Medieval Timeline

By rayyrayyhayyy
  • Sep 28, 1066

    William the Conqueror invades England

    William the Conqueror invades England
    Claiming his right to the throne, William, duke of Normandy, invades England at Pevensey on Britain's southeat coast. His subsequent defeat of King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings marked the beginning of a new era in Britain history.
  • Jan 1, 1150

    Paper is first mass-produced in Spain

    Paper is first mass-produced in Spain
    The first papermill was established in Spain at Xativa. Only with the rise of the printing press in the mid 1400s changed the European attitude towards paper.
  • Jul 15, 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta
    Magna Carta, is an English charter, originally issued in Latin in the year 1215, translated into vernacular-French as early as 1219 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions. The 1215 charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary.
  • Sep 26, 1270

    End of the Crusades

    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.
  • Jan 1, 1348

    The Plague

    The Plague
    In Medieval England, the Black Death was to kill 1.5 million people out of an estimated total of 4 million people between 1348 and 1350. No medical knowledge existed in Medieval England to cope with the disease. After 1350, it was to strike England another six times by the end of the century.
  • Jan 1, 1378

    First appearance of Robin Hood in literature

    First appearance of Robin Hood in literature
    The first mention of a quasi-historical Robin Hood is given in Andrew of Wyntoun's Orygynale Chronicle written in about 1420. The following lines occur with little contextualisation under the year 1238: Lytil Jhon and Robyne Hude Wayth-men ware commendyd gude in Yngil-wode and Barnysdale Thai oysyd all this tyme thare trawale.
  • Jan 1, 1387

    Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales

    Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales
    Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tale, 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, who come from all layers of society, tell stories to each other to kill time while they travel to Canterbury.
  • Jan 1, 1455

    Start of the war of Roses

    Start of the war of Roses
    The War of the Roses were a series of dynastic wars fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantaegenet: the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England. They were fought in several sporadic episodes between 1455 and 1485.
  • Jan 1, 1485

    First printing of Le Morte d'Arthur

    First printing of Le Morte d'Arthur
    Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary Kind Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and The Knights of the Round Table. The book interprets existing French and English stories about these figures, with some of Malory's own original material.
  • Jan 1, 1485

    First Tudor King, Henry VII, is crowned

    First Tudor King, Henry VII, is crowned
    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 beggining of the Star Chamber, a closed court that answered to no one, but the king.
  • Dec 31, 1485

    End of the War of Roses

    End of the War of Roses
    The final victory went to a relatively remote Lancastrain, claimant, Henry Tudor, who defeated the last Yorkiest kind 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.