History of Britain

This course offers students a nodding acquaintance with British history, from the days when the British islands formed the half-­‐mythical limit of the known world, through the ages of Saxon, Viking and Norman conquest, to the English imperium, first over the rest of Britain, then, briefly and strangely, over a third of the human race. We will then consider how that imperium subsided, and how Britain began to break into pieces. History is a crushing presence in the United Kingdom more than in most parts of the world, and this module will be of use, not just to those considering history at university, but to anyone hoping to study in that country.