Medieval Timeline - View the Entire Timeline

Battle of Frigidius
Date: 405 A.D.
Description:
Radagaesus recruited an army of reportedly 400,000 Germans and planned an invasion of Italy. Stilocho managed to scratch together a force of thirty Western Roman units amounting to only about 20,000 men.

Rather than taking a defensive stance, the Roman Commander instead actually crossed the Danube, and with a swift march, fell upon the German rear and utterly destroyed them.

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Invasion of Roman Empire
Date: December 31st, 406 A.D.
Description:
The River Rhine in Central Europe freezes over, allowing hordes of Vandals, Alans, and Scieri to invade the Roman Empire, ultimately leading to its collapse.

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Saxon Invaders Attack Britain
Date: 408 A.D.
Description:
During this invasion, the Britons defended themselves without the help of the Romans.

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Romans Leave Britain
Date: 410 A.D.
Description:
The Roman legions are withdrawn from Britain after Alaric, king of the Goths, sacks Rome.

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Pelagian Controversy Begins
Date: 411 A.D.
Description:
Lasting until the year 418, Pelagianism was a heresy asserting that man could attain salvation by the exercise of his own free will, without the help of divine grace. Pelagius (c.360-c.420) a Welsh (or Irish) monk started the heresy. His doctrines were attacked by St. Jerome and St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine formulated the doctrine of divine grace partly in opposition to Pelagius' teachings.

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Possible Return of Roman Troops to Britain
Date: 417 A.D.
Description:
It is likely that Roman troops returned briefly to Britain around this year.

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Overthrow of the Tsin
Date: 420 A.D.
Description:
The kingdom of the Tsin that had ruled over southern China since 280 A.D. is overthrown and replaced by the Liu (Sung) dynasty.

The Tsin had originally been one of the three kingdoms that had succeeded the Han dynasty. These were the Wei in the north, the Shu in the west, and the Wu in the east. By 280 A.D. the Wei had defeated the other two kingdoms and came to dominate as the Tsin dynasty. Beginning in 304 A.D. China was ravaged by rampaging Turks, Tibetan, Hsiung-nu, and Mongolian hordes, and by 386 A.D. the Tsin effectively controlled only the southern part of China below the Yangtze River. Northern China fell under the control of the rival Northern Wei, founded by the Turks.

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Liu Song Dynasty Begins
Date: 420 A.D.
Description:
Liu Song dynasty replaces the Eastern Jin in the south.

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St. Germanus of Auxerre Visits Britain
Date: 429 A.D.
Description:
St. Germanus of Auxerre visits Britain to preach against the Pelagian heresy. He would also visit again later in the 430s.

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St. Patrick's Return to Ireland
Date: c. 433 A.D.
Description:
St Patrick (The Patron Saint of Ireland) returned to Ireland with a missionary party circa 433.

As a boy Patrick had been captured by Irish raiders from a Romano-British family and taken to Northern Ireland as a slave. After six years he escaped to the continent where he trained as a priest, and finally as a Bishop. He brought the Roman Church to Ireland.

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Angle, Saxon, and Jute Invasions Begin
Date: 449 A.D.
Description:
The first waves of Angle, Saxon and Jute invaders arrive in Britain.

Hengist (probably a Jute) and his brother Horsa are said by Bede to have come to Britain at the invitation of Vorigern, a Romano-British leader to help combat a threat from Pictish and Scottish Raiders. The brothers then revolted and seized Kent. Later, Kentish Kings are said to have claimed descent from Aesc (or Oisc), said to have been Hengist's son.

Hengist is reported to have been killed in battle at Aegelsthrop (probably Aylesford in Kent) circa 488.

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Battle of Campus Mauriacus
Date: 451 A.D.
Description:
Having lost control of much of North Africa to the Vandals the Romans were required to utilize a large number of Barbarian allies in this battle against Attila's Huns.

The allied force drew up for battle with Aetius' Romans on the left flank; A large force of Visigoths on the right; and a mixed force of Franks, Alans, Sarmations, Saxons and Burgundians holding the center. A band of Armorican Britons (who it seems had become an independent kingdom) added additional reinforcement.

