The History of the English Language By lacey.ellison 400 Old English 450 Angelo-Saxon migrations to Britain begin 600 Intro of the Latin Alphabet 750 Suspected date of Beowulf's writing. 871 Reign of Alfred the Great; promotes the use of English in writing The start of this was 871 but ventured through to 899 AD 1085 The Norman Invasion 1150 Middle English 1150 The end of Old English Period 1348 The Black Death in England significantly impacts society and language. 1362 English becomes the language of law in England. 1400 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales 1476 The invention of the printing press by William Caxton. 1500 The end of the Middle English period 1500 Modern English 1564 William Shakespeare's lifetime; influences the development of Early Modern English. 1607 Founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America 1623 Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio 1776 The American Revolution 1783 Treaty of Paris recognizes the independence of the United States 1939 World War II 1945 End of World War II 1991 The World Wide Web is introduced, revolutionizing global communication.
The start of this was 871 but ventured through to 899 AD
