about england
"Essentially English history did not start with the Romans or the Normans. It was the Anglo-Saxons who created the monarchy and culture we still have today…. Everything that is wonderful and useful in England, from the language to the constitution, is traceable to them” David Starkey - Historian
England is a small country in the northwest corner of Europe.
The history of England and indeed the English people starts
with the early migrations from their continental homelands
of the Anglo-Saxons, a race of warriors who came to this country
and made it their own. Our early ancestors were an extremely
proud people, both tough and resourceful. They were a confederation
of closely related northern European tribes that in a short
space of time would merge into a single English identity.
These were the men who were to lay the very foundation stones
of the English Nation and whose ancestors would go on to shape
the modern world in which we live like none ever had, or will
ever do again.
The first large scale migrations occurred in the 5th century.
Squadrons of ships leaving the traditional homelands of Denmark
and Northern Germany first settled in the coastal areas, but
as more arrived small warbands pushed inland up the rivers
and waterways forming new communities as they went.
Our ancestors gave their name to this new land, England -
the land of the English, and the language they spoke Englisc
would over the years evolve into the modern day English that
we speak.
Small we may be, yet the English nation's influence spreads
to the four corners of the globe. When travelling abroad it
is virtually impossible to find anywhere untouched by English
cultural influence. Sports and games created by the English,
technology and invention, medicines which have saved countless
millions of lives, the industrial revolution - the spark that
changed the world forever, English television, music, theatre,
literature and culture. We have given the English language
to the world along with its greatest masters; Chaucer, Shakespeare,
Milton and Tennyson.
During the dark days of 1940 it was the English people who
bore the brunt of German aggression and it was the English
people who steadfastly refused to yield as Hitler tried in
vain to bomb them into submission. Our island was the sole
beacon of hope left for the subjugated peoples of Europe -
Britain stood alone against tyranny and, along with our allies,
saved western civilisation from destruction. No selfish reason
dictated this stance. The Germans did not want to fight us.
Quite the opposite, they actually admired us. The cost of
the war in both manpower and financial terms helped advance
England's fall from world eminence by decades. We stood alone
for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. Is
this all so easily forgotten?
Our glorious history stands testament to our sense of adventure,
fighting spirit and a confident and positive outlook that
in modern times we will do well to remember. Ours is a history
of invention, of development and advancement, both of our
own people and our neighbours near and far. Our martial spirit
and military history stand apart from any other nation.
It is also no accident that many of the ideas of individual
liberty and freedom that have helped shaped the modern world
first took root in our land and from our people. It is often
forgotten that the English have a rich heritage of radical
thought and action. We have produced a long list of English
radicals and great thinkers who have never allowed their thoughts
and ideals to be constrained by the times in which they lived
or the governments they lived under. In times gone by the
English have always been willing to take a stand for new ideas
in which they believed and have never allowed others to impose
their views upon them. The government feared the people and
it worked much better that way.
There are those who would say that these ideas of the freeborn
Englishmen and Anglo-Saxon democracy are a romanticised myth
but it is this very ideology that has shaped the development
of English society and our political and social history. The
idea of an early Anglo-Saxon democracy is at the core of the
English radical tradition and it was an outlook that many
paid a heavy price for but it was also the inspiration behind
such things as, the English Revolt (peasants' Revolt), the
Bill of Rights, the Levellers, Diggers, Parliamentarians,
19th century trade union movement and the Chartists. It also
inspired those who wrote the American constitution. It is
from our people who we have inherited our rights
as freeborn Englishmen. It has been our struggle,
and we should not allow others who care nothing for any of
this to give away our inheritance cheaply - especially when
it is not theirs to give.
Our heritage is a rich tapestry to be savoured, admired
and protected and yet, due to political correctness, it is
a history and culture that is to be denied us. Scottish, Irish,
Asian or any other culture you can think of is to be celebrated,
but we the English are not afforded the same opportunity to
celebrate our identity.
It is a national tragedy that through political correctness
we are unable to instil a sense of pride and belonging into
our children. Indeed, in times where many have no sense of
direction, when communities are fragmented, our Englishness
can provide that identity, pull everyone together and tell
us something of who we are and from where we came. Political
correctness in this country is used as an instrument of oppression,
a weapon in the hands of a small minority to deny the majority
their right to express their opinion and culture. As English
people we should utterly reject it in all its forms and never
allow those in positions of power to dictate to us what is
and what is not acceptable. They have not earned that right.
Never forget, our country was built by men of physical strength,
mental fortitude and unbreakable spirit. It was forged in
the heat of battle and nurtured in the inherent libertarian
instinct of those very first freeborn Englishmen These people
were our ancestors, our kinsmen and they are a part of each
and every one of us. Their story is our story.
We are the ones who have given so much to this world.
We are the ones who have touched this planet like
no others.
We are the ones who have so much of which to be proud.
Walk on. Stand tall...
We are the English!
The darkest hour is the one before dawn breaks. LONG
LIVE OUR BELOVED ENGLAND!
"Our ancestors took this land. They took it and made
it and held it. We do not give up what our ancestors gave
us. They came across the sea and they fought here, and they
built here and they're buried here. This is our land, mixed
with our blood, strengthened with our bone. Ours!"
Bernard Cornwell - 'The Last Kingdom'
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