History of Aberystwyth
1BC-1100
1BC-1AD
Year Dot
In the current western calendar the year 1BC is followed by the year 1 AD - there is no year zero
1
World Population
- -6000
- 0.01
- -4000
- 0.02
- -2000
- 0.03
- -1000
- 0.05
- - 500
- 0.10
- 1
- 0.20
- 1000
- 0.31
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1800
- 0.98
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1900
- 1.65
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1955
- 2.76
- 1960
- 2.98
- 1965
- 3.33
- 1970
- 3.69
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1980
- 4.43
- 1985
- 4.83
- 1990
- 5.26
- 1995
- 5.67
- 2000
- 6.07
- 2005
- 6.45
Not yet
There is no evidence of any human habitation on the current site of Aberystwyth - it is not know when or why the Iron age Hill Fort on Pendinas ceased to be used, however, around this time all similar structures in the rest of Britain were similarly abandoned.
6
Exams
In China it becomes a requirement that candidates for political office take civil service examinations
30
Crucifixion
Probable date of crucifixion of Christ
40-90
Pharmaecopia
Pedanius Dioscorides is the author of De Materia Medica which remained the most important book on medical herbs for 1500 years. Turkey
43
Britain colonised
Claudis leads Roman invasion of Britain - Britain becomes a Roman colony.
London
London (Londinium) is founded by the Romans
48
The Romans are Coming
Romans invade Wales
40-407
Roman Occupation
It is known that the Romans built forts in this general area and exploited local mineral deposits (lead and silver). Roman artefacts have been found within several km of Aberystwyth, but there is no evidence of them using the site of Aberystwyth and it is believed to have remained uninhabited.
61
London sacked
London sacked by the Trinovantes and Iceni tribes. The Iceni of East Anglia, are led by their queen Boudicca.
Roman Anglesey
Romans conquer Anglesey - the most important Druidic site in Britain
62
Boudicca
Boudicca's revolt against Rome fails and she commits suicide
79
Vesuvius
Eruption of mount Vesuvius Italy
105
Paper
The invention of paper is reported to the Eastern Han Emperor of China
(Archaeological evidence suggests that paper had already been in use for 200 years)
118
Rome mega
Rome's population exceeds a million Italy
122-126
Wall
Emperor Hadrian's builds wall to keep the Scots out of England
128
Imports
Roman agriculture declines as cheap imports from North Africa depresses wheat prices Italy
Parthenon
Parthenon (in Rome) completed Italy
129-200
Galen
Galen's works on medicine were the standard reference works for western medicine for well over 1000 years. Turkey
286
British Empire
Carausius the Roman military commander given the task of preventing piracy in the English Channel is sentenced to death for profiting from piracy. Benefiting from anti-Roman sentiment he rebelled from Rome and declared himself the Emperor of Britain and northern Gaul. His reign was ended in 293, not by Rome, but by his treasurer Allectus, who assassinated him and seized the title.
333
Decommissioning
Rome starts to withdraw troops from Britain
350
Sweet
Sugar is being crystalised in India
360
Attacks from north
Scots and Picts cross Hadiran's Wall to attack Romans in England
391
Library fire
Fire destroys library at Alexandria Egypt
400-410
Huns
The much feared Huns moved through what it now Ukraine, which lead to a westward migration of many people in their path.
407
Redeployment
All remaining Roman troops stationed in Britain are called back to defend Rome from the Goths. Many stay behind not wishing to leave/move their families.
410
August 24: Rome falls
Seeking protection from marauding Hun armies, the Visigoths migrated across what it now Germany and into the Roman Empire. After months of poor treatment by the Romans, the Visigoths destroy the Roman army and overrun Rome Italy
~430
Irish
After the Romans left, there were regular Irish raids on Wales. Cunedda a Roman-British official and warlord of the Votadini tribe from south-east Scotland, came with his sons and warriors to drive out the Irish. Having taken control of north and mid Wales, he partitioned the land between his 8 sons. The area given to his son Ceredig ap Cunedda is now know as Ceredigion.
