The History of Britain, until the last few hundred years, was one of struggle and competition between the separate Nation-state s that occupied various parts of the island of Great Britain . England became the dominant power, coexisting with these nations at different times under the mantle of ''Great Britain'' to form the United Kingdom .
For a history of the modern British state see History Of The United Kingdom . See Britain for a discussion of the various interpretations of the word ''Britain''.
