| | | 1050 | Macbeth visits Rome |
 A-S C
| Macbeth took time to travel to Rome on a pilgimage. Reports of his visit tell of him distributing large amounts of money. |
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| Sweyn pardoned  |
| Sweyn Godwineson was pardoned and allowed to return to England. |
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| See of Devon and Cornwall moved to Exeter |
| The See of Devon and Corwall had been located at Crediton in Devon but in 1050 Edward the Confessor moved the See to Exeter. This moved the cathedral from an obscure location to a more important one. Edward gave the new Bishopric to Leofric. |
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| Robert of Jumieges becomes Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Edward appointed the French abbot Robert of Jumieges to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury. |
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| 1051 | Edward abolishes miltary tax |
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| 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.
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| Edward expels the Godwine family |
| 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. Several people were killed. The area of Dover was under the control of the Godwine family and Edward the Confessor, who blamed the people of Dover for the fight, told Godwine to deal with them. Godwine refused to obey Edward's order and in response Edward raised an army and forced the Godwine family into exile. |
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| 1052 | Mar - Death of Queen Emma |
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| Queen Emma died at Winchester. |
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| May - Godwines invade England |
| Godwine, 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. |
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| Summer - Stigand becomes Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Stigand, Bishop of Winchester, mediated between the Godwines 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 appealed to Leo IX and Stigand was excommunicated (repeated by Victor II & Stephen IX, repealed by Benedict X, reintroduced by Nicholas II and Alexander II). |
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| 1053 | William marries Matilda |
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| In spite of objections from Pope Leo, William married Matilda, the daughter of Baldwin V, Earl of Flanders. |
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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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| Apr - Harold becomes Earl of Wessex |
| Godwine, Earl of Wessex, died and Harold inherited his title. |
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| Dec 21 - Strong winds |
| Extremely strong winds destroyed churches and buildings. |
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| 1054 | Jul - The Crab Nebula formed |
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| 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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| 1055 | Seljuk Turks capture Baghdad |
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| The tribe of Tatars known also as the Seljuk Turks invaded parts of Persia and captured the city of Baghdad starting a Suljuk empire. |
| Rebellion of Aelgar of Mercia |
| Aelfgar, earl Mercia was outlawed by the witan. He built a force and allied himself with Welsh Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. They raided Hereford and eventually came to terms with Harold. Aelfgar was later restored.
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| 1056 | Death of Leofgar, bishop of Hereford |
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| Gruffydd ap Llywelyn killed Leofgar, bishop of Hereford and others near Glasbury on Wye; English militia called out against Gruffydd but a settlement reached.
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| Bishop of Hereford |
| Death of Athelstan, bishop of Hereford; succeeded by Leofgar, who tried to take reprisals against Gruffydd, the Welsh Prince.
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| Hereford cathedral burnt |
| A force of Welsh and Irish men led by Griffith, a Welsh prince attacked and burnt the building. |
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| 1057 | Edward (the Exile) dies |
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| 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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| Aug - MacBeth is killed and Lulach becomes king |
| MacBeth was killed by Malcolm III (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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| 1058 | Mar - Malcolm III becomes King of the Scots |
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| 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. |
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| 1060 | Henry, King of France, dies to be followed by Philippe |
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| Henry I King of France died. His son, Philippe, became King although he was only eight years old. France was administered by Baldwin one of Philippe's uncles. |
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| 1062 | Sep 8 - Wulfstan becomes bishop of Worcester |
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| A monk at Worcester from 1040, Wulfstan was recommended for the position of bishop by visiting papel legates. |
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| Dec - Harold, earl Wessex, attacked Rhuddlan |
| Harold led an attack on the stronghold of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn at Rhuddlan in north Wales. The attack was a success but the Welsh Prince managed to escape. |
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| 1063 | Gruffydd ap Llywelyn killed |
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| The Welsh Prince, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, was killed by his own men. (Need to find out why) |
| Earl Harold invades Wales |
| Harold invaded south Wales while Tostig of Northumbria attacked the north. |
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| 1065 | Mysterious meeting in Normandy |
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| A mysterious meeting is reported to have taken place in Normandy between William the Conqueror and Harold in 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 assumed the role as King after Edward's death. |
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| Oct - Morcar becomes Earl of Northumbria |
| A rebellion against Tostig, Earl of Northumbria leads to Tostig fleeing to Flanders and Morcar becoming the new Earl. |
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| Dec - Dedication of Westminster Abbey |
| Work on the Abbey at Westminster was either complete or very nearly so at its dedication. Edward the Confessor who had devoted himself to creation was to die less than two weeks later. |
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| 1066 | Jan 4 - Edward the Confessor dies |
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| Edward the Confessor died at Westminster. The death of Edward was an important event in the chain of events that led up to the invasion by William the Conqueror from Normandy. |
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| Jan 6 - Harold II Godwinson is crowned King of England |
| Harold was chosen as king but his reign was not to last very long. |
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| Apr - Halley's Comet |
| The comet named after Edmund Halley who accurately predicted the return of the comet in 1758 (unfortunately after his death). It is difficult to determine when the comet would have appeared in the past as the orbit of the comet varies by several years. The Bayeux Tapestry shows what looks like a comet and this could well have been Halley's comet. |
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| Jul - Harold prepares for William's invasion |
| Harold, King of England, gathered an army and waited on the south coast of England to defend the country against an William's invasion. |
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| Jul - William's Invasion fleet gather in the estuary of the River Dives |
| William the Conqueror prepared to invade England. His invasion fleet gathered in the estuary of the River Dives and other ports in Normandy. |
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| Sep 20 - Battle of Gate Fulford |
| Harold Hardrada's forces invaded 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 severly beaten. Following this defeat Harold, King of England, 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. |
