Date |
Event |
1065 |
King Edward the Confessor dies. |
26th September 1066 |
King Harold II of England defeats the Viking King Harold Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. |
28th September 1066 |
Duke William of Normandy invades England, landing his ships at Pevensey on the south coast. |
14th October 1066 |
The Battle of Hastings takes place and King Harold II is killed. |
25th December 1066 |
William is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey. |
1075 |
The Tower of London is built. |
1085 |
The Bayeux Tapestry is embroidered. |
August 1086 |
The first draft of the Domesday Book is completed. |
9th September 1087 |
William II becomes king. |
2nd August 1100 |
Henry I becomes king. |
9th May 1131 |
Tintern Abbey in south Wales is founded. |
1132 |
Fountains Abbey and Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire are founded. |
22nd December 1135 |
Stephen becomes king. |
1141 |
Empress Matilda becomes the first female ruler of England for a short time between February and November until Stephen agrees that her son, Henry, can succeed him as king. |
25th October 1154 |
Henry II becomes king. |
29th December 1170 |
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Beckett, is murdered after he gets into conflict with King Henry II over the rights and privileges of the church. |
6th July 1189 |
Richard I, the Lionheart becomes king. |
1198 |
The Great Seal of England, featuring three lions, is established. |
6th April 1199 |
King John becomes King of England. |
19th June 1215 |
The Magna Carta is signed by King John at Runnymede, near Windsor. |
1216 |
The reign of King Henry III of England begins. Because he is only 9 years old though, William Marshal, the Earl of Pembroke and Henry’s guardian, initially rules for him. |
16th November 1272 |
Edward I becomes king. |
7th July 1307 |
Edward II becomes king. |
1315 |
The Great Famine starts with many people dying of starvation as long periods of bad weather ruin the harvest. |
1st February 1327 |
Edward III becomes king after Parliament agrees to remove King Edward II. |
1327 |
The cannon is used for the first time as a weapon. |
1337 |
The Hundred Years’ War series of wars begins between England and France over who has the right to become the new King of France. |
June 1348 |
The Black Death arrives in England. |
22nd June 1377 |
Richard II becomes king. |
June 1381 |
The Peasants’ Revolt occurs. |
30th September 1399 |
Henry IV becomes king after King Richard II resigns. |
21st March 1413 |
Henry V becomes king. |
25th October 1415 |
King Henry V’s army defeats France at the Battle of Agincourt. The longbow was an important weapon for killing and winning this battle. |
31st August 1422 |
Henry VI becomes king. |
1453 |
The Hundred Years’ War ends 116 years after beginning. |
22nd May 1455 |
The Wars of the Roses start with the First Battle of St Albans. |
4th March 1461 |
Edward IV becomes king. |
29th March 1461 |
The Battle of Towton takes place, affirming Edward IV’s right to the throne. |
30th October 1470 |
Henry VI becomes king again, in act known as the readeption. |
11th April 1471 |
Edward IV becomes king again. |
14th April 1471 |
The Battle of Barnet takes place. |
21st May 1471 |
Henry VI dies, likely murdered under King Edward IV’s orders. |
1476 |
The printing press is introduced into England by William Caxton. |
18th November 1477 |
The first dated book is printed in England. |
1478 |
The first print edition of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is published. |
9th April 1483 |
King Edward IV suddenly dies, leaving his son Edward V to inherit the throne from him. |
26th June 1483 |
Parliament declares that Edward IV’s uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester is the legal king – King Richard III. |
Summer 1483 |
The two princes, Edward V and his brother, are murdered in the Tower of London. |
22nd August 1485 |
Battle of Bosworth Field takes place between the armies of the House of York and the House of Lancaster. King Richard III is killed. |
22nd August 1485 |
Henry Tudor becomes King Henry VII of England. |