ENGLISH KINGS AND QUEENS - Historical Timeline I (757 - 1478 AD)

757 - Offa seizes the Kingdom Mercia after the murder of his cousin Aethelbald. 776 - Defeats the men of Kent at Otford 779 - Offa defeats Cynewulf of Wessex at Bensington in Oxfordshire. 784 - Offa defeats the Welsh. Around this time work on Offa's Dyke is started marking the border with Wales. 785 - Egbert son of Eahmund of Kent flees to Wessex and then to exile in the Frankish court of Charlemagne 787 - 1st recorded Viking raids on England 789 - Beorhtric of Wessex marries Offa's daughter Eadburgh 792 - Aethelred king of Northumbria marries Offa's daughter Aelfflaed 793 - St Albans Abbey founded. Offa annexes East Anglia and joins it to the kingdom of Mercia 793 - Vikings raid the Christian monastery on Lindisfarne 795 - Vikings raid the monastery on Iona in Scotland 796 - Offa's dyke is completed. The death of Offa marks the end of Mercian supremacy in England. His son Ecgfrith reigns for less than 6 months.

800 - Around this time the Book of Kells is written in Ireland

802 - Death of King Beorthric of Wessex  802 - Egbert returns from exile in Charlemagne and becomes King of Wessex 825 - King Egbert of Wessex wins a decisive victory over King Beornwulf of Mercia at Ellendun. Wessex becomes the dominant kingdom. 827 - Following his conquest of Mercia, Egbert controls all of England south of the Humber 829 - Egbert defeats the Northumbrian king at Dore near Sheffield 830 - Wiglif of Mercia revolts against Wessex rule 830 - Egbert subdues North Wales. He is recognized as overlord of other English kings 836 - Egbert is defeated by the Danes at Carhampton in Somerset 838 - Defeats Vikings and Cornish at Hingston Down in Cornwall 839 - Death of Egbert. He is succeeded by his son Aethelwulf.

839 - Aethelwulf succeeds his father Egbert as King of Wessex

841 - Vikings raid Kent and East Anglia, and establish a settlement at Dublin

842 - Many die in London and Rochester during Viking raids 844 - Kenneth MacAlpine, King of the Scots, conquers the Picts; founds a unified Scotland 845 - Vikings are defeated by a Saxon force at the River Parrett 851 - Vikings forces enter Thames estuary and march on Canterbury 855 - Aethelwulf goes on a pilgrimage to Rome accompanied by his son Alfred 858 - Aethelwulf returns but finds his son Aethelbald has taken control of Wessex 858 - Aethelwulf dies at Steyning in Sussex. His son Aelthelbald becomes king. 

858 - Aethelbald marries his father's widow Judith

860 - Vikings land on Iceland

860 - Aehelbald dies and his brother Aethelbert become king. 

