| The Romans kept continually pushing back their Celtic | | | | wars against various invaders. |
| attackers in Britain from two sides (the North and | | | | One interesting thing happening to Britain at this |
| West) but then in 410 AD Emperor Constantine | | | | relatively late period was the arrival of Christianity, |
| removed his Roman Army in Britain altogether in | | | | brought in by Irish monks and the Christians |
| order to defend the Roman Empire at the River | | | | organized the whole country into separate diocese, |
| Rhine frontier from invasion. | | | | each under the control of a bishop. |
| The different cities of Britain thus had to defend | | | | Then along came another Viking raider, William the |
| themselves and the Romans never came back. | | | | Conqueror who ultimately grabbed hold of the whole |
| For the next One Thousand Years Britain again | | | | of Britain with relative ease by killing King Harold in |
| descended back into barbarism and feudalism with | | | | the Battle of Hastings. When Edward the Confessor |
| only a brief respite when William The Conqueror was | | | | died in 1066, the Vikings saw a chance to regain |
| ruling there. | | | | control and landed an army to start a war. Within 13 |
| For the first 600 years after the Romans, Britain was | | | | days when they were camping near Hastings, the |
| the battle ground from many different attackers | | | | Normans killed the English King Harold. William I was |
| such as the Angles, the Saxons, and the Celts were | | | | crowned on London on Christmas Day in 1066. |
| again pushed back into Wales and Scotland by | | | | Once he got control of Britain he showed his power |
| continuing Viking attacks. | | | | by building the Tower of London to control the |
| After the Romans had left in 410 AD, the Vikings | | | | unruly Londoners and to reinforce himself as the new |
| used to get mercenaries from northern Germany and | | | | ruler of Britain. |
| these mercenaries (Anglo Saxons) with their families | | | | The previous land owners lost their lands to these |
| were paid for with stolen British Lands where they | | | | Young Viking Soldiers and they built many castles |
| could farm and set up permanent camps to defend | | | | throughout Britain, among them being Warwick and |
| themselves. | | | | Windsor that still stand today. When he died in 1087 |
| Even to this very modern day their Viking Blood Line | | | | around 100 major castles were in Britain. |
| is very strong in certain parts of the UK. | | | | The other good thing about William 1 was that he |
| Eventually the Anglo Saxons realized that they were | | | | sent many of his surveyors across Britain to |
| stronger than their employers (the Vikings) and thus | | | | ascertain the existing and potential value of his |
| they took control of most of Britain and lands that | | | | Kingdom, and when they reported back to him, the |
| were not originally provided to them. | | | | information was put into a massive Domesday Book. |
| They colonized the northern and western parts of | | | | William 1 had descendants who expanded the Norman |
| the British Isles and pushed the native Celts to the | | | | Empire further into parts of Nortern France and they |
| boundaries of Britain, in Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. | | | | ruled across the English Channel for hundreds of |
| In 850 AD they finally formed three separate states | | | | years. |
| - Mercia, Northumbria and Wessex. | | | | One of his descendants was Henry II who is |
| These Kingdoms not only had to fight with each | | | | infamous for ordering the murder of the Arch Bishop |
| other, but also had to protect themselves from | | | | of Canterbury, Thomas Beckett in Canterbury |
| frequent Viking attacks. | | | | Cathedral. |
| In 865 AD a large Viking army landed in East Anglia | | | | After Henry II, King John was weak and appointed |
| and gained a lot of territory here from the now | | | | as a figurehead King, more of a care-taker of the |
| resident Anglo Saxons. | | | | English administration run by individual Barons. |
| In 878 AD Vikings attacked fiercely and the Saxon | | | | This is of course when the world's first Constitution - |
| King Alfred had to run away to Somerset to survive, | | | | The Magna Carta - was signed in Runnymede by the |
| from where he regrouped and then kept attacking | | | | weak King John, giving rights to the Barons. |
| the Vikings and ultimately with assistance from his | | | | Continental wars continued with Britain making it poor |
| sons and grandsons they pushed the Vikings back | | | | and thus losing most of its lands on the continent |
| into the sea. | | | | except for Gascony (Bordeaux). |
| By 955 AD the Great Grandson of Alfred, Eadred | | | | From 1370 to 1413 many revolutions took place and |
| ruled Britain in a fine manner and he created an | | | | ultimately the House of Lancaster got the throne, but |
| infrastructure also. | | | | Henry V's reign was quite short and colourful from |
| Then Britain was pushed into a series of battles and | | | | (1413 to 1422). |