slug: iraq

label: Iraq

description: sovereign state in Western Asia

section: Religion & Belief

text: c. 2900 BC: 2600 BC: Votive statues from the Square Temple of Eshnunna (modern Tell Ashmar, Iraq) were made. One of them is now in the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Excavated 1932–1933.

title: 29th century BC

section: Culture & Society

text: c. 2300 BC – 2184 BC: The Disc of Enheduanna, from Ur (modern Muqaiyir, Iraq) is made. It is now in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

title: 23rd century BC

text: c. 2300 BC – 2200 BC: "Head of a man from Nineveh" (modern Kuyunjik, Iraq) is made. It is now in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.

title: 23rd century BC

text: c. 2120 BC: Votive statue of Gudea from Lagash (modern Iraq) is made.

title: 22nd century BC

year_label: 575 BCE

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: Ishtar Gate and throne room wall from Babylon, Iraq is made. The modified version for installation is now on display in Germany.

title: 575 BC

text: The city of Anbar (Iraq) is founded by king Shapur II.

title: 350

text: Siege of Amida: Shapur II besieges the Roman fortress of Amida (modern Diyarbakir). After seventy-three days the city is conquered and the population is massacred by the Persians. Ammianus Marcellinus is a fortunate survivor and flees to Singara (Iraq).

title: 359

date: June 26

text: June 26 – Battle of Samarra: Julian is mortally wounded in a skirmish and dies from a wound received during the fighting near Samarra (Iraq). Jovian, general of the Guard, succeeds him and is proclaimed Emperor by the troops.

title: 363

text: Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man, king of the Lakhmid kingdom (Iraq)

title: 554

text: Khosrau II annexes the Lakhmid kingdom (Southern Iraq), and puts king Nu'man III to death.

title: 602

text: As a result of a quarrel between the Lakhmid kingdom (Southern Iraq) and King Khosrau II, the Persian frontier with Arabia is no longer guarded (approximate date).

title: 605

text: Battle of Dhi Qar: Arab tribesmen of Bakr ibn Wa'il defeat a Persian force (5,000 men), at a watering place near Kufa (Southern Iraq).

title: 609

date: December 12

text: December 12 – Battle of Nineveh: Heraclius crosses the Great Zab river and, in a feigned retreat, defeats the Persian army (12,000 men) under Rhahzadh, near the ruins of Nineveh (Iraq). Although wounded, Heraclius refuses to leave the battlefield, and in a final cavalry charge personally kills the Persian general.

title: 627

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

date: April

text: April – Battle of Chains (Kuwait) and Battle of River (Iraq): A Muslim army (18,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid invades Mesopotamia, and wins decisive victories.

title: 633

text: Battle of Firaz: The Rashidun Arabs (15,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid defeat the combined forces of the Byzantine Empire, Persian Empire and Arab Christians (at least 10 times larger than Khalid's army) in Mesopotamia (Iraq).

title: 634

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The city of Basra (modern Iraq) is founded on the Shatt al-Arab, at the head of the Persian Gulf. The port will become a major trading center for commodities from Arabia, India, and Persia.

title: 636

text: The Muslims replace Zoroastrianism with Islam in Mesopotamia (later Iraq); they do not force their conquered subjects to embrace the Islamic faith, but they do require acceptance of the Quran as the doctrine of divine teaching, and will oblige their subjects to learn Arabic (approximate date).

title: 637

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Abu Musa al-Asha'ari, companion (sahabah) of Muhammad, establishes Hafar al-Batin, located in the northeastern region of the Arabian Peninsula. He orders the digging for new wells, along this desert route that Muslims travel from Iraq to Mecca for the Hajj (pilgrimage).

title: 638

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

date: June 17

text: June 17 – Uthman ibn Affan is murdered at Medina after an 11-year reign. He is succeeded by Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi-Talib, who becomes the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. He makes Kufah (Iraq) his capital, but the succession is disputed.

title: 656

text: Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, Muslim general and a member of the Umayyad clan, is appointed governor of Iraq (Basra) and the former Persian provinces (approximate date).

title: 662

section: Events › By place › Arab Empire

text: Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, former governor of Mesopotamia, tries to regain control of his province, as the various Muslim tribes in the region Kufa (Iraq) are engaged in an Islamic civil war.

title: 686

text: Battle of Maskin: An Umayyad army under caliph Abd al-Malik defeats the rebel forces in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). He reconquers the Arabian Peninsula, taking the holy city of Medina.

title: 691

text: Syrian forces under Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, governor of Iraq, defeat the Persian Kharijites, who have captured the city of Mosul and occupy large parts of Mesopotamia (approximate date).

title: 697

text: Battle of Dayr al-Jamajim: Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan sends Syrian troops to reinforce the Muslim army of Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. He faces a 200,000-man army under Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath near Kufa (modern Iraq). Al-Ash'ath is defeated, and his rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate fails.

title: 701

text: Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, governor of Mesopotamia, dies at Wasit (Iraq) after a 20-year administration. He is credited for improving agricultural production and introducing the diacritic points to the Arabic script. Al-Hajjaj convinces Al-Walid I to adopt an Arab currency.

title: 714

section: Crime & Justice

text: Yazid ibn al-Muhallab, former governor of Iraq, revolts and is defeated at Basra, by Umayyad forces under Al-Abbas ibn al-Walid and Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik. He is arrested and later executed.

title: 720

date: February 6

text: February 6 – Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik dies after a 19-year reign, in which the Arab expansion in Europe has been stopped and the Umayyad Caliphate has come under pressure from the Turks in Central Asia and Berbers in North Africa. He is succeeded by his nephew Al-Walid II, who has Khalid al-Qasri, former governor of Iraq, imprisoned and tortured.

title: 743

text: Abbasid Revolution: Muslim forces under Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i defeat a large Umayyad army (50,000 men) at Isfahan, and invade Iraq, taking the city of Kufa.

title: 749

text: Ibn al-Muqaffa', Muslim writer and thinker, is tortured at Basra (modern Iraq), on orders from Caliph al-Mansur. His limbs are severed and he is thrown, still alive, into a burning oven (approximate date).

title: 756

section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate

text: Khalid ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwarrudhi and Ali ibn Isa al-Asturlabi travel to the Plain of Sinjar (modern Iraq), under orders of Caliph Al-Ma'mun, to measure the size of the Earth.

title: 827

section: Events › By topic › Science

date: January 5

text: January 5 – Caliph Al-Mu'tasim dies at Samarra (modern Iraq), after an eight year reign. He is succeeded by his son Al-Wathiq, as ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate.

title: 842

text: The Great Mosque of Samarra (modern Iraq) is completed during the reign of Caliph Al-Mutawakkil.

title: 851

text: The Zanj Rebellion: The Zanj (black slaves from East Africa) capture the Abbasid seaport of Al-Ubullah at the Persian Gulf, and cut off communications with Basra (modern Iraq).

title: 870

text: The Zanj Rebellion: The Zanj (black slaves from East Africa) defeat the Abbasid forces, led by caliphal regent Al-Muwaffaq (brother of caliph Al-Mu'tamid). Hostilities in Mesopotamia (Southern Iraq) will preoccupy Al-Muwaffaq, and the Zanj will remain on the offensive over the next several years.

title: 872

text: Zanj Rebellion: The Zanj (black slaves from East Africa) in Mesopotamia seize Wasit (modern Iraq), and establish a presence in the Persian province of Khuzestan.

title: 878

text: The Zanj Rebellion: Abbasid general Al-Muwaffaq brings in Egyptian forces, to help him in his two-year siege of the Zanj capital Mukhtara. He captures the city, and crushes the revolt that has devastated Chaldea (modern Iraq) since 869.

title: 883

text: Battle of Tawahin: Muslim forces (4,000 men) of the Abbasid Caliphate, under Al-Mu'tadid, are defeated near Ramlah (modern Israel) by Khumarawayh, ruler of the Tulunid dynasty. This ends the Abbasid attempt to recover Syria from the Tulunids. A large part of the Abbasid army is captured, and transported to Egypt. Khumarawayh aims for reconciliation with the caliphal government, and allows the soldiers who want to return to modern-day Iraq to depart without ransom, while offering the rest the opportunity to settle in Egypt.

title: 885

text: Saadia Gaon, a Jewish rabbi and philosopher, compiles his Siddur (Jewish prayer book) in Arabic and synagogal poetry in modern-day Iraq (approximate date).

title: 940

section: Events › By topic › Literature

text: Spring – Allied with the Rus', a Hungarian army raids Moesia and Thrace. Emperor Romanos I buys peace, and accepts to pay a yearly tribute (protection money) to the Hungarians. His frontiers now 'protected' on the Balkan Peninsula, Romanos sends a Byzantine expeditionary force (80,000 men) led by general John Kourkouas (his commander-in-chief) to invade northern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq).

title: 943

text: The Al-Askari Mosque is built in Samarra (modern Iraq).

title: 944

text: The Imam Ali Mosque, located in Najaf (modern Iraq), is completed by 'Adud al-Dawla.

title: 977

section: Science & Discovery

date: April 30

text: April 30 – The brightest supernova ever recorded, SN 1006, occurs in the constellation of Lupus. It is observed and described in China, Japan, Iraq, Egypt, and Europe and possibly depicted in North American rock art. Modern astronomers now consider its distance at about 7,200 light-years. The supernova provides enough light to read by on a night with a dark moon.

title: 1006

section: Events › By topic › Astronomy

date: December 22

text: December 22 – Baha' al-Dawla, Buyid emir of Iraq

title: 1012

text: May – Musharrif al-Dawla, Buyid emir of Iraq (b. 1003)

title: 1025

text: Winter – The Seljuk Turks led by Sultan Tughril capture Baghdad and enter the city in a Roman-styled triumph. Al-Malik al-Rahim, the last Buyid emir in Iraq, is taken prisoner.

title: 1055

text: Sultan Malik-Shah I rebuilds the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf (modern Iraq), after it was destroyed by fire.

title: 1086

text: Summer – Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk governor (atabeg) of Aleppo and Mosul, marches on Baghdad (the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate), to add it to his dominions. He is defeated by the forces of Caliph Al-Mustarshid, near Tikrit (modern Iraq). Zengi flees and escapes, with the help of Tikrit's governor Najm ad-Din Ayyub (the father of Saladin), who conveys him across the River Tigris.

title: 1132

text: The Abbasid Caliph, Al-Nasir, takes military action against the Ayyubid Sultan, Al-Aziz Uthman, who controls Egypt and Syria. The Caliph mobilizes his forces and marches into Mesopotamia, directly challenging Ayyubid authority in the region of Iraq.

title: 1195

text: May 20 – An earthquake shakes the Levant from Egypt to northern Iraq, causing severe damage in Palestine, Lebanon and western Syria, including the fortifications of the Crusader cities of Acre, Jaffa and Tyre.

title: 1202

text: Winter – Mongol forces move down from their base at Hamadan, while Baiju Noyan crosses the river Tigris at Mosul with his army. On the left-wing Kitbuqa enters the plain of Iraq, while Mongol forces under Hulagu Khan advance through Kermanshah.

