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Period: Jan 1, 1050 to Jan 1, 1500
Back to the Future
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Jan 1, 1066
William the Conqueror invades England
The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son. -
Jan 1, 1150
Paper is first mass-produced in Spain
Both Spain and Italy claim to be the first to manufacture paper in Europe. Muslim conquest of Spain brought paper making to Europe. -
Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
The 1215 charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary, for example by explicitly accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land, a right which is still in existence today. -
Jan 1, 1270
End of the Crusades
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 -
Jan 1, 1348
The Plague
Although there were several competing theories as to the etiology of the Black Death, it has been conclusively proven via analysis of ancient DNA from victims in northern and southern Europe that the pathogen responsible is the Yersinia pestis bacterium. -
Jan 1, 1378
First appearance of Robin Hood in literature
A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". -
Jan 1, 1387
Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales
The tales (mostly written in verse although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. -
Jan 1, 1455
War of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic wars fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York (whose heraldic symbols were the "red" and the "white" rose, respectively) for the throne of England. -
Jan 1, 1485
The first printing of Le Morte d'Arthur
He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. He was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the Wars of the Roses. -
Jan 1, 1485
End of War of the Roses
The end of the war -
Jan 1, 1485
First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned
Henry VII was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the Wars of the Roses. He founded a long-lasting dynasty and, after a reign of nearly 24 years, was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII.
