Medieval and Middle Ages History Timelines (original) (raw)

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Historical events occurring between 1051 and 1075

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##### Edward abolishes military tax

The unpopular military tax was abolished by Edward the Confessor. It had been collected for many years to provide funds for defending the country from raiders.

Mar

##### Robert of Jumieges becomes Archbishop of Canterbury

Mar

Late in 1050, Eadsige, the archbishop of Canterbury died. The monks of Canterbury favoured Aelric, one of their fellow monks to become the next archbishop and Earl Godwin was approached to help push his appointment through. But King Edward appointed his favourite councellor Robert of Jumieges to the post instead.

Sep

##### Edward expels the Godwin family

Sep

An incident occurred when Eustace II Count of Boulogne visited Edward the Confessor, his brother-in-law. The incident occurred in Dover where a fight broke out between the Norman visitors and the locals resulting in the deaths of several people. The area of Dover was under the control of the Godwin family and Edward the Confessor, who blamed the people of Dover for the fight, told Earl Godwin to deal with them. Godwin refused to obey Edward's order and in response Edward raised an army and forced the Godwin family into exile.

Winter

##### William visits England

Winter

With the Godwins in exile, Edward the Confessor invited William, Duke of Normandy to England. It is at this point that it is thought Edward promised the English thone to William in the event of his death.

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##### Siege of Arques-la-Bataille

William the Conqueror besiged Arques-la-Bataille castle in Normandy. Its owner William count of Arques had rebelled and the siege the lasted for several months until it surrendered after agreeable terms were arranged.

Mar

##### Death of Queen Emma

Mar

Queen Emma died at Winchester. ¹

May

##### The Godwins invade England

May

Godwin, Earl of Wessex, his son Harold and a large fleet sailed up the Thames to London forcing Edward to reinstate them into their previous positions of power.

Summer

##### Stigand becomes Archbishop of Canterbury

Summer

Stigand, the Bishop of Winchester, mediated in the conflicts between the Godwins and Edward the Confessor. The Norman Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert of Jumieges, fled the country with other bishops who had been appointed by Edward. Stigand assumed the title of Archbishop of Canterbury. Robert of Jumieges appealed to Pope Leo IX and Stigand was excommunicated.

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##### Edward the Exile invited to England

Harold Godwinson invited the exiled Edward the Exile back to England in the hope that he could claim the English throne from Edward the Confessor.

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##### William marries Matilda

In spite of objections from Pope Leo, William married Matilda hs cousin, the daughter of Baldwin V, Earl of Flanders and Adela of France.

Apr

##### Harold becomes Earl of Wessex

Apr

Godwin, Earl of Wessex, died and Harold Godwinson inherited his title.

Extremely strong winds destroyed churches and buildings. ¹

Battle fought between Henry, the King of France, and William, the Duke of Normandy. Henry wanted to take control of the Normandy area which was preventing the French access to the English Channel. The Normans defeated the French. ¹

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##### The Great East-West schism

Although the split between the East and West Churches can not easily be put down to one event, the conflict caused in 1054 between Pope Loe IX and the patriarch of Constantinople is often thought, rightly or wrongly, as the key moment. Pope Leo IX sent a delegation to Constantinople to discuss differences which resulted in the excommunication of the patriarch by the delegation and in return the excommunication of the delegation by the patriarch. ¹

The siege of Domfront, a strong stone castle in Angevin, ended when the garrison surrendered. The garrison feared the same punishment dealt out to defenders of Alençon by Duke William who showed them no mercy.

Jul

##### Supernova Crab Nebula SN 1054

Jul

The supernova that occurred in this year formed the Crab Nebula and the event was recorded by astronomers in China. The explosion was so great that the supernova would have been visible during the daytime. Due to the huge distances involved, the explosion would have happened thousands of years earlier but the light from the event only reached Earth in 1054.

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##### Seljuk Turks capture Baghdad

The tribe of Tatars known also as the Seljuk Turks invaded parts of Persia and captured the city of Baghdad starting a Suljuk empire.

