Medieval Timeline - Browse by Region

Romans Leave Britain
Date: 410 A.D.
Description:
The Roman legions are withdrawn from Britain after Alaric, king of the Goths, sacks Rome.

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Possible Return of Roman Troops to Britain
Date: 417 A.D.
Description:
It is likely that Roman troops returned briefly to Britain around this year.

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Angle, Saxon, and Jute Invasions Begin
Date: 449 A.D.
Description:
The first waves of Angle, Saxon and Jute invaders arrive in Britain.

Hengist (probably a Jute) and his brother Horsa are said by Bede to have come to Britain at the invitation of Vorigern, a Romano-British leader to help combat a threat from Pictish and Scottish Raiders. The brothers then revolted and seized Kent. Later, Kentish Kings are said to have claimed descent from Aesc (or Oisc), said to have been Hengist's son.

Hengist is reported to have been killed in battle at Aegelsthrop (probably Aylesford in Kent) circa 488.

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Arrival of the Saxons
Date: 477 A.D.
Description:
Aelle and his Saxon followers settle in the area along the South coast of England that is now known as Sussex (a name which originates from south Saxons).

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Conquest of Sussex
Date: 491 A.D.
Description:
Aelle and his Saxon followers complete their occupation of Sussex.

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Conquest of Kent
Date: 494 A.D.
Description:
The Jutes complete their occupation of Kent in southeastern England.

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Battle of Mount Badon
Date: 518 A.D.
Description:
This victory of the British over the Saxons halted Saxon advances for about fifty years. Mount Badon is believed to be near Wimborne in Dorcetshire.

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Founding of the Kingdom of Wessex
Date: 519 A.D.

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Saxon Expansion in England
Date: c. 527 A.D.
Description:
The Saxon kingdoms of Essex and Middlesex are established circa 527. The capital of Essex is thought to have been based at the old Roman city of London.

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Conquest of the Isle of Wight
Date: 530 A.D.
Description:
Cerdic, the Saxon King of Wessex leads a successful invasion acoss the Solent to conquer the Isle of Wight.

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Cerdic Dies
Date: 534 A.D.
Description:
Cerdic, the Saxon king of Wessex dies.

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Founding of Northumbria
Date: 547 A.D.
Description:
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle the year 547 marks the commencement of the reign of King Ida, the founder of the dynasty of Northumbrian Kings. He established his center of power at Bamburgh, which he fortified with a wall. He seems to have ruled over all of what would become Northumbria (probably 7th century Danish name in origin) until his death in 560.

Ida's son Aeile succeeded him, but is thought to have controlled only the region of Deira (roughly modern day Yorkshire).

The title of 'king', when referring to Anglo-Saxon chieftains, should not be taken too literally. Usually they were elected for life from among the warlords with the best claim to lead the regional community. Often the kings would rule over no more than a few hundred households.

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St. David's Mission to Wales
Date: c. 550 A.D.
Description:
David (or Dewl) was the son of Sant, the ruler of Ceredigion. David was educated at Llanilltud Fawr. He established many monasteries and emerged as the leader of the Christian church in Wales at the Synod of Brevi held at Llanddewi Breli circa 550.

Today, he is recognized as the patron saint of Wales.

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Foundation of Mercia
Date: c. 550 A.D.
Description:
A kingdom established by the Angles (circa 550) who had begun to settle in the Trent valley in central England. The name derives from the Old English merce, meaning ''boundary people', for they were situated between the Anglo-Saxon settlements to the east and south and the Romano-British inhabitants who had been driven westward by the Barbarian invasions.

The leader of the first Angle settlement is thought to have been Icel, the founder of the Mercian dynasty, although the first recorded King was Cearl.

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Founding of East Anglia
Date: c. 550 A.D.
Description:
The foundation of an East Saxon Kingdom in the area of modern-day Norfolk, Suffolk and part of Cambridgeshire was circa 550.

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Foundation of Iona Monastery
Date: 563 A.D.
Description:
St Columba founds a monastery on the island of Iona, which lies west of Scotland. It would become the center of the Celtic church and a source of missionary activity into Northern England during the 7th century.

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Battle of Deorham
Date: 577 A.D.
Description:
The West Saxons under Caewlin invade as far as the River Severn and defeat a British force at the Battle of Deorham, north of Bath, extending the territory of Wessex.

Caewlin's victory effectively seperated the Western Britons from those of the southwest and ensured the capture of Gloucester.

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Battle of Faddiley
Date: 583 A.D.
Description:
This victory by a British force effectively stops the West Saxons from advancing into Wales.

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Augustine Reaches Canterbury
Date: 597 A.D.
Description:
Within a year after reaching Canterbury (the capital of the kingdom of Kent), Augustine was able to convert Ethelbert, the Kentish king, to Christianity.

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Construction of St. Paul's
Date: 607 A.D.
Description:
The first St.Paul's church is built in London.

(This is not today's existing cathedral that was designed by Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London in the 17th century.)

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The Bangor Massacre
Date: 615 A.D.
Description:
The barbaric Angles, after having crossed over England, finally reach the Irish Sea and massacre the Christian monks at their monastery in Bangor.

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Ethelfrith, Founder of Northumbria Dies
Date: 616 A.D.
Description:
The Bernician warrior-king Ethelfrith, founder of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, dies. Ethelfrith had united the two kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira to form Northumbria.

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Edwin Becomes King of Northumbria
Date: 616 A.D.
Description:
After defeating Ethelfrith in battle, the Deiran heir Edwin becomes king of Northumbria. Northumbria had been formed when Ethelfrith, a Bernician, united the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira. Edwin's victory sent the Bernician royal heirs into exile in Scotland.

