英美概况备考资料.doc

1.  the Hardian’s Wall:
It was one of the two great walls built by the Romans to keep the Picts out of the area they had conquered.
2.  Alfred the Great
Alfred was a strong king of the wisemen. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons to advise the king. It’s the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today.
3.  William the Conqueror
William was Duke of Normandy. He landed his army in Oct, 1066 and defeated king Harold. Then he was crowned king of England on Christams Day the same year. He established a strong Norman government and the feudal system in England.
4.  the battle of Hastings
In 1066, King Edward died with no heir, the Witan chose Harold as , Duke of Normandy, invaded England. On October 14, the two armies met near a day’s battle, Harold was killed and his army completely defeated. So this battle was very important on the way of the Roman conquest.
5.  Domesday Book
Under William, the feudal system was established. William sent officials to compile a property record known as Domesday Book, which completed in 1086. It was the result of a general survey of England made in 1085. It stated the extent, value, the population, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It seemed to the English like the Book of doom on Judgement Day.
6.  the Great Charter
King John’s reign caused much discontent among the barons. In 1215, he was forced to sign a document, known as Mangna Cara, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Though it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberities, its spirit was the limitation of the king’s powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.
7.  the Hundred Years’ War
It referred to the intermittent war between France and England that last from 1337 to 1453. The causes were partly territorial and partly economic. When Edward III claimed the French Crown but the French refused to recognize, the war broke out. At first the Engl