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Period: Jan 1, 1050 to Jan 1, 1500
Medieval Time
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Sep 28, 1066
William the Conquerer invades England.
Claiming his right to the English throne, William, duke of Normandy, invades England at Pevensey on Britain's southeast coast. His subsequent defeat of King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings marked the beginning of a new era in British history. -
Sep 12, 1150
Paper is first mass produced in Spain.
The first mass production is in Spain. -
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
What is the Magna Carta? The Magna Carta is a document that King John of England (1166 - 1216) was forced into signing. King John was forced into signing the charter because it greatly reduced the power he held as the King of England and allowed for the formation of a powerful parliament. The Magna Carta became the basis for English citizen's rights. -
Aug 24, 1270
End of the Crusades.
The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the Saracens. The term 'Saracen' was the word used to describe a Moslem during the time of the Crusades. The Crusades started in 1095 when Pope Claremont preached the First Crusade at the Council of Claremont. The Pope's preaching led to thousands immediately affixing the cross to their garments - the name Crusade given to the Holy Wars came from old French word 'crois' meaning 'cross'. The Crusades were -
Jan 1, 1348
The Plague
The Black Death was an epidemic which spread across almost all of Europe in the years 1346 – 53; the plague killed over a third of the entire population. It has been described as the worst natural disaster in European history. -
Jan 1, 1378
First appearance of Robin Hood in Literature.
The Life of Robin Hood was set in the era when King Richard the Lionheart went to the crusades leaving his brother John as Regent. Robin Hood was a member of the Saxon nobility called Robin of Loxley and he fought at the crusades. He falls in love with Maid Marian and shows her how badly the Normans treat the Saxon English. -
Jan 1, 1387
Chaucer writes the Canterberry Tales.
The Canterbury Tales begins with the introduction of each of the pilgrims making their journey to Canterbury to the shrine of Thomas a Becket. These pilgrims include a Knight, his son the Squire, the Knight's Yeoman, a Prioress, a Second Nun, a Monk, a Friar, a Merchant, a Clerk, a Man of Law, a Franklin, a Weaver, a Dyer, a Carpenter, a Tapestry-Maker, a Haberdasher, a Cook, a Shipman, a Physician, a Parson, a Miller, a Manciple, a Reeve, a Summoner, a Pardoner, the Wife of Bath, and Chaucer hi -
May 22, 1455
The War of the Roses
WARS OF THE ROSES, A name given to a series of civil wars in England during the reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV and Richard III. They were marked by a ferocity and brutality which are practically unknown in the history of English wars before and since. -
Aug 24, 1485
First printing of Le Morte d'Arthur.
Sir Thomas Malory's story, originally written as 8 books, was first published by William Caxton as 21 books in the year 1485. The modern Penguin Classics version is currently published in two volumes: Books 1 - 9 in Volume 1 and Books 10 - 21 in Volume 2 - exactly 1,000 pages in all, written in Middle English but converted to modern spelling. On this page is a brief summary of the contents of the whole of Malory's story, with links to another 21 pages on which Lugodoc has further (and excellentl -
Oct 30, 1485
First Tudor King, Henry VII, is crowned.
HenryVII01.jpg (84950 bytes) Young Henry Tudor
by an artist of the French school
Musee Calvet
Born at Pembroke Castle, Wales, 28 Jan 1457, Henry Tudor was the son of Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort. The very fact that Henry Tudor became King of England at all is somewhat of a miracle. His claim to the English throne was tenuous at best. His father was a Welshman of Welsh royal lineage, but that was not too important as far as his claim to the English throne went.
