Top Ten Events of the Middle Ages

The Battle of Hastings and The Norman conquest

1066

The Norman conquest of 1066 marked a dramatic and irreversible turning point in English history. Events began with the battle of Hastings, in which king Harold II attempted to defend his realm from the Norman invasion forces of William, Duke of Normandy.

The Domesday Book is completed

1085

The Domesday Book is England's earliest surviving public record that is of no rival in the depth and detail that it has. It catalogued the kingdoms taxable goods and records the identity of England landholders at the time.

The First Crusade is Decreed

1095

In 1095 Pope Urban II's official call for the holy war started the beginning of religious conflicts. the crusades for significant movements that saw European Christian knights hold successive military campaigns in attempts to conquer the holy land.

Thomas Becket is Murdered

1170

Thomas Becket who was the arch bishop of Canterbury was murdered in December of 1170 because of a disagreement with the king. In 1173 he was canonised (made a saint) this was extremely damaging to King Henry's reputation

Magna Carta is signed

1215

Following a period of political and military upheaval in England. King John was reluctantly forced to sign the Magna Carta as part of peace negotiations with rebel barons. However King John ignored it's rules which prompted a civil war.

The battle of Bannockburn

1314

The battle of Bannockburn was the Scottish leader Robert the Bruce's pivotal conflict for Scotland fight for independence. The Scottish won the battle and drove the English out. In 1324 Robert gained recognition as the king of Scotland

The Black Death comes to Britain

1348

In the summer of 1348 the first wave of the bubonic plague hit the England streets leading to an epidemic of massive proportions. the Plague is estimated to have killed at least a third of the population.

The Peasants Revolt

1381

This was the first large-scale uprising in English history The Peasants Revolt threaten to overturn the existing social structures and undermine the countries rules. The revolt was formed in result of the introduction of a third poll tax which had a damaging effect on the poor.

Henry V defeats the French Agincourt

1415

Soon after becoming king of England in 1413, The young king turned his attention to expanding his Kingdom. During his father’s reign he had pushed for an invasion of France, and as the country was undergoing a period of political turmoil under its elderly monarch, Charles VI, it was the perfect time to launch an assault on the vulnerable kingdom.

Richard III is defeated at the battle of Bosworth

1485

In the last clash of the Wars of Roses, the battle of Bosworth saw Henry VII defeat Richard III in a bloody fight for the English throne.