The history of the English language timeline

By Bronsonf
  • Period: 400 to 1066

    Old English

  • 440

    Famine and civil war break out in Britain

    Famine and civil war break out in Britain
  • 500

    Suspected date of Beowulf's writing

    Suspected date of Beowulf's writing
  • 527

    The Angles found the Kingdom of Mercia

    The Angles found the Kingdom of Mercia
  • 1016

    Cnut becomes king of England

    Cnut becomes king of England
  • Oct 16, 1066

    Suspected date of The Norman Invasion

    Suspected date of The Norman Invasion
  • Period: 1067 to 1485

    Middle English

  • 1375

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
  • 1387

    Suspected date of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

    Suspected date of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
  • 1387

    100 years war

    100 years war
  • 1424

    Joan of Arc experiences a vision

    Joan of Arc experiences a vision
  • 1440

    The invention of the printing press

    The invention of the printing press
  • Period: 1486 to

    Modern English

  • Oct 12, 1492

    The discovery of the Americas

    The discovery of the Americas
  • 1547

    Death of Henry VIII

    Death of Henry VIII

  • Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio

    Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio

  • End of the War of the Spanish Succession

    End of the War of the Spanish Succession

  • The American Revolution

    The American Revolution

  • World War l

    World War l

  • World War II

    World War II