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UK/Irish History

Sometime before the start of the first millennium AD, the Celtic people of Western Europe took to boats and settled the two islands later known as Britain and Ireland. Since that time, the history of these two islands has been interconnected. The Irish invaded and created Scotland. The Norman British later returned the favour and launched an invasion that started centuries of fighting that lead to the political division of Ireland today.

Amidst this constant fighting, the two island have produced many of history’s biggest names: King Arthur, St. Patrick, Henry VIII, Shakespeare, Thomas Moore, Duke Wellington, Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, and so many more.

“A Party For Ordinary Blokes:” The Birth of Britain’s Labour Party, 1900-1924

One of the greatest political events of 20th-century British history was the twin rise to prominence of the Labour Party and the sudden demise...

General Cornwallis

General Cornwallis remains one of Britian's most debated military commanders. Lord General Charles Cornwallis was born on New Year’s Eve 1738, the eldest son to...

The War Fought Over “A Scrap of Paper:” England And The Outbreak Of WWI

On August 3, 1914, the British Foreign Secretary's, Sir Edward Grey, worst fears became realized. In less than a week, the carefully constructed old...

“A Prophet Before Her Time:” Beatrice Potter Webb, Part 1: Beatrice Webb’s Life Up...

Few political thinkers have influenced British society and politics in the 20th Century as much as Beatrice Potter Webb. She was a prodigious scholar,...

Lloyd George’s “People’s Budget,” and the Parliamentary Act of 1911, Part 2

As a result, Parliament was dissolved and the General Election was set for January 1910. The Liberals, before the crisis somewhat divided, went to...

Life in Regency England, Part 3: Summer Resorts

Remaining in London once the Season was over was a serious faux pas-no members of society were willing to be seen in London once...

The Exhumation and Posthumous Execution of Oliver Cromwell

After leading republican forces to victory in the English Civil War, Cromwell became Lord Protector. After the Restoration, his body was exhumed and hanged. Oliver...

“A Prophet Before Her Time:” Beatrice Potter Webb, Part 2: The Poor Law Commission...

Nineteen men and women were appointed the Royal Commission For Poor Law Reform and Relieving of Distress. Most of the appointees were social reformers,...

The Statute of Westminster (1931): Canada’s “Declaration of Independence”

It is very fitting, yet also odd, that our neighbo(u)r to the north has its own independence day in the same week as our...

Augustine of Kent

Augustine of Kent or Canterbury brought a lasting Christianity to the island of Britain. No one is exactly sure when or how Christianity first came...