The center held a small hill from which they successfully repulsed the initial Hunnic attacks. The Visigoths counter-attacked and broke the opposing wing forcing Attila to break off the battle at nightfall and order a general retreat. The allies did not follow up on this victory.

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Death of Atilla the Hun
Date: 453 A.D.
Description:
The 60-year-old Atilla the Hun dies. It is alleged that he died of of a burst blood vessel that he incurred during his wedding night exertions, following his marriage to a local blond German princess named Hildico.

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Ostrogoths Gain Independence
Date: 454 A.D.
Description:
The Ostrogoths regain their independence from Hun overlordship.

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The Vandals Sack Rome
Date: 455 A.D.
Description:
The Vandals, under Genseric, sack Rome.

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Ecclesiastical Council of Arles
Date: 455 A.D.
Description:
An ecclesiastical council was held at Arles in Gaul. Representatives of the British church attended, and Pelagianism was still a concern.

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Britons Largely Take Armorica
Date: c. 460 A.D.
Description:
By the 460s the Britons had largely taken Armorica (a Gaulish province), eventually changing it's name its name to Brittany and its language to Breton.

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Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Date: 476 A.D.
Description:
During this year, the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed after the fall of Rome to the Germanic tribes. The Eastern half of the Empire, (centered in Constantinople and called Byzantium at this point) would live on until 1453.

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Last Roman Emperor in the West
Date: 476 A.D.
Description:
Romulus Augustus (also derogatively referred to as Romulus Augustulus), was the last Roman Emperor in the Western empire. He was deposed by the German King Odoacer.

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Arrival of the Saxons
Date: 477 A.D.
Description:
Aelle and his Saxon followers settle in the area along the South coast of England that is now known as Sussex (a name which originates from south Saxons).

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Liu Song Dynasty Ends
Date: 478 A.D.
Description:
The southern dynasty of Liu Song ends in China.

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Founding of the Ch'i Dynasty
Date: 479 A.D.
Description:
The Liu (Sung) dynasty in southern China, below the Yangtze River, is succeeded by the Ch'i dynasty.

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Qi Dynasty Begins
Date: 479 A.D.
Description:
The southern dynasty of Qi begins in China.

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The Acacian Schism
Date: 484 A.D.
Description:
The increasingly Monophysite provinces of Egypt, Palestine and Syria began to raise concerns throughout the Church about a monophysite heresy. An attempt was made to try and resolve the differences between the supporters of Orthodoxy and Monophysitism through an edict authored by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Acacius. The Henotikon Edict of 482 was issued by the Byzantine Emperor Zeno I, notably, without first seeking approval from the pope. Pope Felix III came to power in 483, and the entire ordeal escalated. Patriarch Acacius ignored Pope Felix III's order to return to Rome to answer charges brought against him. At a synod in 484, Felix III irrevocably excommunicated Patriarch Acacius. Acacius was not informed in person by any messenger about his excommunication; instead, a piece of parchment with the order of excommunication written on it was pinned to the back of Acacius's robe during a service in St. Sophia. Acacius later discovered the parchment and excommunicated Pope Felix III right back. This led to a schism between the Churches that lasted for 35 years.

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Conquest of Sussex
Date: 491 A.D.
Description:
Aelle and his Saxon followers complete their occupation of Sussex.

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Conquest of Kent
Date: 494 A.D.
Description:
The Jutes complete their occupation of Kent in southeastern England.

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Conversion of Clovis I
Date: 496 A.D.
Description:
Clovis I of the Franks becomes a Christian.

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Qi Dynasty Ends
Date: 501 A.D.
Description:
The southern dynasty of Qi ends in China.

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Founding of the Liang Dynasty
Date: 502 A.D.
Description:
The Ch'i dynasty of Southern China, below the Yangtze river, is succeeded by the Liang dynasty.

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Death of Clovis I
Date: November 27th, 511 A.D.
Description:
Clovis I, Merovingian founder of the Frankish kingdom, dies (approximately aged 45).

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Battle of Mount Badon
Date: 518 A.D.
Description:
This victory of the British over the Saxons halted Saxon advances for about fifty years. Mount Badon is believed to be near Wimborne in Dorcetshire.

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Founding of the Kingdom of Wessex
Date: 519 A.D.

