First War of Scottish IndependenceWilliam Wallace: 1296-1305

The most famous period of Scottish History is the late 13th and early 14th centuries, when Scotland fought a series of battles to establish its independence from England. The two great heroes of the early war were William Wallace, a commoner, and Robert the Bruce, who after great difficulties, was crowned king of Scotland. At the time of the wars of independence, England was a vastly wealthier and more powerful nation than Scotland, and it had succeeded in at least partially subduing all of its near neighbors, including Wales and Ireland, and was intent on conquering France. The idea that Scotland could and did stand against England, purely by force of indomitable will, was a source of great national pride in Scotland for generations thereafter. The war did not free Scotland from any further interference by England, nor did it provide her with particularly good government, but it established the Scots reputation as proud and unconquerable people, a legacy they embraced for centuries afterward. England, under Edward I had brought both Wales and Ireland under its sway, and it desired also to expand its influence over Scotland. England's first strategy for taking over Scotland, was thwarted when the female heir to the Scottish throne, who was betrothed to the son of Edward I, died. The second attempt to assume control of Scotland by promoting a weakling king to the throne, and then running roughshod over the country, was thwarted by William Wallace, a commoner who refused to submit to the indignities of servitude to the English. When the young queen of Scotland, known as the 'Maid of Norway' died, there was no direct heir to the Scottish throne. Edward I, the English king was quick to promote the cause of John Balliol, and just as quickly demanded he do homage to the English King for all the lands in Scotland, which no Scottish king had ever submitted to before. Balliol paid homage, but refused to provide soldiers to help Edward fight France, since Scotland was a long-time ally of France. Using Balliol's refusal as justification, Edward campaigned in Scotland, first reducing the fortress at Berwick-on-Tweed, and then defeating a large Scottish army at Dunbar. After these smashing victories, Edward experienced little further resistance, and much of the country submitted without further bloodshed . The English governors imposed on the country by Edward however, had little regard for the rights of the Scots, and within a year, William Wallace, a commoner whose wife was murdered by a local English sheriff, had raised a rebellion across the country. The great victory of Wallace was at the Battle of Sterling Bridge, where his band of infantry soundly defeated an English Army. This was followed by the battle of Falkirk which would have likely gone in favor of the Scots, had more of the Scottish nobles decided to fight for the Scots instead of the English. Falkirk

was victory for the English, but a relatively barren one, although it did convince Wallace of the futility of raising an army of commoners unsupported by the local barons. Wallace was later hunted down and killed and for several years, England reigned supreme in Scotland.

United Kingdom Nowadays

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) and Britain, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another state the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and north, the North Sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west. The form of government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The capital city is London. It consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The latter three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capital cities, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast respectively. Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies and are not part of the UK. The United Kingdom has fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the prevalence of language, culture and legal systems in many of its former colonies. The UK is a developed country and has the world's seventh-largest economy by nominal GDP and eighth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It was the world's first industrialized country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The UK is still referred to as a great power and retains considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a recognized nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946. It has been a member of the European Union and its predecessor the European Economic Community since 1973. It is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the G8, the G20, NATO, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization.

Famous people
Keira Christina Knightley
(born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child on television and made her film debut in 1995. Knightley had a supporting role as Sabe in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) and her first significant role came in The Hole (2001). She gained widespread recognition in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham and achieved international fame in 2003 as a result of her appearances in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (200307).Since the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Knightley has become best known for starring in period drama films, such as Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007), Silk (2007), The Duchess (2008), A Dangerous Method (2011), and Anna Karenina (2012). Knightley has also appeared in a variety of genres of Hollywood films, including the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003), the historical action King Arthur (2004), the psychological thriller The Jacket (2005), biographical action Domino (2005), the drama The Edge of Love (2008), the film noir London Boulevard (2010), the dystopian science fiction Never Let Me Go (2010), the romantic drama Last Night (2010), and the dark comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012).Knightley has earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. Two years later she was nominated again for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, as well as the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Wright's Atonement. In 2008, Forbes claimed Knightley to be the second highest-paid actress in Hollywood, having reportedly earned $32 million in 2007, making her the only non-American on the list of highest-paid actresses.

