A Daily Dose of History: Events on this Day in History

A Daily Dose of History (29 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzantine Malta. Mainz Cathedral suffers extensive damage from a fire, which destroys the building on the day of its inauguration. Pope Urban IV succeeds Pope Alexander IV, becoming the 182nd pope. Battle of Montecatini: The army of the Republic of...

A Daily Dose of History (28 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: The Roman general Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his capital city, Ravenna. Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, defeats Odoacer at the Battle of Isonzo, forcing his way into Italy. Fatimah, daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, dies, with her cause of death being a controversial topic among the Sunni Mus...

A Daily Dose of History (27 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days. Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England. The Battle of St. Quentin results in Emmanuel Philibert becoming Duke of Savoy. Pierre Barrière failed an attempt to assassinate Henry IV of France. The Treaty of Nerchinsk is signed by...

A Daily Dose of History (26 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah. The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most of Anatolia. Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolf I of Germany defeat Ottokar II of Bohemia in the Battle on the Marchfeld near Dürnkrut in (...

A Daily Dose of History (25 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: The Roman general Germanicus dies near Antioch. He was convinced that the mysterious illness that ended in his death was a result of poisoning by the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, whom he had ordered to leave the province. Emperor Constantine V humiliates nineteen high-ranking officials, after discovering a plot against him...

A Daily Dose of History (24 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, is named co-Augustus at the age of eight by his father. The Visigoths under king Alaric I begin to pillage Rome. Sack of Thessalonica by the Normans. King John of England, signer of the first Magna Carta, marries Isabella of Angoulême in Angoulême Cathedral. Six thousand Jews are killed in...

A Daily Dose of History (23 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. Odoacer, chieftain of the Germanic tribes (Herulic - Scirian foederati), is proclaimed rex Italiae ("King of Italy") by his troops. Siege of Jerusalem: The city's citadel, the Tower of David, surrenders to Khwarezmian Empire. The Battle of Tagliacozzo...

A Daily Dose of History (22 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland. Battle of the Standard between Scotland and England. The Battle of Bosworth Field, the death of Richard III and the end of the House of Plantagenet. Bartolomé Carranza, Spanish archbishop, is arr...

A Daily Dose of History (21 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège. Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin-Song Wars. Battle of the Blacks: Uprising by the black African forces of the Fatimid army, along with a number of Egyptian emirs and commoners, against Saladin. The uprising...

A Daily Dose of History (20 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Agrippa Postumus, maternal grandson of the late Roman emperor Augustus, is executed by his guards under mysterious circumstances while in exile. Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of the Levant away from the Byzantine Empire, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquests and the rapid advance of...

A Daily Dose of History (19 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Abu Yazid, a Kharijite rebel leader, is defeated and killed in the Hodna Mountains in modern-day Algeria by Fatimid forces. Baldwin III of Jerusalem takes control of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from his mother Melisende, and also captures Ascalon. Pope Pius II is elected the 211th Pope. Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland...

A Daily Dose of History (18 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria. The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle is fought to a draw between the French army and the Flemish militias. The Siege of Málaga ends with the taking of the city by Castilian and Aragonese forces. The first grammar of the Spanish...

A Daily Dose of History (17 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, perhaps from a hunger strike. Pope Leo II begins his pontificate. Byzantine-Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II...

A Daily Dose of History (16 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdanids of Mosul and the Baridis of Basra over control of the Abbasid capital, Baghdad. Nikephoros II Phokas is crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are t...

A Daily Dose of History (15 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Arab-Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between Byzantine Empire and Rashidun Caliphate begins. Arab-Byzantine wars: Raising of the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople. Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, renounces his position as majordomo and retires to a monastery near Rome. His brother Pepin the Short becomes the sole...

A Daily Dose of History (14 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: King Duncan I is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth. The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland. Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures and flee to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan. After tricking the Venetian galley fleet into sa...

A Daily Dose of History (13 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. Emperor Justinian I rewards Liberius for his service in the Pragmatic Sanction, granting him extensive estates in Italy. Maurice becomes Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Count Reginar I of Hainault rises against Zwentibold of Lotharingia and slays him near present-day Sus...

A Daily Dose of History (12 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade. Battle of Didgori: The Georgian army under King David IV wins a decisive victory over the famous Seljuk commander Ilghazi. Battle of Harim:...

A Daily Dose of History (11 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: The south-western part of Dacia (modern Romania) becomes a Roman province: Roman Dacia. Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II. Battle of Adda: The Goths under Theodoric the Great and his ally Alaric II defeat the forces of Odoacer on the Adda River, near Milan. The Qarmatians of...

A Daily Dose of History (10 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I. Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor defeats the Magyars, ending 50 years of Magyar invasion of the West. Battle of Maldon: The English, led by Byrhtnoth, Ealdorman of Essex, are defeated by a band of inland-raiding Vikings near Maldon, Essex. The Battle of Azaz ends with a humil...

A Daily Dose of History (09 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Construction of the campanile of the Cathedral of Pisa (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa) begins; it will take two centuries to complete. Quilon, the first Indian Christian Diocese, is erected by Pope John XXII; the French-born Jordanus is appointed the first Bishop. Sources cite biggest caravan trade between Podvisoki and Repu...

A Daily Dose of History (08 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Treaty of Meerssen: King Louis the German and his half-brother Charles the Bald partition the Middle Frankish Kingdom into two larger east and west divisions. Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Mudéjar revolt: Muslim rebel forces took the Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera after defeating the Castilian garris...

A Daily Dose of History (07 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Roman Emperor Majorian is beheaded near the river Iria in north-west Italy following his arrest and deposition by the magister militum Ricimer. The Avar and Slav armies leave the siege of Constantinople. Pope Stephen III is elected to office, and quickly seeks Frankish protection against the Lombard threat, since the Byzantine Empire...

A Daily Dose of History (06 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean. Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. The Treaty of The Hague is signed by Portugal and the Dutch Republic. American Revolutionary War: The bloody Battle of Oriskany prevents...

A Daily Dose of History (05 Aug 2024) Today's historical events: Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are extinguished. Roman armies enter Betar, slaughtering thousands and ending the Bar Kokhba revolt. Battle of Maserfield: Penda of Mercia d...