An authoritative survey of the history of English-speaking peoples throughout the world combines intriguing, closely observed biographical profiles--of Alfred the Great, Victoria, Joan of Arc, Lincoln, and other notables--with an account of the key events and issues of the era. The narrative commences fifty-five years before the birth of Christ, when Julius Caesar famously "turned his gaze upon Britain," and concludes in the year 1900. The beginnings of Parliament, the Church, and the monarchy are all analyzed alongside this comprehensive abridgment.