63 BC
Cicero gives the fourth and final of the Catiline Orations.
On December 5, 63 BC, Cicero delivered the final Catiline Oration in the Roman Senate, exposing the conspiracy against the Republic.
In 63 BC, Roman consul and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero faced the Catilinarian conspiracy led by Lucius Sergius Catilina.
Cicero’s four orations laid bare the plot to overthrow the Senate and assassinate key officials.
The fourth speech, delivered on December 5, condemned Catiline’s followers and rallied the Senate to act.
This dramatic address marked the culmination of Cicero’s efforts to preserve Republican order.
His eloquent oratory secured his reputation as one of Rome’s greatest speakers and defenders of the state.
63 BC
Cicero
Catiline Orations
633day.year
Fourth Council of Toledo opens, presided over by Isidore of Seville.
The Fourth Council of Toledo convened under Archbishop Isidore, shaping Church and Visigothic laws.
On December 5, 633, bishops of the Visigothic Kingdom gathered in Toledo for the Fourth Council.
Led by Isidore of Seville, the council addressed matters of ecclesiastical discipline, penance, and clerical conduct.
It reinforced the union between Church doctrine and Visigothic royal authority under King Sisenand.
Canons issued at the council influenced both religious practice and secular law across Hispania.
This assembly solidified Isidore’s legacy as a key figure in early medieval scholarship and governance.
633
Fourth Council of Toledo
Isidore of Seville
1033day.year
The Jordan Rift Valley earthquake destroys multiple cities across the Levant, triggers a tsunami and kills many.
A powerful earthquake struck the Jordan Rift Valley, leveling cities and triggering a deadly tsunami.
On December 5, 1033, a major earthquake shook the Jordan Rift Valley, impacting communities across the Levant.
Historic reports describe entire towns reduced to rubble as aftershocks rattled the region.
The seismic event generated a tsunami that swept into coastal settlements along the Dead Sea and Mediterranean.
Casualties were widespread, with many lives lost and significant economic and social disruption.
The disaster remains one of the most catastrophic natural events in medieval Middle Eastern history.
1033
Jordan Rift Valley earthquake
multiple cities
Levant
tsunami
1082day.year
Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona is assassinated, most likely by his brother, Berenguer Ramon II.
Ramon Berenguer II, joint ruler of Barcelona, was assassinated in a fraternal power struggle.
On December 5, 1082, Ramon Berenguer II, one of the counts of Barcelona, was murdered while hunting.
Contemporary chronicles implicate his twin brother, Berenguer Ramon II, in a bid for sole control.
The assassination plunged Catalonia into a succession crisis and internecine conflict.
Ramon’s death altered the region’s political landscape and led to years of rivalries among the nobility.
This event highlights the brutal nature of medieval dynastic disputes in Iberia.
1082
Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona
Berenguer Ramon II
1408day.year
Seeking to resubjugate Muscovy, Emir Edigu of the Golden Horde reaches Moscow, burning areas around the city but failing to take the city itself.
Emir Edigu’s Golden Horde force attacked Moscow’s outskirts but failed to breach the city walls.
In December 1408, Edigu, a powerful emir of the Golden Horde, advanced on the Muscovite capital.
His cavalry raided and burned villages and suburbs surrounding Moscow, spreading panic.
Despite the devastation beyond its walls, Moscow’s fortifications held firm against the siege.
The failed assault marked a turning point in Muscovy’s resilience against Tatar incursions.
Edigu’s retreat signaled the shifting balance of power in Eastern Europe and the rise of Moscow.
1408
Muscovy
Edigu
Golden Horde
1456day.year
The first of two earthquakes measuring Mw 7.2 strikes Italy, causing extreme destruction and killing upwards of 70,000 people.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake devastated central Italy, resulting in massive loss of life and property.
On December 5, 1456, a powerful earthquake struck the Apennine region of Italy, measuring around Mw 7.2.
Towns from Naples to Calabria suffered near-total collapse of buildings and infrastructure.
Medieval accounts describe landslides, collapsed churches, and widespread homelessness.
Casualty estimates exceed 70,000, making it one of Europe’s deadliest seismic events.
The disaster prompted early efforts in earthquake documentation and relief coordination.
1456
two earthquakes
1484day.year
Pope Innocent VIII issues the Summis desiderantes affectibus, a papal bull that deputizes Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger as inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft in Germany.