title: 1257

text: The consequences of the volcanic 1257 Samalas eruption in Indonesia include the following anecdotal accounts: very dry fog in France; lunar eclipses in England; severe winter in Europe; a harsh spring in Iceland; famine in England, Germany, France and Italy; and pestilence in London, parts of France, Austria, Iraq, Syria, and southeast Turkey.

title: 1258

text: June 13 – Al-Mustansir II becomes the first Abbasid ruler in Cairo (after his escape during the Siege of Baghdad). He is sent with an army by Sultan Baibars to recover Baghdad, but is killed in a Mongol ambush near Anbar (modern Iraq), on November 28. The Abbasid caliphs continue as religious figureheads for the Mamluks in Egypt until the 16th century.

title: 1261

text: July 1 – The Citadel of Erbil, headquarters of a rebellion by 10,000 Eastern Christians and located in what is now Iraq, is captured after a siege by the Mongol Ilkhanate, and the defenders are massacred.

title: 1310

text: Shaikh Hasan Jalayir succeeds his father, Shaykh Uways Jalayir, as ruler of the Jalayirid Sultanate in modern-day Iraq and western Iran. Hasan proves to be an unpopular ruler and is executed on October 9 and succeeded by his brother, Shaikh Hussain Jalayir.

title: 1374

text: October 8 – Shaikh Hasan Jalayir became the ruler of the Jalayirid Sultanate, in what is now Iraq, as the eldest son of the late Shaykh Uways Jalayir, who had been Sultan since 1356, but would reign for only one day.

title: 1374

text: Qara Muhammad succeeds Bairam Khawaja, as ruler of the Kara Koyunlu ("Black Sheep Turkomans"), in modern-day Armenia and northern Iraq.

title: 1384

text: Timur conquers the Empire of The Black Sheep Turkomans, in present-day Azerbaijan, and the Jalayirid dynasty in present-day Iraq. Black Sheep ruler Qara Yusuf and Jalayirid Sultan Ahmad flee, and take refuge with the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I.

title: 1400

text: The Aq Qoyunlu ("White Sheep Turkmen") tribal confederation, in modern-day northern Iraq and Iran, moves its capital from Amida to Diyarbakır.

title: 1402

text: July 2 – At Erciş in what is now Turkey, Iskandar ibn Yusuf is crowned as the Sultan of Qara Qoyunlu, a kingdom encompassing what are now eastern Turkey, northwestern Iran and northern Iraq, northern Armenia and all of Azerbaijan.

title: 1421

text: June 8 – After a siege of seven months, Baghdad is captured by the Sultan Jahan Shah of Qara Qoyunlu, whose forces move into what is now Iraq.

title: 1446

text: April 28 – Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa, leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church in modern-day Iraq, is recognized by Pope Julius III as the Patriarch of Mosul.

title: 1553

text: The Treaty of Zuhab is signed between the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire and Safavid Persia, delineating the modern Turkey-Iran and Iraq-Iran border lines.

title: 1639

text: January 13 – WWI: Battle of Wadi – Ottoman Empire forces defeat the British, during the Mesopotamian campaign in modern-day Iraq.

title: 1916

text: October 3 – Iraq becomes an independent kingdom under Faisal, ending the British mandate.

title: 1932

text: August 7 – Simele massacre: More than 3,000 Assyrian Iraqis are killed by Iraqi government troops.

title: 1933

text: April 4 – Faisal II becomes King of Iraq aged three, following the death of his father, Ghazi, in an automobile incident.

title: 1939

text: May 15 – 1948 Arab–Israeli War: The British Mandate of Palestine is officially terminated; expeditionary forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria and Iraq invade Israel and clash with Israeli forces after declaring war.

title: 1948

text: March – The Israeli government organizes Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, a mass airlift of Jews out of Iraq.

title: 1951

text: February 14 – The Hashemite Kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan unite in the Arab Federation, with King Faisal II of Iraq as head of state.

title: 1958

text: September 14 – The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

title: 1960

text: June 25 – Iraqi president Abd al-Karim Qasim announces his intention to annex newly independent Kuwait (such an annexation will occur in 1990).

title: 1961

text: June 5 – Six-Day War begins: Israel launches Operation Focus, an attack on Egyptian Air Force airfields; the allied armies of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan invade Israel. Battle of Ammunition Hill, start of the Jordanian campaign

title: 1967

text: March 6 – Algiers Agreement: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement in their border dispute.

title: 1975

text: July 16 – Iraqi President Hasan al-Bakr resigns and Vice President Saddam al-Tikriti, more commonly referred to in the Western press as "Saddam Hussein", assumes the presidency.

title: 1979

text: September 22 – The command council of Iraq orders its army to "deliver its fatal blow on Iranian military targets", initiating the Iran–Iraq War.

title: 1980

text: June 7 – Operation Opera: The Israeli Air Force destroys Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, killing ten Iraqi troops and a French technician.

title: 1981

text: February 7 – Iraqi club Al-Shorta win the 1982 Arab Club Champions Cup with a 4–2 aggregate win over Al-Nejmeh in the final.

title: 1982

text: May 17 – Iran–Iraq War: is hit by two Iraqi-owned Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles killing 37 sailors.

title: 1987

text: March 16 – The Halabja chemical attack is carried out by Iraqi government forces.

title: 1988

text: March 25 – The International Atomic Energy Agency orders Iraq to destroy an industrial complex at Al Atheer that is being used to manufacture nuclear weapons.

title: 1992

text: January 19 – Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq refuses to allow UNSCOM inspectors to use its own aircraft to fly into Iraq and begins military operations in the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait, and the northern Iraqi no-fly zones. U.S. forces fire approximately 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Baghdad factories linked to Iraq's illegal nuclear weapons program (→ January 1993 airstrikes on Iraq). Iraq then informs UNSCOM that it will be able to resume its flights.

title: 1993

text: June 8 – Kurdish–Turkish conflict: the PKK-declared ceasefire ends in Iraq.

title: 1993

text: March 17 – The Kurdistan Workers' Party announces a unilateral ceasefire in Iraq.

title: 1993

text: June 29 – Iraq disarmament crisis: According to UNSCOM, the unity of the U.N. Security Council begins to fray as a few countries, particularly France and Russia, become more interested in making financial deals with Iraq than in disarming the country.

title: 1995

text: Iraq disarmament crisis: U.N. Inspector Scott Ritter attempts to conduct surprise inspections on the Republican Guard facility at the airport but is blocked by Iraqi officials.

title: 1996

text: April 18 – 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings: A series of attacks take place across Baghdad, Iraq, killing nearly 200 people.

title: 2007

text: August 14 – Multiple suicide bombings kill 572 people in Qahtaniya, northern Iraq.

title: 2007

text: February 3 – A truck bomb explodes in Baghdad, Iraq, killing at least 135 people and injures 339 others.

title: 2007

text: December 8 – A series of attacks in Baghdad, Iraq kill at least 127 people and injure at least 448 more.

title: 2009

text: October 25 – Two suicide attacks in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 155 people and injure at least 721 people.

title: 2009

text: August 8 – American-led intervention in Iraq: The United States military begins an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIL militants.

title: 2014

text: June 12 – In the Camp Speicher massacre in Iraq, ISIL kills 1,566 Shia Iraqi Air Force cadets. It is the second deadliest terrorist attack in history and the deadliest attack conducted by ISIL.

title: 2014

text: June 5 – A Sunni militant group now calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) begins an offensive through northern Iraq, aiming to capture the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and overthrow the Shiite government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

title: 2014

title: 2017

text: November 3 – Syrian Civil War: both Deir ez-Zor in Syria and Al-Qa'im in Iraq are declared liberated from ISIL on the same day.

title: 2017

text: September 25 – The Kurdistan Region votes in a referendum to become an independent state, in defiance of Iraq; by October 15, the crisis escalates into a short-lived armed conflict over disputed territories.

title: 2017

text: October 5 – 2019 Iraqi protests: 91 people are killed by police during a week of demonstrations in Iraq.

title: 2019

title: 2020

text: March 6 – Pope Francis meets with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq. It is the first-ever meeting between a pope and a grand ayatollah.

title: 2021

text: June 23 – Iran launches missiles at US bases in Qatar and Iraq in response to the previous day's strikes.

title: 2025


slug: ireland

label: Ireland

description: island in the North Atlantic Ocean

section: Deaths

text: 1684 BC—Death of Érimón, Irish legend

title: 1680s BC

section: Significant people

year_label: 658 BCE

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: End of the rule of Énna Derg in Ireland (according to Foras Feasa ar Éirinn by Geoffrey Keating).

title: 658 BC

section: Events

section: Conflict & Security

date: November 1

text: November 1 – The Battle of Samhain is fought in Ireland (approximate date).

title: 241

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Great Conspiracy: The Roman garrison on Hadrian's Wall revolts and allows Picts from Caledonia to devastate Britain. Simultaneously Attacotti, the Scotti from Hibernia (Ireland), and the Saxons from Germania invade the island's mid-western and south-eastern borders. They sack the cities and murder, rape or enslave Romano-British civilians.

title: 367

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

text: Winter – The barbarians are driven back to their homelands, Hadrian's Wall is retaken and order returns to the Roman diocese. Theodosius reorganises the abandoned forts and mounts punitive expeditions in Hibernia (Ireland).

title: 368

text: Niall becomes High King of Ireland.

title: 379

section: Births

text: Saint Patrick, missionary in Ireland (approximate date)

title: 385

text: Saint Patrick reaches Ireland on his missionary expedition (approximate date).

title: 430

text: Pope Celestine I dispatches Palladius to serve as bishop to the Irish.

title: 431

text: Amalgaid mac Fiachrae, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 440

text: The Irish city of Armagh is founded by Saint Patrick the Great.

title: 444

text: Ireland: The Diocese of Armagh is created.

title: 445

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: The Cor Tewdws (College of Theodosius), Llantwit Major (Wales), is supposedly burned down by Irish pirates.

title: 446

text: Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 446

text: Ireland: The Diocese of Clogher is erected.

title: 454

text: Palladius, first bishop of Ireland (approximate date)

title: 461

text: Eógan mac Néill, king of Tír Eoghain (Ireland)

title: 465

text: The army of King Ceretic of Strathclyde raids the Irish coast, carries off some of Saint Patrick's followers, and sells them into slavery (approximate date).

title: 471

section: Events › By place › Britannia

text: Ireland: The Diocese of Connor is erected.

title: 480

text: Conall Cremthainne, king of Uisneach (Ireland)

title: 480

text: Ailill Molt, High King of Ireland (approximate date)

title: 482

text: Crimthann mac Énnai, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 483

date: March 17

text: March 17 (approximate date) – Saint Patrick, Romano-British Christian missionary, patron saint of Ireland

title: 493

text: Approximate year of the invention of the bee skep in Ireland.

title: AD 500

text: Dauí Tenga Uma, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: AD 500

text: Moninne of Killeavy, one of Ireland's early women saints (approximate date)

title: 518

text: In Ireland, the Diocese of Kildare is erected.