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Acacian Schism Ends
Date: March 27th, 519 A.D.
Description:
A papal embassy arrives in Constantinople on March 25, 519, and is greeted by the future emperor, Justinian. Two days later in St. Sophia, Patriarch John proclaims that the churches in the West and in the East are one and then reads a statement condemning a list of heretics, including the previous patriarch Acacius. The breach between Rome and Constantinople caused by the Acacian Schism is healed.

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Saxon Expansion in England
Date: c. 527 A.D.
Description:
The Saxon kingdoms of Essex and Middlesex are established circa 527. The capital of Essex is thought to have been based at the old Roman city of London.

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Six Garrisons Army Defeated
Date: 528 A.D.
Description:
The invading mutinous Six Garrisons army of a million were defeated by 7000 calvary led by Erhchu chieftain Jung.

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Founding of Mount Cassino and the Bendictine Order
Date: 529 A.D.
Description:
Benedict of Nursia founds the Benedictine monastic order at Monte Cassino, south of Rome.

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Chen Qingzhi Briefly Captures Luoyang
Date: 529 A.D.
Description:
Liang emperor Wudi sends Chen Qingzhi northward with 7000 men and briefly captures Luoyang.

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Corpus Luris Civilis: The Code of Civil Law
Date: April 8th, 529 A.D.
Description:
A man named Tribonian headed a group of men who compiled and edited all of the documents that made up the Roman system of government. Tribonian's codification of Roman law under the Emperor Justinian removed any repetitions, contradictions, and made sure nothing was incompatible with Christian teaching. These legal compilations can be broken down into three elements: Codex, the supreme authority in the courts, Pandects, writings of the ancient Roman jurists, and the Institutes, a handbook of extracts from the other two designed for use in the Imperial Law schools. This became the basis for what many other European countries would base their practice of both canon and civil law.

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Conquest of the Isle of Wight
Date: 530 A.D.
Description:
Cerdic, the Saxon King of Wessex leads a successful invasion acoss the Solent to conquer the Isle of Wight.

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The Northern Wei Dynasty Ends
Date: 533 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Northern Wei ends in China.

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Cerdic Dies
Date: 534 A.D.
Description:
Cerdic, the Saxon king of Wessex dies.

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The Eastern Wei Dynasty Begins
Date: 534 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Eastern Wei begins in China.

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War Begins Between Northern Wei Successors
Date: 534 A.D.
Description:
A war in the north of China begins between the successors of the Northern Wei dynasty.

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The Western Wei Dynasty Begins
Date: 535 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Western Wei begins in China.

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Eastern Wei Attack Western Wei
Date: 537 A.D.
Description:
The Eastern Wei attack the Western Wei via Tong Pass but were unsuccessful. Yuwen Tai repulsed the attack.

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Founding of Northumbria
Date: 547 A.D.
Description:
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle the year 547 marks the commencement of the reign of King Ida, the founder of the dynasty of Northumbrian Kings. He established his center of power at Bamburgh, which he fortified with a wall. He seems to have ruled over all of what would become Northumbria (probably 7th century Danish name in origin) until his death in 560.

Ida's son Aeile succeeded him, but is thought to have controlled only the region of Deira (roughly modern day Yorkshire).

The title of 'king', when referring to Anglo-Saxon chieftains, should not be taken too literally. Usually they were elected for life from among the warlords with the best claim to lead the regional community. Often the kings would rule over no more than a few hundred households.

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The Eastern Wei Dynasty Ends
Date: 549 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Eastern Wei ends.

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St. David's Mission to Wales
Date: c. 550 A.D.
Description:
David (or Dewl) was the son of Sant, the ruler of Ceredigion. David was educated at Llanilltud Fawr. He established many monasteries and emerged as the leader of the Christian church in Wales at the Synod of Brevi held at Llanddewi Breli circa 550.

Today, he is recognized as the patron saint of Wales.

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Foundation of Mercia
Date: c. 550 A.D.
Description:
A kingdom established by the Angles (circa 550) who had begun to settle in the Trent valley in central England. The name derives from the Old English merce, meaning ''boundary people', for they were situated between the Anglo-Saxon settlements to the east and south and the Romano-British inhabitants who had been driven westward by the Barbarian invasions.

The leader of the first Angle settlement is thought to have been Icel, the founder of the Mercian dynasty, although the first recorded King was Cearl.