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| Sep 25 - Stamford Bridge Battle |
| King Harold II 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 of Normandy's invasion at Hastings. |
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| Sep 27 - William lands at Pevensey |
| After dawn the main part of William's fleet landed on the English coast at Pevensey while some split from the main group and landed at Romney. |
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| Oct 1 - Harold learns of William's arrival |
| Harold was resting his army in York when he learnt that William had landed on the south coast. |
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| Oct 6 - Harold and his forces reach London |
| Harold II had to march south from Stamford Bridge to counter the threat of invasion from William of Normandy. |
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| Oct 11 - Harold leaves London |
| Harold left London with an army and headed for the south coast. |
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| Oct 14 - Battle of Hastings |
| William the Conqueror and Harold II 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. |
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| Dec 25 - William the Conqueror becomes King of England |
| William the Conqueror was coronated as King of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day of 1066. |
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| 1067 | Construction of Winchester Castle |
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| Construction of a wooden castle was begun at Winchester. |
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| Construction of Wallingford Castle |
| A castle at Wallingford was built in this year. It would have been a motte and bailey type castle. |
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| A castle at Norwich is begun |
| A motte and bailey castle is built at Norwich. |
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| Chepstow Castle begun |
| Construction of Chepstow Castle is begun. |
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| Odo becomes William's deputy |
| Odo,the Bishop or Bayeux, became William the Conqueror's deputy in England and was assisted by William Fitz Osbern until Osbern's death in 1071. Odo also became the Earl of Kent and his wealth and land became considerable. |
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| Mar - William returns to Normandy |
| William returned to Normandy taking as guests Edgar the Aetheling (the grandson of Edmund Ironside), Stigand (Archbishop of Canterbury, the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria and the brothers Edwin and Morcar. |
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| 1068 | The Curfew Bell |
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| 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. |
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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 step slope down to the river Leen as a defence. |
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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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| Northern English move to Scotland |
| Many of the northern English lords escaped to Scotland and the court of Malcolm III when it was clear that William had control of the country. |
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| Warwick Castle built on William's orders |
| William the Conqueror ordered the building of Warwick Castle. |
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| Feb - Exeter falls to William |
| Although William had defeated Harold at Hastings, Harold's mother Gytha and her forces still had not submitted to William's rule. They held out at Exeter until William broke the defenses. William had to take heavy casualties in the confrontation. |
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| Spring - Construction begins on Exeter Castle |
| Following the rebellion in the West William orders the construction of a castle at Exeter. |
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| May 11 - Matilda is crowned Queen |
| William brought his wife Matilda of Flander to England to crown her Queen of England. |
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| 1069 | Danish fought off at Sandwich |
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| 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. |
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| Dec - The North is devastated by the Normans |
| William's forces defeat rebels in the North and Midlands. |
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| 1070 | Dunfermline Abbey founded |
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| The Abbey of Dunfermline was founded by Malcolm III, King of the Scots and his wife Margaret. |
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| Building work at Chepstow |
| William Fitz Osbern built the hall at Chepstow Castle. |
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| Malcolm raids Northern England |
| The Scottish king attacked towns in the north of England. |
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| Castle at Old Sarum |
| 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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| Castles at Chester and Stafford begun |
| William continues his castle building spree at both Chester and Stafford. |
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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 Odo (William's brother), was put in the position of Archbishop of York after the death of Ealred who died on September 11, 1069. Archbishop Stigand was imprisoned in Winchester. |
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| Jun - Hereward the Wake sacks Peterborough Abbey |
| As part of a revolt against the new Norman invaders, Hereward the Wake sacks the abbey at Peterborough. |
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| 1071 | Richmond Castle construction |
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| The construction of Richmond Castle began around this time by Alan Rufus, the cousin of the Duke of Brittany. |
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| Abbot of Abingdon imprisoned |
| The Abbot of Abingdon was imprisoned at Wallingford Castle. |
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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. |
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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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| Ely castle ordered |
| William orders a castle to be built at Ely. |
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| Turks conquer Syria, Jerusalem and parts of Palestine |
| The Seljuk Turks conquer Syria, Jerusalem and parts of Palestine. |
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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. |
| 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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| 1072 | First Cathedral at Lincoln begun |
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| The Norman Bishop of Fecamp began work on the first Cathedral church at Lincoln. The bishop's see had been moved from Dorchester-on-Thames. |
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| Treaty of Abernethy |
| Treaty between William the Conqueror and Malcolm III of Scotland. In this treaty Malcolm paid homage to William. |
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| Old Sarum Cathedral |
| 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. In 1078 Osmund was given the title of Bishop of Salisbury. |
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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. |
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| At Durham, another castle is ordered |
| William orders the castle as Durham to be built. |
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| Feb - Council of Winchester |
| Lanfranc held a Church council at Winchester where the reoganisation of Bishops and Bishoprics war confirmed. Canterbury was also confirmed as the head of the English Church rather than York. |
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| Jun - William leads an army into Scotland |
| 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. |
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| 1073 | Edgar the Aetheling attempts to take the English throne |
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| Edgar joins forces with King Malcolm in Scotland and King Philippe I of France. |
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