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Death of Aethelbert I
Date: February 24th, 616 A.D.
Description:
Aethelbert I, King of Kent (560 - 616), who issued the first code of Angle-Saxon laws, dies.

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Conquest of the Isle of Man
Date: 620 A.D.
Description:
Edwin, the King of Northumbria, conquers the Isle of Man.

Edwin was the son of Aelle, King of Deira. He succeeded his father in 617. Edwin defeated Aethelric, King of Bernicia to become king of a united Northumbria.

Ultimately, he would be acknowledged as the Bretwalda (overlord) of all of England with the exception of Kent.

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Penda Becomes King of Mercia
Date: c. 626 A.D.
Description:
The pagan Penda becomes the last King of Mercia.

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Sutton Hoo Burial
Date: c. 627 A.D.
Description:
The Sutton Hoo burial took place circa 627.

This important site near Woodbridge in Suffolk was discovered in 1939 and is thought to have been the probable barrow of Raedwald, a 7th century King of East Anglia. The site contained a 24-meter boat and a host of golden artifacts and other treasure.

Rawedwald was the only king of East Anglia to become a Bretwalda. He is said to have once protected Edwin from Aethelfirth of Nothumbria whom he defeated at the battle of the River Idle (616). In later life he may have become partially Christianized.

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Conversion of Edwin
Date: 627 A.D.
Description:
King Edwin of Northumbria married the Christian daughter of Aethelbert of Kent in 625. Edwin was converted to Christianity in 627 by St. Paulinua (a Roman missionary to England who was appointed Bishop in 625). In return King Edwin appointed Paulinua as Archbishop of York.

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King Edwin of Northumbria Dies
Date: 633 A.D.
Description:
Edwin dies at the Battle of Hatfield Chase.

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Battle of Heavenfield
Date: 634 A.D.
Description:
A battle between the Mericans and Welsh under Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd and the Northumbrian army of Oswald of Bernicia. Oswald won this battle and was able to reunite Bernicia and Deira and become king of all Northumbria.

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King Oswald of Northumbria Dies
Date: 642 A.D.
Description:
Oswy, Oswald's brother, would take over the throne of Northumbria.

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Battle of Maserfield
Date: August 5th, 642 A.D.
Description:
King Penda of Mercia defeats King Oswald of Northumbria, and Oswald is killed during the battle.

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Battle of Winwaed
Date: November 15th, 655 A.D.
Description:
Oswiu of Bernicia defeats King Penda of Mercia at this battle. Penda dies during the battle.

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Caedmon Begins Writing Poetry
Date: c. 657 A.D.
Description:
St. Caedmon is credited with the earliest surviving poem written in Old English sometime after the establishment of Whitby Abbey in 657.

A common oxherd on the estates of Whitby Abbey, Caedmon was accepted as a monk when it was realized that he had a talent for writing songs and poems, often on religious subjects. Caedmon's poem is known from a nine-line snippet transcribed by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History.

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Founding of Whitby Abbey
Date: 657 A.D.
Description:
Hild (or Hilda) was the granddaughter of Edwin, King of Northumbria. Born in 614 and baptized in 627, she had by 647 become the superior of a nunnery near Hartlepool. Her remarkable organizational skills led to the foundation of a new community at Whitby in Yorkshire, where the synod of 664 would later be held to resolve the differences between Roman and Celtic Christian practices.

Hild was the first Abbess of Whitby from 657 until her death in 680.

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King Oswy Calls the Synod of Whitby
Date: 664 A.D.
Description:
The decision of this council settled a difference between Celtic and Roman Christianity regarding the proper date for Easter. In siding with the Roman position, the decision of this council meant that Christendom would not be divided in England.

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Theodore Named Archbishop of Canterbury
Date: 669 A.D.
Description:
After the pope named Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore set out to organize the English church as one body. He had completed this task by the time of his death.

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King Oswy of Northumbria Dies
Date: 670 A.D.

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Synod of Hertford
Date: 672 A.D.
Description:
At this synod, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, did much to reorganize the church's administration in England and create a more hierarchical structure. Theodore accomplished this through a variety of measures, including the creation of new bishops, as well as the dismantling of some large dioceses. He also ordered that each bishop confine activities within the area of his own diocese and prohibited the clergy and monks from wandering around without permission.

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Founding of Wearmouth Monastery
Date: 674 A.D.
Description:
In this year St. Benedict Biscop founded a Benedictine monastery in Northumbria.

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Founding of Jarrow Monastery
Date: 681 A.D.
Description:
Jarrow monastery was founded by St. Benedict Biscop on the banks of the River Tyne in lands provided by King Ecgfrith of Northumbria. The monastery would become famous for the magnificent library furnished with books brought by Benedict from Rome.

The great Bede would die here in 735 A.D., having written his works, including a history of the Abbots of Jarrow, in the library.

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Battle of Nechtansmere
Date: May 20th, 685 A.D.
Description:
In this battle King Bruide and the Picts annihilated King Ecgfrith's Northumbrian army, thus thwarting the Nothumbrians attempt to subjugate them.

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Ine Becomes King of Wessex
Date: 688 A.D.

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The Law code of Wihtred
Date: 695 A.D.
Description:
Wihtred, King of Kent (c.690-725) and who maintained Kentish independence against the growing expansion of the Kingdom of Mercia, issues one of the earliest known law codes in Britain.

Wihtred's law code, which dealt primarily with ecclesiastical matters, was to give considerable privileges to the church.

