-
400
Origin
Three Germanic tribes, the Jutes, Saxons and Angles were seeking new lands to conquer, and crossed over from the North Sea. -
500
Invasion
During the invasion, the native Britons were driven north and west into lands we now refer to as Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. -
700
Old English
This evolves in between the 5th and 11th century and it is divided in three stages:
Prehistoric - 5th to 7th century
Early Old English - 7th to 10th century
Late Old English - 10 to 11th century -
800
Early Old English
This period contains of the earliest documented evidence of English language - showcasing the leading figures in Anglo-Saxon literature -
1000
Late Old English
Final phase of Old English language which was brought about the Norman Invasion. -
1066
Norman Invasion
The Norman Conquest was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqueror. -
1100
Early Middle English
During this period that the English language, and more specifically, English grammar, started evolving with particular attention to syntax. -
1400
Old English Grammar
In this period has been attributed with the loss of case endings that ultimately resulted in inflection markers being replaced by more complex features of the language. -
1440
History of English Language
Geoffrey Chaucer know as the Father of English Literature. Had various works that the English language was more or less “approved” alongside those of French and Latin, though he continued to write up some of his characters in the northern dialects. -
1450
Chancery English
Usage of the clerks of Chancery in London, who prepared the king's documents. Before the 1430s, official records were mainly in Latin and French, but after that date mainly in an English based on the Central Midland dialect. -
1500
English Renaissance
A change in pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar. The rebirth of societal and cultural movements during the Elizabethan Age.