title: 519

text: Ardgal mac Conaill, king of Uisneach (Ireland)

title: 520

text: Eógan Bél, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 542

text: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory (which still exists) is founded in Ireland.

title: 549

date: January

text: January – Ailill Inbanda, king of Connacht (Ireland) (killed in battle)

title: 549

text: In Ireland, the Diocese of Tuam is erected.

title: 550

text: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath is established in Ireland.

title: 552

text: Echu Tirmcharna, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 556

text: The Battle of Cúl Drebene (modern Ireland) is fought between the Northern and Southern Uí Néill (approximate date).

title: 561

section: Events › By place › Britain

text: Eochaid mac Domnaill, High King of Ireland

title: 572

text: Áed mac Echach, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 575

text: Brendan, Irish abbot (approximate date)

title: 577

text: Irish missionaries preach in Scotland and Germany (approximate date).

title: 600

text: Aedh Buidhe, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 600

text: Schuttern Abbey (Germany) is founded by the wandering Irish monk Offo.

title: 603

text: Brandub mac Echach, king of Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)

title: 605

text: Suibne Menn, High King of Ireland

title: 628

date: October 29

text: October 29 – Saint Colman mac Duagh, Irish abbot and bishop

title: 632

text: Congal Cáech, high king of Dál nAraidi (Ireland)

title: 637

date: June 24

text: June 24 – Battle of Mag Rath: King Oswald of Northumbria sends troops to Ireland, to assist Domnall Brecc King of Dál Riata in his alliance with King Congal Cáech of Ulaid against Domnall mac Áedo High King of Ireland, during the Irish dynastic wars. Domnall Brecc, Congal and their forces are defeated near Moira. At the Mull of Kintyre (southwest Scotland), Domnall mac Áedo's fleet destroys Domnall Brecc's naval force of Dál Riata.

title: 637

text: Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib, king of Munster (Ireland)

title: 639

text: Marcán mac Tommáin, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 653

text: Conall Cóel, high king of Ireland

title: 654

text: Crundmáel Erbuilc, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)

title: 656

text: Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 663

text: 1 May – A solar eclipse affects areas along a line from Central America, through eastern North America, the North Atlantic, Ireland, Great Britain and Germany.

title: 664

section: Events › By place › North America & Europe

text: Colman of Lindisfarne, accompanied by 30 disciples, sails for Ireland, settling down at Inishbofin and founds a monastery.

title: 668

text: Fithceallach mac Flainn, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 691

text: Fáelchar ua Máele Ódrain, king of Osraige (Ireland)

title: 693

text: Council of Birr: The northern part of Ireland accepts the Roman calculations for celebrating Easter. At this synod Adomnán, abbot of Iona (Scotland), promulgates his Cáin Adomnáin ("Law of the Innocents").

title: 697

text: Cellach mac Rogallaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 705

text: Seachnasach, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: AD 711

text: Bran ua Máele Dúin, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)

title: 712

text: Winning, an Irish monk, lands at the mouth of the River Garnock in Scotland, and establishes a community or cell of monks (termed cella or "Kil" in Gaelic).

title: 715

text: Cináed mac Írgalaig, also known as "the one-eyed", becomes High King of Ireland.

title: 724

text: Murchad mac Brain Mut, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: AD 727

text: Domnall mac Cellaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 728

text: Cathal mac Muiredaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 735

text: Áed mac Colggen, king of the Uí Cheinnselaig (Ireland)

title: 738

text: Áed Balb mac Indrechtaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 742

text: Cathal Maenmaighe, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 745

text: Maelimarchair, bishop of Aughrim (Ireland)

title: 746

text: Indrechtach mac Dungalaig, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 748

text: Ailello hui Daimine, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 749

text: Inreachtach mac Dluthach, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 750

text: Fergus mac Fogartaig, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 751

text: Forggus mac Cellaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 756

text: Cummascach mac Flainn, king of Uí Failghe (Ireland)

title: AD 757

text: Dúngal mac Amalgado, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 759

text: Muiredach mac Murchado, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 760

text: Donngal mac Laidcnén, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)

title: 761

text: The Annals of Tigernach tell of a shortage of bread in Ireland.

title: 765

text: Flaithbertach mac Loingsig, High King of Ireland

title: 765

text: Fallomon mac Con Congalt, king of Mide (Ireland)

title: 766

text: Aedh Ailghin, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: AD 767

text: Dub-Indrecht mac Cathail, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 768

text: Tallaght Monastery is founded in Ireland by Máel Ruain; it becomes a centre of learning and piety, particularly associated with the Culdees' (Céli Dé) spiritual reform movement.

title: 769

text: Conchubhar mac Cumasgach, king of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne (Ireland)

title: 769

text: Cennselach mac Brain, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)

title: 770

text: Coirpre mac Fogartaig, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 771

text: Dúngal mac Cellaig, king of Osraige (Ireland)

title: 772

text: Donn Cothaid mac Cathail, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 773

text: Nuada ua Bolcain, abbot of Tuam (Ireland)

title: 776

text: Cellach mac Dúnchada, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 776

text: Feardomhnach, abbot of Tuam (Ireland)

title: AD 777

text: Congalach mac Conaing, king of South Brega (Ireland)

title: 778

text: Dunchadh ua Daimhine, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 780

text: Conall mac Fidhghal, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 782

text: Diarmait mac Conaing, king of South Brega (Ireland)

title: 786

text: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the first appearance of Vikings in England. The Viking raid on Portland in Dorset is the first of its kind recorded in the British Isles, including Ireland. The reeve of Dorchester (a local high-ranking official) goes to greet them after they land, perhaps accustomed to welcoming Scandinavian merchants. He is killed. Viking attacks increase in intensity over the coming decades.

title: 789

text: Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 789

text: Irish monks (known as the Papar), possibly members of a Hiberno-Scottish mission, supposedly reach Iceland in hide-covered coracles, and begin settlements (approximate date). However, the evidence for this is scant.

title: 790

text: Artgal mac Cathail, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 791

text: Cináed mac Artgail, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 792

text: In the earliest recorded Viking raid on Ireland, they attack the monasteries at Iona (Inner Hebrides), Inishbofin and Inishmurray (approximate date).

title: 795

text: Bran Ardchenn, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 795

text: Colla mac Fergusso, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 796

text: The Book of Kells is written and illuminated in a Columban monastery, in Ireland (approximate date).

title: 800

text: Ailill mac Fergusa, king of South Brega (Ireland)

title: 800

text: Cernach mac Fergusa, king of South Brega (Ireland)

title: 805

text: Vikings massacre Columba's monks, and all the inhabitants on the island of Iona (Scotland). Other monks flee to safety in the monastery of Kells (Ireland). They take with them the Book of Kells.

title: 806

text: Eochaid mac Fiachnai, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 810

text: Flann mac Congalaig, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 812

text: Muirgius mac Tommaltaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 815

text: Cernach mac Congalaig, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 818

text: Áed Oirdnide, king of Ailech (Ireland)

title: 819

text: Fedelmid mac Crimthainn assumes the kingship as ruler of Munster (modern Ireland).

title: 820

text: Máel Bressail mac Ailillo, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 825

text: The town of Clondalkin (modern Ireland) is sacked by Vikings from Denmark, and the monastery is burnt to the ground.

title: 832

text: Conchobar mac Donnchada, High King of Ireland

title: 833

text: Cellach mac Brain, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 834

text: Bran mac Fáeláin, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 838

text: Vikings from Norway capture Dublin and establish a Norse kingdom in Ireland, and also at about this date make their first overwintering at Lough Neagh in the north of Ireland.

title: 840

text: The town of Dyflin (meaning "Black Pool") or Dublin (modern Ireland) is founded by Norwegian Vikings, on the south bank of the River Liffey. The settlement is fortified with a ditch and an earth rampart, with a wooden palisade on top. The Norsemen establish a wool weaving industry, and there is also a slave trade. An artificial hill is erected, where the nobility meets to make laws and discuss policy.

title: 841

text: Vikings attack the Irish monastery at Clonmacnoise from bases in Ireland.

title: 842

text: Dúngal mac Fergaile, king of Osraige (Ireland)

title: 842

text: Fergus mac Fothaid, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 843

text: Fedelmid mac Crimthainn, king of Munster (Ireland)

title: 847

text: Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid, High King of Mide, defeats a Norse Viking army at Sciath Nechtain in Ireland (approximate date).

title: 848

text: Conaing mac Flainn, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 849

text: Cináed mac Conaing, king of Brega (Ireland)

title: 851

text: Áilgenán mac Donngaile, king of Munster (Ireland)

title: 853

text: Matudán mac Muiredaig, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 857

text: Máel Gualae, king of Munster (Ireland)

title: 859

text: Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid, High King of Ireland

title: 862

text: Viking raiders, led by Olaf the White, arrive in Scotland from the Viking settlement of Dublin (Ireland). He rampages the country, until his defeat in battle by King Constantine I.

title: 864

text: Lorcán mac Cathail, king of Uisneach (Ireland)

title: 864

text: Tigernach mac Fócartai, king of Lagore (Ireland)

title: 865

text: Donnchad mac Aedacain, king of Uisneach (Ireland)

title: 867

text: King Áed Findliath drives the invading Danes and Norwegians out of Ireland, after defeating them at the Battle of Killineery.

title: 868

text: Uathmharan mac Brocan, king of Aidhne (Ireland)

title: 871

text: Cenn Fáelad hua Mugthigirn, king of Munster (Ireland)

title: 872

text: Lethlobar mac Loingsig, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 873

text: Battle of Strangford Lough: King Halfdan I leaves for Ireland, in an attempt to claim the Kingdom of Dublin from his rival Bárid mac Ímair. He is killed in battle at Strangford Lough, and a probable interregnum follows in York.

title: 877

text: Áed Findliath, high king of Ireland

title: 879

text: Ainbíth mac Áedo, Dál Fiatach king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 882

text: Eochocán mac Áedo, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 883

text: Muiredach mac Brain, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 885

text: Airemón mac Áedo, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 886

text: Áed mac Conchobair, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: AD 888

text: Bécc mac Airemóin, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 893

text: Muiredach mac Eochocáin, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 895

text: Aitíth mac Laigni, king of Ulaid (Ireland)

title: 898

text: Tadg mac Conchobair, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 900

text: September 13 – Cormac mac Cuilennáin, king of Munster (Ireland)

title: 908

text: Cerball mac Muirecáin, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 909

text: Domnall mac Áeda, king of Ailech (Ireland)

title: 915

text: Augaire mac Ailella, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 917

text: Ragnall ua Ímair, a Viking chief from Ireland, takes control of the Norse Kingdom of York (also referred to as Jórvik) and the English-ruled Earldom of Northumbria. He establishes himself as king at York.

