Describe the Danish raids on England. The struggle of Alfred the Great and its results. Scandinavian borrowings in England

In the 9th century the country had to struggle with new invaders. They were the Danes who attacked England, and the Northmen from Scandinavia who invaded Scotland and Ireland.

At first they acted as pirates attacking the country and robbing it but later they came in great numbers conquering one territory after another. The kingdom of Wessex alone was left to resist them. It was lucky for Wessex to have a very talented king who organized the struggle against the Danes. This was Alfred who ruled from 871 to 901» and who eventually defeated the Danes making them sign a peace agreement. Though the country was divided into two parts - one under
Saxons, and the other - the north-east - under the Danes, peace was and later the English took over the land occupied by the Danes. Danish influence is still felt in some place-names ending in -by, -toft such as Appleby or Lowestoft, as well as in the presence of some the English language. Alfred was also a great lawgiver and a patron of learning. He is considered to be the founder of the English fleet.

Outline the Norman Conquest and the establishment of feudalism in England and further consolidation of the English state. The Norman conquest and it’s influence on the development of English. The main dates in the formation of the UK.

The last of the invaders to come to Britain were the Normans from France. In 1066 Duke William of Normandy (a duchy which was established by the Vikings in the 9th century in the north-west of France), who claimed the English throne, defeated the English at the battle of Hastings on the 14th of October in 1066 and established his rule in the country as king of England. He is known as William the Conqueror. The Normans settled in the country, and the French language became the official language of the ruling class for the next three centuries. This explains the great number of French words in English. The monarchy which was established by William and his successors was, in general, more effective. The feudal system contributed to the growth of power of the state, and little by little England began to spread its power.

Wales was the first to be conquered by England. Before they were conquered by the English in the 13th century the different Welsh tribes were continually fighting one another. In 1282 Prince Llewelyn was killed in battle and the King of England, Edward I started a successful campaign to conquer Wales. Eventually the country was subdued, but the English never felt safe there because of Welsh opposition. This explains why the English built so many castles here of which most famous is Caernarfon located in North Wales.

At the same time Edward I of England made his eldest son, his heir, bear the title Prince of Wales in 1301. The ceremony when Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, became Prince of Wales, took place in 1969 in Caernarfon. It was watched by millions of TV viewers all round the world. The ceremony itself, when the eldest son of the monarch becomes the official heir to the throne receiving the title Prince of Wales!s known as the Investiture. Though Wales was conquered by England, the Welsh continued to struggle for their independence. At the beginning of the 15th century there was a great rising, but the situation was seriously changed when in 1485 the English throne passed to Henry VII of the Welsh House of Tudor.

In 1536 and 1542 Henry VIII rought Wales under the English parliament through special Acts of the 16th century Wales has been governed from London. In ay s Government there is a special department and minister for elsh affairs. Since 1999 Wales formed its own Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, which consists of 60 members.

Scotland managed to be independent for quite a long time, though the English tried hard to conquer it. In the 14th century Robert Bruce led the struggle against the English, but he was defeated by the English king Edward I and had to hide on an island between Scotland and Ireland. Here, so Scottish legend says, Bruce found shelter in a cave. He was in despair. He had been defeated, his friends were scattered, and the English were strong as ever. As he lay on the cave's hard floor, thinking how difficult it would be to win his struggle, he saw a spider above him spinning its web. Again and again the spider slipped from the web, and again and again it climbed up a line of the web until the whole web was completed. The example with the spider gave Bruce new strength. He managed to organize a new army and defeated the English, However, some years later Edward II, the new English king, decided to attack Robert Bruce in Scotland. He managed to cross the border and reach the Bannock Burn or stream just south of Stirling Castle, which was not taken by the Scots and remained in English hands. Here in the battle of Bannockburn (1314) the English were very seriously defeated, and Scotland continued to be independent for the next three centuries.

In 1603 Queen Elizabeth I died and, as she had no children, was succeeded by James Stuart, James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England. He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, cousin of Elizabeth I. With this union England, Wales and Scotland became "known as Great Britain. However, Scotland continued to be quite independent in the 17th century. The final unification took place in 1707, when both sides agreed to form a single parliament in London for Great Britain, although Scotland continued to keep its own system of law, education and have an independent church. Today Scotland is part of the United Kingdom. There is a special minister in the Government, the Secretary of State for Scotland. In 1999 Scotland restored its independent Parliament of 129 members. This process which took place in Wales and Scotland is known as devolution, which means granting greater autonomy to the national parts of the United Kingdom.