slug: bulgaria

label: Bulgaria

description: country in southeast Europe

year_label: 71 BCE

text: Nessebar in modern-day Bulgaria comes under Roman rule.

title: 71 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

year_label: 29 BCE

text: Sofia, modern day capital of Bulgaria, is conquered by the Romans and becomes known as Ulpia Serdica.

title: 29 BC

date: December

text: December – Battle of Mardia: Constantine I defeats his rival Licinius and senior officer Valerius Valens, near the town of Harmanli (Bulgaria).

title: 316

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

section: Technology & Infrastructure

date: July 5

text: July 5 – Constantine's Bridge, built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria), is officially opened by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius.

title: 328

text: The Council of Philippopolis is held as the result of Eastern bishops leaving the Council of Sardica. In Philippopolis (Bulgaria), they excommunicate Pope Julius, and as a result, the Arian controversy is perpetuated.

title: 347

text: Wulfila escapes religious persecution by the Gothic chieftain Athanaric, obtains permission from Constantius II to migrate with his flock of converts to Moesia, and settles near Nicopolis ad Istrum (Bulgaria).

title: 348

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: The Romans fail to disarm the Visigoths, bungle administration of the refugees, and mistreat them, taking some of their children as slaves. The Goths break out of their containment area along the Danube and strike south towards the low-lying fertile region near Marcianople (Bulgaria). Although defying the local Roman officials, they are not in open revolt.

title: 376

text: Battle of the Willows: The Romans abandon the guerrilla strategy and are attacked by the Goths. The battle is indecisive but both sides suffer heavy casualties. The only Roman army available to face the Goths is no longer a fighting force. Richomeres withdraws his troops south of Marcianople (Bulgaria).

title: 377

text: Fritigern concentrates his army at Cabyle (Bulgaria). The Goths are mainly centred in the river valleys south of the Balkan Mountains, around the towns of Beroea, Cabyle and Dibaltum.

title: 378

text: The Huns under Uldin cross the lower Danube and attack the Eastern Roman Empire, setting fire to frontier forts and taking control of the Castra Martis (modern Bulgaria). The Romans negotiate for peace, but Uldin demands an exorbitant gold tribute in return for his withdrawal. This demand is rejected and Anthemius forces the Huns back across the Danube.

title: 408

text: Winter – Olympiodorus, historical writer, is sent on an embassy by Honorius, and sails in stormy weather around Greece up the Black Sea, to meet the Huns who are located on the middle Danube (modern Bulgaria).

title: 412

text: Attila demands in the treaty the evacuation of the territory running from Singidunum (Belgrade, in Serbia) 300 mi km east along the Danube to Novae (Svishtov, in Bulgaria). This depopulated buffer zone deprives the Romans of their natural defensive advantages.

title: 448

section: Events › By place › Byzantium

text: Vitalian defeats the Byzantines at Acris (Bulgaria), on the Black Sea coast. He attacks their fortified Laager in darkness, and in a crushing defeat kills a large part of the imperial army.

title: 513

text: The Slavs begin to migrate into the Balkan Peninsula. The Avars, under King (khagan) Bayan I, invade the Lower Danube (modern Bulgaria).

title: 580

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: Comentiolus, Byzantine general (magister militum), assembles an army of 10,000 men at Anchialus (modern Bulgaria). He prepares an ambush for the Avars in the Haemus Mountains.

title: 587

section: Events › By place › Eastern Roman Empire

text: Balkan Campaign: A Byzantine relief force under Priscus marches up the Danube River along the southern bank to Novae (modern Bulgaria). The fortress city of Singidunum (Belgrade) is plundered by the Avars, and abandoned after the approach of the Byzantines. The Avars retreat and launch a raid against Dalmatia.

title: 595

text: Emperor Maurice uses the city of Marcianopolis (modern Bulgaria) as a military base of operations on the lower Danube River, against the Slavs on the Balkans.

title: 596

text: Autumn – Comentiolus reopens the Gate of Trajan pass, near Ihtiman (Bulgaria). This strategic mountain pass, whose fortress "Stipon" defends the border between the provinces Thrace and Macedonia, is not used for decades.

title: 599

text: The Balkans are freely overrun by the Slavs, who settle in large numbers in what is now Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia and parts of Greece. The western territories of modern-day Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Croatia and Dalmatia) suffer raids from the Avars, who settle in this region.

title: 615

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: The Bulgars under Asparukh subjugate the country of current-day Bulgaria, north of the Balkan Mountains. Emperor Constantine IV leads a combined land and sea operation against the invaders and besieges their fortified camp in Dobruja.

title: 680

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Justinian II ascends to the throne again and rewards his ally Tervel, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, for his assistance with the title of kaisar (Caesar), which makes him second only to Justinian and the first foreign ruler in Byzantine history to receive such a title, and a territorial concession in northeastern Thrace, a region called Zagora in modern-day Bulgaria.

title: 705

text: Battle of Anchialus: A Byzantine expeditionary force under Emperor Justinian II is defeated near the seaside city of Anchialus, on the Black Sea Coast. The Byzantines are overwhelmed by a surprise attack of Bulgarian cavalry, led by Tervel. Justinian manages to reach the fortress, and escapes to Constantinople on a ship.

title: 708

text: The Madara Rider, an early medieval rock relief, is carved on the Madara Plateau east of Shumen in Bulgaria (approximate date).

title: 710

text: Battle of Marcellae: Constantine V sends a Byzantine expeditionary force (500 ships and 6,000 cavalry) to Thrace, and defeats the Bulgars around the Danube Delta and near the fortress city of Markeli (modern Bulgaria). Kormisosh is forced to accept a peace treaty, and confirms the existing frontier. Due to the constant political crisis, the Bulgarian Empire is on the verge of destruction. Kormisosh is deposed during a palace coup and succeeded by Vinekh, a member of the Vokil clan.

title: 756

text: Battle of the Rishki Pass: Emperor Constantine V invades Bulgaria again, but his forces are ambushed and defeated while crossing the Rishki Pass, near Stara Planina (modern Bulgaria). The Bulgarian ruler (khagan) Vinekh does not exploit his success, and begins peace negotiations.

title: 759

text: Battle of Marcellae: Constantine VI leads a Byzantine expeditionary force into northern Thrace. At the border castle of Marcellae, near the modern town of Karnobat (Bulgaria), the Bulgarians under Kardam defeat the Byzantines.

title: 792

text: Krum becomes ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire (until 814). During his reign Bulgarian territory doubles in size, from the Danube to the Dniester.

title: 802

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Nikephoros I organises a new campaign against the Bulgarian Empire, gathering an expeditionary force (most of the Roman army) from all parts of the empire. He is accompanied by high-ranking officials and aristocrats, including his son Stauracius and brother-in-law Michael I Rangabe (both later emperors temporarily). Krum, ruler (khan) of Bulgaria, sends envoys to sue for peace. Nikephoros refuses to accept the terms and marches through the Balkan passes towards Pliska, the Bulgarian capital.

title: 811

text: The Slavs in the vicinity of Thessaloniki revolt against the Byzantine Empire. Theophilos undertakes an evacuation of some Byzantine captives, who are settled in trans-Danubian Bulgaria.

title: 837

text: Presian I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 23-year reign in which the Bulgarians have expanded into Upper Macedonia and Serbia. He is succeeded by his son Boris I, as monarch of Bulgaria.

title: 852

text: Croatian–Bulgarian battle: Bulgarian Khan (later Knyaz) Boris I, attacks the Duchy of Littoral Croatia, ruled by Duke Trpimir I during the First Croatian-Bulgarian War. It is fought on the Croatian territory in the vicinity of the Croatian–Bulgarian border in present-day northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. None of the warring sides emerges victorious, Bulgarian forces retreat and finally both parties subsequently conclude a peace treaty.

title: 854

text: Boris I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, abdicates the throne after a 37-year reign, and retires to a monastery. He is succeeded by his eldest son Vladimir, as monarch of Bulgaria. Vladimir falls under the influence of the old boyars; many remain anti-Christian and anti-Byzantine. He attempts to restore the former Frankish alliance, and to reestablish paganism.

title: 889

text: Vladimir, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, is dethroned by his father Boris I, with help from loyal boyars. He is blinded, and succeeded by his brother Simeon I, as prince of Bulgaria; the capital is moved from Pliska to Preslav. Simeon makes an alliance with the Pechenegs (or Patzinaks), a semi-nomad Turkic tribe from the Central Asian steppes.

title: 893

text: Spring – Emperor John I Tzimiskes divides the Bulgarian territories, recently held by the Kievan Rus', into six new themes. He turns his attention to the East against the Abbasid Caliphate and its vassals, beginning with an invasion of Upper Mesopotamia. John transfers Byzantine troops to Macedonia, and the region of Philippopolis in Thrace, to dilute the Slavs.

title: 972

text: Byzantine Emperor Basil II attempts to reconquer Bulgaria.

