Great Britain Archives

King Charles III

King Charles III’s Early Life Born November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was the first child of then‑Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip and grandson of King George VI. On February 6, 1952, at the age of 3, he became heir‑apparent when his mother ascended the throne. At age 4, Charles […]

London

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom and one of the largest and most important cities in the world. The area was originally settled by early hunter gatherers around 6,000 B.C., and researchers have found evidence of Bronze Age bridges and Iron Age forts near the River Thames. Ancient Romans founded a […]

Queen Elizabeth II

Childhood and Education of a Princess When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the elder daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes‑Lyon, was born on April 21, 1926, she apparently had little chance of assuming the throne, as her father was a younger son of King George V. But in late 1936, […]

Spanish Armada

Philip and Elizabeth King Philip II’s decision to attempt an overthrow of Queen Elizabeth I was several years in the making. Despite their family connections—Philip had once been married to Elizabeth’s half‑sister, Mary—the two royals had severe political and religious differences and had engaged in a “cold war” for much of the 1560s and 1570s. […]

Great Awakening

First Great Awakening In the 1700s, a European philosophical movement known as the Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, was making its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized a scientific and logical view of the world, while downplaying religion. In many ways, religion was becoming more formal and less […]

English Bill of Rights

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, which took place in England from 1688‑1689, involved the ousting of King James II. Both political and religious motives sparked the revolution. Many English citizens were distrustful of the Catholic king and disapproved of the monarchy’s outright power. Tensions were high between Parliament and the king, and Catholics and Protestants […]

Glorious Revolution

King James II King James II took the throne in England in 1685, during a time when relations between Catholics and Protestants were tense. There was also considerable friction between the monarchy and the British Parliament. James, who was Catholic, supported the freedom of worship for Catholics and appointed Catholic officers to the army. He […]

Church of England

Church of England Facts The British monarch is considered the supreme governor of the Church. Among other privileges, he or she has the authority to approve the appointment of archbishops and other church leaders. The Church of England contends that the Bible is the principle foundation of all Christian faith and thought. Followers embrace the […]

British Parliament

Parliament’s Humble Beginnings The present‑day Parliament is a bicameral (“two chambers”) legislature with a House of Lords and a House of Commons. These two houses, however, weren’t always joined, and had their earliest beginnings in the Anglo‑Saxon council governments of the 8th century. The Witan was a small council of clergymen, land‑owning barons and other […]

Abdication

Abdication Throughout History Most of the world’s monarchies and empires have experienced an abdication of the ruling king, queen or emperor at one time or another. The Roman Empire, which controlled much of the Mediterranean region for centuries, from 753 B.C. to the 5th century A.D., experienced several notable abdications, including that of Lucius Cornelius […]

Princess Diana’s Death

Lady Diana Spencer: From Teacher to Princess Diana was born on July 1, 1961, to Edward John Spencer and his wife Frances. At the time of her birth, in Britain’s peerage system, her father held the title of Viscount Althorp. Her parents were divorced in 1969, when she was eight, and her father won sole […]

Royal Succession

Primogeniture Since the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, it was presumed that kings would simply pass the power to rule to their first‑born son. This line of succession, known as primogeniture, was also used to determine non‑royal heirs to property and wealth. However, almost from the very beginning, succession to the throne, […]