The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic. It takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century.[7] The Kingdom of England, which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union brought into effect a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland that created the Kingdom of Great Britain.[8]
England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills and plains, especially in the centre and south. Upland and mountainous terrain is mostly found in the north and west, including Dartmoor, the Lake District, the Pennines, and the Shropshire Hills. The country's capital is London, the metropolitan area of which has a population of 14.2 million as of 2021, representing the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan area. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom,[13] largely concentrated around London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East, and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century.[14]
The earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of
ice sheets began to recede, humans repopulated the area; genetic research suggests they came from the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula.[25] The sea level was lower than the present day and Britain was connected by land bridge to Ireland and Eurasia.[26]
As the seas rose, it was separated from Ireland 10,000 years ago and from Eurasia two millennia later.
The
Beaker culture arrived around 2,500 BC, introducing drinking and food vessels constructed from clay, as well as vessels used as reduction pots to smelt copper ores.[27] It was during this time that major Neolithic monuments such as Stonehenge (phase III) and Avebury were constructed. By heating together tin and copper, which were in abundance in the area, the Beaker culture people made bronze, and later iron from iron ores. The development of iron smelting allowed the construction of better ploughs, advancing agriculture (for instance, with Celtic fields), as well as the production of more effective weapons.[28]
During the
invade twice in 55 BC; although largely unsuccessful, he managed to set up a client king from the Trinovantes
.
Ancient history
The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD during the reign of Emperor
There is debate about when Christianity was first introduced; it was no later than the 4th century, probably much earlier. According to
decline of the Roman Empire, Britain was left exposed by the end of Roman rule in Britain and the withdrawal of Roman army units, to defend the frontiers in continental Europe and partake in civil wars.[35] Celtic Christian monastic and missionary movements flourished. This period of Christianity was influenced by ancient Celtic culture in its sensibilities, polity, practices and theology. Local "congregations" were centred in the monastic community and monastic leaders were more like chieftains, as peers, rather than in the more hierarchical system of the Roman-dominated church.[36]
Council of Whitby (664), which was ostensibly about tonsures (clerical haircuts) and the date of Easter, but more significantly, about the differences in Roman and Celtic forms of authority, theology, and practice.[36]
During the settlement period the lands ruled by the incomers seem to have been fragmented into numerous tribal territories, but by the 7th century, when substantial evidence of the situation again becomes available, these had coalesced into roughly a dozen kingdoms including
Denmark and Norway. However, the native royal dynasty was restored with the accession of Edward the Confessor
in 1042.
A dispute over the succession to Edward led to an unsuccessful Norwegian Invasion in September 1066 close to York in the North, and the successful Norman Conquest in October 1066, accomplished by an army led by Duke William of Normandy invading at Hastings late September 1066.[42] The Normans themselves originated from Scandinavia and had settled in Normandy in the late 9th and early 10th centuries.[43] This conquest led to the almost total dispossession of the English elite and its replacement by a new French-speaking aristocracy, whose speech had a profound and permanent effect on the English language.[44]
Subsequently, the House of Plantagenet from Anjou inherited the English throne under Henry II, adding England to the budding Angevin Empire of fiefs the family had inherited in France including Aquitaine.[45] They reigned for three centuries, some noted monarchs being Richard I, Edward I, Edward III and Henry V.[45] The period saw changes in trade and legislation, including the signing of Magna Carta, an English legal charter used to limit the sovereign's powers by law and protect the privileges of freemen. Catholic monasticism flourished, providing philosophers, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge were founded with royal patronage. The Principality of Wales became a Plantagenet fief during the 13th century[46] and the Lordship of Ireland was given to the English monarchy by the Pope. During the 14th century, the Plantagenets and the House of Valois claimed to be legitimate claimants to the House of Capet and of France; the two powers clashed in the Hundred Years' War.[47] The Black Death epidemic hit England; starting in 1348, it eventually killed up to half of England's inhabitants.[48]
Between 1453 and 1487, a civil war known as the
War of the Roses waged between the two branches of the royal family, the Yorkists and Lancastrians.[49] Eventually it led to the Yorkists losing the throne entirely to a Welsh noble family the Tudors, a branch of the Lancastrians headed by Henry Tudor who invaded with Welsh and Breton mercenaries, gaining victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field where the Yorkist king Richard III was killed.[50]
Early modern period
Queen Elizabeth I
(1558–1603)
During the
1535–1542 acts. There were internal religious conflicts during the reigns of Henry's daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The former took the country back to Catholicism while the latter broke from it again, forcefully asserting the supremacy of Anglicanism. The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor age of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I ("the Virgin Queen"). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history that represented the apogee of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of great art, drama, poetry, music and literature.[53] England during this period had a centralised, well-organised, and effective government.[54]
Competing with
Dutch and French in the East. During the Elizabethan period, England was at war with Spain. An armada sailed from Spain in 1588 as part of a wider plan to invade England and re-establish a Catholic monarchy. The plan was thwarted by bad coordination, stormy weather and successful harrying attacks by an English fleet under Lord Howard of Effingham. This failure did not end the threat: Spain launched two further armadas, in 1596 and 1597
The political structure of the island changed in 1603, when the
King of Great Britain, although this had no basis in English law.[57] Under the auspices of James VI and I the Authorised King James Version
of the Holy Bible was published in 1611. It was the standard version of the Bible read by most Protestant Christians for four hundred years until modern revisions were produced in the 20th century.
