slug: tallinn

label: Tallinn

description: capital and most populous city of Estonia

text: Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is first marked on the world map by Muhammad al-Idrisi.

title: 1154

section: Events › By place › Europe

section: Religion & Belief

date: February 2

text: February 2 – Terra Mariana (or Medieval Livonia), comprising modern-day Estonia and Latvia, is established as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. During its existence there is a constant struggle over supremacy between the lands ruled by the Teutonic Order, the secular German nobility, and the citizens of the Hanseatic towns of Riga and Reval.

title: 1207

date: June 15

text: June 15 – Livonian Crusade: Danish Crusaders led by King King Valdemar II (the Victorious), conquer Tallinn in the Battle of Lyndanisse. What is to become the flag of Denmark (Dannebrog) allegedly falls from the sky during that battle. Their stronghold in Tallinn will help the Danes conquer the entirety of Danish Estonia.

title: 1219

text: Siege of Tallinn: An Estonian Crusader army tries to conquer the Danish stronghold of Tallinn with the help of Revalians, Harrians and Vironians. They besiege the stronghold for 14 days but finally retreat their forces.

title: 1221

text: Livonian Crusade: The Estonians revolt against the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and Denmark, and for a brief period reconquer all of their strongholds except for Tallinn.

title: 1223

section: Events › Other events, by place › Europe

text: Spring – Livonian Crusade: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword and their Crusader allies (some 20,000 men) cross the sea ice from mainland Estonia, and defeat the last Estonian strongholds in the Battle of Muhu and the siege of the Valjala Stronghold in the Saaremaa islands. This marks the end of the Estonian campaign in the Livonian Crusade. The Sword Brothers conquer Danish Estonia, and Tallinn is given town rights under Riga law.

title: 1227

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: November 20

text: November 20 – The Hanseatic warship Hanneke Vrome capsizes and sinks off of the coast of Finland, killing its estimated 180 passengers and crew, along with a valuable cargo including 10,000 Rheingulden coins, equivalent to at least 34000 kg lb of gold. The ship had been sailing between the Hanseatic cities of Lübeck (in Germany) and Reval (now Tallinn, capital of Estonia) when it ran into a gale.

title: 1468

section: Events › October–December

text: The earliest (partially) preserved printed book in Estonian, a Catechism with a translation by Johann Koell from the Middle Low German Lutheran text of Simon Wanradt, is printed by Hans Lufft in Wittenberg, for use in Tallinn.

title: 1535

section: Events › Date unknown

section: Culture & Society

date: February 16

text: February 16 – The Reval Gymnasium is founded in Tallinn, Estonia, by Swedish king Gustavus II Adolphus.

title: 1631

section: Events › January–March

date: October 10

text: October 10 – Great Northern War – Capitulation of Estonia: the Swedish garrison in Reval (Tallinn) surrenders, ending Swedish rule in Estonia.

title: 1710

date: July 25

text: July 25 – At the behest of Tsar Peter the Great, the construction of Kadriorg Palace, dedicated to his wife Catherine, began in Tallinn.

title: 1718

section: Events › July–September

date: October

text: Russian Revolution of 1905: The Imperial Russian Army opens fire on a meeting at a street market in Tallinn, Governorate of Estonia, killing 94 and injuring over 200 people.

title: 1905

section: Events › October

date: November 5

text: November 5 (N.S.) (October 23, O.S.) – Estonian and Russian Bolsheviks seize power in Tallinn, Autonomous Governorate of Estonia, two days before the October Revolution in Petrograd.

title: 1917

section: Events › November

date: January 7

text: January 7 – Estonian War of Independence: With Soviet Russian forces just 40 km outside of the capital Tallinn, Estonian forces start a general and successful counter-offensive against the Red Army.

title: 1919

section: Events › January

date: March 9

text: March 9 – WWII: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia, killing 757 and leaving 25,000 homeless.

title: 1944

section: Events › March

date: September

text: After German forces declare the evacuation of Estonia the day before, the Estonian national government briefly resumes control of Tallinn before the Soviet advance.

title: 1944

date: September 22

text: September 22 – WWII: The Red Army captures Tallinn, Estonia. Prime Minister in Duties of the President of Estonia Jüri Uluots and 80,000 Estonian civilians manage to escape to Sweden and Germany. The evacuees include almost the entire population of Estonian Swedes. Soviet bombing raids on the evacuating ships sink several, with thousands on board.

title: 1944

date: February 24

text: February 24 – Singing Revolution: After 44 years, the Estonian flag is raised at the Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn.

title: 1989

section: Events › February

section: Crime & Justice

date: April 26

text: April 26–27 – "Bronze Night": Ethnic Russian riot in Tallinn and other cities in Estonia against the moving of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn, a Soviet World War II memorial statue. 2007 cyberattacks on Estonia begin.

title: 2007


slug: talmud

label: Talmud

description: central text of Rabbinic Judaism

section: Deaths

text: Rabbah bar Rav Huna, Jewish Talmudist

title: 322

text: Abaye, Babylonian rabbi of the Jewish Talmud

title: 339

text: The Talmud of Babylon is written by Rav Ashi. This commentary on the Mishnah contains approximately 2.5 million words on 5.894 pages.

title: 375

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Ravina I, rabbi (teacher) and Jewish Talmudist

title: 421

text: Ravina II, Jewish Talmudist and rabbi

title: 501

text: The main redaction of the Babylonian Talmud is completed under Rabbis Ravina and Ashi (approximate date).

title: 550

section: Births

text: Chananel ben Chushiel, Tunisian Jewish rabbi (d. 1053)

title: 990

text: Samuel ibn Naghrillah, Spanish Talmudic scholar

title: 993

text: Isaac Alfasi, Algerian Talmudist and posek (d. 1103)

title: 1013

text: Isaac Alfasi, Algerian Talmudist and posek (b. 1013)

title: 1103

date: June 12

text: June 12 – The Disputation of Paris begins at the court of King Louis IX ("the Saint"), where four rabbis defend the Talmud against Nicholas Donin's accusations of blasphemy.

title: 1240

date: July 20

text: July 20–24 – Nahmanides, Spanish chief rabbi, defends the Talmud in an important debate (the Disputation of Barcelona) against Pablo Christiani, before James I of Aragon.

title: 1263

section: Science & Discovery

text: The era of the tosafot (medieval commentators on the Talmud) ends (it began in 1100).

title: 1275

text: Isaac ben Sheshet, Spanish Talmudic authority (d. 1408)

title: 1326

text: Antipope Benedict XIII orders all Talmuds to be delivered to the diocese, and held until further notice.

title: 1415

date: May 11

text: May 11 – From Valencia in Spain, the Antipope Benedict XIII issues a papal bull with eleven prohibitions against Jews, including a ban on teaching, reading or possessing the Talmud; prohibition of Jewish possession of Christian artifacts or Christian books; limiting each town to only one synagogue; barring Jews from serving specific jobs or making contracts; segregating Jews from Christians in all public places; and requiring all Jews to wear "a red and yellow sign" on their clothes. Jews who convert to the Roman Catholic faith become exempt from the restrictions

title: 1415

section: Events › April–June

date: June 30

text: June 30 – In France, the Baron of Trévoux reverses a ban against the town's Jewish population, and allows them to study the Talmud without interference.

title: 1417

text: September – The dispute between Johann Reuchlin and Johannes Pfefferkorn concerning the Talmud and other Jewish books, is referred to Pope Leo X.

title: 1513


slug: tamil-nadu

label: Tamil Nadu

description: state of India

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: 1800 BC: Adichanallur urn-burial site in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. In 2004, a number of skeletons dating from around 3,800 years ago.

title: 18th century BC

section: Events

section: Religion & Belief

text: Construction of the Brihadisvara Temple in Tamil Nadu (modern India), during the Chola Dynasty (Early Medieval period).

title: 1003

section: Events › By topic › Art

text: The construction of 217 ft (66 m) tall Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur (a city now in Tamil Nadu, India) is completed during the Chola dynasty, and at about this time the wall painting Rajaraja I and His Teacher

title: 1010

section: Events › By topic › Architecture

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: July 27

text: July 27 – In Southern India, Bukka Raya II becomes the new ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire in what are the modern-day Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

title: 1404

date: August 22

text: August 22 – The British East India Company buys a strip of land from King Peda Venkata Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire for the construction of Fort St. George, the first settlement of British India, so founding modern-day Chennai, capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu (celebrated as Madras Day).

