Old English and Beowulf
History of Britain--Timeline and Facts: projectbritain.com/history.html
You would want to browse the sections of Prehistorical Britain, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon Britain, and Viking Britain to understand the history of England (from its inception to 1066).
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Middle English and The Canterbury Tales
1. In 1170, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was assassinated at the hands of Henry II's knights.
2. Canterbury Cathedral, founded in 597 and now a world heritage site, is the intended destination for Chaucer's pilgrims.
3-4. Albeit left incomplete, The Canterbury Tales (1387-1400) relays 24 tales told by pilgrims, who vie to spin the best yarn to earn a free meal as a prize. Chaucer--the courtier, diplomat, and foremost poet--travelled far and wide and probably met Giovanni Boccaccio, the author of The Decameron (1353), a collection of 100 novellas told by 10 Florentines during a two-week quarantine from the Black Death. (Two take-home lessons: quarantines really work, and those who seek different sights can envision a perspective.)
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