Middle ages timeline

• 1066-William the Conqueror invades England

Aug 28, 1066

In the 1050s and early 1060s William became a contender for the throne of England.There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, who was named the next king by Edward on the latter's deathbed in January 1066. William argued that Edward had previously promised the throne to him, and that Harold had sworn to support William's claim. William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066, decisively defeating and killing Harold.

• c. 1150 paper is first mass-produced in Spain

Aug 28, 1150

In medieval Europe, the handcraft of papermaking was mechanized by the use of waterpower, the first water papermill in the Iberian Peninsula having been built in the Portuguese city of Leiria in 1411, and other processes.The rapid expansion of European paper production was truly enhanced by the invention of the printing press and the beginning of the Printing Revolution in the 15th century.

• 1215-Magna Carta

Aug 28, 1215

The Magna Carta was signed in June 1215 between the barons of Medieval England and King John. The document was a series of written promises between the king and his subjects that he, the king, would govern England and deal with its people according to the customs of feudal law. Magna Carta was an attempt by the barons to stop a king - in this case John - abusing his power with the people of England suffering.

• 1270-end of the Crusades

Aug 28, 1270

The emperor Frederick II for a short time recovered Jerusalem by a treaty, but in 1244 A.D. the Holy City became again a possession of the Moslems. They have never since relinquished it. Acre, the last Christian post in Syria, fell in 1291 A.D., and with this event the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem ceased to exist. The Hospitallers, or Knights of St. John, still kept possession of the important islands of Cyprus and Rhodes, which long served as a barrier to Moslem expansion over the Mediterranean.

• 1348-The Plague

Aug 28, 1348

In the early 1330s an outbreak of deadly bubonic plague occurred in China. Once people are infected, they infect others very rapidly. Plague causes fever and a painful swelling of the lymph glands called buboes, which is how it gets its name. The plague spread as far as North England where people called it the "Black Death". After five years 25 million people were dead--one-third of Europe's people.

• c. 1378 first appearance of Robin Hood in literature

Aug 28, 1378

The earliest knowledge we have of Robin Hood is as a figure in English ballads dating from at least the 14th century. The earliest mention of Robin Hood is in the 14th-century narrative poem "Piers Plowman," but the earliest extant ballad, "Robin Hood and the Monk," dates from 1450. In the early ballads, Robin Hood is an outlaw situated in Sherwood Forest.He has heroic, courteous, and noble qualities, as well as a pious devotion to the Virgin Mary and a chivalrous regard for women.

• c. 1387 Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales

Aug 28, 1387

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories in a frame story, between 1387 and 1400. It is the story of a group of thirty people who travel as pilgrims to Canterbury (England). The pilgrims, who come from all layers of society, tell stories to each other to kill time while they travel to Canterbury. Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. He never entirely finished the book.

• 1455-1485-War of the Roses

Aug 28, 1455

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic wars for the throne of England. They were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the houses of Lancaster and York. They were fought in several sporadic episodes between 1455 and 1487, although there was related fighting before and after this period. The conflict resulted from social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years' War, combined with the mental infirmity and weak rule of Henry VI.

• 1485 first printing of Le Morte d’Arthur

Aug 28, 1485

Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of romance-era tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table. Malory interprets existing French and English stories about these figures and adds original material (the Gareth story).First published in 1485 by William Caxton, Le Morte d'Arthur is today perhaps the the best-known work of Arthurian literature in English Many modern Arthurian writers have used Malory as their principal source.

• 1485-First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned

Aug 28, 1485

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485, he was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry won the throne when his forces defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. Henry cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York. Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the War of Roses.