865 - The Viking 'Great Heathen Army' commanded by Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless lands in East Anglia and sweeps across England 866 - Vikings take York (Jorvik) and establish a North British Kingdom. 870 - Aethelred defeated by the Danes (Vikings) at Reading 871 - Aethelred and his brother Alfred defeat the Danes at Ashdown 871 - Battle of Meretun, Hampshire. Aethelred is mortally wounded and dies. 875 - After persistent attacks by Vikings the monks of Lindesfarne travel through Northumbria and Galloway with the Lindesfarne Gospels. 878 - Guthrum's Danish army invades Wessex, and Alfred takes refuge on the isle of Athelney. Alfred defeats Guthrum at the battle of Ethandune (Edington) in Wiltshire.  878 - Treaty of Wedmore divides England into two. Guthrum accepts baptism as a Christian and agrees to leave Wessex and settle in East Anglia.  884 - Alfred defeats the Danes at Rochester 885 - Alfred imposes rules on South Wales 886 - Alfred takes London from the Danes. Danelaw - the territory occupied by the Danes in East Anglia is recognised by Alfred 890 - Guthrum dies. Alfred establishes a permanent army and navy 891 - Anglo Saxon Chronicle, source of much early British History, begun 893 - Asser, Bishop of Sherborne, completes his book The Life of Alfred the Great 894 - Northumbrian and East Angles swear allegiance to Alfred, but promptly break the truce attacking South West England.  896 - Naval victory over the Danes in the Solent 899 - Alfred dies and is buried at Winchester. His son Edward becomes king.  902 - Eric, ruler of the Danes in East Anglia, dies in the Battle of Holme 910 - Reconquest of Danelaw lands begins. The last great Viking army sent to ravage England is defeated by an                             army of Wessex and Mercia. 913 - Edward the Elder recaptures Essex from the Danes 915 - Edward is accepted as overlord by Ragnald ruler of the Viking Kingdom of York 916 - Edward's sister Aethlfleda of Mercia attacks and conquers most of Wales 916 - Vikings establish settlements at Dublin and Waterford in Ireland 918 - Edward becomes ruler of Mercia following the death of his sister Aethlfleda 920 - Edward takes East Anglia from the Danes 923 - The Scottish King Constantine II submits to Edward 924 - Edward dies at Farndon-on-Dee near Chester leading an army against the Welsh. He is buried in Winchester. 926 - Athelstan marries his sister to Sihtric the Viking King of York to cement his ties with the North 934 - Athelstan invades Scotland 937 - Battle of Brunanburh: Athelstan defeats alliance of Scots, Celts, Danes, and Vikings, and takes the title of King of all Britain 940 - Athelstan dies at Gloucester and is buried at Malmesbury. 942 - Edmund re-establishes control over Northumbria and rules a united England. 943 - Edmund extends his rule into southern Scotland, 945 - Dunstan becomes abbot of Glastonbury Abbey 945 - Edmund conquers Strathclyde, but Cumbria is annexed by the Scots.946 - Edmund murdered at a party in Pucklechurch
956 - Dunstan sent into exile by Edwy
957 - Mercians and Northumbrians rebel against Edwy
959 - Edwy dies in Gloucester
965 - Westminster Abbey is founded
973 - Northern Kings submit to Edgar at Chester
975 - Edgar dies at Winchester
980 - Danes renew their raids on England attacking Chester and Southampton
985 - Sweyn I, Forkbeard, rebels against his father Harold Blue-tooth and deposes him
991 - Battle of Maldon: Byrhtnoth of Essex is defeated by Danish invaders; Aethelred buys off the Danes with 10,000 pounds of silver (Danegeld)
992 - Aethelred makes a truce with Duke Richard I of Normandy
994 - Danes under Sweyn and Norwegians under Olaf Trygvesson sail up river Thames and besiege London; bought off by Aethelred
1002 - Aethelred orders a massacre of Danish settlers. After the death of his first wife Elfleda he marries Emma of Normandy
1012 - The Danes raid Kent, burning Canterbury Cathedral and murdering Archbishop Alphege
1013 - King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark lands in England and is proclaimed king; Aethelred II the Unready flees to Normandy
1014 - The English recall Aethelred II the Unready as King on the death of Sweyn at Gainsborough
1015 - King Canute II of Denmark & Norway again invades England
1016 - Edmund is assassinated a few months later and Canute takes the throne as King Canute of England.  1027 - Canute makes a pilgrimage to Rome to demonstrate his alliance with the Church, and attends the coronation of the Pope
1028 - In addition to his existing kingdoms Canute becomes King of Norway
1035 - Canute dies at the age of 40, and his huge Northern European empire disintegrates.  1043 - Earl Leofric founds Coventry Abbey. His wife Lady Godiva according to legend rides naked through the streets of Coventry
1045 - Edward marries Edith daughter of Earl Godwin of Wessex
1051 - Edward quarrels with Godwin and banishes the rebellious Godwin family from England. Edward promises the throne to William, Duke of Normandy.
1052 - Godwin, Earl of Wessex, returns to England.
1053 - Godwin’s son, Harold, becomes principal adviser to the King.
1056 - Welsh led by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn attack England and burn Hereford Cathedral
1057 - Edward, son of Edmund Ironside and potential heir to the throne, returns to England but dies mysteriously
