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Battle of the Marne: 6-10 September 1914

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  6. By VLADIMIR V. PUTIN Published: September 11, 2013

A Few Pages from the History of Britain

 

Сторінки з історії Британії

 

 

Навчальній електронний посібник

 

Посібник містить завдання, що проілюстровані цитатами з оригінальних неадаптованих текстів BBC, а також посилання на джерело повнішої інформації BBC стосовно кожного прикладу. Може бути використаний на аудиторних практичних заняттях та для самостійної роботи, зокрема – з електронними джерелами. Тематика охоплює найцікавіші сторінки з історії Британії, представленої через персоналії історичних осіб.

Для студентів-істориків, які вивчають англійську мову за професійним спрямуванням.

 

 

Дніпропетровск, 2011

 

Contents

Unit 1: Claudius 4

Unit 2: Agricola 6

Unit 3: Arthur, The Venerable Bede 8

Unit 4: Alfred the Great 10

Unit 5: William the Conqueror 12

Unit 6: Henry I 14

Unit 7: John 16

Unit 8: William Wallace 18

Unit 9: Thomas More 20

Unit 10: Mary I 22

Unit 11: Oliver Cromwell 24

Unit 12: Samuel Pepys 26

Unit 13: Captain James Cook 28

Unit 14: Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson 30

Unit 15: William Wilberforce 32

Unit 16: Duke of Wellington 34

Unit 17: Feargus O'Connor 36

Unit 18: Victoria 38

Unit 19: George V 40

Unit 20: Stanley Baldwin 42

Unit 21: Alan Turing 44

Unit 22: Clement Attlee 46

Unit 23: Margaret Thatcher 48

Unit 24: Watson and Crick 50

Unit 25: Battle of the Marne 52

Unit 26: Battle for Gallipoli 54

Unit 27: Battle of the Somme 56

Unit 28: Battle of Passchendaele 58

Unit 29: Versailles and Peacemaking (Part 1) 60Unit 30: Versailles and Peacemaking (Part 2) 62

 

 

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to A. Posun'ko and O. Smaglo for their assistance in compiling this book.

Unit 1 Claudius (10 BC - 54 AD)

This theme is dealt with in a lot of historical sources. The following citation is to illustrate this:

“Claudius I was the emperor who added Britain to the Roman Empire.

 

Claudius was born on 1 August 10 BC in Gaul (now France) into the Roman imperial family. Tiberius, the second emperor of Rome, was his uncle. Claudius suffered from physical disabilities, including a limp and a speech impediment and was therefore treated with disdain by his family, and not considered as a future emperor. When Tiberius's successor Caligula was assassinated in January 41 AD, the Praetorian Guard found Claudius in the palace and acclaimed him as emperor. The senate held out against Claudius for two days, but then accepted the inevitable.

Relations between Claudius and the senate continuedtobe difficult, and the new emperor entrusted much of his administration to influential Greek freedmen of low social standing, which in turn alienated the senators. He also heard trials in private, rather than allowing senators to be judged by their peers.

Although he lacked a military reputation, the essential attribute of an emperor, in 43 AD Claudius undertook the conquest of Britain. He visited the island for 16 days, to preside over the capture of Colchester, the capital of the new province, and then returned to Rome in triumph. As well as Britain, Claudius added Mauretania (North Africa), Thrace (the Balkans) and Lycia (part of Turkey) to the Roman Empire.

Claudius had two children by his wife Messallina - Britannicus and Octavia. In 48 AD Messallina went through a marriage ceremony with the consul Silius as part of a plot against Claudius. Both were executed. Claudius then married his niece Agrippina the Younger who with her son Domitius, was the only surviving direct descendant of Augustus. Agrippina quickly

appointed her own supporters to important positions and persuaded Claudius to adopt Domitius - who took the name Nero - as his son.

Claudius died on 13 October 54 AD after being poisoned, probably on the orders of Agrippina who feared Claudius would appoint Britannicus his heir over her son Nero. Nero became Emperor…

 

The complete version of this text is at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/claudius.shtml

Assignments

 

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

relations; to include; disdain; to treat; social standing; to preside; conquest; province; plot; to adopt;

3) Give definitions to the following:

inevitable; capital; consul; executed; influential freedmen; was assassinated;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- When was Claudius born?

- Who was Claudius’s wife?

- Which attribute was essential for a Roman emperor?

- Describe relations between Claudius and the senate.

- Why did Claudius die?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/mosaics_gallery.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/launch_gms_deathrome.shtml

Unit 2 Agricola (40 - 93 AD)

Agricola was a Roman statesman and soldier who, as Roman governor of Britain, conquered large areas of northern England, Scotland and Wales. His life is well-known to us today because his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, wrote a detailed biography of him which survives.

Gnaeus Julius Agricola was born on 13 July 40 AD in southern France, then part of the Roman Empire, into a high-ranking family. He began his career as a military tribune in Britain and may have participated in the crushing of Boudicca's uprising in 61 AD. During the civil war of 69 AD Agricola supported Vespasian in his successful attempt to become emperor. Agricola was appointed to command a Roman legion in Britain. He then served as governor of Aquitania (south-east France) for three years, and after a period in Rome, in 78 AD he was made governor of Britain.

As soon as he arrived, Agricola began campaigning to assert Roman authority in north Wales. According to Tacitus he crossed the Menai Straits and took Anglesey. From 79 - 80 AD, Agricola moved north to Scotland where he consolidated Roman military control and masterminded the building of a string of forts across the country from west to east. From 81 - 83 AD, Agricola campaigned north of the Forth-Clyde line and confronted the Caledonian tribes under Calgacus at the battle of Mons Graupius in 84 AD. The Caledonians were routed but despite Agricola's claim that the island had now been conquered, the threat to Roman security from the north was not completely removed.