title: 1639

date: June 9

text: June 9 – Frederick IV of Denmark-Norway sends the first two Protestant missionaries to India, dispatching Lutherans Heinrich Plütcshau and Bartholomeus Ziegenbalg to Denmark-Norway's colony in India, the Dansk Ostindien, based at Tharangambadi ("Tranquebar") in what is now the Tamil Nadu state.

title: 1706

section: Conflict & Security

date: December 10

text: December 10 – The rebellion of Richard Raworth, Deputy Governor of Fort St. David (now abandoned and in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu near Cuddalore), against the British East India Company comes to an end after two months when forces sent by Bridish Madras Governor Edward Harrison to negotiate a settlement allowing Raworth to surrender in return for amnesty.

title: 1713

date: January 15

text: January 15 – James Macrae, a former captain of a freighter for the British East India Company, is hired by the Company to administer the Madras Presidency (at this time, the "Presidency of Fort St. George"), and begins major reforms. The area administered is most of Southern India, including what is now the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, parts the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and the union territory of Lakshadweep.

title: 1725

date: April 12

text: April 12 – King Christian VI of Denmark-Norway signs the charter for the new Danish Asia Company (Dansk Asiatisk Kompagni), granting it a 40-year monopoly on Denmark-Norway's trade in Asia, leading to the creation of Danish India and cities of Trankebar (now Tharangambadi in Tamil Nadu), Frederiknagore (now Serampore in West Bengal) and the Frederiksøerne Islands (now the Nicobar Islands).

title: 1732

date: March 19

text: March 19 – Chamaraja Wodeyar VII becomes the new Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore in Southern India, now the state of Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

title: 1732

date: April 7

text: April 7 – Maveeran Alagumuthu Kone, a polygar in Tamil Nadu, raises slogans and launches a rebellion against Company rule in India due to his opposition to the East India Company's tax collection policies.

title: 1750

date: September 27

text: September 27 – 2025 Karur crowd crush: At least 40 people are killed and 51 injured in a crowd crush at a rally held by actor-turned-politician Vijay's party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Karur, Tamil Nadu, India.

title: 2025

section: Events › September


slug: tancred-of-galilee

label: Tancred of Galilee

description: Italo-Norman leader of the First Crusade (1075-1112)

text: Tancred, Italo-Norman leader of the First Crusade (d. 1112)

title: 1075

date: January 16

text: January 16 – The Crusaders, under Raymond IV, count of Toulouse (Raymond of Saint-Gilles), leave Antioch, and head south towards Jerusalem. They are joined by forces of Tancred (a nephew of Bohemond I) and Robert II, duke of Normandy. Raymond is given free passage and supplies, and accepts guides from the Emir of Shaizar (modern Syria), who conducts the army (6,000 men) across the Orontes River (between Shaizar and Hama).

title: 1099

section: Events › By place › First Crusade

date: August

text: August – Battle of Melitene: Bohemond I of Antioch is captured by the Danishmends, leaving Tancred as regent of the Principality of Antioch for two years.

title: 1100

section: Events › By place › Levant

text: Raymond IV is imprisoned by Tancred, nephew of Bohemond I, and regent of the Principality of Antioch (he is later released after promising to denounce any claims).

title: 1102

text: Spring – Bohemond I, Norman prince of Antioch, is released from Seljuk imprisonment at Niksar, after a ransom is paid of 100,000 gold pieces. During his absence, Tancred (Bohemond's nephew) attacks the Byzantines, and re-captures the cities of Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra in Cilicia. Tancred is deprived of his lordship by Bohemond's return, and is rewarded with a small fief within the Principality of Antioch.

title: 1103

date: May 7

text: May 7 – Battle of Harran: The Crusaders under Baldwin II are defeated by the Seljuk Turks. Baldwin and Joscelin of Courtenay are taken prisoner. Tancred (nephew of Bohemond I) becomes regent of Edessa. The defeat at Harran marks a key turning point of Crusader expansion.

title: 1104

date: April 20

text: April 20 – Battle of Artah: The Crusaders under Tancred, Norman prince and regent of Antioch, defeat a Seljuk army (some 7,000 men) at Artah (modern-day Reyhanlı). Tancred threatens Aleppo, capital of Sultan Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan, and expands his conquest by conquering more territory east of the Orontes River with minor opposition.

title: 1105

text: Spring – Bohemond I, prince of Antioch, marries Constance of France (daughter of King Philip I) in the cathedral of Chartres. Philip agrees to marry his second daughter, the 9-year-old Cecile of France, to Tancred (nephew of Bohemond). Meanwhile, Bohemond mobilises an expeditionary force (some 30,000 men) to begin a campaign against Emperor Alexios I.

title: 1106

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: The Crusaders under Tancred, prince of Galilee, recover the Cilician cities of Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra conquered by Emperor Alexios I 3-years ago (see 1104).

title: 1107

date: December

text: December – Tancred, Italo-Norman prince of Galilee, brings the Crusader castle Krak des Chevaliers in Syria under his control. He remains regent of the Principality of Antioch in the name of his cousin Bohemond II.

title: 1110

text: Winter – Crusaders, led by Baldwin I, besiege Tyre, without a supporting fleet. During the siege, a Byzantine embassy arrives in the Crusader camp. The Byzantines try to persuade Baldwin to join a coalition against Tancred, Italo-Norman prince of Galilee, but he refuses.

title: 1111


slug: tang-dynasty

label: Tang dynasty

description: empire in the China proper between 618 and 907 AD

text: Emperor Xiaowen institutes an "equal-field" system of agriculture (juntian), assigning each peasant family about 19 acres (140 mu) of land. The land will be part minority divided by the farmer to be kept indefinitely and rest will revert to the state if the farmer dies or retires. The population is then divided by each other with the role of supervising one another. The result of this reform is that farmers mostly did not sell their holdings to large landowners. This provided the fiscal basis for the formation of the Sui and Tang dynasties.

title: 485

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: Pei Ju, official of the Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty (d. 627)

title: 547

text: Li Yuan, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty (d. 635)

title: 566

text: Feng Deyi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 627)

title: 568

text: Li Jing, general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 649)

title: 571

text: Wen Yanbo, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 637)

title: 575

text: Gao Shilian, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 647)

title: 576

text: Wei Zheng, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 643)

title: 580

text: Yan Shigu, Chinese author of the Tang dynasty (d. 645)

title: 581

text: Du Ruhui, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 630)

title: 585

text: Zhang Xingcheng, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 653)

title: 587

text: Yu Zhining, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 665)

title: 588

text: Li Jiancheng, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 626)

title: 589

text: Li Xiaogong, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 640)

title: 591

text: Xu Jingzong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 672)

title: 592

text: Li Shiji, general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 669)

title: 594

text: Cui Dunli, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 656)

title: 596

date: January 28

text: January 28 – Taizong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 649)

title: 598

date: January 23

text: January 23 – Tai Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 649)

title: 599

text: Hongren, Chán (Buddhist) patriarch of the Tang dynasty (d. 674)

title: 601

text: Liu Rengui, general and official of the Tang dynasty (d. 685)

title: 602

text: Li Daozong, prince of the Tang dynasty (approximate date)

title: 603

text: Hao Chujun, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 681)

title: 607

text: Lai Ji, official of the Tang dynasty (d. 662)

title: 610

text: Li Yifu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 666)

title: 614

text: Li Jingxuan, official of the Tang dynasty (d. 682)

title: 615

section: Crime & Justice

date: June 18

text: June 18 – The Sui dynasty ends: Rebel leader Li Yuan captures Luoyang, and has Emperor Yángdi murdered. He proclaims himself emperor Gao Zu and establishes the Tang dynasty, one of the most notable dynasties in Chinese history, which will last for almost 300 years.

title: 618

date: November 29

text: November 29 – Battle of Qianshuiyuan: The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over their rival Xue Rengao.

title: 618

text: Li Chengqian, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 645)

title: 619

text: Li Tai, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 652)

title: 620

text: The Chinese establish an imperial bureau for the manufacture of porcelain. Their technology will advance further under the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: 621

section: Events › By topic › Technology

text: Xue Yuanchao, official of the Tang dynasty (d. 683)

title: 622

text: Tuyuhun invasion of Gansu: Tang forces under Chai Shao defeat the Tuyuhun, and prevent further incursions into Gansu (China).

