TALLINN FRENCH SCHOOL
British History
End of Year Project
Frida Jõe
Form 10
TALLINN 2011
Table of Contents
Prehistoric Britain ...................................................................................................................... 3
Roman Britain ............................................................................................................................ 4
Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms ............................................................................................................. 5
The Vikings ................................................................................................................................ 6
The Norman Invasion ................................................................................................................. 7
Plantagenets I ............................................................................................................................. 9
Plantagenets II .......................................................................................................................... 10
The Tudors ............................................................................................................................... 12
The Stuarts................................................................................................................................ 14
Georgian Era ............................................................................................................................ 16
Victorian England .................................................................................................................... 18
Edwardian Era and WWI ......................................................................................................... 20
2
Prehistoric Britain
Britain was part of the European land mass until 6000 BC.
Earliest inhabitants lived in limestone caves, farming skills developed
gradually through the Stone Age.
The Iberians
About 3000BC Britain was inhabited by the Iberians, who had come
from either the Spanish peninsula or the North African coast. They
used stone axes and tools made of antlers and bones. The Iberians built
the first roads. We can learn about them by their skeletons and weapons that have been found.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a megalithic monument in Britain
that is built in about 3000BC. People think that
rituals took place there. The site is considered to be
connected with the sun and passing of the seasons.
The ruins of Stonehenge consist of two stone
circles and two stone horseshoes. In the centre
there is a large stone nearly 5 m long, called the
Altar Stone.
The Bronze Age (2100-1650 BC in Britain)
Gold was mined in Wales and Cornwall and the items found from that period are evidence of
the wealth of Bronze Age tribes.
Iron Age
The technique of smelting iron came to Britain around 700BC, brought by Celts.
Celts
They came from central Europe or further east. Celts invaded Britain in two waves.
1. Gaels 600 BC
2. Cymri 300 BC
The Celts were armed with metal swords and axes and the Iberians couldn’t fight back their
attacks. The Celts lived in villages and built their forts on hilltops. In their society there was
no private property, no classes and no exploitation. The Celts caught fish, grew wheat and
corn, tamed and bred animals. They learned art of pottery and made things of wool, metal and
copper. Celtic languages are Welsh, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Breton and Gaelic
The Celtic tribes were ruled by warrior class. There were priests, called Druids, who
memorised all the religious teachings, laws, history, medicine etc. A lot of Celtic history
relies on oral transmission. During the Celtic period women had a lot of independence. The
basic unit of the Celtic family was the clan. Celts were great warriors, but they wouldn’t have
seen themselves as one people at the time. That is why they lost their control over Britain.
3
Roman Britain
2000 years ago the Romans were the most powerful people in the world. Roman society was a
slave society divided into antagonistic classes.
Julius Caesar reached the Channel in 55 BC. He made 2 raids
across the Channel to punish the Britons for helping their kith
and kin against him. The Romans who had better arms and
were much better trained defeated the Celts.
However, the Roman invasion proper did not begin until 43
AD under the Emperor Claudius. The free Celts were not
turned into slaves but they had to pay heavy taxes and were
made to work for the conquerors.
When the Romans invaded Britain, the main tribe in East
Anglia (the Iceni) joined forces to defeat a rival tribe, but the
Romans then turned on the Iceni, torturing their Queen
Boudicca. In AD 61, she led a revolt against Roman rule.
After the defeat of rebellious local tribes the Romans remained
an unassimilated occupying power. They built a network of
towns, forts and camps connected by paved roads.
Hadrian’s Wall, stretching 70 miles from the
Solway to the Tyne, was built 1n 122 to keep
out the raiding Picts and Scots.
Many of Britain’s main towns and cities were
established by the Romans, including York,
Bath and London. Place names ending in –caster
or –chester reveal the places of Roman military
camps.
Roman soldiers and trades brought
Christianity and in the 4th century the
Christian Church was established in Britain.