The following year, Agricola was recalled to Rome and died there on 23 August 93 AD.

 

 

Assignments

 

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

 

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

high-ranking; civil war; to appoint; attempt; authority; despite; threat; to consolidate; governor; to crush;

 

3) Give definitions to the following:

biography; statesman; to route; claim; military control; tribes

 

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Where was Agricola born?

- Was Agricola made governor of Aquitania?

- What was Agricola's politics in Wales?

- What were the Caledonians?

- When was Agricola recalled to Rome?

- What did Agricola do in Scotland?

- How did Agricola begin his career?

 

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

 

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/roman_religion_gallery.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/romanarmy_gallery.shtml

Unit 3 Arthur (dates unknown)

A mythical king of the Britons in ancient times, who may be based on a historical figure.

 

It is possible that the legendary Arthur is based on a historical figure, a Romano-Britain who fought the invading Anglo-Saxons in the fifth and/or sixth century and who first appears in Welsh literature. According to the ninth-century historian Nennius, this Arthur defeated the Saxons at Mount Badon in 518 and died at Camlan in 537.

The Arthur of legend is first characterised in the Welsh Mabinogi, a collection of medieval tales, and it is this literary character who is associated with the founding of the Round Table at Camelot and the search for the Holy Grail. The legend also states that Arthur will return when his country needs him. Other early references to Arthur occur in two 12th century works, a Life of St Gildas and the chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth.

 

The Venerable Bede (673 AD - 735 AD)

St Bede - also known as the Venerable Bede - is widely regarded as the greatest of all the Anglo-Saxon scholars. He wrote around forty books mainly dealing with theology and history.

 

Bede was probably born in Monkton, Durham. Nothing is known of his family background. At the age of seven he was entrusted to the care of Benedict Biscop, who is 674 AD had founded the monastery of St. Peter at Wearmouth. In 682 AD, Bede moved the monastery at Jarrow, where he spent the rest of his life. By the age of 19 he had become a deacon and was promoted to priest at 30.

His scholarship covered a huge range of subjects, including commentaries on the Bible, observations of nature,

music and poetry. His most famous work, which is a key source for the understanding of early British history and the arrival of Christianity, is 'Historia Ecclestiastica Gentis Anglorum' or 'The Ecclesiastical History of the English People' which was completed in 731 AD. It is the first work of history in which the AD system of dating is used.

Bede died in his cell at the monastery in May 735 AD.

 

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

legendary; references; probably; scholarship; famous; priest; medieval; to defeat; to entrust; to state;

3) Give definitions to the following:

system of dating; cell; collection; venerable; theology; huge range of subjects;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Where did Arthur defeat the Saxons?

- Where is Arthur first characterised?

- When will,according to the legend, Arthur return?

- Where was Bede born?

- When was 'The Ecclesiastical History of the English People' completed?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/launch_gms_dig_deeper.shtml

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/arthmenu.htm

http://www.caerleon.net/history/arthur/

Unit 4 Alfred the Great (849 AD - 899 AD)

King of the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex and one of the outstanding figures of English history, as much for his social and educational reforms as for his military successes against the Danes. He is the only English monarch known as 'the Great'.

 

Alfred was born at Wantage in Oxfordshire in 849, fourth or fifth son of Aethelwulf, king of the West Saxons. Following the wishes of their father, the sons succeeded to the kingship in turn. At a time when the country was under threat from Danish raids, this was aimed at preventing a child inheriting the throne with the related weaknesses in leadership. In 870 the Danes attacked the only remaining independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Wessex, whose forces were commanded by Alfred's older brother, King Aethelred and Alfred himself.

In 871, Alfred defeated the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown in Berkshire. The following year, he succeeded his brother as king. Despite his success at Ashdown, the Danes continued to devastate Wessex and Alfred was forced to withdraw to the Somerset marshes, where he continued guerrilla warfare against his enemies. In 878, he again defeated the Danes in the Battle of Edington. They made peace and Guthrum, their king, was baptised with Alfred as his sponsor. In 886, Alfred negotiated a treaty with the Danes. England was divided, with the north and the east (between the Rivers Thames and Tees) declared to be Danish territory - later known as the 'Danelaw'. Alfred therefore gained control of areas of West Mercia and Kent which had been beyond the boundaries of Wessex.

Alfred built up the defences of his kingdom to ensure that it was not threatened by the Danes again. He reorganised his army and built a series of well-defended settlements across southern England. He also established a navy for use against the

Danish raiders who continued to harass the coast.

As an administrator Alfred advocated justice and order and established a code of laws and a reformed coinage. He had a strong belief in the importance of education and learnt Latin in his late thirties. He then arranged, and himself took part in, the translation of books from Latin to Anglo-Saxon.

By the 890s, Alfred's charters and coinage were referring to him as ' king of the English'. He died in October 899 and was buried at his capital city of Winchester.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

coinage; charters; education; code of laws; justice; settlements; guerrilla warfare; to baptise; to devastate; weaknesses in leadership;

3) Give definitions to the following:

Danelaw; to withdraw; sponsor; the boundaries; to harass; strong belief;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Who was Alfred's father?

- What was Wessex in 870?

- Wnen was the Battle of Ashdown?

- Who was Guthrum's sponsor?

- Why did Alfred attempt to improve the defences of his kingdom?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/launch_tl_ages_treasure.shtml

 

Unit 5 William the Conqueror (c.1028 - c.1087)

William was Duke of Normandy and, as William I, the first Norman King of England.