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Founding of East Anglia
Date: c. 550 A.D.
Description:
The foundation of an East Saxon Kingdom in the area of modern-day Norfolk, Suffolk and part of Cambridgeshire was circa 550.

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The Northern Qi Dynasty Begins
Date: 550 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Northern Qi begins.

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The Liang Dynasty Ends
Date: 556 A.D.
Description:
The southern dynasty of Liang ends in China.

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The Chen Dynasty Begins
Date: 557 A.D.
Description:
The southern dynasty of Chen begins in China.

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The Western Wei Dynasty Ends
Date: 557 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Western Wei ends in China.

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The Northern Zhou Dynasty Begins
Date: 557 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Northern Zhou begins in China.

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Bangor Abbey Founded
Date: 560 A.D.
Description:
The Abbey at Bangor in Ireland is founded.

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Foundation of Iona Monastery
Date: 563 A.D.
Description:
St Columba founds a monastery on the island of Iona, which lies west of Scotland. It would become the center of the Celtic church and a source of missionary activity into Northern England during the 7th century.

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St. Columba Founds Iona
Date: c. 565 A.D.
Description:
St. Columba founds a monastery on the island of Iona, which lies off the west coast of Scotland.

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Birth of Mohammad
Date: 570 A.D.
Description:
The approximate year that the Prophet Mohammad, founder of the Islamic faith, was born.

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Battle of Deorham
Date: 577 A.D.
Description:
The West Saxons under Caewlin invade as far as the River Severn and defeat a British force at the Battle of Deorham, north of Bath, extending the territory of Wessex.

Caewlin's victory effectively seperated the Western Britons from those of the southwest and ensured the capture of Gloucester.

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The Northern Qi Dynasty Ends
Date: 577 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Northern Qi ends in China.

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War Between Northern Wei Successors Ends
Date: 577 A.D.
Description:
The war in the north of China between the successors of the Northern Wei dynasty ends.

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Battle of Faddiley
Date: 583 A.D.
Description:
This victory by a British force effectively stops the West Saxons from advancing into Wales.

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The Chen Dynasty Ends
Date: 588 A.D.
Description:
The southern dynasty of Chen ends in China.

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The Northern Zhou Dynasty Ends
Date: 588 A.D.
Description:
The northern dynasty of Northern Zhou ends.

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Augustine Reaches Canterbury
Date: 597 A.D.
Description:
Within a year after reaching Canterbury (the capital of the kingdom of Kent), Augustine was able to convert Ethelbert, the Kentish king, to Christianity.

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St. Columba Dies
Date: June 8th, 597 A.D.
Description:
The Irish missionary monk St. Columba died in Iona and was buried there. He had worked very successfully toward the conversion of northern Britain.

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Construction of St. Paul's
Date: 607 A.D.
Description:
The first St.Paul's church is built in London.

(This is not today's existing cathedral that was designed by Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London in the 17th century.)

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The Bangor Massacre
Date: 615 A.D.
Description:
The barbaric Angles, after having crossed over England, finally reach the Irish Sea and massacre the Christian monks at their monastery in Bangor.

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Ethelfrith, Founder of Northumbria Dies
Date: 616 A.D.
Description:
The Bernician warrior-king Ethelfrith, founder of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, dies. Ethelfrith had united the two kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira to form Northumbria.

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Edwin Becomes King of Northumbria
Date: 616 A.D.
Description:
After defeating Ethelfrith in battle, the Deiran heir Edwin becomes king of Northumbria. Northumbria had been formed when Ethelfrith, a Bernician, united the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira. Edwin's victory sent the Bernician royal heirs into exile in Scotland.

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Death of Aethelbert I
Date: February 24th, 616 A.D.
Description:
Aethelbert I, King of Kent (560 - 616), who issued the first code of Angle-Saxon laws, dies.

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Founding of the T'ang Dynasty
Date: 618 A.D.
Description:
Li Shih-min, later to become the first T'ang Eamperor T'ang T'ai, having conquered all other rivals in the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Sui Dynasty, founds the T'ang Dynasty. This dynasty would ultimately extend China's frontiers further than any other Chinese Dynasty and survive until 906 A.D.

