The History of the English Language

By galaviz.ryan
  • Period: 400 to

    The History of the English Language

  • 430

    Invasion of Germanic Tribes

  • Dec 17, 600

    Suspected date of Beowulf's Writing

    They would use words like Bedight, Besmirch, and Bight.
    Bedight- decorate
    Besmirch- smear as to make dirty or stain
    Bight- a bend or curve
    It is a story of the supernatural as well as a record of Anglo-Saxon history.
  • Dec 17, 601

    The Coming of Christianity and Literacy

    Augustine was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 601 AD and several great monasteries and centres of learning were established particularly in Northumbria.
  • Dec 17, 850

    The Vikings

    By the late 8th century, the Vikings began to make sporadic raids on the east coast of Britain.
  • Dec 17, 1000

    The Discovery of North America

  • Dec 17, 1066

    The Norman Invasion

  • Dec 17, 1066

    Norman Conquest

    This event started after the transfer from Old English to Middle English. William the Conqueror invaded the island of Britain from his home base in France.
  • Dec 17, 1154

    Resurgence of English

    In 1154, even the venerable “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”, which for centuries had recorded the history of the English people, recorded its last entry.
  • Dec 17, 1167

    Middle English After the Normans

    Used words such as al, anon, and ay.
    Al- although
    Anon- at once
    Ay- always
  • Dec 17, 1440

    The Invention of the Printing Press

  • Dec 17, 1475

    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

  • Dec 17, 1485

    Henry Tudor Ascends the Throne

    Also ending the War of the Roses.

  • Authorized Version of the Bible

  • Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio

  • The American Revolution

    Used words like earworm, staycation, and webisode.
    Earworm- a song or tune that's stuck in your head
    Staycation- spending your vacation in your hometown rather than traveling abroad
    The American Revolution was a political upheaval that took place between 1765 and 1783 during which colonists in the Thirteen American Colonies rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy.
    Webisode- an episode or series created for online viewing

  • First English Settlement in Australia

    Around 430AD, the ambitious Celtic warlord Vortigern invited the Jutish brothers Hengest and Horsa, from Jutland in modern-day Denmark, to settle on the east coast of Britain.