 

William was born in around 1028, in Falaise, Normandy the illegitimate son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy. He was thus known as 'William the Bastard' to his contemporaries. On his father's death in 1035, William was recognised as heir, with his great uncle serving as regent. In 1042 he began to take more personal control. From 1046 until 1055 he dealt with a series of baronial rebellions. William's political and military successes helped him in negotiations to marry Matilda, daughter of Count Baldwin of Flanders in 1053.

Early in 1066, Edward, king of England died and Harold, Earl of Wessex was crowned king. William was furious, claiming that in 1051 Edward, a distant cousin, had promised him the throne and that Harold had later sworn to support that claim.

William landed in England on 28 September 1066, establishing a camp near Hastings. Harold had travelled north tofight another invader, Harold Hardraade, King of Norway and defeated him at Stamford Bridge near York. He marched south as quickly as he could and on 14 October, his army met William's. It was a close-fought battle lasting all day, but Harold was killed and his army collapsed. William was victorious. On Christmas Day 1066 he was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. A Norman aristocracy became the new governing class and English bishops were replaced with Norman ones.

The first years of his reign were spent crushing resistance and securing his borders, which he did with ruthless efficiency. He invaded Scotland in 1072 and concluded a truce with the Scottish king. He marched into Wales in 1081 and created special defensive 'marcher' counties along the borders. The last

serious rebellion, the Revolt of the Earls, took place in 1075. In 1086, William ordered a survey to be made of the kingdom: this was to be the Domesday Book.

With the kingdom increasingly settled, William spent most of his last 15 years in Normandy, leaving the government of England to regents, usually clergymen. He spent the last months of his reign fighting the French king Philip I. He died on 9 September 1087 from injuries received when he fell off his horse at the Siege of Mantes. He divided his lands between two of his sons, with Robert receiving Normandy and William Rufus, England.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

duke; contemporaries; to land; increasingly; injuries; to recognize; camp; to collapse; to secure borders; truce; county;

3) Give definitions to the following:

the illegitimate son; governing class; bishop; rebellion; negotiations; regent;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- When was William recognised as heir?

- Who was crowned as king in 1066?

- What happened in 1066 near Hastings?

- What was William doing during the first years of his reign?

- What is the Domesday Book?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

Interactive content:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/launch_gms_battle_hastings.shtml

 

Unit 6 Henry I (c.1069 - 1135)

The youngest and most able of William the Conqueror's sons, Henry strengthened the crown's executive powers and modernised royal administration.

Henry was born in England in 1068 or 1069, the fourth son of William the Conqueror. By the time his elder brother William became king, one of Henry's other older brothers had died, leaving Robert as the only other potential successor. William was killed in a hunting accident in August 1100, and Henry had himself crowned a few days later, taking advantage of Robert's absence on crusade. With a number of barons supporting Robert, however, Henry's succession was precarious. He moved quickly to buy support by granting favours, abolishing abuses and making wide-ranging concessions in his Charter of Liberties. In November 1100, he married Edith, sister of the king of Scotland, in order to secure his northern border.

When Robert invaded England in 1101 Henry, with some popular and baronial support, agreed an amicable settlement. Robert relinquished his claim in return for Henry's territories in Normandy and a large annuity. However, his chaotic reign of Normandy prompted Henry to invade: he routed Robert's army at Tinchebrai in 1106, capturing Robert and holding him prisoner for life.

Henry's frequent absences from England prompted the development of a bureaucracy that could operate effectively in his absence. His reign marked a significant advance from personal monarchy towards the bureaucratised state of the future. The exchequer was developed to deal with royal revenues and royal justices began to tour the shires to reinforce local administration and inquire into revenues, often aggressively.

Abroad, his possessions in Normandy were challenged by Robert's son, William Clito. Henry was obliged to repel two assaults by Clito's supporters and Norman barons who resented Henry's officials and high taxes. By 1120, however, the barons had submitted, Henry's only legitimate son William had been married to the daughter of the powerful Count of Anjou and Louis VI of France had agreed terms for

peace after defeat in battle.

In November 1120, Henry's son died in a shipwreck and from them on the question of the succession dominated the politics of the reign. Henry summoned his only other legitimate child Matilda, back to England and made his barons pay homage to her as his heir. In 1128, Matilda was married to Geoffrey Plantagenet, another member of the Angevin family. English barons did not want to be ruled by a woman and an Angevin and on Henry's death in December 1135, there was a succession crisis which led to civil war.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

potential successor; absence; crusade; precarious; abuses; concessions; to secure; amicable settlement; to relinquish; prisoner;

3) Give definitions to the following:

to reinforce; bureaucracy; exchequer; shires; possessions; to submit; succession crisis;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Who was Henry's elder brother?

- How did Henry try to attract supporters?

- Who supported Henry in 1101?

- How did Henry's son die?

- What caused the civil war?

- What family did Geoffrey Plantagenet come from?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

Interactive content:

http://www.secretsofthenormaninvasion.com/

http://www.essentialnormanconquest.com/

http//www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/launch_gms_ancient_ob.shtml

Unit 7 John (c.1167 - 1216)

John was a king of England who is most famous for signing the Magna Carta.

 

John was born around Christmas in 1166 or 1167 in Oxford, the youngest and favourite son of Henry II. On his father's death in 1189 his brother, Richard, became king. John received titles, lands and money, but this was not enough. In October 1190 Richard recognised his nephew, Arthur, as his heir. Three years later, when Richard was imprisoned in Germany, John tried to seize control. He was unsuccessful and, when Richard returned in early 1194, was banished. The two were soon reconciled and, when Arthur was captured by Philip II in 1196, Richard named John heir.