title: 1001

text: Battle of Beroia: Emperor John II Komnenos transfers the Byzantine field army from Asia Minor (where it has been engaged against the Seljuk Turks) to the Balkans. The Pechenegs who have set up their camp (defended by a circular formation of wagons) near Beroia (modern Bulgaria) are defeated. John orders the Varangian Guard (some 480 men), the elite Palace Guard to hack their way through the Pecheneg circle of wagons, causing a general rout in their camp. Pecheneg survivors are taken captive and enlisted into the Byzantine army.

title: 1122

text: Siege of Lovech: Byzantine forces under Isaac II besiege the fortress city of Lovech in north-central Bulgaria. After a three-month siege, Isaac is forced to accept a truce by recognizing the joint-rule of Peter II and Ivan Asen I as emperor's (or tsar) over the territory, leading to the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire (until 1396).

title: 1187

date: June 30

text: June 30 – Battle of Philippopolis: Bulgarian forces under Emperor (tsar) Boril are defeated by the Latin army (some 30,000 men) led by Emperor Henry of Flanders, near modern-day Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

title: 1208

text: Tsar Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria flees from Tarnovo, ending the Asen dynasty in Bulgaria.

title: 1280

section: Events

text: The Sofia Psalter is produced in Bulgaria.

title: 1337

section: Events › Date unknown

text: The Ottoman Empire invades Bulgaria.

title: 1369

section: Events › Dates unknown

date: February

text: February – Vladislav I of Wallachia liberates Vidin from the Hungarians, resulting in the restoration of Ivan Sratsimir on the throne of Bulgaria, in the autumn.

title: 1369

section: Events › January–March

date: February 17

text: February 17 – Rival brothers Ivan Sratsimir and Ivan Shishman become co-Emperors of Bulgaria after the death of their father, Ivan Alexander. Bulgaria is weakened by the split.

title: 1371

text: Ottoman Turks capture the town of Ihtiman in west Bulgaria.

title: 1378

date: September 23

text: September 23 – Dan I of Wallachia (modern-day southern Romania) is killed in battle against the Bulgarians and is succeeded by Mircea the Elder, one of the greatest rulers of Wallachia.

title: 1386

section: Events › July–September

text: October 10 – At the Battle of Karanovasa, Wallachia (now southern Romania) resists an invasion by the army Ottoman Empire and its Serb and Bulgarian vassals.

title: 1394

text: June 3 – Sultan Bayezid I of the Ottoman Empire has the former Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Shishman beheaded after Shishman is accused of collaborating with the Principality of Wallachia during the 1394 Battle of Karanovasa.

title: 1395

text: September 12 – The Crusaders, with more than 17,000 troops from France, Hungary, the Knights Hospitaler, Wallachia and the Holy Roman Empire , arrive at the outskirts of Nicopolis (now Nikopol in Bulgaria).

title: 1396

text: The Ottomans capture the town of Vidin, the capital of the Tsardom of Vidin, the only remaining independent Bulgarian state. Emperor Ivan Sratsimir of Vidin is taken prisoner by early this year and later disappears while his son Constantine II becomes Emperor in his place.

title: 1397

text: April 26 – At Philippopolis in the Ottoman Empire

title: 1432

text: December 12 – At the Battle of Zlatitsa in what is now Bulgaria, Ottoman troops under the Sultan Murad II and General Kasim Pasha defeat an attack by John Hunyadi and the forces of Hungary, Croatia, Poland and Serbia.

title: 1443

text: August 22 – Đurađ Branković reclaims Serbia from Ottoman control after the signing of the peace of Szeged, and Wladyslaw of Hungary offers the throne of Bulgaria to John Hunyadi.

title: 1444

text: The Austrians incite a rebellion against the Ottomans in Bulgaria.

title: 1595

text: The Austrians incite the Chiprovtsi Uprising against the Ottomans in Bulgaria after the siege of Belgrade.

title: 1688

text: Stemmatographia by Hristofor Zhefarovich, regarded as the first Serbian and Bulgarian secular printed book, is printed in Vienna.

title: 1741

text: July 30 - An earthquake occurred in Edirne and affected the region all the way to Bulgaria.

title: 1752

text: The first Bulgarian-language school opens in the Ottoman Empire.

title: 1835

text: Feudalism and serfdom in Bulgaria are abolished in the Ottoman Empire (practically in 1880).

title: 1858

text: November 7 – The Ruse–Varna railway line (the first railway in Bulgaria) officially opens.

title: 1866

text: December 16 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian revolutionary, leader of the revolutionary movement in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace (d. 1952)

title: 1869

text: July 30 – Russo-Turkish War: The Turkish army and its allies destroy the Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora and massacre the inhabitants.

title: 1877

text: July 13 – The Treaty of Berlin makes Serbia, Montenegro and Romania completely independent, confirms the autonomy of Bulgaria, makes Cyprus a British possession, and allows Austria-Hungary to garrison the Bosnia Vilayet.

title: 1878

text: November 14–28 – Serbo-Bulgarian War: Serbia declares war against Bulgaria, but is defeated in the Battle of Slivnitsa on November 17–19.

title: 1885

text: September 18 – The union of Eastern Rumelia with Bulgaria is proclaimed at Plovdiv.

title: 1885

text: April 14 – An earthquake occurs in Chirpan, Bulgaria, followed four days later by another in Plovdiv. Between them, they destroy more than 21,000 buildings, and kill almost 130 people.

title: 1928

text: September 7 – Treaty of Craiova: Romania loses Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria.

title: 1940

text: March 1 – WWII: Bulgaria signs the Tripartite Pact, thus joining the Axis powers.

title: 1941

text: September 8 – Bulgaria is declared a People's Republic after a referendum; King Simeon II leaves.

title: 1946

text: December 14 – Traicho Kostov, who until March was acting president of the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, is sentenced to death for anti-Communist Party activity.

title: 1949

text: July 27 – El Al Flight 402 from Vienna (Austria) to Tel Aviv, via Istanbul, is shot down over Bulgaria. All 58 passengers and crewmen aboard the Lockheed Constellation are killed.

title: 1955

text: September 7 – In London, UK, a poison-filled pellet, supposedly injected using an umbrella, fatally poisons Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov; he dies four days later.

title: 1978

text: December 7 – A magnitude 5.7 earthquake destroys most of the Bulgarian town of Strajica, killing 2 people.

title: 1986

text: November 10 – After 45 years of Communist rule in Bulgaria, Bulgarian Communist Party leader Todor Zhivkov is replaced by Foreign Minister Petar Mladenov, who changes the party's name to the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

title: 1989

text: March 29 – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are admitted to NATO, the largest expansion of the organization.

title: 2004

text: January 1 – Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eurozone.

title: 2007

text: July 24 – Five Bulgarian nurses are released from Libyan prison after eight and a half years spent behind bars in Benghazi and Tripoli, marking the end of the so-called "HIV trial in Libya".

title: 2007

text: January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.

title: 2018

text: July 7 – Protests begin throughout Bulgaria with the goal of removing Borisov's cabinet and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev from office.

title: 2020

text: May 11 – The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology publishes the result of radiocarbon and DNA analysis from the fossils that has been found in the Bacho Kiro cave, Bulgaria. The result, showing that the fossils belong to Homo sapiens instead of Neanderthal, indicates that modern humans may have arrived in Europe thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

title: 2020

text: March 24 – 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine: NATO announces that four new battlegroups totaling 40,000 troops will be deployed in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, along with enhanced readiness for potential chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

title: 2022

text: March 31 – Bulgaria and Romania become members of the Schengen Area through sea and air routes.

title: 2024


slug: bulgarians

label: Bulgarians

description: South Slavic ethnic group

section: Conflict & Security

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: The Bulgars under Asparukh subjugate the country of current-day Bulgaria, north of the Balkan Mountains. Emperor Constantine IV leads a combined land and sea operation against the invaders and besieges their fortified camp in Dobruja.

title: 680

section: Deaths

text: Asparuh, founder of the First Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 20-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Tervel, who becomes ruler (khan) of the Bulgarians.

title: 701

section: Events › By place › Balkans

text: Battle of Berzitia: The Bulgarian ruler (khagan) Telerig sends a small raiding army (12,000 men) to strike into the southwest of Macedonia, and capture Berzitia. Emperor Constantine V is informed about this raid by his spies in Pliska, and assembles an enormous force (80,000 men). He surprises the Bulgarians, who did not expect to find a Byzantine army there, and defeats them decisively. The Bulgars suffer heavy losses.

title: 774

section: Religion & Belief

date: February 28

text: February 28 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople ends. The Bulgarians are granted an autocephalous archbishopric. with its seat in the capital of Pliska.

title: 870

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Uprising of Asen and Peter: Peter and Ivan Asen lead a revolt of the Vlachs and Bulgars against the Byzantine Empire, eventually establishing the Second Bulgarian Empire.

title: 1185

text: Battle of Tryavna: Byzantine forces under Isaac II are ambushed and defeated by the Bulgarians in a mountain pass, near Tryavna. In panic, the Byzantines break up and begin a disorganized retreat. Isaac barely escapes, his Varangian Guard has to cut a path through their own soldiers, enabling their emperor's flight from the rout. The Bulgarians capture the imperial treasure, including the golden helmet of Isaac, his crown, and the Imperial Cross which contains a wooden piece of the Holy Cross.

