The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Short History of England, by G. K.
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Title: A Short History of England

Author: G. K. Chesterton

Release Date: March 25, 2007 [eBook #20897]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SHORT HISTORY OF ENGLAND***

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A SHORT HISTORY OF ENGLAND

by

G. K. CHESTERTON

London
Chatto & Windus
MCMXVII

Printed in England by
William Clowes and Sons, Limited,
London and Beccles.
All rights reserved

CONTENTS

PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION 1

II. THE PROVINCE OF BRITAIN 6

III. THE AGE OF LEGENDS 19

IV. THE DEFEAT OF THE BARBARIANS 30

V. ST. EDWARD AND THE NORMAN KINGS 43

VI. THE AGE OF THE CRUSADES 58

VII. THE PROBLEM OF THE PLANTAGENETS 71

VIII. THE MEANING OF MERRY ENGLAND 86

IX. NATIONALITY AND THE FRENCH WARS 104

X. THE WAR OF THE USURPERS 119

XI. THE REBELLION OF THE RICH 133

XII. SPAIN AND THE SCHISM OF NATIONS 151

XIII. THE AGE OF THE PURITANS 163

XIV. THE TRIUMPH OF THE WHIGS 179

XV. THE WAR WITH THE GREAT REPUBLICS 195

XVI. ARISTOCRACY AND THE DISCONTENTS 209

XVII. THE RETURN OF THE BARBARIAN 223

XVIII. CONCLUSION 238

A SHORT HISTORY OF ENGLAND

I

INTRODUCTION

It will be very reasonably asked why I should consent, though upon a
sort of challenge, to write even a popular essay in English history, who
make no pretence to particular scholarship and am merely a me