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##### Victor II becomes Pope

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##### Tostig becomes Earl of Northumbria

King Edward gave Tostig the important position of Earl of Northumbria and the difficult job of bringing the northern state under control. ¹

Oct

##### Hereford cathedral attacked

Oct

A force of Welsh and Irish men led by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, a Welsh prince attacked and burnt the building.

Oct 24

##### Rebellion of Aelfgar of Mercia

Oct 24

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. ¹

Death of Athelstan, bishop of Hereford; succeeded by Leofgar, who tried to take reprisals against Gruffydd, the Welsh Prince. ¹

Henry IV became the King of Germany at the age of six when his father, King Henry III died. As Henry was too young to rule, his regency was led at first by his mother Agnes. ¹

Jun

##### Death of Leofgar, bishop of Hereford

Jun

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. ¹

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##### Edward (the Exile) dies

Edward the Exile died in mysterious circumstances. Edward was the rightful heir the throne of England and Harold, Earl of Wessex benefited from Edward's death.

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##### The Battle of Varaville

Another battle fought between Henry, the King of France, and William, the Duke of Normandy. Again the Normans defeated the French King's army. ¹

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##### Sweyn II Estridsen becomes King of Denmark

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##### Stephen IX (or X) becomes Pope

Aug

##### Macbeth is killed and Lulach becomes king

Aug

Macbeth was killed by Malcolm III, also known as Malcolm Canmore, who later became the King of Scotland. Macbeth was succeeded by his stepson Lulach who was crowned at Scone.

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##### Gloucester Cathedral rebuilding starts

Under the direction of Wulfstan, the future Bishop of Worcester, construction work began at Gloucester Cathedral. The new building was burnt down and rebuilt later by Abbot Serlo. ¹

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##### Benedict X is elected the Antipope

Mar

##### Malcolm III becomes King of the Scots

Mar

Malcolm had killed Macbeth at Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire. Macbeth's stepson Lulach was crowned king and reigned for four months until he too was killed at Strathbogie. Malcolm became King of the Scots and was crowned at Scone. ¹

Jan

##### Nicholas II becomes Pope

Jan

Gerard, the bishop of Florence was elected to the position of Pope early in 1059. The previous Pope Benedict X, now regarded as an antipope, was forced to flee Rome.

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##### Honorius II becomes the Antipope

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##### Alexander II becomes Pope

The Normans under the the leadership of Robert Guiscard and his brother Robert were fighting in southern Italy to claim lands from the Byzantines. At the treaty of Melfi in 1059 Robert had been granted the lands of Sicily, Apulia and Calabria by the Pope in return for their support. In 1060 they were in control of southern Italy and in 1061 had captured parts of Sicily including Messina. But they could not capture the whole of the island. ¹

Jul

##### Death of Pope Nicholas II

Jul

Death of Pope Nicholas II

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##### Earl Harold invades Wales

Harold invaded south Wales while Tostig of Northumbria attacked the north.

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##### Gruffydd ap Llywelyn killed

The Welsh Prince, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, was killed by his own men. (Need to find out why) ¹

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##### William invades and captures Maine

Some years earlier William had supported the exiled Count Herbert of Maine when Geoffrey Martel invaded the province and captured its main town Le Mans. As part of the pact William and Herbert agreed that if Herbert died without an heir the province could be claimed by William. William's eldest son Robert Curthose was betrothed to Herbert's daughter (Margaret?) but she died before they could be married. When Herbert died William claimed Maine in the name of his son and invaded. Robert was made Count of Maine when the province was captured. ¹

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##### Lanfranc became Abbot at Caen

With the support of William of Normandy, Lanfranc was put forward as a candidate for the abbacy of the William's Abbey of St. Etienne. He was appointed to the position. At Bec, Anselm was appointed to the position of prior,

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##### Sancho becomes ruler of Aragon

Sancho was the eldest son of Ramiro I and became the ruler of Aragon after his father's death. Sancho ruled until 1094.