1063 - Harold Godwinson (later Harold II) and his brother Tostig of Northumberland attack Wales. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn is killed by his own troops.  1064 - Harold visits William of Normandy and swears on oath to support his claim to the throne
1065 - Northumbria rebels against Tostig who is exiled. Harold fails to support his brother and they become bitter enemies.  1066 - Edward dies and Harold Godwinson is chosen as successor, but William of Normandy declares the throne was promised to him.
1066 - Harold II fights his brother Tostig and a Viking force under Harold Hadrada and defeats them at Stamford Bridge. He hastily marches South at the news that William Duke of Normandy with 100 ships has landed at Pevensey Bay and marched into Sussex.
1066 - Harold II is killed at the Battle of Hastings according to legend with an arrow through his eye.
1066 - Edgar the Aethling, grandson of Edmund II is elected King, but rules for only a few weeks before submitting to William of Normandy.
1067 - William suppresses a Saxon revolt in the southwest of England. William's Earls are given lands driving out the Anglo Saxon lords. Norman French becomes the language of government.
1068 - William puts down a revolt in the northern counties led by Edwin and Morcar and establishes fortifications. The region is laid waste in an action known as 'Harrying the North'.
1069 - Swen Estrithson of Denmark lands in the Humber and is welcomed by northern English earls who join him in expelling the Norman garrison at York. William marches north and reoccupies York
1070 - Hereward the Wake leads a revolt against the Normans.
1071 - William defeats the revolt led by Hereward the Wake in East Anglia, thus putting an end to Saxon resistance to his rule.
1072 - William invades Scotland and compels Malcolm III to pay homage to him.
1073 - Suppresses rebellion in Maine in France
1078 - Work begins on the Tower of London
1079 - William begins the construction of a Norman Cathedral at Winchester.
1079 - Robert, William’s eldest son, leads a rebellion in Normandy, but is defeated by his father at the Battle of Gerberoi and his life is spared.
1085 - William orders a survey of the shires of England; the information is recorded in the Domesday Book, which is completed the following year.
1086 - William writes to the Pope that England owes no allegiance to the Church of Rome
1086 - Domesday survey of England completed
1087 - William dies of his injuries after falling from his horse while besieging the French city of Nantes.
1088 - William crushes a baronial rebellion in Normandy led by his uncle, Odo of Bayeux. William’s brother, Robert, supports the claims of Normandy to the English throne.
1089 - Ranulf Flambard, leading adviser to William, is appointed Justiciar (the King’s judicial officer). He begins to levy heavy taxes on the church.
1090 - William leads an invasion of Normandy in an attempt to subdue his brother, Robert.
1091 - William defeats an invasion of England led by Malcolm III of Scotland.
1092 - Carlisle is captured from Scotland and Cumberland is annexed.
1093 - Malcolm III and the Scots invade England again, but they are defeated and Malcolm is killed at the Battle of Alnwick.
1095 - William suppresses revolt in Northumbria.
1095 - First Crusade begins following a call by Pope Urban II to help free the Holy Land which has been captured by Muslims.  1098 - William suppresses a Welsh rebellion against the Norman border lords.
1099 - The Crusaders take Jerusalem. The first Crusade ends.
1100 - William is killed by an arrow while out hunting in the New Forest. Supposedly an accident, it has been suggested that he was shot deliberately on the instructions of his brother Henry  1100 - Henry issues a Charter of Liberties, pledging good governance.
1100 - Henry marries Edith known as Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland.  1101 - Robert of Normandy invades England in an attempt to wrest the English throne from his brother, Henry. After failing, he signs the Treaty of Alton, which confirms Henry as King of England and Robert as Duke of Normandy.
1106 - War breaks out between Henry and Robert. Henry defeats Robert at the Battle of Tinchebrai, imprisons him in Cardiff Castle, and takes control of Normandy.
1118 - Death of Henry's wife Matilda.
1121 - Henry marries Adelicia of Louvain
1126 - Henry persuades the barons to accept Matilda as his lawful successor to the throne.
1128 - Matilda, Henry's only surviving legitimate child, marries Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.
1135 - Henry I dies in Rouen, France, as a result of food poisoning
1121 - Henry marries Adelicia of Louvain
1126 - Henry persuades the barons to accept Matilda as his lawful successor to the throne.
1128 - Matilda, Henry's only surviving legitimate child, marries Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.
1135 - Henry I dies in Rouen, France, as a result of food poisoning
1121 - Henry marries Adelicia of Louvain
1126 - Henry persuades the barons to accept Matilda as his lawful successor to the throne.
1128 - Matilda, Henry's only surviving legitimate child, marries Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.
1135 - Henry I dies in Rouen, France, as a result of food poisoning
1121 - Henry marries Adelicia of Louvain
1126 - Henry persuades the barons to accept Matilda as his lawful successor to the throne.
1128 - Matilda, Henry's only surviving legitimate child, marries Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.
1135 - Henry I dies in Rouen, France, as a result of food poisoning

860 - Aethelbert becomes King of Wessex following the death of his brother Aethelbald

860 - Winchester sacked by the Danes

866 - Aethelred becomes king on the death of his brother Aethelbert

869 - Edmund King of East Anglia resists the Vikings and is killed

871 - Alfred becomes King of Wessex following the death of his brother Aethelred

872 - London falls to Viking raiders

900 - Edward the Elder, son of Alfred, crowned at Kingston-upon-Thames

901 - Edward the Elder takes the title "King of the Angles and Saxons"

924 - Athelstan becomes King of Wessex and Mercia on the death of his father Edward the Elder. 

926 - Athelstan annexes Northumbria, and forces the kings of Wales, Strathclyde, the Picts, and the Scots to submit to him

940 - Edmund becomes King. Scandinavian forces from Northumbria overrun the East Midlands.

946 - Edred succeeds his brother Edmund

954 - Expulsion of Eric Bloodaxe, last Danish king of York
955 - Edred dies and is buried at Winchester.

1120 - Henry's son and heir, William, is drowned at sea when returning from Normandy in The White Shipwhich strikes a rock and sinks. Henry’s daughter, Matilda, becomes heir.

955 - Edwy crowned at Kingston-upon-Thames

959 - Edgar King of Mercia and Northumbria becomes King of all England.

978 - Aethelred, son of Edgar, becomes King of England following the murder of his half brother Edward

1016 - Edmund Ironside, son of Aethelred II the Unready of England, becomes King. At the battle of Abingdon, in Essex, King Canute II of Denmark defeats Edmund. They meet on the Isle of Alney in the Severn and agree to divide the kingdom into two. Canute takes the land North of the Thames and Edmund the South.

1017 - Canute marries Emma of Normandy, the widow of Aethelred II. Canute divides England into four earldoms - Northumbria Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia. 

1035 - Canute's illegitimate son Harold Harefoot usurps the throne from his half-brother, Harthacanute, the rightful heir who is away fighting in Denmark.

1040 - Harold Harefoot dies and Harthacanute accedes to the throne.

1042 - Harthacanute dies and is succeeded by Edward the Confessor, son of Aethelred II.

1066 - Harold Godwinson becomes King Harold II

1066 - William and his Norman army defeat Harold II and the Anglo Saxons at the Battle of Hastings. Harold is killed and, after subduing the south of the country William is crowned King of England.

1087 - William Il accedes to the throne on the death of his father, William I.

1100 - Henry I succeeds his brother, William II.

1135 - Stephen usurps the throne from Matilda, Henry’s daughter.

1136 - The Earl of Norfolk leads the first rebellion against Stephen starting civil war known as 'The Anarchy'.  1136 - Owain Gwynedd of Wales defeats the English at Crug Mawr 1138 - Robert, Earl of Gloucester, an illegitimate son of Henry I, deserts Stephen and pledges allegiance to Matilda. 1138 - David I of Scotland invades England in support of his niece, Matilda, but is defeated at Northallerton. 1139 - Matilda leaves France and lands in England. 1141 - Matilda’s forces take Stephen prisoner at the Battle of Lincoln, and Matilda is proclaimed queen. 1141 - Earl Robert is captured and exchanged for Stephen’s freedom. 1145 - Stephen defeats Matilda’s forces at the Battle of Faringdon. 1148 - Matilda abandons her cause and leaves England. 1147 - Matilda's son Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II) invades England but runs out of money. Stephen pays for Henry's return to Normandy 1151 - Matilda dies and her son, Henry Plantagenet, succeeds his father as Count of Anjou. 1153 - Henry lands in England again, and gathers support for further war against Stephen. 1153 - Henry and Stephen agree terms for ending the civil war. Under the terms of the Treaty of Westminster, Stephen is to remain King for life, but thereafter the throne passes to Henry.1154 - Stephen dies.
1155 - Henry appoints Thomas a Becket as Chancellor of England, a post that he holds for seven years.
1155 - Pope Adrian IV issues the papal bull Laudabiliter, which gives Henry dispensation to invade Ireland and bring the Irish Church under the control of the Church of Rome.
1162 - On the death of Archbishop Theobald, Henry appoints Thomas a Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury in the hope that he will help introduce Church reforms.