title: 623

text: Liu Heita, rebel leader during the Tang dynasty

title: 623

text: The Yiwen Leiju encyclopedia is completed during the Tang dynasty, by the Chinese calligrapher Ouyang Xun.

title: 624

date: August 12

text: August 12 – The Army of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, led by Illig Qaghan, clashes with the army of Tang dynasty China, led by Taizong, Prince of Qin and son of Emperor Gaozu, with fighting taking place west of Binzhou in what is now the Shandong province.

title: 624

section: Events › By date › July–December

date: February

text: February – Chinese General Li Daliang leads an army to retake the Yu prefecture, near Xuancheng in what is now the Anhui province, from the rebel leader Fu Gongshi.

title: 624

section: Events › By date › January–June

text: Zhang Jianzhi, official of the Tang dynasty (d. 706)

title: 625

date: July 2

text: July 2 – Li Shimin travels to the Tang capital Chang'an to bid farewell to his younger brother Li Yuanji, who has been given command of a Chinese expedition against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. Hearing of a plot to murder him, he and a few supporters seize the northern entrance to the emperor's palace. Li Shimin ambushes and eliminates his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng, in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

title: 626

text: July 2 – Li Jiancheng, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 589)

title: 626

text: Cui Zhiwen, Tang dynasty official (d. 683)

title: 627

text: Gao Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 683)

title: 628

text: Winter – Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty launches a campaign against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate (Central Asia).

title: 629

text: Pei Ji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 570)

title: 629

text: Di Renjie, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 700)

title: 630

text: Emperor Tai Zong sends envoys to the Xueyantuo, vassals of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, bearing gold and silk in order to obtain the release of enslaved Chinese prisoners, who were captured during the transition from the Sui to the Tang dynasty from the northern frontier. The embassy succeeds in freeing 80,000 men and women, who are safely returned to China.

title: 631

text: Dai Zhou, chancellor of the Tang dynasty

title: 633

text: The Tuyuhun Kingdom is invaded by Chinese forces under Li Jing (Tang dynasty) during Emperor Taizong's campaign against Tuyuhun, resulting in the murder of their leader (khan) Murong Fuyun in 635.

title: 634

text: Christian missionaries arrive in China: Alopen, bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East, preaches Nestorian Christianity in the Tang dynasty capital, Chang'an.

title: 635

text: Chen Shuda, prince and chancellor of the Tang dynasty

title: 635

text: The historical texts of the Book of Northern Qi, Book of Chen, and Book of Sui are compiled in China, during the Tang dynasty.

title: 636

text: Zhangsun, empress of the Tang dynasty (b. 601)

title: 636

text: Chang'an, capital of the Tang dynasty (China), becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Ctesiphon, capital of Persia.

title: 637

text: Wen Yanbo, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 575)

title: 637

text: The Tibetan Empire, seeking an alliance through marriage with Tang dynasty China, launches an attack on Songzhou that is repelled by Chinese forces, but is followed by the marriage of the Chinese Princess Wencheng to Tibetan ruler Songtsän Gampo.

title: 638

text: Huineng, Chinese Zen Buddhist patriarch of the Tang dynasty (d. 713)

title: 638

text: Wang Gui, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 571)

title: 639

text: Li Xiaogong, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 591)

title: 640

text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty (China) instigates a civil war in the Western Turkic Khaganate, by supporting Isbara Yabghu Qaghan.

title: 641

text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty issues a decree throughout China, that increases the punishment for men who deliberately inflict injuries upon themselves (most commonly breaking their own legs) in order to avoid military conscription. This decree is an effort to eradicate this practice that has grown as a trend since the time of the rebellion against the Sui dynasty.

title: 642

text: Yuwen Shiji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty

title: 642

text: Peroz III, son of Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanid king of Persia, flees to territory under the control of the Tang dynasty in China (approximate date).

title: 643

text: Li Zhong, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 665)

title: 643

text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty sends a Chinese expeditionary force, to invade and annex the Tarim Basin kingdom of Karasahr in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate. The oasis state is conquered, and Western Turks sent to assist Karasahr are defeated by the Tang forces.

title: 644

text: Li Jiao, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 713)

title: 644

text: The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda at Ci'en Temple, Xi'an (Shanxi) is first erected during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: 645

text: Li Chengqian, crown prince of the Tang dynasty

title: 645

text: Summer – Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty destroys the Xueyantuo state, during the campaign against the Xueyantuo (Central Asia).

title: 646

text: Li Sujie, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 690)

title: 646

text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty sends a Chinese mission to study Indian techniques of sugar manufacturing, at Bihar in the Ganges Valley.

title: 647

text: Gao Shilian, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 576)

title: 647

text: Tang general Ashina She'er re-establishes Tang control of Karasahr, and leads a military campaign against the Tarim Basin kingdom of Kucha in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate.

title: 648

text: The Book of Jin is compiled in China during the Tang dynasty. Its chief editor is the chancellor Fang Xuanling, who dies in this year as well.

title: 648

text: July 10 – Taizong, Chinese Tang dynasty emperor (b. 598)

title: 649

text: July 10 – Emperor Taizong dies after a 23-year reign, in which he has restored the civil administration in China. He is succeeded by his son Gaozong, age 20, who becomes ruler of the Tang dynasty.

title: 649

text: The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is constructed in Chang'an (modern Xi'an), during the Tang dynasty (China). It is completed in the same year, during the reign of Emperor Gao Zong.

title: 652

text: Li Hong, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 675)

title: 652

text: Emperor Kōtoku sends an embassy to the court of the Tang dynasty in China. Japanese ambassadors, priests and students sail for the capital Chang'an, but some of the ships are lost en route.

title: 653

text: Li Xian, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 684)

title: 653

text: Princess Si of Anding, Princess of the Tang dynasty of China

title: 654

text: Takamuko no Kuromaro, a Japanese diplomat, is sent to the Tang dynasty again, but dies upon his arrival in Chang'an.

title: 654

text: January 16 – Gao Jifu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 596)

title: 654

text: Wang, empress of the Tang dynasty

title: 655

text: Li Xiăn, seventh son of the Chinese emperor Gao Zong, is made crown prince. His lavish palatial mansion in Chang'an is converted into a Daoist abbey during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: 656

text: Zhong Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 710)

title: 656

text: Chinese forces defeat the Western Turkic Kaganate (Central Asia). The West kaganate becomes a vassal of the Tang dynasty. During the power vacuum, Turgesh tribes emerge as the leading power (approximate date).

title: 658

text: A Japanese embassy is sent to the Chinese Empire, and received in an audience by Emperor Gao Zong. The Tang dynasty is determined in the next year to take administrative measures in regard to Japan. The envoys are detained.

title: 659

text: Baekje in southwestern Korea is conquered by an alliance of the Tang dynasty and Silla, led by general Su Dingfang and King Munmu of Silla. The Japanese envoys detained in Chang'an are paroled.

title: 660

text: June 22 – Rui Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 716)

title: 662

text: June 5 – In China, the Daming Palace becomes the government seat and royal residence of Emperor Gao Zong of the Tang dynasty.

title: 663

text: Li Zhong, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 643)

title: 665

text: Su Dingfang, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 591)

title: 667

text: Chinese troops sent by the Tang dynasty emperor Gao Zong complete their expedition in the Korean Peninsula. Leaders of the expedition have been selected by the emperor's powerful concubine Wu Zetian. The kingdom of Goguryeo is overthrown; the Unified Silla period starts.

title: 668

text: December 31 – Li Shiji, general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 594)

title: 669

text: Battle of Dafei River: Chinese forces (80,000 men), under general Xue Rengui of the Tang dynasty, are annihilated by the Tibetans, who take over control of the Tarim Basin.

title: 670

text: Silla seizes control of the former Baekje capital of Sabi from the Tang Protectorate General to Pacify the East.

title: 671

text: Jiang Ke, general of the Tang dynasty

title: 672

text: Hongren, Chán (Buddhist) patriarch of the Tang dynasty (b. 601)

title: 674

text: May 25 – Li Hong, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 652)

title: 675

text: Tang China declares the deposed Bojang of Goguryeo "King of Joseon", placing him in charge of the Liaodong area under the Protectorate General to Pacify the East.