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##### Mysterious meeting in Normandy

A mysterious meeting is reported to have taken place in Normandy between William the Conqueror and Harold in 1064 or 1065. In the meeting it was claimed that Harold agreed that William should become King of England when Edward the Confessor died. From what is known of Harold it seems unlikely that he would agree to something like this. We know that he went against this agreement when he assumed the role as King after Edward's death. The Bayeaux Tapestry shows Harold travelling to, or being shipwreked on the land of Guy, count of Ponthieu. Harold was captured by Guy and held at his castle at Beaurain until William the Conqueror arranged for his release. The tapestry possibly shows Harold swearing an oath while his hands rest on what appear to be sacred relics. After this his returned to England.

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##### Peace between Norway and Denmark

After almost twenty years of conflict, the rulers of Norway and Denmark, Harald Hardrada and Sweyn Estrithson made peace. This allowed Harald to turn his attentions to England where he believed he had a right to the throne. In 1038 Magnus of Norway and Harthacnut of Denmark had signed a treaty that specified if either died without an heir his kingdom must pass to the other. When Harthacnut died childless in 1042 Magnus claimed both Denmark and England as his own. It was this claim that Harald was basing his own claim upon.

1066

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##### Fulk Rechin defeats Geoffrey the Bearded

Fulk Rechin was at war with his brother Geoffrey. They were fighting over the lands of Anjou and Touraine which had been left to them by their uncle Geoffrey Martel, the count of Anjou. Fulk captured Geoffrey the Bearded and captured Anjou later taking the title of count. ¹

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##### Montacute Castle construction

A motte and bailey castle was built by Robert Count of Mortain in Somerset.

Jan 4

##### Edward the Confessor dies

Jan 4

Jan 6

##### Harold II Godwinson is crowned King of England

Jan 6

After the death of King Edward Harold Godwinson was chosen as king but his reign was not to last very long.

A comet appeared in the skies and is shown on the Bayeux Tapestry. It is thought to be the same comet that was named after Edmund Halley who accurately predicted its return in 1758.

May

##### Tostig invades the south of England

May

After being expelled from Northumbria Tostig spent time in Flanders. Here he raised an army and fleet and attempted to invade the south of England. The English armies around the Isle of Wight were too strong so Tostig was forced to look for another place to attack. His fleet sailed up the east coast of England to Lincolnshire. ¹

Jun

##### Dedication of Holy Trinity at Caen

Jun

William the Conqueror and Matilda attended the dedication of Matilda's church, the Holy Trinity at Caen. To show their devotion they gave their daughter Cecilia to the church to be raised as a nun. ¹

Jul

##### William's Invasion fleet gather in the estuary of the River Dives

Jul

William the Conqueror made preparations to invade England. His invasion fleet gathered in the estuary of the River Dives and other ports in Normandy. ¹

Jul

##### Harold prepares for William's invasion

Jul

King Harold gathered an army and waited on the south coast of England to defend the country against William's invasion.

Sep 12

##### St-Valery-Sur-Somme

Sep 12

William the Conqueror's invasion fleet arrived at St-Valery-Sur-Somme further up the Normandy coast. William had either decided to move the fleet to the inlet or the fleet was forced to take shelter there after being hit by a storm. William's fleet remained there waiting for winds blowing in the right direction to take them to England.

Sep 20

##### Battle of Gate Fulford

Sep 20

Harold Hardrada's forces invaded England and started ravaging the countryside as they made their way to York. English forces led by Earl Edwin and Earl Morcar battled with Harold Hardrada at Gate Fulford, but the English were severely beaten. Following this defeat King Harold was forced to march his army away from the south coast where they were preparing to defend against William the Conqueror's invasion to deal with the invasion in the north.