1164 - Henry introduces the Constitutions of Clarendon, which place limitations on the Church’s jurisdiction over crimes committed by the clergy. The Pope refuses to approve the Constitutions, so Thomas a Becket refuses to sign them. 
1166 - The Assize of Clarendon establishes trial by jury for the first time.
1166 - Dermot McMurrough, King of Leinster in Ireland, appeals to Henry to help him oppose a confederation of other Irish kings. In response to the appeal, Henry sends a force led by Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, thereby beginning the English settlement of Ireland.
1168 - English scholars expelled from Paris settle in Oxford, where they found a university.
1170 - Pope Alexander III threatens England with an interdict and forces Henry to a formal reconciliation with Becket. However, the two of them quarrel again when Becket publishes papal letters voiding Henry’s Constitutions of Clarendon.
1170 - Becket is killed in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December by four of Henry’s knights.
1171 - Henry invades Ireland and receives homage from the King of Leinster and the other kings. Henry is accepted as Lord of Ireland.
1171 - At Cashel Henry makes Irish clergy submit to the authority of Rome
1173 - Eleanor of Aquitaine and her sons revolt unsuccessfully against her husband Henry II. 
1174 - Henry’s sons Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey lead an unsuccessful rebellion against their father
1176 - Henry creates a framework of justice creating judges and dividing England into six counties
1185 - Lincoln cathedral is destroyed by an earthquake.
1189 - Henry dies at Chinon castle, Anjou, France.
1189 - William Longchamp is appointed Chancellor of England and governs the country during Richard’s absence abroad
1189 - Richard sets out with Philip of France on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land
1191 - William Longchamp falls from power and Richard’s brother, John, takes over the government
1191 - Richard captures the city of Acre, Palestine, and defeats Saladin at Arsuuf, near Jaffa
1192 - Richard reaches an agreement with Saladin to guarantee Christians safe pilgrimage to Jerusalem
1192 - On his way back to England from Palestine, Richard is captured and handed over to Henry VI, Emperor of Germany. Henry demands a ransom of 100,000 marks from England for Richard’s release from prison
1194 - The ransom is raised in England. Richard is released from captivity.
1195 - Richard returns to England for a brief period, before leaving to fight in France, never to return to his homeland.
1196 - The Assize of Measures standardizes weights including the lb (pound) and distance including the yard. 
1199 - Richard is mortally wounded by an arrow from a crossbow in battle at Chalus, in France.
1204 - England loses most of its possessions in France.
1205 - John refuses to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury
1208 - Pope Innocent III issues an Interdict against England, banning all church services except baptisms and funerals
1209 - Pope Innocent III excommunicates John for his confiscation of ecclesiastical property
1209 - Cambridge University founded
1212 - Innocent III declares that John is no longer the rightful King
1213 - John submits to the Pope’s demands and accepts the authority of the Pope
1214 - Philip Augustus of France defeats the English at the Battle of Bouvines
1215 - Beginning of the Barons' war. The English Barons march to London to demand rights which they lay down in the Magna Carta. 
1215 - John meets the English barons at Runnymede, agrees to their demands, and seals the Magna Carta which set limits on the powers of the monarch, lays out the feudal obligations of the barons, confirms the liberties of the Church, and grants rights to all freemen of the realm and their heirs for ever. It is the first written constitution. 
1215 - The Pope decrees that John need not adhere to the Magna Carta, and civil war breaks out
1216 - The barons seek French aid in their fight against John. Prince Louis of France lands in England and captures the Tower of London
1216 - John flees North and loses his war chest of cash and jewels in the Wash estuary
1216 - John dies of a fever at Newark and is buried Worcester Cathedral

