Ah, Britain.

So special. The greatest nation on earth, some say. And we did it all on our own.

Didn’t we?

As it happens Britannia got its name from the Romans, and for the past two centuries we have been ruled by Germans. As Horrible Histories author Terry Deary argues, nations and their leaders are defined by the enemies they make.

– Elizabeth I would count as a minor royal without the Spanish Armada

– Without the Nazis, Churchill would be remembered as an opposition windbag

– The surprisingly sadistic Boudica would be forgotten if it weren’t for the Roman Ninth Legion

And after all, every nation sometimes needs a bit of unifying Blitz spirit (although in an ideal world, we wouldn’t have accidentally let Corporal Hitler go in the first place).

The British have a proud history of choosing their enemies, from the Romans to the Germans. You might even say those enemies made Britain what it is today…

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is a witty, whistlestop tour of British history that will have you laughing as you find out what they didn’t teach you in school.