Middle Ages
Wang Anshi's New Policies (1069): Reform in Song China
The New Policies raised state revenue and strengthened the army but split the Song elite into hostile factions whose struggles weakened the dynasty.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Battle of Dandanaqan (1040): Rise of the Seljuk Turks
Decisive Seljuk victory; the Ghaznavids lost Khorasan and the Seljuks began building the Great Seljuk Empire.
Middle Ages
Simon de Montfort's Parliament (1265) and the Barons' War
Montfort's regime summoned knights and town representatives to parliament, but he was killed at Evesham on 4 August 1265 and royal power was restored.
Middle Ages
Hedeby: Viking Trading Town and the Danevirke (804)
Hedeby became the largest trading centre of Viking Age Scandinavia before its destruction in the 11th century; with the Danevirke it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Middle Ages
Battle of Myriokephalon (1176): Manuel I's Defeat in Anatolia
Seljuk victory; Manuel agreed to dismantle frontier forts, and Byzantium gave up its plans to conquer Konya.
Early Modern
Seven Years' War (1756-1763): The First Truly Global Conflict
Britain won a vast empire, gaining Canada and dominance in India, while Prussia kept Silesia; the Treaties of Paris and Hubertusburg in February 1763 ended the war.
Early Modern
Brookes Slave Ship Diagram (1788): The Image That Shocked Britain
The diagram became the most widely reproduced image of the abolition campaign and a lasting symbol of the Middle Passage.
Early Modern
Boston Massacre (1770): The Shooting on King Street
Five civilians were killed; troops were withdrawn from the town, and at trial Captain Preston and six soldiers were acquitted while two were convicted of manslaughter.
Early Modern
Battle of Penghu (1683): The Qing Conquest of Taiwan
Decisive Qing victory; the Kingdom of Tungning surrendered and Taiwan was annexed to the Qing empire in 1684.
Early Modern
Siege of Candia (1648-1669): Crete's 21-Year Ottoman Siege
Ottoman victory; Venice surrendered Candia in September 1669 and the Ottomans held Crete until the nineteenth century.
Early Modern
Benjamin Franklin's Kite Experiment (1752): Taming Lightning
The experiments of 1752 showed that lightning is an electrical discharge and led to the spread of the lightning rod.
Early Modern
Spanish Fury (1576): Mutinous Spanish Troops Sack Antwerp
Antwerp was looted and several thousand inhabitants were killed; four days later the provinces signed the Pacification of Ghent against the Spanish troops.