The History of the English Language Timeline By oliviapi Period: 400 to 1100 Old English Era (400 - 1100) 793 793 - Viking Raids on Lindisfarne 800 c. 800 - Suspected Date of Beowulf's Writing 1066 1066 - Norman Invasion Period: 1100 to 1500 Middle English Era (1100 - 1500) 1170 1170 - Murder of Thomas Becket 1348 1348 - Black Death 1381 1381 - Peasants' Revolt 1387 1387-1400 - Chaucer's Canterbury Tales 1450 1450 - Invention of the Printing Press 1492 1492 - Discovery of the Americas Period: 1500 to 2000 Modern English Era (1500 - 2000) 1623 1623 - Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio 1776 1776 - American Revolution 1939 1939-1945 - World War II
