GREAT BRITAIN

(The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northen Ireland)

Geography

• North - west part of west Europe (is situated at…)

• It consists of two large islands (Great Britain, Ireland) and 5000 smaller ones

• It's bordered to the south by the English Chanel (separates from continental Europe)

to the east by the Notrth Sea

to the west by the Irish Sea + the Atlantic Ocean

• It's neighbours are Ireland (to the west) and France (to the south - east)

• It covers an area of 250 thousand sq. km

• It's made up of four lands: England (London)

Wales (Cardiff)

Scotland (Edinburgh)

Northern Ireland (Belfast)

• Can be devided into lowland area and the highland area

• Lowlands: southern and eastern England

• Highlands: mainly Scotland and most of Wales

• Other important mountain regions Pennines - `backbone of England` (the central

upland)

The Cumbrian mountains in the Lake District

• The highest peaks are Ben Navis (1342, the Highlands of Scotland)

Snow Don (1085, the Welsh Mountains)

• Also many beautiful romantic lakes in the Lake District and in Scotland (Lomand, Lochness (Loch Ness monster))

• Climate is temperate, humid (mírný, vlhký), no extreme contrasts in temperatures, rainy most of the year

• Influnced by Gulf Stream, different from continental

• Weather is importat topic, changes quickly

Economy

• Agriculture: difference between south and north and between lowlands and uplands

• North: green pastures, meadows ⇒ sheep, cow breeding (suitable for…)

• South: lowland area, rich soil ⇒ fruits, cereals and other farm crops

(south is heavily populated)

• Main industries: steel, metals, vehicles, shipbuilding, shipping, banking, textiles, chemicals, electronics, aircraft, machinery, distilling (lihovarnictví)

• Rich in raw materials: coal, oil, gas, lead

• Main trading partners: Germany, USA, France, Netherlands

• Member of all important international organizations: United Nations, G7, European Community, NATO

• Population: 60 million inhabitans

• Density: 230 people/sq. km - one of the highest in the world

• Majority of population speak English (official language)

in some areas still Welsh and Scottish Gaelic

Political system

• Constitutional monarchy with the Sovereign (the Queen) as the head of state

Rather formal role

• Constitution of UK is unwritten (based on custom, tradition, common law)

• Executive is represented by the Government (a body of minister), who are responsible to the Parliament

• The Parliament consists of the Queen, The House of Commons, The House of Lords

• British parliament system is one of the oldest in the world (dates back to the 13^th cen.)

• Two main political parties: The Labour Party (left)

The Conservative Party (right)

• The leader of winning party becomes Prime Minister and appoints ministers as the Cabinet (the Government)

History

• Celts

• Are said to be the first settlers in Britain (2500 years ago)

• Stonehenge was built by them

• Their language is survived to this day (Scottish Gaelic)

• (Welsh originates from the language of Britons)

• Bronze age before (landmarks, Stonehenge really)

• Romans

• Invaded the country in 43 AD

• Built camps, cities, roads

• Hadrian's wall - northern frontier, protected the country from the invasion of Celtic tribes from Scotland

• 5th century - Romans had to leave to defend Rome against German tribes

• German tribes (Anglos, Saxons)

• Celts returned to western part of country

• German tribes defeated them (Britain became England)

• Seven Germanic kingdoms were established, the Christian religion started to spread (Britain became England)

• Danes and Vikings

• Attacked the coast and conquered almost all England (8^th, 9^th century)

• One of the kingdoms survived (king Alfred the Great, later made his seat Wessex (capital Wellington) political and social centre of the country)

• 11^th century, Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror

• England was ruled by Danish king and Saxon Prince Edward was forced to escape to France

• Brought up by Normans

• He came back as Edward the Confessor

• He gave important positions in state and Church to Normans

• After his death Normans invaded country

• Their leader, William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, said that the throne had been promised to him

• He defeated the Saxon King Harold in the Battle of Hastings (1066)

• Established a strong central government who and appointed Norman position

• Crusades → Magna Carta

• Aim of crusades (cíl křížových výprav) was to rescue the Holy Land from Moslems (the 12^th century)

• Richard I (the Lion Hearth) took part in one of them and had to leave the country

• The British Noblemen were gaining more power towards the end of the 12^th century

• He was killed and his son John I, Lackland (Bezzemek) lost almost all English possessions (državy) in France, including Normandy

• He was forced to sign Magna Carta (1215)

• This document enabled (umožňoval) the noblemen to share the power with the king (early form of the parliament)

• The Hundred Years War (1350 - 1450)

• Started when the English king claimed (vznést nárok na) the French Crown

• Became a conflict between two nations

• The French, led by Joan of Arc, finally won

• English lost their power in France

• The Wars of the Roses

• Roots: Struggle (zápas) of the party of the king (Richard II., the end of the 14^th cent.) and the party of Lancaster

• Took place in the 15^th century

• The House of York (The White Rose)

• The House of Lancaster (The Red Rose)

• Lasted 85 years

• ended when Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor became King Henry VIII

• Tudor Dynasty

• The royal power was growing again

• Henry VIII supported Protestants and established the Church of England

• Had six wives

• Had 3 children

• Edward VI

• Mary I (Bloody Mary)

• Persecuted Protestants, was Catholic after his mother, Spanish Princess

• Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) was most important of them

• Enforced (prosadit) the Protestant religion bz law

• Trade, culture prospered

• England is the leading power on the sea, later resulted in colonial expansion to America and India

• Stuarts, the Scottish royal family

• Modern British flag

• Charles I dissolved (rozpustit) the Parliament (1630) but had to Summon up (svolat) his noblemen again (needed money for a war)

• The Parliament opposed strongly

• King arrested some leaders →beginning of the Civil war

• Charles was executed

• Oliver Cromwell - leader of radical Puritans

• Appointed the Lord Protector, governed England (1653 - 1658)

• After his death his son was unabled to follow him

• The Stuarts to the throne again, Catholic

• Defeated with help of William, the king of Netherlands → the Glorious Revolution

• After this No Catholic on the throne

The political power got finally into the Parliament

• Queen Anne

• Formal union of England and Scotland

• Developing importance of minority in the Parliament (opposition, way for the two-party government system)

• The Napoleonic War

• New struggle between France and England

• Napoleon wanted to invade England, but Admiral Nelson defeated him at Trafalgar (1805)

• French definitely defeated by Wellington with Prussian army at the Battle of Waterloo (1815)

• The Industrial Revolution

• The end of the 18^th century, lot of changes in society

• England transformed from agriculture to a manufacturing country

• Cities started to grow, industrial production was increasing (vzrůstat)

• The richest country in the world

• The Victorian era

• Queen Victoria 1837 - 1901 (The 19^th century)

• World's major power

• Colonial empire (working powers, raw materials, trade)

• Controlled a great deal (podstatná část) of Africa, Australia and New Zealand

• Queen Victoria became Empress of India

Other places of interest in Great Britain

• Stratford upon Avon

• Second visited town

• The birthplace of William Shakespere

• House in Henley street (Sh. was born there)

• Grave of Sh. and his family in the Holy Trinity Church

• The Royal Shakespeare theatre

• Swan Theatre

• Oxford is the oldest university in Britain (the 12^th century), now 34 colleges

• Cambridge the second oldest university (13^th century)

• Canterbury

• Seat of Archbishop, cathedral whose oldest part is from 11^th century

• G. Chaucer: Canterbury Tales

• Winchester

• Originally Roman town, the capital of Wessex in Anglo-Saxon times

• Win. cathedral is the longest medieval (středověký) church in Europe

• Hastings

• Resort on east coast, nearly the village from the battle in 1066

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