英美概况备考资料!-名词解释部分1.the Hardians 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 GreatAlfred was a strong king of the wisemen. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons to advise the king. Its the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today. 3.William the ConquerorWilliam 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 HastingsIn 1066, King Edward died with no heir, the Witan chose Harold as king.William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England. On October 14, the two armies met near Hasting.After a days battle, Harold was killed and his army completely defeated. So this battle was very important on the way of the Roman conquest. 5.Domesday BookUnder 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 CharterKing Johns 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 kings powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land. 7.the Hundred Years WarIt 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 English were successful, but in the end, they were defeated and lost almost all their possessions in France. The expelling of the English was a blessing for both countries. 8.Joan of ArcShe was a national heroine of France during the Hundred Years War. She successfully led the French to drive the English out of France. 9.the Black DeathIt was the deadly bubonic plague who spread through Europe in the 14th century. It swept through England without warning and any cure, and sparing no victims. It killed between half and one-third of the population of England. Thus, much land was left untended and labour was short. It caused far-reaching economic consequences. 10.the Wars of RosesThey referred to the battles between the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485. The former was symbolized by the red rose, and the latter by the white one. After the wars, feudalism received its death blow and the kings power became supreme. Thdor monarchs ruled England and Wales for over two hundred years. 11.Bloody MaryHenry VIIIs daughter and a devout Catholic. When she became Queen, she persecuted and burnt many Protestants. So she was given the nickname “Bloody Mary”. Mary is also remembered as the monarch who lost the French port of Calais. 12.Elizabeth IOne of the greatest monarchs in British history. She reigned England, Wales and Ireland for 45 years and remained single. Her reign was a time of confident English nationalism and of great achievements in literature and other arts, in exploration and in battle. 13.Oliver CromwellThe leader during the Civil War who led the New Model Army to defeat the king and condemned him to death. Then he declared England a Commonwealth and made himself Lord of Protector. He ruled England till the restoration of charles II in 1660. 14.the Bill of RightsIn 1689, William and Mary accepted the Bill of Rights to be crowned jointly. The bill excluded any Roman Catholic from the succession, confirmed the principle of parliamentary supremacy and guaranteed free speech within both the two Houses. Thus the age of constitutional monarchy began. 15.Whigs and ToriesIt referred to the two party names which originated with the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Whigs were those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the right to religious freedom for Noncomformists. The Tories were those who supported hereditary monarchy and were reluctant to remove kings. The Whigs formed a coalition with dissident Tories and became the Liberal Party. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party. 16.James WattThe Scottish inventor who produced an efficient steam engine with rotary motion that could be applied to textile and other machinery. 17.Winston ChurchillPrime Minister of Britain during the Second World War. He took over Chamberlain in 1940 and received massive popular support. He led his country to final victory in 1945. He was