Timelines

600 .. 999

he years 600 A.D. to 999 A.D. cover the period in Britain known as the 'Dark Ages' or the 'Early Medieval Ages'. It was a time that saw a steady stream of invaders reach Britain's shores. Towards the end of this period Danish and Viking invasions were a common occurence and this is the time of Alfred the Great who defeated the Vikings at Edington in 878 A.D. In Europe Charlemagne became the powerful ruler of the Franks.

1000 .. 1099

uring years 1000 A.D. to 1099 A.D. Britain was ruled by Saxons, Danes and finally Normans. The first half of the century was dominated by native Saxons and invading Vikings. But in 1066 after the death of the saintly King Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror from Normandy put the Normans firmly on the English throne and in control of the country. The final few years of this century saw the start of the Crusades in the Holy Land.

1100 .. 1199

he start of the period saw the Normans on the throne of England, but this ended when the White Ship struck rocks in the English Channel and the son of King Edward I was drowned. The resulting civil war lasted almost twenty years before Henry II took the English throne and the Plantagenets ruled England. Two more major Crusades took place in this century and saw the rise of the warrior knights whose duties were to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land. One Crusade was led by Richard the Lionheart who got too close to the castle he was besieging and was killed by an arrow wound.

1200 .. 1299

isrule in England led to revolts by the barons against two of its rulers, King John and his son King Henry III. Edward I, the son of Henry III led armies into both Wales and Scotland. In Wales he built a series of mighty castles that could be resupplied by sea to try and keep the Welsh under control. In Scotland, Edward placed Edward Balliol on the Scottish throne after the tragic death of the true Scottish heir, the Maid of Norway.

1300 .. 1399

he misrule of England reoccurred in the first half of this century. Edward II had a favourite called Piers Gaveston and the barons rose up against their King. Isabella, the wide of Edward II tried to take the English throne and had her husband killed. Their son, Edward III, started the Hundred Years War with France over the control of the French throne. His son Richard II continued the War during his reign. In Scotland, At the start of the century Robert the Bruce became Scotland's ruler. The Black Death brought misery to most of Europe.

1400 .. 1499

he Hundred Years War with France dominated the first half of this century with King Henry V and Joan of Arc. The second half of the century was dominated by the War of the Roses between the Lancastrians and Yorkists fighting for the English throne. The Yorkists won the war but their reigns ended with Richard III as the Battle of Bosworth. The Tudors then took the English throne starting with Henry Tudor, Henry VII. At the end of this century Columbus discovers America.

1500 .. 1599

n England the Tudor's reign continued with Henry VIII and his three children Mary, Elizabth and Edward.