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600 BCE
The celtes
Long ago, Celtic tribes, called Britons, lived on this fertile island. Unfortunately, the Celts (pronounced /kelts/) lived in many tribes without one united army. -
Period: 600 BCE to 1616 BCE
The history of the English language
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55 BCE
The romans
Roman soldiers successfully invaded the island in the year 43A.D. Romans spoke Latin. The Romans called the island Britannia, named after the Britons they found living there. The Romans built roads, walls, cities, and castles. -
450
THE ANGLO-SAXONS
The Germanic invaders were the Angles and Saxons (called the Anglo-Saxons) and the Jutes. These barbaric Germanic pirates took control of Britannia, harming the Celtic Britons terribly, burning their homes and villages and killing or enslaving them. Many Celts fled to Scotland and Wales and France. -
800
The vikings
The island suffered yet another invasion, bringing changes to the English language. In about 787, the Vikings invaded. The Vikings lived across the water, in Scandinavia (the Norsemen lived in Norway and the Danes lived in Denmark). -
1066
The normans french
In 1066 another invasion occurred. William the Conqueror was a French nobleman from Normandy, France. He led his Norman soldiers in defeating the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. -
1400
Middle english (The Canterbury Tales)
There were no more invasions of England. English became more important than French. -
1476
THE PRINTING PRESS
Early Modern English began soon after Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany in 1436. With the printing press came books, instead of scrolls and manuscripts written by hand. William Caxton set up a printing press in London in 1476. -
1500
THE RENAISSANCE
At about the same time as the invention of the printing press, a great Renaissance began in Italy and swept across Europe, reaching England by 1500. -
1564
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
There are many important authors in Modern English, but one of the most famous writers is William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616).