title: 1190

date: May 17

text: May 17 – Battle of Rovine: With the help of the Hungarians, Wallachia resists an invasion by the Ottomans and their Serb and Bulgarian vassals. But Mircea I of Wallachia has to temporarily flee to Transylvania, and Vlad I Uzurpatorul is placed on the throne by the Ottomans.

title: 1395

section: Events › April–June

section: Births

date: January 23

text: January 23 – Gotse Delchev, Bulgarian revolutionary (d. 1903)

title: 1872

section: Births › January–March


slug: bulgars

label: Bulgars

description: extinct Turkic tribal confederation

text: The Bulgars are first mentioned in extant European chronicles.

title: 354

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Theodoric Strabo defeats the Bulgars in Thrace, and moves with an army (13,000 men) towards Constantinople. After logistical problems, he is forced to return to Greece. In an encampment at Stabulum Diomedis, near Philippi, he falls from an unruly horse onto a spear and dies.

title: 481

text: The Bulgars ravage Thrace. A semi-nomadic people, they have absorbed the surviving Huns and meet no opposition from Byzantine forces.

title: AD 502

text: King Ernakh, third son of Attila the Hun, dies after a 34-year reign. He is succeeded by his two sons (Utigur and Kutrigur), who share the power with the unified Bulgars.

title: 503

section: Events › Europe

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: Emperor Anastasius I completes the strategic fortress at Dara (Northern Mesopotamia). He raises the city walls to 30 feet (10 m), disregarding Persian protests. Alarmed by the depredations of Slavs and Bulgars in Thrace, he builds the Anastasian Wall from the Black Sea to Propontis, across the narrow peninsula near Constantinople (modern Turkey).

title: 507

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Anastasius I constructs a wall from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, to protect Constantinople from raiding Bulgars and Slavs.

title: 512

text: Justin, Byzantine general (magister militum), dies in battle against the Bulgars on the frontier of the Danubian limes in Moesia. He is succeeded by Constantiolus.

title: 528

text: Emperor Justinian I becomes alarmed by renewed barbarian incursions across the Danube frontier from the Slavs, the Bulgars, the Gepids, and the Avars.

title: 539

text: After the death of his cousin Germanus, Justinian I appoints Narses new supreme commander, and returns to Italy. In Salona on the Adriatic coast, he assembles a Byzantine expeditionary force totaling 20,000 or possibly 30,000 men and a contingent of foreign allies, notably Lombards, Heruls and Bulgars.

title: 551

text: The Byzantines abandon present-day Lombardy and Tuscany, to establish a frontier march in the hills south of Ravenna (still known as Le Marche). Bavarians, Sarmatians, Saxons and Taifali, join the invasion en route. As they advance, the vacuum left behind them on the Balkan Peninsula is filled by Avars, Bulgars and Slavs.

title: 568

text: Kubrat, ruler of the Bulgars, is baptised in Constantinople.

title: 619

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Justinian II carries out a Balkan campaign and marches through Thrace, where he restores Byzantine rule. He establishes a theme administration, and migrates many Bulgars and Slavs to the Opsician Theme (Asia Minor).

title: 688

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Justinian II defeats the Bulgars of Macedonia and recaptures Thessalonica, the second most important Byzantine city in Europe. He resettles the subdued Slavs in Anatolia (modern Turkey), where they are required to provide 30,000 men to the Byzantine army.

title: 689

text: Spring – An army of 15,000 Bulgar and Slav horsemen under Justinian II appear before the walls of Constantinople. After three days, his troops discover an unused water conduit under the walls of the city, and enter through the Valens Aqueduct. Hearing that Justinian has taken control of the Blachernae Palace, Emperor Tiberios III flees to Bithynia (modern Turkey), where he evades capture for several months.

title: 705

text: The Bulgars under Tervel, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, raid Thrace and reach the city walls of Constantinople. Skirmishes continue until 716; Emperor Philippicus transfers a Byzantine army from the Opsikion Theme in Asia Minor, to police the Balkan Peninsula.

title: 712

text: Arab–Byzantine War: Muslim general Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik leads his army of 80,000 men from Pergamum to Abydos, where he crosses the Hellespont. To prevent interference by the Bulgars, or by any Byzantine forces in Thrace, he sends part of his army to a covering position near Adrianople; with his main body, Maslama builds siege lines to blockade Constantinople, which is protected by the massive Theodosian Walls.

title: 717

text: Constantine V reforms the old Imperial Guard of Constantinople into new elite cavalry and infantry units, called tagmata (Greek for 'the regiments'). He uses these troops against a rebellious theme in north-west Anatolia (modern Turkey), and later for offensive campaigns against Arab Muslim raiders and Bulgars.

title: 743

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Constantine V builds a series of fortifications along the Byzantine frontier on the Danube, and starts settling Christian Armenians and Syrians in the Thracesian Theme. In response, Kormisosh, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, demands the payment of tribute. Constantine refuses, and the Bulgars raid into Thrace, reaching the Anastasian Wall stretching between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara (near the outskirts of Constantinople).

title: 756

date: September 14

text: September 14 – Emperor Constantine V dies while on a campaign in Bulgaria. In his 34-year reign he has suppressed monasticism and image worship, restored aqueducts, revived commerce, and repopulated Constantinople. He is succeeded by his 25-year-old son Leo IV ("the Khazar"), who continues Constantine's campaigns against the Bulgars and Muslim Arabs.

title: 775

date: May

text: May – Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, begins his territorial expansion and raids the Byzantine northern frontier. He leads his warriors — mostly Bulgars, Slavs, Thracians and Macedonians — across the Carpathian Mountains, over the Danube River, and throughout Transylvania, Thrace, and Macedonia.

title: 803

date: July 23

text: July 23 – Nikephoros I reaches Pliska, and destroys a Bulgarian army of 12,000 elite soldiers who guard the stronghold. Another hastily assembled relief force of 50,000 soldiers suffers a similar fate. The Byzantines capture the defenseless capital. Nikephoros plunders the city and captures Krum's treasury. He burns the countryside, slaughters sheep and pigs, as he pursues the retreating Bulgars southwest towards Serdica (modern-day Sofia).

title: 811

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: The Bulgars, led by Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, launch an invasion against the Byzantines. They capture the fortress cities of Develt and Mesembria, near the Black Sea.

title: 812

date: June 22

text: June 22 – Battle of Versinikia: The Bulgars, led by Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, defeat Emperor Michael I near Edirne (modern Turkey). The Byzantine army (26,000 men) is destroyed by a counter-attack of Bulgarian heavy cavalry, while trapped in the valley. Krum captures the Byzantine camp and a rich prize, including gold and weaponry.

title: 813

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian Treaty: Emperor Leo V the Armenian signs a 30-year peace agreement in Constantinople with Omurtag, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire. The Rhodope Mountains become the Byzantine border again, and Leo regains its lost Black Sea cities, after the Bulgars have them demolished.

title: 815

text: Summer – Omurtag, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, launches an attack to the West, and penetrates into Pannonia. He expels the local chiefs, and installs Bulgar governors over the Slavic tribes to control them. Omurtag conquers the cities of Beograd, Braničevo, Sirmium, and most of eastern Slavonia.

title: 827

text: Presian I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 23-year reign in which the Bulgarians have expanded into Upper Macedonia and Serbia. He is succeeded by his son Boris I, as monarch of Bulgaria.

title: 852

text: Sviatoslav I, Grand Prince of Kyiv, begins a 2-year campaign in which he will defeat Khazar forces along the Don River – vanquish the Ossetes and the Circassians in the northern Caucasus. He also successfully attacks the Bulgars on the Volga River.

title: 963

text: Winter – Constantine IX allows the Pecheneg tribes to cross the Danube and settle permanently in Byzantine territory. He buys their alliance with presents, using them to attack his enemies (Bulgars and Magyars) in the rear, and so to prevent any southward advance of the Kievan Rus'.

title: 1047


slug: burgos

label: Burgos

description: municipality in Castile and Leon, Spain

date: March 1

text: March 1 – Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, count of Castile, founds and repopulates (repoblación) Burgos and Ubierna (Northern Spain), under the mandate of King Alfonso III of Asturias.

title: 884

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Ramiro II expands the border eastwards (nearly to the Pyrenees) and captures Burgos and the surrounding land. This land would soon be known as the County of Castile (approximate date).

title: 931

text: Constance, queen of Castile and León, founds a monastery in Burgos (approximate date).

title: 1079

text: Queen Urraca of Castile unsuccessfully attempts to seize the city of Burgos from her ex-husband, King Alfonso the Battler.

title: 1113

text: Summer – The Lord Edward travels from Portsmouth with his mother, Queen Eleanor of Provence, and Boniface of Savoy, archbishop of Canterbury, to marry the 13-year-old Eleanor of Castile, the half-sister of King Alfonso X of Castile. Henry III has demanded the marriage in exchange for ending the war with Alfonso. In August, the party arrives in Burgos, capital of Castile, where the marriage is due to take place.

title: 1254

section: Events › By place › England

date: May 2

text: May 2 – At Burgos in Spain, Edward the Black Prince of England attempts to get himself and his soldiers paid by King Pedro of Castile for their services at the battle of Najera, but receives instead a renewal of a bond to secure the debt owed.

