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400
Beginning of Timeline
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410
Rome Withdraws from Great Britain
Constantine III withdrew the Roman army from Britain because he had to defend Rome from Barbarians. He also had to maintain his control of the western half of his empire. This happened before the Old English Language was created. -
450
Germanic Tribes Invade England
Germanic tribes invaded England after the collapse of the Roman Empire. They spoke similar languages, which developed into what is now called Old English. This means that Germanic Tribes helped create the Old English Language. -
Period: 450 to 1100
Old English
Old English was created due to old Germanic tribes that spoke similar languages. Britain developed the Germanic languages into what is now called Old English. The words water, be, and strong all derive from Old English. -
731
Ecclesiastical History of the English People
This book was written by a monk named Venerable Bede. This book is now one of our best-written sources for early English history. It was written in the Old English Language. -
750
Suspected Date of Beowulf's Writing
Beowulf is a poem that is one of the greatest achievements of Old English literature. The author is unknown, and the poem is believed to have been written between 700 and 750. I chose to use 750 as the date on which Beowulf was written. This poem was written in Old English. -
1066
The Norman Invasion
William the Conqueror invaded and conquered England. This is called the Norman Invasion. The Normans brought with them a certain kind of French that was adopted by the wealthy English. Only the Royal court, business class, and ruling class were allowed to use this language. The lower classes spoke in English. Eventually, English became the main language of Britain. However, it had a lot of French words in it. This new English language became known as Middle English. -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle English
The Norman invasion brought a lot of French words to Britain. When English became a dominant language in Great Britain, it had many French words in it. That is how Middle English was created. -
1171
King Henry The II Invades Ireland
King Henry II decided to invade Ireland for church-reform reasons. His invasion brought Norman French and English to the country. This happened during the Middle English era. -
1209
The University of Cambridge was Formed
This University was formed by Oxford scholars who left their school due to political beliefs. The Middle English Language is what everyone used when this University was created. -
1382
John Wycliffe Translated the Bible from Latin to English
Wycliff translated the Bible from Latin to Middle English. They supposedly appeared in the year 1382. This was the first complete English translation of the Bible. -
1400
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer. He started to write these tales in 1387 and continued writing them until he died in 1400. These tales were one of the first pieces of literature that were written in English. Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales using Middle English. -
1436
Invention of the Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, is credited for inventing the printing press. The year 1436 is the estimated year that he created it. The Printing Press helped bring standardization to the Middle English language. -
1492
The Discovery of North America
Christopher Columbus is known for discovering America. He accidentally discovered it when he was trying to find trade routes for Spain. He discovered America during the Middle English era. -
Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio
This is the first published collection of Shakespeare's plays. The First Folio was produced seven years after Shakespeare's death. His Folio was written in Modern English. -
The American Revolution
The American Revolution happened because the colonists were sick of British tyranny. They wanted to live in a free country. Therefore, the colonists went to war against Britain to earn their freedom. The American Revolution ended on September 3, 1783. This happened during the Modern English Era. -
Declaration of Independence Adopted By Congress
The Declaration of Independence's first draft was written by Thomas Jefferson. It was then edited by the whole Congress. The Declaration of Independence was written in Modern English. Lastly, the Continental Congress adopted it on July 4, 1776. -
Constitutional Convention Convened
The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia. The American state's Delegates all met together to create a stronger central government. This event happened during the Modern English era. -
Period: to
Modern English
Modern English had the Great Vowel Shift. This means that the vowels in the English language were pronounced shorter and shorter. Many new words were created because the British had contact with people from all around the world. The creation of printing also brought standardization to Modern English. -
The Fifth Volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English is Published
This dictionary was published by Belknap Press. It is written in Modern English. -
End of Timeline