Literary Events

William the Conqueror invades England

Oct 28, 1066

William landed in England on 28 September 1066, establishing a camp near Hastings. Harold had travelled north to fight another invader, Harold Hardrada, King of Norway and defeated him at Stamford Bridge near York. He marched south as quickly as he could and on 14 October, his army met William's. It was a close-fought battle lasting all day, but Harold was killed and his army collapsed. William was victorious and on Christmas Day 1066, he was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. A Norman aristocra

Paper is first mass-produced in Spain

Jan 1, 1150

The first wire mold for making paper is identified in Spain dating to 1150. Bamboo molds were common in China, but it was not readily available in Euro

Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

Abuses by King John caused a revolt by nobles who compelled him to execute this recognition of rights for both noblemen and ordinary Englishmen. It established the principle that no one, including the king or a lawmaker, is above the law.

End of the Crusades

Oct 30, 1270

The crusading movement came to an end by the close of the thirteenth century. The emperor Frederick II for a short time recovered Jerusalem by a treaty, but in 1244 A.D. the Holy City became again a possession of the Moslems. They have never since relinquished it. Acre, the last Christian post in Syria, fell in 1291 A.D., and with this event the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem ceased to exist. The Hospitallers, or Knights of St. John, still kept possession of the important islands of Cyprus and Rhod

The Plague

Jan 1, 1348

Not surprisingly, the first victims of the plague were found in the poorer districts of the city. The cramped living conditions these people lived in, and the fact that so many actually lived in the slum areas of London, meant that many people could not avoid contact with either the rats or someone who had the disease.

First appearance of Robin Hood inerature lit

Jan 1, 1378

1900s-1940s
1908: Robin Hood and His Merry Men, a silent film directed by Percy Stow, and the first appearance of Robin Hood on the screen.
1912: Robin Hood, a film starring Robert Frazer as Robin Hood.
1922: Robin Hood, a film starring Douglas Fairbanks.
1938: The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn in his most acclaimed role, considered by many to be the best Robin Hood movie.

Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales

Jan 1, 1387

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories in a frame story, between 1387 and 1400. It is the story of a group of thirty people who travel as pilgrims to Canterbury (England). The pilgrims, who come from all layers of society, tell stories to each other to kill time while they travel to Canterbury.
If we trust the General Prologue, Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. He never finished his enorm

War of the Roses

Jan 1, 1455

The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought in medieval England from 1455 to 1487 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The name Wars of the Roses is based on the badges used by the two sides, the red rose for the Lancastrians and the white rose for the Yorkists. Major causes of the conflict include: 1) both houses were direct descendents of king Edward III; 2) the ruling Lancastrian king, Henry VI, surrounded himself with unpopular nobles; 3) the civil unrest of muc

First Tudor King, Henry VII, is crowned

Jan 1, 1485

Being the first Tudor King of England, establishing the Tudor Dynasty. His victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field overthrew Richard III and effectively put an end to the Wars of the Roses. Henry is also known for his extreme frugality and his ability as an administrator. He was responsible for the beginning of the Star Chamber, a closed court that answered to no one but the king

First printig of Le Morte d'Arthur

Oct 30, 1485

In 1485, the same year that King Richard III’s death began the era of the Tudor monarchs, the pioneer of English printing, William Caxton, printed a volume that he entitled Le Morte Darthur. According to Caxton’s preface to this volume, he had been asked to print a history of King Arthur by certain “noble jentylmen.” Jealous of his reputation, Caxton had at first been cautious, since “dyvers men holde oppynyon that there was no such Arthur, and that alle suche bookes as been maad of hym ben bu