Prehistory ,
Saint Martin, Guernsey|upright The earliest evidence of human occupation of the Channel Islands has been dated to 250,000 years ago when they were attached to the landmass of continental Europe. The islands became detached by
rising sea levels in the
Mesolithic period. The numerous
dolmens and other archaeological sites extant and recorded in history demonstrate the existence of a population large enough and organised enough to undertake constructions of considerable size and sophistication, such as the burial mound at
La Hougue Bie in Jersey or the
statue menhirs of Guernsey.
From the Iron Age Stater about 75 BC
Celtic coin, the obverse showing a stylised head r. and
boar below Hoards of
Armorican
coins have been excavated, providing evidence of trade and contact in the
Iron Age period. Evidence for Roman settlement is sparse, although evidently the islands were visited by Roman officials and traders. The Roman name for the Channel Islands was
I. Lenuri (Lenur Islands) and is included in the
Peutinger Table. The traditional Latin names used for the islands (Caesarea for Jersey, Sarnia for Guernsey, Riduna for Alderney) derive (possibly mistakenly) from the
Antonine Itinerary.
Gallo-Roman culture was adopted to an unknown extent in the islands. In the sixth century, Christian missionaries visited the islands.
Samson of Dol,
Helier,
Marculf and
Magloire are among saints associated with the islands. In the sixth century, they were already included in the
diocese of Coutances where they remained until the Reformation. There were probably some
Celtic Britons who settled on the Islands in the 5th and 6th centuries AD (the indigenous Celts of
Great Britain, and the ancestors of the modern
Welsh,
Cornish, and
Bretons) who had emigrated from Great Britain in the face of invading
Anglo-Saxons. But there were not enough of them to leave any trace, and the islands continued to be ruled by the king of the Franks and its church remained part of the
diocese of Coutances. From the beginning of the ninth century,
Norse raiders appeared on the coasts. Norse settlement eventually succeeded initial attacks, and it is from this period that many place names of Norse origin appear, including the modern names of the islands.
From the Duchy of Normandy In 933, the islands were granted to
William I Longsword by
Raoul,
the King of Western Francia, and annexed to the
Duchy of Normandy. In 1066,
William II of Normandy invaded and conquered England, becoming William I of England, also known as William the Conqueror. In the period 1204–1214,
King John lost the
Angevin lands in northern France, including mainland Normandy, to
King Philip II of France, but managed to retain control of the Channel Islands. In 1259, his successor,
Henry III of England, by the
Treaty of Paris, officially surrendered his claim and title to the Duchy of Normandy, while retaining the Channel Islands, as peer of France and feudal vassal of the King of France. Since around 1290,
Otto de Grandson split the Channel Islands into two separate bailiwicks which were never absorbed into the
Kingdom of England nor its successor kingdoms of
Great Britain or the
United Kingdom. During the
Hundred Years' War, the Channel Islands were part of the French territory recognizing the
claims of the English kings to the French throne. The islands were invaded by the French in 1338, who held some territory until 1345.
Edward III of England granted a Charter in July 1341 to Jersey, Guernsey, Sark and Alderney, confirming their customs and laws to secure allegiance to the English Crown.
Owain Lawgoch, a mercenary leader of a
Free Company in the service of the French Crown, attacked Jersey and Guernsey in 1372, and in 1373
Bertrand du Guesclin besieged
Mont Orgueil. The young King
Richard II of England reconfirmed in 1378 the Charter rights granted by his grandfather, followed in 1394 with a second Charter granting, because of great loyalty shown to the Crown, exemption forever, from English tolls, customs and duties. After the loss of
Calais in 1558, the Channel Islands were the last remaining English holdings in France and the only French territory that was controlled by the English kings as Kings of France. This situation lasted until the English kings dropped their title and claims to the French throne in 1801, confirming the Channel Islands in a situation of a crown dependency under the sovereignty of neither Great Britain nor France but of the British crown directly. Sark in the 16th century was uninhabited until colonised from Jersey in the 1560s. The grant of
seigneurship from
Elizabeth I of England in 1565 forms the basis of Sark's constitution today.
From the 17th century During the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Jersey held out strongly for the Royalist cause, providing refuge for
Charles, Prince of Wales in 1646 and 1649–1650, while the more strongly
Presbyterian Guernsey more generally favoured the parliamentary cause (although
Castle Cornet was held by Royalists and did not surrender until October 1651). The islands acquired commercial and political interests in the North American colonies. Islanders became involved with the
Newfoundland fisheries in the 17th century. In recognition for all the help given to him during his exile in Jersey in the 1640s,
Charles II gave
George Carteret, Bailiff and governor, a large grant of land in the American colonies, which he promptly named
New Jersey, now part of the United States of America.
Sir Edmund Andros, bailiff of Guernsey, was an early colonial governor in North America, and head of the short-lived
Dominion of New England. In the late 18th century, the islands were dubbed "the French Isles". Wealthy French émigrés fleeing the
French Revolution sought residency in the islands. Many of the town domiciles existing today were built in that time. In
Saint Peter Port, a large part of the harbour had been built by 1865.
20th century World War II s, built during the Second World War, are still scattered throughout the landscape of the Channel Islands. , a stonemason repairing the paving of the Royal Square incorporated a
V for victory under the noses of the occupiers. This was later amended to refer to the Red Cross ship
Vega. The addition of the date
1945 and a more recent frame has transformed it into a monument. The islands were occupied by the
German Army during
World War II. The
British Government demilitarised the islands in June 1940, and the lieutenant-governors were withdrawn on 21 June, leaving the insular administrations to continue government as best they could under impending military occupation. Thousands of children were evacuated with their schools to
England and
Scotland. in 1945 The population of Sark largely remained where they were; Others have pointed out that, technically, Alderney was not British soil. The
Royal Navy blockaded the islands from time to time, particularly following the
Invasion of Normandy in June 1944. There was considerable hunger and
privation during the five years of German occupation, particularly in the final months when the population was close to starvation. Intense negotiations resulted in some humanitarian aid being sent via the
Red Cross, leading to the arrival of
Red Cross parcels in the supply ship
SS Vega in December 1944. The German occupation of 1940–45 was harsh: over 2,000 islanders were deported by the Germans, and some Jews were sent to
concentration camps;
partisan resistance and retribution, accusations of
collaboration, and slave labour also occurred. Many Spaniards, initially refugees from the
Spanish Civil War, were brought to the islands to build
fortifications. Many
land mines were laid, with 65,718 land mines laid in Jersey alone. There was no
resistance movement in the Channel Islands on the scale of that in
mainland France. This has been ascribed to a range of factors including the physical separation of the islands, the density of troops (up to one German for every two Islanders), the small size of the islands precluding any hiding places for
resistance groups, and the absence of the
Gestapo from the occupying forces. Moreover, much of the population of military age had already joined the British Army. The end of the occupation came after
VE-Day on 8 May 1945, with Jersey and Guernsey being liberated on 9 May. The German garrison in Alderney was not left until 16 May, and it was one of the last of the
Nazi German remnants to surrender. The first evacuees returned on the first sailing from Great Britain on 23 June, The islands decided not to join the
European Economic Community when the UK joined. Since the 1990s, declining profitability of agriculture and tourism has challenged the governments of the islands. == Flag gallery ==