Based on conflicting political, religious and social positions, the
Restoration. With the reopening of theatres, fine arts, literature and performing arts flourished throughout the Restoration of the "Merry Monarch" Charles II.[59] After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, it was constitutionally established that King and Parliament should rule together, though Parliament would have the real power. This was established with the Bill of Rights in 1689. Among the statutes set down were that the law could only be made by Parliament and could not be suspended by the King, also that the King could not impose taxes or raise an army without the prior approval of Parliament.[60] Also since that time, no British monarch has entered the House of Commons when it is sitting, which is annually commemorated at the State Opening of Parliament by the British monarch when the doors of the House of Commons are slammed in the face of the monarch's messenger, symbolising the rights of Parliament and its independence from the monarch.[61] With the founding of the Royal Society
in 1660, science was greatly encouraged.
In 1666 the
Prince William of Orange to defeat James and become the king. Some English people, especially in the north, were Jacobites and continued to support James and his sons. Under the Stuart dynasty England expanded in trade, finance and prosperity. The Royal Navy developed Europe's largest merchant fleet.[63] After the parliaments of England and Scotland agreed,[64] the two countries joined in political union, to create the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.[56] To accommodate the union, institutions such as the law and national churches of each remained separate.[65]
Late modern and contemporary periods
Under the newly formed Kingdom of Great Britain, output from the Royal Society and other
English initiatives combined with the Scottish Enlightenment to create innovations in science and engineering, while the enormous growth in British overseas trade protected by the Royal Navy paved the way for the establishment of the British Empire. Domestically it drove the Industrial Revolution, a period of profound change in the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of England, resulting in industrialised agriculture, manufacture, engineering and mining, as well as new and pioneering road, rail and water networks to facilitate their expansion and development.[66] The opening of Northwest England's Bridgewater Canal in 1761 ushered in the canal age in Britain.[67] In 1825 the world's first permanent steam locomotive-hauled passenger railway – the Stockton and Darlington Railway – opened to the public.[67]
During the
Britishness and a united national British people, shared with the English, Scots and Welsh.[73]
London became the largest and most populous metropolitan area in the world during the Victorian era, and trade within the British Empire – as well as the standing of the British military and navy – was prestigious.[74] Technologically, this era saw many innovations that proved key to the United Kingdom's power and prosperity.[75] Political agitation at home from radicals such as the Chartists and the suffragettes enabled legislative reform and universal suffrage.[76]
Power shifts in east-central Europe led to World War I; hundreds of thousands of English soldiers died fighting for the United Kingdom as part of the
decolonisation, and there was a speeding-up of technological innovations; automobiles became the primary means of transport and Frank Whittle's development of the jet engine led to wider air travel.[78] Residential patterns were altered in England by private motoring, and by the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, providing publicly funded health care to all permanent residents free at the point of need. Combined, these prompted the reform of local government in England in the mid-20th century.[79]
Since the 20th century, there has been significant population movement to England, mostly from other parts of the
common market initiative called the European Economic Community which became the European Union. Since the late 20th century the administration of the United Kingdom has moved towards devolved governance in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.[82]England and Wales continues to exist as a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom.[83] Devolution has stimulated a greater emphasis on a more English-specific identity and patriotism.[84] There is no devolved English government, but an attempt to create a similar system on a sub-regional basis was rejected by referendum.[85]
The Secretary of State for Justice is the minister responsible to Parliament for the judiciary, the court system and prisons and probation in England.[96] Crime increased between 1981 and 1995 but fell by 42% in the period 1995–2006.[97] The prison population doubled over the same period, giving it one of the highest incarceration rates in Western Europe at 147 per 100,000.[98]His Majesty's Prison Service, reporting to the Ministry of Justice, manages most prisons, housing 81,309 prisoners in England and Wales as of September 2022[update].[99]
Outside the London region, England's highest tier is the 48
British monarch locally.[100] Some counties, such as Herefordshire, are only divided further into civil parishes. The royal county of Berkshire and the metropolitan counties have different types of status to other ceremonial counties.[102]
The second tier is made up of
shire counties
. In 1974, all ceremonial counties were two-tier; and with the metropolitan county tier phased out, the 1996 reform separated the ceremonial county and the administrative county tier.