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Beowulf is Composed
Date: c. 715 A.D.
Description:
Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem written between 672 and 782. It tells the story of a fictional hero, Beowulf, the nephew of the king of the Gaetas (a southern Swedish people). Beowulf slays Grendel, a monster that has been ravaging a neighboring Danish kingdom, and also Grendel's mother. Later, when Beowulf is King of the Gaetas, his kingdom is attacked by a dragon, which he kills, although he is fatally wounded during the battle.

The poem sheds some light on aristocratic Anglo-Saxon traditions and some of the characters are historical.

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Ine of Wessex Abdicates the Throne
Date: 726 A.D.
Description:
King Ine of Wessex abdicates his throne in Wessex.

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Bede Writes his History of the English
Date: 731 A.D.
Description:
Bede (673-735) was an Anglo-Saxon scholar who was born in Northumbria and spent most of his life in Jarrow monastery. He was a student of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and became so renowned a scholar that following his death he was honored with the title 'The Venerable Bede'.

His The Ecclesiastical History of the English People was completed in 731 and is considered to be the most important history record written before the sixteenth century. Bede also popularized the method of dating known as anno domini (or A.D.), and wrote about a number of other subjects including physical science, rhetoric, and astronomy.

King Alfred the Great supervised the translation of Bede's work into Old English.

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Introduction of the Silver Penny
Date: c. 735 A.D.
Description:
King Offa of Mercia (757-796) seized power after the civil war that followed the death of his cousin Aethelbert. Offa consolidated control over the southern English, expanded Mercian territory to the north, and through the marriages of his daughters to the Kings of Wessex and Northumbria established his claim as the Bretwalda of England.

Recognized by Pope Adrian I as 'The King of the English' he agreed to the establishment of an Archbishop at Lichfield which would free the Mercian church from the control of Canterbury. In addition he would negotiate a trade treaty with the future emperor Charlemagne on equal terms.

His most long lasting legacy however would be the creation of a new coinage based on the silver penny which bore his name and title. This would be the standard coin in circulation in England until the introduction of the gold coins during the 14th century.

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Battle of Benson
Date: 779 A.D.
Description:
Offa, King of Mercia, defeats the West Saxons at Benson, to become the Bretwalda (overlord) of all England.

Subject kings would owe the Bretwalda tribute, suit at court, and military service. They would also have to seek his permission prior to granting any plots of land.

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Offa's Dyke Completed
Date: c. 783 A.D.
Description:
Offa's dyke is an earthwork constructed during the reign of King Offa of Mercia and Bretwalda of England to separate his kingdom from the Welsh tribes.

The seventy mile long dyke replaced an earlier boundary built during the reign of Offa's predecessor, Aethelbard.

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New Bishopric at Lichfield
Date: 787 A.D.
Description:
King Offa wanted another archbishopric for Mercia, and this led to the foundation of an archbishopric at Lichfield. Shortly after Offa's death, however, it disappeared, leaving only the archbishoprics at York and Canterbury.

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Offa Annexes East Anglia
Date: 792 A.D.
Description:
Offa, King of Mercia, annexes the minor Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of East Anglia, leaving only the kingdoms of Wessex (in the southern counties) and Northumbria (in the far Northern) as independent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England.

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First Danish Raids in England
Date: 796 A.D.

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Election of King Egbert
Date: 802 A.D.
Description:
Egbert, a son of one of the King of Kent's vassal's, is elected as the new King of Wessex.

In 789 Egbert had been forced into exile by King Offa and had spent his time in exile at the court of the Emperor Charlemagne.

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Battle of Ellendun
Date: 825 A.D.
Description:
In this defeat of Beornwulf of Mercia, Egbert, King of Essex, gained power over lesser kingdoms in the south of England.

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Egbert Becomes Overlord of England
Date: 829 A.D.
Description:
Having defeated Beornwulf of Mercia at the Battle of Ellendun in 825 and temporarily annexing Mercia in 828, the Kingdom of Northumbria recognized Egbert's lordship over England. So by 829 Egbert's claim to be the new Bretwalda had finally been established.

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Egbert Defeats the Danes
Date: 835 A.D.
Description:
In 830 Wiglaf had re-established Mercian independence, thus leaving Egbert only in effective control of Wessex and his subject territories of Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex.

The apparent weakness of his kingdom at this time led to an unsuccessful revolt by Cornish rebels assisted by a large force of Danes. After a short campaign the Danes and Cornishmen were successfully routed.

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Æthelwulf's Reign Begins
Date: 839 A.D.
Description:
Æthelwulf, King of Wessex, succeeded to the throne on the death of King Egbert in 839. The first of the Danish invasions were to begin during his reign.

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Æthelwulf's Reign Ends
Date: 856 A.D.

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Æthelbald's Reign Begins
Date: 856 A.D.
Description:
Æthelbald, the third son of King Egbert succeeded his father in 856. His short-lived reign lasted just four years before he was succeeded by his brother Æthelbert (the fourth son of Egbert).

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Æthalbald's Reign Ends
Date: 860 A.D.

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Æthelbert's Reign Begins
Date: 860 A.D.
Description:
Æthelbert, the third son of King Æthelwulf succeeded to the throne upon the death of his elder brother Æthelbald in 860. Like his brother, Æthelbert had a relatively short reign as king (just six years) before he too died. The crown in 866 then passed to his brother Æthelred, the fourth son of Æthelwulf.

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Æthelbert's Reign Ends
Date: 866 A.D.

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Æthelred's Reign Begins
Date: 866 A.D.

