Middle Ages
Ibn Battuta in India (1334-1342): Qadi at Tughluq's Court
Ibn Battuta served eight years as a qadi in Delhi before leaving as the sultan's envoy to China; his account is a major source on the Tughluq sultanate.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Goryeo Dynasty (918): Wang Geon Founds the Kingdom of Korea
Wang Geon overthrew Gung Ye and founded Goryeo, which absorbed Silla and destroyed Later Baekje to reunify the peninsula by 936 and lasted until 1392.
Middle Ages
Caliphate of Cordoba (929-1031): Abd al-Rahman III and al-Andalus
The Umayyad emir of Cordoba became caliph, ruling the most powerful state in western Europe for a century before civil war led to its abolition in 1031.
Middle Ages
Fourth Lateran Council (1215): Innocent III Reshapes the Church
The council issued 71 decrees that shaped Catholic doctrine, pastoral care and law for centuries, including rules discriminating against Jews and Muslims.
Middle Ages
Carolingian Renaissance: Learning Under Charlemagne
A revival of Latin education, book production and scholarship that reformed handwriting and preserved much of classical Latin literature.
Middle Ages
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (1051): The Monastery of the Caves
A small cave community grew into the most influential monastery of Rus and a centre of learning, pilgrimage and printing.
Early Modern
Siege of Barcelona (1713-1714): The Fall of Catalan Liberties
Barcelona fell to Bourbon forces after a final assault on 11 September 1714; Catalonia's own institutions were abolished by the Nueva Planta decree of 1716.
Early Modern
Tacky's Revolt (1760): The Great Slave Uprising in Jamaica
The revolt was crushed after months of fighting, with hundreds of rebels killed or executed and hundreds more transported off the island.
Early Modern
Braddock Expedition (1755): Disaster at the Monongahela
French and Native victory; about two-thirds of Braddock's column were killed or wounded, Braddock died of his wounds and the expedition against Fort Duquesne collapsed.
Early Modern
Dejima (1641): The Dutch Trading Post in Nagasaki Harbour
For over two centuries Dejima was Japan's only direct link with Western Europe and the channel for rangaku, Dutch learning.
Early Modern
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque): Istanbul's Ottoman Icon
The last great imperial mosque of the Ottoman classical age, still an active mosque and one of Istanbul's most famous landmarks.
Early Modern
Smallpox Inoculation in England (1721): Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Inoculation, or variolation, was adopted by the British royal family and spread across Britain and Europe, reducing smallpox deaths until vaccination replaced it.