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Table 1
A brief chronology of English
BC 55 Roman invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar. Local
BC 43 Roman invasion and occupation. Beginning inhabitan
of Roman rule of Britain. ts speak
436 Roman withdrawal from Britain complete. Celtish
449 Settlement of Britain by Germanic invaders
Earliest known Old English inscriptions.
450- begins Old
480 English
1066 William the Conqueror, Duke of
Normandy, invades and conquers
England.
c1150 Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle
English.
1348 English replaces Latin as the language of Middle
instruction in most schools. English
English replaces French as the language
1362 of law. English is used in Parliament for
the first time.
c1388 Chaucer starts writing The Canterbury
Tales.
c1400 The Great Vowel Shift begins.
1476 William Caxton establishes the first English
printing press.
1564 Shakespeare is born.
1604 Table Alphabeticall, the first English
Early
dictionary, is published. Modern
The first permanent English settlement in
English
1607 the New World
(Jamestown) is established.
1616 Shakespeare dies.
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