In 1199 Richard died and John was king. War with France was renewed, triggered by John's second marriage. While asked to mediate between the rival families of Lusignan and Angoulême, he married the Angoulême heiress Isabella, who had been betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan. A rebellion broke out and John was ordered to appear before his overlord, Philip II of France. His failure to do so resulted in war..

By 1206, John had lost Normandy, Anjou, Maine and parts of Poitou. These failures were a damaging blow to his prestige and he was determined to win them back. However, this required money so his government became increasingly ruthless and efficient in its financial administration. Taxes soared and he began to exploit his feudal rights ever more harshly.

This bred increasing baronial discontent. Negotiations between John and his barons failed and civil war broke out in May 1215. When the rebels seized London, John was compelled to negotiate further and, on 19 June at Runnymede on the River Thames, he accepted the baronial terms embodied in the Magna Carta, which limited royal power, ensured feudal rights and

restated English law. It was the first formal document stating that the monarch was as much under the rule of law as his people, and that the rights of individuals were to be upheld even against the wishes of the sovereign.

This settlement was soon rendered impractical when John claimed it was signed under duress. Pope Innocent took his side and in the ensuing civil war John laid waste to the northern counties and the Scottish border. Prince Louis of France then invaded at the barons' request. John continued to wage war vigorously but his death in October 1216 enabled a compromise peace and the succession of his son Henry III.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

nephew; to banish; to trigger; to mediate; ruthless; to soar; harshly; to restate; to sign; to wage war;

3) Give definitions to the following:

baronial discontent; overlord; feudal rights; request; compromise peace; heiress;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- When and where was John born?

- Was John Richard's heir?

- How did John exploit his feudal rights?

- What was embodied in the Magna Carta?

- What happened in 1216?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/museum/item.asp?item_id=3

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page60.asp

Unit 8 William Wallace (c. 1270 - 1305)

Wallace led the Scottish rebellion against Edward I and inflicted a famous defeat on the English army at Stirling Bridge. He is remembered as a patriot and national hero.

William Wallace was born in the 1270s in Elderslie in Renfrewshire into a gentry family. Very little is known about his early years and there are significant periods of his life for which there are no reliable sources.

In 1296, Edward I of England had taken advantage of a succession crisis in Scotland and imposed himself as ruler with an English administration. Within months, Scottish unrest was widespread.

In May 1297, Wallace attacked the town of Lanark, killing the English sheriff and unrest quickly became full-blown rebellion. Men flocked to join Wallace and he began to drive the English out of Fife and Perthshire. In September 1297, Wallace defeated a much larger English force at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. This and subsequent military successes severely weakened the English hold on Scotland. Wallace then launched raids into England. In late 1297 or early 1298 he was knighted and appointed 'guardian of the kingdom' in the name of John Balliol, the deposed king of Scotland.

The shock of the defeat at Stirling rallied the English around Edward, who marched north with an army. Wallace's strategy was to avoid confrontation and gradually withdraw. He destroyed the countryside as he went, forcing Edward to march deeper and deeper into Scotland. In July 1298, the Scottish and English armies met near Falkirk, and the Scots were defeated. Wallace escaped and little is known of his movements, but at some stage he resigned the guardianship and was succeeded by Robert Bruce and John Comyn.

Wallace then went abroad, notably to France, to seek support for

the Scottish cause. He returned to Scotland in 1303. In his absence Robert Bruce had accepted a truce with Edward I and, in 1304, John Comyn came to terms with the English as well. Wallace was excluded from these terms and the English king offered a large sum of money to anyone who killed or captured him. Wallace was seized in or near Glasgow in August 1305, and transported to London. He was charged and tried with treason, which he denied, saying he had never sworn allegiance to the English king. His execution was held on 23 August, where he was hung, drawn and quartered. His head was placed on London Bridge, and his limbs displayed in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Perth.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

gentry; reliable sources; unrest; to rally; shock of the defeat; to seize; to drive out; to appoint; to depose; widespread;

3) Give definitions to the following:

full-blown rebellion; subsequent military successes; allegiance; execution; cause; to severely weaken;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Why did Scottish unrest start in 1296?

- What town was the first target of Wallace?

- When was Wallace knighted?

- Who fought near Falkirk?

- Was Wallace mentioned in the terms of the truce?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

Interactive content:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/independence/features_independence_wallace.shtml

Unit 9 Thomas More (1478 - 1535)

More was an English lawyer, scholar, writer, MP and chancellor in the reign of Henry VIII, who was executed for refusing to recognise the break with Rome.

 

Thomas More was born on 7 February 1478 in London, the son of a successful lawyer. As a boy, More spent some time in the household of John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury. He later studied at Oxford, and qualified as a lawyer, although he did contemplate becoming a monk. From 1510 to 1518 he was one of the two under-sheriffs of London and in 1517 entered the king's service, becoming one of Henry VIII's most effective and trusted civil servants and acting as his secretary, interpreter, speech-writer, chief diplomat, advisor and confidant. In 1521 he was knighted, in 1523 he became the speaker of the House of Commons and in 1525 chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

At the same time More was building a reputation as ascholar. He was close to the radical catholic theologian Erasmus, but wrote polemics against Martin Luther and the protestant reformation. Around 1515 he wrote 'The History of Richard III' which established that king's reputation as a tyrant and has been described as the first masterpiece of English historiography; and in 1516 published his most important work ' Utopia ' - a description of an imaginary republic ruled by reason and intended to contrast with the strife-ridden reality of contemporary European politics. More remained a passionate defender of Catholic orthodoxy - writing pamphlets against heresy, banning unorthodox books, and even taking responsibility when chancellor for the interrogation of heretics.