title: 1367

date: October 21

text: October 21 – Siege of Burgos: British troops under Arthur Wellington are forced to abandon the siege of Burgos after a month. Meanwhile, Joseph Bonaparte makes plans to recapture Madrid. He assembles an army led by Louis-Gabriel Suchet and Jean-de-Dieu Soult to drive Wellington out of central Spain.

title: 1812

section: Events › October–December

section: Crime & Justice

date: December 3

text: December 3 – Burgos Trial: In Burgos, Spain, the trial of 16 Basque terrorism suspects begins.

title: 1970

section: Events › December


slug: burgundian-netherlands

label: Burgundian Netherlands

description: portion of the Low Countries ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy in the period from 1384 to 1482

section: Culture & Society

date: June 19

text: June 19 – At Ghent, Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy and ruler of a realm that includes much of present-day Netherlands and Belgium, marries Margaret, daughter of Louis II of Flanders.

title: 1369

date: January 6

text: January 6 – The first assembly ever of the States General of the Netherlands is held as representatives from at least 17 provinces of the Burgundian Netherlands gather at Bruges. At least 81 delegates come from the clergy, nobility and general public from the Duchy of Brabant, the County of Flanders, Lille, Douai and Orchies, the County of Artois, the County of Hainaut, the County of Holland, the County of Zeeland, the County of Namur, the Lordship of Mechelen, and the Boulonnais, all with the reluctant assent of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.

title: 1464

section: Events › January–March

date: December 22

text: December 22 – The Treaty of Saint-Trond is signed to end the war between the Burgundian Netherlands (ruled by Philip the Good) and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, ending the First Liège War, which had started four months earlier. Liège is allowed to keep its sovereignty at the cost of paying for the Burgundian war expenses and designating Charles the Bold, son of the Duke Philip, as heir to the rule of the area.

title: 1465

date: December 23

text: December 23 – The Treaty of Arras divides the Burgundian Netherlands between King Louis XI of France and Archduke Maximilian I of Habsburg.

title: 1482

date: January 8

text: January 8 – The Royal Netherlands Navy is formed by the Ordinance of Admiralty, issued by Archduke Maximilian of Austria, co-ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands.

title: 1488

section: Conflict & Security

date: November 18

text: November 18 – In the "Squire Francis War" (Jonker Fransenoorlog), a new phase of the Dutch civil war in the Burgundian Netherlands county of Holland, the rebel army of the Hook faction, led by Frans van Brederode, captures the city of Rotterdam, capital of Holland.

title: 1488

date: June 4

text: June 4 – Squire Francis War: The Battle of the Lek is fought between ships on the Lek river in the Burgundian Netherlands, near Utrecht, between the Hoek rebels (led by Jan van Naaldwijk) and the Cods, the ruling nobility of Burgundian Holland. The 1,400 Hoek warriors suffer 250 deaths, with 400 taken prisoner and van Nalldwijk and the remaining warriors retreating.

title: 1489

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: September 9

text: September 9 – In the Burgundian Netherlands (part of modern-day Belgium), the faculty at the University of Leuven publishes a condemnation of the 34 propositions drawn up by the Jesuit scholar Michel Baius, leading to a campaign by traditional Belgian Catholics against the Jesuits.

title: 1587

section: Events › July–September


slug: burgundians

label: Burgundians

description: historical ethnical group

text: Winter/Spring: The Caesar Maximian defeats the Bagaudae rebellion in Gaul. He then defeats a Germanic invasion into Gaul, defeating an army of Burgundians and Alemanni and another army of Chaibones and Heruli.

title: 286

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

text: The Alemanni, having been expelled from part of their territory by the Burgundians, seek to regain their lost lands. These peoples had unsuccessfully invaded Gaul in tandem in 285/6, and the Alemanni had likely been weakened by the Roman counter-invasions of 287 and 288.

title: 291

section: Events › By place › Northern Europe

text: War of Radagaisus: King Radagaisus leads an invasion with a force of 20,000 men and crosses the Alps. He spends the winter in the Po Valley and is observed by Stilicho, who lacks sufficient strength to prepare an offensive against the invading German tribes. The exact numbers of the migration are unknown, probably nearly 100,000, including Alans, Burgundians, Goths, Vandals, and other smaller tribes.

title: 405

text: Following the defeat of Constantine III, the Burgundians and the Gallic nobility proclaim Jovinus, Gallo-Roman senator, emperor of the Western Roman Empire at Mogontiacum (modern Mainz).

title: AD 411

section: Deaths

text: The Huns led by Octar attack the Burgundians, who occupied territory on the Rhine near the city of Worms (Germany). During the fighting Octar dies, and his army is destroyed.

title: 430

text: Roman general (magister militum) Flavius Aetius begins a campaign in Gaul against the Burgundians, following their raids into neighbouring Gallia Belgica by King Gunther.

title: 435

text: End of the Burgundian Revolt of Gunther: Flavius Aetius, Roman general (magister militum), attempts to put an end to Burgundian raids in Gaul. He calls in Hun mercenaries under the command of Attila and his brother Bleda, which plunder Augusta Vangionum, killing some 20,000 Burgundians. The Kingdom of the Burgundians is destroyed; King Gunther and his family are killed (this epic disaster will later provide the source for the Nibelungenlied).

title: 436

text: Gunther, king of the Burgundians (approximate date)

title: 436

text: Flavius Aetius, Roman general (magister militum), returns as triumphator back to Rome, after several years' fighting the Burgundians and Visigoths in Gaul. He is honoured by a statue erected by the Senate, and by order of Emperor Valentinian III.

title: 440

text: The Burgundians sign a peace treaty with Rome, agreeing to serve as foederati in the Roman army. They begin to move from the Upper Rhine and Flavius Aetius, commander-in-chief (magister militum), gives them land in the Geneva area (Maxima Sequanorum).

title: 443

text: Gundobad, king of the Burgundians (approximate date)

title: 452

date: October 5

text: October 5 – The Visigoths under King Theodoric II, acting on orders of Avitus, invade Spain with an army of Burgundians, Franks and Goths, led by their kings Chilperic I and Gondioc. They defeat the Suebi under King Rechiar on the Urbicus River, near Astorga (Gallaecia); this shatters the power of the Suebi.

title: 456

text: Emperor Majorian builds a Roman fleet at Miseno and Ravenna. He strengthens the army, by recruiting a large number of barbarian mercenaries (Bastarnae, Burgundians, Huns, Ostrogoths, Rugii, Scythians and Suebi).

title: 458

date: July 11

text: July 11 – Anthemius, besieged in the part of Rome he controls until his troops are defeated, is caught while fleeing the city disguised as a supplicant in the Old St. Peter's Basilica (or at the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere), and later beheaded by Gundobad or Ricimer. Ricimer proclaims Olybrius emperor. Ricimer's nephew, the Burgundian general Gundobad, assumes command of the Western army and holds de facto power in the Empire.

title: 472

text: Gundobad returns to Burgundy, where his father Gondioc has died, and becomes king of the Burgundians.

title: 473

text: Odoacer crosses the Maritime Alps with a Gothic army and invades Provence (Southern Gaul). He conquers the cities of Arles and Marseille, after a victorious battle against the Burgundians.

title: 476

text: King Gundobad proclaims the Lex Burgundionum, a law code of the Burgundians concerning marriage and inheritance, as well as regulating weregild and other penalties (approximate date).

title: 484

text: Summer – The Burgundians, under King Gundobad, cross the Alps and plunder Liguria. Many Romans are taken into captivity.

title: 490

text: Theodoric the Great allies with the Franks and marries Audofleda, sister of Clovis I. He also marries his own female relatives to princes or kings of the Burgundians, Vandals and Visigoths, establishing a political alliance with the Germanic kingdoms in the West.

title: 493

text: Burgundian Civil War: Battle of Dijon: A coalition of Franks and Burgundians crush the forces under Gundobad. King Clovis I pursues him to Avignon, where he surrenders and promises to pay a yearly tribute.

title: AD 500

date: March 29

text: March 29 – King Gundobad issues a new legal code (Lex Burgundionum) at Lyon, that makes Gallo-Romans and Burgundians subject to the same laws (approximate date).

title: AD 502

text: Gundobad, king of the Burgundians

title: 516

text: King Gundobad of the Burgundians dies peacefully after a 43-year reign, and is succeeded by his eldest son Sigismund.

title: 516

text: Amalaric, age 20, is proclaimed king of the Visigoths. His kingdom is threatened from the north by the Burgundians.

title: 522

text: Sigismund, king of the Burgundians

title: 524

date: June 25

text: June 25 – Battle of Vézeronce: The Franks under Chlodomer, Childebert I and Chlothar I are defeated by the Burgundians and allied Ostrogoths near Isère (France), averting the Frankish advance into Burgundy. During the fighting Chlodomer is killed. Later Childebert annexes the cities of Chartres and Orléans.

title: 524

text: Battle of Autun - The Franks, under command of King Childebert I and his brother Chlothar I, invade the Kingdom of Burgundy. They defeat the Burgundians under King Godomar near Autun (modern France).

