Events 1248 – Conquest of Seville by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile. He had invaded England in 1497, claiming to be the lost son of King Edward IV of England. 1531 – The Second War of Kappel results in the dissolution of the Protestant alliance in Switzerland. 1808 – French and Poles… Read More
Events 845 – The first duke of Brittany, Nominoe, defeats the Frankish king Charles the Bald at the Battle of Ballon near Redon. 1307 – Pope Clement V issues the papal bull Pastoralis Praeeminentiae which instructed all Christian monarchs in Europe to arrest all Templars and seize their assets. 1574 – Spanish navigator Juan Fernández… Read More
Introduction Rawdon Hume “Ron” Middleton, VC (22 July 1916 to 29 November 1942) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force and a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Early Life Middleton was… Read More
Introduction FIDAC (French: Fédération Interalliée Des Anciens Combattants, English: The Interallied Federation of War Veterans Organisations) was established in Paris in November 1920, at the initiative of the veterans from World War I predominant pacifists, such as Hubert Aubert, director in UNC (National Combatants’ Union), France, and in particular Charles Bertrand, Secretary-General of UNC and… Read More
Events 1386 – Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive. 1676 – The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light. 1851 – Mutineers take control of the Chilean penal colony of Punta Arenas in the Strait of… Read More
Events 762 – During the An Shi Rebellion, the Tang dynasty, with the help of Huihe tribe, recaptures Luoyang from the rebels. 1194 – Palermo is conquered by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. 1407 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans, agree to a truce, but Burgundy would… Read More
Events The real power is in the hands of the magister militum Ricimer. 636 – The Rashidun Caliphate defeats the Sasanian Empire at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah in Iraq. 1493 – Christopher Columbus goes ashore on an island called Borinquen he first saw the day before. He names it San Juan Bautista (later renamed again… Read More
