Timeline of The English Language By sheesh23 400 Germanic invasions of the 5th century Period: 400 to 1100 Old English Era 436 Roman withdrawal from Britain complete 450 Earliest Old English Writings 700 Suspected date of Beowulf's writing 1066 The Norman Invasion Period: 1100 to 1500 Middle English Era 1150 The oldest surviving manuscripts in Middle English 1362 English is used in English Parliament for the first time 1387 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales 1436 The invention of the Printing Press 1450 The Great Vowel Shift begins May 24, 1497 The discovery of North America Period: 1500 to 1800 Modern English Era 1539 “The Great Bible” published 1604 Robert Cawdrey publishes the first English dictionary 1611 King James Version of “The Bible” is published 1620 Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio 1775 The American Revolution