Pope Innocent VIII authorized inquisitors Kramer and Sprenger to pursue alleged witches across Germany.
On December 5, 1484, Pope Innocent VIII promulgated the bull Summis desiderantes affectibus.
This decree empowered Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger to investigate and prosecute witchcraft.
It provided ecclesiastical backing for intensified witch hunts in German territories.
The bull influenced the later publication of the Malleus Maleficarum, fueling pan-European witch trials.
This papal action marked a dark chapter in the history of religious persecution.
1484
Pope Innocent VIII
Summis desiderantes affectibus
papal bull
Heinrich Kramer
Jacob Sprenger
inquisitors
witchcraft
1496day.year
King Manuel I of Portugal issues a decree ordering the expulsion of Jews from the country.
King Manuel I ordered all Jews to leave Portugal, enforcing religious uniformity through expulsion.
On December 5, 1496, King Manuel I decreed the expulsion of Portugal’s Jewish population.
This edict followed Spain’s own expulsion in 1492 and aligned with marriage conditions set by Isabella.
Thousands of Jews faced conversion, exile, or the loss of their properties and civil rights.
The decree reshaped Portuguese society, leading to a diaspora and cultural displacement.
It remains a somber example of religious intolerance in late medieval Europe.
1496
Manuel I of Portugal
1560day.year
Thirteen-year-old Charles IX becomes king of France, with Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici as regent.
At age 13, Charles IX ascended the French throne with his mother Catherine de' Medici as regent.
On December 5, 1560, following the death of his brother Francis II, Charles IX was proclaimed king.
The young monarch’s accession placed significant authority in the hands of Catherine de’ Medici.
She navigated religious tensions between Catholics and Huguenots during his minority.
This regency period set the stage for the French Wars of Religion that would engulf the kingdom.
Charles IX’s reign would later be marked by both cultural patronage and civil strife.
1560
Charles IX
Catherine de' Medici
1578day.year
Sir Francis Drake, after sailing through Strait of Magellan, raids Valparaiso.
Sir Francis Drake raided the Spanish port of Valparaíso during his circumnavigation voyage.
On December 5, 1578, Sir Francis Drake emerged from the Strait of Magellan into the Pacific.
He launched a surprise attack on the heavily guarded port of Valparaíso, seizing ships and loot.
Drake’s raid disrupted Spanish shipping and showcased English naval daring.
The expedition weakened Spain’s Pacific defenses and bolstered Drake’s reputation back home.
It became one of the most famous episodes of Elizabethan maritime warfare.
1578
Francis Drake
Strait of Magellan
Valparaiso
1649day.year
The town of Raahe (Swedish: Brahestad) is founded by Count Per Brahe the Younger.
Count Per Brahe the Younger establishes the coastal town of Raahe (Brahestad), marking a new chapter in Finnish urban development.
On December 5, 1649, Count Per Brahe the Younger, Governor-General of Finland, officially founded the town of Raahe on the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. Named Brahestad after its founder, the settlement was intended as a trade hub, leveraging its natural harbor for timber and tar exports. The new town featured a grid plan, reflecting modern urban design of the time, and attracted merchants and craftsmen from across the Swedish Empire. Over the centuries, Raahe developed into an important center for shipbuilding and industry, while preserving its well-preserved wooden architecture. Today, Raahe stands as one of Finland’s oldest coastal towns and celebrates its heritage with annual festivals and historic sites.
1649
Raahe
Swedish
Per Brahe the Younger
1757day.year
Seven Years' War: Battle of Leuthen: Frederick II of Prussia leads Prussian forces to a decisive victory over Austrian forces under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
Frederick the Great achieves a stunning victory over Austria at the Battle of Leuthen during the Seven Years' War.
On December 5, 1757, Prussian King Frederick II achieved one of his greatest military triumphs at the Battle of Leuthen. Facing a numerically superior Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Frederick executed a daring oblique order attack that caught the Austrians off-guard. His well-timed flanking maneuver and disciplined infantry formations overwhelmed the enemy, ensuring a crushing Prussian victory. The triumph at Leuthen solidified Frederick's reputation as a master tactician and boosted Prussian morale. It also shifted the momentum of the Seven Years' War in favor of Prussia and influenced later diplomatic negotiations and alliances. Today, Leuthen remains studied as a classic example of 18th-century battlefield innovation.
1757
Seven Years' War
Battle of Leuthen
Frederick II of Prussia
Prussian
Austrian
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine