In 55–54 BC, Julius Caesar arrived on the shores of Britain, but thanks to guerrilla
resistance and bad weather, his conquest was not successful. Almost 100 years later, in AD 43 the emperor Claudius launched a full-scale invasion, and Britain’s Roman era began. The Romans stayed in Britain for almost four centuries. In some parts of the country they were met with rebellion and resistance, but in more peaceful areas cities were founded, villas constructed and a network of roads developed that can still be traced today. And in AD 122, the emperor Hadrian, visiting Britain, ordered the building of his famous wall.
Duke William of Normandy’s resounding triumph over King Harold at the Battle
of Hastings in 1066 marked the dawn of a new era. The overthrow of the Saxon kingdom of England was to transform the country the Normans conquered, from how it was organised and governed to its language and customs – and perhaps most visibly today, its architecture.
This was also a period of upheaval and change, a time of revolt, civil war, devastating
plague and royal unrest.
When Queen Anne died in 1714 with no surviving children, the German Hanoverians
were brought in to succeed her. This began the Georgian age – named after the first four Hanovarian kings, all called George.
This period saw Britain establish itself as an international power at the centre of an
expanding empire, and accelerating change from the 1770s onwards made it the world’s first industrialised nation.
Queen Victoria came to the throne when she was just 18 years old. She would rule
Britain for over 60 years. During this long reign, the country acquired unprecedented power and wealth. Britain’s reach extended across the globe because of its empire, political stability, and revolutionary developments in transport and communication.
Many of the intellectual and cultural achievements of this period are still with us today.
The Britain of the year 2000 was unimaginable at the end of the Victorian era in 1901.
The 20th century saw two world wars catalyse enormous social change across the country, including dramatic enhancements in health and education. The motor car stormed through town and country, transforming both, and Britain no longer ruled a third of the planet.
