Events 176 – Emperor Marcus Aurelius grants his son Commodus the rank of “Imperator” and makes him Supreme Commander of the Roman legions. 395 – Rufinus, praetorian prefect of the East, is murdered by Gothic mercenaries under Gainas. 1095 – Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont. 1856 – The… Read More

Events 1161 – Battle of Caishi: A Song dynasty fleet fights a naval engagement with Jin dynasty ships on the Yangtze river during the Jin-Song Wars. 1476 – Vlad the Impaler defeats Basarab Laiota with the help of Stephen the Great and Stephen V Báthory and becomes the ruler of Wallachia for the third time.… Read More

Events 571 BC – Servius Tullius, king of Rome, celebrates the first of his three triumphs for his victory over the Etruscans. 1120 – The White Ship sinks in the English Channel, drowning William Adelin, son and heir of Henry I of England. 1177 – Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Raynald of Châtillon defeat Saladin… Read More

Events 1227 – Gąsawa massacre: At an assembly of Piast dukes at Gąsawa, Polish Prince Leszek the White, Duke Henry the Bearded and others are attacked by assassins while bathing. 1429 – Hundred Years’ War: Joan of Arc unsuccessfully besieges La Charité. 1542 – Battle of Solway Moss: An English army defeats a much larger… Read More

Events 1248 – Conquest of Seville by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile. 1499 – Pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck is hanged for reportedly attempting to escape from the Tower of London. He had invaded England in 1497, claiming to be the lost son of King Edward IV of England. 1531 –… Read More

Events 1386 – Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive. 1620 – Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact. 1676 – The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light. 1783 – In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier… Read More