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Conquest of the Isle of Man
Date: 620 A.D.
Description:
Edwin, the King of Northumbria, conquers the Isle of Man.

Edwin was the son of Aelle, King of Deira. He succeeded his father in 617. Edwin defeated Aethelric, King of Bernicia to become king of a united Northumbria.

Ultimately, he would be acknowledged as the Bretwalda (overlord) of all of England with the exception of Kent.

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Penda Becomes King of Mercia
Date: c. 626 A.D.
Description:
The pagan Penda becomes the last King of Mercia.

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Sutton Hoo Burial
Date: c. 627 A.D.
Description:
The Sutton Hoo burial took place circa 627.

This important site near Woodbridge in Suffolk was discovered in 1939 and is thought to have been the probable barrow of Raedwald, a 7th century King of East Anglia. The site contained a 24-meter boat and a host of golden artifacts and other treasure.

Rawedwald was the only king of East Anglia to become a Bretwalda. He is said to have once protected Edwin from Aethelfirth of Nothumbria whom he defeated at the battle of the River Idle (616). In later life he may have become partially Christianized.

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Conversion of Edwin
Date: 627 A.D.
Description:
King Edwin of Northumbria married the Christian daughter of Aethelbert of Kent in 625. Edwin was converted to Christianity in 627 by St. Paulinua (a Roman missionary to England who was appointed Bishop in 625). In return King Edwin appointed Paulinua as Archbishop of York.

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Death of Mohammad
Date: June 7th, 632 A.D.
Description:
The year of the death of the prophet Mohammad in Medina, Arabia (aged 62).

He was succeeded by Abu Bakr, who founded the Rashidun (or 'Right Guided') dynasty of Caliphs, which lasted through the rule of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali until 661.

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Invasion of Palestine
Date: 633 A.D.
Description:
A Muslim army from Saudi Arabia begins the conquest of Palestine.

During the next seven years, these Muslim soldiers would extend Islamic influence into Syria (bringing them up against the mighty Byzantine Empire) and modern-day Iraq.

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King Edwin of Northumbria Dies
Date: 633 A.D.
Description:
Edwin dies at the Battle of Hatfield Chase.

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Battle of Heavenfield
Date: 634 A.D.
Description:
A battle between the Mericans and Welsh under Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd and the Northumbrian army of Oswald of Bernicia. Oswald won this battle and was able to reunite Bernicia and Deira and become king of all Northumbria.

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Founding of Lindisfarne Monastery
Date: 635 A.D.
Description:
St. Aidan arrives on the island of Lindisfarne (Holy Island) from Iona with a group of Celtic monks. The monastery he founded there was to become an important missionary center and later a bishopric.

The monks from Lindisfarne went on to build numerous churches in Scotland and Northern England, but many of the monks withdrew to Iona when Lindisfarne accepted the Roman discipline after the synod of Whitby (664 A.D.).

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Conquest of Iran
Date: 638 A.D.
Description:
Muslim armies commence with the invasion of Iran. The Sassanian Empire, however, would put up a stiff resistance and so even as late as 650 A.D., the Arabic leaders would still not have control of the Southern Caspian coast.

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Conquest of Egypt
Date: 639 A.D.
Description:
A Muslim army commenced the conquest of Egypt. This would be the first step that would ultimately see the whole of North Africa coming under Islamic control within seventy years.

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King Oswald of Northumbria Dies
Date: 642 A.D.
Description:
Oswy, Oswald's brother, would take over the throne of Northumbria.

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Battle of Maserfield
Date: August 5th, 642 A.D.
Description:
King Penda of Mercia defeats King Oswald of Northumbria, and Oswald is killed during the battle.

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Battle of Winwaed
Date: November 15th, 655 A.D.
Description:
Oswiu of Bernicia defeats King Penda of Mercia at this battle. Penda dies during the battle.

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Caedmon Begins Writing Poetry
Date: c. 657 A.D.
Description:
St. Caedmon is credited with the earliest surviving poem written in Old English sometime after the establishment of Whitby Abbey in 657.

A common oxherd on the estates of Whitby Abbey, Caedmon was accepted as a monk when it was realized that he had a talent for writing songs and poems, often on religious subjects. Caedmon's poem is known from a nine-line snippet transcribed by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History.

