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Period: 400 to 1100
Old English
Old English was the main language during this time
EXAMPLES: Pleased to meet you, beg your pardon, goodbye -
500
Romans
The Romans withdraw from Britain when the empire collapses.The Angles, Saxons, and German settlers arrive into Britain to assist them in claiming territories. -
700
Earliest Manuscript
Approximate time of the earliest manuscript records of Old English -
850
Danish
The Danish raid England, occupy Northumbria, and establish a kingdom at York. The Danish begin to influence English. -
900
English and Danish
Then English and Danish start to become peacefully and enter the language. They have common words like sister, skin, and die. -
1000
Beowulf
Suspected date of Beowulf's writing which is the only surviving manuscript of the Old English. -
1066
Norman Invasion
There is a Battle of Hastings where King Harold is killed and William of Normandy becomes King of England. -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle English
Middle English was the main language during this time.
EXAMPLES: thou, shall, madame -
1150
Middle English
Approximate time of the earliest surviving texts. -
1375
Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer composes The Canterbury Tales in Middle English. -
1399
King Henry IV
King Henry IV the first English monarch to deliver a speech in English. -
1490
Printing Press
William Caxton brings the first printing press to Westminster and publishes Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. -
1500
North America
The first English settlements happen in North America in the Early 16th Century. -
Period: 1500 to
Late Modern English
Late Modern English is the language right now and has been for a while.
EXAMPLES: bling, gangster, boo -
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare's first folio is published -
The American Revolution
The American Revolution was a result of the growing tensions between the colonists and the colonial government. The battles in Lexington and Concord are what kicked off the revolution. It ended in 1778.