More took the post of lord chancellor in 1529, just as Henry had become determined to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The previous chancellor, Lord Wolsey, had failed to

achieve this objective. Henry was close to breaking with the Church of Rome, and the so-called 'Reformation Parliament' was about to convene.

When Henry declared himself 'Supreme Head of the Church in England' - thus establishing the Anglican Church and allowing him to end his marriage - More resigned the chancellorship. He continued to argue against the king's divorce and the split with Rome, and in 1534 was arrested after refusing to swear an oath of succession repudiating the Pope and accepting the annulment of Henry's marriage. He was tried for treason at Westminster and on 6 July 1535 was executed on Tower Hill.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

successful lawyer; monk; confidant; masterpiece; contemporary; passionate; strife-ridden; reason; to obtain; objective;

3) Give definitions to the following:

to convene; annulment of marriage; treason; civil servant; responsibility; divorce;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Who was born on 7 February 1478 in London?

- What was John Morton?

- Did Thomas More support Reformation?

- Why did More resign chancellorship?

- Where was More executed?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

Interactive content:

http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tmore.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/church_gallery.shtml

Unit 10 Mary I (1516 - 1558)

The first queen to rule England in her own right, she was known as 'Bloody Mary' for her persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Catholicism in England.

Mary was born at Greenwich on 18 February 1516, the only surviving child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Her life was radically altered when Henry divorced Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn. He claimed that the marriage was incestuous and illegal, as Catherine had been married to his dead brother, Arthur. The Pope disagreed; Henry broke with Rome and established the Church of England.

Henry's allegations of incest effectively bastardised Mary. After Anne Boleyn bore Henry another daughter, Elizabeth, Mary was forbidden access to her parents and stripped of her title of princess. Mary never saw her mother again. With Anne Boleyn's fall, there was a chance of reconciliation between father and daughter. However, Mary refused to recognise her father as head of the church. She eventually agreed to submit to her father and Mary returned to court and was given a household suitable to her position. She was named as heir to the throne after her younger brother Edward, born i n 1537.

Edward VI succeeded his father in 1547 and, under the protectorate of the Duke of Northumberland, zealously promoted Protestantism. Mary, however, remained a devout Catholic. When it became clear that Edward was dying, Northumberland made plans for his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, to take the throne in Mary's place.

On Edward's death in 1553, Jane was briefly acclaimed queen. But Mary had widespread popular support and within days made a triumphal entry into London. Once queen, she was determined to re-impose Catholicism and marry Philip II of Spain. Neither was popular: Philip was foreign and distrusted and many in England had a vested interest in the Protestant church, having received church lands and money after Henry dissolved the monasteries.

In 1554 Mary crushed a rebellion led by Sir Thomas Wyatt. Making the most of her advantage, she married Philip, pressed on with the restoration of Catholicism and revived the laws against heresy.

Over the next three years, hundreds of Protestants were burned at the stake. This provoked disillusionment with Mary, deepened by an unsuccessful war against France which led to the loss of Calais, England's last possession in France, in January 1558. Childless, sick and deserted by Philip, Mary died on 17 November 1558. Her hopes for a Catholic England died with her.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

persecution; allegations; reconciliation; court; household; zealously; acclaimed; popular support; foreign and distrusted; sick and deserted

3) Give definitions to the following:

burned at the stake; disillusionment; possession; to dissolve; to submit; to strip of a title;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- When was Mary born?

- How did Mary become Queen?

- Who rebelled against Mary in 1554?

- What led to the loss of Calais

- What happened with her hopes for a Catholic England?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

 

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/sceptred_isle/page/51.shtml?question=51

http://www.tudorhistory.org/

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page11.asp

Unit 11 Oliver Cromwell (1599 - 1658)

English soldier and statesman who helped make England a republic and then ruled as lord protector from 1653 to 1658.

Oliver Cromwell was born on 25 April 1599 in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire into a family of minor gentry and studied at Cambridge University. He became MP for Huntingdon in the parliament of 1628 - 1629. In the 1630s Cromwell experienced a religious crisis and became convinced that he would be guided to carry out God's purpose. He began to make his name as a radical Puritan when, in 1640, he was elected to represent Cambridge, first in the Short Parliament and then in the Long Parliament.

Civil war broke out between King Charles I and parliament in 1642. Although Cromwell lacked military experience, he created and led a superb force of cavalry, the 'Ironsides', and rose from the rank of captain to that of lieutenant-general in three years. He convinced parliament to establish a professional army - the New Model Army - which won the decisive victory over the king's forces at Naseby (1645). The king's alliance with the Scots and his subsequent defeat in the Second Civil War convinced Cromwell that the king must be brought to justice. He was a prime mover in the trial and execution of Charles I in 1649 and subsequently sought to win conservative support for the new republic by suppressing radial elements in the army. Cromwell became army commander and lord lieutenant of Ireland, where he crushed resistance with the massacres of the garrisons at Drogheda and Wexford (1649).

Cromwell then defeated the supporters of the king's son Charles II at Dunbar (1650) and Worcester (1651), effectively ending the civil war. In 1653, frustrated with lack of progress, he dissolved the rump of the Long Parliament and, after the failure of his Puritan convention (popularly known as Barebones Parliament) made himself lord protector. In 1657 he refused the offer of the crown. At home Lord Protector Cromwell reorganised the national church, established Puritanism, readmitted Jews into Britain and presided over a certain degree of religious tolerance. Abroad, he ended the war with Portugal

(1653) and Holland (1654) and allied with France against Spain, defeating the Spanish at the Battle of the Dunes (1658). Cromwell died on 3 September 1658 in London. After the Restoration his body was dug up and hanged.

