55BC – Romans first recorded in England at this time. They did not conquer England until 78-85AD.
OLD ENGLISH
450 – Saxons – They were the most well known group of German tribes that invaded England. The other two main tribes were the Angles and the Jutes. The word England was derived from Angles (Engles).
597 – St Augustine – He wanted to convert Britain to Christianity. This changed the English language because it introduced many new religious words and concepts to English people. These words were based on examples from Latin and Greek (large influence …show more content…
These groups concentrated on destroying towns close to the coast. The second stage was filled with large armies that caused a large amount of destruction. This stage ended when King Alfred defeated Gunthrum and made the Treaty of Wedmore. The third stage overpowered England. The Vikings set up Cnut to be king. He was the Danish ruler who began a twenty five year stretch of Danish rulers in England.
871 – King Alfred – He defended Anglo-Saxon England from Viking raids, created a code of laws, and encouraged a rebirth of religious and education.
878 – Danelaw and Treaty of Wedmore – This is the year that King Alfred defeated Gunthrum and created the Treaty of Wedmore on Danelaw land.
1014 – Aethelred the Unready – He was driven out of England by the Danes. He married a Norman woman, so he sought protection with his brother in law, the Duke of Normandy.
1042 – Edward the Confessor – He was the son of Aethelred. He grew up in France. When he was restored to the English throne he wanted to incorporate many of the French ways and give high positions to his Norman …show more content…
The Normans were French-speaking, and as a result of their rule, they introduced many French words that started in the nobility and eventually became part of the English language itself. As Paul K. Davis writes, "William's victory placed a foreign ruler on the throne of England, introducing European rather than Scandinavian society onto the isolated island" in "the last successful invasion of England." Paul K. Davis, 100 Decisive Battles from Ancient Times to the Present: The World's Major Battles and How They Shaped History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 113.
MIDDLE ENGLISH (1150 – 1500)
1204 – The hundred years war – A war between England and France. It had a significant impact on the development of English because France became the enemy. The English people didn’t want to use French words or terms anymore so the upper class began to want to learn and speak English.
1342 – Chaucer – He wrote his poetry in English, at a time when many writers were still unsure whether English was suitable for the purpose of writing. Chaucer wrote, using many words from French and Latin, including, authority, power, horrible, homicide, comet, exclude and popular. This widely increased the vocabulary of