Bath
4
Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
Roman legions left Britain in 410. By the mid5th century, Angles, Saxons and Jutes from
Denmark and Northern Germany had started to
raid Britain. They destroyed Roman villas,
preferring to live in small farming communities.
But by the 7th century town began to spring up.
Many towns (like Birmingham) have names
ending in ‘ham’, which is the Anglo-Saxon
word for ‘home’ Angles gave England the name
and Saxons the language together with its
mythology.
Society
The Celts were driven away to Cornwall, Wales and to the Scottish Highlands. Most of the
Anglo-Saxon population were free peasants. They were an agricultural people. Each village
was self-sufficient. Arable-farming and cattle-breeding satisfied the needs of the people.
There were no shops, but there were some travelling pedlars, who sold nails, needles, salt etc.
King Arthur
The legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table
are based on a Celtic leader in the 5th and 6th century who
defended his country against Saxon invasion.
Religion
Anglo- Saxons were pagans, who believed in many gods, until
the end of 6th century. The conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to
Christianity began when St Augustine became the Archbishop
of Canterbury. The kings granted much land to the bishops and
monasteries, and that promoted the growth of big landed estates.
Literature
The Roman monks brought many books to Britain written in
Latin and Greek. The first libraries and schools were set up. The
most famous writer was the monk named Venerable Bede, who
wrote “Ecclesiastical History of the English People”. There is
another important piece of literature from this period – the
Heroic epic poem “Beowulf”
Wessex
At the beginning of the 9th century Wessex became the strongest
state. Under the rule of king Egbert all the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were united to form
one kingdom which was called England
5
The Vikings
At the end of the 8th century a second wave of Germanic
invasions started with raids. During the next centuries more and
more Vikings came, first to plunder, then to stay. The ending
‘-by’ (Derby, Grimsby) is the Danish word for ‘town’. Other
Viking loanwords: eye, leg, skin, take etc. The Vikings came
from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The Viking age in
European history was about AD 700 to 1000. The parts of
Britain where most Vikings settled were northern Scotland and
eastern England. Danish raids were successful because the
kingdom of England had neither a regular army nor a fleet.
Society
Some Vikings went to fight and steal the treasure. At the same time others settled in new
lands as farmers, craftsmen or traders. The Vikings lived in tribes and were pagans. They
were bold and skilful seamen-
Danelaw
In 871 the Danes invaded Wessex. But it wasn’t easy. Under the reign of king Alfred, Wessex
became the centre of resistance against invaders. All the free peasants of Wessex were trained
to fight. At the same time first British Navy was built and many places fortified. As a result of
all that, the Anglo-Saxons won several victories over the Danes. The Danes were allowed to
settle is the northern boundary that separated the Danelaw from Wessex. They made York
their capital.
King Alfred and Literature
King Alfred could read and write. He wanted to teach his people. Many books were translated
so that people who learned to read could understand them. King Alfred himself translated
Ecclesiastical History of the English People. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was written in
Anglo-Saxon, the language spoken by the people.
King Canute
At the beginning of the 11th century England was
conquered by the Danish King Canute, who proved to be
a most effective ruler. He divided England into territorial
lordships and ended the practice of paying Danegeld (a
tax payable by English kings to Danish lords in return for
their not ransacking England). King Canute was told by
his court that he was all powerful. According to a legend
he showed them that some things cannot be stopped by
the kings by commanding the tide to remain out. The tide
came anyway.
After Canute’s death his sons did not reign long and the
throne was passed to Edward the Confessor.
6
The Norman Invasion
In 1042, Edward the Confessor became king. His reign was a period of demographic growth
and agrarian expansion, but also it is known for the problem of succession. After Edward’s
death on January 1066 Godwin’s (who was Edward’s father-in-law) oldest surviving son
Harold was recognised as king. Edward had been a weak king and Harold had been a real
ruler.