title: 532

text: The Frankish kings Childebert I and Chlothar I overthrow Godomar, king of the Burgundians, and end the Kingdom of Burgundy.

title: 534

date: March

text: March – Gothic War: The Goths and the Burgundians recapture Mediolanum (modern Milan), after many months of siege, the city reaching the point of starvation. The Byzantine garrison (1,000 men) surrenders and is spared, but the inhabitants are massacred (according to Procopius 300,000 people are murdered), and the city itself is destroyed.

title: 539

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: The Franks and Burgundians under King Guntram and his nephew Childebert II invade Northern Italy, but suffer a disastrous defeat against the Lombards.

title: 588

text: Claudius, duke (dux) of Lusitania, defeats the Franks and Burgundians at Carcassonne (Languedoc) on the Aude River.

title: 589

text: The Franks and Burgundians under King Guntram invade Italy. They capture the cities Milan and Verona, but are forced to leave by a plague outbreak in the Po Valley.

title: 590

date: November 23

text: November 23 – The Duke of Orleans is assassinated, and war breaks out again between the Burgundians and the Duke's followers.

title: 1407

section: Events › July–December

date: May 18

text: May 18 – The Treaty of Bourges is signed between King Henry IV of England and Charles, Duke of Orléans, as the Armagnacs offer England full sovereignty over Aquitaine and Gascony in return for 4,000 troops and military aid against the Burgundians and John the Fearless.

title: 1412


slug: burgundy

label: Burgundy

description: former administrative region of France

year_label: 58 BCE

text: Winter – Caesar leaves his legions in winter quarters among the Sequani (located in modern-day Burgundy) far to the north of the formal boundary of Gallia Transalpina. He returns to Gallia Cisalpina, carrying out judicial and administrative activities.

title: 58 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

section: Religion & Belief

text: Second Council of Mâcon: In a council of Christian bishops in Mâcon (Burgundy), Jews are prohibited from serving as judges or customs officers.

title: 581

section: Events › By topic › Religion

date: March 1

text: March 1 – Emperor Louis the Pious is restored as sole ruler of the Frankish Empire. After his re-accession to the throne, his eldest son Lothair I flees to Burgundy.

title: 834

section: Events › By place › Europe

date: October

text: October – Siege of Paris: Count Odo slips through Viking-controlled territory, to ask the king of West Francia Charles the Fat for support. He returns with a relief force, and reaches safety within the walls. Charles arrives later with a large army, and establishes a camp at Montmartre. After negotiations he promises the Vikings tribute (Danegeld) worth 700 Livres (equivalent to 257kg of silver), and allows them to sail up the River Seine, to over-winter in Burgundy.

title: 886

text: The Hungarians cross Bavaria, and invade Swabia and Franconia. They plunder the territories from Minfeld to Aargau. After that, they cross the Rhine, and attack Burgundy for the first time.

title: AD 911

text: Battle of the Inn: The Hungarians invade Bavaria, Swabia and Northern Burgundy. At their return they face the combined armies of Arnulf (duke of Bavaria), Erchanger and Burchard II (dukes of Swabia), who defeat them at Aschbach near the Inn River (modern Germany).

title: 913

text: A Hungarian army invades Burgundy, and burns the city of Tournus. Then they go southwards to Italy, pillaging the environs of Naples, Benevento and Monte Cassino. When the Hungarians return home, they are attacked in the Apennine Mountains by Lombard forces, losing their plunder (approximate date).

title: 937

section: Births

text: Matilda, queen consort of Burgundy (approximate date)

title: 943

text: Otto (or Odo), duke of Burgundy (d. 965)

title: 944

date: February 22

text: February 22 – Otto, duke of Burgundy (b. 944)

title: 965

date: November 26

text: November 26 – Matilda, queen of Burgundy (or 981)

title: 982

text: Ermengarde of Anjou, duchess of Burgundy (d. 1076)

title: 1018

date: February 17

text: February 17 – According to the cartulary-chronicle of the Bèze Abbey (officially the Abbaye Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul de Bèze) in the Burgundy region of France, the brothers Girard and Lambert repent of their seizure of the village of Viévigne and restore the property to the Abbey "for the good of their souls".

title: 1024

date: September 21

text: September 21 – Otto-William, count of Burgundy

title: 1026

text: Spring – Pope Stephen IX pronounces on the authenticity of the relics of Mary Magdalene at Vézelay Abbey in Burgundy, making it a major centre of pilgrimage.

title: 1058

date: March 18

text: March 18 – Ermengarde of Anjou, duchess of Burgundy

title: 1076

date: April 21

text: April 21 – The new basilica at Vézelay Abbey (located in northern Burgundy in France) is dedicated.

title: 1104

text: Pontigny Abbey, a Cistercian monastery, is founded (located in Burgundy).

title: 1114

date: March 31

text: March 31 – Bernard of Clairvaux, commissioned by Pope Eugene III, preaches the Second Crusade at Vézelay, in Burgundy. King Louis VII of France and his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, take up the cross. In a repeat of the events of 1096, Crusaders attack and massacre Jewish communities along the Rhine. Encouraged by his success, Bernard undertakes a tour in Burgundy, Lorraine and Flanders – preaching the Crusade as he goes.

title: 1146

text: Sens Cathedral in Burgundy installs an horologe, presumed to be an early form of clock.

title: 1176

date: July 31

text: July 31 – Philip II, accompanied by Conrad of Montferrat, departs to Tyre and returns to France. He leaves behind a French army (some 10,000 men) under the command of Hugh III, duke of Burgundy. Richard I is left in sole command of the Crusader forces in the Levant. Back in France, Philip schemes with Richard's brother, Prince John, to dispossess Richard of his French lands while he is still away, but the intervention of John's mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, foils the plan. Meanwhile, Richard rebuilds and strengthens the walls of Acre.

title: 1191

section: Events › By place › Third Crusade

text: Vlad II Dracul, aided by a crusaders' fleet from Burgundy, attacks Giurgiu, and massacres the Ottoman garrison after their surrender.

title: 1445

section: Events › Date unknown

date: October 14

text: October 14 – King Ferdinand of Naples sends his son, Prince Frederick, to Burgundy in hopes of an alliance between the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Burgundy to be secured by Frederick's marriage to Mary of Burgundy, daughter of the Duke, Charles the Bold. The proposal is rejected by Burgundy.

title: 1474

date: January 14

text: January 14 – Treaty of Madrid: Peace is declared between Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Francis agrees to cede Burgundy and abandons all claims to Flanders, Artois, Naples, and Milan.

title: 1526


slug: burma

label: Burma

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The Kingdom of Nanzhao (Nanchao) in modern-day southern China expands into the Irrawaddy River region, first into Burma, then down into northern Laos and Thailand (approximate date).

title: 760

section: Events › By place › China

date: April 30

text: April 30 (1st waning of Kason 684 ME (Burmese calendar)) – Tarabya I becomes the new ruler of the Sagaing Kingdom of Burma after the death of King Saw Yun, according to the Yazawin Thit chronicle.

title: 1322

section: Events › April – June

text: The Kingdom of Ava is established by Thado Minbya in modern-day northern Burma. Some chronicles and sources however date the event in 1365.

title: 1364

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: The Ming dynasty court of China sends two envoys, Qian Guxun and Li Sicong, to the Ava Kingdom of Burma and the Tai polity of the Mong Mao, in order to resolve a dispute between these two. The travels of the Chinese ambassadors are recorded in the historical text of the Baiyi Zhuan.

title: 1396

date: January

text: January – Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War – Battle of Naungyo, Burma: The Toungoos decisively defeat the Hanthawaddys.

title: 1539

date: November 19

text: November 19 – (1st waxing of Tazaungmon 903 ME) King Tabinshwehti of Burma, having concluded the Buddhist Lent, leads the attack on the Kingdom of Prome with 17,000 troops and 1,400 boats.

title: 1541

section: Events › October–December

date: May 19

text: May 19 – The Prome Kingdom, in modern-day central Burma, is conquered by the Taungoo Dynasty.

title: 1542

section: Events › April–June

text: c. September – Mobye Narapati succeeds as ruler of the Ava Kingdom and offers peace to the Taungoo dynasty, ending the Taungoo–Ava War (1538–45), and leaving the Taungoo as the dominant rulers in Burma.

title: 1545

text: January – Burmese–Siamese War (1547–49): King Tabinshwehti of Burma begins his invasion of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which ends in retreat.

title: 1549

date: September 2

text: September 2 (5th waning of Tawthalin 912 ME) – King Bayinnaung of Burma begins a four-month siege of the former Burmese capital, Toungoo, occupied by the king's rebellious brother Minkhaung.

title: 1550

date: August 2

text: August 2 – Burma invades Siam and captures Ayutthaya. Siam becomes a vassal of Burma.

title: 1569

date: April 19

text: April 19 – Prince Nyaungyan Min ignores the orders of King Nanda Bayin of Burma and seizes control of the Kingdom of Ava (now in Upper Myanmar)

title: 1597

date: April 16

text: April 16 – Wara Dhammaraza becomes the new King of Arakan on the western coast of Burma upon the death of his brother, Thiri Thuriya.

