367day.year
Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, is named co-Augustus at the age of eight by his father.
At age eight, Gratian, son of Emperor Valentinian I, is appointed co-Augustus, marking his entry into imperial rule.
In a bid to secure the imperial succession, Emperor Valentinian I elevates his eight-year-old son Gratian to co-Augustus.
This formal appointment grants Gratian equal rank with his father in governing the Western Roman Empire.
The ceremony underscores the dynastic strategies of late Roman emperors.
Gratian’s early accession reflects the political complexities of the 4th-century empire.
He would later rule in his own right and face challenges from usurpers and external threats.
367
Gratian
Roman Emperor
Valentinian I
Augustus
394day.year
The Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, the latest known inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs, is written.
The last known Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription, the Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, is etched, marking the end of ancient script usage.
The Graffito of Esmet-Akhom is inscribed on a wall at the Temple of Philae in Upper Egypt.
Dated to this day, it is recognized as the last known example of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.
The graffito records the name and title of a local priest during the waning era of pharaonic culture.
Its creation marks the end of millennia of hieroglyphic tradition before the script fell into disuse.
Rediscovery centuries later provided crucial clues for modern decipherment efforts.
394
Graffito of Esmet-Akhom
Egyptian hieroglyphs
410day.year
The Visigoths under King Alaric I begin to pillage Rome.
King Alaric I leads the Visigoths in the sack of Rome, a key moment in the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
King Alaric I leads the Visigoths in their historic sack of Rome.
After years of tension and siege, the city falls on this date, 410 AD.
This event is the first time Rome has been captured in over 800 years.
The sack symbolizes the declining power of the Western Roman Empire.
Alaric’s forces loot and pillage for three days before withdrawing.
The incident reverberates across the ancient world as a turning point in history.
410
Visigoths
Alaric I
pillage Rome
1185day.year
Sack of Thessalonica by the Normans.
Norman forces sack the major Byzantine city of Thessalonica during their crusading campaigns.
Norman crusaders under Count William II of Sicily sack Thessalonica, the Byzantine Empire’s second-largest city.
The assault devastates the city in retaliation for previous Byzantine attacks.
Looting and destruction follow the Normans’ brutal entry.
Thessalonica’s fall demonstrates Norman ambitions in the Balkans.
The event deepens hostilities between Western European powers and Byzantium.
1185
Sack of Thessalonica
1200day.year
King John of England, signer of the first Magna Carta, marries Isabella of Angoulême in Angoulême Cathedral.
King John of England weds Isabella of Angoulême, forging a political alliance on the eve of the Magna Carta.
King John of England marries Isabella of Angoulême at Angoulême Cathedral.
The union strengthens John’s political alliances in southwest France.
Isabella, a young noblewoman, becomes queen consort at just fourteen years old.
Their marriage unsettles rival barons already wary of John’s rule.
This alliance plays a role in the tensions leading up to the sealing of the Magna Carta.
1200
John of England
Magna Carta
Isabella of Angoulême
Angoulême Cathedral
1215day.year
Pope Innocent III issues a bull declaring Magna Carta invalid.
Pope Innocent III declares the Magna Carta invalid by issuing a papal bull, deepening the crisis between King John and his barons.
Pope Innocent III issues a papal bull declaring the Magna Carta null and void.
The decree overturns the charter agreed upon by King John and his rebellious barons.
It reflects the papacy’s political influence over secular matters.
The annulment intensifies the conflict between the English crown and the nobility.
Despite the bull, the principles of the Magna Carta endure in later reissues.
1215
Pope Innocent III
Magna Carta
1349day.year
Six thousand Jews are killed in Mainz after being blamed for the bubonic plague.
In Mainz, over six thousand Jews are massacred after being scapegoated for the bubonic plague.
In the city of Mainz, over six thousand Jewish residents are massacred.
They are falsely blamed for causing the bubonic plague ravaging Europe.
Rising panic and prejudice fuel the violence during the Black Death.
Entire Jewish communities across the Rhineland face similar persecution.
The mass killings represent one of the darkest episodes of medieval antisemitism.
1349
Mainz
bubonic plague
1482day.year
The town and castle of Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured from Scotland by an English army.
English forces seize the strategic border town and castle of Berwick-upon-Tweed from Scotland, shifting regional power.
English forces capture the town and castle of Berwick-upon-Tweed from Scotland.
The strategic border stronghold changes hands after a successful assault.
Berwick’s control is vital for dominance in the Anglo-Scottish border wars.
The victory bolsters King Edward IV’s position against Scottish incursions.
Berwick remains a contested site for centuries to come.
1482
Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured
1516day.year
The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Syria at the Battle of Marj Dabiq.
The Ottoman army under Selim I crushes the Mamluk Sultanate at the Battle of Marj Dabiq, seizing Syria.
The Ottoman army led by Sultan Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate at Marj Dabiq.
The decisive victory opens the path for Ottoman expansion into Syria.
Battle tactics and modern artillery contribute to the Mamluks’ defeat.
The conquest marks the beginning of Ottoman control over the Levant.
It paves the way for subsequent campaigns into Egypt and Arabia.
1516
Ottoman Empire
Selim I
Mamluk Sultanate
Battle of Marj Dabiq
1561day.year
Willem of Orange marries duchess Anna of Saxony.
William of Orange marries Anna of Saxony, forming a dynastic alliance that impacts the future Dutch revolt.
William I, Prince of Orange, marries Duchess Anna of Saxony in her native Dresden.
The dynastic match aims to strengthen political ties within the Holy Roman Empire.
Anna, known for her intelligence and cultural patronage, becomes a prominent figure in Dutch history.
Their marriage produces three children but ends in scandal and divorce.
The alliance influences William’s later leadership in the Dutch Revolt.
The union’s complexities reflect the era’s intricate dynastic politics.
1561
Willem of Orange
Anna of Saxony
1608day.year
The first official English representative to India lands in Surat.
In 1608, the first English envoy arrived in Surat, marking the start of formal Anglo-Indian relations.
This landing heralded the expansion of English trade and influence on the Indian subcontinent.
In August 1608, Captain William Hawkins landed at the port city of Surat on behalf of King James I.
He was the first official representative of the English Crown to India, tasked with negotiating trade agreements with the Mughal Empire.
This diplomatic mission paved the way for the rise of the East India Company and centuries of Anglo-Indian commerce.
Surat was then a thriving commercial hub, attracting merchants from across Asia and the Middle East.
Hawkins' voyage marked a turning point, as European powers vied for influence in the lucrative Indian trade network.
1608
Surat
1643day.year
A Dutch fleet establishes a new colony in the ruins of Valdivia in southern Chile.
In 1643, a Dutch fleet established a short-lived colony in the ruins of Valdivia in southern Chile.
The venture aimed to control strategic Pacific trade routes but was abandoned within a year.
In August 1643, a Dutch East India Company fleet reached the ruins of the Spanish forts at Valdivia on the Pacific coast of southern Chile.
They seized the abandoned settlement and aimed to establish a strategic base for privateering against Spanish shipping.
The colonists stocked provisions and set up rudimentary defenses to control the rich maritime routes.
However, isolation and lack of supply ships soon undermined the settlement's viability.
Within a year, the Dutch abandoned Valdivia, and Spanish forces later reoccupied the site.
The episode highlighted the global reach of European colonial rivalries during the 17th century.
1643
establishes a new colony
Valdivia
southern Chile