HISTORY

Britain was part of the European land mass, up until the end of the last Ice Age, around 6000 B.C., when the English Channel was formed, due to melting of the ice. After a 350 year long Roman occupation, around the mid-fifth century the Angles and the Saxons from Germany had started raiding the eastern shores of Britain. Within a century, Saxons kingdoms (Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria,…) were established over the entire country, despite the courageous fight led by King Arthur and his knights. During the 9th and 10th century, the Vikings also started attacking England around the coasts and up the Thames.

In 1066, not seeing anybody fit around him, King Edward, known as “the Confessor” because of his piety, expresses before dying, his will to see the good and fair King William, reigning on the other side of the Channel, in Normandy, to be the next king of England. As a matter of fact, William’s grand father, a Viking king had been offered some land in Normandy area, by the king of France, so the Vikings would stop trying to loiter France. Harold was to be the messenger but didn’t keep his promise made over the Holy Scriptures and proclaims himself King of England. Betrayed, William acquires the title of “Conqueror” by setting up the landing and defeating Harold at the battle of Hastings (the whole episode is depicted on a beautiful 70 meter long tapestry dated around 1073, well preserved and visible in Normandy, in the French city of Bayeux). This is how the ruling class spoke French up until the 13th century which later mixed with the Old English spoken by the peasants.
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In 1154, Henri II becomes the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty, followed later by the Lancaster and the York. The struggle for power over the country between church and king was brought to a sad conclusion in 1170, by the murder of Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The signature of Magna Carta in 1215, and the creation in 1256 of the first parliament to include ordinary citizens creates the grounds for present democracy. Bible is translated into English to be accessible to all, under the supervision of John Wycliffe in late thirteen hundreds. In 1453, ends the Hundred Years War against France and after years of debilitating civil war, the Tudor unify the kingdom. In 1533-34, king Henri VIII divorces his wife and is excommunicated by the Pope, which prompts the later creation of the Church of England.

After the Stuart and Georgian eras, Victoria becomes Queen in 1837, at the age of 18, till she saw her country enter the 20th century. England had become the main industrial power in the world and had a empire on which the sun would never set. England. Like many an old power, Great Britain had to climb down, so to speak, from its throne and accept with intelligence the desire of the people to achieve independence. In the present age, Great Britain also had to face the challenge of modernizing an old industry and turn it into a modern power, considering the competition of developing countries with low costs of labor. G.B. joined the European Community in 1973, but is still on a cautious “wait and see” stand point, in regards to … the Euro.

Great Britain will offer the visitor a variety of landscapes and traditions, through England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Enjoy your visit with, hopefully, no language barrier, relish the local sense of humor and get a taste the delicious British cuisine. You’ll come back happier than on the way up!

London
(Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Luton, Stansted)
Aberdeen
East Midlands
Manchester
Glasgow
Belfast