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter, musician
and multi-instrumentalist. Adele was offered a recording contract from XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on Myspace in 2006. The next year she received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award and won the BBC Sound of 2008. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to much commercial and critical success. It certified four times platinum in the UK, and double platinum in the US. Her career in the US was boosted by a Saturday Night Live appearance in late 2008. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Adele released her second album, 21, in early 2011.The album was well received critically and surpassed the success of her debut, earning the singer six Grammy Awards in 2012 including Album of the Year, equaling the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. The album has also led to her receiving numerous other awards, including two Brit Awards and three American Music Awards. The album has been certified 16 times platinum in the UK; in the US the album has held the top position longer than any other album since 1985, and is certified Diamond. According to IFPI, the album has sold over 26 million copies worldwide. The success of 21 earned Adele numerous mentions in the Guinness World Records. She is the first artist to sell more than 3 million copies of an album in a year in the UK. With her two albums and the first two singles from 21, "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You", she became the first living artist to achieve the feat of having two top-five hits in both the UK Official Singles Chart and the Official Albums Chart simultaneously since the Beatles in 1964.With her third release from the album, "Set Fire to the Rain", which became her third number one single in the US, Adele became the first artist in history to lead the Billboard 200 concurrently with three Billboard Hot 100 number-ones. Adele is the first female in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have three singles in the top 10 at the same time as a lead artist, and the first female artist to have two albums in the top five of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.21 is the longest running number one album by a female solo artist on the UK and US Albums Chart. In 2011 and 2012, Billboard named Adele Artist of the Year. In 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1s 100 Greatest Women In Music and the American magazine Time named Adele one of the most influential people in the world. In 2013, she received an Academy Award as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for her song "Skyfall", written for Skyfall, the twenty-third James Bond film.

David Robert Joseph Beckham,

(born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who currently plays for French Ligue 1 club Paris SaintGerman. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player. Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.With United, Beckham won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons ,winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. On 20 November 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won three league titles in three different countries, when Los Angeles won their third MLS Cup. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was made captain from 15 November 2000 until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, during which he played 58 times. He earned his 100th cap against France on 26 March 2008, and became the all-time outfield player appearance record holder on 28 March 2009, when he surpassed Bobby Moore's total of 108 caps. With 115 career appearances to date, he has stated that he does not intend to retire from international football. Having missed the 2010 World Cup through injury, Beckham has not played for England since 14 October 2009. He remains 10 caps short of the record number of 125 caps by goalkeeper Peter Shilton, for a player of any position. Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals. Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. He is third in the Premier League's all time time assist provider chart, with 152 assists in 265 appearances. When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history, with his playing contract with the Galaxy over the next three years being worth US$6.5m per year. He is married to Victoria Beckham and they have four children Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James, Cruz David, and Harper Seven. In 2009, the couple's joint wealth was estimated at ~125 million.

Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams (born 13 February

1974) is an English singersongwriter, and occasional actor.

He is a member of the pop group Take That, but has found greater commercial success as a solo artist. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and group members, Williams left the group in 1995 to launch his solo career. On 15 July 2010, it was announced he had rejoined Take That and that the group intended to release a new album in November 2010which became the second fastest-selling album in UK chart history and the fastest-selling record of the century so far. In 2006 Williams entered the Guinness Book of World Records for selling 1.6 million tickets of his Close Encounters Tour in a single day. Williams has sold over 70 million records worldwide, which ranks him among the bestselling music artists worldwide. He is the best-selling British solo artist in the United Kingdom and the best selling non-Latino artist in Latin America. Six of his albums are among the top 100 biggestselling albums in the United Kingdom. He has also been honored with seventeen BRIT Awards more than any other artistand seven ECHO Awards. In 2004, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame after being voted as the "Greatest Artist of the 1990s." Williams is married to actress Ayda Field.

