Britain consists of most of the islands in the British Isles, the largest of which is Great Britain, and the second largest is Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. On the west coast of Scotland, there is a large archipelago called hebrides. On the northeast coast of Scotland, there are Orkney Islands and Sadrin Islands. All these islands have administrative relations with the mainland, but the Isle of Man off the coast of Ireland and the Channel Islands between Britain and France are basically autonomous and not part of the United Kingdom.
The area of Britain is about 242,500 square kilometers (93,600 square miles). From the southern coast to the northernmost part of Scotland, it is almost 1000 kilometers (about 600 miles), and the widest part in the transverse direction is almost 500 kilometers (about 300 miles).
The word "Britain" originated from Greek and Latin, and may eventually be traced back to Celtic. Although the Celtics came to the British Isles relatively late by the measure of "prehistoric times" (before that, those civilizations had created famous historical sites, such as Stonehenge and Stonehenge in Avebury), the written record of British history began with telling the Celtics. The word "Celtic" is very common and is often used to distinguish the early inhabitants of the British Isles from the later Anglo-Saxon invaders.
Roman rule lasted for more than 300 years from AD 43. Before the Romans finally retreated in 408, the island began to be invaded by Angles, Saxons and Jutes from northern Europe, and experienced an increasingly chaotic period. The word "England" comes from "Angles". In the next two centuries, intrusion gradually turned into settlement, and many small kingdoms were established. The British live independently in what is now Wales and Cornwall. Among these small kingdoms, there emerged a kingdom with strong power to rule the whole country, first in the north (Northumbria Kingdom), then in the middle (Mercia Kingdom), and finally in the south (Wessex Kingdom). However, Vikings from Scandinavia subsequently invaded and settled in England, although the Wessex dynasty defeated the invading Danes in the 10 century and once ruled a large area of England.
The last successful invasion of England took place in 1066. Duke William of Normandy defeated the British in the Battle of Hastings, and Normans from France and other places came to settle here. In the following three centuries, French became the language of nobles, and the legal structure was influenced by the laws prevailing across the English Channel, and the social structure was also influenced to some extent.
Although Wales is often within the sphere of influence of the English, it has always been a fortress of the Celtics. However, after Prince Llewellyn was killed in 1282, Edward I of England of England launched a campaign and won, putting Wales under English rule. The national sentiment of the Welsh people continues to rise,1The uprising led by Irving Gellind at the beginning of the 5th century is an example. The joint decrees 1536 and 1542 integrated England and Wales administratively, politically and legally.
Most people who originally lived in Scotland were Picts. In the 6th century, Scots from Ireland settled in what is now argyle. The English lived in Lothian, while the British in Wales continued north to Strathclyde. In the 9th century, all parts of Scotland united against the Vikings. Throughout the Middle Ages, the powerful monarchy in England threatened the independence of Scotland.
The final union of England and Scotland showed that the religious differences at that time were more critical than the national hatred in the past. In England, Elizabeth I was succeeded by James VI of Scotland (James I, England) in 1603. Even so, England and Scotland remained independent of each other in the17th century, but were once forcibly unified under the rule of oliver cromwell. By 1707, realizing the benefits of closer political and economic union, the two sides agreed to establish a single British parliament. Scotland still retains its own judicial system and religious groups. However, during the reign of George I and George II, two Protestants of Hanover royal family, the relationship between England and Scotland became tense, and the James II Party launched two rebellions to try to restore the Stuart royal family who believed in Catholicism.
There were many kingdoms in Ireland in BC, but Ireland was not spared the invasion by the vikings. By the 10 century, it had become the rule of the vikings.
1 169 Henry II of England invaded Ireland. British Pope Adrian IV granted power to Henry II, the supreme ruler, because he was anxious to make the Irish Church obey Rome completely. Most of Ireland fell into the hands of Anglo-Norman dignitaries, but in the Middle Ages, England hardly exercised jurisdiction directly here.
Several Tudor monarchs preferred to interfere in Ireland. During the reign of Elizabeth I, a series of campaigns were launched against Irish rebels. The resistance movement is mainly concentrated in the northern province of Ulster. 1607, due to the failure of the resistance movement and the escape of * * *, Ulster became the settlement of immigrants from Scotland and England.
Due to the English Civil War (1642~ 1652), many uprisings broke out in Ireland, but they were all suppressed by Cromwell. After James II was abandoned in 1688, the war between Britain and Ireland continued. /kloc-most of the 0/8th century was a fragile period of peace. /kloc-at the end of 0/8, the British government made efforts to achieve stability. 1782, the Irish parliament (established in the middle ages) gained legislative autonomy; The only connection between the Constitution and the irrelevant people is the Royal Government. However, the parliament only represents a few Anglo-Irish privileged classes, and Catholics are excluded. 1798 There was an uprising, but it didn't succeed. 180 1 year, Ireland and Great Britain were unified as one.
Although the uprising of Dublin National Uprising Army was suppressed in 19 16, at the end of World War I, a guerrilla named Irish Republican Army began to take military action against the British authorities. /kloc-the Irish government bill passed in 0/920 provides for the establishment of two local self-government committees, one in Dublin and the other in Belfast. The Act was implemented in Northern Ireland on 192 1. Six of the nine counties in the province have accepted their own parliaments, and at the same time, they still enjoy seats in the British Parliament, which is under the highest jurisdiction of the British Parliament. However, the Irish Republican Army continued to fight for secession from the British authorities in the south. 192 1 After the armistice agreement was signed in June, it was established in the Irish Free State according to the Anglo-Irish Treaty concluded in February of the same year, and the Free State became the Republic of Ireland in June of 1949.
Although the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man do not belong to Britain, they have a special relationship with Britain. The Channel Islands were once a part of the Principality of Normandy in 10 century and 1 10 century. The isle of man was nominally exercised by Norway until 1266, and finally came under the direct jurisdiction of the Royal Government until 1765. Today, both the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have their own legislatures and legal systems, and the British government is responsible for national defense and international relations there.
Britain has four regions: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, which means there are at least four countries in history. Britain, mainly England, was formed after the annexation of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These annexed lands are always inclined to separatism. Especially Ireland. After Ireland's independence, six northern counties stayed in Britain, because most residents in Northern Ireland believed in the Anglican Church, so they chose to stay in Britain. However, a few Catholics still insisted on merging with Ireland and organized the Irish Republican Army to carry out armed struggle. Become a serious problem in Britain.