title: 677

text: Emperor Tenmu issues a decree forbidding the Japanese-style cap of ranks and garments, and changing them into Chinese ones. He also makes a decree forbidding men to wear leggings and women to let down their hair on their backs. It is from this time, that the practice begins of women riding on horseback like men. He issues an edict prescribing the character of ceremonies and language to be used on occasions of ceremony. Ceremonial kneeling and crawling are both abolished, and the ceremonial custom of standing at the Tang court is practiced.

title: 682

text: Li Chongrun, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 701)

title: 682

text: Cui Zhiwen, official of the Tang dynasty (b. 627)

title: 683

text: Gao Lishi, official and eunuch of the Tang dynasty (d. 762)

title: 684

text: January 3 – Zhong Zong succeeds his father Gao Zong, and becomes emperor of the Tang dynasty. His mother Wu Zetian remains the power behind the throne in China.

title: 684

text: Wu Zetian exiles her son Zhong Zong, former emperor of the Tang dynasty, and his family to the island of Fang Zhou.

title: 685

text: Li Xianhui, princess of the Tang dynasty (d. 701)

title: 685

text: September 10 – Guo Zhengyi, official of the Chinese Tang dynasty

title: 689

text: October 16 – Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty, and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire as "Holy and Divine Emperor". She becomes the first and only female "emperor" in 5,000 years of Chinese history. Wu Zetian changes the dynasty's name to the Zhou Dynasty, and begins to murder throne pretendants and ministers who try to oppose her. During her reign she elevates the status of Buddhism above Taoism.

title: 690

text: November 7 – Cen Changqian, official of the Tang dynasty

title: 691

text: Shang, emperor of the Tang dynasty (or 695)

title: 698

text: November 11 - Di Renjie, official of the Tang dynasty (b. 630)

title: 700

text: October 8 – Prince Yide (Li Chongrun), prince of the Tang dynasty, probable forced suicide (b. 682)

title: 701

text: Chen Zi'ang, Chinese poet and official of the Tang dynasty (b. 661)

title: 702

text: Shi Siming, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 761)

title: 703

text: February 22 – Empress Wu Zetian is deposed in a coup d'état organized by her chancellor Zhang Jianzhi, after a 15-year reign. His chief ministers gain support from some generals to seize the imperial palace and execute the Zhang brothers. They reinstall her son Zhong Zong, whom she deposed 15 years ago, restoring the Tang dynasty. This marks the end of the short-lived Zhou dynasty in China.

title: 705

text: Zhang Jianzhi, official of the Tang dynasty (b. 625)

title: 706

text: Li Duozuo, general of the Tang dynasty

title: AD 707

text: April 5 – Emperor Zhong Zong of the Tang dynasty has his chief ministers of court, sons-in-law, and high-ranking military officers engage (during the Cold Food Festival) in the festive game of tug of war, within a palace of Chang'an.

title: 710

text: July 3 – Zhong Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 656)

title: 710

text: September 10 – Li Chongfu, imperial prince of the Chinese Tang dynasty (b. c. 680)

title: 710

text: Su Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 762)

title: AD 711

text: September 8 – Emperor Rui Zong abdicates after a brief reign, in favor of his 27-year-old son Xuan Zong, who ascends the imperial throne of the Tang dynasty (China).

title: 712

text: During the Tang dynasty, Kaiyuan Za Bao ("Bulletin of the Court"), the first newspaper, hand printed on silk, is published (approximate date).

title: 713

text: Fall – Xue Ne repels a Tibetan invasion of the Lan Prefecture (modern Lanzhou). Xuan Zong creates Li Ying, his second son, crown prince of the Tang dynasty.

title: 714

text: September 5 – Shang, emperor of the Tang dynasty

title: 714

text: Qapaghan Khan, ruler (khagan) of the Second Turkic Khaganate (Central Asia), is killed during a campaign against his rival Toquz Oghuz. His severed head is sent to Chang'an, capital of the Tang dynasty. Qapaghan is succeeded by his son Inel Khagan.

title: 716

text: July 13 – Rui Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 662)

title: 716

text: Xue Ne, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 649)

title: 720

text: Rains and heavy storms around the southern seaport of Yangzhou destroy over 1,000 ships and boats in the Grand Canal, during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: 721

text: January 9 – Dai Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 779)

title: AD 727

text: Du Huangchang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (or 729)

title: 728

text: Du Huangchang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (or 728)

title: 729

text: Jia Dan, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 805)

title: 730

text: Yuwen Rong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (or 730)

title: 731

text: December 22 – Yuan Qianyao, official of the Chinese Tang dynasty

title: 731

text: March 23 – A large earthquake strikes the Tang dynasty city of Qinzhou (in the vicinity of modern-day Tianshui City), causing serious damage and killing around 4000 people.

title: 734

text: During the Tang dynasty in China, by this year there is 149,685,400 kg (165,000 short tons) of grain shipped annually along the Grand Canal.

title: 735

text: Much to the delight of the citizens of Chang'an, the Chinese government of the Tang dynasty orders fruit trees to be planted along every main avenue of the city, which enriches not only the diets of the people but also the surroundings (approximate date)

title: 740

text: Li Bai (also Li Po), Chinese poet, is summoned by Xuan Zong to attend the imperial court. He and his friend Du Fu become the two most prominent figures in the flourishing of Chinese poetry, during the mid-Tang dynasty.

title: 742

text: De Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 805)

title: 742

text: China has accomplishments in poetry, painting and printing, but its monarchical system tends toward failure. Emperor Xuan Zong has fallen under the spell of his son's wife Yang Guifei (one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China), a Taoist priestess. He is ignoring the economy and the Tang dynasty is declining.

title: 745

text: Wei Gao, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 805)

title: 745

text: Gao Chongwen, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 809)

title: 746

text: Emperor Xuan Zong abolishes the death penalty in China, during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: AD 747

text: Li Shizhi, chancellor and poet of the Tang dynasty

title: AD 747

text: The "Western Paradise" of Amitābha Buddha, detail of a wall painting in Cave 217, Dunhuang (China), is made during the Tang Dynasty (approximate date).

title: 750

text: Wu Shaocheng, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 810)

title: 750

text: Zheng Yin, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 829)

title: 752

text: Xue Ping, general of the Tang Dynasty (approximate date)

title: 753

text: A Tang census shows that 75% of the Chinese live north of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River. The capital of Chang'an has a population of 2 million and more than 25 other cities have well over 500,000 citizens (approximate date).

title: 754

text: December 16 – General An Lushan begins the Anshi Rebellion against Emperor Xuan Zong of the Tang Dynasty (China). His army surges down from Fanyang (near modern Beijing), and moves rapidly along the Grand Canal. Meanwhile, Xuan Zong sends Feng Changqing, governor of Fanyang, to build up defenses at the eastern capital of Luoyang.

title: 755

text: Battle of Yongqiu: A Tang garrison (2,000 men), under Zhang Xun, successfully defend their fortress against the rebel army at Yongqiu. Zhang achieves a victory after a 4-month siege, and prevents the rebels from capturing the fertile Tang territory south of the Huai River.

title: 756

text: August 12 – Xuan Zong abdicates the throne after a 44-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Su Zong, as emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He hires 22,000 Muslim mercenaries to reinforce his decimated army at Lingzhou.

title: 756

text: Liu Ji, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 810)

title: AD 757

text: January 29 – An Lushan, leader of a revolt and emperor of Yan, is murdered by his own son An Qingxu at Luoyang. He succeeds his father, and appoints Shi Siming as his deputy. The military leaders of the Tang Dynasty are able to retake both of the capitals at Chang'an and at Luoyang. The rebel army is forced to retreat east.

title: AD 757

text: June – Abbasid Arabs and Uyghur Turks arrive simultaneously at the Tang capital of Chang'an, in order to offer tribute to the imperial court. The Arabs and Turks bicker and fight over diplomatic prominence at the gate, to present tribute before the other. A settlement is reached when both are allowed to enter at the same time, but through different gates to the palace.

title: 758

text: December 24 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.

title: 759

text: Shun Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 806)

title: 761

text: Su Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 711)

title: 762

text: Wang, empress of the Tang dynasty (d. 816)

title: 763

text: February 17 – An Lushan Rebellion: Emperor Shi Chaoyi hangs himself to avoid being captured by Tang troops sent by the renegade Li Huaixian, ending the 7-year rebellion against the Tang dynasty in China.

