Mini Timeline

871	Qtr 2	More Danes arrive in Britain
		Another army of Danes landed in London and were joined by those at Reading. The army defeated Alfred at Wilton and so the king decided to pay the Danes some money to keep the peace.
1013		Swein Fork-Beard and Canute attack England
		Swein Fork-Beard and his son Canute sailed from Denmark to attack England. Again London defended itself and the Vikings moved elsewhere, taking Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria.
	Nov	London surrenders to Swein
		London was the last part of the country to accept Swein as the new king of England. Swein and his Viking army had already taken control of the Danelaw and the rest of the country accepted him as their new ruler. Swein's rule of the country would only last a few months.
1016	Apr	Canute attempts to take the throne
		Canute advanced on London for a fight with Athelred but Athelred died in the same month. London accepted Edmund Ironside as their ruler. Canute would have to defeat Edmund if he was to become King of England.
1066	Oct 6	Harold and his forces reach London
		Harold II had to march south from Stamford Bridge to counter the threat of invasion from William of Normandy.
1078		Work starts on the White Tower
		Gundulf began work on the White Tower, the Tower of London.
1128		Templar Church in London
		Hugh de Payens may have been granted the land for the first Temple Church in London at this time. Consisting of an orchard, a cemetery, a round church. The position was possibly at the end of Chancery Lane. The temple was moved in 1161.
1141	Jun	Matilda enters London
		Matilda and her supporters entered London for her coronation. Her supporters included David I, king of the Scots. Geoffrey de Mandeville who controlled the Tower of London, abandoned his king as he saw Matilda had the upper hand. He joined her side and offered her the Tower of London. He did this to ensure he kept the Earldom of Essex which made him one of the most powerful barons of the time.
1155		Knights Templar build Temple in Fleet Street
		Being the superintendents of the Masons, the Knights Templars build their Temple in Fleet Street in London.
1161		Knights Templars move London Temple
		The Knights Templars moved their London temple to the new site between Fleet Street and the Thames.
1177		Henry as arbitrator
		Again Henry's knowledge of law is used in a conflict between Alfonso IX of Castile and Sancho VI of Navarre held in London.
1215	Jan	John meets the Barons in London
		Promising the Barons safe passage, John met them in London to discuss their demands. John postponed any answer until Easter.
	May 17	London falls to the Rebels
		The gates to London were opened by a supporter of the rebellious Barons and the houses of Jews were targetted for ransacking and burning. The rebels called for those Barons still on the side of John to join them. The Tower of London held by John's supporters was too well defended to fall into the hands of the rebels.
1216	Feb	Small French fleet land in London
		A small French army landed in London. The Commander informed the Barons that Louis would soon arrive.
	Feb	King John puts down revolt
		King John put down a revolt in East Anglia. The Barons and the French kept hold of London.
1263		Edward raids the Temple in London
		On the pretence of removing his mother's jewels, Edward (I) entered the Knights Templar's Temple in London and ransacked the treasurery, taking the proceeds to the Tower of London.
1265	Summer	Armies march
		Simon's son was sent to London to raise money and troops. He diverted back through Winchester which was loyal to the king and then moved through Oxford and Northampton. Edward (I) moved from Worcester to Bridgnorth destroying bridges and means of allowing Simon who was on the Welsh side of the Avon from crossing back. The people of Bristol, friendly to Simon's cause sent ships to Newport to help Simon cross, but they were intercepted and destroyed by Edward. Meanwhile, Simon's son was attacked at Kenilworth during the night and taken completely by surprise had no chance to defend himself.
1294		Edward Balliol asks for resources
		Edward Balliol arrived in London and asked for men and money for Edward's French war.
1348	Jun	The Plague reaches England
		The plague reached the shores of England first at Melcombe Regis in Dorset. By winter of the year, the plague had reached London.
1354		Statute of Staples
		A law that fixed 15 towns as staple towns. A staple town was a town that was restricted in what it could sell to foreign merchants. The towns were Bristol, Canterbury, Carmarthen, Chichester, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Exeter, Lincoln, London, Newcastle, Norwich, Waterford, Winchester and York.
1381	Jun 11	Rebels move towards London
		Both the Kentish and the Essex rebels move towards London.
	Jun 12	Rebels reach London
		The Essex rebels reach Mile End near Aldgate and the Kentish rebels reach Southwark.
1460	Jul 2	Yorkists enter London
		The Yorkists marched first to Canterbury where the officers in charge of protecting the town against them joined forces with the rebels. They then moved on and arrived at London on July 2nd. There they were welcomed by the Mayor of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
1461	Feb 27	Yorkists enter London
		Edward and Warwick were allowed to enter the city of London. The citizens of London had refused to let the Queen enter and so she returned north with the King.
1484	Dec	Richard returns to London
		Richard was welcomed into London by the Mayor and a procession led him to Blackfriars. Christmas was spent celebrating.