Bristol History

Bristol is an economically and culturally important city located in the South West England; the city is famous for its many activities, the boats, bridges and balloons; and its rich and eventful history, it's also considered as one of the largest cities in the country.

Historians divide the history of Bristol into 5 periods: Pre-Norman, Middle Ages, Early Modern, 18th and 19th Centuries and Modern Bristol.



Pre-Norman:
Archaeological findings such as stone tools show that Bristol was inhabited since the Paleolithic Era, other artifacts found during excavations through the area of Sea Mills include wharves, shops and cemeteries that indicates that the zone served as a port in the Roman Era; and it's clearly known that since the Saxon Period, Bristol began was a village called Brig Stow that means "Meeting Place at the Bridge", because it helped the village improve its communication and grow; in time the name became Bristol, as it's known now.

Middle Ages:
The city in middle Ages became an important town, but after the Irish invasion the town was given to Dublin as a colony; and during the Kingdom of Henry II, the town began to import the wine that Spain, France and Portugal produced in vast quantities. Commerce in Bristol improved and they began to export products made by craftsmen using the products imported from other countries, people also began to explore other routes for commerce.

Early Modern:
In this period, Bristol was made a city, and the first hospitals were built. The city suffered the invasion of Royalist military commanded by Prince Rupert during the Civil War of 1640, this event caused damages in the city and the castle; the civil war ended in 1646. Years later Bristol faced two other civil wars.

18th and 19th Centuries:
During 18th century Bristol became an important port to trade with American colonies and the city was involved in activities such as slave trade of Africans and others. However, Bristol grew in wealth and in 19th century a number of important buildings and bridges were erected. At the end of 19th century Bristol was a powerful exporting country of tobacco and cigarette.

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