Chapters / Chapter 3

A long and illustrious history

Chapter 3 is the longest chapter in the handbook, with about two fifths of all its words. It runs from the first people in Britain, through the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, the Middle Ages, the Tudors and Stuarts and the age of empire, to the two world wars and Britain since 1945. Many people find this chapter the hardest, because it holds so many names and dates. The handbook says dates of birth and death are not required, but many events have years you should know. The best approach is to learn the story in order, section by section, and attach the main years to it. Test yourself at the end of each section, and expect to come back to the chapter several times before it sticks.