Ecclesiastic History of the English People

Much like any country, Britain underwent a series of developments to attain its current status. According to the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastic History of the English People, the country began with a single occupant: the Britons. However, as time progressed, the island would be subjected to many more groups of people, all of which would inevitably shape the country and develop it into what it is today.

As the name implies, the country of focus was first inhabited by the Britons. These people came from the nearby Armorica, from where they traveled and ultimately settled in the southern part of the island. Despite the fact that Britain is not an immensely large island, the Britons did not have a large enough population to effectively encompass more than the southern section. Because of this, the rest of the island was left vacant, which in times of expansion and immigration, led to the introduction of a new group of people.

The Picts, sailing from Scythia, stumbled across Britain's western neighbor, Ireland. Pleading desperately, they asked permission from the Scots, the current inhabitants of Ireland, to settle on their island, to make a new home for themselves. Although the Scots adamantly refused the request of the Picts, they did offer them an alternative: travel east to Britain. They also offered their unconditional support should the Picts run into any trouble once they arrive. With a resurgence of hope, the Picts set sail towards Britain and ultimately settled in the northern half. This was convenient, as it was currently unoccupied and they were not interfering the Britain's other residents.

However, since women rarely-if ever-accompanied men on voyages, the Picts had no wives with which to populate their newfound place of residence. Their solution to this problem was to ask none other than the people that sent them there in the first place: the Scots. Their acquaintances, though, would not provide them with wives unless they unconditionally accepted these terms: if ever there was ever any dire circumstances that they must face, they would choose a king from the female royal race rather than from the male. With little choice and a desperate need for women, the Picts agreed. This was a pivotal development for the Picts, as they still use that method today.

It would not be long until the Picts were in contact with the Scots once again. Led by Reuda, the Scots migrated from Ireland and settled in Britain. The means in which this was accomplished is not certain, whether by simple migration or by methods of force, but the latter is suspected. This differs from the Pict migration, as they never interfered with the Britons, and the two groups lived their own separate lives. With the arrival of the Scots, however, things took a violent turn for the worse for the very first time on the island. These social developments undoubtedly set the country up for disputes between the groups, not only involving the current three inhabitants, but also anyone who would later settle there. It is reasonable to assume that conflict of this type was inevitable; there was only a limited amount of land available. In addition, the Scots in a way connected the formerly separated groups by settling near a gulf between the Britons and Picts. No longer were they isolated from one another.

But the violence would not stop there. Soon, the Romans would arrive in Britain for the very first time, and they had every intention of imposing their will upon the island's inhabitants. Led by Caius Julius Caesar shortly after his campaigns in Germany and Gaul, Roman ships sailed towards Britain and engaged in battle. However, things did not go well for the newcomers, as Caesar lost a considerable part of his fleet, no small number of soldiers, and almost all his horses. After this defeat he returned to Gaul to winter before his next attempt at conquest. He returned to engage the Britons, who, in turn, fled. Eventually, he Caesar captured the city of Trinovantum, with its commander Androgeus, who surrendered. Later, Caesar left for Gaul once more, but was immediately surrounded with angry war parties from all sides.

The second Roman to venture into Britain was Claudius, the fourth emperor following Augustus. Oddly enough, his mere presence on the island caused the Britons to flee and allow him to acquire the greater part of the land. He did not stop there, however, as he also added the Orcades, a series of islands which lie in the ocean beyond Britain, to the empire. It is thought that the Romans came to Britain because of its material wealth, which would of course be profitable for the empire.

The arrival of the Romans was perhaps the most pivotal for the island of Britain. The introduction of a superpower such as Rome could not possibly result in minor effects, but rather a complete overhaul of many aspects of life. With their superior influences based on sheer size and reputation, the Roman empire brought with them their religion, Christianity, among other cultural, economic, and political traits. As one can tell from Acts of the Apostle, the introduction of a new religion is a massive catalyst for change. Britain may have already had Christianity before the arrival of the Romans, but their influence was a prime contributor to the spread of the religion.

Also, the fact that the island was already divided between several groups of people played a significant role. In addition to different cultural traits, Christianity takes a prominent role when the Romans come, which starts an entirely new conflict amongst the people. Some chose to adopt this religion, while others were not as willing to change their beliefs. In fact, Lucius, the King of Britain, wrote a letter to the Pope asking to become a Christian. If the king of a country is converting his religion, then that will undoubtedly cause a great deal of civil unrest and instability amongst his people. From its early days, Britain was inhabited by solely by the Britons. However, as time progressed, these simple beginnings evolved as a flurry of others migrated to the island. Each group that appeared played their own part in the island's history, contributing their own cultural, religious, and political traits to the island as a whole. Ultimately, after a multitude of war, internal and external conflicts, and religious debates, Britain settled into the stable country that it is today.