England had been unified with Wales since 1536, but only in 1707, by the Act of Union, did England join parliaments with Scotland, after years of tense relations. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, England’s dominance grew, hence the significance of ‘Rule, Britannia!’. They colonised and set up trade routes in the Americas and Asia.

This spurred England, France and the Netherlands to do the same. This was the Age of Discovery, in which Spain and Portugal were the European pioneers, beginning to establish empires. Indeed, from as early as the 15th and 16th centuries, other countries’ dominant exploratory advances encouraged Britain to follow. The first public performance of ‘Rule, Britannia!’ was in London in 1745, and it instantly became very popular for a nation trying to expand and ‘rule the waves’. Shall to thy happy coast repair Blest Isle! While thou shalt flourish great and free,Ĥ.

Below is the poem, as it appears in ‘The Works of James Tomson’ by Thomson (1763, Vol II, pg 191):ġ. The words vary slightly between the original poem and the song we know today. This could have had an influence on ‘Rule, Britannia!’, with ‘Britons never will be slaves’. Rather than giving in to the Romans and becoming a slave, Sophonisba chose to commit suicide. Another of his works was ‘The Tragedy of Sophonisba’ (1730). Scottish Thomson spent most of his life in England and hoped to forge a British identity, perhaps the reason for the pro-British lyrics. There were various influences on the poem. The masque was performed to celebrate the accession of George I (this was the Georgian era, 1714-1830) and the birthday of Princess Augusta. The masque pleased Prince Frederick because it associated him with the likes of Alfred the Great, a medieval king who managed to win in battle against the Danes (Vikings), and linked him to improving Britain’s naval dominance, which was Britain’s aim at this time. His relationship with his father was strained but he came to England in 1728 after his father became king. He was a German, born in Hanover, son of King George II. It was at Cliveden that the Prince of Wales, Frederick, was staying. Masques were a popular form of entertainment in 16th and 17th century England, involving verse, and, unsurprisingly, masks! The first performance of this masque was on 1st August, 1740, at Cliveden House, Maidenhead. The English composer, Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1778), then composed the music, originally for the masque ‘Alfred’, about Alfred the Great. He was also a Scottish poet, but was less well-known than Thomson. The ‘Rule, Britannia!’ song that we recognise today started out as a poem co-written by the Scottish pre-Romantic poet and playwright, James Thomson (1700-48), and David Mallet (1703-1765), originally Malloch. The Victorians were also too prudish to leave her breast uncovered, and modestly covered it to protect her dignity! She was also standing in the water, often with a lion (England’s national animal), representing the nation’s oceanic dominance. In the Victorian period, when the British Empire was rapidly expanding, this was altered to include her brandishing a trident and a shield with the British flag on, a perfect patriotic representation of the nation’s militarism. The Romans created a goddess of Britannia, wearing a Centurion helmet and toga, with her right breast exposed. Those living in Britannia would be referred to as Britanni.

The word ‘Britannia’ is derived from ‘Pretannia’, from the term that the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (1BC) used for the Pretani people, who the Greeks believed lived in Britain. The name was then revived in the age of the Empire, when it had more significance. This Latin word referred to England and Wales, but was no longer used for a long time after the Romans left. Originally, Great Britain was called ‘Albion’ by the Romans, who invaded Britain in 55BC, but this later became ‘Britannia’. The patriotic song ‘Rule, Britannia!, Britannia rule the waves’, is traditionally performed at the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ which takes place each year at the Royal Albert Hall.

Two worlds lyrics