Cromwell's son Richard was named as his successor and was lord protector of England from September 1658 to May 1659. He could not reconcile various political, military and religious factions and soon lost the support of the army on which his power depended. He was forced to abdicate and after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 he fled to Paris. He returned to England in 1680 and lived quietly under an assumed name until his death in 1712.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

religious crisis; to represent; subsequent; superb force of cavalry; religious tolerance; dug up and hanged; various political, military and religious factions; failure; God's purpose;

3) Give definitions to the following:

military experience; massacres; lack of progress; national church; lord protector; restoration of the monarchy;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Where did Cromwell study?

- What was the fate of Charles I after his defeat?

- How did Cromwell end the civil war?

- What happened to Cromwell's body after his death?

- How did Cromwell's son live after his abdication?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Cromwell/assoc.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/326121.stm

Unit 12 Samuel Pepys (1633 - 1703)

Pepys is famous for his diaries, which cover the years 1659 - 1669, but also enjoyed a successful career as a naval administrator and MP.

 

Pepys is famous for his diaries, which cover the years 1659 - 1669, but also enjoyed a successful career as a naval administrator and MP.

Samuel Pepys was born on 23 February 1633 near Fleet Street in London, the son of a tailor. He was educated at St Paul's School in London and Cambridge University. After graduating, Pepys was employed as secretary to Edward Montagu, a distant relative who was a councillor of state during the Cromwellian protectorate and later served Charles II. In 1655 Pepys married 15-year-old Elizabeth Marchant de Saint-Michel, daughter of a Huguenot exile. In 1658, he underwent a dangerous operation for the removal of a bladder stone. Every year on the anniversary of the operation, he celebrated his recovery.

Pepys began his diary on 1 January 1660. It is written in a form of shorthand, with names in longhand. It ranges from private remarks, including revelations of infidelity - to detailed observations of events in 17th-century England - such as the plague of 1665, the Great Fire of London and Charles II's coronation - and some of the key figures of the era, including Sir Christopher Wren and Sir Isaac Newton. Fear of losing his eyesight prompted Pepys to stop writing the diary in 1669.

In June 1660, Pepys was appointed clerk of the acts to the navy board, a key post in one of the most important of all government departments, the royal dockyards. In 1673, he became secretary to the Admiralty and in the same year a member of parliament for a Norfolk constituency, later representing Harwich. He was responsible for some important naval reforms which

helped lay the foundations for a professional naval service. He was also a member of the Royal Society, serving as its president from 1684-1686. In 1679 Pepys was forced to resign from the Admiralty and was imprisoned on a charge of selling naval secrets to the French, but the charge was subsequently dropped. In 1685, Charles II died and was succeeded by his brother who became James II, who Pepys served as loyally as he had Charles. After the overthrow of James in 1688, Pepys's career effectively came to an end. He was again arrested in 1690, under suspicion of Jacobite sympathies, but was released. Pepys died in Clapham on the outskirts of London on 26 May 1703.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

to cover; naval administrator; graduation; councillor of state; exile; removal of a bladder stone; shorthand; private remarks; revelations; observations; eyesight;

3) Give definitions to the following:

government department; naval reforms; foundations;charge of selling secrets; overthrow; suspicion;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- What is Samuel Pepys famous for?

- Where did Samuel Pepys work after graduating?

- When did Pepys begin his diary?

- Why was Pepys forced to resign?

- Where did Pepys die?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

Interactive content:

http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/pepys/contents.html

http://www.bibliomania.com/2/1/59/frameset.html

Unit 13 Captain James Cook (1728 - 1779)

Cook was an 18th century explorer and navigator whose achievements in mapping the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia radically changed western perceptions of world geography. As one of the very few men in the 18th century navy to rise through the ranks, Cook was particularly sympathetic to the needs of ordinary sailors.

 

James Cook was born on 27 October 1728 in a small village near Middlesbrough in Yorkshire. His father was a farm worker. At the age of 17, Cook moved to the coast, settling in Whitby and finding work with a coal merchant. In 1755, Cook enlisted in the Royal Navy, serving in North America where he learnt to survey and chart coastal waters.

In 1769 the planet Venus was due to pass in front of the Sun, a rare event visible only in the southern hemisphere. The British government decided to send an expedition to observe thephenomenon. A more secret motive was to search for the fabled southern continent. Cook was chosen as commander of the Whitby-built HMS Endeavour. Those on board included astronomer Charles Green and botanist Joseph Banks.

Endeavour arrived in Tahiti in April 1769 where Green was able to observe the transit of Venus. Endeavour continued on to New Zealand, and then sailed along the length of Australia's eastern coast, which had never before been seen by Europeans. Cook claimed it for Britain and named it New South Wales. Cook and his crew then returned home, arriving in July 1771.

In 1772, not satisfied by his previous exploits, Cook set out on a second voyage to look for the southern continent. His two ships sailed close to the Antarctic coast but were forced to turn back by the cold. They then visited New Zealand and Tahiti, returning to England in 1775.

Cook's third voyage was to find the North-West passage that was believed to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Unable to find the fabled route, Cook took his two ships south and explored the island of Hawaii. Relations with the islanders were soured after the theft of a ship's boat. On 14 February Cook tried to take the local leader hostage. There was a scuffle and Cook was stabbed and killed.

 

Assignments

 

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

Royal Navy; visible; eastern coast; never before; islanders; hemisphere; motive; fabled route; crew; exploits;

3) Give definitions to the following:

survey and chart coastal waters; hostage; phenomenon; rare; coast; transit;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

 

- When did Cook move to the coast?

- What was the name of Cook's ship?

- Why did Cook set out on a second voyage?

- Why were Cook's ships forced to turn back?