Sep 25

##### Stamford Bridge Battle

Sep 25

King Harold defeated the invasion threat from Harold Hardrada, King of Norway and his own brother Tostig, both of whom were killed. This stretched his forces to the limit as they quickly had to march south to defend against William the Conqueror's invasion from Normandy.

Sep 27

##### William lands at Pevensey

Sep 27

Just after dawn the main part of William's fleet landed on the English coast at Pevensey while some split from the main group and came ashore at Romney.

Oct

##### William moves to Hastings

Oct

William the Conqueror moved his army to Hastings. The village of Hastings in 1066 was on a peninsula of land with marsh and water on two sides. The area was a natural defensive site with a hill to the north that could be used as a lookout point. William possibly built extra defences at Hastings while he prepared to move towards London.

Oct 1

##### Harold learns of William's arrival

Oct 1

King Harold was resting his army in York when he learnt that William had landed on the south coast.

Oct 6

##### Harold and his forces reach London

Oct 6

King Harold had to march south from Stamford Bridge to counter the threat of invasion from William the Conqueror.

Oct 11

##### Harold leaves London

Oct 11

King Harold left London with an army and headed for the south coast.

Oct 13

##### Harold reaches Caldbec Hill

Oct 13

King Harold and his army reached Caldbec Hill near the road from London to Hastings. Here they prepared for the battle to come. ¹

Oct 14

##### Battle of Hastings

Oct 14

William the Conqueror and King Harold met in battle at Hastings. Although Harold had the superior position on the battlefield his tactics failed and he was killed. This left England open for William to continue with his invasion plans. ¹

Nov (to Dec)

##### William advances to London

Nov (to Dec)

After his victory at the battle of Hastings William moved along the south coast to Dover where extra fortifications were built in the existing castle at the top of the cliffs. From there he moved on to Canterbury. After the death of King Harold the archbishops of York and Canterbury, Ealdred and Stigand supported the plan to put Edgar the Atheling on the English throne but William moved too quickly for this to be done and Edgar was too young and inexperienced to take on the role. Canterbury submitted to William and he moved on to London. Instead of entering London from the south he moved around the west of the city crossing the Thames at Wallingford. Finally archbishop Stigand and the other Anglo-Saxon leaders submitted to William and after turning south at Little Berkhamsted William the Conqueror entered London.

Dec

##### Massacre of Jews at Granada

Dec

The Jews had risen to great power in Granada. Unhappy with this, the Muslims stormed the palace and massacred the vizier and possibly 4,000 of his followers.

Dec 25

##### William the Conqueror becomes King of England

Dec 25

1067

1068

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##### Warwick Castle built on William's orders

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##### Northern English move to Scotland

Many of the northern English lords escaped to Scotland and to the court of Malcolm III when it was clear that William the Conqueror had control of the country.

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##### Malcolm III marries Edgar's sister

Edgar the Aetheling took refuge with Malcolm III in Scotland along with his sister Margaret. Malcolm and Margaret were married in the same year.

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##### Construction of Nottingham Castle

William and the Normans started construction of the castle at Nottingham. This would have been a wooden building. It was built on the high ground above the town using the steep slope down to the river Leen as a defence. ¹

William the Conqueror ordered that all church bells should be sounded at eight o'clock each night as a signal for everyone to put out fires and candles and retire to bed. The term appears to come from the French couvre feu meaning cover the fire. ¹

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##### Construction of Lincoln Castle

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##### Construction of Cambridge Castle

The Normans built a motte and bailey castle on the north side of the River Cam. ¹

Feb

##### Exeter falls to William

Feb

Although William had defeated Harold at Hastings, Harold's mother Gytha and her forces still had not submitted to William's rule. They refused to pay the taxes that William demanded and held out at Exeter until their defences were broken. William had to take heavy casualties in the confrontation. William was still collecting the land tax known as Danegeld. After the city fell, William had a castle constructed to keep control of the population there. ¹

Spring

##### Construction begins on Exeter Castle

Spring

Following the rebellion in the West William orders the construction of a castle at Exeter. ¹

