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What was the War of the Public Weal (1465)?

Introduction The League of the Public Weal (French: La ligue du Bien public) was an alliance of feudal nobles organised in 1465 in defiance of the centralised authority of King Louis XI of France. It was masterminded by Charles the Bold, Count of Charolais, son of the Duke of Burgundy, with the king’s brother Charles,… Read More

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What were the Wars of Liege (165-1468)?

Introduction The Wars of Liège were a series of three rebellions by the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, in the town of Liège in modern-day Belgium, against the expanding Burgundian State between 1465 and 1468. On each occasion, the rebels were defeated by Burgundian forces commanded by Charles the Bold and the city was twice burned to… Read More

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What was the Battle of Brustem (1467)?

Introduction The Battle of Brustem was fought on 28 October 1467 in Brustem, near Sint-Truiden (present-day Belgium) between the Burgundian State and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, as part of the Second Liège War (1467). Background In 1465, Philip the Good had won the First Liège War against Prince-Bishop Louis de Bourbon, newly-appointed by himself. This… Read More

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What was the Siege of Smyrna (1402)?

Introduction The Siege of Smyrna (December 1402) was fought between the Knights of Rhodes, who held the harbour and sea-castle of Smyrna (now İzmir) in western Anatolia, and the army of the Turco-Mongol emir Timur. The Turco-Mongols blockaded the harbour and attacked the fortifications with stone-throwing siege engines, while the defenders, numbering only about 200… Read More

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What were the Smyrniote Crusades (1343-1351)?

Introduction The Smyrniote crusades (1343-1351) were two Crusades sent by Pope Clement VI against the Emirate of Aydin under Umur Beg which had as their principal target the coastal city of Smyrna in Asia Minor. Background The first Smyrniote crusade was the brainchild of Clement VI. The threat of Turkish piracy in the Aegean Sea… Read More

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What was the Byzantine Civil War (1341-1347)?

Introduction The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, sometimes referred to as the Second Palaiologan Civil War, was a conflict that broke out in the Byzantine Empire after the death of Andronikos III Palaiologos over the guardianship of his nine-year-old son and heir, John V Palaiologos. It pitted on the one hand Andronikos III’s chief minister,… Read More

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What was the uprising of Asen and Peter (1185-1204)?

Introduction The Uprising of Asen and Peter (Bulgarian: Въстание на Асен и Петър) was a revolt of Bulgarians and Vlachs living in Moesia and the Balkan Mountains, then the theme of Paristrion of the Byzantine Empire, caused by a tax increase. It began on 26 October 1185, the feast day of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki,… Read More