Histoire anglaise

ENGLISH CULTURE AND SOCIETY

1st lesson

BRITISH ISLES[pic 1]

• England[pic 2]
• Wales         Great Britain (it is an Island)        UK: United Kingdom
• Scotland
• Northern Ireland  

England: London and Dover are the main cities. Dover is the main harbour of England. On the east side of England, the best-known city is Brighton, because it is a Seaside Resort. On the west side Cornwall, Bristol, and Plymouth are the most important cities. Norwich, Birmingham in the Midland, while Yorkshire and the Humber (York), Newcastle upon Tyne, Liverpool and Manchester in the north are the main ones.

Scotland: is a different country to the north of England and there are two different landscapes that divide the country in two parts:

• The Highlands: very mountain area, rapped and the wildest. It spreads from the north to the east and includes Shetland islands, Orkney islands, and Hebrides (outer and inner) too.
• The Lowlands: flatter, more urban and domesticated area. It spreads from the west to the south. The main cities are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Inverness (Lockness). Ben Nevis is the highest mountain of Scotland and it’s located in the West.

The main language: English and its varieties (Scottish English)

Other languages: scots (spoken by 30% of population), Doric (spoken only in the north of Scotland) Scottish Gaelic (spoken by 1% of the population), and Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man).

Wales: includes the west coast of Great Britain and it’s possible to recognise 3 main regions:

• South Wales, main cities Cardiff and Swansea famous for Coal and Steel industry
• Mid Wales with the Cambrian mountain
• North Wales with Snowdon and Anglesey

There are 2 official languages: English and Welsh (=a Celtic language spoken by 19%, related to Cornish and Breton. It belongs to the Brittonic branch of the Celtic language family).

Ireland: The Island is divides in 2 sections:

• Northern Ireland (north) it is part of the UK. It has been influenced by British culture: practice of Protestantism and loyalty to the British crown. It is made up of parts of Ulster and includes 6 other countries (Down, Tyrone, Antrim, Londonderry/Derry, Fermanagh, Armagh). English is the official language and mother tongue, but other dialects are Ulster Scots/Ullans.
• The Republic of Ireland (south). Prevalence of Catholicism and strong Irish Nationalism. It is made up of Leinster Munster Cornwall and parts of Ulster. The first official language is Irish Gaelic, but English is the mother tongue.

Cornwall: is recognised as ethnic minority since April 2014 and it is protected by Britain, but it is a separate country.

The Isle of Man: it is not a part of the UK. UK gave independence to Isle of Man and kept foreign relationship with it. It is self-governed but recognised the crown. (crown dependency). The legend says that two giants (one Irish and the other one Scottish) decided to build a piece

The Channel Islands: they are not part of the UK. It is dived in two parts: Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey. They are self-governed by a bailiff (a chief justice).

NATIONAL IDENTITY

• Current union flag: union Jack (1801)
• Union of the original union flag and Ireland’s flag
• Instituted by king James I of England and IV of Scotland
• It was made to symbolise the union between England and Scotland and the cooperation of 3 flags (lack of Welsh flag) because during this period England was made up of England AND Wales.
• Flag of England= st. George’s Cross (the saint patron)

Flag of Wales= The red dragon (bc it was associated with king Arthur and the knights of the round table.

Flag of Scotland= st. Andrew’s Cross (the saint patron)

Flag of Ulster= st. Patrick’s cross (=British symbol for the army) loyalty to the British crown (=Unionism).

Flag of Cornwall= st. Pyran’s flag

Flag oft h Isle of Man= Triskelion (= 3 intertwined spirals) it is a symbol of stability, permanence, and solidity

Flag of the Republic of Ireland= 3 main colours: green, symbol of Irish nationalism; orange, symbol of British-ness and inclusion of unionism; white, symbol of peace between the 2 countries.

• National anthems: UK’s God save the Queen, Scottish “flower of Scotland” (rivalry between UK and Scotland), Welsh “land of my fathers”.
• National flowers: the emblem of England (made up of two roses= the red rose for the Lancaster family, and the white rose for the York family) union between the 2 families in 15th century thanks to the marriage between Henry VII and a Yorker 🡪 end of rivalry between the two families and beginning of Tudor’s dynasty.

The emblem of Scotland “the thistle” from a legend of 13th century (a barefoot boy saved by a thistle from the surprise attack of a Viking)

The emblem of Wales, there are two: Daffodils, associated with the Patron St. David this emblem is relatively new. The other one and most important is “St. David’s leek”, which has been around for thousands of years.

The emblems of Northern Ireland are a Shamrock, associated with st. Patrick’s explanation of the saint Trinity and introduction of Christianism; and the flax flower, to represent the economic boom during the industrial revolution: it was used in the linen industries to produce clothes and objects, it also represents the parliament.

• National animals: England’s gold lion with hind legs and crown, as symbol of the monarchy and of loyalty, royalty ì, strength, bravery, courage, and dignity. (king Richard Lionheart)

Scotland’s unicorn. It is believed to be a proud haughty stubborn beast, to die rather than to be captured. The other animal is the rampant lion, with blue claws, standing upright as ready to fight (against England)

Wales’ red dragon represent the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the round table (king Uther Pendragon).

Northern Ireland has not a national animal, instead the national symbol is a harp.

• The royal coat of arms of the UK is the union of all the national animals (except N.I.) the union of the 4 countries is represented by a belt called garter (the order of the garter= knighthood) on this belt is written “Honi sait qui mal y pense” in French and it is a motto, a threat (evil to whom evil thinks)

25 February 2021

THE CONQUEST OF WALES UNDER ED. 1

Dafydd, Llywelyn’s brother rebelled against Edward 1st. Welsch people decided to follow suit the rebellion but Llyelyn did not know what to do. What made up his mind was the death of his wife. Having nothing to lose he joined his brother in the revolution in 1282.

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