Events 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro-Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague. 1282 – The people of Sicily rebel against the Angevin king Charles I, in what becomes known as the Sicilian… Read More

Events 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving. 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of Venice. 1461 – Battle of Towton: Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England,… Read More

Events AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate. 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Didius Julianus. 364 – Roman Emperor Valentinian I appoints his brother Flavius Valens co-emperor. 1566 – The foundation stone of… Read More

Events 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León reaches the northern end of The Bahamas on his first voyage to Florida. 1625 – Charles I becomes King of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as claiming the title King of France. 1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the… Read More

Events 919 – Romanos Lekapenos seizes the Boukoleon Palace in Constantinople and becomes regent of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII. 1000 – Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah assassinates the eunuch chief minister Barjawan and assumes control of the government. 1306 – Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scots (Scotland). 1555 – The city of Valencia… Read More

Events 1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on 06 April. 1387 – English victory over a Franco-Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate off the coast of Margate. 1401 – Turco-Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 – James VI of… Read More

Events 1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official. 1568 – The Peace of Longjumeau is signed, ending the second phase of the French Wars of Religion. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his speech – “Give… Read More