Middle Ages
Treasure of Guarrazar: Visigothic Votive Crowns (7th Century)
The finest surviving group of Visigothic goldwork, now mainly in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Great Moravia: The First Major Slavic State in Central Europe
A powerful Slavic realm that hosted the Cyrillo-Methodian mission before collapsing under Magyar attacks in the early 10th century.
Early Modern
Glorious Revolution (1688): William of Orange Takes the Throne
James II fled to France; Parliament offered the crown jointly to William and Mary with a Declaration of Right limiting royal power.
Early Modern
Abel Tasman's Voyage (1642-1643): Tasmania and New Zealand
Tasman became the first European known to reach Tasmania, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji, and showed that Australia was not joined to a great southern continent, but found no trade for the VOC.
Early Modern
Hudson's Bay Company (1670): Fur Trade Empire in North America
A royal charter created a trading company with a monopoly over Rupert's Land, the Hudson Bay drainage basin, which it held until 1870.
Early Modern
Siege of Odawara (1590): Hideyoshi Completes Japan's Unification
The Hōjō surrendered, Ujimasa was ordered to commit suicide, and their Kantō lands passed to Tokugawa Ieyasu, completing Hideyoshi's unification of Japan.
Early Modern
Ottoman Capture of Buda (1541): Central Hungary Annexed
Buda became the seat of the Ottoman province of Budin, and Hungary was divided into three parts until the city was retaken in 1686.
Early Modern
Torricelli's Barometer (1643): The Discovery of Air Pressure
The mercury tube produced the first sustained vacuum and showed that the weight of the atmosphere supports the column, leading to the barometer.
Early Modern
Execution of Thomas More (1535): Death of a Lord Chancellor
More was convicted of treason for denying the king's supremacy over the Church and beheaded; he was canonised as a Catholic saint in 1935.
Early Modern
Battle of Diu (1509): How Portugal Won the Indian Ocean
Decisive Portuguese victory that ended Mamluk naval intervention and opened the way to Portuguese dominance of Indian Ocean sea lanes.
Contemporary
Mount St. Helens Eruption (1980): America's Deadliest Volcano
The north flank collapsed in the largest landslide in recorded history; 57 people died, the summit lost about 400 metres and some 600 square kilometres of forest were destroyed.
Contemporary
First European Parliament Elections (1979): Voting Across Europe
410 members were elected by direct universal suffrage; the Socialists formed the largest group and Simone Veil became the first president of the elected Parliament.