History of the English Language Timeline By Lakyn.e Period: 400 to 1100 Old English 436 Roman Withdrawal from Britain 449 The Invasion of Germanic Tribes 787 Scandinavian Invasions 1000 Beowulf’s Writing 1066 The Norman Invasion Period: 1100 to 1500 Middle English 1301 English Becomes Dominant in Britain 1348 English Replaces Latin as the Language of Instruction in Most Schools 1362 English Replaces French as the Language of Law 1390 The Canterbury Tales 1440 The Invention of the Printing Press 1492 The Discovery of the Americas Period: 1500 to 2020 Modern English 1600 North American English Becomes Distinct 1604 Publication of the First English Dictionary 1623 Publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio 1701 The Starting of Formal Education 1775 The American Revolution 1939 World War II