Problem of succession
After Edward’s death three men claimed the throne of England: Harold Godwin, the Earl of
Wessex, William, the Duke of Normandy and Harald Hardraada, the King of Norway.
Battles for the Throne
In 1066, Harald Hardraada landed in north-eastern England. Godwin defeated him rapidly at
Stamford Bridge. But while Harold and his soldiers were resisting after the battle, news
arrived from London: Duke William had landed on the south coast of England. The English
king returned to London, collected a new army and marched back to Hastings. His army
pushed the Normans back. Then the Normans pretended to run away. But soon they turned
around and attacked the Anglo-Saxons.
The battle of Hastings was the last successful invasion of Britain. It is depicted on the Bayeux
Tapestry in Normandy, France.
William
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Few Saxon lords kept their lands and
those who did, accepted William.
W. gave his nobles separate small pieces
of land in different parts of the country
so that none could easily gather his
fighting men to rebel.
W. kept enough land to himself to make
sure he was much stronger than his
nobles.
“Domesday Book” (survey of every
manor in England, was complied for tax
purposes)
W. controlled two large areas:
Normandy and England
French became the language of the
aristocracy, Latin the language of clergy
and English now became the language of
peasants.
The most prominent remains from Norman England are stone castles, such as the
White Tower.
W. died in 1087. He left the duchy of Normandy to his elder son Robert and England
to his second son William (Rufus) .
Henry I
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William Rufus died in a hunting accident, without leaving an heir.
The third brother, Henry, was crowned king.
7
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In 1106 Henry invaded Normandy and reunited
Normandy and England.
He spent the rest of his life fighting to keep those
two areas together.
H. accepted that his daughter Matilda would follow
him.
Matilda and Stephen of Blois
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Henry had married Matilda to a great noble in France,
Geoffrey Plantagenet.
The throne was seized by Stephen of Blois.
Matilda’s fight with Stephen led to a terrible civil war.
Neither side won.
In 1153 M. and S. agreed that the latter could keep the
throne if Matilda’s son Henry could succeed him.
8
Plantagenets I
Henry II
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Inherited the English kingdom and Normandy from his
mother Matilda, Anjou, Maine and Touraine from his
father and acquired vast areas of central and southwestern France through his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.
 H. was generous to poor, a pillar of justice and
intellectual giant.
 Struggle between the Church and the state
o
in 1066 pope claimed that William had promised to
accept him as his feudal lord.
o
W. refused to accept his claim.
o
The question whether the bishops should obey the church or the king, raised a
conflict.
o
In 1662 Henry II appointed his friend Thomas Becket Archbishop of
Canterbury.
o
After several quarrels with him four knights murdered Becket in his cathedral.
 He quarrelled with her wife, his sons, Richard and John, took Eleanor’s side.
 Henry died disappointed and defeated by his sons and the king of France.
Richard
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A very popular king
He was a well educated man.
R. spent a lot of time on crusades in the Holy
Land.
His nickname “Coeur de Lion” shows that his
culture was French.
Richard was killed in 1199 and he was followed
by his younger brother John.
John
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He was unpopular with the nobles, the merchants and the
church.
J. had taxed heavily his nobles, but he didn’t protect their
lands in France.
He was called John Lackland.
J. quarrelled with the Pope over who should be the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
o Pope called the king of France to invade England and
closed every church in the country.
o Finally John accepted the Pope’s choice of archbishop.
John was forced to sign an agreement Magna Carta (it
defined the rights and responsibilities of the crown and its subjects.) Magna Carta
marks a clear stage in the collapse of English feudalism. (Feudal society had based on
links between lord and vassal).
During the reign of John first stone bridge across the Thames was completed.
9
Plantagenets II
Henry III (the son of John)
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He was a middling head of state.
H. was not able to get back his father’s lands in
France.
He patronized arts and inspired the improvements to
Westminster Abbey and construction of Salisbury
Cathedral.
During his reign the first parliament was summoned
in 1265.
Henry III was followed by his son Edward I.
Edward I
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He was a man of authority
Edward I wasn’t interested in winning back parts of
France.
He brought together the first real parliament.
E. annexed Wales to England and brought Scotland
under English control for a time.
He tried to have good relations with the powerful
king of France Philip IV and they decided to marry
their children (Isabella + Edward II).
o
Edward III didn’t love Isabella and
Isabella hated him.
o
Together with her lover Roger Mortimer
Isabella forced Edward to abdicate in favour of his son.
o
Isabella and Roger ruled in the name of the young Edward III.
o
In 1330 Edward seized power.
Edward III
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One of the most successful English monarchs – he
restored royal authority.
He wanted to transform the Kingdom of England into
the most efficient military power in Europe.
Vital developments in legislature and government, in
particular the evolution of the English parliament.
100 Years’ War with France
o
It began with Edward’s claim to the French
throne.
o
The French lawyers recognized the Nephew
of Philip IV as the kind of France.
o
Edward declared war to France in 1337.
o
The major reason was that England couldn’t
afford the destruction of its trade with Burgundy’s province Flanders.
o
In the early 1400s all English lands on the continent were won back.
o
In 1431 Henry VI was crowned King of France
o
Then the French started to fight back, inspired by a peasant girl Joan of Arc.
10
o
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War ended in 1453, England had lost all its French Possessions except
Calais.
During the war English literature was born with Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury
tales”. Bible was translated into English by John Wycliffe.
The first large school, Winchester College, gave the start to lay education.
Oxford and Cambridge universities were founded in the late 1100s.
A native architectural style, the Perpendicular, can be seen for example on the chapel
of King’s college, Cambridge.
Edward III and his son the Black Prince became symbols of the “code of chivalry”.
E.III was the founder of the Order of the Garter (1348) and he gave England a new
patron saint, ST George.
Richard II
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Grandson of Edward III
The same year, when he came to throne, his advisers
introduced a tax payment for every person over 15. It
caused a revolt in East Anglia. During the Peasants’
Revolt the peasants took control of much of London.
When their leader Wat Tyler was killed, Richard II
managed to calm down the angry crowd.
Wars of Roses
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The young king was placed under the control of his uncle John, duke of Lancaster,
who prepared the throne for his son Henry (IV).
There was another possible successor – the son of uncle Edmund, the Duke of York
Henry won the support of powerful nobles and took crown by force.
He passed the throne peacefully to his son Henry V, who was a great king.
50 years later the nobility was divided into two groups – the Lancastrians (red rose)
and the Yorkists (white rose).
The war began with the battle of St Albans.
Six years later the York forces crushed Lancastrians and Edward of York became
king as Edward IV. His son succeeded him at the age of 12. His uncle killed the
young king and became king Richard III. He was the last king of the Plantagenet
dynasty.
At Bosworth Field Henry Tudor, a descendant of the House of Lancaster defeated
the royal army and after the battle was crowned King Henry Vii, the first ruler of the
Tudor dynasty. Henry married Edward IV’s daughter and so he united the two rival
houses.
11
The Tudors
Henry VII
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United the Houses of York and Lancaster.
He based royal power on good business sense believing
that war and glory were bad for business and that
business was good for the state.
Avoided quarrels.
Made important alliances:
o Arranged a marriage between his son Arthur and
the daughter of the king of Spain Catherine of
Aragon
o Marriage between his daughter Margaret and James IV of Scotland
o After the death of Arthur he married his second son Henry VIII to his brother’s
young widow
Henry VIII
 Had 6 wives - Catharine of Aragon (Mary was born from this
marriage), Anne Boleyn (gave birth to Elizabeth I), Jane
Seymour (bore him a son), Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
 The Reformation
o Henry wanted to divorce from her wives, but Catholic
Church didn’t allow it.
o He was looking for new sources of money and the church
was a huge landowner.
o Henry disliked the power of the Church of England.
