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

A Daily Dose of History (24 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade. Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle: King Edward I of England takes the stronghold using the War Wolf. Battle of Harlaw, one of the bloodiest battles in Scotland, takes place. Be...

A Daily Dose of History (23 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I plunders the Bulgarian capital of Pliska and captures Khan Krum's treasury. A Knights Hospitaller fleet scores a crushing victory over an Aydinid fleet off Chios. Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe, France. Scanian War: Denmark-Norway captures the harbor town of Marstrand fr...

A Daily Dose of History (22 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids. First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Jerusalem. Massacre at Béziers: The first major military action of the Albigensian Crusade. Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Falkirk...

A Daily Dose of History (21 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope. Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler. The 365 Crete earthquake affected the Greek island of Crete with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing a destructive tsunami that affects the coasts of Libya and Egypt, especially Alexandria. Many thousands were...

A Daily Dose of History (20 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots. Kardam of Bulgaria defeats Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI at the Battle of Marcellae. Rollo lays siege to Chartres. Richard I of England officially invested as D...

A Daily Dose of History (19 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city. Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is recognized in Antioch and makes it his capital. Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Battle of Guadalete: Umayyad forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defea...

A Daily Dose of History (18 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Roman-Persian Wars: Emperor Julian arrives at Antioch with a Roman expeditionary force (60,000 men) and stays there for nine months to launch a campaign against the Persian Empire. Sack of Aquileia: After an earlier defeat on the Catalaunian Plains, Attila lays siege to the metropolis of Aquileia and eventually destroys it. Chinese f...

A Daily Dose of History (17 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world. Damasus II is elected pope, and dies 23 days later. The Fourth Crusade assaults Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos flees f...

A Daily Dose of History (16 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouranos at the Spercheios River in Greece. Three Roman legates break relations between Western and Eastern Christian Churches through the act of placing an Papal bull (of doubtful validity) of Excommunication on the altar o...

A Daily Dose of History (15 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: First Jewish-Roman War: Titus and his armies breach the walls of Jerusalem. (17th of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar). An Lushan Rebellion: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is ordered by his Imperial Guards to execute chancellor Yang Guozhong by forcing him to commit suicide or face a mutiny. General An Lushan has other members of the emperor'...

A Daily Dose of History (14 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: King Otto II and his Frankish army were defeated by the Muslim army of al-Qasim at Cape Colonna, Southern Italy. Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Philip II. Battle of Vítkov Hill, decisive victory of Czech Hussite forces commanded by Jan Žižka against Crusade army led by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor. A...

A Daily Dose of History (13 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-74, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England. Coronation of Alexander III as King of Scots. The Livonian Order suffers its greatest defeat in the 13th century in the Battle of Durbe against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spani...

A Daily Dose of History (12 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple. King Constantine II of Scotland, King Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, Ealdred of Bamburgh and King Owain of the Cumbrians accepted the overlordship of King Æthelstan of Engla...

A Daily Dose of History (11 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death. Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and becomes a monk (under the name Athanasius). Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur...

A Daily Dose of History (10 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Hadrian dies of heart failure at his residence on the bay of Naples, Baiae; he is buried at Rome in the Tomb of Hadrian beside his late wife, Vibia Sabina. Isshi Incident: Prince Naka-no-Ōe and Fujiwara no Kamatari assassinate Soga no Iruka during a coup d'état at the imperial palace. The Norse King Glúniairn recognises Máel...

A Daily Dose of History (09 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Hadrian, who became emperor a year ago on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Odoacer makes a night assault with his Heruli guardsmen, engaging Theoderic the Great in Ad Pinetam. Both sides suffer heavy losses, but i...

A Daily Dose of History (08 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch. Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese fleet, defeats an Angevin fleet sent to put down a rebellion on Malta. Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India...

A Daily Dose of History (07 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks. Spanish conquistadores defeat a larger Aztec army at the Battle of Otumba. Jacques Cartier makes his first contact with aboriginal peoples in what is now Canada. The Raid of the Redeswire is the last major battle between England and Scotland. The Treaty o...

A Daily Dose of History (06 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt). Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania. Pope Clement VI issues a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black Death. Ming China's Admiral Zheng He returns to Nanjing after the third treasure voyag...

A Daily Dose of History (05 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius. The Burgundian and Majorcan claimants of the Principality of Achaea meet in the Battle of Manolada. Portuguese forces under the command of Pedro Lopes de Sous...

A Daily Dose of History (04 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Pactum Sicardi, a peace treaty between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples, is signed. Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized as a saint. Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death. The Crusades: Battle of Hattin: Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem. Francesco II Ordelaffi of Fo...

A Daily Dose of History (03 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolution in 1792. Québec City is founded by Samuel de Champlain. French and Indian War: George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French f...

A Daily Dose of History (02 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Valentinian III begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire. His mother Galla Placidia ends her regency, but continues to exercise political influence at the court in Rome. Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. In China,...

A Daily Dose of History (01 Jul 2025) Today's historical events: Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Ostrogoth king, Totila, is mortally wounded. Battle of Dorylaeum: Crusaders led by prince Bohemond of Taranto defeat a Seljuk army led b...

A Daily Dose of History (30 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus. Spanish forces defeat a combined French and Navarrese army at the Battle of Noáin during the Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre. King Henry II of France is mortally wounded in a jousting match agai...