided from Denmark and Norway. Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms against them, and the part of England left under Viking rule was called the Danelaw.
• In Scotland, Kenneth MacAlpin united the Picts and Scots.

The Norman conquest (1066)

• William of Normandy defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Bayeux Tapestry shows the story.
• The Domesday Book recorded the towns, villages and landowners of England.

The Middle Ages

• Magna Carta (1215): King John was made to accept limits on the king's power.
• Parliament began to develop, with the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
• The Black Death (1348) killed about a third of the population of England.
• During the Hundred Years' War with France, Henry V won the Battle of Agincourt (1415).
• The Wars of the Roses ended at the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485). Henry Tudor became Henry VII and married into the rival House of York.

The Tudors and Stuarts

• Henry VIII broke with Rome and founded the Church of England. He had six wives.
• Elizabeth I saw off the Spanish Armada (1588), and English drama flourished, with William Shakespeare its most famous writer.
• In 1603, James VI of Scotland became James I of England, the first king of both countries.
• The Civil War between King and Parliament began in 1642. Charles I was executed, and Oliver Cromwell ruled the republic.
• The monarchy was restored in 1660 under Charles II.
• In the Glorious Revolution of 1688, William of Orange replaced James II. The Bill of Rights (1689) confirmed Parliament's power.

Great Britain and the Empire

• The Act of Union (1707) joined England and Scotland as Great Britain. Ireland joined in 1801.
• The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the 18th century, driven by coal, steam power, iron and the factories.
• Britain built a vast Empire. Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901.
• The slave trade was abolished in 1807, and slavery in the Empire in 1833.
• The Reform Acts gradually gave more men the vote.

The 20th century

• First World War (1914–1918): millions died, including at the Battle of the Somme (1916).
• In 1918, some women over 30 won the vote. Equal voting at 21 for women and men followed in 1928.
• Ireland was divided in 1921, and Northern Ireland remained in the UK.
• Second World War (1939–1945): under Winston Churchill, Britain survived the evacuation of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain (both 1940).
• After the war, Clement Attlee's government created the welfare state. The NHS began in 1948 under Aneurin Bevan.
• Many colonies gained independence, beginning with India and Pakistan in 1947.
• The UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973.
• Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister in 1979.
• Power was devolved to Scotland and Wales in 1997–99.

Check yourself

1. Who led the revolt against the Romans?
2. What happened in 1066, and what records it?
3. Which document of 1215 limited the king's power?
4. When did England and Scotland unite as Great Britain?
5. In which year could women first vote at the same age as men?

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