George III
George III’s reign lasts 60 years, but as the King suffers from fits of insanity, his son George (later George IV) acts as regent from 1811 onwards. During his reign, Britain acquires an Empire (in the Seven Years’ War) but loses its American colonies.
William Pitt
The government is mainly headed by William Pitt the Younger as leader of several Cabinets.
Act of Union
To counteract the French Revolution first and Napoleon’s expansionist aims later, Britain forms alliances with European powers.
The Act of Union merges Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, but Irish Catholics are not allowed to serve in Parliament. Pitt resigns when his Catholic Emancipation Bill is rejected.
Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar
Admiral Nelson defeats the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar.
Duke of Wellington
The Duke of Wellington drives out the French from Spain and Portugal. He leads the campaign that ends Napoleon’s power (Battle of Waterloo).
Massacre of Peterloo
A peaceful demonstration demanding parliamentary reform and the repeal of the Corn Laws is crushed by the military (the ‘Massacre of Peterloo’).
King George IVEvento
King George IV succeeds to the throne.
Catholics enter the British Parliament
Thanks to the Catholic Emancipation Act , Catholics can at last enter the British Parliament in Westminster.
Rebellion of the Greeks
Britain, France and Russia support the rebellion of the Greeks against the occupying Ottoman Empire.
Reign of William IV
The reign of William IV is marked by major social and political reforms.
Guarda e rispondi
Descrizione
Anglo-Saxon tribes were led by a king, who was helped by professional warriors (thanes) linked to him by a strong sense of loyalty. Whereas the Celtic clan system was based on kinship (blood relations), the basis of aristocracy and kingship is a personal tie between the warrior and his lord.
The warriors that conquered the country were soon joined by groups of common people (ceorls) including peasants, women, and children.
Unlike ceorls, thanes were warriors who had been given more land (up to 5 hides) as a reward for their services. In times of war, each family (owning a hide) provided a fully-armed man. As ceorls only fought in cases of need, while thanes specialized in fighting, a sharp class division arose between warriors and peasants. The thane offered defence in exchange for services, and local ceorls would either work for him or pay him a sort of rent ‘in kind’ (a part of their produce).
The social structure of Britain was about to develop into a feudal system: the thane was about to become a feudal lord, while ceorls, bordars (those owning less than a hide) and cottars (who owned only a cot = small house, or hut) were becoming serfs. Besides ceorls and thanes, there was a third social class: the clergy, or class of priests.
Being the only ones able to read and write, clergymen promoted civilisation and culture. Priests and monks were the earliest legal advisers, teaching kings how to draw up documents and charters and change the law of the country, which had always been based on custom only