 The dissolution of monasteries
Edward VI and Lady Jane
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After the death of Henry VIII, his son
became king as Edward VI.
He was under legal age and the
country was ruled by a council
(Protestants).
Edward died at the age of 16 and his
successor was Lady Jane (a protestant).
She is known as The Nine Days’
Queen. After nine days she was
executed.
Mary
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She was a Roman Catholic queen.
Married King Philip of Spain.
Enacted a policy of persecution against Protestants.
More than 300 people were burned at the stake and that
is why she earned the nickname “Bloody Mary”.
12
Elizabeth I
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Became queen in 1558.
She led England back to Protestantism
and made herself head of the Church.
The struggle between Catholics and
Protestants continued.
To avoid more problems between
Catholics and Protestants, she never
married.
Elizabeth recognised Spain as England’s
main trade rival and enemy, which
finally led to the war.
England defeated the Spanish Armada.
England’s greatest dramatists Shakespeare, Ben Johnson and Christopher Marlow
lived and wrote their masterpieces at that time.
Many English seamen continued to seek alternative routes to India.
13
The Stuarts
Mary Queen of Scots
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At one time, she claimed the crowns of four nations –
Scotland, England and Ireland.
Married François, Dauphin of France and became queen
consort of France after the French king Henri II died.
When François died, young widow returned to Scotland.
She didn’t marry Lord Dudley, who was Elizabeth’s
favourite. Instead she married her first cousin Lord
Darnley.
She soon got tired of him, agreed to his murder and
married the man believed to have been the murderer.
Mary was forced to abdicate in favour of her son and she
fled to England in seeking the protection of Queen
Elizabeth. She was imprisoned and after 19 years she was
executed.
James VI of Scotland and I of England
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Started to rule Scotland when he was 12 years old.
Rebuilt the authority of the Scottish Crown, brought the
catholic and protestant nobles more or less under his control.
 First joint ruler of England and Scotland (E. and S. hated each
other).
 Believed that king had “the divine right”.
 The Gunpowder Plot – Guy Fawkes and four other Catholic
dissenters were caught attempting to blow up the House of Lords
on the day the king was to open the session. The conspirators
were executed.
 Under James the ‘golden age’ of Elizabethan literature and
drama continued.
 One of the James’s great contributions to England was the
Authorised King James’s Version of the Bible.
Charles I
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He was born as the second son of James VI and Anne of
Denmark.
Charles’ reign began with the ongoing tension with
Parliament over money.
Charles dissolved Parliament three times and in 1629 he
dismissed Parliament and resolved to rule alone.
He was forced to call Parliament in 1640 to obtain funds
to fight the Scots.
Parliament refused him money and the country was split
between the supporters of king (Cavaliers) and supporters
of Parliament (Roundheads).
The major engagement of The Civil War was at Edgehill in 1642.
14
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In 1645 the Royalist army was defeated at Naseby
Charles was executed.
Oliver Cromwell
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After the English Civil War, England was declared to be a
Commonwealth.
Cromwell dissolved Parliament and it was the start of
England’s only period of dictatorship.
When O. died, his son wasn’t a man to rule Britain and
Charles II was invited to return from exile.
Charles II
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Wanted to make peace with his father’s enemies.
Believed in “the divine right” (and admired the all-powerful
Louis XIV) .
The fear of Charles’s interest in Catholic Church and of the
monarch becoming too powerful also resulted the first
political parties in Britain.
“Whigs” believed that the Crown’s authority depended on the
concept of Parliament.
“Tories” upheld the authority of the Crown and the Church.
Two major catastrophes – the Plague (1665) and the Great
Fire of London (1666).
James II
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Brother of Charles II
A Catholic king in a fiercely Protestant country
Mary and William of Orange
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James’ daughter Mary had married the Protestant ruler of
Holland, William of Orange.
William was invited to invade Britain and offered the crown.
William landed with an army, James fled to Ireland.
Parliament was now more powerful than the king.