title: 763

text: Han Hong, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 823)

title: 765

text: September 27 – Pugu Huai'en, Chinese general during the Tang dynasty

title: 765

text: Li Huaixian, general of the Tang Dynasty

title: 768

text: Tibet subdues her Himalayan neighbors, and concludes a boundary agreement with the Chinese Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: 775

text: date unknown – Lu Sui, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 835)

title: 776

text: Li Shigu, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 806)

title: 778

text: Yuan Zhen, politician of the Tang Dynasty (d. 831)

title: 779

text: June 12 - In China, De Zong (personal name Li Kuo) succeeds his father Dai Zong, as emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

title: 779

text: New city of Bian (汴) is constructed on the site of Kaifeng during the Tang dynasty (China).

title: 781

text: Guo Ziyi, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 697)

title: 781

text: Nanchan Temple on Wutaishan, Shanxi, is built during the Tang Dynasty (China).

title: 782

text: Wu Yuanji, general of the Tang Dynasty (or 793)

title: 783

text: Tian Bu, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 822)

title: 785

text: Li Zaiyi, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 837)

title: 788

text: April – Tang forces retake the protectorate of Annan from rebelling Annamese chieftains Đỗ Anh Hàn, Phùng Hưng and Phùng An.

title: 791

text: Li Ning, prince of the Tang Dynasty (d. 812)

title: 793

text: Du Cong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty

title: 794

text: Mu Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 824)

title: 795

text: The ci, a new type of lyric poetry with irregular lines, is set to a melody during the Tang Dynasty (approximate date).

title: 800

text: Wang Chengyuan, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 834)

title: 801

text: Bi Xian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 864)

title: 802

text: February 25 – De Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 742)

title: 805

text: February 25 – Emperor Dezong of Tang dies after a 25-year reign, in which the fanzhen is controlled by military governors or jiedushi, who often ignore imperial decrees. He is succeeded by his son Shunzong, who becomes ruler of the Tang Dynasty.

title: 805

text: July 19 – Li Shigu, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 778)

title: 806

text: Kang Chengxun, general of the Tang Dynasty (approximate date)

title: AD 808

text: Jing Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 827)

title: 809

text: July 27 – Xuān Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 859)

title: 810

text: Li Rong, prince of the Tang Dynasty (or 813)

title: 812

text: Li Rong, prince of the Tang Dynasty (or 812)

title: 813

text: Han Yunzhong, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 874)

title: 814

text: Wu Yuanji, general of the Tang Dynasty

title: 817

text: Emperor Xian Zong dies from poisoning (due to medicines), after a 14-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Mu Zong, as ruler of the Tang dynasty.

title: 820

text: Gao Pian, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 887)

title: 821

text: Tian Bu, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 785)

title: 822

text: Han Hong, general of the Tang Dynasty b. 765)

title: 823

text: Li Pu, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 828)

title: 824

text: February 29 – Prince Li Zhan, 14 years old, is enthroned as the Emperor Jingzong of China, four days after the death of his father, Emperor Muzong.

title: 824

text: Liu Wu, general of the Tang Dynasty

title: 825

text: Li Wu, prince of the Tang Dynasty

title: 826

text: Emperor Jing Zong is assassinated by a group of conspirators. He is succeeded by his brother Wen Zong, as ruler of the Tang Dynasty.

title: 827

text: Jing Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 809)

title: 827

text: Wang Chucun, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 895)

title: 831

text: Xue Ping, general of the Tang dynasty

title: 832

text: Yi Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 873)

title: 833

text: Wang Tingcou, general of the Tang dynasty

title: 834

text: Duan Wenchang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 773)

title: 835

text: Wang Zhixing, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 758)

title: 836

text: Li Zaiyi, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 788)

title: 837

text: November 6 – Li Yong, prince of the Tang dynasty

title: 838

text: He Quanhao, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 870)

title: 839

text: He Jintao, Chinese general of the Tang dynasty

title: 840

text: February 10 – Chinese Tang dynasty Emperor Wenzong (Li Ang) dies after a 13-year reign. Through the intervention of his powerful palace eunuchs, he is succeeded by his brother Wuzong.

title: 840

text: April 22 – Wu Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 814)

title: 846

text: April 22 – Emperor Wu Zong (Li Chan) dies after a 6-year reign. He is succeeded by his uncle Xuān Zong, as Chinese ruler of the Tang Dynasty.

title: 846

text: Kang Junli, general of Tang dynasty Chine (d. 894)

title: 847

text: In the Chinese capital city of Chang'an, an imperial prince is impeached during the Tang Dynasty from his position by officials at court, for erecting a building that obstructs a street in the northwesternmost ward in South Central Chang'an.

title: 849

text: Suleiman al-Tajir, Muslim merchant and traveller, visits China during the Tang Dynasty. He observes the manufacturing of Chinese porcelain at Guangzhou, and writes of his admiration for its transparent quality. Suleiman also describes the mosque at Guangzhou, its granaries, its local government administration, some of its written records, and the treatment of travellers, along with the use of ceramics, rice wine, and tea (approximate date).

title: 851

text: Tuan Ch'eng-Shih, Chinese author and scholar during the Tang Dynasty, publishes Miscellaneous Offerings from Yu-yang.

title: 853

text: Cui Yin, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 904)

title: 854

text: Li Cunjin, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 922)

title: 857

text: September 7 – Xuān Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 810)

title: 859

text: September 7 – Emperor Xuān Zong (Li Yi) dies after a 13-year reign. He is succeeded by his eldest son Yi Zong, as ruler of the Tang dynasty.

title: 859

text: Fan Chuo finishes his Manchu ("Book of the Southern Tribes"), during the Tang Dynasty.

title: 862

text: June 8 – Xi Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 888)

title: 862

text: Gu Quanwu, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 931)

title: 864

text: December 26 – Zheng, empress of the Tang dynasty

title: 865

text: Wang Shaoyi, general of the Tang Dynasty

title: 866

text: Zhao Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 904)

title: 867

text: Yang Shou, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty

title: 868

text: He Quanhao, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 839)

title: 870

text: Zhang Yichao, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 785)

title: 872

text: August 15 – Emperor Yi Zong (Li Cuī) dies after a 13-year reign. He is succeeded by his 11-year-old son Xi Zong, as ruler of the Tang Dynasty. During his reign, a widespread failure of the agricultural harvest leads to famine (which causes people to resort to cannibalism) and agrarian rebellions.

title: 873

text: Huang Chao, a salt privateer, joins forces with Wang Xianzhi to raise a rebel army at Changyuan (modern Xinxiang). The uprising further weakens the Tang dynasty, which is already weakened by natural disasters such as severe droughts and floods.

title: 874

text: Han Yunzhong, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 814)

title: 874

text: December 22 – Luoyang, eastern Chinese capital of the Tang dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao, during the reign of emperor Xizong.

title: 880

text: June 11 – Shi Jingsi, general of the Tang Dynasty

title: 884

text: Min Xu, governor of the Tang Dynasty

title: 886

text: April 20 – Xi Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 862)

title: AD 888

text: April 20 – Emperor Xi Zong (Li Xuan) dies of illness at Chang'an, after a 14-year reign. He is succeeded by his 21-year-old brother Zhao Zong, as ruler of the Tang Dynasty.

title: AD 888

text: Wang Hui, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty

title: 891

text: Ai (Li Zhou), emperor (puppet ruler) of the Tang Dynasty (d. 908)

title: 892

text: April 26 – Chen Jingxuan, general of the Tang dynasty

title: 893

text: Kang Junli, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 847)

title: 894

text: June 4 – Li Xi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty

title: 895

text: Emperor Zhao Zong appoints Li Keyong, a Shatuo military governor (jiedushi), as Prince of Jin. He becomes the first ruler of Jin (see 907) following the collapse of the Tang dynasty.

title: 896

text: Li Zi ('Prince of Tong'), prince of the Tang Dynasty

title: 897

text: Zheng Qi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty

title: 899

text: December 1 – Emperor Zhao Zong is deposed and forced by a group of Tang eunuchs led by Liu Jishu to abdicate the throne to his son, Crown Prince Li Yu (until 901).

title: 900

text: January 24 – Emperor Zhao Zong of the Tang Dynasty (after he is briefly deposed by general Liu Jishu) is restored to the Chinese throne. Liu, with four eunuch family members are killed.