Orlando Bloom

Jonathan

Blanchard

(born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elfprince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings[1] and in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the

Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood films, including Elizabethtown and Kingdom of Heaven. He appeared in the ensemble films Troy, New York, I Love You, Sympathy for Delicious, and Main Street. Bloom made his professional stage debut in West End's In Celebration at the Duke of York's Theatre, St. Martin's Lane, which ended its run on 15 September 2007. On 12 October 2009, Bloom was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Bloom is married to Australian model Miranda Kerr.

Elizabeth II
(Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926]) is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states, known as the Commonwealth realms, and their territories and dependencies, and head of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations. She is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and, in some of her realms, carries the title of Defender of the Faith as part of her full title. On her accession on 6 February 1952, Queen Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,

South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon. From 1956 to 1992, the number of her realms varied as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. At present, in addition to the first four aforementioned countries, Elizabeth is Queen of Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Her reign of 61 years is currently the second longest for a British monarch; only Queen Victoria has reigned longer at 63 years 7 months. Elizabeth was born in London and educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the throne as George VI in 1936 on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947, she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with whom she has four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Her coronation service took place in 1953 and was the first to be televised. The Queen's many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and reciprocal visits to and from the Pope. The Queen has seen major constitutional changes in her realms, such as devolution in the United Kingdom and the patriation of the Canadian constitution. Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, the births of her grandchildren, the investiture of the Prince of Wales, and the celebration of milestones such as her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees in 1977, 2002, and 2012, respectively. Major events in the Queen's reign have included the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War, wars with Iraq and the War in Afghanistan. There have been times of personal sorrow for her which include the death of her father at 56, the assassination of Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten, the breakdown of her children's marriages in 1992 (a year deemed her annus horribilis), the death in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, and the deaths of her mother and sister in 2002. The Queen has occasionally faced severe press criticism of the royal family and republican sentiments, but support for the monarchy and her personal popularity remain high.

The 2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad[2] and commonly known as London 2012, was a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It took place in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The first event, the group stage in women's football, began two days earlier, on 25 July. More than 10,000 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated. It started on Friday 27 July 2012 at 0:00.Following a bid headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe and then-Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, London was selected as the host city on 6 July 2005 during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, defeating bids from Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris.London was the first city to host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment,

with an emphasis on sustainability. The main focus was a new 200-hectare (490-acre) Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site at Stratford, East London. The Games also made use of venues that already existed before the bid. Jessica Ennis was described by the BBC as the poster girl of the Olympics. The Games received widespread acclaim for their organization, with the volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm praised particularly highly. The opening ceremony, directed by Danny Boyle, received widespread acclaim throughout the world with particular praise from the British public despite some criticism leveled internationally on social media sites. During the Games, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning his 22nd medal. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time, so that every currently eligible country has sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games. Women's boxing was included for the first time; thus, the Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors

The Royal family are waiting a baby

Kate Middleton makes a rare public appearance postpregnancy announcement at Hope House on Tuesday (February 19) in London, England.The 31-year-old pregnant royal kept her hands cupped in front of her growing baby bump while making her way inside the home for women to recover from substance abuse issues. Start preparing for the arrival of the royal baby Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Kate Middleton) have revealed that their baby is due in July!Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in July, read a statement released by the Palace.The Duchesss condition continues to improve since her stay in hospital last month, the statement also said.Kate was hospitalized last month for severe morning sickness, but were glad to hear she is doing better!

Good to know
With the Olympics currently going on and taking place in London, I think this has only fuelled everyones obsession with everything British because really, everyone has at least one totally British thing they love (Whether its rock music, Harry Potter, the Royal Family, tea, soccer, culture, or the lovely British accent).So heres 69 fun facts about the UK. Big Ben does not refer to the clock, but actually the bell. London has been called Londonium, Ludenwic, and Ludenburg in the past. French was the official language for about 300 years The shortest war against England was with Zanzibar

in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

There is nowhere in Britain that is more than 74.5 miles from the sea.

