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Jan 1, 1000
Beowulf
The exact publication date of "Beowulf" is not known, however it is the longest surviving piece of Anglo-Saxon literature, and holds a great importance in the English Language. -
Jan 1, 1015
King Cnut conquers England
In 1015-1016, King Cnut came from Denmark and conquered England. -
Jan 1, 1066
Battle of Hastings
William the Conqueror arrived in Britain and conquered the country; his arrival creating the Doomsday Book, and the insertion of a vast vocabulary bank of French words in the English language. -
Period: Jan 1, 1100 to Jan 1, 1500
Middle English
The English as spoken by Chaucer; which began to die out around 1470. Middle English still had phonetic similarities to Old English, yet is more recognisable to us as a pre-cursor to the English was speak now. -
Period: Jan 1, 1200 to Jan 1, 1400
Resurgence of English
The Resurgence of English was the period in history over which English slowly began to take its place again in England; and would slowly begin to overpower French again. -
Jan 1, 1204
Normandy lost to France
King John lost Normandy to France, and was left with no more than England and Aquitaine. Because of this development; French nobility residing in England lost contact over time with their relatives and fellow nobles in Normandy. Due to this, French nobility then begun to marry Anglo-Saxons, and eventually begun speaking both French and Anglo-Saxon as well. -
Jan 1, 1295
King Phillip IV of France threatened England
Peculiarly, King Edward I of England responded to the French threat in Anglo-Saxon; which would later result in Anglo-Saxon becoming more widespread in England. -
Period: Jan 1, 1337 to Jan 1, 1453
100 Years' War
Conflict betwen England and France arose; and thereby may have affected the positions of power of language in both French and English in history. -
Jan 1, 1343
Geoffrey Chaucer was born
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Cantebury tales nearing the end of the 14th century, at some point during the 100 Years' War. He is often considered as the "Father of the English Language". -
Jan 1, 1348
The Black Death
The Plague struck England; brought by the rats on trading ships. Much of the French nobility and commonfolk died, resulting in a "boost" of English. The prices of houses and lands were lowered, and wages begun to rise. Peasants were able to afford what they couldn't before, thereby losing their status as they rose in society - taking Anglo-Saxon with them. -
Jan 1, 1362
Pleading in English Act
As the French language was rather unknown in England, this act allowed people to plead in court in English rather than in French. -
Jan 1, 1370
The Canterbury Tales
The exact publication date of "The Canterbury Tales" is not known, other than it was published at the end of the 14th century, written by Geoffrey Chaucer. -
Jan 1, 1385
English replaced French in Schools
English officially replaced French, which was taught in schools. -
Period: Jan 1, 1450 to
The Great Vowel Shift
The Middle English pronunciation of words began to shift to what we know as Modern English; the way words were pronounced began to evolve in to more recognisable sounds of English. -
Jan 1, 1476
Introduction of the Printing Press
The introduction of the Printing Press is what allowed a boom in the number of printing resources in England, thereby allowing the appearance of over 20,000 new titles in England. -
Period: Jan 1, 1500 to
Early Modern English
The English as spoken and used by Shakespeare; very recognisable to us, however, uses terms which still hold close to Middle English language and traditions. -
Period: Jan 1, 1500 to
Renaissance Period in England
The "rebirth" of Art, Science and Knowledge. At this point in time, the Renaissance period was most prominent in places such as Italy and France, yet it still managed to make its way to England, during which time knowledge, art and science were all embraced. -
Apr 1, 1564
William Shakespeare was born
William Shakespeare was most famous for his plays and sonnets, and is remembered today for his influence on English Literature and the coining of hundreds of words in the English Language. -
King James' VI and I Version of Bible
King James' VI and I of Scotland and England allowed for the of the Bible. -
Shakespeare's first folio is published.
Shakespeare's first collected works allowed for many to read and preserve his plays, which would later have a huge impact on English Literature and Language as we know it. -
Period: to
Late Modern English
The English language as it is currently spoken in English-speaking countries. -
Johnson's Dictionary
Samuel Johnson publishes his first English Dictionary, "A Dictionary of the English Language". -
Lowth's Grammar
The publication of "Lowth's Grammar" allowed for the Middle and Upper Class people who wished to speak "correct" English to standardise their use of grammar. -
Webster's American English Dictionary
Noah Webster attempted to simplify English in its most basic form, such as removing the "u" in "colour" to make "color"; thanks to this, there is now a way to differentiate between American English and British English. -
Period: to
Creation of the Oxford New English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary, published in 1928 was the first dictionary to include old-fashioned, technical and modern terms, including the etymology of each word; totalling with over 178 miles worth of type. -
British Broadcasting Company
British Broadcasting Company is established (The BBC). -
Oxford English Dictionary
The first Oxford English Dictionary is published. It is the first dictionary which analyses the etymology of words, and the different meanings and nature of words. -
Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain
The Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain, speaking similar Germanic languages and preferring to speak their own languages rather than the Celtic language spoken by the Britons. -
Arrival of Christian missionaries in Britain
Christian missionaries begin to arrive in Britain, bringing with them scripts from the Bible and manuscripts all written in Latin; thereby adding a vast amount of Latin vocabulary to Old English. Scribes began to write manuscripts, writing words the way they sounded as there was no standard spelling - giving proof of the various dialects of Old English. -
Viking Raids begin
Waves of Viking raids begin. -
King Alfred created the Danelaw
King Alfred "The Great" fought back the Danes in their settlements; and created the Danelaw. The Danelaw left the Vikings with land in the North, and the Britons in the South. -
The Danes began to retaliate
The Danes began to retaliate against the Danelaw. -
Period: to Jan 1, 1100
Old English
The English spoken by Britons as Celtic died out when the Anglo-Saxons invaded in 449, and spoken until around 1100, which was when Middle English began.
