The True History of England with Dan Snow

This chaotic period was instrumental in forging what would become England. The region, fragmented into multiple kingdoms such as Mercia, Wessex, Northumbria, and East Anglia, experienced continual warfare and shifting alliances. Alfred the Great's defense against Viking invasions and his conscious effort to create "Englishness" as a broader cultural and political identity marked a turning point. Alfred united disparate groups under the banner of the "English," emphasizing common language, religion (Christianity), and culture, thus enabling an embryonic national identity distinct from neighbors and invaders.

The Viking Age

The Viking incursions from the late eighth century onwards profoundly influenced England's trajectory. Dan Snow highlights the initial horror inspired by Viking raids, such as the infamous attack on Lindisfarne, which sent shockwaves through the Christian kingdoms of the British Isles. Over decades, the Vikings transformed from raiders to settlers, carving out areas of control such as the Danelaw in eastern England, which influenced place names and borders, with lasting cultural and linguistic effects.

Alfred the Great and his successors in Wessex undertook the reconquest and consolidation of England, pushing back Viking territories and fostering a unifying English monarchy. This era witnessed not only military campaigns but the gradual Christianization and integration of Germanic settlers, supporting the development of a literate, bureaucratic state capable of sustaining war efforts and governance. However, Viking power remained a persistent threat and external pressure that shaped England's political evolution.

The Norman Conquest and Medieval England

The year 1066 marked another seismic change with the Norman Conquest. William of Normandy's invasion defeated Harold Godwinson at Hastings and brought about a radical transformation of English society and governance. Dan Snow outlines the brutal nature of Norman rule, noting the decapitation of the Anglo-Saxon elite and the imposition of Norman lords across the country. The ensuing rebellions, especially in the north of England, required harsh military repression, including scorched-earth tactics that decimated local populations.

Norman rule also ushered in architectural, administrative, and legal changes, including the building of motte-and-bailey castles to consolidate power. The Normans, while conquerors, established a ruling consensus with some displaced English elites, gradually integrating to form a hybrid culture. This period laid the groundwork for the evolving medieval state, the feudal system, and the tension between monarch and aristocracy—features central to later constitutional developments.

Magna Carta

Within this medieval context, the signing of Magna Carta in 1215 during King John's troubled reign became a defining moment. Initially a peace treaty imposed by rebellious barons against a dissolute and antagonistic king, Magna Carta symbolized the curb on absolute royal power by codifying the rule of law and granting certain liberties to the nobility. Although King John soon reneged on it and civil war erupted, the charter was subsequently reissued and gained legendary status as a foundation of English legal tradition.

Dan Snow emphasizes that Magna Carta was not about democracy or popular rights in a modern sense, but rather an aristocratic assertion of privileges against royal arbitrariness. It gradually contributed to the development of consultative bodies wherein the king sought the consent of nobles and townsmen for taxation and governance—precursors to the Houses of Lords and Commons. Edward I's reign further institutionalized parliamentary structures, embedding constitutional traditions that shaped the British political system's evolution.

Conflicts with Scotland and Wales

England's medieval history was incomplete without its fraught relationships with Scotland and Wales. Edward I's attempts to conquer and integrate these Celtic nations illustrate the limits of English power and the enduring identities of the other British peoples. Scotland, with its rugged terrain and fiercely independent clans under leaders like William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, resisted English domination. The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 symbolized Scottish resilience, ensuring Scotland's continued sovereignty well into the future.

Wales, on the other hand, faced sustained pressure as English marcher lords established control over border territories. While Wales was largely absorbed into the English legal and administrative framework by the late 13th century, it maintained distinctive cultural elements and periodic uprisings. These conflicts underscored the fragility and contested nature of "England" as a political and geographic concept while sowing seeds for centuries of complex relations within the British Isles.

The Hundred Years' War

The protracted Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) signified both a dynastic struggle and a formative period for English national identity. Triggered by disputes over claims to the French crown, English monarchs like Edward III and Henry V waged ambitious campaigns across France, achieving famous military victories such as Agincourt. Dan Snow paints a vivid picture of the notable figures, including the valiant Black Prince and the tragic Henry V, whose deaths marked opportunities lost for lasting French conquest.

Crucially, this epoch saw the English language rise in stature, displacing French and Latin in official use and court culture by the fifteenth century. The war heightened the sense of Englishness as distinct and opposed to the French "other," solidifying national consciousness. Joan of Arc's intervention and the eventual loss of continental possessions complicated this picture but entrenched an identity that, despite internal fractures, began to take on the characteristics recognizable today.

