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

A Daily Dose of History (07 Jan 2024) Today's historical events: Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England. Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia. Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two u...

A Daily Dose of History (06 Jan 2024) Today's historical events: Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eventually lead to the Norman conquest of England. Philip of Swabia undergoes a second coronation as King of the Romans. Stephe...

A Daily Dose of History (05 Jan 2024) Today's historical events: Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering, the traditional form of capital punis...

A Daily Dose of History (04 Jan 2024) Today's historical events: Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial. Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War. The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald abo...

A Daily Dose of History (03 Jan 2024) Today's historical events: The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont. The fir...

A Daily Dose of History (02 Jan 2024) Today's historical events: Reconquista: The Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders. American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey. Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution. B...

A Daily Dose of History (01 Jan 2024) Today's historical events: Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable). Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris. Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary. Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovers the coast of Brazil. The p...

A Daily Dose of History (31 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gaul. Byzantine general Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Gothic garrison of Palermo (Panormos), and ending his consulship for the year. The Lý dynasty of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor Trần Thái Tông, h...

A Daily Dose of History (30 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushing defeat on the allied armies of Leinster and Dublin near Lyons Hill in Ireland. Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in...

A Daily Dose of History (29 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. The Battle of Garigliano (1503) was fought between a Spanish army under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba and a French army comman...

A Daily Dose of History (28 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: A papal conclave begins, resulting in the election of Pope Boniface I. Majorian is acclaimed as Western Roman emperor. Alaric II succeeds his father Euric and becomes king of the Visigoths. He establishes his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour (Southern Gaul). An earthquake destroys the city of Dvin, Armenia. Edward the Confessor's Romanesq...

A Daily Dose of History (27 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated. The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World. Second Northern War/the Deluge: Monks at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa are successful in fending off a month-long siege. The Flushing Remons...

A Daily Dose of History (26 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia. Battle of Westbroek: An army of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers raised by David of Burgundy, Bishop of Utrecht, attacks an armed mob of people from nearby Utrecht who were trying to avenge the massacre of the inhabitants o...

A Daily Dose of History (25 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurelian. First documentary sign of Christmas celebration in Rome. The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary. Sweyn Forkbeard takes control of the Danelaw and is proclaimed king of England. Coronation of Mies...

A Daily Dose of History (24 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. Representatives...

A Daily Dose of History (23 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks. Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque. The Sack of Aleppo as part of the Arab-Byzantine wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo. Arauco War: Governor of Chile Martín García Óñez de Loyola is killed in the Battle of Curalaba by...

A Daily Dose of History (22 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Vespasian is proclaimed Emperor of Rome; his predecessor, Vitellius, attempts to abdicate but is captured and killed at the Gemonian stairs. Damghan earthquake: An earthquake near the Persian city of Damghan kills an estimated 200,000 people, the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang dyn...

A Daily Dose of History (21 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Pope Honorius II is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope Celestine II. After a siege of several weeks, the city of Weinsberg and its castle surrender to Conrad III of Germany. The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan. The Battle of Linuesa is fought in the context of the Span...

A Daily Dose of History (20 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after the Third Crusade. The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans. Peninsular War: The Siege of Zaragoza begins. HMS Clio under the command of Captain Onslow arrives at Port Egmont under orders to take possession...

A Daily Dose of History (19 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey. Pope Clement III is elected. Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy. The Battle of Dreux takes place during the French Wars of Religion. The ships Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery depart England carrying settlers who founded, at Ja...

A Daily Dose of History (18 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China. Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola. New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The Legislative Assembly of th...

A Daily Dose of History (17 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Romanos I Lekapenos is crowned co-emperor of the underage Constantine VII. Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies in Delhi are defeated by Timur. Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeat troops under Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg at the Siege of Godesberg. Go-Yōzei becomes Emperor of Japan. War of the Quadruple Alliance: Great...

A Daily Dose of History (16 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the Merovingian palace, dies at Jupille (modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson Theudoald, while his widow Plectrude holds actual power in the Frankish Kingdom. An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Yanjing, initiating the An Lushan Rebellion during the Tang dynasty of China...

A Daily Dose of History (15 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: Constantine VIII becomes sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire, 63 years after being crowned co-emperor. Sicilian Chancellor Stephen du Perche moves the royal court to Messina to prevent a rebellion. Mongol forces under Hulagu enter and dismantle the Nizari Ismaili (Assassin) stronghold at Alamut Castle (in present-day Iran) as part o...

A Daily Dose of History (14 Dec 2023) Today's historical events: St. Lucia's flood: The Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people. Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen of Scots at the age of one week on the death of her father, James V of Scotland. The Theresian Military Academy is founded in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Founding Father Alexander Hamilton marries Eliza...