Middle Ages
Great Famine of 1315–1317: Rain, Hunger and Death in Europe
Millions died, perhaps 5–12% of the population of northern Europe, and rural economies were left weakened decades before the Black Death.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Siege of Paris (885-886): Count Odo Holds the Seine
Paris was never taken, but Charles the Fat bought off the Vikings with 700 pounds of silver and let them raid Burgundy, which damaged his standing and raised Odo to the throne in 888.
Middle Ages
Union of Krewo (1385): How Poland and Lithuania Joined Forces
Jogaila agreed to marry Jadwiga, convert Lithuania to Catholic Christianity and attach his lands to Poland, creating a lasting Polish-Lithuanian union.
Early Modern
Women's March on Versailles (1789): Bringing the King to Paris
The royal family and soon the National Assembly were forced to leave Versailles for Paris, placing them under the eyes of the capital.
Early Modern
Benedict Arnold's Treason (1780): Plot to Surrender West Point
The plot was discovered before West Point could be surrendered; Arnold escaped to the British and André was hanged as a spy.
Early Modern
Sino-Nepalese War (1788-1792): The Qing Army in the Himalayas
Nepal was forced to make peace, return plunder taken from Tibet and send tribute missions to Beijing, while the Qing tightened control over Tibet.
Early Modern
Karim Khan Zand: The Ruler Who Governed Iran from Shiraz
Karim Khan reunited most of Iran after the Afsharid collapse and gave it about three decades of relative peace before the Qajars took power.
Early Modern
Lavoisier and the Chemical Revolution (1789): Modern Chemistry
Lavoisier's oxygen theory, new nomenclature and quantitative method replaced the phlogiston theory and established modern chemistry.
Early Modern
King James Bible (1611): The Authorized Version's Origins
A new English translation, printed in 1611, became the standard Bible of the English-speaking Protestant world for some three centuries.
Early Modern
Potato Arrives in Europe (c. 1570): From the Andes to Spain
The potato reached Europe via the Canary Islands and Spain by the 1560s-1570s, remained a curiosity for decades, and became a staple across much of Europe in the 18th century.
Contemporary
Syrian Civil War: From the 2011 Uprising to the Fall of Assad
After more than 13 years of war, an estimated 500,000-600,000 deaths and the displacement of over half the population, the Assad government collapsed on 8 December 2024.
Contemporary
ACT UP (1987): AIDS Activism and the Fight for Treatment
ACT UP's direct action and research advocacy helped speed up drug approval, opened clinical trials to patients and changed how medical research involved the people it affected.