Anglo-Saxon Chronicle & Old English Timeline

Overview: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is the earliest history of England written in the vernacular (Old English). Likely initiated by King Alfred, it preserves the nation's collective memory from Roman times to the mid-12th century.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

  • Initiation: Likely commissioned by King Alfred the Great.
  • Preservation: Four versions survive in seven different manuscripts.
  • Scope: Covers history from the Roman invasions to the mid-12th century.
  • Style: Terse, annalistic prose focusing on battles, kings, and plagues.
  • Significance: It serves as both a historical record and a foundational text for English prose.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – Historical Writing in Old English Prose
Visual representation of Historical Writing in Old English Prose.

Historical Chronology

Asked in UGC NET English Key Historical Sequence:
  • 43–410 AD: Romans in Britain
  • 410 AD: Departure of Romans
  • 410–600 AD: Anglo-Saxon Settlements
  • 597 AD: Christianization (St. Augustine)
  • 5th–6th Century: King Arthur (Legendary)
  • 849–899 AD: Alfred the Great
  • 1017 AD: Danish Dynasty
  • 1066 AD: Norman Conquest

Literary Chronology (Timeline Flow)

Below is the chronological order of major literary figures and works often asked in exams.

657–684 AD
Cædmon’s Hymn (Earliest English Poem)
672–735 AD
Venerable Bede (Historia Ecclesiastica, 731 AD)
8th Century AD
Beowulf (Epic Poem)
Circa 890 AD
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Initiated by Alfred)
Late 9th Century
Alfred’s Translations (Pastoral Care, Consolation of Philosophy)
937 AD
The Battle of Brunanburgh
Late 10th Century
The Elegies (The Wanderer, Seafarer, Wife's Lament, Ruin)
993 AD
The Battle of Maldon
990–996 AD
Ælfric’s Homilies & Lives of Saints
1014 AD
Wulfstan’s Sermo Lupi ad Anglos