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Founding of Whitby Abbey
Date: 657 A.D.
Description:
Hild (or Hilda) was the granddaughter of Edwin, King of Northumbria. Born in 614 and baptized in 627, she had by 647 become the superior of a nunnery near Hartlepool. Her remarkable organizational skills led to the foundation of a new community at Whitby in Yorkshire, where the synod of 664 would later be held to resolve the differences between Roman and Celtic Christian practices.

Hild was the first Abbess of Whitby from 657 until her death in 680.

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King Oswy Calls the Synod of Whitby
Date: 664 A.D.
Description:
The decision of this council settled a difference between Celtic and Roman Christianity regarding the proper date for Easter. In siding with the Roman position, the decision of this council meant that Christendom would not be divided in England.

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Theodore Named Archbishop of Canterbury
Date: 669 A.D.
Description:
After the pope named Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore set out to organize the English church as one body. He had completed this task by the time of his death.

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King Oswy of Northumbria Dies
Date: 670 A.D.

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Synod of Hertford
Date: 672 A.D.
Description:
At this synod, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, did much to reorganize the church's administration in England and create a more hierarchical structure. Theodore accomplished this through a variety of measures, including the creation of new bishops, as well as the dismantling of some large dioceses. He also ordered that each bishop confine activities within the area of his own diocese and prohibited the clergy and monks from wandering around without permission.

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Founding of Wearmouth Monastery
Date: 674 A.D.
Description:
In this year St. Benedict Biscop founded a Benedictine monastery in Northumbria.

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Founding of Jarrow Monastery
Date: 681 A.D.
Description:
Jarrow monastery was founded by St. Benedict Biscop on the banks of the River Tyne in lands provided by King Ecgfrith of Northumbria. The monastery would become famous for the magnificent library furnished with books brought by Benedict from Rome.

The great Bede would die here in 735 A.D., having written his works, including a history of the Abbots of Jarrow, in the library.

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Battle of Nechtansmere
Date: May 20th, 685 A.D.
Description:
In this battle King Bruide and the Picts annihilated King Ecgfrith's Northumbrian army, thus thwarting the Nothumbrians attempt to subjugate them.

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Ine Becomes King of Wessex
Date: 688 A.D.

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The Dome of the Rock Completed
Date: 692 A.D.
Description:
The Dome of the Rock was the first great Umayyad monument to be completed after the conquest of Judea. This was also the first major monument of the Islamic faith and was built by the Caliph Abn al-Malik on the site of a Jewish Temple. Muslims believe that it was at this spot that the prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven. The Dome of the Rock became the holiest Muslim place after the Kaa'ba in Mecca.

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The Law code of Wihtred
Date: 695 A.D.
Description:
Wihtred, King of Kent (c.690-725) and who maintained Kentish independence against the growing expansion of the Kingdom of Mercia, issues one of the earliest known law codes in Britain.

Wihtred's law code, which dealt primarily with ecclesiastical matters, was to give considerable privileges to the church.

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Moors Conquer Spain
Date: July 7th, 711 A.D.
Description:
The Moorish chief Tariq lands in Spain with a small Muslim army at the invitation of the rebel governor of Ceuta. The place where he landed would later become known as Jebel el-Tariq, ('the mountain of Tariq' or later 'Gibraltar'). The Arabs and their Moorish allies quickly defeated Roderick, the last Visigoth king of Spain at the battles of Guadelete and Ecija, and before the end of the year the Visigoth capital, Toledo, would fall without resistance. Within two years all except the northern mountainous regions of Spain would come under Muslim control.

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Beowulf is Composed
Date: c. 715 A.D.
Description:
Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem written between 672 and 782. It tells the story of a fictional hero, Beowulf, the nephew of the king of the Gaetas (a southern Swedish people). Beowulf slays Grendel, a monster that has been ravaging a neighboring Danish kingdom, and also Grendel's mother. Later, when Beowulf is King of the Gaetas, his kingdom is attacked by a dragon, which he kills, although he is fatally wounded during the battle.

The poem sheds some light on aristocratic Anglo-Saxon traditions and some of the characters are historical.

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Boniface Begins Mission to Germany
Date: 718 A.D.
Description:
St. Boniface (680-755) was born in Crediton and his original name was Winfirth.

