1.07 The History of the English Language Timeline

By grace townsend
  • 400 BCE

    Old English (400-1100)

    Old English (400-1100)
    Year 400: Begin of the Old English era.
    600: Anglo-Saxon Invasions - Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) began settling in Britain.
    700: Codex Alexandrinus - One of the earliest manuscripts written in Old English.
    750: First Appearance of the Epic Poem Beowulf (Approximate date) - An epic poem in Old English.
    1066: The Norman Invasion - William the Conqueror's invasion, which greatly influenced the English language.
  • 1100

    Middle English (1100-1500)

    Middle English (1100-1500)
    1100: Begin of the Middle English era.
    1200: The First English Parliament - Established by King John, marking a shift in governance and language use.
    1340: Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" - Written in Middle English.
    1436: Invention of the Printing Press - Johannes Gutenberg's invention, which helped standardize English.
    1492: The Discovery of the Americas - Christopher Columbus’s voyage that impacted global trade and language.
  • 1500

    Early Modern English (1500-1700)

    Early Modern English (1500-1700)
    1500: Begin of the Early Modern English era.
    1600: Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio - Collection of Shakespeare's plays.
    1642: The English Civil War - A conflict that had social and linguistic impacts.
    1700: End of Early Modern English and start of Late Modern English.

  • Modern English (1700-2000)

    Modern English (1700-2000)
    1700: Begin of the Modern English era.
    1776: The American Revolution - The formation of the United States and its impact on English.
    1800: Industrial Revolution - Significant technological and societal changes affecting language.
    1900: World War I - Global conflict that influenced language and communication.
    1939: World War II - Further changes in global English use and terminology.
    2000: End of the timeline.