English literature

By xime padilla
  • 450

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    Earliest Old English inscriptions.
  • Period: 450 to Feb 4, 1000

    Old English

    Celtic was the main language, but then english appeared ad was created. English has many Latin references because of the continent where it was created and because of the conversion to Christianity.

    (http://public.oed.com/aspects-of-english/english-in-time/old-english-an-overview/)
  • Jan 31, 660

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    “Cædmon's Hymn” composed in Old English.
  • Feb 1, 731

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    The Venerable Bede writes “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People” (in Latin).
  • Feb 2, 800

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    Old English epic poem “Beowulf” composed.
  • Feb 3, 871

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    Alfred the Great becomes king of Wessex, encourages English prose and translation of Latin works.
  • Feb 3, 871

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    “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” is begun.
  • Feb 4, 1000

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    The oldest surviving manuscript of “Beowulf” dates from this period.
  • Feb 5, 1086

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    “Domesday Book” compiled.
  • Period: Feb 5, 1086 to Feb 17, 1399

    Middle English

    The most important linguistic developments were grammarand vocabular. It showed many borrowings from French, and Latin scandinavian, making it a multilingual era. (http://public.oed.com/aspects-of-english/english-in-time/middle-english-an-overview/)
  • Feb 6, 1150

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    The oldest surviving manuscripts in Middle English date from this period.
  • Feb 7, 1154

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    “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” discontinued.
  • Feb 8, 1167

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    Oxford University established.
  • Feb 9, 1180

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    The “Ormulum” text of the monk Orm completed.
  • Feb 10, 1209

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    Cambridge University established.
  • Feb 11, 1362

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    The Statute of Pleading replaces French with English as the language of law (although records continue to be kept in Latin).
  • Feb 12, 1362

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    English is used in English Parliament for the first time.
  • Feb 13, 1370

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    William Langland writes “Piers Plowman”
  • Feb 14, 1384

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    John Wycliffe publishes his English translation of “The Bible”
  • Feb 15, 1385

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    English replaces Latin as main language in schools (except Universities of Oxford and Cambridge).
  • Feb 16, 1388

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    Chaucer begins “The Canterbury Tales”.
  • Feb 17, 1399

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    Henry IV becomes first English-speaking monarch since before the Conquest.
  • Feb 19, 1476

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    William Caxton establishes the first English printing press.
  • Period: Feb 19, 1476 to

    Early Modern English

    Not long before the wars of roses, printig becomes the breakthrough of books.
    (http://public.oed.com/aspects-of-english/english-in-time/early-modern-english-an-overview/)
  • Feb 20, 1526

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    William Tyndale prints his English translation of the New Testament of “The Bible”
  • Feb 21, 1539

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    “The Great Bible” published
  • Feb 22, 1549

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    First version of “The Book of Common Prayer” published.

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    William Shakespeare writes his first plays.

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    Romeo and Juliet.

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    A midsummer night's dream.

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    Hamlet.

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    Robert Cawdrey publishes the first English dictionary, “A Table Alphabeticall”.

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    The Authorized, or King James Version, of “The Bible” is published

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    Death of William Shakespeare.

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    Publication of the first English-language newspaper, the “Courante” or “Weekly News”.

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    First Folio of Shakespeare’s works is published

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    Publication of the first daily English-language newspaper, “The Daily Courant”, in London.

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    Samuel Johnson publishes his “Dictionary of the English Language”.

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    Noah Webster publishes “The American Spelling Book”.
  • Period: to

    Late Modern English

    Dictionaries become famous and more useful for writers and students.

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    Noah Webster publishes his “The American Dictionary of the English Language”

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    First edition of the “Oxford English Dictionary” is published.

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    Sir Ernest Gowers’ “The Complete Plain Words” published.

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    Second edition of the “Oxford English Dictionary” is published.