What stage in British history do you think was the most defining moment?

[Nidan2Sandan]

Pre 2020!

What point do you think has had the biggest or most profound affect on Britain.

For me, its Henry II and Simon DeMonfort. It was when the King no longer had ultimate, utilitarian rule over the lands and the beginnings of parliament were founded. Parliament we still have today (yes, yes, I know today's is pretty shit).

Just to be clear, there are no wrong answers

The contraceptive pill in the 60’s.

@DGRossetti

The fall of Roman Britain and subsequent invasion of the Anglo Saxon/Germanic tribes.

How about the Roman invasion of Britain - 43 AD.

Personally I'm quite happy to start my clock for "Britain" at 55 B.C. when we get a mention in one of the biggest sellers of antiquity and beyond. It's where our documented story in the world begins.

I get where your coming from but the fall of the Roman empire was a siesmic event in European/Medditeranian area history. In Britan the fall of it allowed for the invasion of the germanic tribes here, and in Europe the subsequent rise to power of other groups like the vikings, franks etc.

In modern times, the invention of the Internet which has now invaded every aspect of daily life.

I'd say the Battle of Britain and the Enclosure Acts should be in the running too.

The black death ending feudalism
The pill freeing women
Electric lighting and central heating revolutionising the structure of the day.
Henry VIII and the break from Rome

Athelstan forming England that was eventually strong enough to dominate the other nations forming around it to make a UK and eventual empire.
World War parts 1 and 2 which accelerated the reversal process.

When people decided to settle and become farmers instead of hunter gatherers. Changed absolutely everything about humans.

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the slave trade, imperialism and the associated trade. It is a horrible and shocking part of our history. But so many of our financial institutions and our modern economy were a direct result of the slave trade.

I really recommend visiting the Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

@BiscuitLover3678

When people decided to settle and become farmers instead of hunter gatherers. Changed absolutely everything about humans.

That's not unique to Britain though ...

@Spiderelf

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the slave trade, imperialism and the associated trade. It is a horrible and shocking part of our history. But so many of our financial institutions and our modern economy were a direct result of the slave trade.

I really recommend visiting the Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

It may be a shocking part of our history, but it was (and I use the past tense advisedly) a part of human society far longer than it was not.

A lot of "Christians" forget that the bible tells them how to treat their slaves.

Agree 1066.

I'm so fascinated by the Elizabethan era though

Anyone that likes history and podcasts about it, I’d recommend The Rest is History podcast with Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. Mostly U.K. history but other countries histories too. Recently had a best monarch knockout competition. Final was Aethlestan and Queen Elizabeth 1st Iirc. Aethlestan won.

@londonmummy1966

Henry VII's victory at Boswell and his move to break the power of the nobility and have government run by people who were able rather than born into the right family.

I don't think that was his motive, or the effect of what he did. He wanted to break the power of the nobility because his rule was insecure, same as everyone else for the previous century (and a lot of the century afterwards). It's not like people in government had all been aristocrats before and weren't afterwards.

@Spiderelf

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the slave trade, imperialism and the associated trade. It is a horrible and shocking part of our history. But so many of our financial institutions and our modern economy were a direct result of the slave trade.

I really recommend visiting the Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

YY.

The Second World War. Had we lost it, the UK and Europe was lost.

21st December 1846 first general anaesthesia in Europe on this day without 1846 the events that happened in it, we wouldn’t have the medical profession we have today.

I asked DS (complete history geek) this a while back- think he was 14/15 at the time as I’m sure it was during lockdown 1 and we’d run out of stuff to talk about.
He thought it was the creation of the East India Company as it lead to colonialisation, trade links, slavery and various other things. He had some pretty compelling reasons for his idea.

The slave trade predates the creation of the East India Company, though, and colonisation (and arguably trade links).

@Spiderelf

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the slave trade, imperialism and the associated trade. It is a horrible and shocking part of our history. But so many of our financial institutions and our modern economy were a direct result of the slave trade.

I really recommend visiting the Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

Absolutely

Every single aspect of modern Britain was shaped by Empire

A number of the things on this thread the Industrial Revolution, the world wars, the long running monarchy don't happen without the Empire

Appologies for the link to the contempoary situation but Henry VIII and the resulting flipping of favour between Protestants/ Catholics and the outcomes of the Civil War have had a deep impact on the English psyche. The English don't tend to rebel openly, we stick with the devil we know. We rebel quietly... priest holes are a historic symbol of how the English tend to present an acceptable face to the world, and furtively do our own quiet little acts of rebellion. Pissed off English people don't tend to riot about their discontent, the consequences may get even worse (Cromwell!). I don't think little, subtle rebellions have their route in imperialism (which was controlled by the ruling classes not the working classes) I think it goes back deeper to shifting religious diktats and retaining personal beliefs and identities in centuries of volatile political/ religious changes. (Plus the identities involved in Northern Ireland, although the Highland Clearances of Scotland are also highly influentual there... but that also links to the Norman Conquest of 1066...)

Parting from the Catholic Church also later facilitated the dawning of the Industrial Revolution and the accompanying Midland Enlightenment of science and arts. Creative development wasn't curtailed by the church as it was in some other European countries which gave Britain a massive boost in industrial development. Unfortunately for many parts of the world this boost did also facilitate Colonialism.

1066 can still be felt through the monarchy and class system. We still have concepts of "old money" and "new money" nearly 1000 years later. Also still felt in British/ French relations. Coming from Normandy, William the Conqueror sealed a connection between England (and later the UK) and France and centuries of war over Norman/ British lands in France, and although the lands were lost by the Tudor era, again the religious split created by Henry VIII continued to feed Anglo-Franco conflicts. Scotland also retains a more Europhille identity, distinct from its dominant neighbour. The land ownership/ feudal system introduced by the Normans is still felt today and has been very influential in how the ruling classes of England/ Britain (but substantially England) have interacted with the world for nearly 1000 years since.
The legacy and influence of a bastard French Duke is pretty incredible.
Maybe if either Harold or Harald had won in 1066, Britain would have been closer to Scandinavia in culture.

We still have major routes largely following Roman roads and medieval city centres. A lot of our urban congestion is dowm to so many major towns and cities still having recognisably medieval layouts of narrow streets.

Great thread, re slavery though wasn't it common at the time and even slavers from other countries came to our shores to try and capture Britons?
It was rife everywhere?
Very sadly the riches that it brought us here though is the foundation of many companies and buildings we see around us. Having said that it's also ironic how sugar has now led to a heath emergency. Feels like karma..

Ed Miliband winning the Labour leadership contest.

(Well ok maybe not out of ALL our history, but I think it was a pretty huge turning point that resulted in a Tory win and thus Brexit).

I think the Roman conquest , taking resources such as slaves, and metals , iron silver and gold. And then leaving at the fall of the empire leaving a power vacuum which took centuries to recover from. I’d like to know more about those times.