title: 919

text: Mael Macduach, king of Hy Fiachrach (Ireland)

title: 920

text: February 26 – Muirchertach mac Néill, king of Ailech (Ireland)

title: 943

text: Cennétig mac Lorcáin, king of Tuadmumu (Ireland)

title: 951

text: Cellachán Caisil, king of Munster (Ireland)

title: 954

text: Donnchadh mac Urchadh, king of Maigh Seóla (Ireland)

title: 959

text: Murchadh mac Aodha, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 960

text: Toichleach ua Gadhra, king of Gailenga (Ireland)

title: 964

text: Cormac ua Cillín, abbot of Tuamgraney (Ireland)

title: 966

text: Battle of Sulcoit in Ireland: The Irish of the Dál gCais led by Brian Boru defeats the Viking forces of Limerick. After the battle the Dál gCais seize and burn the Viking stronghold of Limerick. Ending of Norse expansion in Ireland.

title: 968

text: Comhaltan Ua Clerigh, king of Hy Fiachrach (Ireland)

title: 978

text: Domnall ua Néill (or Donal O'Neill), High King of Ireland

title: 980

text: Aed Ua Dubhda, king of Uí Fiachrach (Ireland)

title: 983

text: Domnall Claen, king of Leinster (Ireland)

title: 984

text: Muirgus mac Domnaill, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)

title: 985

text: Approximate date – Norse Viking settlers establish a mint in Dublin (Ireland), to produce silver pennies.

title: 992

text: Maelcairearda, king of Uí Briúin (Ireland)

title: 993

text: Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada, king of Osraige (Ireland)

title: 996

text: Muirgheas mac Aedh, king of Uí Díarmata (Ireland) (killed)

title: AD 999

text: High King of Ireland Brian Boru makes a second expedition to the north, to take hostages from the northern kingdoms. During this campaign he visits Armagh – making an offering of 20 ounces of gold to the church and confirming to the apostolic see of Saint Patrick, ecclesiastical supremacy over the whole of Ireland.

title: 1005

text: Fiachra Ua Focarta, abbot of Clonfert (Ireland)

title: 1006

text: Máel Mórda mac Murchada starts a rebellion against High King Brian Boru in Ireland, which ends in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf.

title: 1012

text: Mac Cú Ceanain, king of Uí Díarmata (Ireland)

title: 1021

text: Dogra mac Dúnadach, king of Síol Anmchadha (Ireland)

title: 1027

text: Cathal mac Ruaidhri, king of Maigh Seóla (Ireland)

title: 1043

text: Domnall Ua Lochlainn, High King of Ireland (d. 1121)

title: 1048

text: In Ireland, the Diocese of Waterford is established.

title: 1096

text: Enna mac Donnchada mac Murchada becomes King of Dublin in Ireland.

title: 1118

text: Malachy is appointed archbishop of Armagh in Ireland, to impose the Roman liturgy on the independent Irish Church.

title: 1132

text: Diarmait Mac Murchada has the abbey of Kildare in Ireland burned, and the abbess raped. He becomes king of the province of Leinster.

title: 1132

text: Synod of Kells-Mellifont: The present diocesan system of Ireland is established (with later modifications), and the primacy of Armagh is recognized.

title: 1152

text: Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn, High King of Ireland

title: 1166

text: Diarmaid mac Murchadha (or Dermot), former king of Leinster, returns to Ireland with an advance party of Flemings under Richard fitz Godbert de Roche.

title: 1167

text: July – King Henry II decides to lead a military expedition to Ireland and summons Richard de Clare (Strongbow) to join forces. In September, Richard travels to England and promises his loyalty to Henry. He is granted Leinster as a fiefdom and is honored with the post of "royal constable in Ireland". The army is assembled at Pembroke – several siege towers are shipped over, should Henry need to assault the Norman-held towns (or others such as Cork and Limerick).

title: 1171

text: October – Battle of Thurles: Gaelic-Irish forces under King Domnall Mór Ua Briain defeat an Anglo-Norman invasion at Thurles in Ireland. The English expedition led by Earl Richard de Clare (Strongbow) is surprised while encamped in the area of Lognafola and is forced to retreat to Waterford.

title: 1174

text: Treaty of Windsor: High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair relinquishes his title and agrees to submit to Henry II as vassal of Connacht in Ireland.

title: 1175

text: King Henry II removes Hugh de Lacy, lord of Meath, from his position as procurator of Ireland, possibly because of his having married the daughter of High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair.

title: 1181

text: August – William Marshal marries the 17-year-old Isabel de Clare (daughter of Richard de Clare). Through this marriage, he becomes 1st Earl of Pembroke, acquiring huge estates in England, Normandy, Wales and Ireland.

title: 1189

text: December 2 – Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, High King of Ireland

title: 1198

text: Autumn – William Marshal is recalled and humiliated by King John at court in London, while John gives his justiciar in Ireland, Meiler Fitzhenry the order to invade Marshal's lands there, burning the town of New Ross.

title: 1208

text: Ballintubber Abbey is founded by King Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair of Connacht, in Ireland.

title: 1216

text: December 23 – Stephen of Anagni, Italian papal chaplain, is commissioned to collect a special tax in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to finance Gregory X's War of the Keys against Frederick II.

title: 1228

text: Connacht in Ireland is finally conquered by the Hiberno-Norman Richard Mór de Burgh; Felim Ua Conchobair is expelled.

title: 1235

text: Battle of Ballyshannon: Norman forces under Maurice FitzGerald defeat a Gaelic army near Ballyshannon in northern Ireland. After the battle, the entire country of Donegal is devastated and plundered by the Normans.

title: 1247

text: Sligo Abbey, a Dominican monastery, is founded by Maurice FitzGerald, Norman chief governor of Ireland.

title: 1253

text: King Henry III of England grants his eldest son the Lord Edward areas of land including crown lands in Wales, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Gascony. He is also given the cities of Bristol, Stamford and Grantham. The reason for these concessions is to give Edward experience of governing lands of his own before becoming a king. Edward is granted the Three Castles in Wales, Skenfrith Castle, White Castle and Grosmont Castle.

title: 1254

text: Irish, assisted by Scottish gallowglasses, halt the English advance westward through Ireland.

title: 1258

text: June 18 – The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitely known meeting of this Irish legislature.

title: 1264

text: January 20 – Newcastle Emlyn Castle in West Wales is recaptured by the English forces after a ten-day siege, bringing Rhys ap Maredudd's revolt to an end. Rhys is exiled to Ireland.

title: 1288

section: Events › By place › England and Scotland

text: May 16 – King Edward I of England assembles 7,500 troops at Roxburgh to prepare for a resumption of his campaign against the Kingdom of Scotland, to begin after concluding peace between England and France. In advance of the invasion, Edward orders that three pre-fabricated pontoon bridges be built and transported, in a fleet of 27 ships. After crossing into Scotland, Edward and his soldiers burns hamlet and towns, granges and granaries. Meanwhile, Richard Óg de Burgh, "the Red Earl" with forces from Ireland capture the castles of Rothesay and Inverkip.

title: 1303

text: June 25 – Piers Gaveston is exiled for the second time by the Parliament, due to possible corruption and exploited personal gains. As compensation for the loss of the Earldom of Cornwall, which is another condition of his exile, Gaveston is granted land worth 3,000 marks annually in Gascony. Further to this, he is appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland – so that a certain amount of honour can be maintained despite the humiliation of the exile. Gaveston is also threatened with ex-communication by Pope Clement V. Edward II accompanies him to Bristol, from where he sets sail for Ireland.

title: 1308

text: June 6 – William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, is murdered as part of the Burke Civil War in Ireland.

title: 1333

text: Seoan mac Pilib succeeds Tomas mor mac Mathghamhna as King of East Breifne, in north-central Ireland.

title: 1392

text: Glendalough monastery in Wicklow, Ireland is destroyed by English troops.

title: 1398

text: August 19 – Richard II of England is taken prisoner by Henry Bolingbroke upon his return from Ireland and surrenders at Flint Castle in return for his life.

title: 1399

text: July 4 – While Richard II of England is away on a military campaign in Ireland, Henry Bolingbroke, with exiled former archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Arundel as an advisor, returns to England and begins a military campaign to reclaim his confiscated lands.

title: 1399

text: Conchobar an Abaidh mac Maelsechlainn O Cellaigh succeeds Maelsechlainn mac William Buidhe O Cellaigh, as King of Uí Maine in modern-day County Galway and County Roscommon in Ireland.

title: 1402

text: Ruaidri Caech MacDermot succeeds Conchobair Óg MacDermot as King of Magh Luirg, in what later becomes northeast Connacht, Ireland.

title: 1404

text: The Blarney Stone is set into a tower of Blarney Castle in Blarney, County Cork in Ireland.

title: 1446

text: July 3 – At the Battle of Deal, Perkin Warbeck's troops land in Kent, in support of his claim to the English crown, backed by Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy. They are routed before Warbeck himself can disembark, and he retreats to Ireland and then to Scotland.

title: 1495

text: A famine "prevailed through all Ireland", according to the Annals of the Four Masters.

title: 1497

text: January 6 – Shane O'Neill of Tír Eoghain pleads his cause at the Palace of Whitehall in London, before Queen Elizabeth I of England, who recognises his status. He returns to Ireland on May 26, and resumes his rebellious activities by November.

title: 1562

text: October 11 – The Battle of Belleek takes place at County Fermanagh in Ireland as an English expeditionary force led by Henry Bagenal defeats Irish troops commanded by the Lord of Fermanagh.

title: 1593

text: August 15 – First Battle of Curlew Pass: Irish forces defeat the English.

title: 1599

text: October 2 (September 22 O.S.) – 4th Spanish Armada; a large Spanish fleet, with 4,500 soldiers led by Juan del Águila, lands at Kinsale at County Cork in Ireland, to assist Tyrone's Rebellion.

title: 1601

text: September 2 – 4th Spanish Armada is sent; a fleet of 33 ships and 4,432 men, under the command of Admiral Juan del Águila, departs Portugal after being dispatched to Ireland by King Philip III. The Spanish fleet is intended to support an Irish rebellion led by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Hugh Roe O'Donnell against the British.

title: 1601

text: June 18 – Nine Years' War (Ireland): Dunboy Castle in Ireland is taken by the English after 143 Irish defenders had withstood an 11-day siege by more than 4,000 English soldiers under the command of Sir George Carew. Of the 143 soldiers, who had been loyal to Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, 85 are killed in the siege, and the 58 survivors are hanged after the English victory.

title: 1602

text: August 8 – Battle of Dungan's Hill: Irish forces are defeated by English Parliamentary forces.

title: 1647

text: January 27 – King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is found guilty of high treason in a public session.

title: 1649

text: December 16 – The Instrument of Government in England becomes Britain's first written constitution, under which Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, being advised by a remodelled English Council of State. This is the start of The First Protectorate, bringing an end to the first period of republican government in the country, the Commonwealth of England.

title: 1653

text: December 11 – Sir William Petty wins the contract from the Commonwealth of England to make a survey of Ireland.

title: 1654

text: June 1 – The office of Secretary of State for the Southern Department begins operations in the Kingdom of Great Britain, with responsibility for the colonies of British America in what will later become Canada and the United States, as well as for Ireland and for the Channel Islands. Sir Edward Nicholas, a former British Secretary of State, takes office as the first Southern Department secretary.