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Reign of Æthelred, King of Wessex
Date: 866 A.D.
Description:
Æthelred, the fourth son of King Æthelwulf, succeeded his brother Æthelbert to the throne of Wessex in 866. In 865 the 'Great Heathen Host', the largest Danish army up until this point, arrived in England under the command of Halfdan, Guthrum, and Ivar bent on conquering lands for settlement. Æthelred and his younger brother Alfred (Alfred the Great) would lead Anglo-Saxon resistance against the Danish invasion into East Anglia throughout his reign.

By 868 the Saxons had forced the Danes to abandon Nottingham, and within two years the Norsemen had been utterly ousted them from Mercia. The Danes meanwhile had established a base in Reading. Æthelred drove them out of their stronghold, and on the (circa) 8th January 871 Alfred would achieve a crushing victory with his West Saxons over the Norsemen at the Battle of Ashdown, which was fought on the Berkshire Downs near Reading. Contemporary chroniclers tended to over exaggerate the importance of this victory. The victory was marred shortly afterwards with the king's defeat at Merton in April 871. Although Æthelred would die from wounds received at the Battle of Merton, he had effectively paved the way for Wessex to unite England in opposition to the heathen Danes.

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Alfred the Great of England Crowned King of Wessex
Date: 871 A.D.
Description:
Alfred was the youngest of the five sons of King Æthelwulf. He was born at Wantage (in Oxfordshire) in 849 AD. After his brother, King Æthelred, died of wounds at the Battle of Merton in April 871, Alfred succeeded to the throne of Wessex. Alfred's rule was characterized not only by great military successes, but also by his many accomplishments in times of peace.

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Æthelred's Reign Ends
Date: 871 A.D.

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Alfred Purchases a Truce
Date: 872 A.D.
Description:
Alfred the Great purchases a truce from the Danes.

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Guthrum Retreats and is Baptised
Date: 878 A.D.
Description:
Following his defeat at Edington, Guthrum agrees to leave Wessex with his forces and to accept Christianity.

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Battle of Edington
Date: May 878 A.D.
Description:
King Alfred the Great of England defeats Guthrum and the Danish army, saving Wessex from destruction by the Danes.

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West Saxon Chronicle of England
Date: c. 892 A.D.
Description:
Around this year, a West Saxon chronicler wrote a history of England. It covered English history from the birth of Christ until the year 891 and was based upon earlier sources that have been lost.

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Anglo Saxon Chronicle
Date: c. 892 A.D.
Description:
The Anglo Saxon Chronicle is an account of English history that continues from the 892 chronicle. It has many different authors from different monasteries and is actually a series of related chronicles. Some of the surviving manuscripts cover a period of time up until the eleventh century, while one lasts all the way until Henry II's accession to the throne in 1154.

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Alfred the Great of England Dies
Date: 899 A.D.

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Edward the Elder's Reign Begins
Date: 899 A.D.

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Battle of Tettenhall
Date: 910 A.D.
Description:
Edward the Elder was able to win victory over the Danes in Northumbria with this battle.

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Edward the Elder of England Dies
Date: 924 A.D.

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Athelstan's Reign Begins
Date: 924 A.D.

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Athelstan Takes York from the Danes
Date: 927 A.D.
Description:
This victory established power in the north of England. After Athelstan's death, gains in the north would soon be lost.

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Battle of Brunanburh
Date: 937 A.D.
Description:
With this battle, King Athelstan and his brother Edmund, leading a combined army from Wessex and Mercia, were able to defeat an invading force of Norse Vikings from Ireland.

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Athelstan of England Dies
Date: 939 A.D.

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Reign of Edmund I of England Begins
Date: 939 A.D.

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Edmund I of England Dies
Date: 946 A.D.

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Edred of England's Reign Begins
Date: 946 A.D.

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Edred of England's Reign Ends
Date: 955 A.D.

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Edwy of England's Reign Begins
Date: 955 A.D.

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Edwy of England Dies
Date: 959 A.D.

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Edgar of England's Reign Begins
Date: 959 A.D.
Description:
Edgar was the brother of Edwy and succeeded his brother after Edwy's death. Edgar is sometimes known as "the Peaceable."

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Edgar Recognized as Supreme
Date: 973 A.D.
Description:
In this year Edgar was acknowledged as supreme ruler on the island of Britain. At Chester, he received the submission of various Welsh and Scottish kings.

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Edgar of England Dies
Date: July 8th, 975 A.D.

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Edward the Martyr of England's Reign Begins
Date: July 8th, 975 A.D.
Description:
Edward the Martyr is known as such because of his murder by his younger brother's supporters.

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Edward the Martyr of England Dies
Date: 979 A.D.
Description:
Edward the Martyr is known as such because of his murder by his younger brother's supporters.

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Ethelred II of England's First Reign Begins
Date: 979 A.D.
Description:
Ethelred II is also called Ethelred the Unready.

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Ethelred II of England's First Reign Ends
Date: 1013 A.D.
Description:
When Sweyn, king of Denmark, deposed him, Ethelred fled to Normandy. He would later return to rule again, however.

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Sweyn of Denmark Begins Reign of England
Date: 1013 A.D.
Description:
The nobility of England were so dissatisfied with the rule of Ethelred II that they recognized Sweyn as king of England. Sweyn was also known as Sweyn Forkbeard.

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Ethelred II of England's Second Reign Begins
Date: 1014 A.D.
Description:
After Sweyn's (the king of Denmark) death, Ethelred returned to England to rule.

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Sweyn of Denmark, King of England Dies
Date: 1014 A.D.
Description:
Sweyn's reign in England was cut short by his death.

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Ethelred II of England Dies
Date: 1016 A.D.
Description:
Ethelred's second reign was cut short by his death.

