History of The Isle of Wight
As with anywhere, knowing about the history of where you're staying can help you make sense of what you see, and the same is true of Isle of Wight Holidays.
Whether it's your Isle of Wight accommodation or an old church, the history of the place really is everywhere.
After the Roman Empire left Britain, King Stuf, a Jutish king, declared the Isle of Wight his kingdom. He and his successors ruled the island until the king of Mercia, King Wulfhere, invaded and forced the inhabitants to convert to Christianity in 661 AD. After he'd gone, though, everybody reverted back to paganism.
Twenty-four years later, the island was invaded again, and was claimed by King Caedwalla of Wessex. When the kings of Wessex became the kings of all England, the Isle of Wight became a part of England too, as part of the shire of Hampshire. The island was again converted to Christianity in 686, and this time it stuck.
Invasions were still a problem though, with Vikings seeing it as an easy opportunity. King Alfred the Great fought and defeated Vikings in naval combat in 871, but they had already pillaged the isle.
After the Norman Conquest, the situation remained much the same, with the adjustment that the island now had a Lord. The Lordship became a permanent fixture, except for one period when Henry de Beauchamp was crowned the King of the Isle of Wight, though this title expired on his death.
During the reign of Henry VIII, which encompassed the first years of the Royal Navy, parts of the island were reinforced against attack, and measures were taken to ensure the safety of the ports there. This proved useful against the threat of the Spanish Armada later on, which itself led to further reinforcement.
The island once again had a royal visitor during the Civil War, when King Charles I fled there, expecting to find sympathy, but instead being locked up.
Royalty might have been worried for a while, but Queen Victoria adored the Isle of Wight, and summered there for years. Her trend-setting resulted in it becoming a popular destination for many rich, famous and fashionable visitors, including Alfred Lord Tennyson and Charles Dickens. Holidays on the Isle of Wight were taking off.
Then, in World War II, the island suffered frequent bombings. Being so close to France, it was an excellent location for observation stations and transmitters, as well as one of the first places chosen to run a pipeline from for Operation Pluto.
Since then, the island has moved back to being a great holiday destination, with Isle of Wight luxury hotels and short breaks to the Isle of Wight proving very popular.
We hope that you'll bear this information in mind when visiting the Isle of Wight. There is plenty of information available around the island, and a number of museum exhibits, should you want to learn more.