Within weeks of the death of his second wife, King Louis of France married Adela, the daugter of Theobald count of Champange.

A plan to conquer Ireland was approved by Pope Adrian IV in a Papal Bull (a formal proclamation issued by the Pope) called Laudabiliter.

Alexander III was elected to the position of Pope after the death of Adrian IV. Alexander was supported by the English and the French, but the Germans supported and elected a second Pope known as Octavian.

Invaders from Scandinavia were a constant threat to the Scots and an invasion in 877 resulted in the death of the Scottish King, Constantine I. He was succeeded by his his brother Aed.

After the death of Aed, Giric (his cousin?) became the Scottish ruler.

Aelfgar, earl of Mercia was outlawed by the witan. In revenge he built a force and allied himself with Welsh Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. After defeating the King's nephew, Radulf, they attacked Hereford and raided the church killing several canons and taking everything of value leaving the building on fire. The rebels also attacked Leominster.

In reponse to the attack on Hereford Catherdal, Leofgar the bishop of Hereford took an army into Wales to deal with the Welsh prince. In battle Gruffydd ap Llywelyn killed the bishop and others near Glasbury on Wye. Earl Godwin raised an army in response but the two side eventually came to peaceful terms and Aelfgar was later restored to his position.

Upon the death of his elder brother, Ethelbert became the King of Wessex.

A large army of Danes landed in East Anglia led by King Ivar the 'Boneless' and King Halfdan. No attempts were made to get rid of the invaders.

Following the death of his elder brother, Ethelred became the King of Wessex. Alfred (the Great) became his deputy.

After fighting the Danes all winter Aethelred died. He was only in his twenties. He was buried at Wimborne and was succeeded by his younger brother Alfred 'the Great'. Aethelred had two sons but they were too young to rule. The younger son Aethelwold would later rebel against against Alfred's son Edward the Elder for the English throne.

The Danes in Northumbria accepted Aethelwold as their king. Aethelwold needed an army if he was going to take the English throne from King Edward.

Athelwold and Eric the Dane were killed in battle when they fought an army of Kentish men who were part of King Edward's army.

Alcuin of York died at the monastery of St. Martin's at Tours.

Alexander III was elected to the position of Pope after the death of Adrian IV. Alexander was supported by the English and the French, but the Germans supported and elected a second Pope known as Octavian.

At the Council of Northampton the Welsh rebellion and the Constitution of Clarendon were discussed. The Council tried Thomas Becket and found him guilty of perjury for failure to appear at Council and heresy. Becket was sentenced to forfeiture of his possessions. The sentence was quashed by King Alexander III and Becket fled to Lincoln on the 14th and then France in early November.

Becket fled to France and sought the protection of Pope Alexander III, who himself was in exile.

Becket was canonized by Pope Alexander III. His shrine at Canterbury Cathedral became extremely wealthy due to the number of pilgrims visiting it and donating money.

Pope Alexander III consecrated Roger of Dover as the Archbishop of Canterbury and gave him the pallium.

Pope Alexander IV agreed to absolve King Henry III from the Provisions of Oxford.

Urban IV was elected Pope after the death of Pope Alexander IV.

King Henry II travelled to France to meet Louis VII the French King and propose a marriage between his son Henry and Louis' daughter Margaret. This was accepted but the actual betrothal did not occur until November of 1160. Louis' children were all female, two by Eleanor of Aquitaine and the third, Margaret, by Constance , the daughter of Alfonso VIII, king of Castile. Henry was only three years old and Margaret was less than a year old.

At the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 Alfonso, along with a coalition of Christian leaders, defeated the Almohads and the Muslim-held lands in Spain were retaken.

Both Edward the Confessor and Alfred, his younger brother, came to England at different times during this year to try and take back the English throne. Edward's attempt failed. Some time later Alfred landed in England but his army was met by Earl Godwine and was defeated. Alfred was captured and killed by the Earl.

A marriage agreement was arranged between Prince Richard and the daughter of King Louis VII, bringing peace between England and France.

Baldwin, the king of Jerusalem died. He was succeeded by his brother Amalric.

Shortly after becoming Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Arundel was exiled by Richard II because of his support for the lords appellant who had opposed the King's misrule of the country.

A large rebellion began in north in Yorkshire following those in Lincolnshire. Known as The Pilgrimage of Grace this rebellion again protested against the unpopular policies and advisers of King Henry VIII. They wanted Henry to put a stop to the dissolution of the monasteries and the removal of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer and Henry's adviser Thomas Cromwell. The leader of the rebellion was Robert Aske, a lawyer and excellent organiser. Somewhere between 30,000 and 35,000 rebels were involved and they took control of Pontefract Castle which fell to them without any resistance.

The Duke of Norfolk met with leaders of the rebels on Doncaster Bridge where their demands were heard. The Duke asked the rebels to disband promising that their demands would be considered. The rebels complied with the request to disband and returned home. Henry VIII made no attempt to consider their demands.

At Pontefract the rebel leaders presented a list of demands. The rebels were assured of free pardons.

Although the main leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace were remaining peaceful and waiting for Henry VIII to look into their complaints others were not so trusting. Several uprisings occurred in the north east of England where Carlisle was besieged. The Duke of Norfolk was able to deal with the rebels and many of those suspected of taking part were hung in their villages as an example to the rest.

Henry VIII summonsed the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace to him in London where the rebels believed they would discuss terms with the King as they had been promised free pardons. Instead, Henry had the rebels arrested. They were sent back to their home lands where they were tried and executed.

Unhappy with his father's marriage to Judith and absence from the country, Ethelbald, Ethelwulf's second son claimeds the kingdom of Wessex for himself. When Ethelwulf later died, Ethelbald married Judith, his stepmother.

Upon the death of his elder brother, Ethelbert became the King of Wessex.

Athelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, built a burh first at Shrewsbury and then at Bridgnorth.The defences were needed to protect the people from the Danes.

Athelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians, fortified the towns of Tamworth and Stafford against attack from the Danes.

Athelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians, founded the town of Warwick at the important river crossing across the River Avon. The town was fortified againt attack from the Danes.