English 12A

By j_dub100
  • Period: 400 to

    English 12A Timeline

  • 874

    The Great Viking Invasion

    Almost all of the kingdoms have fallen to the vikings. Except Wessex which was ruled by Alfred the Great. Who defeated them in battle. But was not able to get them out of Britain. After years of fighting the Vikings and Alfred made an agreement which was a imaginary line splitting up England from London in the south and Chester in the West.
  • 1000

    Beowulf's manuscript

    7,000-1,000
    The author is anonymous writer. Beowulf was written in Old English. An interesting fact about Beowulf, the manuscript was damaged by a fire in 1731 causing some damage to some of the pages. Beowulf is the longest poem written in Old English.
  • 1000

    Leif Ericson Discovery of North America

    Leif Erickson was a viking that discovered North America. He discovered it on accident after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. He might of been the first one to walk on the soil.
  • 1066

    Normans Invasion

    William the conqueror who ruled Normandy, invaded England after the death of the King seeking the crown. This conquest has had a great influence on the english language and culture.
  • 1337

    Hundred Years’ War

    1337-1453
    The start of the conflict that caused the hundred years war was the 1066 Norman invasion of England. When King Edward III refused to pay homage to the French kind Phillip VI and later declared himself the true king of France.
  • 1348

    Black Death

    The plague, known as the Black Death, hit England in the summer of 1348. The low hygienic standards of the time lead to the rampant spread of the horrific disease. When the disease hit London the death toll sky rocketed because the high population in the compact city and due to the fact that both the pneumonic and bubonic plague hit at the same time (Ibeji, 2013).
  • 1400

    The Canterbury Tales

    The Canterbury Tales includes twenty four stories written in Middle English. Interesting fact about the Canterbury tales, some question wether or not if it is a finished piece of work.
  • 1440

    The Printing Press

    The printing press was a significant invention in such a way that changed the way society communicated. Printed materials allow us to communicate and reach the public like never before.
  • 1445

    War of the Roses

    1445-1485
    In 1455 the Lancaster and York Houses of the House of Plantagenet, who ruled England, entered into a rivalry that turned into the War of Roses. The War of the Roses is named after the two houses whose symbols are the red rose for Lancaster House and a white rose for the House of York.
  • 1450

    The Great Vowel Shift

    1450-1750
    The Great Vowel Shift saw a complete change in the way people pronounced English vowels. Vowels started to be pronounced more towards the front of the mouth.
    In addition to the change in pronunciation of vowels in English, the end letter ‘e’ on many words became voiceless.

  • The First English Dictonaries

    The Early Modern period also saw the creation of the first English dictionary, published by Robert Cawdrey in 1604. This helped the push towards the standardization of the English language.
    Cawdreys’ dictionary was followed in 1755 by the more useful and comprehensive dictionary of Samuel Johnson. Explore more about these dictionaries and their impact on our History of the English Dictionary page.

  • Publication of Shakespeares First Folio

    This is considered by many one of the most influential books written in the Middle English language. It is said that seven hundred fifty or less copies have been printed. two hundred and thirty three of them are still around to this day.

  • The Great Plague

    1665-1666
    The Great Plague of 1665 – 1666 had a strong impact on the English language due to the cultural changes that resulted.
    The pronunciation changes that took place during the Great Vowel Shift evolved in part due to the greater social mobility which happened after The Great Plague.

  • The Glorious Revolution

    A very English revolution in that it began at an Oxford college and escalated over a disagreement an arcane procedural point, the Glorious Revolution finalised English religious identity and constitutional structure at what was comparatively a very early stage in national life.

  • The Act of Union

    England formalized its de facto union with Wales in two early sixteenth century Laws in Wales Acts, which both extended the English justice system to cover Wales and provided for Welsh representation at Westminster.

  • Conventional Telephone

    Alexander Grahambell was granted the first US patent on the telephone. This invention for ever changed the US. Instead of having to wait for your letter to come in the mail you could just call instead of writing a letter.

  • The Invention of The Personal Computer

    The first Pc came unassembled and where not like computers that we know today. In 1975 Bill Gates and a student started basic programming language for ALTAIR. This made the computer more user friendly. Not long later Microsoft was born.