Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2012 in the subject History of Europe - Newer History, European Unification, Maastricht University, course: European Studies, language: English, abstract: It can be argued that the states in Europe are a historical construct and the result of many factors, including feudalism and wars over sovereignty. England as a state, for example, was shaped into a state when in around 1000 A.D the Vikings conquered the land, and unified it into the region that we call England today. England has had a diverse and complex history over the past 1000 years, since the Viking conquest, having been ruled by many different types of ruler, and has been shaped into one of the most powerful countries in the world today. This paper investigates the process of state-and nation-building in England, focusing on why and when England emerged as a state and a nation, and arguing that the English state appeared before the English nation. It is essential to define the concepts of state and nation, which many people use synonymously, to fully understand the process of English state- and nation-building.