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| '''Great Britain''' (or simply '''Britain''')<ref>The use of the adjective "Great" derives from the French ''Grande Bretagne'', as distinct from ''Petite Bretagne'' ([[Brittany]]).</ref> is a large [[island]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]], separated from continental [[Europe]] to the south by the [[English Channel]] and from [[Ireland (island)|Ireland]] to the west by the [[Irish Sea]]. It is the largest island in the [[archipelago]] known as the [[British Isles]], with an area of 218,595 km² (93,282 square miles).<ref>[http://islands.unep.ch/ICJ.htm#943 Islands of the United Kingdom] (UN System-Wide Earthwatch Web Site)</ref> Politically, the island is part of the [[United Kingdom]] (for which "Britain" and "Great Britain" are often used as synonyms), and contains the nations of [[England]], [[Wales]] and the majority of [[Scotland]].
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| ==Geography and natural history==
| | '''Great Britain'''<ref>The use of the adjective "Great" derives from the French ''Grande Bretagne'', as distinct from ''Petite Bretagne'' ([[Brittany]]).</ref> is a large [[island]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]], separated from continental [[Europe]] to the south by the [[English Channel]] and from [[Ireland (island)|Ireland]] to the west by the [[Irish Sea]]. It is the largest island in the [[archipelago]] known as the [[British Isles]], with an area of 218,595 km² (93,282 square miles).<ref>[http://islands.unep.ch/ICJ.htm#943 Islands of the United Kingdom] (UN System-Wide Earthwatch Web Site)</ref> Politically, the island is part of the '''[[United Kingdom]] of Great Britain and [[Northern Ireland]]''' (of which the usual abbreviations are "Britain" and "the UK", not the overly formal "Great Britain"), and is made up of the constituent countries [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. |
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| ==Prehistory==
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| *Ice ages
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| *Paleolithic
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| *Mesolithic
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| *Neolithic
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| *Bronze Age
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| *Iron Age
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| *Religion
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| *Celts?
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| </small>
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| ==History==
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| ===The late pre-Roman Iron Age===
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| Britain emerged into recorded history in the [[Classics|Classical period]]. It is likely that the name ''Cassiterides'' or "tin islands", mentioned in the 5th century BC by [[Herodotus]],<ref>[[Herodotus]], ''Histories'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hdt.+3.115.1 3.115]</ref> refers to the British Isles. The Greek explorer [[Pytheas]] of [[Marseille|Massalia]] claimed to have visited the island in the 4th century, and although his own writings are lost, and later classical writers are sceptical, it seems likely that he did so.<ref>Barry Cunliffe, ''The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek'', Penguin, 2002</ref> However, little else is recorded about the island until the 1st century BC.
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| The [[Belgae]] of north-eastern [[Gaul]] began to settle on the coasts of south-eastern Britain in the 2nd or early 1st century BC, after a period of raiding, and a Gaulish Belgic king called [[Diviciacus (Suessiones)|Diviciacus]] is known to have held power there.<ref>[[Julius Caesar]], ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Gallic_War_%28Caesar%29/Book_2#4 2.4], [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Gallic_War_%28Caesar%29/Book_5#12 5.12]</ref> Then, in the mid-1st century BC, Britain became part of [[Ancient Rome|Rome]]'s sphere of political influence. [[Julius Caesar]], in the course of his conquest of [[Gaul]], made two armed expeditions there in 55 and 54 BC. The first barely gained a foothold on the south-east coast before being forced to return to the continent for winter. The second was more successful, installing a friendly king, [[Mandubracius]] of the [[Trinovantes]], and forcing the submission of his rival [[Cassivellaunus]], but conquered no territory and did not extend beyond the [[Thames Valley]].<ref>Julius Caesar, ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' [http://www.wikisource.org/Commentaries_on_the_Gallic_War/Book_4#20 4.20-36], [http://www.wikisource.org/Commentaries_on_the_Gallic_War/Book_5#8 5.8-23]</ref>
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| [[Coin]]s had arrived in Britain before Caesar, perhaps as early as the late 3rd century BC. The earliest were imported from [[Gallia Belgica|Belgic Gaul]], and were uninscribed. By the early 1st century BC the Britons of the south-east were striking their own coins. The first inscribed coins were those of Caesar's former ally [[Commius]], who fled to Britain after falling out with Caesar and established a dynasty there. The practice spread, allowing the archaeologist some insight into British politics in this period. Beginning with Commius' son [[Tincomarus]], the traditional Gallo-Belgic design, ulimately derived from the 4th century BC gold staters of [[Philip II of Macedon]], was abandoned in favour of Roman-derived designs.<ref>Philip de Jersey, ''Celtic Coinage in Britain'', Shire Archaeology, 2001</ref>
