“A soft power superpower
“The sun has not set on England yet!”
From Shakespeare to the Beatles, Harry Potter, and the Premier League
Enjoy the diverse history and culture of a British city while strolling through it.

Britain always appears in important events in world history.
The importance of the country of Britain in human history and culture is truly enormous.
From Shakespeare to Big Ben, the Beatles, the Premier League, and a diverse culture, to its history as a victorious nation in both World Wars.
As the country is made up of four regions—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—each with its own distinct history and culture, the UK's cities have unique and diverse stories.
As you stroll through the cities featured in this book and encounter their rich culture and fascinating history, you will naturally come to understand Britain's identity and, by extension, world history.

Licoricea was a Jewish female moneylender active in England in the early 13th century.
She was married twice, her second husband being David, a wealthy Jew from England.
After her husband's death, Licoricea inherited the estate and moved from Oxford to Winchester, where she expanded her usury business and gained social influence.
He was a wealthy financier who belonged to the top 1 percent of the Jewish community.
However, he was brutally murdered in his own home in 1277.
The three men accused of murder were brought to trial, but were eventually acquitted.

Benedict, son of Licoricea, became a metalworker who cut coins.
He was a Jew who belonged to the metal guilds of medieval England and Western Europe.
According to Jewish law at the time, Jews were not allowed to have contact with Christian communities, and Benedict was executed for violating this.
The tragedy of Lycorisia and Benedict in Winchester is a prime example of the oppression and discrimination suffered by Jews in medieval England.
---From "Winchester: A City Where Alfred's Fame Remains"

There is an interesting anecdote about King Athelbert's acceptance of Christianity.
One day, while Queen Bertha was still holding fast to her faith, she heard that Pope Gregory of Rome had sent 40 missionaries led by the monk Augustine to England to spread the gospel.
They headed to Canterbury in the Kingdom of Kent, which had close ties with the Frankish kingdom.
But when they reached the city gate, King Aethelbert, a pagan, rejected the Christians and would not let them into the city.
Queen Bertha appealed to the king, saying, “They are my friends and guests from afar, so I beg you to treat them well.”
The king allowed them in because they had promised to respect the queen's religion when they got married.
The king sent a message to the missionaries: “If you are a guest from the continent, you are welcome, but I hope you will leave quickly.”
However, soon after, the king was impressed by the sermons of the Augustinian monks and converted to Christianity, being baptized in the Church of St. Martin where the missionaries resided.
It was in 596 AD.
---From "Canterbury: The Heart of the Church, a World Heritage Site"

When you go to the Royal Naval Base to see HMS Victory, you naturally wonder why the ship is there in particular.
When you actually arrive at the port where the ship is, you will realize that this is an old shipyard commissioned by Henry VIII in 1495 and has the oldest surviving dry dock.
A dry dock is a place where facilities for building a ship are first built on dry land, then the ship is built, and once the ship is completed, the facilities are filled with water to float the ship and launch it.


HMS Victory was a first-rate battleship built and launched at Woolwich Dockyard in 1765, and is famous as the flagship where Admiral Nelson met his end during the Battle of Trafalgar.
The ship, badly damaged in the naval battle, continued to serve as a second-rate battleship for a long time after repairs.
The ship was destined for scrapping in the early 20th century, but in 1922, Sir Charles Doveton-Study, a former Admiral of the Fleet and President of the Institute for the Study of Navigation, wrote in The Times: “HMS Victory’s preservation value is not temporary.
After securing thousands of pounds in public funds through an appeal to the public, which included the words, “We and our ancestors should be proud of this ship and let our descendants feel the same inspiration she gave them,” she was transported to Dock 2 at Portsmouth Dockyard for extensive repairs.
Thus, HMS Victory became the oldest active ship in service, and now sits in the harbor of the Royal Naval Base, attracting countless visitors each year as a museum ship. As a symbol of the glory and tradition of the Royal Navy, HMS Victory continues to be revered and admired by generations to come.
---From "Portsmouth: The Naval Port City that Embraced the Hero Admiral Nelson"

The rapid expansion of universities brought many students into the city, which led to conflicts between them and local residents.
Conflicts between residents and students began to surface in 1209, when two students murdered a woman.
At the time, the local residents arbitrarily executed these students without legal procedures, and the school was dissatisfied with this.
This incident led some students and professors to leave Oxford and establish a new university in Cambridge.
There were continued clashes between Oxford residents and students after this, which eventually led to a shocking incident.