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Canute the Great of England's Reign Begins
Date: 1016 A.D.
Description:
Canute was also king of Denmark and Norway. All of his rivals for the throne fled, leaving him the undisputed king of England in this year.

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Edmund II of England's Reign Begins
Date: April 1016 A.D.
Description:
Edmund II is also known as Edmund Ironside. Following a defeat by Canute, Edmund was allowed to rule in Wessex until his death.

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Edward II of England Dies
Date: November 1016 A.D.

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Canute the Great of England Dies
Date: 1035 A.D.

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Harold Harefoot of England's Reign Begins
Date: 1035 A.D.

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Harold Harefoot of England Dies
Date: 1035 A.D.
Description:
Harold's death left the throne of England to his brother Hardicanute.

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Hardicanute of England's Reign Begins
Date: 1035 A.D.

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Hardicanute of England's Reign Ends
Date: 1042 A.D.

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Edward III (the Confessor) of England's Reign Begins
Date: 1042 A.D.
Description:
Following the extinction of Canute's line, Edward III (Hardicanute's half-brother) became king.

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Edward III (the Confessor) of England Dies
Date: 1066 A.D.

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Harold II of England's Reign Begins
Date: January 1066 A.D.

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Battle of Stamford Bridge
Date: September 25th, 1066 A.D.
Description:
This battle was a victory for Harold II and England over Norway/the Danes, but it also weakened England's defenses for when the Normans invaded.

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Edgar Atheling of England's Reign Begins
Date: October 1066 A.D.
Description:
Following the Norman Conquest, Edgar Atheling succeeded in staging a rebellion, but it was short lived and was soon put down by William.

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Harold II of England Dies
Date: October 14th, 1066 A.D.
Description:
William, duke of Normandy (later William I - the Conqueror) defeated Harold II at the Battle of Hastings.

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Battle of Hastings
Date: October 14th, 1066 A.D.
Description:
At the Battle of Hastings, William, duke of Normandy, defeated and killed Harold II, successfully completing the Norman Conquest.

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Edgar Atheling of England's Reign Ends
Date: December 1066 A.D.
Description:
This marks the end of the short-lived rebellion against William I.

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William I (the Conqueror) Crowned King of England
Date: December 25th, 1066 A.D.
Description:
After successfully defeating Harold in battle and completing the Norman Invasion, William was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.

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Oath of Salisbury
Date: August 1st, 1086 A.D.
Description:
Twenty years after the conquest King William I, he called upon all the great land-owning lords to pay homage at Old Sarum (a site of an ancient hill fort near Salisbuty, Wiltshire). The lords were commanded to swear an oath of fealty in person and to confirm their obligation to provide military service to the king in return for the lands that they currently held, regardless of who their own overlord might be.

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William I (the Conqueror) of England Dies
Date: September 9th, 1087 A.D.

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William II Crowned King of England
Date: September 26th, 1087 A.D.
Description:
Based on the instructions of his father's will, William II was crowned king at Westminster Abbey.

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Marriage of Henry I to Matilda
Date: 1100 A.D.
Description:
King Henry I of England, the grandson of Duke William of Normandy (William I - the Conqueror) marries Matilda, the great grand-daughter of Æthelred the Unready (reigned 878-1018), thus uniting the Norman and Saxon royal houses.

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William II of England Dies
Date: August 2nd, 1100 A.D.
Description:
William II was shot by an arrow while hunting in the forest.

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Henry I Crowned King of England
Date: August 5th, 1100 A.D.
Description:
Following William II's death, Henry acted quickly to claim the throne. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

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Marriage of Matilda to the German Emperor Henry V
Date: 1114 A.D.
Description:
Matilda (or Maud), the 12 year old only daughter of King Henry I of England, is married to the German Emperor Henry V.

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The Loss of the White Ship
Date: November 25th, 1120 A.D.
Description:
Prince William, King Henry I's only legitimate son and heir, is drowned near Barfleur when the White Ship sinks on its way to Normandy. King Henry appoints his 18 year old daughter Matilda, the wife of the German emperor, to become his heiress, but after Henry's death in 1135, the succession would become a disputed issue between Matilda and her cousin, Stephen (reigned 1135-64), which would throw England into a bitter civil war.

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Henry I of England Dies
Date: December 1st, 1135 A.D.

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Stephen I Crowned King of England
Date: December 22nd, 1135 A.D.

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Battle of the Standard
Date: August 22nd, 1138 A.D.
Description:
David I, King of the Scots, intervenes in the civil war raging in England in support of his niece, Matilda. A keen supporter of Norman institutions, which had earlier alienated many of his Celtic subjects, King David's Scottish Army occupied Carlisle and advanced into the vale of York. With King Stephen's forces engaged elsewhere, the defence of the North was entrusted to the aged Archbishop Thurstan of York, who inspired his Yorkshire militia with his own Battle-Standard. This standard was a huge forty foot pole mounted on a cart, topped with a silver pyx containing the Host and flying the banners of York's patron saints—St. Peter of York, St. John of Beverley and St. Wilfred of Ripon.

The two opposing armies met at Cowton Moor, near Northallerton, where the Scots were soundly defeated by the Anglo-Normans under the command of William, Count of Aumale.

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Battle of Lincoln
Date: February 2nd, 1141 A.D.
Description:
King Stephen, having captured Lincoln from the unpopular Ranulf, Earl of Chester, marched his army out of the city to engage a combined rebel force. This force was commanded by Robert of Gloucester, the Empress Matilda's step brother, and the Earl of Chester with his Cheshire tenants and Welsh mercenaries which had arrived to regain the castle and city for the empress.

