1.The British Isles: The British Isles are made up of two large islands and hundreds of small ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland.
2.The Commonwealth ( or the British Commonwealth): It is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It has no special powers. The decision is left to each nation. At present there are 50 member countries within the Commonwealth.
3.Witan: It was the council or meeting of the wise men. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons to advise the king. It’s the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today.
4.Alred the Great: Alfred was a strong king of Wessex. He defeated the Danes and reached a friendly agreement with them. He founded a strong fleet and is known as “ the father of the British navy”. He also translated books, established schools and formulated a legal system. He got the title “Alfred the Great”.
5.William the Conqueror: He was the Duke of Normandy and was crowned King of England after having defeated King Harold. He established a strong Norman government and the feudal system in England.
6.Edward the Confessor: He was the king of England but he spent most of his life in Normandy. He appointed many Norman priest and ministers. He is also said to have promised the English throne to William, Duke of Normandy. When Edward died , four men laid claim to the English throne and finally William won the victory and established a Norman government.
7.The Great Charter: King John’s reign caused much discontent among the barons. In 1215, he was forded to sign a document, known as Magna Carta, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Though it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties, its spirit was the limitation of the king’s powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.
8.The Black Death: It was a deadly disease which spread through Europe including England in the 14th century. It killed between one half and one third of the population of England and reduced England’s population from four million to two million by the end of the 14the century. As a result, much land was left untended and labor was short.
9.The Wars of Roses: It refers to the battles between the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485. The former was symbolized by the red rose and latter by the white one. After the wars, feudalism received its death blow and the king’monarchys power became supreme. Tudor monarchs ruled England and Wales for over two hundred years.
10.Elizabeth I: One of the greatest monarchs on British history. She reigned England for 45 years and remained single in her life. Her reign was a time of confident English nationalism and of great achievements in literature and other art, in exploration and in battle.
11.Oliver Cromwell: He was the leader of the Parliamentary army in the Civil Wars of the Great Britain in the middle of the 17th century. Under his leadership, the parliamentary army defeated the King’s army. Cromwell signed the death warrant of the King Charles and declared England a Commonwealth. He became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. Then he suppressed the rebellion in Ireland, killing many people there. He died in 1658.
12.The Glorious Revolution of 1688: As John II was a Catholic king and was intolerant by England. The English politicians appealed to a Protestant king, William of Orange, Jame’s Dutch nephew and the husband of Mary, James’s daughter, to invade and take the English throne. In 1688, William landed at England and took over the English throne. Because this takeover was relatively smooth, with no bloodshed, nor any execution of the King. It was known as the Glorious Revolution.
13.Whigs: It refers to one party name which originated with the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Whigs were those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the right to religious freedom for Nonconformists. They formed a coalition with dissident Tories and became the Liberal Party.
14.Tories: It refers to one party name which originated with the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Tories were those who supported hereditary monarchy and were reluctant to remove kings. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party.
15.Luddites: After the industrial revolution in Britain, many workers worked and lived in bad
conditions. Luddites were led by Ludd to destroy the hated machines, ubt were severely punished by the government.
16.The people’s Charter of 1838: In 1838, the Chartists drew up a charter of political demands, known as the People’s Charter. It has 6 points: 1) the vote for all adult males, 2) voting by secret ballot, 3) equal electoral districts, 4) abolition of property qualifications for members of Parliament. 5)payment of members of Parliament, and 6) annual Parliament. The 6 points were achieved gradually although the 6th has never been practical.

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