In 718 Pope Gregory II in Rome gave him the name 'Boniface' and sent him on a mission to convert the Saxons of Germany. St. Boniface built many monasteries and churches and was responsible for the winning of many converts to the Christian faith.

He was martyred at Dekkum in 755 A.D.

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Ine of Wessex Abdicates the Throne
Date: 726 A.D.
Description:
King Ine of Wessex abdicates his throne in Wessex.

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Bede Writes his History of the English
Date: 731 A.D.
Description:
Bede (673-735) was an Anglo-Saxon scholar who was born in Northumbria and spent most of his life in Jarrow monastery. He was a student of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and became so renowned a scholar that following his death he was honored with the title 'The Venerable Bede'.

His The Ecclesiastical History of the English People was completed in 731 and is considered to be the most important history record written before the sixteenth century. Bede also popularized the method of dating known as anno domini (or A.D.), and wrote about a number of other subjects including physical science, rhetoric, and astronomy.

King Alfred the Great supervised the translation of Bede's work into Old English.

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Battle of Poitiers
Date: October 25th, 732 A.D.
Description:
The real power behind the throne of the Frankish King Thierry IV was Charles Martel (the Hammer), the Mayor of the Palace. A tough soldier, Charles had proved his worth many times in battle against rebellions factions within the Frankish empire. For many years the Moslems of Spain had been threatening Gaul. In 725 an invading army had penetrated as far as Burgundy, but it had been bought off by Duke Eudes, much to Charles' disfavour. In 732 Abd-er-Rahman, the Governor of Spain, crossed the Pyrenees with an immense army, and advanced as far as the River Loire. In October, Charles' Franks engaged Abd-er-Rahman at the Battle of Poitiers outside of the town of Tours. During the battle the Moorish Governor was slain and the remains of his army beat in retreat back to Spain. This battle, perhaps one of the most important in European history, would ensure the survival of Christian civilisation in Western Europe

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Introduction of the Silver Penny
Date: c. 735 A.D.
Description:
King Offa of Mercia (757-796) seized power after the civil war that followed the death of his cousin Aethelbert. Offa consolidated control over the southern English, expanded Mercian territory to the north, and through the marriages of his daughters to the Kings of Wessex and Northumbria established his claim as the Bretwalda of England.

Recognized by Pope Adrian I as 'The King of the English' he agreed to the establishment of an Archbishop at Lichfield which would free the Mercian church from the control of Canterbury. In addition he would negotiate a trade treaty with the future emperor Charlemagne on equal terms.

His most long lasting legacy however would be the creation of a new coinage based on the silver penny which bore his name and title. This would be the standard coin in circulation in England until the introduction of the gold coins during the 14th century.

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Birth of Charlemagne
Date: April 8th, 742 A.D.
Description:
This is the date of the birth of Carolus Magnus (Charles the Great, or Charlemagne). Charlemagne was the son of the Merovingian mayor of the palace, Pepin the Short. Charlemagne would inherit the northern Frankish lands following the death of his father (crowned king by Pope Stephen II in 754) and those of his brother, Carloman, in 771. After assisting the Pope in the defeat of the Lombards in Italy, he was crowned as the King of the Lombards. After subduing and Christianizing the Saxon tribes of northern Germany, Charlemagne would gain control of large areas of Saxony. A campaign in Spain would add further lands between the Pyrenees and the Llobregat. Bavaria was incorporated in the kingdom in 788, and the Avar people were subdued between 791 and 796. With much of Western Europe under his rule, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, thereby founding the Holy Roman Empire.

Although he never learned to read, during Charlemagne's reign a renaissance of learning began in Western Europe. With leading scholars (such as the Northumbrian Alcuin) in his service, the Frankish King revised Frankish Laws. These revisions included the first introduction of jury service within courts. Charlemagne maintained diplomatic relations with Byzantium, Baghdad, Mercia, Northumbria, and others. He introduced a new coinage and reformed the weights and measures. In addition, communications were much improved, Church reforms throughout his dominions began, missionary and monastic reforms were supported, the old heroic sagas and other peoples' laws were written down, and religious instruction in the vernacular was promoted.

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Foundation of Fulda Monastery
Date: 744 A.D.
Descriptio