1. (This is sort of like covering the majority of North American history in 6 slides!)

2.  BCE years - native Britons / Celts inhabited the area  CE 43 - Romans arrived in Britain (eventually built Hadrian’s Wall)  CE 500s - Angles / Saxons arrived from Europe  CE 800s - Vikings arrived & eventually settled during the Early Middle Ages

3.  1066 - Anglo-Saxon king Edward died with no heir  Thus, Britain’s throne was “open” & William the Conqueror (of Normandy, France) invaded - he became the King of England  He and his successors established a strong High Middle Ages kingdom by: Creating the Domesday Book Creating the Domesday Book Creating a royal treasury Creating a royal treasury Founding common law and royal courts with juries Founding common law and royal courts with juries Trying clergy members in courts Trying clergy members in courts

4.  Four generations after William the Conqueror, one of his descendants, John, became king (we will fill in these gaps later)  John was not popular due to military defeats & tax increases, & in 1215 he was forced by nobles to accept the Magna Carta  The Magna Carta limited royal power, prevented the king from raising taxes w/out consulting the nobles, & granted trial by jury 2 major modern day legacies of this document are due process and habeas corpus 2 major modern day legacies of this document are due process and habeas corpus

5.  John’s heirs saw the writing on the wall - they would have to consult the nobles & the growing middle class merchants of the Late Middle Ages  In other words, they consulted Parliament  By CE 1400 (Late Middle Ages) Parliament was divided into the House of Lords (nobles & clergy) & the House of Commons (knights & merchants)

6.  During this same time period (Late Middle Ages) England was at war with France (because, for one reason, France wanted all European continental land controlled by England)  This was the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), & France won (aided by Joan of Arc)  This war delayed the arrival of the Renaissance in England (late 1400s)

7.  The Hundred Years’ War also created an internal English conflict - noble families upset about England’s defeat struggled to gain the throne  This new conflict was the War of the Roses - the Lancaster family’s symbol = red rose & the York family’s symbol = white rose  Finally, in 1485, a Lancaster (Henry Tudor) won, married the York heiress, & became Henry VII

8.  This marked the beginning of Absolutism in England (an admittedly weak “absolutism”)  The Age of Absolutism (~1500 - 1789) was a period during which powerful European monarchs ruled, & believed that their right to rule came directly from God  This latter belief was known as “divine right” - the theory that monarchs received power from God, & answered only to God for their actions