Medieval timeline

william the conqueror invades england

Sep 28, 1066

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

1150 paper is first mass-produced in spain

Nov 21, 1150

In Spain, paper is first mass-produced & the trade was brought into europe

Magna Carta

Jan 1, 1215

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.

end of the crusades

Jan 1, 1270

The Crusades were military or quasi-military expeditions launched by Christian secular and religious rulers against Moslems in the Middle East from 1096 to 1291. Religious fervour was an extremely important factor in arousing the Christians to organize military expeditions, as was the hope of gaining immense riches and increased power.

the plague

Jan 1, 1348

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. which killed 1 of 3 people

first appearance of Robin hood in literature

Aug 23, 1378

First appearance of "The Vision of Piers Plowman" and the rise of the Robin Hood legends in England

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).

War of the roses

Jan 1, 1455

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. They were fought in several sporadic episodes between 1455 and 1485, although there was related fighting both before and after this period. The final victory went to a relatively remote Lancastrian claimant, Henry Tudor, who defe

first printing of le morte d'arthur

Jan 1, 1485

Having read these compendious works, he translated them into what was for him modern English, and in doing so, abridged them. His work, Le Morte d’Arthur, was completed in 1469, shortly before Malory died; shortly afterwards, William Caxton, the English pioneer of printing, published a printed version of the Morte. It has remained in print, somewhat patchily at first, ever since

first tudor king, henry vii is crowned

Jan 1, 1485

Henry VII so refined their procedures of revenue collection and the apportioning of money to government needs that, by his personal supervision, he made the Crown solvent for the first time in many years and, at his death, left an immense reserve to his heir.