Early Britain

The Stone Age to the Iron Age

• Britain's earliest inhabitants were hunter-gatherers who came from mainland Europe
• Stonehenge was built in several stages over approximately 1,500 years — a famous prehistoric monument still standing today
• In the Bronze Age, people learned to make tools from metals
• In the Iron Age, Celtic tribes from central Europe settled in Britain, bringing the Celtic languages that survive today in parts of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland

Roman Britain (AD 43–410)

• The Romans invaded Britain successfully in AD 43, led by Emperor Claudius
• They ruled for approximately 400 years
• Hadrian's Wall was built on the orders of Emperor Hadrian to keep out the Picts in what is now Scotland
• Romans built roads, public buildings, and created a unified system of law
• Romans left Britain in AD 410 as the Roman Empire was in decline

The Anglo-Saxons

• After the Romans left, tribes from northern Europe (the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons) invaded and settled
• They spoke Anglo-Saxon (Old English), which is the basis of modern English
• The Anglo-Saxons established several kingdoms across Britain
• King Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and defeated the Vikings

Christianity in Britain

• St Patrick — associated with spreading Christianity to Ireland
• St Columba — founded a monastery on the island of Iona (Scotland) and spread Christianity in Scotland
• St Augustine — led missionaries from Rome to spread Christianity in southern England

The Vikings

• The Vikings came from Denmark and Norway, raiding and later settling in parts of Britain
• They were eventually defeated and integrated, particularly after King Alfred the Great's campaigns