1、How did English become the UK as we know today?The full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It includes 4 parts: the island of Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland. The effects of its imperial past 1) The days of e
2、mpire ended after World War.But there are close relationships which exist with the 50 or more colonies of that empire, and which maintain links through Commonwealth of Nations.2) It has great effects on the makeup of the British population because of the immigration in the 1950s and 1960s. Racial, g
3、ender, class, regional and economic differences in the society1) a multi-racial society: most are Christians and because of immigration, many are Muslims2) gender difference: male and female live different lives3) class difference: the class structure of UK society is obvious4) difference between hi
4、ghland and lowland Scots, north and south EnglandEngland A history of invasionsInvaders Time Representative men or events ContributionIberians 3000BC(New Stone Age)/ Learn how to grow plants and raise animals, brought languageCelts 700BC(Bronze Age)/ Celtic language,iron-workingRomans 43AD / Hadrian
5、s wall,political systemAnglo-SaxonsThe 5th century ADKing Arthur(round table)The forefather of the English,brought their languageDanes The end of 8th centuryKing Alfred the Great Cultural divideNormans 1066 William the Conqueror ,Battle of Hastings, Robin HoodUnified England,change old English into
6、modern English Dominant position1) The next few hundred years following the Norman invasion: join the various parts of the British Isles together under English rule, unite the kingdom internally and externally2) Power transferred from the monarch to the parliament gradually1649,Charleswas executed,
7、England was ruled by parliaments leader ,Oliver Cromwell for 11 yearsIn 1660, the son of Charlesresorted the monarchy and was called CharlesFurther conflict between parliament and king led to removal of the Scottish house of Stuart and the final establishment of parliaments dominance over the throne
8、 in 1689 (Glorious Revolution) A cultural and economic dominance of England1) London dominant in government, finance and culture2) Englands dominance in size and population-largest of 4 nations, 80% of total population Legends1)King Arthur and his Round Table, giving knights equal precedence and sho
9、wing knights demand for a more democratic system.2) Robin Hood hid in the forest and rebelled against Normans and robbed from the rich to give to the poor.The Norman Conquest and its consequencesThe Norman Conquest of 1066 is perhaps the best-known event in English history. William the Conqueror con
10、fiscated almost all the land and gave it to his Norman followers. He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman government. So the feudal system was completely established in England. Relations with the Continent were opened, and the civilization and commerce were extended. Norman-French cult
11、ure, language, manners and architecture were introduced. The Church was brought into closer connection with Rome, and the church courts were separated from the civil courts.Scotland InvasionsInvaders Time Results and influencesRomans 43AD Scotland was not conquered,“Hadrians Wall”Anglo-Saxons,People
12、 from northern Ireland called ScotsThe 6th century ADGot its name from Scots, division between highland and lowland Scotland remains a cultural divideViking raids The 9th centuryThe establishment of an independent singular Scottish state Physical features of Scotland1) the 2nd largest of the 4 natio
13、ns2) most rugged parts of UK, the most confident of its own identity3) the north-the Highlandsthe south-the Southern Uplandsthe middle-the lowland zone with 3/4 of the population4) capital : Edinburgh-east coast, famous for its beauty, dominated by its great castle on a high rock History between Sco
14、tland and England1) In the Middle Ages, endless contest of strength between England and Scotland2) In 1298, William Wallaces uprising (Braveheart) 3) After William Wallaces death, Robert of Bruce won the Battle of Bannockburn and lead Scotland to 300 years of full independence.4) In 1603, James the
15、Sixth of Scotland became James the First of England. But Scotland maintained its separate political identity.5) In1707, Scotland joined the Union6) Two rebellions in 1715 and 17457) The rebel army was destroyed at the Battle of Culloden8) In may 1999,the first election to parliament the Battle of Ba
16、nnockburnThe battle of Bannockburn, fought on the fields south of Stirling at midsummer 1314, is the best known event in the history of Medieval Scotland. It was a unique event. The clash of two armies, each led by a king, followed a clear challenge to a battle to determine the status of Scotland. A
17、s a key point in the Anglo-Scottish wars of the fourteenth century, the battle has been extensively discussed, but Bannockburn was also a pivotal event in the history of the British Isles.Wales Campaign for independence of UK-resist the English1) In1267, Llwelyn ap Gruffudd forced the English to ack
18、nowledged him as Prince of Wales by a military campaign and unified Wales as an independence nation.2) In1282, he was killed. The English King Edward named his son the Prince of Wales trying to bring Wales into the British nation.3) In1400, Owain Glyndwr led an unsuccessful rising against the English.4) In1536, Wales was brought legally into the UK by an act of the British Parliament.5) Wales sends 38 representatives to the London Parliament. 4 of them are from the Nationalist Party.Northern Ireland
