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800 BCE
The Celts moved to Britain from the mainland.
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Period: 55 BCE to 433
The Romans arrived in Britain.
Julius Caesar made two trips here.
Britain was declared a province of the Roman Empire. The island was visited by the emperors Claudius, Hadrian, and Septimius Severus. -
436
The Romans finally left Britain
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449
England was captured by Germanic tribes
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians. The Anglo-Saxon dialect began to displace the Celtic language from everyday use. -
Period: 450 to 1066
Old English
The Germanic tribes of the Saxons, Jutes, Angles and Frisians entered Britain in 449. Since these tribes were significantly superior in kinship to the Celtic ones, the gradual Anglo-Saxon dialect completely replaced the Celtic dialect from use. -
878
The beginning of the Danish conquest
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, conquers England -
Period: 1066 to 1500
Middle English
In the middle of the 11th century, the inhabitants of northern France conquered Britain. William the Conqueror, a Norman by origin, becomes king. From this time on, the era of three languages began in the history of the people. French became the language of the aristocracy and courts, Latin remained the language of science, and the common people continued to speak Anglo-Saxon. -
1362
The begging of the use of English in court
English replaced French and Latin -
1385
The begging of the use of English in education
English replaced French and Latin -
1474
William Caxton published the first book in English
It was a translation of Raoul Lefebvre's "Collected Stories of Troy." -
Period: 1500 to
Early Modern English
Caxton often invented his own rules, which, after publication, became publicly available and were considered the only correct ones. -
1564
Birth of William Shakespeare
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The first daily newspaper was published
The Daily Courant -
Period: to
Late Modern English
The great William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is rightfully considered the founder of the English literary language. He is credited with originating many idiomatic expressions that are still used in modern English. In addition, Shakespeare invented many new words that have taken root in the language. -
The Oxford English Dictionary was published.