title: 1685

date: August 10

text: August 10 – Naungdawgyi, Burmese king (d. 1763)

title: 1734

date: November 28

text: November 28 – Naungdawgyi, Burmese king (b. 1734)

title: 1763

date: January 20

text: January 20 – Burmese–Siamese War: Outside of the walls of the Thailand capital of Ayutthaya, tens of thousands of invaders from Burma (under the command of General Ne Myo Thihapate and General Maha Nawatra) are confronted by Thai defenders led by General Phya Taksin. The defenders are overwhelmed and the survivors take refuge inside Ayutthaya. The siege continues for 15 months before the Burmese attackers collapse the walls by digging tunnels and setting fire to debris. The city falls on April 9, 1767, and King Ekkathat is killed.

title: 1766

date: July 13

text: July 13 – Missionaries Adoniram Judson and his wife, Ann Hasseltine Judson, arrive in Burma.

title: 1813

date: September 23

text: September 23 – First Anglo-Burmese War: Burmese forces attack the British on Shapura, an island close to Chittagong.

title: 1823

date: February 12

text: February 12 – In Burma, the Panglong Agreement is reached between the Burmese government under its leader, General Aung San, and the Shan, Kachin, and Chin ethnic peoples at the Panglong Conference. U Aung Zan Wai, Pe Khin, Major Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Sein Mya Maung and Myoma U Than Kywe are among the negotiators.

title: 1947

section: Events › February

date: January 6

text: January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.

title: 1953

section: Events › January

date: November 5

text: November 5 – Japan and Burma sign a peace treaty in Rangoon, to end their long-extinct state of war.

title: 1954

section: Events › November

text: April 16 – The Burma–Japan Peace Treaty, signed in Rangoon on November 5, 1954, comes into effect, formally ending a state of war between the two countries.

title: 1955

section: Events › April

text: March 1 – U Nu becomes Prime Minister of Burma.

title: 1957

section: Events › March

date: March 2

text: March 2 – A military coup in Burma brings General Ne Win to power.

title: 1962

date: August 8

text: August 8 – 8888 Uprising: Thousands of protesters in Burma, now known as Myanmar, are killed during anti-government demonstrations.

title: 1988

section: Events › August

section: Crime & Justice

date: November 13

text: November 13 – Burmese opposition politician Aung San Suu Kyi is released from her house arrest after being incarcerated since 1989.

title: 2010


slug: burmese-calendar

label: Burmese calendar

description: lunisolar calendar used in various Burmese states

section: Culture & Society

date: March 22

text: March 22 – Year 0 of the Burmese calendar, based on the Chula Sakarat, is also used in the mainland of Southeast Asia.

title: 638

section: Events › By topic › Arts and sciences

section: Conflict & Security

date: January 13

text: January 13 – (11th waxing of Tabodwe 668 ME, Burmese calendar) After a reign of almost 20 years, King Wareru, who founded the Martaban Kingdom in what is now southern Myanmar, is stabbed to death by two of his grandsons, Shin Gyi and Shin Nge, who were avenging the execution by Wareru

title: 1307

section: Events › January – March

section: Deaths

date: April 30

text: April 30 (1st waning of Kason 684 ME (Burmese calendar)) – Tarabya I becomes the new ruler of the Sagaing Kingdom of Burma after the death of King Saw Yun, according to the Yazawin Thit chronicle.

title: 1322

date: February 5

text: February 5 (1st waning of Kason 684 ME, Burmese calendar) – In Burma (modern Myanmar), Tarabya I becomes the new King of Sagaing, located in northern Myanmar on the Irrawaddy River with a capital in the city of Sagaing. Tarabya succeeds his brother, upon the death of his brother, King Saw Yun, despite the fact that Saw Yun has an heir, Prince Kyaswa.

title: 1327

date: March 29

text: March 29 – (14th waning of Tagu 728 ME) In what is now Myanmar, Pyanchi becomes the King of Toungoo upon the death of his father, King Theingaba.

title: 1367

section: Events › January–March

date: March 16

text: March 16 – 12th waning of Tabaung, 729 ME. In what is now Myanmar, the coronation of Swa Saw Ke as King of Ava is held. Swa Saw Ke had taken power on six months earlier on September 5, but waited for the court astrologers to determine the ideal date for the coronation ceremony.

title: 1368

date: May 5

text: May 5 – (3rd waxing of Nayon 745 ME) In what is now Myanmar, Prince Binnya Nwe begins a rebellion against his aunt, the regent Maha Dewi of Hanthawaddy, as he and 30 of his men seize the governor's residence at Dagon, near Yangon.

title: 1383

date: January 2

text: January 2 (10th waxing of Tabodwe, 745 ME) – King Binnya U of Burma's Hanthawaddy kingdom is killed in a rebellion at the capital, Bago. His 16-year-old son, Pasoom-Paing-Cek, is installed by the rebels as King Razadarit.

title: 1384

date: November 25

text: November 25 – (9th waxing of Nadaw, 730 ME) Minkhaung I becomes the new King of Ava, the largest kingdom in what is now northern Myanmar, after a battle for power that follows the assassination of the erratic King Tarabya.

title: 1400

date: December 26

text: December 26 – (3rd waxing of Tabodwe 764 ME) Ava–Hanthawaddy War: In what is now Myanmar, the forces of the Ava Kingdom, led by King Minkhaung I defeat King Razadarit of the Kingdom of Hanthawaddy in the Battle of Nawin, forcing Razadarit to abandon the siege of Prome.

title: 1402

date: March

text: March – (late in the month of Tagu, which ended March 28, 769 ME) Ava–Hanthawaddy War: In Burma (now Myanmar), King Razdarit leads the invasion of the Kingdom of North Arakan and overthrows its ruler, Anawrahta of Launggyet, then has him executed.

title: 1408

date: November 8

text: November 8 (5th waxing of Nadaw 774 ME) – Ava–Hanthawaddy War: In modern-day Myanmar, King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy leads the invasion of the city of Prome with 4,000 troops.

title: 1412

date: April 18

text: April 18 – (1st waning of Kason 791 ME) In what is now Myanmar, Min Saw Mun is restored as King of Arakan at the capital, Launggyet, with the help of troops from the Bengal Sultanate and from Afghan mercenaries. He then moves the capital to the city of Mrauk U.

title: 1429

date: November 16

text: November 16 – (1st waxing of Natdaw 792 ME) In Burma, Min Saw Mon, King of Arakan, moves the capital from Launggyet to the nearby, but more strategically located, city of Mrauk-U.

title: 1430

date: May 9

text: May 9 – (6th waning of Kason 795 ME) At what is now Mrauk U on the western coast of northern Myanmar, Min Khayi becomes the new King of Arakan upon the death of his older brother, Min Saw Mon.

title: 1433

section: Science & Discovery

date: May 18

text: May 18 (Full moon of Nayon 799 M.E.) – In Burma, King Mohnyin Thado of Ava announces that, effective March 30, 1438, the year will be recalibrated after 799 M.E. to will become 2 M.E., as part of the recommendations of his astrologers.

title: 1437

text: January 2 – (5th waxing of Tabodwe 807 ME) At the city of Taungoo in what is now Myanmar, 14-year-old Minkhaung I becomes the new Viceroy of Toungoo, a semi-independent vassal state of the Kingdom of Ava, ruled by King Narapati I of Ava. Minkhaung's ascension comes hours after the sudden death of his father, the Viceroy Tarabya.

title: 1446

date: May 30

text: May 30 – (New moon (15th waning) of Nayon 813 ME) At Pegu

title: 1451

date: November 12

text: November 12 – (6th waxing of Nadaw 820 ME) Min Khayi, ruler of the Burmese Kingdom of Arakan leads a successful defense of an invasion from the Shan State by his son, Prince Min Swe.

title: 1458

date: July 24

text: July 24 – (5th waxing of Wagaung, 830 ME) At Pyay (now in Myanmar) Thihathura of Ava becomes the new Burmese King of Ava upon the death of his father, Narapati I of Ava.

title: 1468

section: Events › July–September

date: May 23

text: May 23 – (1st waxing of Waso 838 ME) In what is now Myanmar, the Thet minority rebels against King Ba Saw Phyu of Arakan but the rebellion is quickly put down.

title: 1476

date: April 2

text: April 2 – (10th waxing of Vaishakha 857 ME The two-day coronation of King Binnya Ran II as ruler of the Hanthawaddy kingdom, in what is now southern Myanmar, begins at the Shwemawdaw Pagoda at the capital, Pegu (now Bago in Myanmar). Binnya Ran had succeeded to the throne in 1492 upon the death of his father, King Dhammazedi.

title: 1495

date: May 10

text: May 10 – The formal coronation of King Shwenankyawshin of Burma takes place at his capital in Inwa in the Mandalay Region on the 9th waning of Kason, 863 ME.

title: 1501

date: August 30

text: August 30 (1st waxing of Thadingyut 913 ME)– King Bayinnaung of Burma conquers the rebellious Kingdom of Prome (with a capital at Pyay) and kills the rebel Thado Thu, a former servant who had proclaimed himself as King Thado Dhamma Yaza after the 1550 assassination of King Tabinshwehti.

