Modern Era
Coup of 2 December 1851: Louis-Napoleon Ends the Republic
The Second Republic was effectively ended; Louis-Napoleon ruled with near-dictatorial powers and became Emperor Napoleon III a year later.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Tarascan Empire and the Great Aztec Defeat of 1478
Decisive Tarascan victory; the Aztec army was largely destroyed and the Aztec-Tarascan border remained fixed until the Spanish conquest.
Middle Ages
Battle of Dan-no-ura (1185): The Fall of the Taira Clan
Decisive Minamoto victory; the Taira clan was destroyed, Emperor Antoku drowned and the Genpei War ended.
Middle Ages
First Crusade (1096-1099): From Clermont to Jerusalem
Crusader capture of Jerusalem in 1099 and creation of four Latin states in the Levant: Edessa, Antioch, Jerusalem and Tripoli.
Middle Ages
Hereford Mappa Mundi: The Medieval World on One Map
The largest surviving medieval map of the world, still kept at Hereford Cathedral.
Middle Ages
Arab Raid on Rome (846) and the Building of the Leonine Wall
The raiders plundered the basilicas outside Rome's walls; Pope Leo IV then enclosed the Vatican with the Leonine Wall (848-852).
Middle Ages
Mindaugas (1253): Lithuania's First and Only Crowned King
Mindaugas became the first and only crowned King of Lithuania, but his kingdom did not survive his murder in 1263 and the country returned to paganism.
Early Modern
Gordon Riots (1780): London's Worst Riots of the 18th Century
The army suppressed the riots, leaving several hundred dead; about two dozen rioters were hanged, while Gordon was tried for treason and acquitted.
Early Modern
Common Sense (1776): Thomas Paine's Pamphlet for Independence
A best-selling pamphlet that turned public debate in the colonies towards full independence from Britain.
Early Modern
Batavia Massacre (1740): The Killing of the Chinese in Batavia
An estimated 10,000 ethnic Chinese were killed inside Batavia, and the violence spread into the Java War of 1741-1743.
Early Modern
Tulip Period (1718-1730): Ottoman Culture and Elite Leisure
A period of relative peace and courtly cultural activity in Istanbul that ended with the Patrona Halil revolt of 1730.
Early Modern
James Watt's Steam Engine (1769): The Separate Condenser
Watt's separate condenser cut the fuel use of steam engines dramatically, and the Boulton and Watt firm made steam power practical across British industry.