The battle went badly for the Royalist. Rebel charges resulted in the king's flanking cavalry fleeing the field, leaving his infantry to fight unsupported. The king, fighting with his bodyguard, was eventually struck down and captured. He was briefly imprisoned in the castle before being escorted to Matilda's headquarters in Bristol. In the aftermath of the battle, the city was pillaged by the victorious rebels, with many of its citizens being slaughtered for their support to the Royalists.

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Henry Plantagenet Marries Eleanor of Aquitaine
Date: May 18th, 1152 A.D.
Description:
Prince Henry, the future King Henry II and son of the Empress Matilda by her second husband Geoffrey of Anjou, marries Eleanor of Aquitaine, the widow of King Louis VII and the queen of France. A year later, by the Treaty of Winchester (1153), Henry would become King Stephen's nominated successor, thus adding the throne of England (1154) to his considerable continental inheritances of Normandy, Brittany and Anjou.

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Stephen I of England Dies
Date: October 25th, 1154 A.D.

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Henry II Crowned King of England
Date: December 19th, 1154 A.D.
Description:
In the first undisputed succession since the Norman Conquest, Henry II was crowned the first Angevin king of England.

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Rebellion of the Young King
Date: 1183 A.D.
Description:
Henry, the oldest of the quarrelsome sons of King Henry II, together with his brother Geoffrey lead a rebellion in Aquitaine against their brother Richard, the future King Richard I, Couer de Lion. Henry, the young king, would die in 1183, and his brother, Geoffrey of Brittany, died in 1186 whilst plotting another revolt, thus leaving Richard to inherit the crown of England upon their father's death in 1189.

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Henry II of England Dies
Date: July 4th, 1189 A.D.

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Richard I (the Lionhearted) Crowned King of England
Date: September 3rd, 1189 A.D.

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Capture and Ransom of Richard I
Date: 1192 A.D.
Description:
Returning from the Third Crusade, King Richard I is captured by Duke Leopold of Austria. Richard is then handed over to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, who demands the payment of a ransom of 150,000 marks, together with Richard's acknowledgement of Henry as his overlord. By 1194 most of this huge ransom had been paid, and Richard was allowed to return to England. This was only his second visit to his kingdom, but within weeks he had departed again, never to return.

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Richard I (the Lionhearted) of England Dies
Date: April 6th, 1199 A.D.

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John Crowned King of England
Date: May 27th, 1199 A.D.

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Marriage of King John
Date: 1200 A.D.
Description:
King John of England, having divorced his first wife Avice of Gloucester, marries Isabella of Angoulême. Isabel was the heiress to the Angoumois province in Aquitaine and descended on her mother's side from Prince Peter, the fifth son of King Lewis le Gros of France. Unfortunately, Isabella was already betrothed to a Poitevin noble, Hugh of Lusignan. Hugh was enraged and, together with many of his neighbours, took up arms against John. John retaliated by accusing the rebel nobles of treason and challenged them to clear their characters by selecting champions to fight an equal number of English and Norman knights.

The Poitevin barons declined this challenge and instead appealed directly to John's over-lord, King Philip II Augustus of France. In 1202 Philip summoned John to appear before him to answer the complaints of his peers, but not only did John fail to appear, he also did not make any excuse for his absence. Consequently Philip condemned the English King to forfeit his French lands, and with Prince Arthur (John's nephew through his older brother Geoffrey), he commenced an invasion of Normandy.

John's aged mother Eleanor now took up the cause against her grandson, Arthur, but was then besieged by the prince at her castle at Mirebeau. John's army arrived and raised the siege, taking Arthur prisoner. Some time in 1203, Arthur mysteriously disappeared (he was probably murdered by John). However, by now many of the Norman Barons had actively ceased to respect John. Castle after Castle fell to Philip until by 1204 only Château Gaillard remained in English hands. When in 1204 this too fell, John was forced to accept the loss of his lands in Normandy, Maine, Anjou, Touraine and part of Poittou, all of these having submitted to Philip.

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Magna Carta Signed
Date: June 15th, 1215 A.D.
Description:
King John's barons forced him to sign this document at Runnymede. It placed both John and future English kings within the rule of law, limiting the power of the king.

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John of England Dies
Date: October 19th, 1216 A.D.

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Henry III Crowned King of England
Date: October 28th, 1216 A.D.

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Issue of the Forest Charter
Date: November 6th, 1217 A.D.
Description:
The Norman kings of England just loved hunting, for it provided them with a bit of rest and relief from the constant demands and political maneuvering of the royal court. The Forest Laws date back to the time of King Canute and were meant to preserve the wildlife from being excessively hunted. Over the years, however the foresters, the officials charged with upholding the laws, had become extremely unpopular amongst the residents of those areas of the rural countryside that were being, more and more, designated as royal parks.

The foresters were often very corrupt, levying fines against offenders (not just poachers but also on common folk collecting firewood), sometimes causing them bodily harm, and generally exceeding their authority under the law.

Although the Forest laws would remain in existence for a century or more, after the boy King Henry III issued the Forest Charter in 1217, this event can be seen as the first event (unlike the Great Charter of 1215 which was more of benefit to the ruling classes) which was designed to improve the lot of the common people.

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Edward I Crowned King of England
Date: August 19th, 1274 A.D.

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Henry III of England Dies
Date: November 16th, 1274 A.D.

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Edward I of England Favors John Baliol in Scotland
Date: 1296 A.D.
Description:
King Edward I of England, approached to adjudicate between the rival claimants (having first obtaining from them an oath of fealty), decided in favor of John Baliol, a man in his early forties, not very intelligent and rather weak-willed, for his choice as King of Scotland. Many thought however that under traditional Scottish custom Robert the Bruce would probably have had a greater claim.