title: 1551

date: June 6

text: June 6 (14th waxing of Waso 914 ME) – Minye Sithu is appointed as the Burmese Viceroy of Martaban by his older brother, Bayinnaung, King of Burma.

title: 1552

date: September 8

text: September 8 – (11th waning of Tawthalin 939 ME) Min Phalaung, King of Arakan in what is now northern Myanmar and southern Bangladesh on the Bay of Bengal, enters his new palace in dedication ceremonies at the capital at Mrauk U.

title: 1577

date: September 10

text: September 10 – (5th waning of Tawthalin 941 ME) In the Kingdom of Mrauk U in what is now Myanmar and Bangladesh, King Min Phalaung becomes the owner of the first of three white elephants, and gives himself the title of Hsinbyushin.

title: 1579

date: April 24

text: April 24 – (1st waning of Kason 946 ME) In what is now Myanmar, Prince Naresuan of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (now Thailand) suppresses the rebellion of Thado Minsaw of the Ava Kingdom.

title: 1584

date: July 4

text: July 4 – (8th waxing of Waso 974 ME) In what is now Myanmar, Min Khamaung becomes the new King of Arakan upon the death of his father, King Min Razagyi.

title: 1612


slug: buyid-dynasty

label: Buyid dynasty

description: Iranian dynasty ruling of central and western Iran (934–1062)

section: Births

text: Ali ibn Buya, founder of the Buyid Dynasty (or 892)

title: 891

text: Ali ibn Buya, founder of the Buyid Dynasty (or 891)

title: 892

section: Religion & Belief

text: Summer – Ali ibn Buya, a Samanid governor, takes advantage of the anarchy in Persia and conquers Fars (modern Iran). He founds the Buyid Dynasty, and makes Shiraz his capital. Ali seeks the recognition of the Abbasid caliph Ar-Radi, who confirms him later as his viceroy.

title: 934

section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate

date: September 24

text: September 24 – 'Adud al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Dynasty (d. 983)

title: 936

date: March 7

text: March 7 – Mu'ayyad al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Dynasty (d. 983)

title: 942

date: January 28

text: January 28 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Empire. He is succeeded by Al-Muti and becomes only a figurehead (with the Buyid Dynasty as dominate rule) of the once-powerful Abbasid Caliphate while he tries to restore peace.

title: 946

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

date: December

text: December – Imad al-Dawla, founder of the Buyid dynasty (Iran)

title: 949

date: September 23

text: September 23 – Al-Mutanabbi, an Abbasid poet, returns from 5 years in Mesopotamia. He has lived at Shiraz under the protection of the Buyid emir 'Adud al-Dawla, but bandits kill him near An Numaniyah (modern Iran).

title: 965

section: Events › By topic › Literature

text: Summer – 'Adud al-Dawla, ruler (shah) of the Buyid Dynasty, drives the Hamdanids out of Mosul and tries to unify the country. Abu Taghlib is forced to flee to the Byzantine city of Antzitene.

title: 977

section: Health & Medicine

text: 'Adud al-Dawla, emir (king of kings) of the Buyid Dynasty, concludes a 10-year peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire. He establishes what will soon become the most important hospital of Baghdad.

title: 982

section: Events › By place › Asia

date: March 26

text: March 26 – 'Adud al-Dawla, ruler (emir) of the Buyid Dynasty, dies after a 34-year reign. He is succeeded by his 20-year-old son Samsam al-Dawla, who is recognised by the Abbasid Caliphate. During al-Dawla's rule his dominions are divided through civil war and revolts (until 987).

title: 983

text: March 26 – 'Adud al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Dynasty (b. 936)

title: 983

date: November 22

text: November 22: The beginning of the reign of al-Qadir, Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, under the tutelage of the Buyids and following the deposition of al-Ta'i.

title: 991

section: Events

text: Samsam al-Dawla, emir of the Buyid Dynasty (b. 963)

title: 998

text: Musharrif al-Dawla, Buyid emir of Iraq (d. 1025)

title: 1003

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


slug: byzantine-army

label: Byzantine army

description: land branch of the armed forces of the Byzantine Empire

text: The Egyptian people clash with Byzantine soldiers in Alexandria rejecting Proterius of Alexandria as the new Chalcedonian Patriarch. The Egyptian rebels besieged the imperial garrison in the ancient temple of Serapis, and burned them alive. The Byzantine military eventually suppressed the uprising with heavy reinforcements.

title: 451

section: Events › By place › Egypt

text: Emperor Anastasius I gives Marinus, former praetorian prefect of the East, command over the Byzantine army. He defeats the rebel fleet at the harbor entrance, using a sulfur-based chemical substance, similar to the later Greek fire.

title: 515

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: Jabalah IV ibn al-Harith becomes the king of the Ghassanids. He invades Palestine, but is defeated by a Byzantine army under general (dux) Romanus.

title: 518

section: Events › By place › Arabia

text: Justinian I reorganises the command structure of the Byzantine army, and fields a small but highly trained army.

title: 527

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Summer – Emperor Justinian I holds a war council in Constantinople. His advisers warn him against launching an expedition to North Africa, because of the supply-lines (1,000 miles into Vandal waters) and the huge drain on the imperial treasury. Justinian appoints Belisarius to command the Byzantine army.

title: 533

date: March

text: March – Ostrogothic King Theodahad cedes Provence and upper Alamannia to the Franks, gaining their support in the war. He sends a large Gothic army into Dalmatia. They defeat the Byzantines, Mundus is killed during the fighting at Salona, and the Byzantine army withdraws.

title: 536

section: Events › By place › Europe

date: April

text: April – Belisarius secures Liguria, Mediolanum (modern Milan) and Ariminum, but disagreements, especially with Narses, leads to disunity in the Byzantine army.

title: 538

text: Winter – Siege of Verona: Totila defends the city of Verona against a numerically superior Byzantine army. He gains control over the Po Valley and prepares a Gothic offensive in Central Italy.

title: 541

text: Spring – Battle of the Fields of Cato: The Byzantine army, under John Troglita, crushes the Moorish revolt in Byzacena (Tunisia).

title: 548

section: Events › By place › Africa

text: Spring – Lazic War: The Byzantine army under Bessas combines forces with King Gubazes II, and defeats the Persians in Lazica (modern Georgia) in a surprise attack. The survivors retreat into Caucasian Iberia.

title: 549

section: Events › By place › Persia

text: Spring – Lazic War - Siege of Petra (550–551): The Byzantine army and their Sabir allies (some 6,000 men) under Bessas recapture the strategic Byzantine fortress of Petra, located on the coast of the Black Sea. He orders the city walls razed to the ground.

title: 551

text: Summer – Lazic War: The Byzantine army under Bessas is repulsed, and forced to retreat out of Archaeopolis (Georgia).

title: 555

text: Justin II sends his son-in-law Baduarius (magister militum) with a Byzantine army, to support the Gepids in their war against the Lombards.

title: 565

text: A Byzantine army, under command of Baduarius, assists the Gepids in their war against the Lombards. The Byzantines win the first battle in the lower Danube (Moesia), but Gepid King Cunimund refuses to hand back the fortress city of Sirmium (modern Serbia), as he had promised.

title: 566

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War of 572–591: Emperor Justin II refuses to pay the annual tribute to Khosrau I, putting an end to the 50-year peace treaty established ten years earlier. The Armenians are considered allies to the Byzantine Empire, and Justin sends a Byzantine army into Persian territory, besieging the fortress city of Nisibis (modern Turkey).

title: 572

text: Winter – Maurice is appointed commander-in-chief of the Byzantine army in the East. He succeeds Justinian, despite complete lack of military experience.

title: 577

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War: A Byzantine army under command of Maurice (magister militum per Orientem) invades Upper Mesopotamia, and raids on both sides of the Tigris. He deports 70,000 captives from Hyrcania to Cyprus, and installs military colonists to guard the strategic locations.

title: 578

text: Byzantine–Sasanian War: A Byzantine army commanded by Maurice, and supported by Ghassanid forces under King Al-Mundhir III, fails to capture the Persian capital, Ctesiphon, along the Euphrates.

title: 581

date: August 14

text: August 14 – Emperor Tiberius II Constantine, age 47, dies (possibly from deliberately poisoned food) at Constantinople, after a 4-year reign during which Thrace and Greece have been inundated by the Slavs. He is succeeded by his son-in-law Maurice, former notary who has commanded the Byzantine army in the war against the Persian Empire.

title: 582

text: Battle of Solachon: A Byzantine army under command of Philippicus defeats the Sassanid Persians, near Dara.

title: 586

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War: Emperor Maurice, seeing an opportunity to end the prolonged war to the advantage of Constantinople, assists Khosrau II to regain the Persian throne. He sends a Byzantine army (35,000 men) under Narses into Mesopotamia, through Syria. At the same time, an expeditionary force in Armenia advances through Caucasian Iberia into Media (modern Azerbaijan).

title: 591

text: Balkan Campaign: A Byzantine army under command of Peter, brother of Emperor Maurice, crosses the Danube and advances to the Tisza River, where it defeats the Avars.

