The Norman Conquest (1066)
In 1066, Edward the Confessor, the Anglo-Saxon king, died. As he had no son, his brother-in-law Harold became king. However, the Duke of Normandy, known as William the Conqueror, also claimed the throne. In 1066, he defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed, and William became king. The conquest had far-reaching consequences for England, cutting ties with Scandinavia and bringing French cultural influence.
Henry VIII
Henry VIII was famous for his six wives. He wanted to divorce his first wife, Catharine of Aragon, because they had no son, only a daughter, Mary (known as Bloody Mary). He could not get the Pope’s permission, so he established his own Church of England in 1532 and became its head to obtain a divorce. He married Anne Boleyn, but they also had only a daughter, Elizabeth. Anne was executed for adultery. Henry’s third wife bore him a son, Edward, but she died soon after. He divorced his fourth wife because he did not like her, and his fifth wife was executed for adultery. His sixth wife outlived him. Henry dissolved monasteries and took their property. His only son, Edward, became king but died soon after.
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth was Henry’s second daughter, the child of Anne Boleyn. As a Protestant queen, she earned the nickname ‘Virgin Queen’ for never marrying or having children. Her reign was characterized by peace and a clever political strategy. It was the Golden Age for drama and literature. Catholics sought to replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, fearing Elizabeth’s rule. After several assassination attempts involving Mary, Elizabeth executed her. Mary’s husband, Philip II, wanted the English throne after her death, but his Spanish army was defeated, establishing England as a significant sea power.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan. At the Battle of Naseby, he and the New Model Army crushed the Royalists and became the Lord Protector. From 1649 to 1660, England was known as The English Republic. Cromwell was unpopular, and upon his death, the public desired the monarchy’s return.
1660 – Restoration of Monarchy
After Oliver’s death, Charles’s son, also named Charles, returned as King Charles II. His reign saw the Great Plague, followed by the Great Fire of London.
- He was a military and political leader and later Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
- He shifted power from the monarchy to a stronger parliament.
- He defeated King Charles I in the Civil War in 1649, leading to the king’s execution.
- Afterward, he became Lord Protector.
- He died in 1658.
- His death led to the restoration of the monarchy.
James II
James II became king after his brother Charles II. Initially the Prince of Wales and then the Duke of York (the title used for the second son), he was the namesake of New York. Between 1688 and 1689, the Glorious Revolution occurred, leading to the introduction of the Bills of Rights in 1689, which stipulated that only a Protestant could become king. This did not deter the Jacobites, who supported the Catholic James Stuart and his son, Bonnie Prince Charlie. Parliament granted the throne to William of Orange after James II escaped. James II had a son, James Edward, who sought to reclaim the throne.
Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
Queen Victoria, the granddaughter of King George III, reigned longer than any British monarch, coinciding with Britain’s peak world power and industrial growth. She married Prince Albert and had nine children.
- She became queen at the age of 18.
- Her reign is known as Victorian England.
- She expanded the Empire into India, Canada, and New Zealand.
Winston Churchill
- Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.
- He was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, and a writer.
- He led the country until the end of WWII.
- His famous quote: “Nothing but blood, tears, toil and sweat.”
- He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his lifetime body of work.
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher, a Conservative politician, was the first female Prime Minister of Britain and one of the longest-serving PMs of the 20th century. After winning three general elections, she resigned in 1991 due to criticism of her European Union stance. Made a life peer in 1992, she remains a prominent public figure.
- She was the first Prime Minister.
- She served three consecutive terms.
- She advocated for the privatization of state-owned industries.
- She reformed trade unions, lowered taxes, and reduced inflation.
- Her tenure saw high unemployment and civil conflicts.
- In 1982, she led Britain to victory in the Falklands War.
- She is known as the Iron Lady.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II has been the queen of the UK since 1952, crowned in 1953. She is the daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, with one sister, Princess Margaret. She married Prince Philip of Greece, who became the Duke of Edinburgh. Her duties are mainly ceremonial, with real power resting with the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Neville Chamberlain
- Chamberlain was a Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister from May 1937 to May 1940.
- He is best known for his appeasement policy and the signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, allowing Germany to occupy the Sudetenland.
- He led Britain through the first eight months of WWII.