TimeRef - Medieval History Timelines

1062 Dec	Harold, earl Wessex, attacked Rhuddlan
1063	Earl Harold invades Wales
1065	Mysterious meeting in Normandy
1066 Jan 6	Harold II Godwinson is crowned King of England
1066 Jul	Harold prepares for William's invasion
1066 Sep 20	Battle of Gate Fulford
1066 Sep 25	Stamford Bridge Battle
1066 Oct 1	Harold learns of William's arrival
1066 Oct 6	Harold and his forces reach London
1066 Oct 11	Harold leaves London
1068 Feb	Exeter falls to William

William I

England

1066

1065	Mysterious meeting in Normandy
1066 Jul	Harold prepares for William's invasion
1066 Jul	William's Invasion fleet gather in the estuary of the River Dives
1066 Sep 20	Battle of Gate Fulford
1066 Sep 25	Stamford Bridge Battle
1066 Sep 27	William lands at Pevensey
1066 Oct 1	Harold learns of William's arrival
1066 Oct 6	Harold and his forces reach London
1066 Oct 14	Battle of Hastings
1066 Dec 25	William the Conqueror becomes King of England
1067	Odo becomes William's deputy
1067 Mar	William returns to Normandy
1068	Construction of Lincoln Castle
1068	The Curfew Bell
1068	Construction of Nottingham Castle
1068	Northern English move to Scotland
1068	Warwick Castle built on William's orders
1068 Feb	Exeter falls to William
1068 Spring	Construction begins on Exeter Castle
1068 May 11	Matilda is crowned Queen
1069 Dec	The North is devastated by the Normans

Malcolm III

Scotland

1058

1068	Malcolm III marries Edgar's sister
1068	Northern English move to Scotland

Henry I

France

1031

1060	Henry, King of France, dies to be followed by Philippe

Philip I

France

1060

1060	Henry, King of France, dies to be followed by Philippe

Norman Conquest

1066	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.
	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.
1067		Construction of Winchester Castle
		Construction of a wooden castle was begun at Winchester.
		Construction of Wallingford Castle
		A castle at Wallingford was built in this year. It would have been a motte and bailey type castle.
		A castle at Norwich is begun
		A motte and bailey castle is built at Norwich.
		Chepstow Castle begun
		Construction of Chepstow Castle is begun.
1068		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.
		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.
		Warwick Castle built on William's orders
		William the Conqueror ordered the building of Warwick Castle.
	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.
	May 11	Matilda is crowned Queen
		William brought his wife Matilda of Flander to England to crown her Queen of England.
1069		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.
	Dec	The North is devastated by the Normans
		William's forces defeat rebels in the North and Midlands.

Reasons for the Norman Invasion

1065		Mysterious meeting in Normandy
		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.
	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.
1066	Jan 4	Edward the Confessor dies
		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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People who played important roles in this time period

Wulfstan (Bishop of Worcester)
Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester undertook large scale rebuilding work, including Worcester Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral, (Tewkesbury Abbey?), Great Malvern Priory and many other churches in the Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester area.

Wulfstan was a native of the Worcester area and managed to retai (more...)

Tostig (Earl of Northumbria)
Tostig was the son of Godwine, Earl of Wessex and brother of Harold II, King of England. Tostig became the Earl of Northumbria in 1055 and went to Flanders in 1065 after a rebellion against him led by Morcar forced him out. Tostig sided with Harold Hardrada in the attempt to invade Britain and was k (more...)

Odo (Bishop of Bayeux)
Born around 1035, Odo was the son of Herleva and Herluin de Conteville, brother of Robert, Count of Mortain. Odo's mother Herleva was the mother of William the Conqueror. Herleva married Herluin after the death of William's father Robert I (Duke of Normandy). Odo was to rule England for William afte (more...)

Fitz Osbern, William (Earl of Hereford)
William Fitz Osbern, a Norman, came into power after the conquest in 1066 and is closely associated with William the Conqueror. Fitzobern became Earl of Hereford in 1067 and to strengthen his position over the Anglo-Saxons built many castles, including Clifford, Chepstow, Ewyas Harold, Monmouth and (more...)

Matilda (of Flander)
Married William I.

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Battles that took place in this time period

1066 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.

1066 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.

1066 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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Building work undertaken in this time period

Wallingford Castle 1067
A castle at Wallingford was built in this year. It would have been a motte and bailey type castle.

Chepstow Castle 1067
Construction of Chepstow Castle is begun.

Lincoln Castle 1068
William the Conqueror ordered that building work on a castle at Lincoln was to be started.

Nottingham Castle 1068
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.

Warwick Castle 1068
William the Conqueror ordered the building of Warwick Castle.

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