COLONISATION OF AMERICA

1497 - Newfoundland - first colony

1584 - Sir Walter Raleigh - Virginia, but it didn't survive

1607 - first settlement of Jamestown - survived (established during the reign of James I)

1620 - Mayflower - Plymouth, Massachusetts - puritans

1632 - Maryland - religiously tolerant area

1664 - capture of New Amsterdam from the Dutch -> renamed: New York

Seven Years War left nation In deep debts. British decided to tax colonies (in was not “lawful” - no taxation without representation - representants of colonies weren't in Parliament).

1773 - Boston Tea Party (American Revolution/Independence War 1775) it was provoked by establishment of new tax - and obligation to buy taxed tea from East India Company. Chests (skrzynie) of tea were thrown into Boston Labour.

4^th July 1776 - Declaration of Independence - Americans won independence by Peace of Versailles. Revolution ended in 1783. For Britain it was disastrous (they lost everything except Canada). Contemporaries found the independence of America bad news because:

1. American colonies were the market for British

2. Source of rare materials

3. Source of money for Britain

Radicals (Tom Paine, Edmund Burke) - supported American colonies. They claimed everyone has the right to democracy and independence.

Loss of American colonies wasn't the end of British Empire. It still was expanding in:

1. East India

2. Australia

3. Canada (British Loyalist deserted USA and went to Canada, which was still British colony)

1801 - Act of Union - Great Britain + Ireland = United Kingdom. Irish could elect some MPs and peers to House of Lords - they were now represented in British government.

HISTORY OF IRELAND - REVISION

1. Conquered neither by Romans nor by Anglo-Saxons

2. Land of monasteries

3. Ireland's Golden Age - ended with arrival of Vikings. Viking invasion had also positive result: it forced small kingdoms to unite to fight together against invaders.

4. Dublin was founded by Vikings

5. 1169 (12^th century) - conquered by Norman Lords

6. Henry II forced Irish chefs to accept his lordship. The Dublin was capital. Norman Lords were in east-south. English control was really visible in Dublin - The Pale (area under control of English).

7. Henry VIII - persuaded Irish Parliament to recognise him King of Ireland. They did not recognise reformation (they rebelled to avoid destruction of monasteries). Ireland could tempt Catholic Europe as a place from which they could attack England. Tudors destroyed Gaelic way of life - we could say that Ireland was first English colony.

8. Province of Ulster - strongly under English influence. Native Irish were forced to leave their homes. Colonisation of Ulster (most Catholic area), by which it was transformed into Protestant colony of English.

9. The Plantation of Ireland - 1641 - Irish rebellion against platation. By 1649 Ireland was stronghold of royalists' resistance after the execution of Charles I. Oliver Cromwell - rebellions in Drogheada, Wexford. Irish lost and Plantation continued.

10. James II was Catholic, so Irish hopes rose under his reign - but only to be dashed (przerwane). When he lost throne, he thought Irish would help him and they did. Act - taking all properties of Protestants - they didn't want to surrender. William II in battle at river Boyne defeated James' army.

11. Preventing Catholics to national life (they were treated as second class citizens). In Ulster there were societies against giving Catholic any freedom called Orange Lodges (orange is colour of protestants).

12. United Kingdom lasted for 120 years.

FRENCH REVOLUTION

1789-99 - radical social and political changes upheaval (przewrót). It had impact on Europe. Absolute monarchy collapsed -> republic was introduced. Louis XVI of France was executed. New Enlightenment (Oświecenie) principles: equality, citizenship, individual rights.

CAUSES OF FRENCH REVOLUTION:

1. Enlightenment (office of king challenged, equality, independence, freedom, democracy stressed)

2. France sent soldiers to American Revolution - they brought new ideas to France

3. French king was not popular - he was weak, influenced by his wife, personal interest was more important for him than the country

4. Financial difficulties - king spent too much, tax reform - nobles avoided paying taxes, poor people and middle class had to pay, it was unfair

French revolution caused fear all over Europe. Why does not it affect Britain? British government was afraid - all radical leaders imprisoned. Soldiers were to live in army camps (to separate them from new ideas from ordinary people). Britain is an island, so danger was lesser.

1793 - England had to go to war with France, they were defeated by Napoleon and forced to ally with him.

NAPOLEONIC WARS

Britain decided to fight with French at sea.

1. 1805 - Battle of Trafalgar - Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed French-Spanish Armada, which gave him an immortal glory.

2. Arthur Wellesley - 1^st Duke of Wellington - won many battles with Napoleon

3. Napoleon was weakened by his escapade to Russia in 1814. Wellesley defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in Belgium in 1815.

British Empire was now country number one.

Pax Britannica (1815-1914) - it lasted until World War I. there was peace, so Empire could extend. British controlled key trade routes.

GEORGE IV 1820-30

Because of George III madness, his son (George IV) ruled as Prince Regent, but he had to wait until his dad was dead to be crowned. Under his reign London was redesigned: restoration of Windsor Castle, King's College, Royal Pavillon in Brighton was built. It was him, who discovered Brighton as the seaside resort.

Famous architect: John Nash - he built Buckingham Palace.

George IV was:

1. Patron of arts, sciences, he supported writers (Walter Scott, Jane Austen, Thomas Lawrence)

2. Unable to govern country efficiently (addicted to opium, overweight, he had signs of his dad mental illness)

3. 1830 - throne went to his brother

Because Act of Settlement 1701 monarch couldn't marry any Catholic. The Royal Marriages 1772 allowed prince of Wales to marry Catholic, if he got permission of the king.

George IV was secretly married - for political reasons, his wife was Catholic.

HISTORIA - WYKŁAD - 04.01.2012

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