| CHAPTER I. |
| The ancient Britons: their houses—clothes—and food | Page [1] |
| CHAPTER II. |
| Religion of the ancient Britons—the Druids—the misletoe—the Druids’ songs | [3] |
| CHAPTER III. |
| How the Romans came and conquered the Britons, and made them work | [5] |
| CHAPTER IV. |
| How the Romans taught the Britons many things, and how some of them became Christians | [8] |
| CHAPTER V. |
| How the Romans made a market in London, and used money, and built a wall; and how they improved Bath, and many other towns | [10] |
| CHAPTER VI. |
| How the Romans left Britain; and how the Angles and Saxons came and conquered the country, and behaved cruelly to the people | [12] |
| CHAPTER VII. |
| How there were seven chief kingdoms in England; how Augustine and his friends came from Rome and made the people Christians; and how some of the young men went to Rome to be taught | [15] |
| CHAPTER VIII. |
| How the Angles and Saxons loved freedom, but made laws to punish those who did wrong | [21] |
| CHAPTER IX. |
| How Egbert became the first king over all England; how the Danes did great mischief to the people; how Alfred, after much trouble, drove them away; and how he built ships and did many other good things | [23] |
| CHAPTER X. |
| King Edward—King Athelstane; how he beat the Danes in battle, and took some prisoners; how he invited his prisoners to supper, and afterwards let them go free | [31] |
| CHAPTER XI. |
| How King Edmund was killed by a robber; how Bishop Dunstan ill-used King Edwy; how Archbishop Odo murdered the Queen; what Dunstan did to please the people; how King Edgar caused the wolves to be destroyed; and how his son, King Edward, was murdered by Queen Elfrida | [34] |
| CHAPTER XII. |
| Why King Ethelred was called the Unready; how the Danes drove away the English princes, and made Canute king; how Canute rebuked his courtiers, and improved the people; and how the Danes and Saxons made slaves of their prisoners and of the poor | [38] |
| CHAPTER XIII. |
| How King Edward the Confessor suffered his courtiers to rule him and the kingdom, and promised that the Duke of Normandy should be king; how some of his wise men made a book of laws; how Harold, the son of Earl Godwin, was made king; how he was killed in the battle of Hastings, and the Duke of Normandy became king | [42] |
| CHAPTER XIV. |
| William I.—1066 to 1087. |
| How William the First made cruel and oppressive laws; how he took the land from the English, and gave it to the Norman barons; and how he caused Domesday Book to be written | [48] |
| CHAPTER XV. |
| William II.—1087 to 1100. |
| How William the Second and Robert of Normandy besieged their brother Henry in his castle; how William was killed in the New Forest; and how London Bridge and Westminster Hall were built in his reign | [51] |
| CHAPTER XVI. |
| Henry I.—1100 to 1135. |
| How Henry the First married the English Princess Maude; how his son William was drowned; and how he desired that his daughter Maude should be queen after his own death | [54] |
| CHAPTER XVII. |
| Stephen.—1135 to 1154. |
| How Stephen was made king; and of the civil wars in his reign | [56] |
| CHAPTER XVIII. |
| Henry II.—1154 to 1189. |
| How Henry the Second did many good things for England; how the gentry went hawking; how Strongbow conquered a great part of Ireland; and how the kings of Scotland became under-kings to the kings of England | [58] |
| CHAPTER XIX. |
| How the Popes wanted to be masters in England; how that led to the murder of Becket; how Queen Eleanor made her sons rebel against their father; why Henry the Second was called Plantagenet | [63] |
| CHAPTER XX. |
| Richard I.—1189 to 1199. |
| How Richard the first went to fight in foreign countries, and the evil things that happened in his absence; how the Jews were ill-treated; how King Richard was taken prisoner; how he was discovered and set at liberty; and how he was killed in battle | [67] |
| CHAPTER XXI. |
| John.—1199 to 1216. |
| Why King John was called Lackland; how he killed his nephew Arthur; and how the barons rebelled against him, and made him sign the Great Charter | [73] |
| CHAPTER XXII. |
| Henry III.—1216 to 1272. |
| Why taxes are paid; how Henry the Third robbed the people; how Simon de Montfort fought against King Henry, and made him agree not to tax the people without the consent of the Parliament | [78] |
