Middle Ages
Golden Bull of 1356: How the Holy Roman Emperor Was Elected
The election of the King of the Romans was fixed in the hands of seven prince-electors by majority vote, a system that lasted until 1806.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Otto I Crowned Emperor (962): Birth of the Holy Roman Empire
Otto I became emperor, linking the German kingship with the imperial title and with Italy in what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire.
Middle Ages
Matthias Corvinus: Renaissance King of Hungary, 1458–1490
Matthias made Hungary a major Central European power and a Renaissance centre, but his conquests and reforms did not outlast his death in 1490.
Early Modern
Assassination of Marat (1793): Charlotte Corday and the Bathtub
Marat died almost instantly; Corday was guillotined four days later, and Marat was turned into a revolutionary martyr.
Early Modern
First Inauguration of George Washington (1789) in New York
Washington became the first President of the United States, launching the executive branch created by the new Constitution.
Early Modern
Battle of Lützen (1632): The Death of Gustavus Adolphus
Tactical Swedish victory: Wallenstein withdrew, but Gustavus Adolphus and Pappenheim were both killed.
Early Modern
Le Maire and Schouten Round Cape Horn (1616): A New Route
The expedition found a sea route into the Pacific south of Tierra del Fuego, outside the Dutch East India Company's monopoly, though the VOC seized its ship at Java.
Contemporary
Paris Agreement (2015): The Global Climate Deal Agreed at COP21
Nearly every country agreed to hold global warming well below 2°C and pursue 1.5°C, through national pledges strengthened every five years; the treaty entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Contemporary
Oslo Accords 1993: Rabin, Arafat and the Israeli-Palestinian Deal
Israel and the PLO recognised each other and agreed on a five-year interim period of Palestinian self-rule, but the final-status issues were never resolved.
Contemporary
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (1983): Airliner Shot Down by USSR
All 269 people aboard were killed; the incident sharpened Cold War tensions and led to new civil aviation rules and the opening of GPS to civilian use.
Ancient World
Battle of Fei River (383): Eastern Jin Halts the Former Qin
Decisive Eastern Jin victory; the Former Qin army collapsed, Fu Jian's empire broke apart and southern China remained independent.
Ancient World
Roman Baths of Bath (Aquae Sulis): Temple and Hot Springs
A temple and bathing complex built around the sacred hot spring became one of the great religious sites of Roman Britain and survives as one of the best-preserved Roman baths in northern Europe.