title: 1660

text: March 7 – Oliver Plunkett, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh since 1669, is allowed to return to Ireland for the first time in more than 22 years, after a new policy of tolerance of Catholicism is enacted in England. Plunkett had departed for Rome in 1647 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Executed in 1681 on false charges of plotting an invasion of Ireland, Plunkett is canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1975.

title: 1670

text: In Ireland, the vacant Bishopric of Leighlin is given to the Bishop of Kildare in commendam; it will later be formed into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin.

title: 1678

text: February 6 – Catholic James Stuart, Duke of York, becomes King James II of England and Ireland, and King James VII of Scotland, in succession to his brother Charles II (1660–1685), King of England, Scotland, and Ireland since 1660. James II and VII reigns until deposed, in 1688.

title: 1685

text: June 11 – Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland, lands at Lyme Regis with an invasion force brought from the Netherlands, to challenge his uncle, James II, for the Crown of England.

title: 1685

text: June 14 – King William III of England (William of Orange) lands in Ireland to confront James II.

title: 1690

text: May 1 – The Banishment Act of 1697 goes into effect for Roman Catholic church officials in Ireland, having been the deadline for all "popish archbishops, bishops, vicars general, deans, jesuits, monks, friars, and other regular popish clergy" to have reported to Irish ports for deportation. Re-entry to Ireland after May 4, 1698, is a criminal offense with a penalty of 12 months imprisonment and expulsion, while a second re-entry is punishable by death as treason.

title: 1698

text: January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 prisoners are safely conducted to another prison.

title: 1748

text: February 21–26 – Seven Years' War: Battle of Carrickfergus in the north of Ireland – A force of French troops, under the command of privateer François Thurot, captures and holds the town and castle of Carrickfergus before retiring; the force is defeated (and Thurot killed) in the naval Battle of Bishops Court in the Irish Sea on February 28.

title: 1760

text: June 12 – Tradesman Jeffery Sedwards establishes the Skibbereen Abstinence Society in Ireland, considered the first organisation devoted to teetotalism in Europe.

title: 1817

text: September – Shelbourne F.C. is founded in Dublin, Ireland.

title: 1895

text: January 14 – The White Star Line's transatlantic ocean liner is launched from the Belfast shipyards in Ireland. At 17,272 gross register tons and 704 ft m, she is the largest ship afloat at this time.

title: 1899

text: July 26 – Howth gun-running: former British civil servant and novelist Erskine Childers and his wife Molly sail into Howth in Ireland and land 2,500 guns for the nationalist Irish Volunteers from a German dealer. British Army troops of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, returning to Dublin having been called out to assist police in attempting to prevent the Volunteers from moving the arms to the city, perpetrate the Bachelor's Walk massacre, firing on a crowd of protestors at Bachelors Walk, killing three; a fourth man dies later from bayonet wounds and more than 37 others are injured.

title: 1914

text: September 5 - KLM flight 633, a Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation named “Triton”, attempted to ditch into the river Shannon immediately after takeoff from Shannon Airport, Ireland. 28 of the 56 passengers and crew were killed

title: 1954

text: July 31 – Ireland submits the first application from a non-founding country to join the European Economic Community.

title: 1961

text: February 10 - Manx2 Flight 7100, a Fairchild Metro III, crashes on its third attempt at landing at Cork airport, Ireland from Belfast. Six of the twelve passengers and crew are killed.

title: 2011

text: January 24 – Storm Éowyn hits Ireland and the United Kingdom. Record high wind speeds of 183 kph are recorded in Ireland, while over a million homes are left without power.

title: 2025


slug: irene-of-athens

label: Irene of Athens

description: empress of Byzantine Empire (752-803)

text: Irene of Athens, Byzantine empress (approximate date)

title: 752

date: September 8

text: September 8 - Emperor Leo IV ("the Khazar") dies after a 5-year reign, in which he has been dominated by his wife Irene of Athens, an iconodule. He is succeeded by his 9-year-old son Constantine VI; due to his minority, Irene and her chief minister Staurakios exercise a regency over him.

title: 780

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: Summer – Harun al-Rashid reaches as far as Chrysopolis, across the Bosporus Straits from the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. After the defection of the Armenian general Tatzates, Empress Irene accepts a three-year truce, including the annual payment of a tribute of 70,000 or 90,000 gold dinars, and the handing over of 10,000 silk garments. Harun releases all his captives (5,600 men), including chief minister Staurakios and other hostages.

title: 782

section: Events › By place › Abbasid Empire

text: Empress Irene sends a Byzantine expeditionary army to invade southern Italy, but it is defeated and driven out (at Pope Adrian I's urging) by the Frankish army, allied with the forces of Benevento. She breaks off the engagement (see 782) between her son Constantine VI and the Frankish princess Rotrude, daughter of King Charlemagne.

title: AD 787

date: September

text: September – The Armeniac Theme, located in northeastern Asia Minor (modern Turkey), revolts against Empress Irene, and declares the 19-year-old Constantine VI sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire. Other themes follow its example, and imprison their strategoi. Constantine sends his iconoclast general Michael Lachanodrakon, to ensure that the Armeniacs (his closest supporters) take an oath. Irene is confined and imprisoned in her palace at Constantinople; all her eunuchs are exiled.

title: 790

date: April 19

text: April 19 or August 19 – Empress Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son Constantine VI. He is captured and blinded; Irene exiles him to Principo, where he dies shortly thereafter of his wounds. Irene begins a 5-year reign, and calls herself basileus ("emperor") of the Byzantine Empire. (Sources and historians conflict on whether this was in April or August.)

title: 797

section: Religion & Belief

date: December 25

text: December 25 – Charlemagne, king of the Franks, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III as Charles I, with the title "Emperor of the Romans". The coronation takes place during Mass at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, on Christmas Day. The Frankish Empire is formed in Western Europe, which is not recognized by Empress Irene at Constantinople. This triggers a series of disputes with the Byzantines around who is officially ruling the former Western Roman Empire.

title: 800

section: Events › Europe

date: October 31

text: October 31 – Empress Irene is deposed after a 5-year reign, and banished to Lesbos. High-ranking patricians place Nikephoros, the minister of finance (logothetes tou genikou), on the throne. He is crowned in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople, by Patriarch Tarasios, as emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

title: 802

date: August 9

text: August 9 – Irene of Athens, Byzantine empress

title: 803


slug: irish-free-state

label: Irish Free State

description: state on the island of Ireland between December 1922 and December 1937

date: December 6

text: December 6 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty establishing the Irish Free State, an independent nation incorporating 26 of Ireland's 32 counties, is signed in London.

title: 1921

section: Events › December

text: December 6 – The Irish Free State officially comes into existence. George V becomes the Free State's monarch. Tim Healy is appointed first Governor-General of the Irish Free State, and W. T. Cosgrave becomes President of the Executive Council.

title: 1922

section: Crime & Justice

date: November 24

text: November 24 – Popular author and anti-Treaty Republican Erskine Childers is executed by firing squad in Dublin, after conviction by an Irish Free State military court for the unlawful possession of a gun, a weapon presented to him by Michael Collins in 1920 as a gift.

title: 1922

section: Events › November

date: September 10

text: September 10 – The Irish Free State joins the League of Nations.

title: 1923

section: Events › September–October

text: Ernest Blythe, Minister for Finance in the Irish Free State, arranges an annual government subsidy of £850 for the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, making it the first state-supported theatre in the English-speaking world.

title: 1925

section: Events › Date unknown

date: April 12

text: April 12 – The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 renames the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The change acknowledges that the Irish Free State is no longer part of the Kingdom.

title: 1927

section: Events › April

date: December 11

text: December 11 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom enacts the Statute of Westminster, which establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand and the Union of South Africa.

title: 1931

date: May 3

text: May 3 – In the Irish Free State, Dáil Éireann abolishes the oath of allegiance to the British Crown.

title: 1933

section: Events › May

date: December 29

text: December 29 – The new Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann) comes into force. The Irish Free State becomes "Ireland", and Éamon de Valera becomes the first Taoiseach (prime minister) of the new state. A Presidential Commission (made up the Chief Justice, the Speaker of Dáil Éireann, and the President of the High Court) assumes the powers of the new presidency, pending the popular election of the first President of Ireland in June 1938. The new constitution prohibits divorce.

title: 1937

date: July 1

text: July 1 – In a referendum the people of the Irish Free State accept the new Constitution by 685,105 votes to 527,945.

title: 1937

section: Events › July

date: July 21

text: July 21 – Éamon de Valera is elected President of the Executive Council (prime minister) of the Irish Free State, by the Dáil (parliament).

title: 1937

section: Deaths

date: November 16

text: November 16 – W. T. Cosgrave, Irish politician, president of the Provisional Government and the Executive Council of the Irish Free State (b. 1880)

title: 1965

section: Deaths › November


slug: iron-crown-of-lombardy

label: Iron Crown of Lombardy

text: Agilulf, under the influence of his wife Theodelinda, abandons Arianism for Catholicism, and is (with his son Adaloald) baptised in the Cathedral of Monza, where later the Iron Crown of Lombardy is installed.

title: 603

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: King Charlemagne has his son Carloman (renamed Pepin) anointed "King of Italy", and he is crowned by Pope Adrian I with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. His younger brother Charles I is anointed king of Aquitaine, and Louis the Pious (only 3-years old) is appointed sub-king of Italy and Aquitaine, following the conversion of Aquitaine from a Duchy to a sub-kingdom.

title: 781

date: December 26

text: December 26 – In an assembly at Pavia (Northern Italy), the lords of Lombardia elect Berengar I, a grandson of former emperor Louis the Pious (through his daughter Gisela), as king of Italy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. After the deposition of Charles the Fat, the nobility chooses Ranulf II as duke (or 'king') of Aquitaine.

title: 887

text: Guy III, duke of Spoleto, defeats the Lombard king Berengar I at the Trebbia River, and is acclaimed as king of Italy at an assembly in Pavia. After confirming some privileges to the Catholic Church, he is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy, by Pope Stephen V. Berengar is forced to retreat to Verona; Guy does not pursue him into Friuli, because of the (possible) wrath of King Arnulf of Carinthia.

title: 889

date: December

text: December – Guy III dies after a 4-year reign, and is succeeded by his 14-year-old son Lambert, already associated as co-emperor since 892. At the pleading of Archbishop Fulk of Reims, Pope Formosus reconciles with the young emperor. Lambert proceeds from Spoleto to Pavia, where he is acclaimed and crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy.

title: 894

section: Culture & Society

text: Winter – Otto II celebrates Christmas with his family at Ravenna. He receives the Iron Crown of Lombardy as the King of Italy.

title: 980

date: November 11

text: November 11 – Otto IV is elected by the German nobles as king of Germany at Frankfurt. He is engaged to Beatrice and travels to Milan where he receives the Iron Crown and the title of King of Italy, which continues until the end of World War I in 1918.