| CHAPTER XXIII. |
| Edward I.—1272 to 1307. |
| How Edward the First learnt many good things abroad, and did many more to make the people happy; how he caused the burgesses to come to parliament; how he made good laws; why he was called Longshanks | [81] |
| CHAPTER XXIV. |
| Edward I.—continued. |
| How King Edward went to war with the Welsh; how Prince Llewellyn and his brother David were put to death for defending their country; how he made war upon Scotland, and put Sir William Wallace to death; and how ambition was the cause of his cruelty | [84] |
| CHAPTER XXV. |
| Edward II.—1307 to 1327. |
| Why Edward the Second was called Prince of Wales; how his idleness and evil companions caused a civil war; how he was beaten by Robert Bruce at Bannockburn; how the Queen fought against the King and took him prisoner; and how her favourite Mortimer, had King Edward murdered | [89] |
| CHAPTER XXVI. |
| Edward III.—1327 to 1377. |
| How Queen Isabella was put in prison, and her favourite hanged; how Queen Philippa did much good for the people; and how Edward the Third went to war to conquer France | [92] |
| CHAPTER XXVII. |
| Edward III.—continued. |
| How the English gained a sea-fight; how King Edward and his son, the Black Prince, won the battle of Crecy; how Calais was taken, and how Queen Philippa saved the lives of six of the citizens; how the Black Prince won the battle of Poitiers, and took the King of France prisoner, and brought him to London | [95] |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. |
| Richard II.—1377 to 1399. |
| How Richard the Second sent men round the country to gather the taxes; how Wat Tyler killed one of them, and collected an army; how he met the King in Smithfield, and was killed by the Mayor; how King Richard behaved cruelly to his uncles; how he was forced to give up the crown to his cousin Henry of Hereford, and died at Pomfret | [101] |
| CHAPTER XXIX. |
| Henry IV.—1399 to 1413. |
| How Henry the Fourth had a dispute with Earl Percy and his son Hotspur about their Scotch prisoners; how the Percys went to war with the King, and were joined by Owen Glendower; how Hotspur was killed in the battle of Shrewsbury; why some men are made nobles, and how they are useful to their country; how King Henry punished people on account of their religion | [108] |
| CHAPTER XXX. |
| Henry V.—1413 to 1422. |
| How Henry the Fifth was very gay and thoughtless when he was Prince of Wales, but became a great and wise king; how he went to war with France, and gained the battle of Agincourt; and how the people lamented at his death | [112] |
| CHAPTER XXXI. |
| Henry VI.—1422 to 1461. |
| How Henry the Sixth became king while he was an infant; how the Duke of Bedford governed in France; how Joan of Arc persuaded the Dauphin and the French soldiers to take courage; how they nearly drove the English out of France; how Joan was taken prisoner, and put to death | [116] |
| CHAPTER XXXII. |
| Henry VI.—continued. |
| How Queen Margaret and Cardinal Beaufort are said to have caused Duke Humphrey to be murdered; how the wars of the White and the Red Roses were brought about; how Edward of York was chosen king by the Londoners | [119] |
| CHAPTER XXXIII. |
| Edward IV. of York. |
| 1461 to 1483. |
| How the Yorkists beat Queen Margaret at Hexham; how the Queen and Prince escaped to Flanders; why the Earl of Warwick was called the King-maker; how Prince Edward was murdered by King Edward’s brothers; how King Henry and the Duke of Clarence were put to death | [122] |
| CHAPTER XXXIV. |
| Edward V. |
| Only ten weeks of 1483. |
| How Richard Duke of Gloucester was guardian to the young King Edward the Fifth; how he put Lord Hastings to death, and made himself King; and how the little King Edward and his brother were murdered in the Tower | [127] |
| CHAPTER XXXV. |
| Richard III.—1483 to 1485. |
| How Richard the Third tried to make the people his friends; how the Duke of Buckingham rebelled and was put to death; how Richard was killed at Bosworth, fighting against the Earl of Richmond, who was made King | [130] |
| CHAPTER XXXVI. |
| Henry VII.—1485 to 1509. |
