Fifty Things You Need To Know About British History

图书信息

作者	Hugh Williams
出版社	Collins
ISBN	9780007309504
出版时间	2008-11-13
字数	61.0万
分类	进口书,外文原版书,法律,政治,宗教

读书简介

What are the 50 key events you need to understand to grasp British history? If you could choose the 50 things that define British history, events of significance not only in themselves, but in their importance to wider themes running through our past, what would they be? Hugh Williams has made that selection, and the result is a fascinating overview of Britain’s past. He refines British history into a series of key themes that represent a crucial strand in our history, and pinpoints the seminal events within those strands - Roots, from the Roman invasion to Britain’s entry into the Common Market; Fight, Fight and Fight Again, from the Battle of Agincourt to the Falklands War; The Pursuit of Liberty, from the Magna Carta through the Glorious Revolution to the foundation of the NHS; Home and Abroad, from Sir Francis Drake and Clive of India to the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush; and All Change, from Chaucer and the English language to the invention of the jet engine. With great clarity, simplicity and a zest for the marvellous stories that underpin many of these events, Hugh Williams explains the linkage between each one and its importance in the progress of British history as a whole. Along the way, he has some fascinating tales to tell, making this a highly enjoyable read as well as a perceptive insight into our shared past, and vital for anyone who wants quickly and enjoyably to grasp the essential facts about Britain’s history.

目录

Cover

Title Page

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chronology

1: Roots

Introduction

Chapter One: Stonehenge

Chapter Two: The Roman Invasion of Britain

Chapter Three: Saint Augustine Arrives in Britain

Chapter Four: Alfred The Great Becomes King of Wessex

Chapter Five: The Battle of Hastings

Chapter Six: The Dissolution of The Monasteries

Chapter Seven: The Birth of William Shakespeare

Chapter Eight: The Act of Union

Chapter Nine: The Irish Home Rule Bill

Chapter Ten: Britain Signs The Treaty of Rome

2: Struggle

Introduction

Chapter One: The Battle of Agincourt

Chapter Two: The Battle of Bosworth

Chapter Three: The Spanish Armada

Chapter Four: The Battle of Naseby

Chapter Five: The Battle of Blenheim

Chapter Six: The Battle of Trafalgar

Chapter Seven: The Battle of Waterloo

Chapter Eight: The Battle of The Somme

Chapter Nine: The Battle of Britain

Chapter Ten: The Battle of Goose Green

3: The Sea

Introduction

Chapter One: Sir Francis Drake And The Circumnavigation of The Globe

Chapter Two: The Voyage of The Pilgrim Fathers

Chapter Three: The South Sea Bubble

Chapter Four: The Battle of Plassey

Chapter Five: The Surrender of The British Army At Yorktown, Virginia

Chapter Six: The Abolition of Slavery

Chapter Seven: The Afghanistan Massacre

Chapter Eight: The Discovery of The Victoria Falls By David Livingstone

Chapter Nine: The Partition of India

Chapter Ten: The Arrival of The Ss Empire Windrush At Tilbury Docks

4: Freedom

Introduction

Chapter One: Magna Carta

Chapter Two: The Peasants’ Revolt

Chapter Three: The Gunpowder Plot

Chapter Four: The Execution of King Charles I

Chapter Five: The Glorious Revolution And The Bill of Rights

Chapter Six: Sir Robert Walpole Becomes Prime Minister

Chapter Seven: The Publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations

Chapter Eight: The Great Reform Act

Chapter Nine: The Foundation of The Women’s Social And Political Union

Chapter Ten: The Creation of The National Health Service

5: Ingenuity

Introduction

Chapter One: Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

Chapter Two: The Authorised Version of The Bible

Chapter Three: The Foundation of The Bank of England

Chapter Four: The Longitude Act

Chapter Five: James Watt Patents His Steam Engine Condenser

Chapter Six: The Metropolitan Police Act

Chapter Seven: The Publication of Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species

Chapter Eight: The Football Association Publishes ‘The Laws of Football’

Chapter Nine: The Foundation of The Bbc

Chapter Ten: Frank Whittle Designs The First Turbo Jet Engine

Index

Acknowledgements

Copyright

About the Publisher