Is London in England or UK?

Is the UK a country or countries?

It's a question that many people are asking themselves.

It might seem like a trivial point of debate, but for those of us who live in the UK it is a bit more important than you might think.

The fact is that we are now a nation of two. We're divided by law and by culture. We have separate Parliament and Government, and we have separate courts and laws.

One of the most divisive issues is the status of England. But should England be a country at all? The British government certainly thinks so, and the last time were a nation of two was during the 17th Century. And that led to all sorts of problems.

So can we have an England? And if so, how should we treat it? Can we have an England? The idea of England as a country dates back to the 13th Century, when a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort marched on London. They declared that King John had failed to meet his obligations to them, and they took control of the King's castles and began to rule themselves. Over the next few years, de Montfort gained control over most of England, and in 1265, he was crowned King of England. But de Montfort's reign was short-lived. In 1274, Henry III invaded England, and forced de Montfort into exile.

Henry, who was the only surviving son of King Henry II, ruled England for the rest of his life. He and his son, Edward I, carried on the de Montfort tradition of trying to claim royal rights to lands in Scotland.

They also tried to take the Scottish throne from his brother and nephews, although without success. In 1306, the Black Death hit the British Isles. It wiped out 80 per cent of the population, and England was hit harder than anywhere else.

Henry III was forced to pay large sums of money to the Church, and he was also forced to hand over land in France. The only land that was still under English control was Wales. But even then, Henry faced problems.

By 1316, Welsh nationalists were calling for independence from the English Crown. The Welsh even started calling themselves the "Wales of the Hundred Thousand", and there were many reasons why they felt this way.