England is also divided into local government districts.
Geographically, England includes the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, plus such offshore islands as the
to the west
by Wales.
England is closer than any other part of mainland Britain to the European continent. It is separated from France (Hauts-de-France) by a 21-mile (34 km)[106] sea gap, though the two countries are connected by the Channel Tunnel near Folkestone.[107] England also has shores on the Irish Sea, North Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
Most of England's landscape consists of low hills and plains, with upland and mountainous terrain in the north and west of the country. The northern uplands include the Pennines, a chain of uplands dividing east and west, the Lake District mountains in Cumbria, and the Cheviot Hills, straddling the border between England and Scotland. The highest point in England, at 978 metres (3,209 ft), is Scafell Pike in the Lake District.[111] The Shropshire Hills are near Wales while Dartmoor and Exmoor are two upland areas in the south-west of the country. The approximate dividing line between terrain types is often indicated by the Tees–Exe line.[112]
The Pennines, known as the "backbone of England", are the oldest range of mountains in the country, originating from the end of the
maritime climate: it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0 °C (32 °F) in winter and not much higher than 32 °C (90 °F) in summer.[115] The weather is damp relatively frequently and is changeable. The coldest months are January and February, the latter particularly on the English coast, while July is normally the warmest month. Months with mild to warm weather are May, June, September and October.[115]
Rainfall is spread fairly evenly throughout the year.
Important influences on the climate of England are its proximity to the
The fauna of England is similar to that of other areas in the
National Trust, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. There are 221 NNRs in England covering 110,000 hectares (1,100 square kilometres). Often they contain rare species or nationally important populations of plants and animals.[120]
.
The
coniferous forests (mainly plantations) which also benefit certain forms of wildlife. Some species have adapted to the expanded urban environment, particularly the red fox, which is the most successful urban mammal after the brown rat, and other animals such as common wood pigeon, both of which thrive in urban and suburban areas.[124]
England's economy is one of the largest and most dynamic in the world, with an average
mixed market economy, it has adopted many free market principles, yet maintains an advanced social welfare infrastructure.[128]
The economy of England is the largest part of the UK's economy.[129] England is a leader in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors and in key technical industries, particularly aerospace, the arms industry, and the software industry. London, home to the London Stock Exchange, the United Kingdom's main stock exchange and the largest in Europe, is England's financial centre, with 100 of Europe's 500 largest corporations being based there.[130] London is the largest financial centre in Europe and as of 2014 is the second largest in the world.[131]
London has also been named as the fastest growing technology hub in Europe, with England having over 100 unique tech companies with a value of $1 billion or more.
state-owned institution since 1946, is the United Kingdom's central bank.[134] The bank has a monopoly on the issue of banknotes in England and Wales, although not in other parts of the UK. The government has devolved responsibility to the bank's Monetary Policy Committee for managing the monetary policy of the country and setting interest rates.[135]
England is highly industrialised, but since the 1970s there has been a decline in traditional heavy and manufacturing industries, and an increasing emphasis on a more
Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanised and efficient by European standards, producing 60% of food needs with only 2% of the labour force.[138] Two-thirds of production is devoted to livestock, the remainder to arable crops.[139] The main crops that are grown are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, and sugar beets. England retains a significant fishing industry. Its fleets bring home a variety of fish, ranging from sole to herring. England is also rich in natural resources including coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, and silica.[140]
steam engine helped spawn the Industrial Revolution.[143]
The Father of Railways, George Stephenson, built the first public inter-city railway line in the world, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830. With his role in the marketing and manufacturing of the steam engine, and invention of modern coinage, Matthew Boulton (business partner of James Watt) is regarded as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in history.[144] The physician Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccine is said to have "saved more lives ... than were lost in all the wars of mankind since the beginning of recorded history."[145]
Inventions and discoveries of the English include the
England has a dense and modern transportation infrastructure. There are many
National Cycle Route
offers cycling routes nationally.