title: 901

text: January 24 – Liu Jishu, general of the Tang Dynasty

title: 901

text: September 22 – The warlord Zhu Quanzhong kills Emperor Zhao Zong, along with his family and many ministers, after seizing control of the imperial government. Zhu places Zhao Zong's 13-year-old son Ai (Li Zhou) on the imperial throne as a puppet ruler of the Tang dynasty.

title: 904

text: September 22 – Zhao Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 867)

title: 904

text: China loses control over Annam (Northern Vietnam). The village notable Khuc Thua Du leads a rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. The Chinese garrison at Tong Binh (modern Hanoi) is destroyed. Khuc Thua Du declares Annam autonomous.

title: 905

text: March 17 – Li Yu, Prince of De, prince of the Tang Dynasty

title: 905

text: January 22 – He, empress of the Tang dynasty

title: 906

text: The short-lived Qi Kingdom is founded by the warlord Li Maozhen (Prince of Qi). His power is centered in Shaanxi province, in Northwest China. The Tang dynasty comes to an end after 289 years as Emperor Ai is forced to abdicate by chancellor Zhu Quanzhong.

title: 907

text: March 26 – Emperor Taizu (Zhu Wen) of Later Liang has the 15-year-old Li Zhu, the last Tang Dynasty emperor, poisoned. Li Zhu receives the posthumous name of Ai ("lamentable").

title: 908

text: March 26 – Ai, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 892)

title: 908

text: Li Cunjin, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 857)

title: 922

text: May 13 – The Later Liang, one of the Five Dynasties in China, falls to Later Tang (founded by Li Cunxu). Li proclaims himself emperor and moves his residence back to the old Tang capital of Luoyang.

title: 923

text: May 15 – Emperor Zhuang Zong is killed during an officer's rebellion led by Guo Congqian at the old Tang capital of Luoyang. He is succeeded by his adoptive brother Li Siyuan (Ming Zong) as ruler of Later Tang. Li sends Yao Kun, as an emissary, to create a friendly relationship with the Khitan Empire.

title: 926

text: Gu Quanwu, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 864)

title: 931

text: The Liao dynasty adopts civil service examinations in the 'Southern Chancellery', based on Tang dynasty models (approximate date).

title: 988


slug: tangier

label: Tangier

description: city in and capital of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco

text: Muslim-Arabs under Musa ibn Nusayr conquer Tangier and Sous, taking control of all Morocco (approximate date).

title: 702

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: An Arab army is invited into Ceuta by its governor, Julian, who is an opponent of Roderick. He encourages them to invade the Iberian Peninsula. Tariq ibn Ziyad is appointed governor of Tangier (Morocco), and establishes a Moorish garrison of 1,700 men.

title: 710

text: The Great Berber Revolt: The Berbers break out in revolt against the Umayyad rulers at Maghreb, in response to the oppressive, (and, by Islamic law, illegal) tax-collection and slave-tribute. The rebellion is led by the chieftain (alleged water-carrier) Maysara al-Matghari. He successfully seizes Tangier, and rapidly captures much of western Morocco. The Berber rebellion which erupts not only undermines caliphal rule and fragments the wilayat or province of Ifriqiya (North Africa), but paves the way for the emergence of autonomous local Arab dynasties.

title: 739

section: Events › By place › Africa

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: Abd ar-Rahman III consolidated his grip on North Africa by occupying Tangier in 951.

title: 951

section: Events › By place › China

text: The Fatimid general Abu al-Hasan Jawhar ibn Abd Allah takes Ifgan, the capital of the rebellious Kharijite Banu Ya'la tribe. In the following two years, Jawhar conquers most of the north of modern-day Morocco and Algeria. In particular, he conquers the cities of Tangier, Sijilmasa and Tlemcen.

title: 958

text: The Almoravid emir, Yusuf ibn Tashfin, conquers Tangier, Badis and Hunayn.

title: 1080

date: September 20

text: September 20 – Led by Prince Henry the Navigator, a poorly-prepared Portuguese attempt to conquer the city of Tangier in the Marinid Sultanate in Morocco begins. Although the Portuguese have more than 6,000 troops, they reach the walled city and find that their scaling ladders are too short to reach the top, and their artillery is too weak to damage the walls.

title: 1437

section: Events › July–September

date: August 29

text: August 29 – The Portuguese occupy Tangier, after its population flees the city.

title: 1471

section: Culture & Society

date: May 21

text: May 21 – (May 31 N.S.); Princess Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King João IV of Portugal, marries Charles II of England. As part of the dowry, Portugal cedes Bombay in India, and Tangier in Morocco, to England.

title: 1662

section: Events › April–June

date: September 15

text: September 15 – A four month truce between England and Morocco expires and the Alcaid Omar, Viceroy of Morocco, begins a bombardment of the English fort at Tangier.

title: 1680

date: February 7

text: February 7 – Morocco retakes control of the city of Tangier from England, which had controlled the North African port since 1661. During the five months prior to evacuation of the English from the city, the Governor, Lord Dartmouth had ordered the destruction of the wall around the city, its fortifications and port facilities that had been built by the English during the occupation.

title: 1684

section: Events › January–March

date: October 29

text: October 29 – Tangier Protocol: The international city Tangier is reintegrated into Morocco.

title: 1956

section: Events › October


slug: tanzania

label: Tanzania

description: country in East Africa

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The Kilwa Sultanate, centered at Kilwa (an island off modern Tanzania), is founded by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi, Persian prince of Shiraz.

title: 980

section: Science & Discovery

date: July 17

text: July 17 – The first skull of Australopithecus is discovered by Louis Leakey and his wife Mary in the Olduvai Gorge of Tanzania.

title: 1959

section: Events › July

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: December 9

text: December 9 – Tanganyika (modern-day Tanzania) becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Julius Nyerere as president.

title: 1962

section: Events › December

date: April 26

text: April 26 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.

title: 1964

section: Events › April

section: Conflict & Security

date: January 22

text: January 22 – Uganda–Tanzania War: Battle of Mutukula: The Tanzanian military captures the Ugandan border town of Mutukula after a short battle.

title: 1979

section: Events › January

section: Religion & Belief

date: September 1

text: September 1–10 – Pope John Paul II visits Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Ivory Coast.

title: 1990

section: Events › September

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: May 21 – The MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters in Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000 people in one of Africa's worst maritime disasters.

title: 1996

section: Events › May

text: September 1 – An annular solar eclipse was visible from Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.

title: 2016

date: August 10

text: August 10 – Morogoro tanker explosion: A fuel tanker truck explodes in Morogoro, Tanzania, killing at least 89 people and injuring dozens more.

title: 2019

section: Events › August


slug: taoiseach

label: Taoiseach

description: head of government and prime minister of Ireland

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

section: Culture & Society

date: March 17

text: March 17 (Saint Patrick's Day) – Éamon de Valera, Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, makes the speech "The Ireland That We Dreamed Of", commonly called the "comely maidens" speech, in Dublin Castle.

title: 1943

section: Events › March

date: February 18

text: February 18 – Éamon de Valera, Irish head of government from 1918 to 1932, loses power to an opposition coalition. John A. Costello is appointed Taoiseach by President Seán T. O'Kelly, until 1960.

title: 1948

section: Events › February

section: Births

date: April 24

text: April 24 – Enda Kenny, 13th Taoiseach of Ireland

title: 1951

section: Births › April

date: September 12

text: September 12 – Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach of Ireland

title: 1951

section: Births › September

date: June 23

text: June 23 – Seán Lemass becomes the third Taoiseach of Ireland.

title: 1959

section: Events › June

date: January 14

text: January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.

title: 1965

section: Events › January–February

date: November 10

text: November 10 – Seán Lemass retires as Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, to be replaced in the role by fellow Fianna Fáil member Jack Lynch.

title: 1966

section: Events › November

date: February 28

text: February 28 – The Republic of Ireland general election is held. Liam Cosgrave becomes the new Taoiseach.

title: 1973

date: December 5

text: December 5 – Jack Lynch resigns as Taoiseach of Ireland; he is succeeded by Charles Haughey.

title: 1979

section: Climate & Environment

date: June 15

text: June 15 – At the 1989 Irish general election, Fianna Fáil, led by Taoiseach Charles Haughey, fails to win a majority.

