The Middle Ages

William the Conqueror invades England

Sep 28, 1066

Claiming his right to the English throne, William, duke of Normandy, invades England at Pevensey on Britain’s southeast coast. His subsequent defeat of King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings marked the beginning of a new era in British history.

Paper is mass-produced in Spain

Sep 27, 1150

The Muslim conquest of Spain brought papermaking into Europe. The English word "ream" (meaning 500 sheets) is derived through Spanish and French from the Arabic word rizmah that translates as "a bundle".

Magna Carta

Sep 28, 1215

Magna Carta Libertatum is 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 limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.

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. Crusades were fought for many reasons: to capture Jerusalem, recapture Christian territory or defend Christians in non-Christian lands, resolve conflict among rival Roman Catholic groups, gain political or territorial advantage, or to combat paganism and heresy

The plague

Sep 28, 1348

The Black Death or Black Plague was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people and peaking in Europe in the years 1346–53 Although there were several competing theories as to the etiology of the Black Death, analysis of DNA from victims in northern and southern Europe published in 2010 and 2011 indicates that the pathogen responsible was the Yersinia pastis bacterium, probably causing several forms of plague.

first appearance of Robin Hood in literature

Sep 28, 1378

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 (i.e. the 1400s), or the first decade of the 16th century (1500s).

Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales

Sep 28, 1387

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century. The tales, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a frame tale and told by a group of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to Canterbury, England to visit Saint Thomas à Becket's shrine at the cathedral there.

The first pinting of Morte d'Arthur

Sep 28, 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.
Le Morte d'Arthur was first published in 1485 by William Caxton.

Tudor King, Henry VII is crowned

Sep 28, 1485

Henry VII, known before accession as Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond was King of England after seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death, the first monarch of the House of Tudor. He ruled the Principality of Wales until 29 November 1489 and was Lord of Ireland.

War of the roses

Sep 28, 1485

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. The conflict resulted from social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years of War, combined with the mental infirmity and weak rule of Henry VI which revived interest in Richard Duke of York's claim to the throne.