- How did Cook die?

 

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/trlout/TRA13545.html

 

Unit 14 Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758 - 1805)

Nelson was a British naval commander and national hero, famous for his naval victories against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.

Born on 29 September 1758 in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, Horatio Nelson was the sixth of the 11 children of a clergyman. He joined the navy aged 12, on a ship commanded by a maternal uncle. He became a captain at 20, and saw service i n the West Indies, Baltic and Canada. He married Frances Nisbet in 1787 in Nevis, and returned to England with his bride to spend the next five years on half-pay, frustrated at the lack of a command.

When Britain entered the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793, Nelson was given command of the Agamemnon. He served in the Mediterranean, helped capture Corsica and saw battle at Calvi (where he lost the sight in his right eye). He would later lose his right arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797.

As a commander he was known for bold action, and the occasional disregard of orders from his seniors. This defiance brought him victories against the Spanish off Cape Vincent in 1797, and at the Battle of Copenhagen four years later, where he ignored orders to cease action by putting his telescope to his blind eye and claiming he couldn't seen the signal to withdraw.

At the Battle of the Nile in 1798, he successfully destroyed Napoleon's fleet and thus his bid for a direct trade route to India. Nelson's next posting took him to Naples, where he fell in love with Emma, Lady Hamilton. Although they remained in their respective marriages, Nelson and Emma Hamilton considered each other soul-mates and had a child together, Horatia, in 1801. Earlier that same year, Nelson was promoted to vice-admiral. Over the period 1794 to 1805, under Nelson's leadership, the Royal Navy proved its supremacy over the French. His most famous

 

engagement, at Cape Trafalgar, saved Britain from threat of invasion by Napoleon, but it would be his last. Before the battle on 21 October 1805, Nelson sent out the famous signal to his fleet 'England expects that every man will do his duty'. He was killed by a French sniper a few hours later while leading the attack on the combined French and Spanish fleet. His body was preserved in brandy and transported back to England where he was given a state funeral.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

navy; disregard; duty; brandy; state funeral; blind; maternal; bid; to promote; sight;

3) Give definitions to the following:

supremacy; clergyman; engagement; occasional; half-pay; to prove;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- How many siblings did Horatio Nelson have?

- Where did Nelson lose his arm?

- When was Nelson promoted to vice-admiral?

- What is Nelson's the most famous engagement?

- What did Trafalgar victory save Britain from?

 

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavymain.htm

http://www.admiralnelson.org

 

 

Unit 15 William Wilberforce (1759 - 1833)

Wilberforce was a deeply religious English member of parliament and social reformer who was very influential in the abolition of the slave trade and eventually slavery itself in the British empire.

 

William Wilberforce was born on 24 August 1759 in Hull, the son of a wealthy merchant. He studied at Cambridge University where he began a lasting friendship with the future prime minister, William Pitt the Younger. In 1780, Wilberforce became member of parliament for Hull, later representing Yorkshire. His dissolute lifestyle changed completely when he became an evangelical Christian, and in 1784 joined a leading group known as the Clapham Sect. His Christian faith prompted him to become interested in social reform, particularly the improvement of factory conditions in Britain.

The abolitionist Thomas Clarkson had an enormousinfluence on Wilberforce. He and others were campaigning for an end to the trade in which British ships were carrying black slaves from Africa, in terrible conditions, to the West Indies as goods to be bought and sold. Wilberforce was persuaded to lobby for the abolition of the slave trade and for 18 years he regularly introduced anti-slavery motions in parliament. The campaign was supported by many members of the Clapham Sect and other abolitionists who raised public awareness of their cause with pamphlets, books, rallies and petitions. In 1807, the slave trade was finally abolished, but this did not free those who were already slaves. It was not until 1833 that an act was passed giving freedom to all slaves in the British empire.

Wilberforce's other efforts to 'renew society' included the organisation of the Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1802. He worked with the reformer, Hannah More, in the Association for the Better Observance of Sunday. Its goal was to provide all children

with regular education in reading, personal hygiene and religion. He was closely involved with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He was also instrumental in encouraging Christian missionaries to go to India.

Wilberforce retired from politics in 1825 and died on 29 July 1833, shortly after the act to free slaves in the British empire passed through the House of Commons. He was buried near his friend Pitt in Westminster Abbey.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

terrible; to lobby; rallies and petitions; goal; friendship; public awareness; goods; reformer; improvement; Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals;

3) Give definitions to the following:

abolitionist; merchant; regular education; anti-slavery motions; social reform; factory conditions;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Who had an enormous influence on Wilberforce?

- What was William's father?

- When was slave trade abolished in British Empire?

- What were Wilberforce's other efforts?

- Where was Wilberforce buried?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

 

http://slavetrade.parliament.uk/slavetrade/index.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/launch_anim_slavery.shtml

Unit 16 Duke of Wellington (1769 - 1852)

Wellesley was an Anglo-Irish general and statesman, victor at the Battle of Waterloo and twice British prime minister.

 

Arthur Wesley was born in Dublin in early May 1769. In 1798, his aristocratic Anglo-Irish family changed their name to Wellesley.

He was an unremarkable student at Eton, but seems to have found his calling when he joined the army in 1787. He fought against the French in Flanders and in 1796 went to India. His brother Richard was appointed governor general there in 1797. Wellesley achieved considerable military success, taking part in the Mysore War against Tipu Sultan. During the subjugation of the Mahrattas he achieved a remarkable victory at Assaye (1803).

Back in England he was knighted and became an MP. In 1807 he was appointed chief secretary for Ireland. However, his political career came to an abrupt end in the same year, when he returned to active service against the French. In 1808 he assumed control of the British, Portuguese and Spanish forces in the Peninsular War (1808 - 1814), eventually forcing the French to withdraw from Spain and Portugal. When Napoleon abdicated in 1814, Wellesley returned home a hero and was created Duke of Wellington.

