Category: What Happened on this DAY?

49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.[1] AD 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the beginning of his own, the Xin dynasty. AD 69 – Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus is appointed by Galba as deputy Roman Emperor. 236 – Pope Fabian succeeds Anterus to become the twentieth pope of Rome. 1072 – Robert Guiscard conquers Palermo in Sicily. 1430 – Philip […]

475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire. 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. 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 […]

307 – Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying.[1] 871 – Alfred the Great leads a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings.[2] 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. 1454 – The papal bull Romanus Pontifex awards the Kingdom of Portugal exclusive […]

1325 – Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal.[1] 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England. 1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia. 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following day. 1738 – A peace treaty is signed between Peshwa Bajirao and Jai Singh II following Maratha victory […]

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.[1] 1205 – Philip of Swabia undergoes a second coronation as King of the Romans.[2] 1322 – Stephen Uroš III is crowned King of Serbia, having […]

1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; the Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.[1] 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army beats Brandenburg.[2] 1757 – Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering, the traditional and gruesome form of capital punishment used for regicides.[3] 1781 – American […]

46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.[1] 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.[2] 1649 – English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.[3] 1717 – The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance[4] in an attempt to maintain the Treaty of Utrecht; Britain having signed a preliminary alliance with France […]

250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to make sacrifices to the Roman gods.[1] 1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.[2] 1653 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.[3] 1749 – Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.[4] 1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, […]

AD 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.[1] 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.[2] 533 – Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.[3] 1492 – Reconquista: The Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.[4] 1680 – Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram and his bodyguards execute the rebel […]

1707 – John V is proclaimed King of Portugal and the Algarves in Lisbon.[16] 1739 – Bouvet Island, the world’s remotest island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.[17] 1772 – The first traveler’s cheques, which could be used in 90 European cities, were issued by the London Credit Exchange Company.[18] 1773 – The hymn that became known as “Amazing Grace“, then titled […]