title: 1208

date: January 6

text: January 6 – Charles IV of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.

title: 1355

section: Events


slug: iroquois-confederacy

label: Iroquois Confederacy

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: August 31

text: August 31 - Suggested date of the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy.

title: 1142

section: Events › By place › America

section: Conflict & Security

date: October 17

text: October 17 – In North America, a French Army regiment led by Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy erects crosses in the Mohawk lands of the eastern Iroquois Confederacy territory along the Mohawk River as part of an invasion that started on September 29. During the expedition, Prouville's forces find four abandoned Mohawk villages in the area, located in the modern U.S. state of New York near the village of Schenectady but never confront any Mohawk defenders, and the French never attempt to enforce their claim.

title: 1666

section: Events › October–December

date: August 4

text: August 4 – The Great Peace of Montreal is signed, ending 100 years of war between the Iroquois Confederacy and New France, and its Huron and Algonquian allies. Formerly allied with the English, the treaty assures the Iroquois will be neutral, if France and England ever resume hostilities.

title: 1701

section: Events › July–September

date: September 14

text: September 14 – The Nanfan Treaty of July 19, 1701 between the Iroquois Confederacy and the British Province of New York, is amended by both parties.

title: 1726

date: July 31

text: July 31 – At a summit in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the British colonies of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania conclude a treaty with the Six Nations, conceding that the member tribes are entitled to the territory west of the Appalachian mountains and north of the Ohio River.

title: 1743

date: September 3

text: September 3 – Tanacharison, a chief of the Oneida people tribe that is one of the "Six Nations" of the Iroquois Confederacy, meets with French officers who have come into the Ohio and Allegheny region and warns them not to advance further into the Iroquois territory.

title: 1753

date: July 13

text: July 13 – Conrad Weiser, Pennsylvania's ambassador to the Iroquois Confederacy (b. 1696)

title: 1760

date: August 1

text: August 1 – The Treaty of Fort Niagara is signed between Great Britain and 44 North American Indian nations, bring an end to the ongoing war that had started in 1756 with most of the northern Indian tribes. Sir William Johnson appears on behalf of Britain, and principal chiefs appear for the Iroquois Confederacy, Wabash Confederacy, Illini Confederacy, Haudenosaunee, Seneca, Wyandot, Menominee, Algonquin, Nipissing, Ojibwa, Mississaugas, Mohawk, Abenaki, Huron, and Onondaga.

title: 1764

text: December 29 – Oconostota and Attakullakulla arrive at Johnstown, New York where they, along with leaders of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribal nations) meet with Sir William Johnson to begin peace negotiations with the British Empire.

title: 1767

section: Events › October –December

date: May 10

text: May 10 – Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, acting on behalf of Great Britain, meets with representatives of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy at German Flatts, New York, opening negotiations on the boundary between the New York colony and the Native Americans, eventually concluded by the Treaty of Fort Stanwix.

title: 1767

section: Events › April–June

date: March 17

text: March 17 – Britain's Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Sir William Johnson, concludes a peace agreement with the leaders of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribal nations) of the northern American lands, and with Chiefs Oconostota and Attakullakulla of the Cherokee nation in the southern American lands.

title: 1768

section: Events › January–March

date: November 5

text: November 5 – The Treaty of Fort Stanwix is signed between the five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca) relinquishing their claims to territory south of the Ohio River to the British.

title: 1768


slug: isaac-ii-angelos

label: Isaac II Angelos

description: Byzantine emperor (1155-1204)

section: Births

text: Isaac II Angelos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1204)

title: 1156

section: Crime & Justice

date: September 11

text: September 11–12 – Isaac II Angelos leads a revolt in Constantinople and deposes Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos. Andronikos tries in vain to flee across Asia but is captured and killed by an angry mob. Isaac is proclaimed emperor, ending the Komnenos Dynasty.

title: 1185

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: Spring – Emperor Isaac II (Angelos) sends a Byzantine expeditionary force under Alexios Branas to suppress the Vlach-Bulgarian Rebellion – but Alexios revolts against Isaac and is proclaimed emperor in Andrianople. He musters troops and advances on Constantinople in an attempt to seize it. However, Alexios is unable to bypass the city defenses and is defeated by the imperial forces led by Conrad of Montferrat, the emperor's brother-in-law. On the battlefield, Alexios is beheaded by Conrad's supporting footsoldiers and the rebel army flees the field.

title: 1187

date: August

text: August – Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos denies any crusader access and begins to hinder the German forces who try to cross his frontier. Frederick I progresses with force, by capturing Philippopolis and defeats a Byzantine army (some 3,000 men) that attempts to recapture the city. The Germans are delayed for six months in Thrace.

title: 1189

section: Events › By place › Continental Europe

text: Spring – A German expeditionary force (some 15,000 men) led by Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) marches towards Constantinople, on the way to the Holy Land. Emperor Isaac II (Angelos), suspicious that Frederick is planning to conquer Constantinople, attempts to stop him by attacking the Crusaders. The German forces are too strong and they capture Adrianople. A peace treaty is signed by both Isaac and Frederick, that ensures the Germans are given supplies, and free passage through to Palestina.

title: 1190

text: Autumn – Emperor Isaac II (Angelos) leads a punitive expedition against Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja. The Serbians are defeated at South Morava and retreat into the mountains. The Byzantine forces raid all lands around the bank of the river and burn down Stefan's court in Kuršumlija. Nemanja does not surrender and starts irregular warfare and Isaac negotiates a peace treaty. The Serbians are forced to give up a large part of their conquests, east of the Velika Morava, and recognize Byzantine rule. Isaac recognizes Nemanja as Grand Prince of Serbia.

title: 1191

text: King Tancred of Sicily arranges a marriage between his son Roger III and the 12-year-old Irene Angelina, daughter of the Byzantine emperor Isaac II (Angelos). Roger suddenly dies on December 24.

title: 1193

date: April 23

text: April 23 – Béla III of Hungary dies after a 23-year reign in which he has supported the former Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angelos against the invading Bulgarians. Having made the Hungarian court one of the most brilliant in Europe and made his hereditary monarchy. Béla is succeeded by his 22-year-old son Emeric as ruler of Hungary, Croatia and Dalmatia (until 1204).

title: 1196

section: Religion & Belief

text: Autumn – Prince Alexios Angelos, son of the deposed, blinded and imprisoned late Emperor Isaac II Angelos, escapes from Constantinople. He makes his way to Sicily and then Rome where he is turned away by Pope Innocent III. Next, Alexios travels to the court of his brother-in-law, Philip of Swabia, the King of Germany, who receives him well.

title: 1201

text: Siege of Constantinople: The Crusaders, led by Boniface of Montferrat, capture Constantinople, in support of the deposed Emperor Isaac II and his son Alexios Angelos. This marks the main outcome of the Fourth Crusade.

title: 1203

section: Events › By place › Fourth Crusade

date: January

text: January – Isaac II Angelos, Byzantine emperor

title: 1204


slug: isaac-newton

label: Isaac Newton

description: English mathematician and physicist (1642–1727)

section: Health & Medicine

date: August 8

text: August 8 – The Great Plague forces the closure of the University of Cambridge, where Isaac Newton is a student. Newton retires to his home in Lincolnshire for safety, and stays there for two years. During this time alone, Newton will make groundbreaking discoveries in mathematics, calculus, mechanics and optics, and lay the foundations for his books Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica and Optiks.

title: 1665

section: Science & Discovery

text: Isaac Newton uses a prism to split sunlight, as referenced in his alchemical works as Lux Dei, into the component colours of the optical spectrum, assisting the understanding of the scientific nature of light. He also develops differential calculus simultaneously with Leibniz. 1666 is consequently referred to as his Annus mirabilis or Newton's "Year of the Morning Star".

title: 1666

section: Events › Date unknown

text: Isaac Newton has investigated and written on optics, acoustics, the infinitesimal calculus, mechanism and thermodynamics. The works will be published only years later.

title: 1667

text: English scientist Isaac Newton builds the first reflecting telescope (Newton's reflector).

title: 1668

date: February 23

text: February 23 – Isaac Newton writes his first description of his new invention, the reflecting telescope.

title: 1669

date: February 16

text: February 16 (February 6, 1671 O.S.) – Isaac Newton sends a paper for publication regarding his experiments on the refraction of light through glass prisms and makes the first identification of the "primary colors" of visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum, reporting that "The Original or primary colours are, Red, Yellow, Green, Blew, and a Violet-purple, together with Orange, Indico, and an indefinite variety of Intermediate gradations."

title: 1672

date: January 11

text: January 11 – The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, national science academy for England, elects Isaac Newton to its membership, and then demonstrates Newton's reflecting telescope to King Charles II.

title: 1672

text: August – Edmond Halley goes to Cambridge to discuss the problem of planetary motion with Isaac Newton.

title: 1684

date: December 10

text: December 10 – Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmond Halley.

title: 1684

text: January – Edmond Halley, Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke have a conversation in which Hooke later claimed not only to have derived the inverse-square law, but also all the laws of planetary motion attributed to Sir Isaac Newton. Hooke's claim is that in a letter to Newton on 6 January 1680, he first stated the inverse-square law.

title: 1684

date: July 11

text: July 11 – Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, known as the Principia, is published by the Royal Society of London. In it, Newton describes his law of universal gravitation, explains the laws of mechanics, and gives a formula for the speed of sound. The writing of Principia Mathematica ushers in a tidal wave of changes in thought, significantly accelerating the Scientific Revolution by providing new and practical intellectual tools, and becomes the foundation of modern physics.

title: 1687

date: November 30

text: November 30 – Isaac Newton is elected president of the Royal Society of London, a position he will hold until his death in 1727.

title: 1703

text: Isaac Newton publishes his Opticks. He also predicts that the world will end in 2060.

title: 1704

date: April 16

text: April 16 – Queen Anne of England honours Isaac Newton with the title of Knight Bachelor at Trinity College, Cambridge.

title: 1705

text: Sir Isaac Newton's Method of Fluxions (1671), describing his method of differential calculus, is first published (posthumously) and Thomas Bayes publishes a defense of its logical foundations (anonymously).

title: 1736

text: Pierre Louis Maupertuis publishes Sur la figure de la terre, which confirms Newton's view that the earth is an oblate spheroid, slightly flattened at the poles.

title: 1738


slug: isabella-i-of-castile

label: Isabella I of Castile

description: queen of the Crown of Castile, from 1474 to 1504; first queen of a dynastically-united Spain, from 1479 to 1504 (1451–1504)

date: April 22

text: April 22 – Queen Isabella I of Castile, Castillian queen regnant and first queen of a united Spain (by marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon) (d. 1504)

title: 1451

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: September 19

text: September 19 – In the Kingdom of Castile in Spain, near El Tiemblo, the "Treaty of the Bulls of Guisando" (Tratado de los Toros de Guisando) is signed between King Enrique IV the Impotent and his half-sister, Princess Isabella. The treaty, executed at the ancient sculpture of bulls near Ávila, designates Isabella as heiress to the throne of Castile and León. She will become the Queen upon Enrique's death six years later.

