History
Oxford was first occupied in Saxon times, and was innitially known as "Oxanforda", it began with the foundations of St Frideswide's nunnery in the 8th century, and was first mentioned in written records in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles of the year 912. In the 10th century Oxford became an important millitary frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by Danes.
The University of Oxford, the oldest in England, was first mentioned in the 12th century. Oxford's earliest Colleges were University College 1249, Balliol 1263 and Merton 1264.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Oxford became the headquarters of king Charles I and his court in 1642, after the king was expelled from London, although there was strong support in the town for the Parliamentarian cause.
The town yielded to the Parliamentarian forces under General Fairfax in 1646.
By the early 20th century Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s. Also during that decade a major car building industry was begun by the Morris Motor Company.
On 6 May 1954 Roger Bannister ran the first authenticated sub-four minute mile at the Iffley Road track in Oxford.
Features
Major tourist attractions and important buildings include:
Literature in Oxford
Colin Dexter wrote and set the Inspector Morse mystery novels in Oxford.
Famous Oxford-based authors include:
The Oxford English Dictionary is published by Oxford University Press
See also
University of Oxford (including links to the
individual colleges).
External links