The political events of 1688 were called the Glorious Revolution.
William wasn’t liked by his people, but Mary was very popular.
Anne
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Sister of Mary
First monarch to rule over the Kingdom of Great Britain
During her reign, parliamentary elections had a decisive
effect on the life of the country.
Had many children, but none survived her, so she was the last
of Stuarts.
15
Georgian Era
The Georgian Age in general was the age of Enlightenment, agricultural and industrial
revolutions. During this period women became active in arts and intellectual circles. Some
outstanding people from this period are Handel, Swift, Defoe, Hume and Haydn.
George I
 Came to throne in 1714.
 Was a Protestant ruler of Hanover.
 In 1715 there was a rebellion against him, but his army defeated the English and
Scottish “Jacobites” easily.
 George I spoke only German and he wasn’t interested in ruling his new kingdom.
 The real decision-makers were the king’s ministers.
 In1694 Bank of England was founded .
Robert Walpole
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One of the king’s ministers
He is considered to Britain’s first Prime Minister.
His ideas
o The king should be kept under the control of Parliament.
o Government ministers should work together in a small
group (the Cabinet). Any minister who disagreed with
other ministers was expected to resign. All the Cabinet
members were responsible for policy decisions.
o The limits to monarchy: the king could not be a Catholic,
he couldn’t change laws and he was dependent on
Parliament.
 Walpole wanted to avoid the war and increase taxes. So he did, but it had little effect
on the national dept.
Lord Chatman
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Walpole’s political enemy
Trade is the wealth of the world
He wanted to make the British navy stronger.
War with France
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Broke out in 1756.
British navy stopped French ships reaching or leaving French ports.
The war went all over the world.
The British won and that is why at that time they had a very high opinion of
themselves.
George III
He was the first Hanoverian king to be born in Britain and who could speak without a foreign
accent. When he came to throne he decided to end the War against France’s trade. George
was popular with his people, but went permanently insane in 1810.
16
Loss of the American colonies
The conflict was trigged by the financial costs of the Anglo-French wars. In 1764 there was a
serious quarrel over taxation between the British government and its colonies in America.
Some Americans decided that is was not lawful to tax them without their agreement. In 1773
a group of colonists at the port of Boston threw a shipload of tea into the sea rather than pay
tax on it. This event is known as “the Boston tea party”. The British government answered by
closing the port. The colonists decided to prevent British goods from entering America. That
is how The American War of Independence began.
The colonists had no Continental Army until Congress created one. This army was placed
under George Washington. In 1776 Declaration of Independence was signed. In order to fight
the colonies the British had to maintain a large army on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Even so, the first years were difficult ones for the Americans. The aid from France played an
important role to bring the war to a successful conclusion.
Napoleonic Wars
The French Revolution had a great impact throughout Europe. During
the period of Napoleonic Wars different European countries made up 7
coalitions to fight the French. In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte seized
control of the French government. Britain was forced to sign the
“peace of Amiens” with France in 1802. In 1804 Bonaparte declared
France an Empire and crowned himself Emperor.
In 1805 Britain decided to fight France at sea. The commander of the
British fleet, Nelson, won brilliant victories over the French navy at
Trafalgar.
In 1815 general Wellington with the help of Prussian army finally
defeated Bonaparte at Waterloo. The same year peace was made.
Admiral Nelson
In Britain
After the end of the wars, there was no need for factory-made goods anymore and
unemployment grew. At the same time farmers’ income suffered because of cheaper imported
corn.
A new law made the poor live in workhouses, only then they were given any help at all. To
avoid the workhouse, many looked for a better life in towns. That is how Britain changed
from a nation of country people to a nation of townspeople.
In 1829 the Whigs were able to take over, and they were willing to implement parliamentary
reform. Led by Earl Grey the Whigs still believed in the worth of the British constitution, but
they had more liberal outlook than the Tories.
