The Middle Ages

William the Conqueror

Sep 27, 1066

William was the first Norman King 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. He 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

Sep 27, 1150

Papermaking reached Europe as early as 1085 in Toledo and was firmly established in Xàtiva, Spain by 1150. The first recorded paper mill in the Iberian Peninsula was in Xàtiva in 1151. By 1276 mills were established in Fabriano, Italy and in Treviso and other northern Italian towns.

Magna Carta

Sep 27, 1215

s a charter agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. 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 so on. The charter became part of English political life and was typically renewed by each monarch in turn.

End of the Crusades

Sep 28, 1270

The Crusades were predominantly a series of religious wars undertaken by the Latin Church between the 11th and 15th centuries. The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX of France against the city of Tunis in 1270. Louis was soon convinced by his brother Charles of Anjou to attack Tunis first, which would give them a strong base for attacking Egypt. Louis himself died from the stomach flu on August 25, 1270. Because of his youth, Charles became the actual leader of the crusade.

The Plague

Sep 28, 1348

The Black Plague was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people. The Plague was reportedly first introduced to Europe by the Genoese traders at the port city of Kaffa in the Crimea in 1347. The Genoese traders fled, taking the plague by ship into Sicily and the south of Europe. From Italy, the disease spread northwest across Europe, striking France, Spain, Portugal and England by June 1348.

Robin Hood

Sep 27, 1378

Robin Hood is a heroic outlaw in English folklore who, according to legend, was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. The first clear reference to "rhymes of Robin Hood" is from the c. 1377 poem Piers Plowman, but the earliest surviving copies of the narrative ballads that tell his story date to the second half of 15th century.

Chaucer

Sep 27, 1387

The Canterbury Tales is the most famous and critically acclaimed work of Geoffrey Chaucer. Around 1378, Chaucer began to develop his vision of an English poetry that would be linguistically accessible to all. That the nobles and kings Chaucer served (Richard II until 1399, then Henry IV) were impressed with Chaucer’s skills as a negotiator is obvious from the many rewards he received for his service.

War of the Roses

Sep 28, 1455

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. 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.

1st printing of Le Morte d’Arthur

Sep 27, 1485

Le Morte d'Arthur is 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. It was first published in 1485 by William Caxton.

Henry VII is crowned

Sep 28, 1485

Henry was aware that his best chance to seize the throne was to quickly defeat Richard III, because Richard had reinforcments. Richard only needed to avoid being killed to keep his throne. Though outnumbered, Henry's forces decisively defeated Richard's Yorkist army at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485. The first concern for Henry was to secure his hold on the throne. He declared himself king "by right of conquest" retroactively from 21 August 1485, the day before Bosworth Field.