Middle Ages
Kenneth MacAlpin (c. 843): Picts, Scots and the Birth of Alba
Kenneth became king of the Picts; his descendants ruled the kingdom later called Alba, the core of medieval Scotland.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Battle of Legnica (1241): Mongols Defeat Henry II of Silesia
Mongol victory; Henry II was killed and his army destroyed, after which the Mongol force moved south to join the main army in Hungary.
Early Modern
Pugachev's Rebellion (1773-1775): Russia's Great Peasant Revolt
The rebellion was crushed; Pugachev was betrayed by his own followers and executed in Moscow in January 1775.
Early Modern
Declaration of Independence (1776): Text, Authors and Legacy
The Second Continental Congress declared the thirteen colonies independent of Great Britain and set out the principles on which the new nation claimed its rights.
Early Modern
Yongzheng Emperor (1722-1735): Reform and Control in Qing China
Yongzheng centralised power, reformed taxation and created the Grand Council, leaving his son Qianlong a strong state and a full treasury.
Early Modern
Treaty of Karlowitz (1699): The Ottomans Cede Hungary
The Ottoman Empire ceded most of Hungary and Transylvania to the Habsburgs, Podolia to Poland and the Morea to Venice, its first major territorial loss in Europe.
Early Modern
Lunar Society of Birmingham (c. 1765): Science Meets Industry
The informal society linked scientific research with manufacturing and helped shape the early Industrial Revolution, before declining after the Priestley Riots of 1791.
Early Modern
North Berwick Witch Trials (1590): James VI Hunts Witches
Dozens were accused and several executed; the trials shaped James VI's Daemonologie and later Scottish witch hunts.
Early Modern
Cabrillo's Expedition to California (1542-1543)
The first European survey of the coast of present-day California; Cabrillo died during the voyage and the ships returned to Mexico in April 1543.
Contemporary
Copenhagen Climate Summit (2009): COP15 and Its Accord
No binding treaty was agreed; the conference merely 'took note' of the Copenhagen Accord, which set a 2 °C goal and promised climate finance for developing countries.
Contemporary
Eurozone Crisis (2009–2015): Greece, Bailouts and Austerity
Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus received rescue loans in return for austerity and reforms; the euro survived, but Greece suffered a deep depression.
Contemporary
Wounded Knee Occupation (1973): AIM's 71-Day Standoff
The occupation ended by agreement after 71 days with two occupiers dead and a federal marshal paralysed; it drew national attention to Native American grievances.