Glossary

Government by the people, usually through elected representatives. One of the fundamental principles of British life.

Everyone is equal under the law, including those in government. No one is above it.

Agreed in 1215. It placed legal limits on the power of the king and is treated as an early statement of rights.

The Habeas Corpus Act 1679 protects people from being held in prison unlawfully without a court hearing.

Confirmed the rights of Parliament and limited the monarch, including over taxation and a standing army.

People are free to live as they choose, provided they do not break the law or harm others.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is a separate country.

The island of England, Scotland and Wales. It does not include Northern Ireland.

The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. They are not part of the UK but the UK is responsible for their defence and international relations.

Places such as Bermuda, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar that have a constitutional link with the UK.

St George (England), St Andrew (Scotland), St David (Wales) and St Patrick (Northern Ireland).

The transfer of some powers from the UK Parliament to the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Successive prehistoric periods in Britain, ending with the Iron Age tribes the Romans met when they invaded.

Invaded in AD 43. They built roads, baths and Hadrian’s Wall, and left in AD 410.

Peoples from northern Europe who settled after the Romans and formed several kingdoms in what became England.

Raiders and later settlers from Scandinavia. Alfred the Great of Wessex defeated a Viking army and is the only English king called ‘the Great’.

William of Normandy defeated Harold at Hastings in 1066 and became William the Conqueror.

A 15th-century struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York, ending with Henry Tudor as Henry VII.

Henry VIII broke with Rome and established the Church of England. Elizabeth I’s settlement is a key later moment.

Conflict in the 1640s between king and Parliament. Charles I was executed in 1649; the monarchy was restored in 1660.

1603: James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, though the parliaments stayed separate until 1707.

United the parliaments of England and Scotland, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Britain became the first industrial country, with factories, canals, railways and rapid growth of towns.

Campaigners for votes for women. Emmeline Pankhurst led the more militant WSPU; Millicent Fawcett led a peaceful campaign.

The established church in England. The monarch is its Supreme Governor.

Celebrated in each nation — for example St David’s Day in Wales on 1 March.

The British Broadcasting Corporation, a public-service broadcaster funded mainly by the licence fee.

Protected landscapes such as the Lake District, Snowdonia (Eryri) and the Cairngorms.

The UK legislature: the House of Commons and the House of Lords, sitting in Westminster.

Elected MPs. It is the more powerful chamber and is where government must keep its majority.

The second chamber. It revises legislation. Members are not elected in the same way as MPs.

The voting system for UK general elections: the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins the seat.

The MP who chairs debates in the House of Commons and keeps order.

Senior ministers, chaired by the Prime Minister, who take collective decisions.

Judges and the court system. They are independent of government.

In Crown Court trials, members of the public who decide whether the defendant is guilty.

Contributions that help fund the NHS, pensions and other benefits. You need a National Insurance number to work.

A local tax on dwellings, used to help pay for local services.

Brought the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law so people can rely on those rights in UK courts.

A voluntary association of countries, most of them former parts of the British Empire. The monarch is Head of the Commonwealth.