The Invention oI Britain

I Your new radio series ainrs to bust I some myths about British history. Which of these stood out for you? The most important is to do with England's relationship with the other parts of the British Isles. So for example, when I was at school, more than 40 years ago now, I was taught about the 'English Civil War', which was essentially presented as a dispute between royalists, who tended towards the divine right of kings, and the more earthy parliamentar- ians trying to assert the constitutional rights of Englishmen. Since then. most serious historians have revised the title to be the 'Wars of the Three Kingdoms'. Charles I was king ofEngland, Ireland and the Scots, and you cannot understand what was happening in England in the 1640s without linking it intimately with what was going on in Ireiand and Scotland, which was equallyviolent and equally profound. For me, this was a central myth that has been busted. The anglocentric view we have of British history is unsustain- able and wrong. But it is also interesting to look at the relationship between England and the rest of Britain, and ask why it was England that James Douglas, the Duke of Queensberry, 'king of the whole of Britain' until it presenting the Acts of Union to Queen - emerged as the central point of Great Britain. re-emerged in the personal mission of Anne in 1707. The union was prompted James Why was England determining the partly by Scottish financial troubles VI & I, who assumed the throne of England in relationships with the other nations, and 1603 to add to the Scottish one. He declared why is the centre of the UK not Dublin or himself the king of Britain, and referred to Edinburgh but London? Scotland as'North Britain'and England as The answer goes back to the relationships 'South Britain'. He introduced a common within England in the 8th-10th centuries, currency and attempted to push through the when Wessex, Mercia, Kent and then North- English parliament a fusion of the two umbria, which had been peopled by very systems, which would open up free trade and different groups, all eventually came together. freedom of movement - very much the sort of It was the beginnings of what was, for Europe, thing the EU has stood for. But the English a very early centralisation ofpower, and parliament started a commission to look into London became the centre ofthat power, his various ideas and rejected the whole thing. surrounded by the incredibly fertile lands of Nothing came to fruition under lames but Wessex, Mercia and Kent and the strategicaliy the idea of Britain was planted, and in 1707 vital area of Northumbria. This determined came the union of England and Scotland. that England would likely be in an This was largely because of a problem with economicaliy superior position to Scotland the succession. Queen Anne had several and Ireland (Wales was absorbed politically miscarriages and no heirs and the English into England relatively early on). And that is needed the Scots to accept the Hanoverians as whymuch of The Invention of Britainis her successors. Meanwhile, the Scots were about England trying to negotiate and facing serious economic problems and determine these relationships from a position manywanted to participate in the profits of considerable economic, and hence of England's overseas empire. military, strength. There was resistance in both parlia- -4\ **, - ments after all, they would first have to Misha Glenny: t'#iFe - Whendidtheidea ot aEritish #r*a', vote themselves out of existence. But the "The union, while identityemerge? difficult to achieve, union went through, and over the next two Britannia was a concept first introduced by would define world centuries the Scots benefited enormously the Romans, when it brieflywent up as far as politics for 200 years" from the growth of the British empire, the Antonine Wali across central Scotland. while Scotsmen and women But it went out offashion - except for a brief contributed hugely to its period when,lEthelstan proclaimed himself expansion. The Scots also

44 BBC History Magazine ie*- 1". ry! .n*: l*::

William of Orange sets sail for England in 1688. He was one of several foreign English monarchs

had an increasingly presence significant in the relationship with the Vatican and France. professions in London and the Scottish The fact that Ireland remained Catholic enlightenment of the late 18th century fed meant that England always saw it as an into this tremendously. Achilles heel - a treacherous territory through So this union, whiie very diflicult achieve to The fact you're which a Catholic invasion could come. This in 1707, led to an extraordinary fusion of Ied England in 1800 to pool sovereignty with inte11ectual, economic and militarypower Ireland but to exclude Catholics for a further that would never further than define world politics over the next 30 years, which reasserted confessional two centuries. 75 divisions that had ironically been overcome in miles from the the late 18th century with the formation of Herw far has Britxim heer: shapedby the United Irishmen [who sought to unite the e$tsid.e f{}rees? sea when you're country's Catholics and Protestants]. z Outside influences have been absoiutely Trying to reconcile the Protestants and the U a immense. We haven't had an English king o in Britain must Catholics since then proved almost impos- ( since I can't remember when. The o Normans sible until the Good FridayAgreement in the and Plantagenets came from France; the influence the 1990s. This was one ofthe key strategic errors Tudors were part-Welsh; way the Stuarts Scots of British policy, which led all the wayto the I with a strong dose of French; William III you Troubles and now Brexit. You can draw a Dutch; and relate to the o then came the Germans. That's line from the failure of the British to include ! almost 1,000 years of European monarchs. outside the Catholics in a British polity right up to Z Furthermore, the English and then Britlsh world the backstop. ! l royalty didn't give up the patently ludicrous 3 - claim to rule France until 1800. E{ox*r a irmp*rtaxet has &ritain's is}and l Our continental trading relationships were status heers f*r i8s ldstcry? critical in the growth ofour influence. In the I Our history has been very much shaped by J 19th century, the really key intellectual I that, because it has meant rve've had to be a relationship in Europe was between Britain, i seafaring nation from an early stage - and it l but England in particular, and Germany. r The has given us a certain amount of protection. cross-fertilisation of ideas between z these two When war was fought primarily at sea, it also drove the industrialisation - ofEurope. And gave us a tremendous advantage, from the era you : can see time and again that European of the Armada onwards. influences on Britain vice versa and were criti- In terms of identity, our island status does cal, on : an intellectual level and also because mean we are slightly culturaliy removed from ofthe religious question - notably, Ireland's the European mainland, but the idea that the