441
Immigration
The westward movement of the Huns into North Eastern Europe led to a build up of people in North Western Europe and some of them took to the water and over the North Sea. The Saxons establish colony in Essex. Over the next 150 years the Angles, Saxon, Jutes and Frisians migrate from Northern Germany to Britain.
446
Help
Rome ignores Briton's request for help defending itself against invasion.
449
Settlers
The Angles and the Saxons settle Britain (Angles forming the Kingdom of Northumbria)
451-453
Huns in Italy
Atilla leads Huns into Italy
455
Vandlas in Rome
Vandals sack Rome Italy
476
Rome falls
Fall of the Roman Empire
490
Romano-Britain vs Anglo-Saxon
Last Romano-Britain battle against Anglo-Saxon at Badon Hill
516
Monastery
St Padarn (from Brittany) and a band of monks established a
monastery in Llanbadern. He stayed here for 21 years before
returning to France.
For the next 600 years the monastery and church were the most significant
settlement in this area.
The New Aberytwyth Guide - TJL Pritchard, 1824,[15]
“ HISTORICAL. NOTICES OF LLANBADARN VAWR.*
It derived its name from Paternus, a distinguished Saint in the British History, of whom Cressy and Archbishop Usher give the following account. "The sanctity of St. Dubricius and St. David, drew into Britain, from foreign parts, St. Paternus, a devout young man, about the year 516, together with 847 Monks, who accompanied him: these fixed themselves in a place called Mauritania, and there Paternus built a church and monastery, in which he placed the Monks, under an Economist, a Provost, and a Dean. This monastery seems to have sent abroad, many colonies of religious men into the province, for we find that this saint built many monasteries and churches, through all the region called Ceretica, now Cardiganshire. The church he erected in Mauritania, was raised to the dignity of an Episcopal see, which he governed for one and twenty years, and was from him called Paternensis : he was recalled into his own native country of Lesser Britany, where he was made Bishop of Vannes, having left Kinoc, as successor to his former Bishopric." Mauritania is supposed to be a latinized British name of Llanbadarn vawr. The writer of the life of St. Paternus, or Patern, says, " he by feeding governed, and by governing fed the church of Ceretica." " Padarn was the son of Pedredin ab Emyr Llydaw, and cousin of Cadvan, with whom he came into Britain, and was the first of all in the college of Illtyd, (in Glamorgan-shire,) where he was dignified a Bishop. He removed from thence, and founded a congregation in Caredigion, at a place thence called Llanbadarn vawr, consisting of 120 members, where be had the title of Archbishop. He was one of the most distinguished saints of Britain, and several churches were dedicated to him. He was ranked with Dewi and Teilo, in the in the Welsh Historical Triads, under the appellation of 'The three blessed visitors of the Isle of Britain,' for they went about, preaching the faith to all degrees of people, not only without reward, but with alleviating the distresses of the poor, as far as their means extended.'-Cambrian Biography, page 278.
* The etymology of its name is simple. Llanbadarn vawr signifies the great church of Badarn, or Padarn, who erected it. Llan, as well as Eglwys, is the Welsh for church, and vawr for great. ”
519
Wessex
Kingdom of Wessex Founded (south west England)
525
It's a Date
The monk Dionysius Exiguus living in what is now Romania devised a scheme for numbering the years based on his (inaccurate) calculation of the birth of Christ
570-632
Muhammad
Muhammad Saudi Arabia
591
King Ceol
After battle near Alton Priors, the King of Wessex - Ceawlin is deposed by Ceol
595
Mercia
Kingdom of Mercia founded (the part of England east of Wales)
~600
New Numbers
Development of the Hindu-Arabic number system
630
Mecca
Mecca captured by Muhammad Saudi Arabia
688
British laws
Ine, the new King of Wessex draws up the earliest code of British laws that have survived
711
Arabic Spain
Moors invasion of Spain
713
Newspapers
732
Ez-Zitouna University
Foundation of Ez-Zitouna University in Tunis - Tunisia
757
Offa
Offa sizes the Kingdom of Mercia uniting most of England under his rule
779
Offa's Dyke
'Offa's Dyke' is built to keep the Welsh out of England
780-850
Al Kkwarizmi
The Arab mathematician al-Khwarizmi who many achievements include devising square roots and founding algebra Uzbekistan?