title: 1989

date: June 26

text: June 26 – Bertie Ahern is appointed as the 10th Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland and Mary Harney is appointed as the 16th, and first female, Tánaiste, after their parties, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats respectively, win the 1997 General Election.

title: 1997

date: June 27

text: June 27 – Micheál Martin succeeds Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach of Ireland, with Varadkar becoming Tánaiste in a historic three-party coalition government.

title: 2020

date: December 17

text: December 17 – Leo Varadkar succeeds Micheál Martin as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, as part of a rotation agreement made in 2020.

title: 2022

date: April 9

text: April 9 – Following Leo Varadkar's resignation, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris becomes Ireland's youngest Taoiseach after a Dáil vote of 88–69 and appointment by President Michael D. Higgins.

title: 2024

date: January 23

text: January 23 – Micheál Martin is re-elected prime minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland by Dáil Éireann for a second non-consecutive term.

title: 2025


slug: taoism

label: Taoism

description: religious or philosophical tradition of Chinese origin

year_label: 531 BCE

section: Deaths

text: Laozi, Chinese founder of Taoism (approximate date)

title: 531 BC

year_label: 350 BCE

text: Shen Dao, Chinese philosopher known for his blend of Legalism and Taoism (approximate date) (d. c. 275 BC)

title: 350 BC

year_label: 275 BCE

text: Shen Dao, Chinese philosopher from Zhao who also served at the Jixia academy in Qi. He is known for his blend of Legalism and Taoism (approximate date)

title: 275 BC

text: Ge Xuan (or Xiaoxian), Chinese Taoist (d. 244)

title: AD 164

text: Gan Ji, Chinese Taoist priest and writer

title: AD 200

text: Shan Tao, Chinese Taoist scholar and official (d. 283)

title: 205

text: The Wei dynasty gives official recognition to Taoism as its religious sect, and the sect's celestial masters reciprocate, by giving spiritual approbation to the Wei as successors to the Han. By the end of the century, most powerful families in northern China have subscribed to Daoist principles.

title: 220

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Ge Xuan (or Xiaoxian), Chinese Taoist (b. 164)

title: 244

text: Ge Hong (or Ko Hung), Chinese taoist (approximate date)

title: 341

text: Ge Hong, Chinese scholar and taoist (b. 283)

title: 364

text: Kou Qianzhi, Chinese high official and taoist (d. 448)

title: AD 365

text: Kou Qianzhi, Chinese high official and Daoist (b. 365)

title: 448

text: Kou Qianzhi, Chinese Daoist reformer, dies after having converted emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei and having established Daoism as the country's dominant religion. His death presages a revival of Buddhism as China's dominant faith.

title: 448

section: Events › By place › China

text: Tai Zong establishes a new Daoist abbey, out of gratitude for Daoist priests who had apparently cured the crown prince of an illness.

title: 631

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: Yeh Fa-shan, Daoist wonder-worker (d. 720)

title: 631

text: Li Xiăn, seventh son of the Chinese emperor Gao Zong, is made crown prince. His lavish palatial mansion in Chang'an is converted into a Daoist abbey during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: 656

section: Crime & Justice

date: October 16

text: October 16 – Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty, and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire as "Holy and Divine Emperor". She becomes the first and only female "emperor" in 5,000 years of Chinese history. Wu Zetian changes the dynasty's name to the Zhou Dynasty, and begins to murder throne pretendants and ministers who try to oppose her. During her reign she elevates the status of Buddhism above Taoism.

title: 690

text: Yeh Fa-shan, Daoist wonder-worker (b. 631)

title: 720

text: Emperor Xuan Zong has four palace walls in the northeast sector of the capital city Chang'an dismantled and reassembled to construct a new Daoist abbey, the grounds of which are formally a large garden for the Bureau of Agriculture.

title: 730

text: Emperor Xuan Zong begins to favor Taoism over Buddhism, adopting the new reign title Tianbao ("Heavenly Treasures"), to indicate his divine mandate. The total number of enlisted troops in the Tang armies has risen to about half a million, due to Xuan Zongs's earlier military reforms.

title: 742

text: China has accomplishments in poetry, painting and printing, but its monarchical system tends toward failure. Emperor Xuan Zong has fallen under the spell of his son's wife Yang Guifei (one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China), a Taoist priestess. He is ignoring the economy and the Tang dynasty is declining.

title: 745

text: Wu Renbi, Chinese Taoist and writer

title: 901

text: Mazu, Chinese fisherman's daughter and worshipped as Taoist goddess (approximate date)

title: 960

text: Chen Tuan, Chinese Taoist monk and philosopher

title: 989

date: January 11

text: January 11 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese Daoist (d. 1170)

title: 1113

text: Qiu Chuji, Chinese Taoist religious leader (d. 1227)

title: 1148

date: April 15

text: April 15 – A fire breaks out in the Song Chinese capital city of Hangzhou, raging for four days and nights, destroying 58,097 houses over an area of more than 3 mi km, killing 59 people, and an unrecorded number of other people, who are trampled while attempting to flee. The government provides temporary lodging for 5,345 people, in nearby Buddhist and Taoist monasteries. The collective victims of the disaster are given 160,000 strings of cash, along with 400 tons of rice. Some of the government officials who lose their homes take up residence in rented boathouses on the nearby West Lake.

title: 1208

date: July 23

text: July 23 – Qiu Chuji, Chinese Taoist religious leader (b. 1148)

title: 1227

text: Kublai Khan orders the burning of sacred Taoist texts, resulting in the reduction in number of volumes of the Daozang (Taoist Canon) from 4,565 to 1,120.

title: 1281

text: Fang Congyi, Chinese Daoist priest and landscape painter (d. 1393)

title: 1302

date: June 25

text: June 25 – Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu discovers the Dunhuang manuscripts, a cache of ancient texts that are of great historical and religious significance, in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China, where they have been sealed since the early 11th century.

title: 1900


slug: taranto

label: Taranto

description: Italian comune

year_label: 474 BCE

section: Conflict & Security

text: Taras signs an alliance with Rhegion, to counter the Messapians, Peucetians, and Lucanians, but the joint armies of the Tarentines and Rhegines are defeated near Kailia.

title: 474 BC

section: Events › By place › Italy

year_label: 466 BCE

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: The Greek colony of Taras, in Magna Graecia, is defeated by the native population of Apulia. As a result, the Tarentine monarchy falls, with the installation of a democracy.

title: 466 BC

year_label: 432 BCE

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The Greek colony of Heraclea in Southern Italy is founded by colonists from Tarentum and Thurii.

title: 432 BC

year_label: 343 BCE

text: The native Italian tribes, the Lucanians and Bruttians, press down upon the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia, including Tarentum. Responding to calls for help from these former Greek colonies, King Archidamus III of Sparta sets sail with a band of mercenaries for Italy.

title: 343 BC

year_label: 338 BCE

text: King Archidamus III of Sparta, after five years of campaigning in southern Italy, fails to achieve any decisive results and while leading a mercenary army to help Tarentum against the Lucanians, is killed with most of his troops at Manduria in Calabria.

title: 338 BC

section: Events › By place › Macedonia

year_label: 334 BCE

text: Alexander of Epirus, at the request of the colony of Taras (Tarentum) crosses over into Italy, to aid them against the Lucanians and Bruttii. He wins victories over the Italian Samnite tribes.

title: 334 BC

year_label: 331 BCE

text: Tarentum turns against Alexander of Epirus when they realize that he intends to create a kingdom of his own in southern Italy. Alexander is defeated and killed in the Battle of Pandosia on the banks of the Acheron.

title: 331 BC

year_label: 303 BCE

text: The citizens of Tarentum seek the help of the Spartan general, Cleonymus. He is able to pacify the Lucanians with the agreement of the Romans.

title: 303 BC

year_label: 282 BCE

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: The Magna Graecia city of Thurii appeals to Rome for help against the native Italian tribes. Though the Roman Senate hesitates, the plebeian Assembly decides to respond. Thurii is saved, but Tarentum, jealous of Rome's interference, attacks and sinks some Roman ships entering its harbour. Roman envoys, sent to protest, are mistreated.

title: 282 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

year_label: 280 BCE

text: Responding to an appeal from Tarentum, King Pyrrhus of Epirus uses his army of over 20,000 men against the Romans. In the Battle of Heraclea he defeats a Roman army led by consul Publius Valerius Laevinus. Pyrrhus's judicious use of his elephants plays a large part in his victory. Several tribes including the Lucani, Bruttii and the Messapians as well as the Greek cities of Crotone and Locri join Pyrrhus.

