Medieval Timeline

By rickyg2
  • Jan 1, 1066

    William the Conqueror invades England

    William the Conqueror 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.
  • Jan 1, 1150

    Paper is first mass-produced in Spain

    Paper is first mass-produced in Spain
    In Europe, the use of papyrus had dropped out in the 9th century. The preferred medium for the artists and literati of the time was the smooth and lustrous parchment.
  • Jan 1, 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta
    The 1215 charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary, for example by explicitly accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land, a right which is still in existence today
  • Jan 1, 1270

    End of the crusades

    End of the crusades
    The Crusades were a series of religious expeditionary wars blessed by Pope Urban II and the Catholic Church, with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem.
  • Jan 1, 1348

    The Plague

    The Plague
    the Black Death was to kill 1.5 million people out of an estimated total of 4 million people between 1348 and 1350. No medical knowledge existed in Medieval England to cope with the disease. After 1350, it was to strike England another six times by the end of the century. Understandably, peasants were terrified at the news that the Black Death might be approaching their village or town.
  • Jan 1, 1378

    First appearance of Robin Hood in literature

    First appearance of Robin Hood in literature
    Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men".
  • Jan 1, 1387

    Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales

    Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales
    The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales (mostly written in verse although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return.
  • Jan 1, 1455

    War of the Roses

    War of the Roses
    The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic wars fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York (whose heraldic symbols were the "red" and the "white" rose, respectively) for the throne of England.
  • Jan 1, 1485

    First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned

    First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned
    Having defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor took the English throne, and was crowned on October 30, 1485
  • Jan 1, 1485

    First Printing of Le Morte d'Arthur

    First Printing of Le Morte d'Arthur
    Le Morte D'arthur, Middle French for "the death of Arthur" is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table. The book interprets existing French and English stories about these figures, with some of Malory's own original material (the Gareth story). First published in 1485 by William Caxton, Le Morte d'Arthur is perhaps the best-known work of English-language Arthurian literature today.