Putin gave up his position in the KGB on August 20, 1991, during the putsch against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1994, he became First Deputy Chairman of the city of Saint Petersburg. In August 1996, he came to Moscow, and served in a variety of important positions in Boris Yeltsin's government. He was head of the FSB (a newer version of the KGB) from July 1998 to August 1999, and he was Secretary of the Security Council from March to August 1999.
Putin became President of Russia in May 2000.
Putin is the leader of the ruling United Russia party. This party has been winning the Russian elections ever since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Critics of Putin say that he has taken away people's freedoms, and that he has failed to make the country more developed. Russia makes lots of money from selling oil and gas to other counties, but because of corruption, this money is not used for improving living conditions.
Recently, the Russian opposition has held anti-government rallies, campaigned against Putin on the Internet, and published independent reports for general public. Because of censorship in the mass media, it's very difficult to get different information out to the public.
Putin was against invading Libya in 2011. He is also against invading Syria and Iran.
According to the Constitution of Russia, no-one can be president three times in a row. Because of this, Putin didn't put himself forward for the March 2008 election. However, you're allowed to be president as many times as you want, as long as it's not for more than two times in a row. In March 2012, Putin put himself forward for the elections, and won 64% of the vote. This means he will be president of Russia until 2018.
In December 6, 2017 Russia President Vladimir Putin announced he would run for a fourth term in the upcoming election, 2018 Russian Presidential Election.
On March 24, 2014, Putin and Russia were suspended from the G8. This was because the United States thought that the Ukraine crisis was Putin's fault.
In July 2020, Russian voters backed a referendum that would allow Putin to serve as president until 2036.
He is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, and is divorced with two daughters.
Henry VII of England
Henry VII or Henry Tudor (28 January 1457–21 April 1509) was King of England from 1485 to 1509. He founded the Tudor dynasty by winning the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. His son became king Henry VIII of England.
Henry VII was born in 1457 to Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort. His father died two months before he was born, leaving his 13-year-old mother as his only parent. After Henry's birth, he spent a lot of time with his uncle Jasper Tudor. Jasper took Henry to France, where he spent most of his youth. Henry had a claim to the throne of England, but it was not a very good one, and he had to wait a long time for a chance to take the throne.
In 1483, a new king came to the throne in England, called Richard III. King Richard was not popular with everyone. Some thought he had stolen the throne from his young nephews and had killed them. This gave Henry the chance he had been waiting for. With help from the French, he raised an army. They landed at Dale in Pembrokeshire, close to where Henry had been born, so he was able to gather more supporters on the way.
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) had been going on for years. They were fought over the throne of England between supporters of the House of Lancaster and supporters of the House of York. Both houses were branches of the Plantagenet royal house, tracing their descent from King Edward III.
King Henry VI and his family the House of Lancaster fought against their enemies for many years. The wars finally came to an end when King Henry VII of England came to the throne in 1485
On 22 August 1485, Henry's army defeated Richard III's army at the Battle of Bosworth Field. When Richard III died in this battle, Henry VII became king. Other people also had a claim on the throne, and Henry did his best to stop them from taking it from him, either by executing them, putting them in prison, or trying to make friends of them, as he did with the Earl of Lincoln. Another step he took was to marry Elizabeth of York, the niece of King Richard III, who would herself have been the heir to the throne if she had not been a girl.
There were also people who pretended to be long-lost members of the royal family, so that they could try to take the throne. One of these was a little boy called Lambert Simnel, who looked very like Edward, Earl of Warwick. The real Earl of Warwick was Henry's prisoner, but this did not stop other people from believing that Lambert was him. The Earl of Lincoln rebelled against King Henry and raised an army to make Lambert king, thinking that he himself could rule the country. There was a battle, and the Earl of Lincoln was killed. Lambert Simnel was captured, but, because he was only a child, Henry spared his life and he became a royal servant.
Henry married Elizabeth of York, and by this action put an end to the Wars of the Roses. They had six children, but only four survived infancy:
Henry VII increased taxes so future kings would have enough money. People disliked that.
Henry VII died in 1509 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He was succeeded by his son, Henry VIII on 21 April 1509.
Dover, Kent
Dover is a town on the coast in Kent, in the United Kingdom. It was built by the Romans. There is a castle in Dover, called Dover Castle. It is the largest castle in England. The population is about 39,078. Throughout history, it has been an important port of Britain because it is the closest port to mainland Europe. The sea between Dover and the French port of Calais is called the Strait of Dover. It is the narrowest part of the English Channel at only wide.
The ferry port in Dover has ferries to Calais, France and Ostende, Belgium. Almost 45,000 people and 15,000 vehicles pass through the port every day. On of the largest tourist attractions around Dover are the White Cliffs of Dover.
The Romans first tried to invade Dover in 55BC, under Julius Caesar. They were forced back by the Celts, who fiercely defended the coastline. It was not until 43 AD, under the rule of Emperor Claudius, that Roman forces landed on British soil at Richborough and took control of the land as far as the northern border. Dover, then called DVBRIS, became the Romans' most important naval town.
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a town in Kent in England. The River Medway runs through the town. A castle stands on the northern river bank in the middle of Tonbridge.
Tonbridge is linked by railways to London and Dover.
There are many secondary schools in the area. such as Tonbridge Grammar School
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the northern part of Scotland. It is often called the capital of the Highlands. It is on the A9 road. Inverness Airport is an important way to get to the Scottish Highlands.
Boycott
A boycott is a protest where the protesters do not buy a product or give money to a company. Instead of buying a certain product, they might also buy another, very similar product from a different company.
The word was made during the "Irish Land War"'. It comes from the name of Captain Charles Boycott. Boycott was in charge of looking after the land of a landlord in County Mayo, Ireland. In 1880, the tenants (those who rented) wanted their rent lowered. Boycott refused, and threw them out of the land they had rented. The Irish Land League then proposed that instead of becoming violent, everyone in the community should stop doing business with Captain Boycott. The captain was soon isolated. No one helped him with the harvest, no one worked in his stables or his house. Local businessmen no longer traded with him, the postman no longer delivered his post.