Was Britain ever been invaded from the continent?

Question

Tell me more.

Answer 1

The Brits like to think that the last time they were invaded was the Norman Conquest in 1066 when William and his Norman army defeated Harold at Hastings and took over the country.

Prior to this, Britain had been invaded by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and other Germanic peoples. The Vikings had also invaded and, of course, there was the Roman invasion and occupation.

There have been other invasions (mostly minor) - the last of these being the French invasion at Fishguard in Wales of 1797 (see link below).

Ignoring these minor skirmishes on British soil, the last time Britain was truly invaded was the "Glorious" Revolution of 1688 when James II was overthrown by a union between the Parliamentarians and the Dutch stadholder, William of Orange. Although sometimes called the "Bloodless" Revolution (William was to all intents and purposes invited in to Britain) he did arrive with an army and there was fighting and loss of life in Scotland and Ireland. See link 2

Answer 2

The Norman Invasion in 1066 AD by William the Conquerer is the most notable. The Vikings spent many centuries ravaging the island as well. The City of York is an old Roman fortification with a viking fort on top of that with an English one on top of that.

Answer 3

Ancient Greece in Asia Minor Alexander the Great (Macedonia) conquered Persia and into India The Romans held large stretches for a long time, then the Byzantine Empire, whose capital was in present day Istanbul, Turkey During the Crusades, European armies conquered through Turkey and into Palestine/Israel The Russians are considered a European people, and most of their territory is in Asia During the age of imperialism most European powers had colonies in Asia, most notably the British, stretching from the mid-east to china and the indonesian islands. After WWI, the several countries allied to fight the Red Army in Russia, in Asia. WWII the allies fought Japan in east Asia The Soviet Union, Russia is European remember, conquered the Stans. The Gulf War, the current wars.....

Answer 4

Yep, Romans, Vikings, Normans.

Answer 5

If we count British waters, then the attempted invasion in the 16th C by the Spanish Armada could come into play here.

Answer 6

Yes by the French

Answer 7

norman invasion...