Medieval Ages

  • William the Conqueror invades England
    Sep 1, 1066

    William the Conqueror invades England

    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 at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066.
  • paper is first mass-produced in Spain
    Sep 27, 1150

    paper is first mass-produced in Spain

    The Egyptians learned the paper making from the Arabs during the early 10th century. Around 1100 A.D. paper arrived in Northern Africa and by 1150 A.D. it arrived to Spain as a result of the crusades and established the first paper industry in Europe.
  • Magna Carta
    Sep 28, 1215

    Magna Carta

    First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.
  • end of the Crusades
    Sep 28, 1270

    end of the Crusades

    The Crusades were predominantly a series of religious wars undertaken by the Latin Church between the 11th and 15th centuries; historians cannot agree on any single definition of a crusade, or which specific military campaigns should be included.
  • The Plague
    Sep 28, 1348

    The Plague

    The Black Death was an epidemic of bubonic plague, a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis that circulates among wild rodents where they live in great numbers and density.
  • first appearance of Robin Hood in literature
    Sep 28, 1378

    first appearance of Robin Hood in literature

    a heroic outlaw in English folklore who, according to legend, was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. Traditionally depicted as being dressed in Lincoln green, he is often portrayed as "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor"
  • Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales
    Sep 28, 1387

    Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales

    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.
  • War of the Roses
    Sep 28, 1455

    War of the Roses

    The Wars of the Roses were a series of wars for control of the throne of England. They were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, those of Lancaster and York.
  • first printing of Le Morte d’Arthur
    Sep 28, 1485

    first printing of Le Morte d’Arthur

    a reworking of traditional tales by Sir Thomas Malory about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. Malory interprets existing French and English stories about these figures and adds original material
  • First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned
    Sep 28, 1485

    First Tudor king, Henry VII, is crowned

    Henry won the throne when his forces defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. Henry was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle.