!

THE FIRST INVASIONS

!" The Iberians were the first to settle in Britain. We

found out about them from archaeological remains like the megalith of Stonehenge in the South West of England.

THE IBERIANS

!" The Celts arrived in Britain

around 700 B.C. " They were tall and

muscular, had fair skin, blue eyes and blond hair

" They were farmers, fishermen, hunters and metal workers and they constructed earthworks on top of hills and used them like refuges and tribal centres

THE CELTS

!" They worshipped the natural

elements like sun, moon, trees and the water, which was considered a holy element because it generates life.

" They believed in immortality and transmigration of soul.

" Their priests were the Druids. They were important not only in religion, but also in justice, education and medicine.

" They held ceremonies in the heart of the forest and not in temples.

CELTS’ RELIGION

!

THE FIRST ENGLISH KINGS

!• The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex

was ruled by Alfred the Great from AD 871 to 899. He encouraged scholars and was the first English king to learn to read and write .

• After Alfred there was King Offa, who ruled from AD 757 to 796. He is remembered for minting the first silver penny.

• The first king to rule all England was King Athelstan, who reigned from AD 924 to 939.

!

THE VIKINGS

!" The Vikings are Scandinavian invaders. They

defeated Saxon England. King Alfred of Wessex was the only Saxon to stand against the Vikings. He encouraged education and scholarship, both as a way of placating God for the punishment of the Viking attacks and also as a way of promoting strength and unity.

!

THE NORMAN INVASION

!" Edward the Confessor ruled

Britain until 1042, when he died without heirs. His brother-in-law, Harold Godwineson, asserted his right to the throne and had himself crowned on the day of Edward’s burial.

" William, duke of Normandy, asserted that he had earlier been promised the throne by Edward, so he prepared to invade with his supporters.

!" On 14th October, in Hastings the two armies met and

that is one of the most important and famous moments in British history.

THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS

!

THE END A power point

bySara Elisabetta Visconti