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| [[Augustus]] planned invasions in 34, 27 and 25 BC, but circumstances were never favourable,<ref>[[Cassius Dio]], ''Roman History'' [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/49*.html#38 49.38], [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/53*.html#22 53.22], [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/53*.html#25 53.25]</ref> and the relationship between Britain and Rome settled into one of diplomacy and trade. [[Strabo]], writing late in Augustus' reign, claims that taxes on trade brought in more annual revenue than any conquest could, and mentions British kings who sent embassies to Augustus.<ref>[[Strabo]], ''Geography'' [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/4E*.html 4.5]</ref> Based mainly on coin evidence, Rome appears to have encouraged a balance of power in southern Britain, supporting two powerful kingdoms, the [[Catuvellauni]], ruled by the descendants of [[Tasciovanus]], and the [[Atrebates]], ruled by the descendants of Commius,<ref>John Creighton, ''Coins and power in Late Iron Age Britain'', Cambridge University Press, 2000</ref> and archaeology shows an increase in imported luxury goods in the south-east.<ref>Keith Branigan (1987), ''The Catuvellauni''</ref> These peaceful relations broke down in AD AD 39 or 40, when [[Caligula]] received an exiled member of the Catuvellaunian dynasty and staged an invasion that collapsed in farcical circumstances.<ref>[[Suetonius]], ''Caligula'' [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Caligula*.html#44 44-46]; Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/59*.html#25 59.25]</ref>
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| ===Roman Britain===
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| {{main|Roman Britain}}
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| When [[Claudius]] successfully invaded in 43, it was in aid of another fugitive British ruler, this time [[Verica]] of the Atrebates. The Catuvellaunian territory became the nucleus of a new Roman province, while [[Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus]] was sent up as the client ruler of Atrebatian and other lands.<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/60*.html#19 60.19-22]; Tacitus, ''Agricola'' [http://www.wikisource.org/Agricola#14 14]</ref> Over the course of the 1st century Roman control expended west into Wales, then north into Scotland. However, the Roman presence in the north proved untenable, and was withdrawn to the line of [[Hadrian's Wall]] in the 2nd century.
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| ''More to come''
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| <small>
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| *Names
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| *Language
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| *Urbanisation & road-building
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| *Arrival of Christianity
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| *Roman civil wars
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| </small>
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| ===Sub-Roman Britain===
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| <small>
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| *Roman withdrawal
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| *Migration period
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| *Anglo-Saxons, Picts, Scots
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| *Arthur legend
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| *Emergence of England, Scotland and Wales
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| </small>
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| ===Medieval Britain===
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| ''To come''
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| *Early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England, Gaelic kingdoms in Scotland, Welsh kingdoms
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| *Norman conquests of England and Wales
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| *Wars of Scottish independence
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| *Owain Glyndwr's rebellion in Wales
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| *Wars of the Roses
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| *Stuart Scotland
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| </small>
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| ===Early modern Britain===
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| ''To come''
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| <small>
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| *Henry VIII founds Church of England
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| *Union of crowns of England and Scotland
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| *English Civil War
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| *Commonwealth
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| *Restoration
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| *Act of Union 1707
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| </small>
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| ===Modern Britain===
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| ''To come''
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| *See [[United Kingdom]]
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| ==References== | | ==References== |
| {{reflist|2}} | | {{reflist|2}}[[Category:Suggestion Bot Tag]] |
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| [[Category:CZ Live]] | |
| [[Category:Geography Workgroup]]
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