May 11

##### Matilda is crowned Queen

May 11

William brought his wife Matilda of Flander to England to crown her Queen of England. Matilda's coronation took place at Westminster Abbey and the ceremony was performed by the archbishop of York. ¹

Henry, the future king of England, was born at Selby in Yorkshire. ¹

1069

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##### Danish fought off at Sandwich

An attack by a Danish invasion fleet led by Sweyn Estrithson of Denmark was fought off by a garrison stationed at a castle at Sandwich. Sandwich was an important port on the south coast. The location has now been found and the site is being investigated. ¹

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##### Construction of Worcester Castle

Land from the nearby Cathedral was used to build a new Norman motte and bailey castle on the bank of the River Severn.

Apr 28

##### Death of Magnus II

Apr 28

Magnus II, King of Norway died. He had become King of Norway in 1066. ¹

Sep

##### York captured by the Danes

Sep

An army sent by Sweyn of Denmark landed in the north and captured York. Local rebels joined the Danes and attacked the two castles within the city. A fire lit by the Normans in an attempt to prevent the Danes attacking the castles got out of control and a large part of the city was destroyed including the cathedral. The confusion aided the Danes in capturing the castles and killing most of the Normans in the city.

Dec

##### The North is devastated by the Normans

Dec

Wiilliam laid waste to the northern lands of England to bring the area for ever under his control. The destruction was so severe that towns were left without inhabitants and so much of the crops and animals were burnt and destroyed that thousands of Northumbrians died of hunger. William also ordered that the land be poisoned so that crops would not grow again for years to come. This has become known as the Harrying of the North.

1070

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##### Lanfranc becomes Archbishop of Canterbury

William the Conqueror placed Lanfranc in the position of Archbishop of Canterbury a move designed to strengthen his hold on the English throne. Thomas of Bayeux, a pupil of William's brother Odo, was put in the position of Archbishop of York after the death of Ealred who died on September 11th, 1069. Archbishop Stigand was imprisoned in Winchester.

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##### Castles at Chester and Stafford begun

Using the prehistoric hill fort's defensive position to good use, the Normans built a new castle on the Old Sarum site. William the Conqueror paid off his soldiers here in this year.

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##### Malcolm raids Northern England

Malcolm, the Scottish king attacked towns in the north of England.

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##### Building work at Chepstow

William Fitz Osbern built the hall at Chepstow Castle. ¹

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##### Dunfermline Abbey founded

The Abbey of Dunfermline was founded by Malcolm III, King of the Scots and his wife Margaret.

Jun

##### Hereward the Wake sacks Peterborough Abbey

Jun

As part of a revolt against the new Norman invaders, Hereward the Wake sacked the abbey at Peterborough.

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1071

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##### Canterbury Cathedral rebuilt by Lanfranc

Canterbury Cathedral was rebuilt at this time by Archbishop Lanfranc. The Cathedral was based on the design of his abbey in Caen.

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##### Byzantine army destroyed at Manzikert

The Byzantine army was destroyed at Manzikert by the Turks. Romanus IV Diogenes, emperor of Byzantium, was defeated by the Sultan Alp-Arslan of Persia and imprisoned. Michael VII Ducas became the new emperor. ¹

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##### Turks conquer Syria, Jerusalem and parts of Palestine

The Seljuk Turks conquer Syria, Jerusalem and parts of Palestine. ¹

William orders a castle to be built at Ely. ¹

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##### William puts down the revolt

The rebels Hereward the Wake and Morcar on the Isle of Ely were attacked and defeated by William the Conqueror.

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##### Dudley Castle Construction

After Eadwin, the Earl of Mercia, was killed in the revolt against William his castle and lands at Dudley were given to William's Norman followers. ¹

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##### Abbot of Abingdon imprisoned

The Abbot of Abingdon was imprisoned at Wallingford Castle. ¹

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##### Richmond Castle construction

The construction of Richmond Castle began around this time by Alan Rufus, the cousin of the Duke of Brittany.