From the start Edward treated Baliol with the utmost contempt, using him solely as a feudal puppet to carry out English policies in Scotland. Eventually, tiring of this constant humiliation, Baliol renounced his oath of allegiance and openly opposed Edward. The English King, already heavily involved in a bitter war with France in Gascony, and once again confronted by yet another Welsh rebellion, was enraged. He stormed north at the head of his army to deal with Baliol and the Scottish King's rebellious followers.

At the end of March 1296 Edward's army arrived outside the town of Berwick to find the citizens and the castle prepared for a long siege. The jeers and insults from the castle's battlements soon turned to alarm as the seasoned English soldiers, wild with rage, captured the town within minutes and there spent the rest of the day massacring its citizens. The castle garrison seeing this brutality decided wisely not to resist the English further and that evening opened the castle gates and surrendered.

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English Victory at Dunbar
Date: 1296 A.D.
Description:
After capturing Berwick, Edward I of England sent his most senior lieutenant, John de Warenne, with a detachment consisting of the best cavalry, numbers of Welsh bowmen, and a force of good infantry raised in the northern levies northwards to seize Dunbar. Upon his arrival at Dunbar, de Warenne found this castle also prepared for a siege, with the main Scottish army under the command of John Comyn, Earl of Buchan deployed outside its walls at a place called Spottsmuir. De Warenne had no choice but to ignore the castle and offer battle to the deployed Scottish army. The Scots, although not lacking courage, were ill disciplined. Breaking ranks, they hurled themselves upon the English army, only to be showered by thousands of arrows from the Welsh longbows. Broken and confused, the survivors were trampled into the ground by the English cavalry, riding amongst the Scots and slaughtering them with sword, lance, axe or mace. This total English victory cost the lives of some 10,000 Scottish soldiers. John Comyn, three other Scottish earls and more than a hundred of Comyn's Nobles being captured.

With Scottish armed resistance broken Edward followed his victory at Dunbar with a triumphant march through Scotland, taking his army further north than any previous ruler of Britain since the Romans. During this march he demanded Baliol's abdication at Strcathro near Brechin. If he thought that now he had resolved the disaffection of the Scots, he would very soon be faced with an even more deadly foe.

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Battle of Stirling Bridge
Date: September 11th, 1297 A.D.
Description:
Charging English knights were cut off when Stirling Bridge collapsed and massacred by the Scots' long pikes.

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Edward I of England Dies
Date: July 7th, 1307 A.D.

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Edward II Crowned King of England
Date: July 8th, 1307 A.D.

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Battle of Bannockburn
Date: June 23rd, 1314 A.D.
Description:
Lasting from the 23rd to the 24th, Robert the Bruce of Scotland was able to defeat the English under King Edward II, setting the stage for Scottish independence.

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Edward III Crowned King of England
Date: January 25th, 1327 A.D.
Description:
Edward III was crowned king after reaching the age of majority.

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Edward II of England Deposed
Date: January 25th, 1327 A.D.

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Edward II of England Dies
Date: September 21st, 1327 A.D.
Description:
Edward II was almost certainly murdered in Berkeley Castle after having abdicated his throne.

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Battle of Crecy
Date: August 25th, 1346 A.D.
Description:
Edward III defeated Phillip VI in the Battle of Crecy. French forces suffered heavy losses, while the English forces only suffered few casualties, largely due to the successful use of the longbow.

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Calais Falls to England
Date: October 1347 A.D.
Description:
After an almost year-long siege, French Calais fell to Edward III of England. Calais would remain in English possession for over two hundred years and would remain a point of contention throughout the Hundred Years War.

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Order of the Garter Established
Date: April 23rd, 1348 A.D.
Description:
Edward III establishes the first chivalric order of knighthood.

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Battle of Poitiers
Date: September 19th, 1356 A.D.
Description:
The Black Prince (Prince Edward) of England defeated the French in battle.

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Edward III of England Dies
Date: June 21st, 1377 A.D.

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Richard II Crowned King of England
Date: July 16th, 1377 A.D.

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The Peasants' Revolt
Date: May 1381 A.D.
Description:
A poll tax levied by Edward III initiated this revolt in the eastern part of England (Essex and Kent) in late May, although most of the major events occurred in June. The revolt was not just confined to peasants of the lower class, but included artisans and others as well. The rebels made several demands of the king, including the abolition of serfdom. Eventually the revolt was suppressed, and all concessions that had been made were withdrawn.

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Execution of John Ball
Date: July 15th, 1381 A.D.
Description:
"From the beginning all were created equal by nature, slavery was introduced through the unjust oppression of worthless men, against the will of God; for, if God had wanted to create slaves, he would surely have decided at the beginning of the world who was to be slave and who master." (Sermon at Blackheath, 1381]

One of the leaders of the Peasants' Revolt, John Ball was an English Priest who had already been imprisoned in Maidstone for disagreeing with the Archbishop of Canterbury. John Ball was a stout follower of John Wycliffe and a believer in social equality. At the outbreak of the revolt he was released from prison, and on Blackheath, near London, he incited the rebels by preaching against the ruling classes. When the revolt collapsed he escaped, but was captured near Coventry and ultimately hung at St. Albans.

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Richard II of England Deposed
Date: August 19th, 1399 A.D.

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Henry IV Crowned King of England
Date: October 13th, 1399 A.D.

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Richard II of England Dies
Date: 1400 A.D.
Description:
The king was probably murdered while he was imprisoned at Pontefract Castle.

