History of the British Empire

The British Isles were first inhabited before 40,000 BC by Northwestern European clans with Germanic and Scandinavian settlements.  The Romans ruled Britain from 43 AD to 400 AD. Native Anglo Saxon kingdoms governed until 1066 when the Normans began to rule. King John approved the Magna Carta in 1215. Wales was conquered in the 1300s.

The Tudor dynasty was established in 1485 and marked the beginnings of the colonial period. The Dutch, Spanish and French began serious colonization in after 1492.  Henry VIII established the Church of England in 1534.  Elizabeth I ruled from 1558 to 1603 and invested in the British ships that would mark the beginning of British colonial power.

The Stuart dynasty began in 1660 and formalized colonization. British rule of India began in 1757. Canada was declared a colony in 1763. Australia was declared a colony in 1788. The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in 1760.

Great Britain got southern and northeastern Africa from Berlin. From 1880-1900 Britain gained control over or occupied what are now known as Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Gambia, Sierra Leone, northwestern Somalia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana, and Malawi.

Serious decolonization began with the beginning of World War I in 1914 and independence of former colonies was completed after World War II in 1945.

At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1922 the British Empire held sway over about 458 million people, one-quarter of the world's population at the time, and covered more than 33,700,000 km2, almost a quarter of the Earth's total land area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_England

Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom. In a monarchy, a king or queen is Head of State. The British Monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that, while The Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament.

https://www.royal.uk/role-monarchy

Comments

Colonization was about trade, securing raw materials and conquest.  The Brits had centuries of intermittent wars from Roman times and through the middle-ages and up to the 20^th century. Their history is instructive. Now they need our prayers. They need a middle class economic revival.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader