A Daily Dose of History (09 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Hadrian, who became emperor a year ago on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Odoacer makes a night assault with his Heruli guardsmen, engaging Theoderic the Great in Ad Pinetam. Both sides suffer heavy losses, but in the end Theodoric forces Odoacer back into Ravenna. A major earthquake strikes Beirut, triggering ...
Jul 09, 2025•7 min
A Daily Dose of History (08 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch. Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese fleet, defeats an Angevin fleet sent to put down a rebellion on Malta. Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India. Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, is discovered underground in the ci...
Jul 08, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (07 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks. Spanish conquistadores defeat a larger Aztec army at the Battle of Otumba. Jacques Cartier makes his first contact with aboriginal peoples in what is now Canada. The Raid of the Redeswire is the last major battle between England and Scotland. The Treaty of Nemours abolishes tolerance to Protestants in France. An English fleet completes the destruction o...
Jul 07, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (06 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt). Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania. Pope Clement VI issues a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black Death. Ming China's Admiral Zheng He returns to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presents the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming-Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor. Jan Hu...
Jul 06, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (05 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius. The Burgundian and Majorcan claimants of the Principality of Achaea meet in the Battle of Manolada. Portuguese forces under the command of Pedro Lopes de Sousa begin an unsuccessful invasion of the Kingdom of Kandy during the Campaign of Danture in Sri Lanka...
Jul 05, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (04 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Pactum Sicardi, a peace treaty between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples, is signed. Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized as a saint. Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death. The Crusades: Battle of Hattin: Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem. Francesco II Ordelaffi of Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz. Ottoman-Hungarian wars: The Siege of Nándorfe...
Jul 04, 2025•5 min
A Daily Dose of History (03 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolution in 1792. Québec City is founded by Samuel de Champlain. French and Indian War: George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French forces. Norway's oldest newspaper still in print, Adresseavisen, is founded and the first edition is ...
Jul 03, 2025•8 min
A Daily Dose of History (02 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Valentinian III begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire. His mother Galla Placidia ends her regency, but continues to exercise political influence at the court in Rome. Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. In China, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang inters the bodies of relatives in the Qianling Mausoleum, located on Mount...
Jul 02, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (01 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Ostrogoth king, Totila, is mortally wounded. Battle of Dorylaeum: Crusaders led by prince Bohemond of Taranto defeat a Seljuk army led by sultan Kilij Arslan I. Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés fight their way out of Tenochtit...
Jul 01, 2025•8 min
A Daily Dose of History (30 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus. Spanish forces defeat a combined French and Navarrese army at the Battle of Noáin during the Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre. King Henry II of France is mortally wounded in a jousting match against Gabriel, comte de Montgomery. The Spanish held Castillo San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto...
Jun 30, 2025•8 min
A Daily Dose of History (29 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi. Sverre is crowned King of Norway, leading to his excommunication by the Catholic Church and civil war. Skanderbeg defeats an Ottoman invasion force at Torvioll. The Dutch city of Dordrecht is devastated by fire Jacques Cartier is the first European to reach Prince Edward Island. The Glo...
Jun 29, 2025•8 min
A Daily Dose of History (27 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: The Republic of Ragusa is founded. Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England. Americo Vespucci, on Spanish financed trip, sights coast south of Cape Cassipore. The thirteen Stratford Martyrs are burned at the stake near London for their Protestant beliefs. In the Battle of Dettingen, George II becomes the last reigning British monarch to participate in a battle. Anglo-Cherokee War: Che...
Jun 27, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (26 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar. Roman emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sasanian Empire. Pope Benedict II is chosen. En no Ozuno, a Japanese mystic and apothecary who will later be regarded as the founder of a folk religion Shugendō, is banished to Izu Ōshima. Mongols defeat the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Köse Dağ. Przemysł II crowned k...
Jun 26, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (25 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: The Franks are defeated by the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce. In the Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of Italy and Pepin II of Aquitaine. At the Diet of Augsburg the Augsburg Confession is presented to the Holy Roman Emperor by the Lutheran princes and Electors of Germany. Spanish forces fail to retake Jamaica at the Battle of Rio Nuevo during...
Jun 25, 2025•8 min
A Daily Dose of History (24 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Rome. Julius Nepos forces Roman usurper Glycerius to abdicate the throne and proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dál Riata. It is claimed to be the largest battle in the history of Ir...