title: 601

text: Emperor Phocas recognizes Agilulf as king of the Lombards, and signs a peace treaty. He pays a tribute and cedes Orvieto (Central Italy), among other towns. The Byzantine army is withdrawn from the Balkan Peninsula.

title: 605

text: Byzantine–Persian War: The Persian army under Shahrbaraz captures Antioch, and most of the remaining Byzantine fortresses in Syria and Mesopotamia. King Khosrau II is re-establishing a neo-Persian Empire, and intensifies his war effort. The Byzantine army, ruined by defeat and corruption, offers only half-hearted opposition.

title: 611

section: Events › By place › Persian Empire

text: Heraclius prepares to leave Constantinople and moves the Byzantine capital to Carthage, but is convinced to stay by Sergius I, patriarch of Constantinople. He begins to rebuild the Byzantine army with the aid of funds from church treasures.

title: 619

text: Battle of Issus: Heraclius defeats the Persian forces under Shahrbaraz in Cappadocia. He recaptures Anatolia, but returns to Constantinople to deal with the threat posed to his Balkan domains by the Avars, and puts the Byzantine army into winter quarters in Pontus.

title: 622

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War: Emperor Heraclius invades Armenia, leaving his son Constantine (age 11) and co-regent Bonus to defend Constantinople against the Persians still at Chalcedon (modern Turkey). He sails with 5,000 reinforcements to join the Byzantine army at Trapezus. Raising additional forces in Pontus, Heraclius strikes through the mountains of Armenia and the northern sub-Caucasian principalities. He plunders Media (Azerbaijan), and avoids the Persian armies who attempt to trap him.

title: 623

date: July 31

text: July 31 – The Avars and Persian allies under Shahrbaraz launch an attack along the entire length of the Theodosian Walls (about 5.7 kilometres); the main effort is concentrated against the central section, particularly the low-lying mesoteichion. After a fierce infantry battle on the walls, the Byzantine army holds off many assaults on the city. Emperor Heraclius makes arrangements for a new army under his brother Theodore to operate against the Persians in western Anatolia, while he returns to his own army in Pontus.

title: 626

text: Spring – Byzantine–Sasanian War: Emperor Heraclius sweeps through southern Armenia with a 50,000-man expeditionary force, recapturing most of the Byzantine fortresses lost to the Persians ten and fifteen years earlier. The army of Shahrbaraz, still in Anatolia, is now cut off completely. Hearing from Byzantine agents (showing him letters) that King Khosrau II, dissatisfied with his failure to capture Constantinople, is planning to have him executed, he surrenders to Heraclius, refusing to join the Byzantine army against his ungrateful sovereign.

title: 627

text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Heraclius, ill, infirm, and unpopular with the Eastern Orthodox Church, is unable to personally lead the Byzantine army to resist the Muslim conquest of the Levant. He sends his brother Theodore to assemble forces to retake the newly won Muslim territories. Monophysites and Jews throughout Syria welcome the Arab invaders, as they are discontented with Byzantine rule.

title: 634

text: Battle of Hazir: Muslim Arab forces (17,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid defeat the Byzantine army near Qinnasrin (Northern Syria). The cities of Beirut and Tyre are captured by Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan after a short siege.

title: 637

date: May 8

text: May 8 – Battle of Forino: The Byzantine army, led by Constans II, is defeated by the Lombards under Romuald I. He seizes Taranto and Brindisi, receiving military aid from the Bulgar Alcek horde, who are settled in the area of Ravenna.

title: 663

text: Battle of Ongal: The Byzantine army (25,000 men) under Constantine IV is defeated by the Bulgars and their Slavic allies in the Danube Delta. Bulgar cavalry force the Byzantines into a rout, while Constantine (suffering from leg pain) travels to Nesebar to seek treatment.

title: 680

text: Autumn – A military revolt breaks out in the Anatolic Theme (modern Turkey). The Byzantine army marches to Chrysopolis, and sends a delegation across the straits of the Hellespont to Constantinople, demanding that the two brothers should remain co-emperors alongside Constantine IV.

title: 681

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Justinian II defeats the Bulgars of Macedonia and recaptures Thessalonica, the second most important Byzantine city in Europe. He resettles the subdued Slavs in Anatolia (modern Turkey), where they are required to provide 30,000 men to the Byzantine army.

title: 689

text: Battle of Sebastopolis: The Byzantine army under Leontius is defeated at Sebastopolis, (modern Turkey) by Arab forces led by Muhammad ibn Marwan. During the battle, a "special military corps" (some 20,000 Slavs) under Neboulos deserts the Byzantine lines, and goes over to the Muslim Arabs.

title: 692

date: June 3

text: June 3 – Emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed, and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace, after a reign of 1 year and 6 months. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, a bureaucrat and imperial secretary, who restores internal order and begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army. He executes the officers who have been directly involved in the conspiracy against Philippicus.

title: 713

date: June 22

text: June 22 – Battle of Versinikia: The Bulgars, led by Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, defeat Emperor Michael I near Edirne (modern Turkey). The Byzantine army (26,000 men) is destroyed by a counter-attack of Bulgarian heavy cavalry, while trapped in the valley. Krum captures the Byzantine camp and a rich prize, including gold and weaponry.

title: 813

section: Crime & Justice

text: September 24 – Emperor Michael III is murdered, by order of his co-emperor Basil I. Basil becomes sole ruler (basileus) of the Byzantine Empire, and founds the Macedonian Dynasty (until 1056). Basil rebuilds the Byzantine army and navy, in an effort to restore the empire.

title: 867


slug: byzantine-emperor

label: Byzantine emperor

description: ruler of the Byzantine Empire

section: Births

text: Leo II, Byzantine emperor (d. 474)

title: 467

section: Deaths

text: The death of Amalasuintha gives Byzantine Emperor Justinian I a pretext to invade Italy and begin the Gothic War.

title: 535

date: December 15

text: December 15 – Byzantine Emperor Basil II ("Bulgar Slayer") dies in Constantinople after a 50-year reign. Never married, he is succeeded by his brother and co-emperor Constantine VIII, who becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire. Constantine calls the Sicilian invasion off. Catapan Basil Boioannes diverts the Byzantine expeditionary force already assembled on Calabria, to join the siege of Capua.

title: 1025

text: Spring – Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos makes an alliance with Venice against Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who takes an oath at the Diet of Würzburg to support Antipope Paschal III against Pope Alexander III.

title: 1165

section: Conflict & Security

text: Alexios II is compelled to condemn his own mother to death. In September, Andronikos Komenos is formally proclaimed Byzantine Emperor before the crowd on the terrace of the Church of Christ of the Chalke. By the end of the month, Andronikos orders Alexios' assassination; the young emperor is strangled in secret with a bow-string and his body thrown in the Bósporos.

title: 1183

section: Events › By area › Byzantine Empire

date: October

text: October – Alexios II Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1167)

title: 1183

text: Alexius III Angelus overthrows Isaac II, and becomes Byzantine Emperor.

title: 1195

date: February 5

text: February 5 – Alexios V Doukas is crowned Byzantine emperor.

title: 1204

date: February 8

text: February 8 – Alexios IV Angelos, Byzantine emperor

title: 1204

date: January

text: January – Isaac II Angelos, Byzantine emperor

title: 1204

date: January 27

text: January 27–28 – Byzantine emperor Alexios IV Angelos is overthrown in a revolution.

title: 1204

text: Siege of Constantinople: The Byzantine emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes and the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Asen II besiege Constantinople in an attempt to take it from its Latin rulers, John of Brienne and Baldwin II. Angelo Sanudo successfully negotiates a two-year truce.

title: 1235

date: February 13

text: February 13 – Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1259)

title: 1332

date: June 18

text: June 18 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1391)

title: 1332

date: June 15

text: June 15 – Andronikos III Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1297)

title: 1341

date: June 27

text: June 27 – Manuel II Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1425)

title: 1350

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: December 10

text: December 10 – The reign of John VI Kantakouzenos as Byzantine Emperor is ended, after John V Palaiologos retakes Constantinople and is restored as sole emperor.

title: 1354

section: Events › January–December

text: John VII Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1408)

title: 1370

date: April 14

text: April 14 – John VII Palaiologos overthrows his grandfather, John V Palaiologos, as Byzantine Emperor.

title: 1390

section: Events › April–June

date: February 16

text: February 16 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1332)

title: 1391

text: February 16 –Manuel II Palaiologos becomes Byzantine emperor after his father, John V Palaiologos, dies from a nervous breakdown, due to his continued humiliation by the Ottoman Empire.

title: 1391

section: Events › January–March

section: Culture & Society

date: December 21

text: December 21 – Manuel II Palaiologos becomes the only Byzantine Emperor ever to visit England, and is greeted at Blackheath by King Henry IV, who hosts the Emperor at Eltham Palace during the Christmas holiday.

title: 1400

section: Events › October–December

text: February 8 – Constantine XI, last Byzantine Emperor (d. 1453)

title: 1405

date: September 22

text: September 22 – Andronikos Palaiologos becomes the new Byzantine Emperor of Thessalonica after the death of his brother, John VIII Palaiologos.

title: 1408

section: Events › July–December

text: September 22 – John VII Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1370)

title: 1408

date: October 31

text: October 31 – John VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1390)

title: 1448