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

A Daily Dose of History (03 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the reorganization of t...

A Daily Dose of History (02 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Sack of Rome: Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks. First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city; the second siege began five days later. London: Virginia gets new charter, extending borders from "sea to sea". The first Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, Franc...

A Daily Dose of History (01 Jun 2025) Today's historical events: Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu. Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León. Residents of Riga and Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida. A monk, John Co...

A Daily Dose of History (31 May 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome. Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus' and Cumans. King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France. Citing poor eyesi...

A Daily Dose of History (30 May 2025) Today's historical events: Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres. Beginning of the Peasants' Revolt in England. The Council of Constance, called by Emperor Sigismund, a supporter of Anti...

A Daily Dose of History (29 May 2025) Today's historical events: The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city. Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a Castile and León alliance under the command of Prince Sancho Alfónsez. Battle of Monte Porzio: A Roman...

A Daily Dose of History (28 May 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Hulao: Li Shimin, the son of the Chinese emperor Gaozu, defeats the numerically superior forces of Dou Jiande near the Hulao Pass (Henan). This victory decides the outcome of the civil war that followed the Sui dynasty's collapse in favour of the Tang dynasty. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declares the marri...

A Daily Dose of History (27 May 2025) Today's historical events: Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed. Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death. Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland. John is crowned King of England. Richard of Cornwall, and his wife, Sanchia of Provence, are crowned King and Queen...

A Daily Dose of History (26 May 2025) Today's historical events: Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe. Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Sasanids defeat the Armenians militarily but guarantee them freedom to openly practice Christianity. King Edmund I of England...

A Daily Dose of History (25 May 2025) Today's historical events: Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, back from the Moors. Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ. The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw. Ming general Wu Sangui forms an alliance with the invading Manchus and opens the gat...

A Daily Dose of History (24 May 2025) Today's historical events: The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom. Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral. The ten-year-old Lambert Simnel is crowned in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland, with the name of Edward VI in a bid to threaten King He...

A Daily Dose of History (23 May 2025) Today's historical events: Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction. Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy. The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void. Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg, and his loyalist troops...

A Daily Dose of History (21 May 2025) Today's historical events: Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as Caesar to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy. Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabids after a nine-month siege. Pope John VIII gives blessings to Branimir of Croatia and to the Croatian people, considered to be international r...

A Daily Dose of History (20 May 2025) Today's historical events: The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed Augusta is able to choose her successor for the Byzantine throne, after Zeno (late emperor) dies of dysentery. The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army und...

A Daily Dose of History (19 May 2025) Today's historical events: Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace. John II of Castile defeats the Infantes of Aragon at the First Battle of Olmedo. French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona's two sons (whom Cartier had kidnapped durin...

A Daily Dose of History (18 May 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 47. His first coronation was 28 years earlier, in 844, during the reign of his father Lothair I. First Crusade: Around 800 Jews are massacr...

A Daily Dose of History (17 May 2025) Today's historical events: Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Florida with 600 men - by 1536 only 4 survive. George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's...

A Daily Dose of History (16 May 2025) Today's historical events: Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. Having been elected on May 9, Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Gov. Thado of Mohnyin becomes king of Ava. The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-...

A Daily Dose of History (15 May 2025) Today's historical events: Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne. King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholi...

A Daily Dose of History (14 May 2025) Today's historical events: Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks. The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade. Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, making Simon de Montfort the effective ruler of England. Battle of Agnadello: In northern Italy, French forces defeat the...

A Daily Dose of History (13 May 2025) Today's historical events: Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love. Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, set sail for western lands. Mary Queen of Scots is defeated at Battle of Langside, part of Civil war betwe...

A Daily Dose of History (12 May 2025) Today's historical events: Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism. Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule. Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consor...

A Daily Dose of History (11 May 2025) Today's historical events: Constantinople is consecrated. A copy of the Diamond Sutra is printed in China, making it the oldest known dated printed book. War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army. Robert Gray commands the first expedition to sail into the Columbia River. Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated...

A Daily Dose of History (10 May 2025) Today's historical events: Scottish nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England pending the selection of a king. Jacques Cartier visits Newfoundland. King Narai nominates Phetracha as regent, leading to the revolution of 1688 in which Phetracha becomes king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Rioting occurs in London after John Wilkes is imprisoned for writing...

A Daily Dose of History (09 May 2025) Today's historical events: Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria. England and Portugal formally ratify their alliance with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor, making it the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world which is still in force. 'Abd al-Latif (Timurid monarch) is assassinated. Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of Cal...