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##### Bangor Cathedral destroyed by the Normans

A Norman army attacked the northern Welsh town of Bangor and destroyed the Cathedral there. ¹

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##### Construction of Oxford Castle

Robert D'Oilly was given the task of building a castle at Oxford by William the Conqueror at the important Thames river crossing. A motte and bailey castle would have been the type of castle built at this time. ¹

1072

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##### At Durham, another castle is ordered

William orders the castle as Durham to be built. ¹

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##### Serlo takes over at Gloucester

Serlo, William the Conqueror's chaplain, revived the floundering monastery at Gloucester and started major rebuilding work. Serlo died in 1104.

The first cathedral at Old Sarum was built between 1075 and 1092. Its builder was Bishop Osmund, who was supposed to be William the Conqueror's nephew. From 1072 until 1078, Osmund was William's Chancellor and in 1078 Osmund was given the title of Bishop of Salisbury.

In response to the earlier Scottish raid into northern England, King William took an army into Scotland. At the Treaty of Abernethy between William the Conqueror and Malcolm III of Scotland, Malcolm agreed to pay homage to William and gave his eldest son as hostage.

Feb

##### Council of Winchester

Feb

Lanfranc held a Church council at Winchester where the reorganisation of Bishops and Bishoprics was confirmed. Canterbury was also confirmed as the head of the English Church rather than York.

Jun

##### William leads an army into Scotland

Jun

It is possible that William the Conqueror was planning to attack King Malcolm to prevent him protecting Edgar the Aetheling and to stop him advancing into the north of England. The treaty 'Peace of Abernethy' brought a solution to the situation where Malcolm agreed to become William's vassal and to expel Edgar. ¹

1073

1074

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##### Construction of first Cathedral at Lincoln starts

Remigius the Norman monk and almoner from Fecamp Abbey began work on the first Cathedral church at Lincoln. The bishop's see had been moved from Dorchester-on-Thames.

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##### Conspiracy against King William

The absence of William in Normandy encouraged a rebellion led by Roger, earl of Hereford, and Ralf de Guader, earl of Norfolk and Earl Walfeof against the Norman King. The rebellion was halted at Worcester by Bishop Wulfstan and Walter de Lacy whose army prevented the rebels crossing the River Severn. When William retuned to England, the leaders of the rebellion were imprisoned except Earl Walfeof who was executed. After the rebellion, King William deprived several of the earls of their titles and did not re-appoint them.

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##### Jarrow monastery restored

After the destruction of the North by King William, a monk called Aldwin rebuilt sections of the damaged monastery at Jarrow including the upper part of the central tower and brought back monks.

Apr 28

##### Harold III becomes King of Denmark

Apr 28

Upon the death of Sweyn the King of Denmark a war of succession followed between his eldest sons. Harold became king and reigned until 1081.

1075

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##### Chichester founded as a see

Chichester was made a bishopric in this year when the bishop moved there from Selsey.

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##### Construction of Windsor Castle

At the Council of London Archbishop Lanfranc instigated the movement of many English Bishoprics to more important locations. One of these was the Bishopric of Sherborne and Wilton which moved to Old Sarum.

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##### Chepstow Castle passes to the crown

Roger Fitz Osbern joined an unsuccessful uprising against the king and lost. The castle then passed to the crown. ¹

William the Conqueror had to contend with several rebellions making up the Norman Conquest, the last of which was a rebellion by three earls over a marriage. William forbade the marriage of Emma, the daughter of William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford to Ralph, Earl of East Anglia (Norfolk). Ignoring William's refusal Ralph and Emma secretly married. Along with Roger Earl of Hereford, Emma's brother, Ralph plotted to rebel against William. Involved in the plot was Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, an Anglo-Saxon earl. Soon after the rebellion started Waltheof had second thoughts and confessed. The rebellion collapsed and Waltheof was arrested.