| How Henry the Seventh united the Parties of the White and the Red Roses; how Lambert Simnel, and afterwards Perkin Warbeck, rebelled against him, but were subdued; how the people began to improve themselves in learning; how America was discovered; how King Henry did many useful things, but was not beloved by the people | [133] |
| CHAPTER XXXVII. |
| Henry VIII.—1509 to 1547. |
| How Henry the Eighth made war upon Scotland and France, and gained the battle of Flodden and the battle of the Spurs; how he met the King of France in the Field of the Cloth of Gold; how Cardinal Wolsey fell into disgrace and died | [138] |
| CHAPTER XXXVIII. |
| Henry VIII.—continued. |
| How King Henry married six times; and how he got rid of his wives when he was tired of them | [142] |
| CHAPTER XXXIX. |
| Henry VIII.—continued. |
| How the Pope and the friars imposed upon the people; how disputes arose in England about religion; how King Henry seized the convents and turned out the monks and nuns; how he called himself Supreme Head of the Church, and put many people to death who did not agree with him in all things | [147] |
| CHAPTER XL. |
| How Sir Thomas More studied law and became an orator; the wise and good men who visited him; how he was for some time in the King’s favor, but was afterwards imprisoned and put to death, because he would not do everything the King wished | [153] |
| CHAPTER XLI. |
| Edward VI.—1547 to 1553. |
| How Edward the Sixth was taught to be a Protestant; how the Protector Somerset went to war in Scotland; how he caused his brother to be beheaded, and was afterwards beheaded himself; how the Duke of Northumberland persuaded the King to leave the kingdom to Lady Jane Grey, | [157] |
| CHAPTER XLII. |
| The Story of Lady Jane Grey. |
| How Lady Jane Grey was called Queen for ten days, and was afterwards imprisoned; how she was fond of learning; how she was persuaded to become Queen against her will; and how she and her husband were put to death by Queen Mary | [163] |
| CHAPTER XLIII. |
| Mary.—1553 to 1558. |
| How Sir Thomas Wyat rebelled against Queen Mary, but was overcome, and he and many others were put to death; how she offended the people by marrying the King or Spain; and how a great many people were burnt for being Protestants | [167] |
| CHAPTER XLIV. |
| Elizabeth.—1558 to 1603. |
| How Queen Elizabeth allowed the people to be Protestants; how they learned many useful things from foreigners who had been persecuted in their own country; how Mary Queen of Scots was driven from her kingdom, and was imprisoned, and at last beheaded, by Elizabeth | [171] |
| CHAPTER XLV. |
| Elizabeth.—continued. |
| How Queen Elizabeth refused to marry; how the ships and the sailors were improved in her reign; how some great admirals made many voyages and discoveries; how the King of Spain sent a great fleet and army to conquer England, but could not succeed; and how the English did much harm to Spain | [177] |
| CHAPTER XLVI. |
| Elizabeth.—continued. |
| How Ireland was in an evil condition from the conquest; how Elizabeth tried to improve it by sending it wise governors; how the Earl of Desmond’s and the Earl of Tyrone’s rebellions were subdued; how the Earl of Essex behaved ill, and was put to death; and how Sir Philip Sidney was killed in battle | [185] |
| CHAPTER XLVII. |
| James I.—1603 to 1625. |
| How the King of Scotland became King of England also; how he and the Queen behaved very unwisely; how he ill-treated the Papists and the Puritans; how the Papists intended to destroy the King and the Parliament, but were prevented; how Prince Charles and the Duke of Buckingham visited France and Spain; how King James did many foolish things, and left his subjects discontented | [189] |
| CHAPTER XLVIII. |
| Charles I.—1625 to 1649. |
| How Charles the First was governed by ill advisers; how he made the people pay taxes without the consent of Parliament; how the Earl of Strafford behaved very cruelly, and was beheaded; and how the King’s evil government caused a Civil War | [196] |
| CHAPTER XLIX. |
| Charles I.—continued. |
| How, after many battles had been fought, King Charles went to Scotland; how the Scots sold him to the English Parliament; how the army got the King into their power, and appointed judges to try him, who condemned him to death; how, after a sad parting from two of his children, he was beheaded | [202] |