The first telephone directory published in England contained 25 names. While the Great Fire of London was largely destructive, the casualty rate was just 8. The first hot chocolate store opened in London. There are over 300 languages spoken in England. The English drink more tea than anyone else in the world. In the Medieval Times, animals can be put on trial for crimes (and be sentenced to death!) The Star Spangled Banner (the American national anthem) was created by an Englishman. Pygg used to mean clay in olden day English. People kept their coins in clay jars that were called pygg jars, which have evolved into what we currently call piggy banks. Gargoyles were originally used as drain pipes! Buckingham Palace has its own police station. Chickens outnumber humans in England.

All about the Royal Family

Windsor Castle is the largest royal home in the world. The Queen has 30 god children. The Queen owns all the sturgeons, whales and dolphins in the waters within 3 miles from the UK. The Queen sent her first e-mail in 1976. Prince William wanted to become a cop when he was younger. He also has his own postage stamp. Its considered treason to place a stamp bearing the King or Queens image upside-down. Prince William paid $200 to sit in the front row and watch Kate in the fashion show.

Kate Middleton is allergic to horses. According to biography.com, when Kate was younger, the boys in her school rated her a 2 out of 10 for looks and personality. Prince William had a poster of Baby Spice on his boarding room wall. Prince Harry got in trouble for dressing as a Nazi to a costume party.

Famous Brits

When Nelson Mandela met the Spice Girls, he called them his heroes. Ginger Spice was originally Sexy Spice, but changed to better suit their younger fans. Francesca Gray wrote J.K. Rowling her first fan letter, but thought she was a man, and began her letter with Dear Sir J.K. Rowling is the first person to make a billion dollars from writing books. James Bonds code 007? was inspired by the author Ian Flemings bus route from Canterbury to London. No portrait was ever painted of William Shakespeare when he was alive. Macbeth is the most produced play ever written. On average, a performance is staged every 4 hours somewhere in the world. In the final episode of Skins Season 2, where Sid is looking for Cassie on the streets of New York, the reactions from people were real and unscripted. David Beckham has a fear of birds.

London

London is home to 4 World Heritage Sites The Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich, and Kew Botanical Gardens. The London Eye is the tallest ferris wheel in Europe. 25% of the people living in London today are born in another country.

There are 409 escalators in the London subways. 16% of UKs restaurants are located in London. The London Bridge is rumored to be hauntedpeople have claimed to see a woman in black roaming in the night. Everyone calls it the Tower of London, but the buildings full official name is His Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London. London is the first city in the world to have an underground subway system. If London were a country, it would be the 8th largest in Europe. Angel Tube Station has the longest escalator in Western Europe.

The 2012 Olympics

London hosting the 2012 Olympics is the first time a city has ever hosted the Olympics three times. The London 2012 Olympics is the first time that every country has at least 1 female athlete. The London Olympic Stadium is the lightest stadium in the world. Survival by Muse is the official song of the games. Its expected that 4 billion people will watch the opening ceremony (more than half the population of the world!) Sports equipment used in the Olympics will be given away to charity. The gold medals used are actually 93% silver and 1.3% gold.

Misc.

William the Conqueror ordered everyone to be in their beds by 8 pm. 80,000 umbrellas are expected to be lost annually in the London tube. There are over 30,000 people with the name John Smith in England.

Rudolf Hess was the last prisoner kept in the Tower of London. England has the highest rate of obesity in Europe. England brought the world soccer, rugby and polo. The highest temperature ever recorded in England was 38.5 degrees in Kent in 2003. The first fish and chips restaurant was opened in 1860 by a Jewish immigrant. England is 74 times smaller than the USA. The English invented the worlds earliest railways. The Beatles originally called themselves the Blackjacks, and then the Quarrymen. Other famous musicians/bands include: The Smiths, New order, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, The Cure, Black Sabbath, The Who, The Clash, Radiohead, Coldplay, Muse, Pink Floyd(the list goes on and on!) Bristol is known as the Seattle of England because of its youth culture and fashion. England is thought of as having the worlds worst food.