785
Spend a penny
The penny coin is introduced by King Offa. A penny would remain in use till 1971 until it was replaced by a 'New Penny".
787
Viking raids
The Viking raids on Britain begin
796
Trade treaty
Trade treaty between Emperor Charlemagne and King Offa - exporting English woven fabrics
830
House of Wisdom
Foundation of 'The House of Wisdom' Bayt al-Hikmah in Baghdad, which brought together manuscripts in Greek, Hindu, Persian, Egyptian, etc. The main purpose of this vast library (1,000,000 items by the 11th century) was to allow these works to be translated into Arabic, but it was also a great centre for study and included an observatory. The existence of many, long since perished, Greek texts is only know to us because of the Arabic translations made here. For the 1st time the intellectual achievements made by many great civilizations were brought together which opened the path for Muslim advances in Astronomy, Geography, Mathematics, Medicine and Science.
9C
Salerno medical school
Salerno medical school formed - there is debate as to whether this institution counts as a university - if it does, then this is the oldest University in Europe. (southern Italy)
Cotton in Europe
Moors introduce cotton cultivation into Spain
859
Kairaouine Mosque University
Foundation of Kairaouine Mosque University (al-Qarawiyyin) in Fez, Morocco.
866
Danes
Danes conquer the Kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia. For Wales this meant an era of tranquillity as the Saxons turned their attentions from the Welsh to the Danes
868
Book
At Kansu in China the worlds 1st printed book The Diamond Sutra is produced
878
King Roderick
King Rhodri the Great dies. His lands a split between his sons Cadell, Merfyn and Anarawd. This led to years of infighting over these lands and left them unable to repel the attacks of the Normans, Saxons and Danes
Wessex vs Danes
The Saxon King Alfred of Wessex defeats the Danes in the West of England at the Battle of Edington
885-886
November 25: Going to Paris
Having already attacked Paris several times in pervious decades, on the 25th of November 885 a large group of Vikings sailed up the Seine and attacked Paris in search of tribute. When Paris resisted the Vikings started a Siege that lasted almost a year.
892
Vikings
Britain invaded by 330 Viking ships, settling in the North of England
910
Anglo-Saxon London
Danes defeated by Edward the Elder, King of the Angles and Saxons, who gain London and Oxford.
930
Legislative assembly
Norse Settlers in Iceland found Alþhig - the worlds 1st legislative assembly
937
Battle of Brunanburh
Athelstan of Wessex defeats north Welsh, Scots and Norse at Battle of Brunanburh
954
England united
England united by King Eadred of Wessex
960
Notes
Already having paper and printing technology paper money is in use in China Overprinting of money would soon cause inflation.
969
Al Azhar University
Building of Al Azhar, the Mosque-University in Cairo (Egypt)
973
Edgar of Wessex
Edgar of Wessex is crowned the 1st King of England
976
Cordova University
Accepting students from all over Europe the school in Moorish city of Cordova (Córdoba, southern Spain) is the most important academic institution in the World and many regard this as the 1st University in Europe
980
Raids
Raids begin from Ireland, Scandinavia and Denmark, these will continue for the next 30 years
981-1037
Avicenna
Born in what is now Uzbekistan, the scholar Avicenna wrote hundreds of books on may subjects the most famous of which is The Canon of Medicine, translations of which were still in use until the early 19th century.
985
Book
Tripitaka, the book of Budist Scriptures is printed from wooden blocks in Chengdu, Szechwan Province, China
988
Vikings
The New Aberytwyth Guide - TJL Pritchard, 1824,[15]
“ In the year 988, Llanbadarn was destroyed by the Danes, whose ravages were so extensive, that Meredith, Prince of Wales, was forced to compound with them, and to pay a tribute of one penny for every man within his dominions, which, in Welsh, was called Glwmaen, i.e. the tribute of the black army. ”
989
Timbuktu University
Foundation of the Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu (Mali). This will eventually become home to the Koranic Sankore University which at its peak (between the 12th and 16th centuries), had over 25,000 students.
