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THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE | 1906970

  • THE OLD ENGLISH / ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD
    500

    THE OLD ENGLISH / ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

    The conquest of the Celtic population in Britain by speakers of West Germanic dialects influenced the English language.
  • 8TH CENTURY
    580

    8TH CENTURY

    Ethelbert, the King of Kent became the first English king converted to Christianity
  • 7TH CENTURY
    654

    7TH CENTURY

    Rise of the Anglo kingdom of Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria.
  • 7TH CENTURY
    657

    7TH CENTURY

    Rise of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex, Essex and Middlesex.
  • The Ecclesiastical History of the English People
    731

    The Ecclesiastical History of the English People

    written in Latin by the monk Venerable Bede.
  • 8TH CENTURY
    793

    8TH CENTURY

    Scandinavians began to settle in Britain and Ireland and Danes settled in parts of Ireland.
  • 9TH CENTURY
    802

    9TH CENTURY

    Cornwall is incorporated into the Egbert of Wessex’s kingdom and recognized as overlord of the Heptarchy. England is divided into a kingdom ruled by the Anglo Saxons and another by Scandinavians.
  • English is influenced by Danish
    866

    English is influenced by Danish

    After the Danes established a kingdom at York.
  • The writing of prose in English
    886

    The writing of prose in English

    Established by King Alfred of Wessex.
  • 11TH CENTURY
    1000

    11TH CENTURY

    Manuscript of the Old English Beowulf poem written between the 8th century and the 11th century. The Danish king Canute rules over England and encourages the growth of Anglo-Saxon culture and literature
  • William of Normandy
    1066

    William of Normandy

    Crowned King of England and Norman French became the language used by the law and upper classes, Latin is used in church and schools and English stopped being written.
  • THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD
    1100

    THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD

    Breakdown of the inflectional system of Old English and the expansion of vocabulary from French and Latin.
  • Henry II
    1171

    Henry II

    Declared himself overlord of Ireland, introduced Norman French and English to the nation.
  • The Norman French
    1204

    The Norman French

    Used in England only after King John lost the power.
  • The University of Cambridge
    1209

    The University of Cambridge

    Is founded.
  • King John
    1215

    King John

    Signs the Magna Carta.
  • 13TH CENTURY
    1272

    13TH CENTURY

    Royal authority was consolidated in England and Wales under Edward I and the English language dominates all classes.
  • 14TH CENTURY
    1347

    14TH CENTURY

    The Black Death killed one-third of England’s population. The Canterbury Tales was written by Chaucer. Latin in schoolar ambits was replaced by English language. The Latin Bible is translated into English by John Wycliffe.
  • King Henry IV
    1399

    King Henry IV

    Became the first English monarch to use the English language in a speech.
  • MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD
    1450

    MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD

    British exploration, colonization and overseas trade lead to the development of new varieties of English.
  • 16TH CENTURY
    1520

    16TH CENTURY

    Beginning of the Renaissance English settlements are made in North America. Henry VII became the first Tudor monarch
  • Henry VIII
    1530

    Henry VIII

    Linked religion and politics were cut from Catholic Europe over a period of time.
  • Theater’s popularity
    1550

    Theater’s popularity

    Increased and plays exposed the greater public to the new words and phrases which increased their depth and vocabulary.
  • Elizabeth I

    Elizabeth I

    Begins her 45-year reign as queen of England and restored Roman practices to the church of England. The British defeat the Spanish Armada.
  • William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare

    Wrote his plays, which were distributed around England, and influenced Early Modern English.
  • James I took the throne

    James I took the throne

    After Queen Elizabeth I's death
  • The first English Dictionary

    The first English Dictionary

    Is written by Robert Cawdrey and is published.
  • First Permanent English Settlement in America

    First Permanent English Settlement in America

    Established at Jamestown, Virginia.
  • The King James Bible

    The King James Bible

    Published
  • The first enslaved Africans in North America

    The first enslaved Africans in North America

    Arrived in Virginia.
  • Civil War in England

    Civil War in England

    After King Charles I attempts to arrest his parliamentary critics.
  • Charles I

    Charles I

    Executed and the Parliament dissolved.
  • English Monarchy

    English Monarchy

    Replaced with a Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell’s rule.
  • The Royal Society of London

    The Royal Society of London

    Appointed a committee to improve English as a language of science.
  • The Act of Union

    The Act of Union

    Unites the Parliaments of England and Scotland, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
  • Jonathan Swift

    Jonathan Swift

    Proposed the creation of an English Academy to regulate English usage.
  • Robinson Crusoe

    Robinson Crusoe

    One of the first modern English novels, is published by Daniel Defoe.
  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence

    Is signed and the American War of Independence leads to the United States of America’s creation.
  • The English first settled in Australia

    The English first settled in Australia

    Where now is known as Sydney,.
  • The French Revolution

    The French Revolution

  • War on Australia

    War on Australia

    Declared by France. Jacobins took control, abolished monarchy and the nation was declared a republic.
  • Louis XVI

    Louis XVI

    Went to the guillotine and Robespierre led the Jacobins.
  • Royalists

    Royalists

    Arrested by Revolutionary authorities. War was declared on Britain by France and lasted for 22 years. The Tory government banned all talk of parliamentary reform outside the Parliament.
  • Lyrical Ballads

    Lyrical Ballads

    By William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge began The Romantic Age in British Poetry.
  • 19TH CENTURY

    19TH CENTURY

    The Act of Union incorporates Ireland into Britain.:
  • Cape Colony in South Africa

    Cape Colony in South Africa

    Occupied by the British. Grimm’s Law, later elaborated by Jacob Grimm, identified relationships between certain consonants in Germanic Languages. Marking an advance in the development of linguistics.
  • Luddite Riots

    Luddite Riots

    Caused workers to lose their jobs. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen, a romantic novel of manners, was published.
  • Russia invaded

    Russia invaded

    By the French led by Napoleon Bonaparte and thanks to British and allied enemies, he was forced to abandon his crown.
  • Duke of Wellington

    Duke of Wellington

    Ended Bonaparte’s reign at the battlefield at Waterloo, Belgium.
  • FRANKENSTEIN

    FRANKENSTEIN

    By Mary Shelley, a romantic and gothic novel was published.
  • The Peterloo Massacre.

    The Peterloo Massacre.

    Manchester’s soldiers killed cotton workers.
  • A new Tories' generation

    A new Tories' generation

    Emerged and the past reform’s rejection changed.
  • The Catholic Emancipation Act

    The Catholic Emancipation Act

    Made it possible for the Roman Catholics to restore their economy and religion.
  • Reform Law

    Reform Law

    Allowed Men from the Middle Class to vote.
  • Slavery

    Slavery

    Abolished by the Parliament.
  • Victoria's

    Victoria's

    The 64-year reign began.
  • Queen Victoria & Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

    Queen Victoria & Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

    Got married.
  • The Crieman War

    The Crieman War

    Britain, France and Turkey got involved, thwarting the Russian expansion
  • King Albert death

    King Albert death

    Forced Queen Victoria to left the government in the hands of her prime ministers.
  • Britain

    Britain

    Ascended as a wealthy and mighty Empire that expanded through Asia and Africa.
  • Queen Victoria died

    Queen Victoria died

    And Britain was struggling with the social and economic problems industrialization had caused.