BBC History Magazine 45 The Invention oI Britain

My guess is that we'llbetalking aboutBritain as a historical entrty, not an active olle, 1OO years fromnow

Children from the loyalist community stand in front of a union flag mural in Belfast, 1971' Uriin! tt . ftoubles. 5ritishness is "intredibly strong" for these people, says Misha Glenny

there is endless mythologising and nostalgia Dutch feel less Dutch or the French Iess Why, after 3OO Years, is that British about the 'mother of parliaments', but in this French because they're not surrounded solely identity under threat now? There is the day and age it seems to me to be apretty by sea doesnt necessarily hold. Ofcourse, the There are a variety ofreasons. ludicrous anachronism not to have a written Dutch do always have to be looking over their reckoning of Britain finally comingto terms constitution. One of the reasons why the iden- shoulders at France and Germany and not just with the fact that it is no longer a colonial politics, although tity crisis is so profound is because we don't outwards to the sea - but then Ireland has power that defines global there know how the relationships between England, played a similar role in terms of England's the process is unpredictable. Meanwhile the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are consciousness, particularly ifyou take the are parts of the community - particularly regulated. You get different solutions for 1605 gunpowder plot, when fear of Catholics in Scots, but also the nationalists in Northern different parts ofeach country, and that leads England reached fever pitch. The existence Ireland - who identify much more strongly do, partly for to resentment, anger and political action, oflreland as a strongly Catholic territory with Europe than the English reasons' some of it intemperate. conferred on England a sense it was never safe. historical reasons, partly for pragmatic has a But there is no question: the fact you are There is a thesis, which I think lot going on at the trr light of these issues, do you think never further than 75 miles from the sea in going for it, that says what is that we will still be talking about Britain must influence the wayyou relate to moment is a crisis of English identity, not Britain in lOO time? the outside world. Irish or Scottish - although there is consider- Years' being able interplaybetween them, and also with Mybest guess is that, all other things we will probablybe talking about How far have the PeoPle of Britain regard to the European Union. I believe much equal, crash Britain as a historical entity not an active one adopted a British identity? ofthis was accentuated by the financial l00yearsfromnow. E The concept ofBritishness changes depend- of 2008, when a relatively small faction in ing on where you are. It is incredibly strong British society that was implacably opposed to Glenny is a journalist who has presented in Northern Ireland among the loyalist the European Union was able to capitalise on Misha of Ifu e Invention of..., covering a range of community- much more so than for people the catastrophe and channel a whole variety several series for BBC Radio 4. His books include in Bristol or Lincoln, for example, who, if ofdiscontent into branding Brussels as the countries, play certain McMafia,whichhas inspired a BBC One drama asked, would probably say they were English. centre ofall evil. And this does on I thinkthe mistake made habituallyby tropes ofBritish identity that have been people outside the country, ofconflating present for centuries. tB.itish' just *ith 'English', is at the very core of This is really only getting going. Brexit, the the crisis we are suffering now. Even after 300 whichever way it falls, will supercharge ) The four-part series The lnvention of years ofunion, the British identity is fairly issue, and whether we leave the European Britain begins on Radio 4 on SundaY or not, I flnd it difficult to see howwe Previous strands of EqE brittle and not as well entrenched in people's Union 24February. MDro the progrurnre can be heard cultural sensibilities as a Scottish, English or can avoid a major constitutional crisis in th" on BBC iPlayer Radio Welsh identity. UK. And on that issue of the constitution,

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