The British Legacy and

The Spirit of the CeltsGroup 1Period 3

Before we begin…* How many times has Britain has

been invaded?* What was the Celtic religion?* What was Stonehenge?* Who was Britain named after?* What aspect of the United States did

Great Britain and the Magna Carta influence?

Invaders of Britain• Britain has been invaded 6 times

throughout history by these groups…– Iberians– Celts – Romans– Angles and Saxons– Vikings– Normans

Iberians• The Iberians are

the oldest historically known inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula of Spain.

• Invaded Britain near 3,000 BC

Celts• The Celts were a

group of people that lived on the land stretching from the British Isles to Galatia.

• Invaded Britain in 500 BC.

Romans• Britain was first

invaded by the roman army led by Caesar In late August 55 BC, but Caesar was defeated.

• Caesar lead another invasion on Britain in 54 BC, this time he was successful in invading Britain

Angles and Saxons• Originated in

Germany, they invaded Britain and later settled in Britain.

• They slowly colonized northwards and westwards, then began to push the native Celt's and Roman Britain out.

Vikings• Invaded Britain in 878,

the Vikings slowly began taking over Britain.

• By 955, the Vikings, ruled over a united Britain. Britain's Government became centralized, and the king had the control to rule the whole country

Normans• Normandy invaded

Britain after a dispute over the English throne.

• Normandy won the dispute and their duke William became William I of england.

The Spirit of the Celts• The Celtic religion was a form of

animism.• What is animism?– The belief that everything has a soul or

spirit.• Celts said they saw spirits

everywhere.

The Spirit of the Celts• Some People

believed that Stonehenge was used by the Druids for religious rites having to do with the lunar and solar cycles.

• What was a Druid?– The Priest for the

Celts

The Brythons • Island of warriors called Celts• From the Celts were Brythons• Celtic people of Great Britain • Earliest evidence: Iron Age• Split apart after Anglo-Saxon• “Britain”-named after the land they

settled

Our Roots: Great Britain• Source of our rights

and government– Magna Carta (1215)– Rule of Law– Unwritten

Constitution• Made of several

documents and principles

Our Roots: Great Britain• Representative Government– Parliament– Bicameral (House of Lords, House of

Commons)• Basic Rights– Habeus Corpus– English Bill of Rights

Things to remember…* Britain has been invaded 6 times * The Celtic religion was a form of

animism, which is the belief that everything has a soul or spirit.

* Stonehenge was used by Druids (Celtic priests) for religious rites.

Things to remember…* Britain was named after the

Brythons* Great Britain and the Magna

Carta influenced our representative government and our basic rights.