1066, the Battle of Hastings is the one date that every English schoolchild knows.
In that year William the Conqueror crossed the Channel, put an arrow in King Harold's eye, and made England part of the Norman empire.
Europe had come to Britain.
But in spite of this, for most of her history, Britian has not behaved like part of Europe.
In the days of the British Empire, her attention was directed away from the Continent. Her neighbours were only competitors in the race to colonize the globe.
When her power declined, Britian preferred to trade with her former colonies -the Commonwealth. And she refused the invitation to join the new European Community in 1957.
It was left to another Harold-Harold Wilson, to make the return trip across the channel. In 1973 he signed the treaty which took Britian into Europe. Nine hundred and seven years after the Battle of Hastings!
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