In 1830 George IV died and his brother William IV came to the throne. However, the Bill was
rejected several times before it was finally accepted in 1832. It can be said that the Reform
Bill was a political recognition that Britain had become an urban society.
King William, supporting the reformers proved to be the only monarch to keep his throne.
William was succeeded by his niece Queen Victoria.
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Victorian England
Queen Victoria
Victoria came to throne when she was 18 years old and ruled the
country from 1837-1901. At the age of 23 Victoria married a
German prince, Albert. They loved each other very much and
had nine children. When Albert died after 21 years of marriage,
Victoria went into deep permanent mourning for years. She
became known as the ‘Widow of Windsor”. During the last years
of her reign she became ill and depressed. Queen Victoria died
on 22 January 1901.
Her Empire
During her reign Britain became the most powerful country in the world. Britain ruled one
fifth of the world’s surface and one quarter of the people. It was called ‘the Empire where the
sun never sets’. British soldiers were always fighting somewhere in the vast empire.
In 1854 Britain went to war in the Crimea to support Turkey against Russia. The war wasn’t
well organised. Florence Nightingale was sent to Crimea with 38 nurses. Thanks to her
nursing became a respectable profession for women.
In 1857, British rule in India was threatened by a mutiny. Finally British rule was restored. In
1876 Victoria became Empress of India and the country was put under the direct rule of Britain.
Working and Education
Many children had to work in factories and do horrible jobs. During Victorian reign, most
poor people were helped by private charity. Now, after the poor law was introduced, all those
who really needed help, had to go to a workhouse. In the workhouse conditions were made
harsh so that only those in real need would enter.
During this period a system of elementary education for all children was developed by Church.
In 1870 the Education Act introduced State Elementary Schools for all children aged 5-10. In
1800, elementary education was made compulsory and in 1890 It was made free.
Inventions and Discoveries
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In 1851, Prince Albert planned a Great Exhibition to celebrate the achievements of
British and Foreign Industry.
Charles Darwin “Origin of Species”
electric lightening
Joseph Lister – antiseptic surgery
railways
steamships, steam turbine engines, oil and diesel engines
Values
Christianity had a very important influence on Victorian society. There were also “Victorian
values”. These included hard work, respect for authority inside and outside etc. the home.
Children were expected to be seen and not heard.
Literature
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Charles Dickens “Oliver Twist” – the life of the poor
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William Thackeray wrote about the life in high society.
Gaskell depicted life in the new manufacturing cities.
Oscar Wilde wrote comedies.
Bronte sisters challenged the dominant idea of “womanhood”.
Kipling wrote both prose and poetry.
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Edwardian Era and WWI
Edwardian Era
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1901 – 1910 (the reign of King Edward VII)
Sometimes extended to include the sinking of the Titanic and
the start of World War I and the signing of the Treaty of
Versailles on 1919.
Edwardian Era corresponds to the French Belle Époque
Art Nouveau
The development of the automobile and electricity
Greater awareness of human rights.
In literature: J. M. Barrie, Arnold Bennett, Joseph Conrad, E. M. Forster, John
Galsworthy, Kenneth Grahame, Edith Nesbit etc.
King Edward VII was succeeded by his son George V.
Georg V
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First World War, the Russian Revolution, the Irish troubles,
votes for women, the general Strike, the Depression, the rise of
Hitler and the first radio podcast.
A conflict with ordinary people (because of his tours during the
first WW.
World War I
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The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
in Sarajevo.
Austria-Hungary declared war Serbia.
Russia wanted to defend Serbia and declared war to
Austria-Hungary.
Germany, who had promised to protect Serbia,
declared war to Russia.
After Germany had attacked France, Britain
declared war to Germany.
Thousands of people were killed or wounded.
After the First World War
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Treaty of Versailles ended the war.
The British Empire grew.
Bad economic situation
Worldwide depression
Many countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa wanted more
independence.
In 1931 Parliament passed a statue that recognized the dominions’ complete
independence from Britain.
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