Rail transport in England is the oldest in the world: passenger railways originated in England in 1825.[159] Much of Britain's 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of rail network lies in England, covering the country fairly extensively. There is rail transport access to France and Belgium through an undersea rail link, the Channel Tunnel, which was completed in 1994.
world's second busiest airport measured by number of international passengers.[164]
By sea there is ferry transport, both local and international, including from Liverpool to Ireland and the Isle of Man, and Hull to the Netherlands and Belgium.[165] There are around 4,400 miles (7,100 km) of navigable waterways in England, half of which is owned by the Canal & River Trust,[165] however, water transport is very limited. The River Thames is the major waterway in England, with imports and exports focused at the Port of Tilbury in the Thames Estuary, one of the United Kingdom's three major ports.[165]
Successive governments have outlined numerous commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Notably, the UK is one of the best sites in Europe for wind energy, and wind power production is its fastest growing supply.[167] Wind power contributed 26.8% of UK electricity generation in 2022.[168] England is home to Hornsea 2, the largest offshore wind farm in the world, situated in waters roughly 89 kilometres off the coast of Yorkshire.[169]
The Climate Change Act 2008 was passed in Parliament with an overwhelming majority across political parties. It sets out emission reduction targets that the UK must comply with legally. It represents the first global legally binding climate change mitigation target set by a country.[170]UK government energy policy aims to play a key role in limiting greenhouse gas emissions, while meeting energy demand. Shifting availabilities of resources and development of technologies also change the country's energy mix through changes in costs.[171]
The current energy policy is the responsibility of the
healthcare system responsible for providing the majority of healthcare in the country. The NHS began on 5 July 1948, putting into effect the provisions of the National Health Service Act 1946. It was based on the findings of the Beveridge Report, prepared by the economist and social reformer, William Beveridge.[176] The NHS is largely funded by general taxation and National Insurance payments;[177] it provides most of its services free at the point of use, although there are charges for some people for eye tests, dental care, prescriptions and aspects of personal care.[178]
The government department responsible for the NHS is the
Secretary of State for Health. Most of the department's expenses are on the NHS—£98.6 billion was spent in 2008–2009.[179] Regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council are organised on a UK-wide basis, as are non-governmental bodies such as the Royal Colleges
.
The average life expectancy is 77.5 years for males and 81.7 years for females, the highest of the four countries of the United Kingdom.[180] The south of England has a higher life expectancy than the north, but regional differences seem to be slowly narrowing: between 1991–1993 and 2012–2014, life expectancy in the North East increased by 6.0 years and in the North West by 5.8 years.[180]
With over 56 million inhabitants, England is by far the most populous country of the United Kingdom, accounting for 84% of the combined total.[3] England taken as a unit and measured against international states would be the 26th largest country by population in the world.[181]
In 2007, 22% of primary school children in England were from ethnic minority families,[191] and in 2011 that figure was 26.5%.[192] About half of the population increase between 1991 and 2001 was due to immigration.[193]
English, today widely spoken around the world,[196] originated in what is now England, where it remains the principal tongue. According to a 2011 census, it is spoken well or very well by 98% of the population[197]
third language from the ages of seven, most commonly French, Spanish or German.[203] It was reported in 2007 that around 800,000 school students spoke a foreign language at home,[191] the most common being Punjabi and Urdu. However, following the 2011 census data released by the Office for National Statistics, figures now show that Polish is the main language spoken in England after English.[204] In 2022, British Sign Language became an official language of England when the British Sign Language Act 2022 came into effect.[205]
In the 2011 census, 59.4% of the population of England specified their religion as Christian, 24.7% answered that they had no religion, 5% specified that they were
Especially since the 1950s, religions from the former British colonies have grown in numbers, due to immigration. Islam is the most common of these, now accounting for around 5% of the population in England.[216]Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism are next in number, adding up to 2.8% combined,[216] introduced from India and Southeast Asia.[216]
A small minority of the population practise ancient
2011 census, there are roughly 53,172 people who identify as Pagan in England,[g] including 11,026 Wiccans.[h] 24.7% of people in England declared no religion, compared with 14.6% in 2001.[217]Norwich had the highest such proportion at 42.5%, followed by Brighton and Hove
The Department for Education is the government department responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including education.[218] State-funded schools are attended by approximately 93% of English schoolchildren.[219] Education is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Education.[220]
Children between the ages of 3 and 5 attend nursery or an Early Years Foundation Stage reception unit within a primary school. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 attend primary school, and secondary school is attended by those aged between 11 and 16. State-funded schools are obliged by law to teach the National Curriculum; basic areas of learning include English literature, English language, mathematics, science, art & design, citizenship, history, geography, religious education, design & technology, computing, ancient & modern languages, music, and physical education.[221]
The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD currently ranks the overall knowledge and skills of British 15-year-olds as 13th in the world in literacy, mathematics, and science with the average British student scoring 503.7, well above the OECD average of 493.[222]
Although most English secondary schools are comprehensive, there are selective intake
