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Period: 55 BCE to
History of English
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410
The last Roman soldiers leave Britain
Between 410 and 435 the Roman soldiers after having invaded Britain since the year 55BC finally leave Britain. -
450
450 Invasions by Angles, Saxons and Jutes begin
Germanic Invaders begin to conquer Britain. Angles, Saxons and Jutes invasion. -
500
Around 500 and 520 The Celts utterly defeat the Saxons at the battle of 'Mount Badon'.
The Battle of Badon was a battle thought to have occurred between Celtic Britons and Anglo-Saxons. It was credited as a major victory for the Britons, stopping the encroachment of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms for a period. It is chiefly known today for the supposed involvement of King Arthur, a tradition that first clearly appeared in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum, possibly written by Nennius. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Badon -
597
St Augustine arrives in Kent and begins to convert the Saxons (England is divided into small kingdoms).
Augustine of Canterbury (born first third of the 6th century – died probably 26 May 604) was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church. He is considered one of the important philosophers and theologists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Canterbury -
757
757-796 Offa reigns in Mercia (a kingdom in central England).
Offa was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England (757-796). The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa. Offa came to the throne after the assassination of Æthelbald. Taking advantage of instability in the kingdom of Kent to establish himself as overlord. In 780 he extended Mercian Supremacy over most of southern England, allying with Beorhtric of Wessex who married Offa's daughter Eadburh and regained complete control of the southeast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa_of_Mercia -
879
By the treaty of Wedmore England is split between the Saxons and the Danes.
The Peace of Wedmore is a term used by historians for an event referred to by the monk Asser in his Life of Alfred, outlining how in 878 the Viking leader Guthrum was baptised and accepted Alfred as his adoptive father. Guthrum agreed to leave Wessex and a "Treaty of Wedmore" was presumedly made. This is however not the case, although there is a document not specifically linked to Wedmore that is a Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Wedmore -
1042
1042-1066 The reign of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor[a] (Old English: Ēadƿeard Andettere [æːɑdwæɑrˠd ɑndetere]; Latin: Eduardus Confessor [ɛ.dʊˈar.dʊs kɔ̃ˈfɛs.sɔr]; c. 1003 – 5 January 1066), also known as Saint Edward the Confessor, was among the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor -
1066
1066 Harold becomes king, although William Duke of Normandy also claims the throne. Battle of Hastings.
Harold Hardrada invades England but his army is crushed at the battle of Stamford Bridge in September. The Normans win the battle of Hastings in October. William The Conqueror is crowned king in December.
William the Conqueror captured Dover and Canterbury. He then captured Winchester. Finally, he captured London and he was crowned king of England in December 1066. The Saxon era was over. Now the Normans would impose their control over England. http://www.localhistories.org/timeline.html -
1154
1154 The civil war ends. Henry II becomes king.
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle. He ruled as King of England, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, Maine, and Nantes; at various times, he also partially controlled Scotland, Wales and the Duchy of Brittany. Before he was 40 he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France—an area that would later come to be called the Angevin Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England -
1207
1207 King John founds Liverpool
John was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_England -
1215
Magna Carta Libertatum is a charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede on 15 June 1215.
First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons. Neither side stood behind their commitments and the charter was annulled by Pope Innocent III leading to the First Barons' War. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta -
1295
1295 King Edward
1272 Henry III dies. Edward I becomes king. 1290 King Edward expels all Jews from England - Queen Eleanor dies 1295 King Edward calls the Model Parliament -
1485
1485 Henry VII wins the battle of Bosworth. Richard III is killed and Henry becomes the first Tudor king. Henry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 to his death.
First monarch of the House of Tudor. He attained the throne when his forces defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the end of the Wars of the Roses. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. He cemented married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Richard's brother Edward IV. Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the civil war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VII_of_England -
1497
1497 John Cabot sails to North America
He was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 discovery of the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest known European exploration of coastal North America since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century. To mark the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Cabot's expedition both the Canadian and British governments elected Cape Bonavista Newfoundland as representing Cabot's first landing site. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cabot -
1549
1549 The first Book of Common Prayer is introduced.
in 1549, the First Book of Common Prayer was introduced, which was printed in English, rather than Latin. In 1550, the Duke of Somerset was replaced by John Dudley as regent and Lord Protector of England. John Dudley proclaimed himself the Duke of Northumberland. The Duke of Somerset was executed in 1552. https://www.penfield.edu/webpages/jgiotto/onlinetextbook.cfm?subpage=1866260 -
1564
1564 William Shakespeare is born.
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare -
1570
1570 to 1596 Queen Elizabeth is about to die. Travels and the discovery of other lands.
1570 The Pope excommunicates Queen Elizabeth 1576 The first theatre opens in London 1577-1580 Francis Drake sails around the world 1586 The Babington Plot, another Catholic plot to murder the Queen is foiled 1587 Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded 1588 The Spanish Armada is defeated 1592 An Englishman named John Davis discovers the Falklands 1596 Francis Drake dies http://www.localhistories.org/timeline.html -
1585. Davis appears to have first proposed his plan to look for the Northwest Passage. 1592 An Englishman named John Davis discovers the Falklands
In 1585 he began his first northwestern expedition. Coming upon the icebound east shore of Greenland, he headed south, rounded Cape Farewell, and then sailed north along the coast of western Greenland.Turning in what he thought was the direction of China, he sailed some distance up Cumberland Sound.On the last of these voyages he passed through the strait named for him, entered Baffin Bay, and coasted northward along western Greenland to Disko Island. http://www.localhistories.org/timeline.html -
1600 to 1643 Several important events
1600 The East India Company is founded
1603 In March Queen Elizabeth dies. James I becomes king.
1605 The gunpowder plot, a Catholic conspiracy to blow up parliament, is discovered.
1607 Jamestown, the first successful British colony in North America, is founded
1608 John Milton is born
1611 The King James Bible is published
1625 Charles I becomes king
1642 The English Civil War between king and parliament begins.
1643 Isaac Newton is born http://www.localhistories.org/timeline.html -
1755 Samuel Johnson publishes his English dictionary. Published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language. Johnson's Dictionary, is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language.
There was dissatisfaction with the dictionaries of the period. In June 1746 a group of London booksellers hired Johnson to write a dictionary for the sum of 1,500 guineas or £240,000 today.
Until the completion of the Oxford English Dictionary 173 years later, Johnson's was viewed as the pre-eminent English dictionary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language -
1776 Thomas Jefferson writes the American Declaration of Independence
The USA Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement adopted by the 2nd Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House on July 4, 1776. This explained why the Thirteen Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule meaning these new states took a collective first step toward forming the United States of America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence -
1782 Britain abandons its colonies in what is later to become the USA
The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence was an 18th-century war between Great Britain and its Thirteen Colonies which declared independence in 1776 as the United States of America, and then formed a military alliance with France in 1778. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War -
1828 Webster publishes his American English dictionary. n 1807 Webster began compiling a fully comprehensive dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language.
It took 28 years to complete. To evaluate the etymology of words, Webster learned twenty-six languages, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon), Greek, Hebrew and Latin. He completed his dictionary during his year abroad in 1825 in Paris, France, and at the University of Cambridge.
At 70 Webster published his dictionary in 1828. He tried to standardize the American language. http://webstersdictionary1828.com/NoahWebster -
1928 Oxford English Dictionary
The OED was originally published in fascicles between 1884 and 1928. A one-volume supplement was published in 1933, and four further supplementary volumes were published between 1972 and 1986. In 1989, a complete Second Edition was published, consisting of the original OED amalgamated with the supplementary volumes, and together with 5,000 completely new entries. In 1993 and 1997, three volumes of Additions to the Second Edition were published. https://public.oed.com/history/oed-editions/ -
1900s to 2019 Industrial Revolution, Wars, Civil Wars, Human Rights, Technology, Growth, English Language spreads all around the world.
From the year 1900 up to now the year 2019 many events have happened among them, the industrial revolution, first and second world wars, many advancements in technology, many other treaties signed and human rights gained, and of course with all this, the spread of the English Language all around the world.