1154 - Henry II accedes to the throne at the age of 21 upon the death of his second cousin, Stephen.

1173 - Canonization of Thomas a Becket.

1189 - Richard I becomes King of England upon the death of Henry II

1199 - John accedes to the throne on the death of his brother, Richard I.

1216 - Henry III is crowned King at the age of nine. England is ruled temporarily by two regents, Hubert de Burgh and William the Marshal

1217 - The French lose the battles of Lincoln and Dover and are driven back to France  1220 - Building of Salisbury cathedral begun 1222 - De Burgh successfully puts down an insurrection supporting the French king Louis Vlll’s claim to the throne 1227 - Henry takes full control of the government of England, but retains de Burgh as his main adviser 1232 - Hubert de Burgh is dismissed as adviser 1236 - Henry marries Eleanor of Provence 1237 - The Treaty of York with Alexander II of Scotland agrees the border between England and Scotland 1238 - Simon de Montfort marries Henry’s sister, Eleanor 1240 - Henry's Great Council is called 'Parliament' for the first time 1245 - Henry lays the foundation stone for the rebuilding of Westminster Abbey 1258 - The English barons, led by de Montfort, rebel against Henry’s misgovernment. They present a list of grievances to Henry, who signs the Provisions of Oxford, which limit royal power 1261 - Henry repudiates the Provisions of Oxford 1264 - The Baron’s War breaks out. De Montfort defeats Henry at Lewes. Henry is captured. 1265 - Simon de Montfort summons the first directly elected English Parliament 1265 - Some of the barons break their alliance with de Montfort and, led by Prince Edward, kill him at the Battle of Evesham 1266 - The Dictum of Kenilworth restores Henry's authority and annuls the Provisions of Oxford 1267 - In the Treaty of Montgomery, Henry recognizes Llywelyn ap Gruffydd as ruler of Wales 1272 - Henry III dies in the Palace of Westminster
1274 - Edward is crowned in Westminster Abbey
1282 - Edward invades North Wales and defeats Llywelyn ap Gruffydd the last ruler of an independent Wales
1284 - Independence of the Welsh is ended by the Statute of Rhuddlan
1290 - Edward's wife Eleanor dies at Harby in Nottinghamshire. Her body is brought back to London and a cross erected at each stop along the journey - Geddington, Hardingston, Waltham, and the most famous at Charing Cross. 
1292 - Edward chooses John Balliol to be the new King of Scotland
1295 - Model Parliament is summoned
1295 - John Balliol reneges on his allegiance to Edward and signs alliance with King Philip IV of France
1296 - Edward invades Scotland, defeats the Scots at Dunbar and deposes Balliol. He then takes over the throne of Scotland and removes the Stone of Scone to Westminster.
1297 - Scots rise against English rule and, led by William Wallace, defeat Edward at the Battle of Stirling Bridge
1298 - Edward invades Scotland again and defeats William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk
1299 - Edward marries Margaret of France
1301 - Edward makes his son Prince of Wales, a title conferred on every first born son of the monarchy ever since. 
1305 - William Wallace is executed in London.
1306 - Robert Bruce is crowned King of Scotland
1307 - Edward attempts to invade Scotland again, but dies on his way north
1308 - Edward’s favourite, Piers Gaveston, is exiled for misgovernment.
1309 - Gaveston returns from exile in France.
1310 - Parliament sets up a committee of Lords Ordainers to control the King and improve administration. The King’s cousin, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, takes control
1312 - Piers Gaveston is kidnapped by the King’s opponents and is put to death.
1314 - Edward and the English army are defeated at the Battle of Bannockburn by Robert Bruce. Scottish independence is assured
1320 - Welsh border barons, father and son, both named Hugh Despenser, gain the King’s favour,
1320 - The Scots assert their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath
1322 - Barons’ rebellion, led by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, is crushed at the Battle of Boroughbridge in Yorkshire.
1326 - Edward’s wife, Isabella, abandons him and with her lover, Mortimer, seizes power and deposes Edward. The Despensers are both put to death.
1327 - Edward is formally deposed by Parliament in favour of Edward III, his son, and is murdered in Berkeley Castle on the orders of his wife, Isabella.
1328 - Edward marries Phillipa of Hanault
1329 - Edward recognizes Scotland as an independent nation
1330 - Edward takes power after three years of government by his mother, Isabella of France, and her lover, Roger Mortimer. He imprisons his mother for the rest of her life. 
1332 - Parliament is divided into two houses, Lords and Commons. English becomes the court language replacing Norman French.
1333 - Defeat of Scottish army at Halidon Hill.
1337 - Start of 100 Years’ War with France.
1344 - Edward establishes the Order of the Garter
