Britain in the Middle Ages

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"Mediaeval Britain" is a term used to suggest that there is a unity to the history of Great Britain from the 5th century's withdrawal of Roman forces and Germanic invasions until the 16th century Reformations in Scotland and England. Major historical events in Mediaeval British history include the Christianisation of England and Scotland, the Norman Conquest, England's participation in the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of the Roses.

Related Topics:
Great Britain - 5th century - Germanic - 16th century - Reformation - Christianisation - England - Scotland - Norman Conquest - Hundred Years' War - Wars of the Roses

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The Mediaeval period can be dated from the Anglo-Saxon conquest of the legendary Hengest and Horsa, when the Celtic powers of Romanized Britain were conquered by Germanic tribes from the contemporary Jutland area. Similarly, the end of the mediaeval period is ordinarily dated by the rise of what is often referred to as the "English Renaissance" in the reign of Henry VIII and John Knox's Reformation in Scotland. From a linguistic and political point of view, the Norman Conquest of England divides Mediaeval Britain in two distinct phases of cultural and political history.

Related Topics:
Anglo-Saxon - Hengest - Horsa - Celt - Germanic tribes - Jutland - English Renaissance - Henry VIII - John Knox - Norman Conquest

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A further problem comes from the term "Britain", which is sometimes viewed as a political rather than geographical term. During the mediaeval period, Britain, the island, was a number of kingdoms. At the height of English mediaeval power, a single English king ruled from the border with Scotland to the border of Wales, while Scotland and Wales were themselves ruled variously by kingdoms of various sizes. After the Norman Conquest, English power intruded into Wales with increasing vigour, but the process of consolidation was continuous from William to Oliver Cromwell and is not a mediaeval feature. The other problem with suggesting such a unity is that the various states had relations with Scandinavia and Continental Europe which are excluded by it. For example, northern Scotland often had closer ties with Norway than England and Wales in the medieval period, with Orkney and Shetland only being annexed in 1471. Southern England, due to its proximity to northern France, Flanders and Brittany, also enjoyed more regular relations with them than other regions.

Related Topics:
Wales - Norman Conquest - William - Oliver Cromwell - Norway - Orkney - Shetland - Flanders - Brittany

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