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Henry IV of England Dies
Date: March 20th, 1413 A.D.

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Henry V Crowned King of England
Date: April 9th, 1413 A.D.

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Cambridge Plot
Date: 1415 A.D.
Description:
The Cambridge plot (also known as the Southampton plot) was a conspiracy planned by Richard, Earl of Cambridge, Sir Thomas Grey, and Henry, 3rd Baron Scrope. They planned to assassinate King Henry V and his brothers at Southampton prior to the king's departure for France. They then planned to proclaim Edmund de Mortimer, (the heir presumptive of Richard II) 5th Earl of March, as the new King. Edmund, however, revealed the plot, and the three conspirators were duly executed.

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Battle of Agincourt
Date: October 25th, 1415 A.D.
Description:
One of the most significant battles of the Hundred Years War, this battle was an English victory (under Henry V) over the French (under Charles VI). The superiority of the English longbow was again demonstrated against France's heavily armored knights.

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Treaty of Troyes
Date: May 21st, 1420 A.D.
Description:
This treaty was an agreement between England and France during the Hundred Years War. According to its terms, the French King Charles VI betrothed his daughter Catherine of Valois to Henry V and made the English King his rightful heir in place of the dauphin.

When Henry V died two years later, the crown of both countries was in effect inherited by the infant Henry VI (who was born 1421). Henry VI would be crowned King of England at Westminster in 1429 and King of France at Paris the following year.

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Henry V of England Dies
Date: September 1st, 1422 A.D.
Description:
Henry V, King if England and the victor of Agincourt, dies of dysentery in 1422 in Bois de Vincennes, France.

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Henry VI Crowned King of England
Date: November 6th, 1429 A.D.

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First Battle of St. Albans
Date: May 22nd, 1455 A.D.
Description:
In the opening battle of the Wars of the Roses, Richard, Duke of York, and his allies the Yorkists attacked King Henry VI's smaller army at the fortified town of St Albans. After fierce street fighting to no avail, the Earl of Warwick took the Yorkist reserve force and found a back-way through the gardens to the town's market place. His unexpected charge broke the shocked Lancastrian army in two and won the day. As the rout started King Henry was taken into the Yorkist lord's custody, to become their puppet.

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The Battle of Blore Heath
Date: September 23rd, 1459 A.D.
Description:
A battle during the Wars of the Roses in which the Earl of Salisbury defeated a larger force of Lancastrians under the command of Lord Audley.

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Battle of Towton
Date: March 29th, 1461 A.D.
Description:
Towton was the bloodiest battle during the Wars of the Roses. The battle was a serious loss for the Lancastrians.

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Edward IV Crowned King of England
Date: June 28th, 1461 A.D.

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Battle of Edgecote Moor
Date: July 26th, 1469 A.D.
Description:
By the late 1460s, the Earl of Warwick, who strove harder than any other man to put Edward IV on the throne, was plotting rebellion. The King was heading north to deal with local risings when Warwick and the Duke of Clarence, the king's brother, declared for the rebels. The rebels managed to avoid Edward's army but were forced to engage the Earls of Pembroke and Devon's men at Edgecote Moor. Warwick joined them later that day and routed the royal army. Edward IV was captured soon after the rebel victory.

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Battle of Barnet
Date: April 14th, 1471 A.D.
Description:
When the Earl of Warwick reinstated the old king Henry VI in 1470, Edward IV was forced into exile in Burgundy, where he was lent money and men to retake his kingdom. He invaded England and the two armies met in battle one extremely foggy morning at Barnet. Due to the bad visibility the two armies were not aligned and were both able to flank each other. The Lancastrian Earl of Oxford used this to his advantage, routing the enemy opposite him. When he rejoined the battle with 500 of his men, the whole line had rotated ninety degrees because of the pressure on the flanks, and instead of charging into the backs of the Yorkist ranks, he attacked his own men, killing Warwick's own brother, John Neville. A quarter of Warwick forces quit the field as a cry of 'treason' went up. As the battle ended Warwick ran towards the horseline, now some distance away, but was cut off and killed. Over three thousand men lay dead on the battlefield besides him.

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Battle of Tewkesbury
Date: May 4th, 1471 A.D.
Description:
A battle during the Wars of the Roses between Edward IV, who led a Yorkist army, and the Duke of Somerset, who led the Lancastrians on behalf of Queen Margaret. This battle was a Yorkist defeat of the Lancastrians. Margaret's young son was killed during the battle, paving the way for Edward IV's continued reign.

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Henry VI of England Dies
Date: May 27th, 1471 A.D.
Description:
Henry VI was executed by Edward IV following Henry's defeat at Tewkesbury.

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Edward IV of England Dies
Date: April 9th, 1483 A.D.

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Edward V Accedes Throne of England
Date: April 9th, 1483 A.D.

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Edward V of England Deposed
Date: June 25th, 1483 A.D.
Description:
There are rumors that Edward V was murdered in the Tower of London along with Richard, duke of York after being imprisoned there by their uncle, who would become Richard III.

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Richard III Crowned King of England
Date: July 6th, 1483 A.D.

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Richard III of England Dies
Date: August 22nd, 1485 A.D.
Description:
Henry Tudor defeated and killed Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

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Battle of Bosworth
Date: August 22nd, 1485 A.D.
Description:
This was the last battle of the Wars of the Roses. Henry Tudor defeated and killed Richard III (a Yorkist) in battle. After the battle Henry was crowned king, establishing the Tudor dynasty.

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Henry VII Crowned King of England
Date: October 30th, 1485 A.D.
Description:
Henry VII was crowned king after defeating and killing Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

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