1346 - David II of Scotland invades England but is defeated at Neville’s Cross and captured.
1346 - French defeated at the Battle of Crecy.
1347 - Edward besieges and captures Calais.
1348 - -1350 The Black Death, bubonic plague which caused the skin to turn black, kills one-third of the English population. It leaves an acute shortage of labour for agriculture and armies.
1356 - Black Prince defeats French at Poitiers capturing King John II of France who is held prisoner for four years.
1357 - David II of Scotland is released from captivity and returns home to Scotland.
1360 - King John II of France is released on payment of a ransom
1367 - England and France support rivals side in the civil war in Castille
1369 - War breaks out with France and the French take back most of Aquitaine
1370 - Edward, The Black Prince, sacks Limoges massacring 3,000 people. 
1372 - French troops recapture Poitou and Brittany. Naval Battle at La Rochelle. 
1373 - John of Gaunt leads an invasion of France taking his army to the borders of Burgundy.
1373 - John of Gaunt returns to England and takes charge of government. Edward and his son are ill. 
1376 - Parliament gains right to investigate public abuses and impeach offenders; the first impeachment is of Alice Perrers, Edward’s mistress, and two lords.
1376 - Death of Edward, the Black Prince.
1377 - Edward III dies of a stroke at Sheen Palace, Surrey, aged 64 years
1380 - John Wycliffe begins to translate the New Testament from Latin into English .
1380 - A Poll Tax is levied, a shilling a head for the entire male population
1381 - Poll Tax leads to the Peasants’ Revolt. Watt Tyler and John Ball march on London.
1382 - Richard promises that the taxes will be repealed, but as the rebels return they are hunted and executed.
1382 - William of Wykeham founds Winchester College
1387 - Led by the Duke of Gloucester, the Lords Appellant control the government
1388 - Scots defeat Henry Hotspur at the Battle of Otterburn
1389 - Richard takes control of the government; William of Wykeham is Lord Chancellor
1394 - Richard leads English army to reconquer west of Ireland.
1396 - Richard marries Isabella daughter of the King of France and signs a 28 year truce with France. 
1397 - Richard takes revenge against Lords Appellant and exiles Henry Bolingbroke
1398 - Richard (Dick) Whittington becomes Lord Mayor of London
1399 - Bolingbroke becomes Duke of Lancaster on the death of John of Gaunt, but Richard seizes his possessions. Bolingbroke returns from exile to claim his inheritance and seizes the throne.
1399 - Richard, who is away fighting at Leinster in Ireland, returns, but is deposed and imprisoned in Pontefract Castle, where he dies in 1400
1400 - Richard dies of starvation in Pontefract Castle.
1400 - Death of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer leaving The Canterbury Tales unfinished.
1401 - Owain Glyndwr leads Welsh revolt against English rule
1402 - State visit to England of Manuel II, the Byzantine emperor
1403 - First rebellion by the Percy family from Northumberland defeated at the Battle of Shrewsbury.
1404 - Glyndwr makes a treaty with the French, who send an army in 1405 to support the rebellion against the English.
1405 - Second Percy rebellion takes place
1406 - Henry contracts a leprosy-like illness
1408 - Third Percy rebellion takes place.
1413 - Henry dies at Westminster, worn out by constant revolts and shortage of money.
1401 - Owain Glyndwr leads Welsh revolt against English rule
1402 - State visit to England of Manuel II, the Byzantine emperor
1403 - First rebellion by the Percy family from Northumberland defeated at the Battle of Shrewsbury.
1404 - Glyndwr makes a treaty with the French, who send an army in 1405 to support the rebellion against the English.
1405 - Second Percy rebellion takes place
1406 - Henry contracts a leprosy-like illness
1408 - Third Percy rebellion takes place.
1413 - Henry dies at Westminster, worn out by constant revolts and shortage of money.
1414 - Henry adopts the claims of Edward II to the French crown
1415 - Henry thwarts the Cambridge plot, an attempt by a group of nobles to replace him on the throne with his cousin, Edmund Mortisner, Earl of March.
1415 - Henry renews the war against France in order to win back territories lost by his ancestors. After a five-week siege, he captures Harfleur the leading port in north-west France. 
1415 - Battle of Agincourt, at which 6,000 Frenchmen are killed, while less than 400 English soldiers lose their lives.
1416 - Death of Owain Glyndwr, leader of the Welsh revolt.
1420 - Henry marries Catherine, daughter of Charles VI. Under the treaty of Troy, Henry will become King of France on the death of Charles VI.
1421 - Birth of Prince Henry, later Henry VI.
1422 - Henry V dies in France of dysentery before he can succeed to the French throne. King Charles VI of France dies the following month, leaving Henry VI, Henry’s 10-month-old son, as King of France and England

