Events 1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong of Song and others, ending the Northern Song dynasty. 1431 – The trial of Joan of Arc begins in Rouen. 1760 – Ahmad Shah Durrani defeats… Read More
Events 871 – Æthelred I and Alfred the Great lead a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings. 1297 – François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco. 1746 – Second Jacobite rising: Bonnie… Read More
Events This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England. 1738 – A peace treaty is signed between Peshwa Bajirao and Jai Singh II following Maratha victory in the Battle of… Read More
Events 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eventually lead to the Norman conquest of England. 1322 – Stephen Uroš III is crowned King… Read More
Introduction Peace dividend was a political slogan popularised by US President George H.W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the light of the 1988-1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, that described the economic benefit of a decrease in defence spending. The term was frequently used at the end of the Cold War, when… Read More
Introduction In macroeconomics, the guns versus butter model is an example of a simple production-possibility frontier. It demonstrates the relationship between a nation’s investment in defence and civilian goods. The “guns or butter” model is used generally as a simplification of national spending as a part of GDP. This may be seen as an analogy… Read More
Events 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army beats Brandenburg. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.… Read More