He attended the Congress of Vienna and served for a briefly as ambassador to France but in 1815, Napoleon returned. Wellington became commander of the allied armies. With the help of Prussian forces under von Blucher he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. The threat of Napoleon was at an end.

In 1818, Wellington was given a post in Lord Liverpool's Tory government. In 1827, he became commander in chief of the British army but in 1828 reluctantly accepted the post of prime minister. He believed in strong, authoritative government and an isolationist policy, although he antagonised sections of his party by forcing through the Catholic Emancipation Act (1829). His opposition to parliamentary reform made him unpopular, and he earned the nickname ' The Iron Duke' when he erected iron shutters on the windows of his London

home, Apsley House, to prevent them being smashed by angry crowds.

Wellington's government fell in 1830. When they returned to power in 1834, Wellington declined the office of prime minister which went to Robert Peel. From 1834-5 Wellington served as foreign minister. He retired in 1846. He died on 14 September 1852 and was given a state funeral.

 

Assignments

 

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

 

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

unremarkable; government; subjugation; Duke of Wellington; threat; ambassador; active service; abrupt; governor; considerable;

 

3) Give definitions to the following:

to decline; success; allied; forces; to antagonise; strong, authoritative government;

 

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- What was Wellesley?

- When did his family change their name to Wellesley?

- Who was defeated in the Peninsular War?

- When did Napoleon abdicate?

- Why did Wellington's government fall?

 

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

 

Interactive content:

http://www.number10.gov.uk/

Unit 17 Feargus O'Connor (c.1796 - 1855)

O'Connor was an Irish-born Chartist leader - the Chartists represented the first attempt to build a party representing the interests of the English working classes.

 

Feargus O'Connor was born in around 1796 and spent his early life on his family's estates in Ireland. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin, became a lawyer and in around 1820 inherited an estate in Cork from an uncle. During agitation for reform in the early 1830s, he emerged as an advocate of Irish rights and democratic political reform. In 1832 he was elected MP for Cork with the help of Daniel O'Connell, leader of the Irish radicals. They later quarrelled and became enemies. O'Connor was an outspoken critic of the Whig government's policies in England and Ireland. In London, he allied himself with popular radicals and after losing his seat in 1835, embarked on a career as a leader of English popular radicalism.

O'Connor toured the country campaigning for political reform, universal male suffrage and better working conditions, particularly in the industrial districts of England and Scotland. He was well-known for his charismatic and incendiary speeches and his efforts laid the groundwork for Chartism. This was essentially an umbrella movement (named after a six point charter of demands) of the 1830s and 1840s which drew together many strands of radical grievance. O'Connor's newspaper 'The Northern Star', which he established in 1837, provided the most effective link between these different strands. O'Connor was identified with the more radical side of the movement and was imprisoned for libel in 1840. The same year, he attempted with little success tounify the Chartist movement and give it direction with the National Charter Association (1840).

From the early 1840s, O'Connor's attention began to shift

to what he believed was working people's alienation from the land. He developed an idea to buy up agricultural estates, divide them into smallholdings and let these to individuals. This developed into the 'National Land Company' (1845 - 1851). The scheme was a disaster and soon went bankrupt. In 1847, O'Connor was elected MP for Nottingham, becoming the first and only Chartist MP. In April 1848 he presided over the last great Chartist demonstration on Kennington Common in south London. After 1848, Chartism went into sharp decline. From 1851, O'Connor's behaviour became increasingly irrational, possibly as a result of syphilis. In 1852 he was declared insane and sent to an asylum in Chiswick. He died on 30 August 1855.

Assignments

1) Translate the text paying special attention to historical terminology.

2) Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

smallholdings; groundwork; grievance; enemies; direction; advocate of Irish rights; to quarrel; to embark; suffrage; umbrella movement;

3) Give definitions to the following:

asylum; behaviour; increasingly irrational; alienation; different strands; popular radicalism;

4) Answer the questions on the text:

- Where did O'Connor study?

- Who were O'Connor's allies?

- What newspaper did O'Connor publish?

- When did O'Connor attempt to unify the Chartist movement?

- Was O'Connor declared insane?

5) Put questions to the underlined words in the text.

6) Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

Interactive content:

http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/charto.htm

Unit 18 Victoria (1819 - 1901)

Queen Victoria was the longest reigning British monarch and the figurehead of a vast empire. She oversaw vast changes in British society and gave her name to an age

 

Victoria was born in London on 24 May 1819, the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent, and Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg. She succeeded her uncle, William IV, in 1837, at the age of 18, and her reign dominated the rest of the century. In 1840 she married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. For the next 20 years they lived in close harmony and had a family of nine children, many of whom eventually married into the European monarchy.

On her accession, Victoria adopted the Whig prime minister Lord Melbourne as her political mentor. In 1840, his influence was replaced by that of Prince Albert. The German prince never really won the favour of the British public, and only after 17 years was he given official recognition, with the title of Prince Consort. However, Victoria relied heavily on Albert and it was during his lifetime that she was most active as a ruler. Britain was evolving into a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch had few powers and was expected to remain above party politics, although Victoria did sometimes express her views very forcefully in private.

Victoria never fully recovered from Albert's death in 1861 and she remained in mourning for the rest of her life. Her subsequent withdrawal from public life made her unpopular, but during the late 1870s and 1880s she gradually returned to public view and, with increasingly pro-imperial sentiment, she was restored to favour with the British public. After the Indian Mutiny in 1857, t


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