The Wars of the Roses

Later in the 15th century, England plunged into the Wars of the Roses, a devastating civil conflict between the Lancastrian and Yorkist factions vying for the throne. These internecine battles decimated noble families and destabilized the realm. Dan Snow discusses key figures such as Richard III, whose controversial reign ended at the Battle of Bosworth Field where Henry Tudor emerged victorious, founding the Tudor dynasty and sealing the fate of Plantagenet ambitions.

This period encapsulated the brutal nature of feudal politics, where loyalty and legitimacy were fiercely contested, often violently. It also set the stage for the centralizing focus of Tudor rulers, who sought to restore and strengthen royal authority after decades of fragmentation and weakness. The Wars of the Roses became foundational narrative material that influenced how English history was later commemorated and imagined, including Shakespeare's dramatizations.

The Tudors and the Age of Expansion

The Tudor era heralded England's crucial entry onto the international stage and the beginning of its global ambitions. Dan Snow highlights Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church, the establishment of the Church of England, and the profound religious upheavals that followed. Under Elizabeth I, England experienced a cultural renaissance and naval expansion with figures like Francis Drake circumnavigating the globe, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and early colonial ventures in the Americas and Ireland.

However, Snow also reminds listeners that England's expansion was not uniformly "golden." The brutal suppression and colonization of Ireland wrought significant violence, and religious intolerance marked much of the period. The Tudors laid the foundations for England's imperial future but did so amidst contradictions: cultural flowering alongside military conquest and religious persecution, pioneering trade routes alongside exploitation.

The English Civil War

The seventeenth century plunged England into turmoil with the Civil War, the execution of Charles I, and the rise of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth. Dan Snow explores how conflicting ideas of monarchy, governance, and religion led to irrevocable changes in England's political landscape. The regicide shocked Europe, breaking the notion of divine right and anointed kingship, and ushered in a republican experiment that ultimately gave way to the Restoration.

Cromwell's militantly Puritan regime, marked by military discipline and religious radicalism, represents an extraordinary interlude where England experienced military dictatorship. Yet it was a moment that precipitated constitutional evolution. His death and inability to establish a lasting dynasty cleared the way for the Restoration monarchy under Charles II, who acknowledged parliamentary power. These events underpinned the development of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary sovereignty in Britain.

The Glorious Revolution

In the aftermath of the Restoration, tensions between monarchy and Parliament culminated in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Dan Snow recounts how James II's overt Catholicism and absolutist tendencies alienated many, resulting in his replacement by William and Mary under conditions that severely limited royal prerogative. The revolution was relatively bloodless but profoundly consequential, formalizing parliamentary supremacy and legal protections against authoritarian rule.

Legislation in the late 17th century established foundational constitutional principles: the king could not rule without Parliament's consent, laws were supreme, and religious toleration (albeit limited) began to take hold. This balance of power defined British constitutionalism and political culture, fostering a unique tradition of incremental reform and compromise rather than violent upheavals—a legacy that persists.

Industrial Revolution, and Global Supremacy

The 18th and 19th centuries saw Britain emerge as a dominant global power through industrial might and imperial expansion. Snow points out Britain's unique confluence of geography, abundant coal resources, and political stability enabled technological advances that propelled the Industrial Revolution. Innovations in transport, manufacturing, and finance supported military and naval superiority, which underpinned vast colonial acquisitions.

Britain's empire, the largest in history, was built upon economic exploitation and military conquest but also represented a significant export of British culture, governance, and technology. Continued rivalry with France and other powers fueled conflicts leading into the modern era. This phase defined Britain not just as an island kingdom but as a pivotal player in global history, shaping international trade, politics, and cultural exchange for centuries.

Modern Britain

Concluding with reflections on identity, Dan Snow stresses that being English or British is not fixed but fluid and subject to conscious choice. Throughout history, identity has been shaped and reshaped by cultural, religious, political, and social forces, often contested and redefined in response to internal and external challenges. The debates over flags, religion, and nationhood today echo historical struggles over belonging and authority.

He also notes that Britain's maritime heritage—a defining feature in its rise and global outlook—is often overlooked or undervalued in modern times. Furthermore, Snow cautions against complacency given the existential threats posed by climate change and systemic challenges that transcend historical political conflicts.