Great Britain

Great Britain is situated in the British Isles.

Great Britain

= England (the capital – London) + Wales (the capital – Cardiff) + Scotland (the capital – Edinghbur)

The United Kingdom

= Great Britain + Northern Ireland /sometimes is called Ulster/ (the capital- Belfast

Nothern Ireland

• in 1922 the south of Ireland was mase independent from Great Britain and became the Republic of Ireland. Nothern Ireland remained joined politically to Britain, and the UK was born. While this was a popular decision with most Irish Protestants, it was unpopular with most Catholic population, who wished Ireland remain a united country.Conflict between these two groups came to crisis point in 1970s with the terrosrist activities of the IRA and arrivel of British soldiers. Even today, the Northern Irish population remains divided betweenUnionist (or Loyalists) who want to remaind a part of UK and Republicans who oppose it.

British Isles

= the UK + the Irish Republic /sometimes is called Éire/ (the capital- Dublin) + small island: the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Scilly, the Isle of Man, Hebrides, Orkneys, the Channel islands.

GEOGRAPHY

The British Isle are surrounded by :

• north – west – the Atlantic ocean
• north – east – the North Sea
• south – the English Channel(the narrowest part – Strait of Dover, the coaches cross this strait to get from French Calais to English Dover)

SCENERY VARIED

• east coast – flat plains (originally marshes turned into rich farmland)
• west coast (Wales) and north of England +Scotland – full of mountains and highlands: Pennines, the North Scottish Highland – the highest peak Ben Nevis (1 343 m)
• Northern Ireland – green hills

RIVERS AND LAKES

The most important and longest rivers: the Thames and the Severn (other important rivers: Avon, Clyde, Tyne)- are used for shipping, as water supplies and hydroelectric power. Lakes are found in:

• Lake District (in north-east of England) Lake Windermere
• Loch Ness (in Highlands of Scotland) /”Loch” = lake in Scottish Gaelic/

CLIMATE

Climate: moderate but changes a lot

• the western part – wetter
• eastern part – drier

MONARCHY

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy = a head of State is a constitutional monarch (a king or queen) (recent monarch – Elisabeth I.). Parliament consists of two houses – the house of Lords and the house of Commons. The Prime Minister selects the other ministers. Twenty ministers form the Cabinet.

FLAG

The flag of UK (known as the Union Jack) is made up of three crosses:

• the red cross of St George (the patron saint of England) on a white field
• the white diagonal cross of St Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland) on a blue field
• the red diagonal cross of St Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland) on a white field

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BRITISH

• population of 58 million people. Their various origins, separate traditions and cultures explain many differences between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. But generally it is said that British are reserved and cold. Their humour is also considered as “strange” or “different” form ours, we call it “Dry English humour”. some foreigners like it, some hate it. English live on their island and they are not in contact with their neighbours (they have negative attitudes towards French, it is related to history). English are not keen on studying foreign languages, they are lazy to study them, because many people in the world can speak English.

LANGUAGE

Language: English has its own special accents and dialects. A southern English accent is generally accepted and is usually taught to foreigner (it is called BBC or Oxford English) The most difficult accent to understand is Cockney in London (Eastenders) English developed from Anglo-Saxon an is a Germanic language. Besides English, some nations speak their own language – in Wales – Welsh

• in Scotland – Scotish Gaelic
• the Republic of Ireland – Irish Gaelic

HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN

• the oldest inhabitants 3,000 B.C
• Celts tribes(Gaels, Britons- they gave name to Britain, Belgae)= tribes from Germany and Netherlands- 800 –700 B.C
• Romans – Gaius Julius Caesar, Claudius 43.A.D. – they stayed in Britain for 500 years- very good period, Romans build new cities, road, London. In the north they built Hadrian wall- a protection against Scots
• Romans left (Roman Empire was falling apart) – from Germany came – Anglo-Saxons and Jutes- 500 A.D.
• Vikings – 10th century – Scandinavians tribe- brave warriors, good traders but also dangerous pirates, they killed Celts(that’s why Celts drove into Wales and Scotland)
• the first English king- Harold
• very important point in history of Britain -a battle with William, Duke of Normandy at Hastings 1066 , William won, Harold was killed and William became King WILLIAM I of England (William the Conqueror)- killed English, since this time English and French don’t like each other

RICHARD I

• called Lion Heart – typical knight, he lead crusades

JOHN I

• his brother. Lost almost all English possessions in France

EDWARD III

• capable king, he invaded France- Hundred year’s war (1338–1453) started = war between two nations (Br/Fr) victories on both sides. In the end French led by Joan of Arc won in battle at Orleans
• After Hundred year’s war another war started the War of the Roses (1 483– 1 483) – the war between two families the House of York (white rose) and the House of Lancaster (red rose) = the winner of this war -the third Henry Tudor – the House of Tudor started by Henry VII (married princess Elisabeth, York princess)

HENRY VIII

• a lot of reforms during his reign
• he had six wives:

1. Catherine of Aragon – his brother’s widow, he had with her five children, five sons died only a girl survived – Mary I (Bloody Mary)
2. Anne Boleyn – he wanted to married her, that why he founded the Church of England, he became supremacy and could get divorce. With Anne he had only daughter –Elisabeth I, she was executed for unfaithfulness
3. Jane Seymour – she gave a birth for the son – Edward VI, but she died two week after birth, Henry really loved her
4. Anne of Cleves – protestant princess- he divorced her after six months because of her ugly appearance and he fell in love with
5. Catherine Howard – she was catholic, protestant conspired against her and finally she was accused of adultery and executed
6. Catherine Parr – she survived him, good mother of his children

EDWARD VI

• during his reign Protestantism was spread

MARY I

• then Mary I became Queen, she was Catholic so Catholicism was spread, Protestants were burnt at the stake.

ELISABETH I

• After her death Elisabeth I became the Queen – very good queen, tolerant to both – Catholics and Protestants. She never married- “Virgin Queen”, literature and art developed (William Shakespeare)

JAMES I

• After Elisabeth -James I – the son of her cousin Mary Stuart (Elisabeth gave her executed) , The House of Stuart started.

OLIVER CROMWELL

• the war between the king Charles I and the Parliament, the Parliament won, Oliver became Lord Protector, England was for 11 years a republic, no monarchy.

VICTORIA

• Queen Victoria – she reigned for 64 years, the longest, very good period for Britain, Industry developed, British Empire developed, but the poor lived in bad conditions. She died at the age of 84, she was the first sovereign who lived in Buckingham palace

EDWARD VII

• Her son Edward VII – capitalism reached his peak

HOLIDAY CENTRES

• London: the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Oxford street, Hyde park….
• Bath: we can see there well-preserved Roman baths
• Brighton: famous seaside town with fine architecture (Royal Pavilion)
• Cambridge, Oxford**: cities of colleges
• Edinburgh: famous for its castle, Princes street with Walter Scott Monument.
• Stonehenge: was built 2,000 B.C., it thought to be a temple for a worship of the sun
• Stratford-on-Avon: Shakespeare birth place, the church where Shakespeare is buried, the Royal Shakespeare theatre
• Windsor Castle: the residence of British monarch outside London.
• Windermere: the largest lake in the GB, it is located in the Lake District National Park