January 13

Events

27 BC

Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.

In 27 BC, Octavian returned sovereign power to the Roman Senate and people, securing Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his provinces for ten years.
In 27 BC, Octavian formally returned the state's power to the Roman Senate and the people. He received Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his provincial commands for a decade. This maneuver balanced autocratic influence with republican traditions after years of civil war. It marked the transition of Octavian into Augustus and the dawn of the Roman Empire. The settlement reshaped Rome's political structure for centuries to come.
27 BC Octavian Roman Senate Spain Gaul Syria
532day.year

The Nika riots break out, during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, as a result of discontent with the rule of the Emperor Justinian I.

In 532, the Nika riots erupted in Constantinople's Hippodrome amid widespread discontent with Emperor Justinian I's rule.
In January 532, rival faction supporters in Constantinople's Hippodrome united against Emperor Justinian I. The Nika riots escalated into violent civil unrest, with mobs setting fire to buildings and looting. Rebellion threatened the stability of the Byzantine Empire and nearly overthrew Justinian's government. Imperial troops brutally suppressed the uprising after a week, killing thousands of rioters in the process. The Nika riots stand as one of the most destructive urban revolts of the ancient world.
532 Nika riots Hippodrome Constantinople Justinian I
1435day.year

Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement by the Spanish of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands who had converted, or were converting to, Christianity, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.

Pope Eugene IV issues Sicut Dudum in 1435, prohibiting the enslavement of converted Guanche natives in the Canary Islands.
In January 1435, Pope Eugene IV promulgated the papal bull Sicut Dudum. The decree forbade the enslavement of Guanche natives who had converted or were converting to Christianity. It formed part of broader papal efforts to curb colonial abuses by Spanish authorities. Though enforcement was limited, the bull set a moral precedent for protecting indigenous peoples. Sicut Dudum remains a landmark in church diplomacy and early human rights advocacy.
1435 Sicut Dudum Guanche Canary Islands Pope Eugene IV
1547day.year

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is sentenced to death for treason, on the grounds of having quartered his arms to make them similar to those of the King, Henry VIII of England.

In 1547, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is condemned for treason over the use of royal-style heraldry and later executed.
In January 1547, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, faced trial for quartering his coat of arms too closely to the royal arms of Henry VIII. He was accused of treason for implying a claim to the throne through heraldic similarity. His conviction reflected the ruthless intrigue and suspicion at the Tudor court. Surrey was executed soon after, becoming one of the era's most notable casualties of royal paranoia. His death inspired poetic elegies that immortalized both his talent and his tragic fall.
1547 Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey Henry VIII of England
1793day.year

Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, is lynched by a mob in Rome.

In 1793, Revolutionary French envoy Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville is lynched by a hostile mob in Rome.
In January 1793, Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville arrived in Rome as a representative of Revolutionary France. His outspoken support for anti-clerical reforms provoked outrage among conservative Romans. A hostile crowd attacked and lynched Bassville in the city streets. The incident strained relations between revolutionary France and the Papal States. Bassville's violent death became a symbol of the tumultuous spread of revolutionary fervor across Europe.
1793 Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville Revolutionary France
1797day.year

French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.

In 1797, a French ship of the line is lost off Brittany in a naval battle during the French Revolutionary Wars, killing over 900.
In January 1797, during the French Revolutionary Wars, a French ship of the line engaged two British frigates off the coast of Brittany. The battle left the French vessel dismasted and vulnerable to enemy fire. The ship eventually ran aground on the Breton shore, sealing its fate. Over 900 sailors and officers were killed or captured in the disaster. The loss underscored British naval supremacy and the deadly stakes of 18th-century sea warfare.
1797 French Revolutionary Wars naval battle ship of the line Brittany
1815day.year

War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.

In 1815, British forces seize Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia—the sole War of 1812 engagement in the state.
In January 1815, as news of peace had not yet reached North America, British troops targeted Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia. The fort was lightly defended and quickly fell to the well-trained invaders. The skirmish was the only War of 1812 battle fought on Georgian soil. This action occurred after the Treaty of Ghent was signed but before its ratification. The episode illustrates how communication delays extended wartime conflicts.
1815 War of 1812 British Fort Peter St. Marys, Georgia
1822day.year

The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.

In 1822, the First National Assembly at Epidaurus officially adopts the design of the blue-and-white Greek flag.
In January 1822, Greek revolutionaries met at the First National Assembly in Epidaurus to establish a provisional government. Delegates sought a unifying symbol for their struggle against Ottoman rule. They chose a blue-and-white flag featuring alternating stripes and a cross. The design symbolized Greek Orthodoxy and the nation's maritime heritage. This emblem became the enduring national flag of independent Greece.
1822 Greek flag First National Assembly at Epidaurus
1833day.year

United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President elect Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina's defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.

In 1833, President Andrew Jackson opposes South Carolina's nullification stance in a letter to Vice President Martin Van Buren.
In January 1833, President Andrew Jackson confronted South Carolina's threat to nullify federal tariffs. He wrote to incoming Vice President Martin Van Buren, emphasizing the sanctity of the Union. Jackson warned that state defiance would not be tolerated under the Constitution. His firm position helped defuse the Nullification Crisis and avoid civil war. This correspondence reinforced federal supremacy and shaped future state-federal relations.
1833 Andrew Jackson Vice President Martin Van Buren South Carolina Nullification Crisis
1840day.year

The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.

In 1840, the steamship Lexington catches fire and sinks off Long Island, resulting in 139 deaths.
In January 1840, the steamship Lexington departed New York City en route to New England. A fire broke out aboard the wooden vessel in the early morning hours. Passengers and crew scrambled toward lifeboats as flames spread rapidly. The ship sank four miles off Long Island, killing 139 people in icy winter waters. The disaster exposed critical safety flaws in early steamship design. It prompted calls for stricter maritime regulations and better fire prevention measures.
1840 Lexington Long Island
1842day.year

Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

In January 1842, Dr. William Brydon became the sole survivor of a retreating British force, reaching Jalalabad after a disastrous withdrawal from Kabul.
During the First Anglo-Afghan War, a British East India Company army of 4,500 soldiers and 12,000 camp followers attempted to withdraw from Kabul to Jalalabad amid fierce resistance. Attacked repeatedly by Afghan tribesmen and crippled by winter weather, the column was devastated. On January 13, 1842, Dr. William Brydon, the army's assistant surgeon, rode into the Jalalabad garrison alone. His arrival with a shattered horse and exhaustion revealed the full extent of the calamity. Brydon's survival symbolized the perils of imperial warfare and inspired numerous accounts of the conflict's human cost. His story remains one of the most dramatic episodes of 19th-century colonial history.
1842 William Brydon East India Company First Anglo-Afghan War sole survivor of an army camp followers Jalalabad
1847day.year

The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.

The Treaty of Cahuenga, signed on January 13, 1847, brought an end to hostilities in California during the Mexican–American War.
After years of conflict between the United States and Mexico, officers in California met at Cahuenga Pass near Los Angeles to negotiate peace. On January 13, 1847, Lieutenant Colonel John C. Frémont and Mexican General Andrés Pico signed the informal agreement. The treaty required Mexican forces to lay down their arms and restore property seized from American settlers. Though not formally ratified by national governments, it effectively ceased fighting in the region. The accord cleared the way for U.S. military occupation and later statehood for California. It also influenced broader peace negotiations that culminated in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
1847 Treaty of Cahuenga Mexican–American War California