991
Vikings
Vikings renew raids on England
1000
Gunpowder
Chinese alchemists develop gunpowder as a medicine.
World Population
- -6000
- 0.01
- -4000
- 0.02
- -2000
- 0.03
- -1000
- 0.05
- - 500
- 0.10
- 1
- 0.20
- 1000
- 0.31
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1800
- 0.98
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1900
- 1.65
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1955
- 2.76
- 1960
- 2.98
- 1965
- 3.33
- 1970
- 3.69
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1980
- 4.43
- 1985
- 4.83
- 1990
- 5.26
- 1995
- 5.67
- 2000
- 6.07
- 2005
- 6.45
1006
May 1: Superstar
Records exist from many parts of the world about a star so bright that was visible in the day. From these descriptions this is belived to be the brightest supernova in recoded history. The debris of this explosion are now called SN 1006
1013
King Swegn
For hundreds of years various scandinavian tribes had been sending raiding parties to Britain and Ireland. Later they ran a 'protection racket' where they collected and annual tribute/fee/tax called Danegeld/Danegelt as a protection against future raids. This Danegeld was not always readily handed over and was resisted by King Aetheired amongst others. In 1013 Swegn Haraldsson Forkbeard decided that it would be better to base himself in Britain rather than have to keep on sailing from Denmark. To legitimise the 'protection racket' he overthrew King Aetheired and made himself King of England. Danish kings will rule England till 1042.
1016
King Cnut
Swegn's son Cnut becomes King of England till 1035
1017
Earledoms
Canute divides England into 4 earledoms to ease administration
1035
November 12: Canute Norway
Canute dies (at this time he is King of England, Norway and Denmark) after which Norway breaks away from Denmark
King Harold
After the death of King Canute the united English Kingdom starts to fragment. Canute's son Harold rules until he died in 1040
1039
Wales vs England
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (from North Wales) defeats an English Army at Rhyd y Groes
Wales vs Wales
Now setting his sights on South Wales Gruffydd ap Llywelyn pushes through Ceredigion, ravaging the lands of Llanbadarn Fawr on the way. He appears to have held this area until his death in 1063
1040
More Cnut
King Harold dies and Cnut son of Cnut (Harold's half brother) rules until he died in 1042.
1042
King Edward
Danish King Cnut II dies and Edward son of King Aetheired (who was deposed in 1013) becomes King returning Anglo-Saxon rule to England.
1045
Moveable Type
Invention of moveable type in China
It will be 390 years before it is used in Europe
1054
Supernova
Arabic and Chinese astronomers recorded a star bright enough to be visible in daylight for about a month. This is now know to be a star that went supernova (exploded). The debris of this explosion are now called the Crab Nebula
July: Divorce
Hundreds of years of tension between the Latin and Greek branches of Christianity culminate in what is now called the Great Schism when each excommunicated the other. Although the schism is still in place each side withdrew its excommunication in 1965
1064
Parma University
University of Parma founded Italy
1066
October 14: Britain Colonised
Normans invade Britain, William I becomes King, although his conquest was not complete and it would take many years to exert Norman rule to the whole island.
1073
Raiding Wales
From his base as the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury Roger Montgomery leads raids into Wales devastating Ceredigion.
1086
Domesday Book
William the Conqueror commissioned a survey of the settlements of Britain - the resulting 35 volumes are known as the Domesday Book
1088
Bologna University
University of Bologna founded Italy
1090
Book
Rhygyfarch of Llanbadarn monastery writes Vita Davidis (The Life of St. David) - the first of the lives of the Welsh saints.
1095
Crusades
Crusades Start
1096
Oxford University
Teaching known to have been taking place in Oxford which will become Oxford University
1099
July 15: Crusade
The 1st Crusade ends with the killing of 40,000 Jews and Muslims.
Crusaders establish Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem under the Norman Knight Godfrey