Jun 24, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (23 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu. War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships. The Spanish Reconquista: In the Battle of Moclín the Emirate of Granada ambush a superior pursuing force, killing most of them in a military disaster for the Kingdom of Castile. A peace treaty between the Flemish and the French is signed at Athis-sur-Orge. First War of...
Jun 23, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (22 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Versinikia: The Bulgars led by Krum defeat the Byzantine army near Edirne. Emperor Michael I is forced to abdicate in favor of Leo V the Armenian. The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army near the Rednitz River, killing its leader Gebhard, Duke of Lotharingia (Lorraine). Fatahillah expels Portuguese forces from Sunda Kelapa, now regarded as the foundation of Jakarta. Battle of Sisak: Allied Christian troops defeat the...
Jun 22, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (21 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date). Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong of the Yuan. French forces are driven out of northern Italy by Spain at the Battle of Landriano during the War of the League of Cognac. Sengoku period: Oda Nobunaga, the most powerful of the Japanese daimyōs, is forced to com...
Jun 21, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (20 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan. The Sack of Baltimore: The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates. Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha is appointed Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth de...
Jun 20, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (19 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: The original Nicene Creed is adopted at the First Council of Nicaea. The Battle of Kalvskinnet takes place outside Nidaros (now Trondheim), Norway. Earl Erling Skakke is killed, and the battle changes the tide of the civil wars. The Earl of Pembroke's army defeats Bruce's Scottish army at the Battle of Methven. English colonists leave Roanoke Island, after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in North America. ...
Jun 19, 2025•11 min
A Daily Dose of History (18 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China. Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. Byzantine-Rus' War: A fleet of about 200 Rus' vessels sails into the Bosphorus and starts pillaging the suburbs of the Byzantine capital Constantinople. Battle of Civitate: Three thousand Norman horsemen of Count Humphrey rout the troops of Pope Leo IX. Five Canterbury monks see an event b...
Jun 18, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (17 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism. Geoffrey V of Anjou, known as Plantagenet, marries Matilda, daughter of Henry I, King of England, and widow of the Emperor Henry V. Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris. The Kalmar Union is formed under the rule of Margaret I of Denmark. Vlad III the Impaler att...
Jun 17, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (16 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians. Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran). Ming-Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son King Hồ Hán Thương of Hồ dynasty are captured by the Ming armies. Battle of Stoke Field: King ...
Jun 16, 2025•7 min
A Daily Dose of History (15 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy. The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed. King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta. Northern Crusades...
Jun 15, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (14 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: The city of Munich is founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar. First Barons' War: Prince Louis of France takes the city of Winchester, abandoned by John, King of England, and soon conquers over half of the kingdom. While taking exile in Fuzhou, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Song dynasty court hold the coronation ceremony for Emperor Duanzong. Second Mongol invasion of Vietnam: Forces ...
Jun 14, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (13 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia. Ibn Battuta begins his travels, leaving his home in Tangiers to travel to Mecca (gone 24 years). In England, the Peasants' Revolt, led by Wat Tyler, comes to a head, as rebels set fire to the Savoy Palace. Henry Grace à Dieu, at over 1,000 tons the...
Jun 13, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (12 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors. At the instigation of Louis IX of France, an inter-faith debate, known as the Disputation of Paris, starts between a Christian monk and four rabbis. Peasants' Revolt: In England, rebels assemble at Blackheath, just outside London. Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War: Parisians slaug...
Jun 12, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (11 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty (171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called "miracle of the rain". Emperor Taizong of Tang sends envoys to the Xueyantuo bearing gold and silk in order to seek the release of Chinese prisoners captured during the transition from Sui to Tang. A Hasanid Alid uprising in Mecca i...
Jun 11, 2025•10 min
A Daily Dose of History (10 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Tenji of Japan introduces a water clock (clepsydra) called Rokoku. The instrument, which measures time and indicates hours, is placed in the capital of Ōtsu. Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the river Saleph while leading an army to Jerusalem. The Battle of Pelekanon results in a Byzantine defeat by the Ottoman Empire. Copenhagen is surrounded by the army of Frederick I of Denmark, as the city will not recogn...
Jun 10, 2025•9 min
A Daily Dose of History (09 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Nero commits suicide, after quoting Vergil's Aeneid, thus ending the Julio-Claudian dynasty and starting the civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Odo of Aquitaine defeats the Moors in the Battle of Toulouse. Duccio's Maestà, a seminal artwork of the early Italian Renaissance, is unveiled and installed in Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy. The Parisian Faculty of Theology fines Simon de Colines for publishing the Biblical...
Jun 09, 2025•8 min