title: 1468

section: Culture & Society

date: October 19

text: October 19 – Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile in Valladolid, bringing about a dynastic union.

title: 1469

date: October 2

text: October 2 – Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal, daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (d. 1498)

title: 1470

section: Deaths

date: December 12

text: December 12 – Upon the death of Henry IV of Castile, a civil war ensues between his designated successor Isabella I of Castile, and her niece Juana, who is supported by her husband, Afonso V of Portugal. Isabella wins the civil war after a lengthy struggle, when her husband, the newly crowned Ferdinand II of Aragon, comes to her aid.

title: 1474

date: April 3

text: April 3 – While in Valladolid, capital of the Kingdom of Castile and León, to celebrate a tournament in their honor, the joint rulers of Castile, Queen Isabella and King Fernando II are interrupted by a messenger sent by King Afonso V of Portugal. King Afonso announces a declaration of war against the crown of Castile and León.

title: 1475

date: January 15

text: January 15 – At Madrid, Queen Isabella I of Castile, who had been crowned on December 11, declares her husband Prince Fernando de Aragón to be the joint ruler with her, and is proclaimed as King Fernando V of Castile. Fernando, the oldest son and heir to the throne of King Juan II of Aragon, will make Isabella co-ruler of Aragon when he ascends the throne upon his father's death in 1479.

title: 1475

date: June 30

text: June 30 – John, Prince of Asturias, Son of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (d. 1497)

title: 1478

date: January 20

text: January 20 – Fernando II already co-ruler of Crown of Castile with his wife, Isabella I, becomes the King of Aragon upon the death of his father, King Juan II of Aragon and Navarre. He and Isabella rule together over Aragon and Castile, unifying the two kingdoms and controlling most of the Iberian Peninsula. At the same time, King Juan's daughter, Leonor de Trastámara, who had served as regent during times when her father was away fighting in war, becomes Queen of Navarre.

title: 1479

date: November 6

text: November 6 – Joanna of Castile, Queen of Philip the Handsome, daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (d. 1555)

title: 1479

date: March 6

text: March 6 – The Treaty of Toledo is signed as Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain recognize the African conquests of Afonso V of Portugal, and he cedes the Canary Islands to Spain.

title: 1480

date: September 27

text: September 27 – The co-rulers of most of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile initiate the Spanish Inquisition to look for heretics and unconverted Jews, appointing the Dominican Order clerics Miguel de Morillo and Juan de San Martín to serve as the first two inquisitors.

title: 1480

date: June 29

text: June 29 – Maria of Aragon, Queen of Manuel I of Portugal, daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (d. 1517)

title: 1482

date: January 16

text: January 16 – Antonio de Nebrija publishes Gramática de la lengua castellana, the first grammar text for the Castilian Spanish language, in Salamanca, which he introduces to the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, newly restored to power in Andalusia, as "a tool of empire".

title: 1492

section: Events › January—March

date: January 2

text: January 2 – Fall of Granada: Muhammad XI, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders his city to the army of the Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile) after a lengthy siege, ending the ten-year Granada War and the centuries-long Reconquista, and bringing an end to 780 years of Muslim control in Al-Andalus.

title: 1492

date: October 20

text: October 20 – Joanna of Castile, second daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, heiress to Castile, marries the archduke Philip, heir through his mother to the Burgundian Netherlands, and through his father to the Holy Roman Empire.

title: 1496

date: October 4

text: October 4 – John, Prince of Asturias, only son of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (b. 1478)

title: 1497

date: August 23

text: August 23 – Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal, eldest daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (b. 1470)

title: 1498

date: September 3

text: September 3 – On complaints from Christopher Columbus, who had been replaced as Viceroy of the New World and arrested in 1500 by Francisco de Bobadilla, Queen Isabella of Spain orders that Bobadilla be recalled from Santo Domingo. Declining to allow Columbus to resume his brutal rule of the New World, the Queen appoints a friend, Nicolás de Ovando, as the new Viceroy. Although Bobadilla receives news of his firing several weeks later, he declines to step aside. Ovando will assemble a fleet of 30 ships and depart Spain on February 13 for Santo Domingo.

title: 1501

date: February 12

text: February 12 – Isabella I issues an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity.

title: 1502

date: October 30

text: October 30 – Queen Isabella I of Spain issues an edict prohibiting violence against indigenous peoples in the New World.

title: 1503

date: October 12

text: October 12 – Isabella I of Castile signs her will and testament.

title: 1504

date: September 13

text: September 13 – Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand issue a Royal Warrant for the construction of Capilla Real, a Royal Chapel, to be built in Granada.

title: 1504


slug: isauria

label: Isauria

description: historical region of Asia Minor

year_label: 78 BCE

text: The Senate sends Publius Servilius Vatia to Cilicia as governor, where he fights a successful campaign against the Piracy in southern Anatolia (Lycia, Pamphylia and Isauria), he is thereafter known by the agnomen Isauricus.

title: 78 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

year_label: 6 CE

section: Conflict & Security

text: AD 6 – Marcus Plautius Silvanus is made governor of Galatia and Pamphylia and suppresses an uprising of the Isaurians in Pamphylia.

title: 0s

section: Events › Roman Empire

text: Piracy along the coast of Lycia et Pamphylia: The Romans besiege the city of Cremna (Pisidia) and kill the Isaurian robber Lydius.

title: 278

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Emperor Leo I founds the Excubitors (imperial guard) at Constantinople; this elite tagmatic unit (300 men) is recruited from among the warlike Isaurians (approximate date).

title: 460

text: Tarasicodissa, an Isaurian officer, comes with evidence that Ardabur (magister militum) is forming a conspiracy against Leo I. Ardabur is arrested for treason.

title: 466

date: January 9

text: January 9 – Emperor Zeno abdicates under pressure, as his wife's uncle Basiliscus stages a coup d'état at Constantinople, with support from Zeno's trusted adviser and fellow Isaurian Illus. Basiliscus usurps the throne and is proclaimed new emperor (Augustus) of the Eastern Roman Empire. He begins a 20-month reign; Zeno and his supporters flee to Isauria.

title: 475

text: Verina, mother-in-law of Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, attempts to kill Isaurian general Illus for turning against her brother Basiliscus. A major revolt is led by her son-in-law Marcian and the Ostrogoth warlord Theodoric Strabo, but Illus again proves his loyalty to Zeno by quashing the revolt in 479.

title: 478

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Emperor Zeno regains power from the usurper Leontius and the Isaurian patrician Illus, who are captured and executed, ending a 4-year rebellion (see 484).

title: 488

text: Anti-Isaurian riots break out in the Hippodrome at Constantinople. Longinus and several other Isaurians, including general Longinus of Cardala, are exiled to Thebaid (Egypt).

title: 491

text: Isaurian War: The Isaurians begin a revolt against Emperor Anastasius I in southern Central Anatolia.

title: 492

text: Isaurian War: Claudiopolis, ancient city of Cappadocia, is besieged and captured by the Romans. The Isaurians blockade the mountain passes, but John the Hunchback (John Gibbo) wins an overwhelming victory against the rebels.

title: 493

text: Isaurian War: Anastasius I regains control of the Isauria region (Asia Minor) and has the rebel leaders executed. Anastasius I pacifies the mountain strongholds of the Isaurians, ending the revolt that they began upon his ascension to the throne 6 years ago.

title: 497

date: November

text: November – Belisarius brings his long-awaited reinforcements, namely 3,000 Isaurians and 1,800 cavalry embarked in Ostia, along with a supply convoy, safely to Rome. The Goths are forced to abandon the Portus Claudii.

title: 537

text: January 16 – Gothic War: The Ostrogoths under king Totila recapture Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison.

title: 550

text: Arab–Byzantine War: An Umayyad army under Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik raids Isauria (modern Turkey). He is appointed military governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan, succeeding his uncle Muhammad ibn Marwan.

title: 709

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


slug: isfahan

label: Isfahan

description: city in Isfahan Province, Iran

year_label: 317 BCE

text: Battle of Paraitacene: The first battle of Western armies each with an elephant corps who fight for control over Alexander's empire. The armies of Antigonus and Eumenes fight each other near today's Isfahan in Persia with no clear victor.

title: 317 BC

section: Events › By place › Macedonian Empire

text: Abbasid Revolution: Muslim forces under Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i defeat a large Umayyad army (50,000 men) at Isfahan, and invade Iraq, taking the city of Kufa.

title: 749

date: December 15

text: December 15 – Sultan Alp Arslan ("Heroic Lion") dies after a 9-year reign, during his campaign in Transoxiana. He is succeeded by his 17-year-old son Malik-Shah I, who is declared new ruler of the Seljuk Empire. Qavurt, a brother of Alp Arslan, claims the Seljuk throne for himself and occupies the capital of Isfahan.

title: 1072

section: Events › By place › Seljuk Empire

section: Crime & Justice

text: Summer – Suleiman ibn Qutulmish, ruler of the Turks in Rum, is killed by Emir Tutush I in the battle of Ain Salm near Antioch. Suleiman's 7-year-old son Kilij Arslan I is captured and transferred as hostage to Isfahan (modern Iran).

title: 1086

date: July 21

text: July 21 – Iskandar Mirza, who had ruled the Timurid Empire since 1409, is captured as the city of Isfahan surrenders to Shah Rukh.

title: 1414

section: Events › July–September

date: May 2

text: May 2 – (5 Safar 849 AH) Sultan Muhammad of the Timurid Empire in Iran arrives in Isfahan and forces out a disloyal governor, Sa'adat, then declares an amnesty on taxes, stages a feast and celebration, and appoints Shah Ala' al-Din Naqib as the new governor.

title: 1446

section: Events › April–June

date: June

text: June – Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–18): Shāh Abbas I of Persia's Safavid army captures the city of Yerevan from the Ottoman Empire after a siege. At this time the Shāh begins the expulsion of Armenians from Jolfa to New Julfa in his capital of Isfahan; more than 25,000 die during the exodus.

title: 1604

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: Construction begins on Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Persia.

title: 1611

text: Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, known as Allameh Majlesi, is born in the city of Isfahan.

title: 1616

date: December

text: December – In the Middle East, traveller Pietro Della Valle marries Jowaya, daughter of a Nestorian Christian father and an Armenian mother, in Baghdad. The couple then sets off (1617) to find the Shah in Isfahan.

title: 1616

section: Events › November-December

date: February 18

text: February 18 - Preparing the declaration of independence from the colony of the Hashimi Empire, namely the Arya Bayu Kingdom by Khan Nasaruddin II, who was crowned in Mecca,Medina, and Isfahan.

title: 1616

section: Events › January–February

date: August 16

text: August 16 – Adam Olearius, sent along with Philipp Crusius and Otto Bruggemann by the German Duke of Holstein-Gottorp to establish a trade deal with Persia, is welcomed by the Safavid ruler, the Shah Safi at the Persian capital, Isfahan.

title: 1637

text: Nimavar school in Isfahan, Iran is built and opens in this era of Suleiman I.

