Medieval Timeline

By lexinelson
  • Jan 1, 1066

    William the Conqueror invades England

    William the Conqueror invades England
    After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England in 1066. 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

    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

    Magna Carta
    Magna Carta was the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects, the feudal barons, in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. It was preceded and directly influenced by the Charter of Liberties in 1100, in which King Henry I had specified particular areas wherein his powers would be limited.
  • Jan 1, 1270

    End of the Crusades

    End of the Crusades
    The crusades, judged by what they set out to accomplish, must be accounted an inglorious failure. After two hundred years of conflict, after a vast expenditure of wealth and human lives, the Holy Land remained in Moslem hands.
  • Jan 1, 1348

    The Plague

    The Plague
    The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. 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

    First appearance of 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",[1] assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men".[2] Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes.[3] The origin of the legend is claimed by some to have stemmed from actual outlaws, or from ballads or tales of outlaws.
  • Jan 1, 1387

    Chaucer writes the Canterbury Tales

    Chaucer writes the Canterbury Tales
    Chaucer wrote his collection of stories, told as if by pilgrims on the road from London to Canterbury, in the last two decades of the 14th century. The book was unfinished when he died in 1400.
  • Jan 1, 1455

    War of the Roses (1455-1485)

    War of the Roses (1455-1485)
    Following the Hundred Years War, England found itself in turmoil. The war had seriously weakened the monarchy, and drained much of the nation’s treasury. The nation was ruled by the house of Lancaster, which bore the emblem of a red rose.
  • Jan 1, 1485

    First printing of Le Morte d'Arthur

    First printing of Le Morte d'Arthur
    Le Morte d'Arthur is perhaps the best-known work of English-language Arthurian literature today. Many modern Arthurian writers have used Malory as their principal source, including T. H. White for his popular The Once and Future King and Tennyson for The Idylls of the King.
  • Jan 1, 1485

    First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned

    First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned
    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.