1272 - Edward learns that he has succeeded to the throne on his way home from the Crusade

1307 - Edward II accedes to the throne on the death of his father, Edward I.

1327 - Edward III accedes to the throne after his father, Edward II, is formally deposed.

1377 - Ten year old Richard II succeeds his grandfather, Edward III; the kingdom is ruled at first by the King’s uncles, John of Gaunt and Thomas of Gloucester.

1399 - Henry returns from exile in France to reclaim his estates seized by Richard II; he claims the throne and is crowned. His coronation was the first since the Norman Conquest in which the King's address was in English instead of Norman French.

1413 - Henry accedes to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of his father, Henry IV.

1413 - Henry accedes to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of his father, Henry IV

1414 - Henry adopts the claims of Edward II to the French crown 1415 - Henry thwarts the Cambridge plot, an attempt by a group of nobles to replace him on the throne with his cousin, Edmund Mortisner, Earl of March. 1415 - Henry renews the war against France in order to win back territories lost by his ancestors. After a five-week siege, he captures Harfleur the leading port in north-west France.  1415 - Battle of Agincourt, at which 6,000 Frenchmen are killed, while less than 400 English soldiers lose their lives. 1416 - Death of Owain Glyndwr, leader of the Welsh revolt. 1420 - Henry marries Catherine, daughter of Charles VI. Under the treaty of Troy, Henry will become King of France on the death of Charles VI. 1421 - Birth of Prince Henry, later Henry VI. 1422 - Henry V dies in France of dysentery before he can succeed to the French throne. King Charles VI of France dies the following month, leaving Henry VI, Henry’s 10-month-old son, as King of France and England
1422 - John, Duke of Bedford, is appointed Regent of France; Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, becomes Regent of England.
1429 - Henry VI is crowned King of England
1429 - The young peasant girl Joan of Arc begins her campaign to expel the English from France. She inspires the French army which relieves Orleans besieged by English troops. 
1431 - The English capture Joan of Arc. She is burned at the stake as a witch and heretic in Rouen on 30 May.
1431 - Henry VI of England is crowned King of France in Paris
1437 - Henry assumes personal rule of England
1440 - Eton college founded giving free education to 70 scholars
1445 - Henry marries Margaret of Anjou
1453 - End of 100 Years’ War. Gascony and Normandy fall to the French. England retains only Calais and The Channel Islands.
1453 - Henry becomes mentally ill. Richard, Duke of York, is made Protector during Henry’s illness
1453 - Battle of Heworth between supporters of the Neville and Percy families marks the beginning of the feud between the Houses of York and Lancaster
1454 - Henry regains his senses but disaffected nobles take matters into their own hands. Supporters of the Dukes of York and Lancaster take sides.
1455 - Beginning of the 'Wars of the Roses'. Duke of York is dismissed. York raises an army and defeats the King’s Lancastrian forces at the Battle of St. Albans.The Lancastrian leader, the Duke of Somerset, is killed. York takes over the government of England.
1457 - Henry unsuccessfully tries to broker peace between the Yorkists and Lancastrians.
1459 - War is renewed and the Lancastrians are defeated at Blore Heath; the Yorkists are then defeated at Ludford Bridge near Ludlow. Parliament declares York a traitor and he escapes to Ireland.
1460 - Yorkist army led by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeats Lancastrians at the Battle of Northampton. Henry VI is captured and his wife, Margaret, escapes to Scotland. Richard of York is again Protector.
1460 - Margaret raises a Lancastrian army in the north and defeats and kills Richard of York at Wakefield. Henry VI captured by the Yorkists at Northampton. Earl of Warwick takes London for the Yorkists.
1461 - Yorkists win Battle of Mortimers Cross. Queen Margaret marches her army South, defeats Earl of Warwick at St Albans, and frees Henry. Edward, son of Richard of York, defeats Margaret's Lancastrian forces on 29 March at the Battle of Towton - the largest and bloodiest battle ever on British soil when 28,000 lose their lives. Margaret and Henry flee to Scotland. Henry is deposed by Edward who declares himself King Edward IV
1462 - Lancastrian revolts are suppressed.
1464 - Warwick defeats Lancastrians at Battle of Hexham; Henry VI is captured and brought to the Tower of London.
1469 - Warwick falls out with Edward IV, and defeats him at Edgecote. They are later reconciled but Warwick is banished. He makes peace with Margaret, returns to England with an army, and Edward flees to Flanders. Henry VI is restored to the throne.
1471 - Edward returns to England and defeats and kills Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. Margaret is defeated at the Battle of Tewkesbury; her son Edward, Prince of Wales, heir to the Lancastrian throne is killed in battle.
1471 - Henry is murdered by being stabbed to death in the Tower of London.
1464 - Warwick defeats Lancastrians at Battle of Hexham; Henry VI is captured and brought to the Tower of London.
1464 - Edward marries Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of a commoner, offending Warwick. 
1469 - Warwick falls out with Edward IV, and defeats him at Edgecote. They are later reconciled but Warwick is banished. He makes peace with Margaret, returns to England with an army, and Edward flees to Flanders. Henry VI is restored to the throne.
1471 - Edward returns to England from Flanders and defeats and kills Warwick at the Battle of Barnet.
1471 - Margaret is defeated at the Battle of Tewkesbury and the Lancastrian heir, Prince Edward, is killed. Soon after, Henry VI is murdered in the Tower of London.
1474 - Edward grants privileges to the Hanseatic League of North German trading cities to conduct trade in England.
1476 - William Caxton sets up a printing press in Westminster, London
1478 - Edward falls out with his brother George, Duke of Clarence, who is then murdered in the Tower, supposedly in a butt of malmsey wine.
1483 - Death of Edward.

1422 - Henry aged 8 months becomes King of England on the death of his father, Henry V, and then, two months later, King of France on the death of his grandfather, Charles VI.

1461 - Edward, son of Richard of York, is declared king by the Earl of Warwick following the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Towton  - the largest and bloodiest battle ever on British soil when 28,000 lose their lives. Margaret and Henry flee to Scotland. Henry is deposed by Edward who declares himself King Edward IV
1462 - Lancastrian revolts are suppressed.
1464 - Warwick defeats Lancastrians at Battle of Hexham; Henry VI is captured and brought to the Tower of London.
1469 - Warwick falls out with Edward IV, and defeats him at Edgecote. They are later reconciled but Warwick is banished. He makes peace with Margaret, returns to England with an army, and Edward flees to Flanders. Henry VI is restored to the throne.
1471 - Edward returns to England and defeats and kills Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. Margaret is defeated at the Battle of Tewkesbury; her son Edward, Prince of Wales, heir to the Lancastrian throne is killed in battle.
1471 - Henry is murdered by being stabbed to death in the Tower of London.

1474 - Edward grants privileges to the Hanseatic League of North German trading cities to conduct trade in England.
1476 - William Caxton sets up a printing press in Westminster, London
1478 - Edward falls out with his brother George, Duke of Clarence, who is then murdered in the Tower, supposedly in a butt of malmsey wine.
1483 - Death of Edward.

1483 - On the death of Edward, the crown passes to his 12 year old son, Edward V 
1483 - Edward is declared illegitimate and deposed in favour of his uncle Richard Duke of Gloucester.
1483 - Edward and his younger brother Richard of York are imprisoned in the Tower of London. After a few months the princes are never seen again and are believed to have been murdered.