Lecture II history of Great Britain plan

The Napoleonic Wars.

• Beginning in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, a man of endless ambitions, led the French. At the height of his glory in 1812, Napoleon controlled most of Europe. In 1803, he began a plan to invade Britain. But in 1805, Ad­miral Horatio Nelson of Britain won a great victory over the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar, off the south­ern coast of Spain.
• Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815 in the Battle of Waterloo.

The Victorian Age.

• In 1837, an 18-year-old woman named Victoria became queen. She reigned for 63 years, until 1901—the longest reign in British history. This period is called the Victorian Age. During this pe­riod, the British Empire reached its height. It included about a quarter of the world’s land and about a quarter of the world’s people. Wealth poured into Britain from its colonies. British industry continued to expand, and the country was called the workshop of the world. Rail­ways and canals covered Britain, and telephone and telegraph lines linked the big cities. Literature and sci­ence flourished.