From the film Golden Age
we obtain the notion that Elizabeth I is one of England's greatest monarchs ¨C perhaps the greatest
Her forces defeated the Spanish Armada and saved England from invasion
she reinstated Protestantism and forged an England that was a strong and independent nation
Now we will retrospect part of British history
In the first section
we will introduce houses of UK
In the second section
we will pay more attention to the policies of Elizabeth I during her reign
In the third section
we will focus on the relationship between Britain and Spain
In the last section
we will get some knowledge of the discovery of New land and the slavery of native Americans in New England
In the United Kingdom
the form of its government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system
The current British monarch-since 6th February 1952 is Queen Elizabeth II
Recently people celebrate her 90th birthday outside Green Park in central London on April 21 2016
She has second birthday on every second Saturday in June
which is her official birthday as British national day
Elizabeth II as the official head of state
head of legal system
commander-in-chief of all armed forces and head of the Church of England has the incredible powers
She has the power to declare war and make peace in international affairs
She has the power to recognize foreign states and governments
to conclude treaties and annex or cede territory
She has the power to forgive all or part of a sentence passed on a criminal by granting a ¡°royal pardon¡±
She has the power to summon and dissolve the Parliament
She invites the leader of a party winning a general election to form a government
She appoints many important office holders
including government ministers judges diplomats and bishops
She gives many important honors and awards
It seems that the Queen has unlimited powers
BUT it¡¯s only theoretically true
The Queen reigns
but she doesn¡¯t rule
When we admire the legendary Queen
in the movie Elizabeth The Golden Age
another famous British monarch Elizabeth I comes into the stage
Some people would feel confused about the relationship of two Elizebaths
although they share the same name Elizabeth
they belong to different houses in the history of UK
Now let us retrospect them one by one
British history encompasses events that shaped and reshaped the world map
influential figures whose legacy remains with us today
For the aspect of British houses actually there are two versions
One is eight houses ten in another version
Chronologically
they are the house of Norman
the house of Plantagenet
the house of Lancaste
the house of York
the house of Tudor
the house of Stewart
the house of Hanover
and the house of Windsor
In the second version the house of Anjou is listed after the house of Norman
the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is listed before the house of Windsor
Houses from House of Norman to House of York
Who is the first King of England
The answer is William the conqueror sometimes William the Bastard
The Norman Conquest of 1066 is perhaps the best-known event in English history
William the Conqueror confiscated almost all the land and gave it to his Norman followers
He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman government
So the feudal system was completely established in England
Relations with the Continent were opened
and the civilization and commerce were extended
Norman-French culture language manners and architecture were introduced
The Church was brought into closer connection with Rome
and the church courts were separated from the civil courts
Have you learnt of the Hundred Year¡¯ War and the Wars of Roses
They all took place in the following three houses
First the house of Plantagenet was a royal house originated from the lands of Anjou in France
The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify several distinct royal houses
The family held the English throne from 1154
with the accession of Henry II until 1485 when Richard III died
In the 15th century
the Plantagenets were defeated in the Hundred Years' War and beset with social
political and economic problems BBC
Popular revolts were commonplace
triggered by the denial of numerous freedoms
English nobles raised private armies engaged in private feuds and openly defied Henry VI
The rivalry between the House of Plantagenet's two cadet branches of Lancaster
and York brought about the Wars of the Roses
The name Wars of the Roses refers to the badges associated with the two royal houses
the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York
a decades-long fight for the English succession
culminating in 1485
when the reign of the Plantagenets
and the English Middle Ages both met their end with the death of King Richard III
Henry VII a Lancastrian became king of England
Two years later he married Elizabeth of York
thus ending the Wars of the Roses
and giving rise to the Tudor dynasty
The Tudors worked to centralize English royal power
which allowed them to avoid some of the problems that had plagued the last Plantagenet rulers
The resulting stability allowed for the English Renaissance
and the advent of early modern Britain