Best Places to visit in the United Kingdom
Welcome to the United Kingdom! Whether you’re looking for a day trip from London or are more interested in visiting some of our outlying islands, we’ll help guide you through one of the most beautiful nations on earth. From the soaring peaks of Scotland to the sandy beaches of Cornwall and Wales, this is a country like no other.
The United Kingdom is comprised of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In this article, we’ll look at the history and culture of each country in chronological order. We hope you enjoy our guide!
England
(the original home of the English people)
The first country in the UK is England. First populated by bands of hunter/gatherers as far back as 900 BC, England is one of the oldest cultures in Europe. In the 8th century, the Angle and Saxon tribes began a migration into England. In 1066, William the Conqueror defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings and became King of England.
From this point, England was unified under the rule of the Kings of England, until 1707 when King James II was overthrown by supporters of his daughter Mary. The English Parliament took over government affairs in 1707 and passed legislation to limit the power of future kings.
In 1801, a democratic reform of the English Parliament created the United Kingdom of Great Britain in which England, Scotland, and Ireland became separate kingdoms. In 1837 with William IV ascended to the throne, the United Kingdom became known as “Great Britain.”
Although England was governed by a monarch until 1707, it is because of their unique understanding of property rights that the English have prospered since early days. In medieval times, laws and customs were established to protect private property when it was hard to know who owned what. The English recognized that no man should be allowed to do whatever he wants with his own property. The English had a clear concept of private property and strong laws protecting it.
Nowhere was the English concept of property rights more highly developed than in London. In the Middle Ages, London was much like New York City today. The city was full of wild animals, beggars, thugs and thieves. But there were also rich merchants who lived in London’s fine houses with their large staffs and security systems. In fact, London’s rich merchants became so powerful that most of the city was theirs. The only problem was that they could not easily transfer their money from one place to another.
This was because of the many people who were constantly trying to get into the City of London. At that time, London had a strong system of laws and customs regulating its activities. One custom was known as “wardrobing. ” This custom stated that no one could store goods in a warehouse in the city without paying an annual fee to the watchmen. Since all the watchmen needed for their jobs were salaried, they were forced to turn all their fees over to the king.
The king used this money to hire guards who watched over London. It took a long time for the king to pay off these guards, who then became his own suppliers of food and other supplies. The guards were also allowed to rob any merchant on the street who they felt was being unfairly profitable. They could even steal a merchant’s entire store of goods if they thought he was being too profitable.
In this way, all London merchants were forced to pay a certain amount of money each year to the king and his guards. Because all London shops had to pay these fees, prices in London rose above those in other parts of the country.