Higher education students normally attend university from age 18 onwards, where they study for an
tuition fees and living costs.[i] The first degree offered to undergraduates is the bachelor's degree, which usually takes three years to complete. Students are then able to work towards a postgraduate degree, which usually takes one year, or a doctorate, which takes three or more years.[228]
Roman forts, stockades and aqueducts.[235] It was the Romans who founded the first cities and towns such as London, Bath, York, Chester and St Albans. Perhaps the best-known example is Hadrian's Wall stretching right across northern England.[235] Another well-preserved example is the Roman Baths at Bath, Somerset.[235]
English Baroque style of architect Christopher Wren being particularly championed.[239]
modernist forms have appeared whose reception is often controversial, though traditionalist resistance movements continue with support in influential places.[j]
Gardens
Main article:
English garden
Landscape gardening, as developed by
English landscape garden. Gardening, and visiting gardens, are regarded as typically English pursuits. The English garden presented an idealized view of nature. At large country houses, the English garden usually included lakes, sweeps of gently rolling lawns set against groves of trees, and recreations of classical temples, Gothic ruins, bridges, and other picturesque architecture, designed to recreate an idyllic pastoral landscape.[242]
By the end of the 18th century, the English garden was being imitated by the
public parks and gardens which appeared around the world in the 19th century.[243] The English landscape garden was centred on the English country house and manor houses.[242]
RHS Chelsea Flower Show is held every year by the Royal Horticultural Society and is said to be the largest gardening show in the world.[245]
English folklore developed over many centuries. Some of the characters and stories are present across England, but most belong to specific regions. Common folkloric beings include
Early Renaissance style with their vivid and detailed style.[264] Prominent among 20th-century artists was Henry Moore, regarded as the voice of British sculpture, and of British modernism in general.[265] The Royal Society of Arts is an organisation committed to the arts.[266]
This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, this earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, this other Eden, demi-paradise; this fortress, built by nature for herself. This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.
research libraries, holding over 150 million items in almost all known languages and formats, including around 25 million books.[308][309] The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.[310] The Tate galleries house the national collections of British and international modern art; they also host the Turner Prize.[311]
The
historical marker scheme in the world, is a permanent sign installed in a public place in England to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event. In 2011 there were around 1,600 museums in England.[314] Entry to most museums and galleries is free.[315]London is one of the world's most visited cities, regularly taking the top five most visited cities in Europe. It is considered a global centre of finance, art and culture.[316]
Media
Main article:
Media in the United Kingdom
The BBC, founded in 1922, is the UK's publicly funded radio, television and Internet broadcasting corporation, and is the oldest and largest broadcaster in the world.[318][319] It operates numerous television and radio stations in the UK and abroad and its domestic services are funded by the television licence.[320][321] The BBC World Service is an international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest of any kind.[322] It broadcasts radio news, speech and discussions in more than 40 languages.[323][324]
London dominates the media sector in England: national newspapers and television and radio are largely based there, although Manchester is also a significant national media centre. The UK publishing sector, including books, directories and databases, journals, magazines and business media, newspapers and news agencies, has a combined turnover of around £20 billion and employs around 167,000 people.[325] National newspapers produced in England include The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, and the Financial Times.[326]
Magazines and journals published in England that have achieved worldwide circulation include
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has overall responsibility over media and broadcasting in England.[327]
Lord's Cricket Ground situated in London is sometimes referred to as the "Mecca of Cricket".[336] After winning the 2019 Cricket World Cup, England became the first country to win the World Cups in football, rugby union, and cricket.[337]
Rugby Football League Championship. Rugby League is most popular among towns in the northern English counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria.[340]
European Tour. The world's oldest golf tournament, and golf's first major is The Open Championship, played both in England and Scotland. The biennial golf competition, the Ryder Cup, is named after English businessman Samuel Ryder.[342]
the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and widely considered the most prestigious.[343] Wimbledon has a major place in the English cultural calendar.[344]
In boxing, under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, England has produced many world champions across the weight divisions internationally recognised by the governing bodies.[345]
Originating in 17th and 18th-century England, the
National Hunt horse race the Grand National, is held annually at Aintree Racecourse in early April. It is the most watched horse race in the UK, and three-time winner Red Rum is the most successful racehorse in the event's history.[346]
The
Formula One World Championship.[347][348] England has seen the manufacture some of the most technically advanced racing cars, and many of today's racing companies choose England as their base of operations.[349] England also has a rich heritage in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, the premier championship of motorcycle road racing, and has produced several world champions.[350]
The St George's Cross has been the national flag of England since the 13th century. Originally, the flag was used by the maritime Republic of Genoa. The English monarch paid a tribute to the Doge of Genoa from 1190 onwards so that English ships could fly the flag as a means of protection when entering the Mediterranean.
