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John of Gaunt being entertained by John I of Portugal, 14th century. The history of the relationship between Portugal and Britain dates back to the Middle Ages. England aided Portugal in the Reconquista, and after taking Lisbon in 1147, the first King of Portugal Afonso Henriques made the Englishman Gilbert of Hastings the Bishop of Lisbon. [2]
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance.The struggle of Elizabeth I of England against Philip II of Spain in the sixteenth century meant that Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War.
[8] [9] [10] Following the Industrial Revolution, which started in England, Great Britain ruled a colonial Empire, the largest in recorded history. Following a process of decolonisation in the 20th century, mainly caused by the weakening of Great Britain's power in the two World Wars; almost all of the empire's overseas territories became ...
The Modern White Dragon Flag of England is based on a legend in Geoffrey of Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain". [67] In modern times, it is often used by far-right English nationalist organisations. [68] 1620–1707: English Red Ensign: Ensign of the red squadron with the Flag of England in the canton 1620–1702: English White Ensign
A flag with red and white stripes and the flag of Great Britain in the canton. 1801–1858: East India Company: A flag with red and white stripes and the flag of the United Kingdom in the canton. 1858–1947: British India: Flag of the United Kingdom. 1880–1947: British India (Red Ensign) A Red Ensign defaced with the Order of the Star of ...
The Kingdom of Great Britain came into being on 1 May 1707, as a result of the political union of the Kingdom of England (which included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland under the Treaty of Union. This combined the two kingdoms into a single kingdom and merged the two parliaments into a single parliament of Great Britain.
The flag of Great Britain, often referred to as the King's Colour, first Union Flag, [1] [2] Union Jack, and British flag, was used at sea from 1606 and more generally from 1707 to 1801. It was the first flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain. [3] [4] It is the precursor to the Union Jack of 1801.
Great Britain (commonly shortened to Britain) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of 209,331 km 2 (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles , the largest European island , and the ninth-largest island in the ...