Medieval Britain and Ireland

In Britain and Ireland, the Middle Ages are regarded to have begun with the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, ending with the Tudor Period in the 15th century.

Understand

The Roman Empire held present-day England and Wales as the province Britannia. Britain and Ireland were mainly populated by tribes who in modern times became known as Celts. The fall of the Roman Empire was followed by the migration period, in which the Germanic Anglo-Saxons invaded England, founding the first Germanic led kingdoms on the island. Some time after that initial invasion the nascent British romance language died out (unlike in France or Spain where the romance language continued to endure under Germanic rule) and the Celtic languages were forced into a continuing retreat into the fringes of the island with one refugee founded offshoot in Brittany on the mainland. These kingdoms were consolidated into seven major kingdoms by the 5th century, which lasted until a further consolidation into four kingdoms by the eighth century; this period is known as the Heptarchy, comprising of the kingdoms of East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex, and Wessex. This period of history inspired the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, which was adapted into the highly successful HBO television series Game of Thrones.

The 8th to 11th centuries are remembered as the Viking Age. The east coast of Britain, as well as Ireland, were invaded by seafarers from Norway and Denmark. Areas under Norse rule were known by the umbrella term "Danelaw". The Vikings were assimilated over time. The Normans, descendants of Vikings who settled in northern France, invaded England under William the Conqueror. Scotland was established as an independent kingdom and remained as such until 1707, repelling English invasions.

The Late Middle Ages from the 14th to 15th century were dominated by the Hundred Years War, where the English House of Plantagenet usurped the throne of the Kingdom of France, but were finally expelled from France. The Hundred Years War was followed by the Wars of the Roses from 1455-1487, which pitted the House of Lancaster against the House of York in a struggle for the English throne. The victory of the House of Tudor (who were allies with the initially-defeated House of Lancaster) over the House of York in 1487 at the end of the Wars of the Roses is generally regarded to be the end of the Middle Ages in England, and the start of the English Reneissance. Nevertheless, Wars of the Roses had a long lasting effect which can still be felt today in the rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire, which culminates in the intense and bitter rivalry between the football clubs Manchester United and Leeds United. This conflict also served as the main inspiration behind George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

The Middle Ages were followed by the early modern times. Under the House of Tudor, England annexed Wales and Ireland as client states, rose as a great power in the Age of Discovery, over time founding the British Empire.

Destinations

• 1 Battle. The site of the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, when the invading Normans under William the Conqueror beat the Anglo-Saxon army and killed the king Harold Godwinson. The Normans would eventually conquer all of England, William became the England's first Norman king and he ordered the Tower of London to be built. (updated Dec 2020)

• 2 York. The ancient capital of the former Roman province of Britannia Inferior is rich in Roman, Viking, Norman and medieval English history. The city walls are well-preserved and within are the magnificent Minster, cobbled alleys and wharves, and a teetering castle stump. (updated Dec 2020)

• 3 Lindisfarne, England. An early Christian monastery at the Northsea rocky shore. The Norse raid at Lindisfarne in AD 793 usually marks the beginning of the Viking Age.  

See also

• Castles in Britain and Ireland
• Grand houses
• Robin Hood