A red cross was a symbol for many
There are numerous other symbols and symbolic artefacts, both official and unofficial, including the
syncretic symbol in that it merged the white rose of the Yorkists and the red rose of the Lancastrians. It is also known as the Rose of England.[357] The oak tree is a symbol of England: the Royal Oak symbol and Oak Apple Day commemorate the escape of King Charles II
after his father's execution, when he hid in an oak to avoid detection by the parliamentarians before safely reaching exile.
The Royal Arms of England, a national
Saint George's Day: Saint George is the patron saint of England.[359]
^ONS Standard Area Measurement, 'area to mean high water excluding inland water'
^ONS Standard Area Measurement, 'total extent of the realm' (area to mean low water)
^As Roger Scruton explains, "The Reformation must not be confused with the changes introduced into the Church of England during the "Reformation Parliament" of 1529–36, which were of a political rather than a religious nature, designed to unite the secular and religious sources of authority within a single sovereign power: the Anglican Church did not make substantial change in doctrine until later."[52]
^Figure of 550,000 military deaths is for England and Wales.[77]
English descent are somewhat of an anomaly in that Chile itself was never part of the British Empire, but today there are around 420,000 people of English origins living there.[186]
^People who strictly identified as "Pagan". Other Pagan paths, such as Wicca or Druidism, have not been included in this number.[217]
^People who strictly identified as "Wiccan". Other Pagan paths, such as Druidism, and general "Pagan" have not been included in this number.[217]
^Students attending English universities now have to pay tuition fees towards the cost of their education, as do English students who choose to attend university in Scotland. Scottish students attending Scottish universities have their fees paid by the devolved Scottish Parliament.[227]
Prince Charles since the 1980s has voiced strong views against it in favour of traditional architecture and put his ideas into practice at his Poundbury development in Dorset.[240] Architects like Raymond Erith, Francis Johnson and Quinlan Terry
continued to practise in the classical style.
Edgar the Ætheling and his nephews of the Scottish House of Dunkeld, were still active in the isles.[249][251] Also Michael Wood explains; "Over the centuries the figure of Arthur became a symbol of British history – a way of explaining the matter of Britain, the relationship between the Saxons and the Celts, and a way of exorcising ghosts and healing the wounds of the past."[248]
^Wohleber, Curt (Spring 2006). "The Vacuum Cleaner". Invention & Technology Magazine. American Heritage Publishing. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
^"In depth history of the Church of England". Church of England. Retrieved 25 January 2017. The religious settlement that eventually emerged in the reign of Elizabeth gave the Church of England the distinctive identity that it has retained to this day. It resulted in a Church that consciously retained a large amount of continuity with the Church of the Patristic and Medieval periods in terms of its use of the catholic creeds, its pattern of ministry, its buildings and aspects of its liturgy, but which also embodied Protestant insights in its theology and in the overall shape of its liturgical practice. The way that this is often expressed is by saying that the Church of England is both 'catholic and reformed.'
The Times. 15 August 2010. Archived from the original
on 9 October 2012. It was made under the personal supervision of Walt Disney, and he took special care when animating British fantasy. He called them his "English Cycle".
Kenny, Michael; English, Richard; Hayton, Richard (2008). Beyond the Constitution? Englishness in a post-devolved Britain. Institute for Public Policy Research.
Koch, John (2006). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO.