Medieval Timeline

  • William the Conqueror invades England
    Aug 23, 1066

    William the Conqueror invades England

    King William I of England was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert of Normandy, France. Though his blood claim to the throne of England was slim, he set his sights on the land once governed by his cousin, Edward the Confessor, and claimed the old king had named him his heir. In October of 1066, William the Conqueror successfully invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson to win the crown.
  • Paper is first mass-produced in Spain
    Aug 23, 1150

    Paper is first mass-produced in Spain

    Papers and printed materials gradually became available to the masses, which helped their literacy.
  • Period: Aug 23, 1150 to Aug 23, 1485

    Literary, Political, and Social Events

  • Magna Carta
    Aug 23, 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum or The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, is an English charter, originally issued in Latin in the year 1215, translated into vernacular-French as early as 1219,[1] and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions.
  • End of the Crusades
    Aug 23, 1270

    End of the Crusades

    The Crusades were a series of religious expeditionary wars blessed by Pope Urban II and the Catholic Church, with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem.
  • The Plague
    Aug 23, 1348

    The Plague

    The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350.the pathogen responsible is the Yersinia pestis bacterium.[1] Thought to have started in China or central Asia, it travelled along the Silk Road and reached the Crimea by 1346
  • First appearanceof Robin Hood in literature
    Aug 23, 1378

    First appearanceof Robin Hood in literature

    Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. 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".
  • Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales
    Aug 23, 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
  • War of the Roses
    Aug 23, 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.
  • First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned
    Aug 23, 1485

    First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned

    After the deaths of Henry VI and his son Edward, Henry through his mother's ancestry became the head of the House of Lancaster. The acts of Richard III brought Henry closer to the throne during the turbulent period from 1483 - 1485. In August 1485 Henry landed in Pembrokeshire and marched north. He defeated the Yorkist army at the battle of Bosworth where Richard III was killed. Later that year he was crowned king.
  • First printing of Le Morte d'Arthur
    Aug 23, 1485

    First printing of Le Morte d'Arthur

    Le Morte d'Arthur (originally spelled Le Morte Darthur, Middle French for "the death of Arthur") is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table.
  • War of the Roses (end)
    Aug 23, 1485

    War of the Roses (end)

    The final victory went to a relatively remote Lancastrian claimant, Henry Tudor, who defeated the last Yorkist king Richard III and married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York to unite the two houses. The House of Tudor subsequently ruled England and Wales for 117 years.