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London London is the largest city located in the south of the country. It is dominant in all sorts of ways. It is the cultural and business center and the headquarters of the vast majority of Britain’s big companies. It is not only the financial center of the nation, but also one of the three major international financial centers in the world. Robin Hood Robin Hood was a Saxon nobleman. As he could no longer put up with oppressions from the Normans, he became an outlaw and hid himself with his band of “merry men” in the forest. From this secret place, he went out to rob from the rich to give the poor. Anglo-Saxons They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England. King Arthur It is said that he was the King of England in the 5th century and united the British and drove the Saxons back with his magical sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt. He is the central figure of many legends. King Harold He was the Saxon King whose army was defeated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when William the Conqueror invaded England from France. The Bill of Rights of 1689 In 1688, King James II’s daughter Mary and her husband William were invited by the politicians and church authorities to take the throne, on condition that they would respect the rights of Parliament, The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 to ensure the King would never be able to ignore Parliament. The Constitution Britain has no written Constitution. The foundations of the British state are laid out in statute law, which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws established through common practice in the courts; and conventions. The functions of Parliament The functions of Parliament are: to pass laws, to vote for taxation, to scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day. The House of Lords The House of Lords