title: 1691

date: August 6

text: August 6 – The coronation of Sultan Husayn of the Safavid dynasty as the Shah of Persia takes place in Isfahan, eight days after the death of his father Suleiman I.

title: 1694

date: October 23

text: October 23 – The six-month-long Siege of Isfahan ends, when the Safavid capital Isfahan capitulates to the Afghan rebels. Safavid Sultan Husayn abdicates, and acknowledges Mahmud Hotak as the new Shah of Persia.

title: 1722

section: Events › October–December


slug: islam

label: Islam

description: monotheistic Abrahamic religion founded by Muhammad

year_label: 32 CE

section: Deaths

text: John the Baptist, religious figure in Christianity, Islam, and other Abrahamic religions

title: 30s

section: Deaths › 32 AD

section: Culture & Society

text: Year of the Elephant, according to Islamic tradition.

title: 570

section: Events › By topic › Religion

section: Births

text: Muhammad, last prophet of Islam (d. 632) (approximate date)

title: 570

text: Muhammad, prophet of Islam (d. 632) – see also 570

title: 571

section: Religion & Belief

date: December 22

text: December 22 – Muhammad claims to have received what was to become the first wahy of Islam.

title: 609

text: Muhammad, Islamic prophet, begins at 40 years old to preach a religion which will be called Islam. According to Islamic teachings, the angel Gabriel appears to him in a cave on Mount Hira near Mecca (Saudi Arabia) and calls him: "The Prophet of Allah". Muhammad gathers followers, reciting to them the first verses of Qur'an(Iqra), thus beginning the revelation of the Qur'an.

title: 610

text: The Quraish clans begins to boycott Muhammad and Banu Hashem, in order to put pressure on his Muslim followers and his Islamic preachings.

title: 616

text: Meccans begin a boycott of the Banu Hashim clan, to which Islamic prophet Muhammad belongs. A civil war begins in Medina.

title: 617

text: Muhammad issues a final proclamation against alcohol. Alcohol is subsequently prohibited in Islam, and his followers pour their wine into the streets.

title: 626

section: Events › By place › Religion

text: The Muslims replace Zoroastrianism with Islam in Mesopotamia (later Iraq); they do not force their conquered subjects to embrace the Islamic faith, but they do require acceptance of the Quran as the doctrine of divine teaching, and will oblige their subjects to learn Arabic (approximate date).

title: 637

section: Climate & Environment

text: First Islamic Civil War: An armed revolt erupts in Egypt; several Muslim sympathisers travel to Medina to rally support, beginning the fitna (literally meaning the 'trail of faith'). The Muslim expansion comes to a halt as the martial energies of the Islamic forces are directed inwards.

title: 656

section: Health & Medicine

text: The first Islamic hospital (bimaristan) is founded in Damascus (approximate date).

title: AD 707

text: Salih I ibn Mansur founds the Muslim Kingdom of Nekor (Morocco). He converts the local Berber tribes to Islam.

title: 710

section: Events › By place › Africa

text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Governor Al-Samh continues his campaign; he makes Narbonne the capital city of Muslim Septimania (Southern France), and uses it as a base for razzias. King Ardo is killed, and becomes the last ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania. Some Visigoths refuse to adopt the Muslim faith, and flee north to Aquitaine. This marks the end of the Visigothic Kingdom.

title: 720

text: Battle of the Nobles: The Berber rebels under chieftain Khalid ibn Hamid al-Zanati defeat and overwhelm the Umayyad forces of Khalid ibn Abi Habib al-Fihri, near Tangier (Northern Morocco), undermining Arab domination in Islamic North Africa. The rebellion spreads in Al-Andalus (Spain), causing governor Ubayd Allah ibn al-Habhab to withdraw Moorish troops from many garrisons north of the Pyrenees.

title: 740

text: Hunayn ibn Ishaq, Muslim scholar and physician (d. 873)

title: 809

date: March 6

text: March 6 – 42 captured Byzantine officials from Amorium are executed at Samarra, then the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, after they repeatedly refuse attempts to convert them to Islam.

title: 845

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: The east coast of Africa is impacted by trade and Arab, Persian and Indian traders mix with the indigenous Bantu. Many of the coastal Bantu adopt Islam, reaching as far south as Sofala (Mozambique).

title: 900

section: Events › By topic › Commerce

text: Ha-Mim proclaims himself a prophet and a messenger of Islam, among the Ghomara Berbers near the city of Tétouan (modern Morocco).

title: 925

text: Construction is completed on Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt (the world's oldest Islamic university).

title: 970

text: Cloves, ginger, black pepper, and other Eastern spices are available for purchase in the marketplace at Mainz. The spices are brought to the city by Jewish traveling merchants, known as the Radhanites, who have contacts in the international trade between the Christian and Islamic world (approximate date).

title: 973

text: The Qarmatians are defeated north of Cairo by Fatimid forces under General Jawhar al-Siqilli. He consolidates Fatimid rule and sends a legation to the Christian land of Nubia to secure the southern border of Egypt. Arab traders introduce Islam to the population, which gradually supplants Christianity.

title: 974

text: The Baghdad Manifesto is ordered by Caliph Al-Qadir of the Abbasid Caliphate, in response to the growth of the Fatimid-supporting Ismaili sect of Islam within his borders.

title: 1011

section: Events › By place › Middle East

date: March 23

text: March 23 (9 Muharram 415 AH) – In the first example of the reversal of the policy of religious tolerance created by the late Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim, Egyptian Christian Abu Zakariyya is arrested on charges of apostasy. Zakariyya, raised as a Christian, had converted to Islam, but then renounced Islam and converted back to Christianity, with immunity granted by al-Hakim. Zakariyya, apparently singled out for punishment is executed on October 14 (7 Shaban 415 CE).

title: 1024

section: Events › January–March

date: September 29

text: September 29 – Siege of Xerigordos: Sultan Kilij Arslan I sends a Seljuk expeditionary force to assault and recapture the castle of Xerigordos. They cut off the water supply, and Rainald of Breis is forced to surrender. Many of the crusaders are killed but others convert to Islam and become slaves.

title: 1096

section: Events › By place › First Crusade

text: November – Al-Nasir, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, is shocked by the war between fellow-Muslims and tries to negotiate a peace. Saladin, thwarted by the strong fortifications of Mosul, retreats to Sinjar. He marches to conquer Diarbekir, the richest and the greatest fortress of the Jazira Region (with the finest library in Islam).

title: 1182

section: Events › By place › Levant

date: July 25

text: July 25 – The Agreement of San Germano is signed between the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Pope Honorius III, with the Emperor Frederick agreeing to lead the Sixth Crusade to recapture Jerusalem and the rest of the Christian Holy Land in the Middle East from the Muslims. In return for the financing and the provision of soldiers by the Catholis Church in Syria, Frederick agrees to launch the Crusade on or before August 15, 1227.

title: 1225

section: Events › July – September

date: July 10

text: July 10 – In Baghdad, Al-Mānsūr al-Mustansir bi-llah (known as Al-Mustansir I) becomes the new Caliph of the adherents of Islam (and the 36th of the Abbasid dyansty), succeeding his father, al-Zahir bi-Amr Allah, who died only nine months after succeeding to the Caliphate.

title: 1226

date: March 9

text: March 9 – Khwarazmian Empire forces commanded by the Muslim Sultan Jalal al-Din Mangburni capture Tbilisi, capital of the Kingdom of Georgia. After the capture, the massacre of thousands of its Christian inhabitants begins as residents are given the choice between converting to Islam or being put to death.

title: 1226

section: Events › January – March

text: Kudahuvadhoo is converted to Islam.

title: 1258

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Malik ul Salih establishes Samudra Pasai, the first Muslim state in Indonesia.

title: 1267

section: Events › By place › Asia and North Africa

date: October 4

text: October 4 – Mongol leader Baydu Khan is executed after a 7-month reign at Tabriz. He is succeeded by Ghazan, who becomes ruler of the Ilkhanate. He converts to Islam, ending a line of Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhist) leaders.

title: 1295

date: January 20

text: January 20 – In Egypt, Al-Mustakfi I becomes the new Muslim Abbasid Caliph of Cairo, leader of Islam within the Mamluk Sultanate, upon the death of his father, the Caliph Al-Hakim I.

title: 1302

date: November 7

text: November 7 – Sheikh Karimul Makhdum, a Syrian Sunni Muslim missionary, brings the religion of Islam to the Philippine Islands by establishing a mosque on the island of Tawi-Tawi. The date of November 7 is now celebrated annually as a holiday in the Bangsamoro region of the Philippines.

title: 1380

date: August 14

text: August 14 – Two days after Ottoman troops had broken a siege and taken control of the village of Otranto in southern Italy, led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, carry out the massacre of 813 inhabitants who had refused to convert from Christianity to Islam.

title: 1480

date: January 2

text: January 2 – Fall of Granada: Muhammad XI, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders his city to the army of the Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile) after a lengthy siege, ending the ten-year Granada War and the centuries-long Reconquista, and bringing an end to 780 years of Muslim control in Al-Andalus.

title: 1492

section: Events › January—March

date: February 11

text: February 11 – George of Kratovo, a silversmith in Serbia, becomes a martyr to the Christian faith as he is burned to death on a pyre for refusing to convert to Islam.

title: 1515

text: September 13 – Ketevan, former queen consort of Kakheti (located around Gremi in what is now the Republic of Georgia), is tortured and killed in the Persian city of Shiraz after refusing to renounce Christianity to convert to Islam.

title: 1624

date: July 6

text: July 6 – On 3 Muharram 1077 AH on the Muslim calendar, Sa'd ibn Zayd, a descendant of Hasan ibn Ali and of Muhammad (founder of Islam) becomes the new Sharif of Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia. His ascension to the post follows the death of his father, Zayd ibn Muhsin, who had been the Sharif since 1631.

title: 1666

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: January 27

text: January 27 – The Muslim emperor Aurangzeb of the Mughal Empire in India issues an order for the destruction of all Hindu temples and schools in the empire, including the Keshvadeva Temple in Mathura.

title: 1670

text: April 3 – Aurangazeb, the Muslim ruler of the Mughal Empire in India, decrees the imposition of the jizya, an annual tax upon non-Muslims under Mughal jurisdiction, primarily Hindus. The tax had been abolished by Aurangazeb's great grandfather, Akbar.

title: 1679

text: April 2 – Sheikh Yusuf, exiled by the administrators of the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), arrives at the Dutch Cape Colony on the ship De Voetboog, at what later becomes Cape Town, South Africa, along with two wives, two concubines and twelve children. Resettled by the colonial government at a farm in Zandvliet, the Sheikh introduces Islam to South Africa.

title: 1694

text: January 8 – Hakeem Noor-ud-Din, Muslim scholar, 1st Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam (d. 1914)

title: 1841

text: January 12 – Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, 2nd Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam (d. 1965)

title: 1889

text: May – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claims to be the Promised Messiah (the second coming of Jesus) and the Mahdi awaited in Islam.

title: 1891

text: December 2 – Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.

title: 1988