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55 BCE
Julius Caesar
In 55 BCE, Roman general Julius Caesar attempted to conquer the British Isles. Caesar quickly claimed victory before returning back to Rome, leaving the people of the British Isles. The Romans later returned to claim this area, and began urbanizing for the people of the British Isles, known as the Britons. In the early fifth century, Rome was forced to call their people back from the British Isles to defend their empire from invaders, which left the Britons weak and vulnerable to invasion. -
449
Angles and Saxons
These Germanic tribes began invading the British Isles around 449 AD. Led by their Chieftain Arthur, the Britons were forced out of their land and it was conquered by the Anglo-Saxons. This mainland they had taken over soon became known as Angle-land, or England. The culture of this area built a foundation for English culture, and the language developed here became what is known today as Old English. -
597
Augustine of Canterbury
In 597, Augustine arrived in the kingdom of Kent, where he built a monastery in Canterbury. The religion spread so quickly that soon all of Britain was at least somewhat nominally Christian. -
790
The Vikings
The era of the Vikings led to a wave of terror. The Vikings were known for their wild attitude, looting, pillaging, and burning down villages. They found England to be a nice area to set up in winter, and took control of much of the North and East of the country. -
871
Alfred the Great
The Danish Vikings finally met their defeat at the hands of Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great, who unified the English and brought education and culture to the country as a whole. -
1042
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor, a descendant of Alfred the Great, was heir to the throne when Alfred died. Because he had no children, he wanted the next to the throne to be his French cousin William the Conqueror. After his death, William was not given the throne, which led to an invasion by William and his Norman Army. -
1066
William the Conqueror
Enraged at his loss of the English throne, William the Conqueror led his Norman army in an invasion of England, known as the Norman Conquest. On Christmas Day in 1066, William was crowned King of England, after killing the King Harold who had taken his place. This signified the end of the Anglo-Saxon reign, and a new class of elite Normans took their place in England.