| CHAPTER L. |
| The Commonwealth. |
| 1649 to 1660. |
| How the Scotch chose Prince Charles to be their King; how Oliver Cromwell quieted Ireland; how the Scotch put the Marquis of Montrose to death; how Prince Charles’s army was beaten by Cromwell at Worcester; how the Prince escaped to France after many dangers; how the English went to war with the Dutch, and beat them; how Cromwell turned out the Parliament, and was made Protector: and how be governed wisely till his death | [208] |
| CHAPTER LI. |
| Charles II.—1660 to 1685. |
| How Richard Cromwell was Protector for a short time; how the people chose to have a king again; how General Monk brought home Charles the Second; how there was again a war with the Dutch; how the great Plague was stopped by the great Fire; how the King chose evil counsellors; how the Scotch and Irish were treated with great cruelty; how the King caused Lord Russell and many more to be put to death | [214] |
| CHAPTER LII. |
| James II.—1685 to 1688. |
| How the Duke of Monmouth rebelled against James the Second, and was beheaded; how Colonel Kirke and Judge Jeffries committed great cruelties; how the people wished to get rid of James on account of his tyranny; how the Prince of Orange came over to England, and was made King; and how James escaped to France | [223] |
| CHAPTER LIII. |
| William III.—Mary II. |
| 1688 to 1702. |
| How there were troubles in Scotland and in Ireland; how William the Third won the battle of the Boyne; how he fought against the French, till they were glad to make peace; how Queen Mary was regretted at her death; how the East India Company was established; and how King William did many good things for England | [226] |
| CHAPTER LIV. |
| Queen Anne.—1702 to 1714. |
| How Princess Anne became Queen because she was a Protestant; how the union of Scotland with England was brought about; how the Duke of Marlborough gained the battle of Blenheim; how Admiral Rooke took Gibraltar; how the Queen was governed by her ladies | [232] |
| CHAPTER LV. |
| George I.—1714 to 1727. |
| How the Elector of Hanover became George the First of England; how the Pretender tried to make himself King, but was defeated; how Lady Nithisdale saved her husband’s life; and how the Spaniards were beaten at sea | [237] |
| CHAPTER LVI. |
| George II.—1727 to 1760. |
| How George the Second went to war with Spain, and with the French and Bavarians; how the French were beaten by Lord Clive in India, and by General Wolfe in America; how the young Pretender landed in Scotland, and proclaimed his father King; how he was beaten, and after many dangers escaped to Italy | [240] |
| CHAPTER LVII. |
| George III.—1760 to 1820. |
| How George the Third, after making a general peace, went to war with the Americans; how General Washington beat the English armies, and procured peace; why the King went to war with France; how Napoleon Buonaparte conquered many countries; how our admirals and generals won many battles; and how there were many useful things found out in George the Third’s reign, | [246] |
| CHAPTER LVIII. |
| George IV.—1820 to 1830. |
| How it was this King ruled the kingdom before his father died; how some bad men planned to kill the King’s ministers; how the Princess Charlotte died; how the Turkish fleet was destroyed at Navarino; how the Roman Catholics were admitted into Parliament; and what useful things were done in this reign, | [252] |
| CHAPTER LIX. |
| William IV.—1830 to 1837. |
| How the Reform Bill was passed; how slavery in our colonies was abolished; how there were revolutions in France and Belgium; how the cholera broke out; how railways were established; and how the Houses of Parliament were burned down | [255] |
| CHAPTER LX. |
| Queen Victoria.—1837. |
| How Hanover was separated from England; how the Queen married her cousin, Prince Albert; how a fresh revolution broke out in Paris, and how Louis Philippe escaped to England; how the Chartists held meetings; how we went to war with Russia; how the Sepoys mutinied in India; how the young men in Great Britain became volunteers; how Parliament was reformed the second time, and means taken to educate the people; how there were a great many discoveries and improvements made | [259] |