At the southeast corner of the intersection where the aforementioned Carfax Tower is located is a Santander Bank branch building.
This site was originally the site of a tavern called The Swindlestock Tavern, which opened in 1250.
The worst clash between residents and students occurred in this tavern on February 10, 1355, St. Scholastica's Day.
The incident began when several students complained about the quality of the pub's wine and got into an argument with the pub owner.
This led to a brawl and violence that lasted for three days.
At that time, armed gangs came to support the villagers and mercilessly massacred the students.
Students also resisted, but as a result, 63 students and 30 residents died.
This conflict is historically referred to as the Town versus Gown riot.
---From "Oxford: A University City with a Dark History"

The Stone of Scone is a square sandstone used in the coronation of Scottish kings in the 9th century. It was taken by Edward I of England in 1296 and placed under the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey.
In 1950, the stone was stolen by Scottish university students.
The Stone of Scone was then moved back to England, and in 1996 it was officially returned to Scotland and settled in Edinburgh Castle.
However, the British government returned the stone after receiving a promise from the Scottish side that the stone could be brought to London and placed under the coronation chair at each coronation.

The King's Sword (Scottish National Sword), displayed with the Scone Stone, was made in the 15th century and was used in the coronations of Scottish kings.
This sword also has a story.
After the execution of Charles I, Prince Charles (later Charles II), who was in exile in France, returned to Scotland from exile in 1650 and prepared for battle in order to eliminate Oliver Cromwell, who had executed his father.
However, because Cromwell's army was so strong, Prince Charles was defeated and fled back to France.
In the process, the royal steward moved the crown, scepter, and sword to Dunnottar Castle, a natural fortress, to prevent the symbols of royal authority from being stolen.
As Cromwell's army advanced, the situation became more precarious, so he dug a hole under the pulpit of a small village church near the castle and buried the crown and scepter, and broke the long sword in two and hid it in a hole dug under a bench at the back of the church.
Fortunately, these treasures were not stolen and are now stored back in Edinburgh Castle.
---From "Edinburgh: The Holy Land of the Reformation and the Capital of Scotland"

In particular, from the late 1960s onwards, the conflict between the two groups, 'republicans' who advocated for Irish independence and had nationalist goals and 'loyalists' who supported English rule, became more distinct in the Ulster region, and this deepened further.
The culmination of this conflict was the bombing of the McGurk's pub in Belfast city centre in December 1971.
A bomb was detonated by the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) a few weeks before Christmas in a pub frequented by republicans.
The incident left 15 Catholic civilians dead and 17 injured.
The Irish Republican Army (IRA), which included enraged republicans, detonated car bombs simultaneously in several locations in Belfast the following July, causing the "Bloody Friday" incident.
The incident left nine people dead and more than 130 injured.
Belfast was dubbed the world's most dangerous city in the 1970s and 1980s due to sectarian violence, and the Europa Hotel in the city centre was bombed 36 times during this period.

---From "Belfast: Northern Ireland's Capital, Free from Conflict and Pain"

Just past the second bridge (Prince Street Bridge) along the waterway from Floating Harbour towards the estuary, a crouching statue comes into view in front of a large arts centre.
This is a statue of John Cabot, an explorer from Italy.
And to the right, opposite the statue, a replica of the Matthew he sailed on is on display in the river in front of the Emshed Museum.

John Cabot crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in North America in 1497 at the direction of Henry VIII.
An Italian-born navigator and adventurer, he heard of the Age of Exploration, which began when Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain in 1492 and reached the Bahamas and Haiti.
He also dreamed of finding a new sea route to the East Indies to obtain valuable trade goods such as spices and silk.
Historians speculate that he went to Bristol to seek the funds and political support he needed to realize his dream.
Henry VII, who had just founded a new dynasty, took an interest in his plans.
Henry VII encouraged a monopoly trade centered around Bristol to strengthen royal power and secure finances.
So in March 1496, a royal patent was granted to Cabot and his three sons.
---From "Bristol: The Port City That Tastes the First Voyage to the New World"

As you explore the history displayed inside the keep, the dark story of Colchester Castle stands out.
Between 1644 and 1647, the people of East Anglia were terrorized by a man named Matthew Hopkins.
He called himself the Witch Hunter General and went around town with his assistants, using various methods to find people he suspected of being witches.
One of them was to prick the skin to find the devil's mark.
Another is to torture with tools such as handcuffs or waterboarding to force a confession.
In just four years, Hopkins accused over 230 people of witchcraft, most of whom were imprisoned in the city jail at Colchester Castle for trial to their deaths.
There is another tragic history.
In 1648, during the English Civil War, Royalist leaders Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lyle were executed outside the castle.
There is a legend that even today, grass does not grow where their blood was shed.
A small obelisk was erected to commemorate the spot.

---From "Colchester: The City with the Most Remaining Traces of the Roman Empire"