History of the English Language By Ehall26 400 Start Date 450 Old English Begins 450 The Death of Roman Emperor Theodosius II 495 Pericles was born 700 Beowulf's Writing 1066 The Norman Invasion 1100 Middle English Emerges 1100 Old English Ends Jun 24, 1128 Afonso I of Portugal defeats army of his mother Theresa 1387 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales 1440 Invention of the Printing Press Feb 15, 1459 Bernardo is elected Pope Eugene III 1492 Discovery of the Americas 1500 The End of Middle English 1500 Early Modern English Emerges Feb 24, 1525 Battle of Pavia Jan 14, 1526 Charles V and Francis I sign the Treaty of Madrid 1623 Shakespear's First Folio 1765 The Start of the American Revolution 1783 The End of the American Revolution Sep 1, 1939 The Beginning of WWII Oct 2, 1945 The End of WWII 2000 End Date