A Brief History
of the British Isles
and of the Common Law
10,000 – 2,000 B.C.
Iron Age (around 750 BC – 43 AD)
-isolation from the Continent (end of the Ice Age) - Celtic culture
- first mention of the name Britannia
Consequences:
- end of a series of (im)migrations
- domestication of animals
- development of agriculture
Neolithic Revolution:
- first permanent settlements
- social stratification (farmers - craftsmen - leaders)
- religious cults, burial of the dead
Bronze Age (2,200 - 750 B.C.)
- Iberian immigrants bring the skill of working
metal (tools, weapons, jewelry...)
- renewed contacts with the Continent (trade)
(Greek Pytheas around 325 B.C.)
- Roman invasion and occupation
→ Britain becomes a Roman province
5th – 6th century
• invasion of England by Germanic tribes
(Angles, Saxons, Jutes)
• Formation of a number of kingdoms
• Heptarchy (Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia,
Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex)
Jute war helmet
Arthur Pendragon “King” of the Britons
- Cornwall
•Christianization (St. Augustine became
the first Archbishop of Canterbury in 597. In
601, he baptised the first Christian AngloSaxon king, Aethelbert of Kent.)
•Constant “state of war” between
various kingdoms (allegiances form,
break, change)
•Early Danish and Viking raids (NE)
Around 800
• the Danes begin to settle in Britain
Danelaw – the Danish kingdom in
Saxon England - early 9th century
• Throughout the 9th century the Danes
continue their expansion to the Southwest
• Rise of the Kingdom of Wessex
• Alfred the Great
stops Danish
expansion and
begins with the
unification of
England in 890’s
- the Chichester Peace Treaty
• early English law
• Renewed Danish invasion resulting in the
Danish rule over England (late 10th century)
• Introduction of Danish laws (Canute Law)
England as a part of
Canute’s/Cnut’s realm
• Between 978 and 1066 the
rulers of England change
between the successors of
Alfred the Great and Cnut
and his descendants
• In 1066 the emptied throne
of England was claimed by
several people - it fell to
Harald Godwinson whose
right was disputed →
Norman invasion in October
1066
Richard I the Lionheart (Richard Cœur de Lion) 1189–1199
(Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of
Ireland, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Nantes and
Overlord of Brittany)
- Lead Christian armies to Jerusalem in the Third Crusade
- Regained for the Christians the access to Jerusalem
- agreed upon a three-year period of peace with Saladin
- had to leave the campain to defend his throne in England
against his brother John and Philip II of France
John Lackland / Softsword 1199–1216
- Tried to take his brother’s throne
- Offered money to keep Richard imprisoned
- succeeded Richard after his death
- was forced to sign the Magna Carta thus allowing the Barrons
to dispose over the land
Eward I – Longshanks 1272–1307
-wages wars gainst Wales 1282 – 1283 adding it to English
crown lands
-invades Scotland and crushes the Scottish rebellion
-regains control over land
-supports the development of borroughs and towns
-organizes taxation
-summons the Model Parliament (1295) - foundation of the
English
Parliament with two houses
Robert I of Scotland 1306 – 1329
- Secures Scottish independence from England after the battle
at Bannockburn (1314)
- England relieved from a constant threat from the north
• The need for land forces
the English king and nobles
to war against France (1337)
• They claim their right to
land in France (Normandy)
• Initial series of successes
of the English army (thanks
primarily to Welsh archers)
• The war is dragged into
eternity (The 100 Years War),
both sides suffer heavy
losses,
• Stricken by diseases,
hunger and lack of almost
everything the English lose
their possessions in France
and move back to England
(1453)
-White Rose of York
-The Yorkists, lead by Richard Duke of York, started the conflict with the
battle at St Albans.
-Victorious, they gained advantage and influence against their opponents.
-The Red Rose of Lancaster
-The Lancastrians, lead by King Henry VI, endure a series of losses
-At the very beginning of the conflict the Lancastrians lost a number
of prominent leaders
-Tudor Rose
-Benefited from the constantly changing war luck in the civil war
-With most of the important supporters of both sides in conflict dead, the
Tudors assume power with Henry Tudor defeating King Richard III and
founding the Tudor dinasty as Henry VII.
Aftermath: - final end of the Plantagenet dinasty
- onset of Renaissance in England
- introduction of a strong, centralized, and well administzered monarchy
Henry VIII (1509 – 1547)
- political actions to keep the peace (marriage with his brother Arthur’s
widow Catherine of Aragon → daughter Mary – later Queen Mary I)
- five other marriages to secure a male heir to the throne
- defies Pope Clement VII and the King of Spain by divorcing Catherine
- declared by the Parliament Head of the Church of England (1534)
- politically unites Wales with England through Laws in Wales Acts
1535–1542 (based i.a. on his descent from the Welsh Tewdr dinasty)
- the Tudor Renaissance
Edward VI (King 1547-53)
Lady Jane Grey
(October 12 1537 – July 6 1553)
10 – 19 July 1553
-succeeds his father aged 10
-Represented by Regents:
- Lord Sommerset (1547–49)
-Lord Northumberland (1549-53)
-depicted in The Prince and the Pauper
“Queen for 9 Days”
Mary I of England – “Bloody Mary” (1553 – 1558)
• restored Catholicism
• executed more than 300 opponents who refused to convert
• imprisoned Jane Grey who was eventually executed
•married her second cousin, Prince Philip of Spain → revolt of the
people → rebellion led by Thomas Wyatt in favor of Elizabeth
•imprisoned Elizabeth, tried to prove her responsible for the Wyatt
rebellion but failed, sent Elizabeth to the Tower of London
•Lost last English possessions in France (Port de Calais)
Elizabeth I – “Virgin Queen” (1559 – 1603)
•through Act of Uniformity and Act of Supremacy (1559) became
the Supreme Governor of the Church of England
• restores protestantism, deprives opponents of positions and property
• Pope Pius V excommunicates her from Catholic Church in 1570
• several plots against her – all prevented
• refuses to marry in spite of the recommendations of her Privy
Council and the Parliament
• 1587 - execution of Mary Stuart → outrage of Catholic Europe
• 1588 war with Spain, attempted Spanish invasion fails → England
gains power → beginning of England’s ascent to world power no. 1
• 1603 Elizabeth dies without having named a successor