title: 280 BC

year_label: 279 BCE

text: In renewed fighting, Pyrrhus of Epirus, leading the combined Tarantine, Oscan, Samnite, and Greek forces, wins a 'Pyrrhic victory' against the Romans led by consul Publius Decius Mus at the Battle of Asculum, called such because his victory comes at a great cost to his own forces. Pyrrhus is reported to have said afterwards, "One more victory against the Romans and we shall be utterly ruined!" Disheartened, Pyrrhus retires to Tarentum and sends Cineas to make renewed peace overtures to Rome. These talks are inconclusive.

title: 279 BC

year_label: 272 BCE

text: Tarentum, a Greek city in Italy, makes peace with the Romans.

title: 272 BC

text: Pyrrhus' departure from southern Italy three years earlier leads to the Samnites finally being conquered by the Romans. With the surrender of Tarentum, the cities of Magna Graecia in southern Italy come under Roman influence and become Roman allies. Rome now effectively dominates all of the Italian peninsula.

title: 272 BC

year_label: 212 BCE

text: The Roman soldiers billeted in Tarentum so alienate the citizens of the city that conspirators admit the Carthaginian general Hannibal to the city. The conspirators then defeat the Roman contingent in it. Hannibal keeps control of his troops so that looting is limited to Roman houses. The citadel in Tarentum remains under Roman control, which denies Hannibal the use of the harbour.

title: 212 BC

year_label: 209 BCE

text: The Romans under Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus capture Tarentum (modern Taranto), which the Carthaginian general Hannibal has held for three years.

title: 209 BC

text: Emperor Constans II launches an assault against the Duchy of Benevento (Southern Italy). Taking advantage of the fact that Lombard king Grimoald I is engaged against Frankish forces from Neustria, Constans disembarks at Taranto, and besieges Lucera and Benevento.

title: 663

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: Prince Sicard of Benevento is assassinated by a conspiracy among the nobility. He is succeeded by Radelchis I, chief army officer and treasurer of Sicard, who proclaims himself ruler of Benevento. He imprisons Siconulf, heir and brother of Sicard, in Taranto. But Amalfitan merchants, led by Landulf I, the gastald of Capua, and with the support of Guaifer, rescue him from prison. Siconulf is proclaimed prince of Salerno, and a civil war erupts, which splits the Lombard principality in Southern Italy.

title: 839

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Fall – An Arab fleet from Taranto sails up the Adriatic Sea and sacks Comacchio, putting it to flames. They attack Grado (bishopric of the Venetian Republic), but are repelled by the Venetians.

title: 875

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

section: Religion & Belief

text: Summer – The Hungarians fight in Rome, helping Margrave Peter against Pope John X. They then go to southern Italy, and conquer the cities of Taranto and Oria.

title: 927

text: Summer – A Fatimid fleet under Sabir al-Fata raids Byzantine southern Italy. It captures a locality named al-Ghiran ('the caves') in Apulia and sacks the cities of Taranto and Otranto. The inhabitants are carried off to North Africa as slaves.

title: 928

text: Summer – Emperor Otto II (the Red) assembles an imperial expeditionary force at Taranto, and proceeds along the gulf coast towards Calabria. In the meantime, Emir Abu'l-Qasim (Kalbid) of the Emirate of Sicily declares a Holy War (jihad) against the Germans, but his forces retreat when he notices the unexpected strength of Otto's troops (not far from Rossano).

title: 982

text: Taranto is sieged by Sicilian Arabs.

title: 991

section: Events › Unknown dates

text: Summer – Norman forces under Duke Robert Guiscard invade Apulia, and capture the cities of Taranto and Brindisi (under control of the Byzantine Empire). Guiscard prepares a Sicilian expedition against the Saracens and returns to Calabria (Southern Italy), where his brother Roger Bosso waits with siege engines.

title: 1060

date: September 10

text: September 10 – Philip of Anjou becomes Titular Emperor of Constantinople and Prince of Taranto.

title: 1364

section: Events › January–December

date: November 25

text: November 25 – James of Baux succeeds his uncle, Philip II, as Prince of Taranto (modern-day eastern Italy) and titular ruler of the Latin Empire (northern Greece and western Turkey).

title: 1374

section: Events › October–December

date: July 7

text: July 7 – James of Baux, ruler of Taranto and Achaea, and last titular Latin Emperor, dies childless. As a result, Charles III of Naples becomes ruler of Achaea (modern-day southern Greece); Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, the widower of Joanna I of Naples, becomes ruler of Taranto (eastern Italy); and Louis I, Duke of Anjou inherits the claim to the Latin Empire (western Turkey), but never uses the title of Emperor.

title: 1383

section: Events › July–September

text: Giovanni Antonio Del Balzo Orsini, Prince of Taranto (d. 1463)

title: 1393

section: Science & Discovery

date: January 25

text: January 25 – Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci is righted in Taranto Harbour.

title: 1921

section: Events › January

date: December 6

text: December 6 – British submarine is sunk near Taranto.

title: 1940

section: Events › December


slug: targoviste

label: Târgoviște

description: city in Dâmbovița County, Romania

section: Conflict & Security

date: November 8

text: November 8 – Báthory's invasion of Wallachia is successful in capturing Târgoviște.

title: 1476

section: Events › October –December

date: November 16

text: November 16 – At Târgoviște, Basarab Țepeluș cel Tânăr replaces his successor, Vlad Călugărul as the voivode (prince) of Wallachia (now part of Romania)

title: 1481

section: Deaths

date: April 23

text: April 23 – Prince Mihnea cel Rău, son of Vlad the Impaler, becomes the Voivode of Wallachia, with a palace at Târgoviște (now in Romania), upon the death of his cousin Radu IV the Great.

title: 1508

section: Events › April–June

text: January 23 – Neagoe Basarab becomes the new Prince of Wallachia at the capital, Târgoviște, after Prince Prince Vlad V is captured at battle in Bucharest and then decapitated.

title: 1512

section: Events › January–March

date: September 15

text: September 15 – Teodosie becomes the new Voivode of Wallachia, at the capital, Targoviste, now in Romania.

title: 1521

date: August 15

text: August 15 – Ottoman General Mehmed-Bey of Nikopol enters Târgoviște and takes control of the Principality of Wallachia, now part of Romania, as Radu of Afumați is forced to flee.

title: 1522

date: January 6

text: January 6 – Basarab VI is installed as the new Prince of Wallachia (now in Romania) in the capital at Târgoviște, days after the assassination of the Voivode Radu of Afumați by the other boyars (Wallachian nobles). Basarab's reign lasts only a month and he is removed on February 5.

title: 1529

date: September 25

text: September 25 – At the age of 12, Petru cel Tânăr (Peter the Younger) is named as the new Prince of Wallachia at the capital, Târgoviște (now in Romania) after the death of his father, Mircea the Shepherd. In response, members of Wallachian nobility (boyars) opposed to Mircea's rule launch the first of three attempts to take the throne, fighting battles at Românești, Șerpătești and Boiani.

title: 1559

section: Crime & Justice

date: December 23

text: December 23 – Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu are captured in Târgoviște.

title: 1989


slug: tarifa

label: Tarifa

description: municipality and town in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain

date: May

text: May – King Alfonso X ("the Wise") of Castile and León, at a meeting in Jaén, demands military support from Muhammad I, ruler of Granada, and relinquishes the ports of Tarifa and Algeciras to prepare an invasion of North Africa.

title: 1262

date: August 8

text: August 8 – Mudéjar Revolt: Muslim rebel forces, aided by allies from Algeciras and Tarifa, take the town of Jerez de la Frontera after defeating the outnumbered Castilian garrison led by Nuño González de Lara ("the Good"). The rebels are supported by Muhammad I, ruler of the Emirate of Granada, while King Alfonso X of Castile ("the Wise") is allied with Aragon. The rebels manage to capture Murcia, as well as several smaller towns.

title: 1264

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: May 13

text: May 13 – Marinid forces led by Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq land in Spain upon a call from Muhammad II, ruler of Granada. With a fleet of 20 ships organized at Ceuta, some 5,000 men are transported from Alcázar Seguir to Tarifa without meeting any significant Christian opposition. The Maranids raid as far as the towns of Vejer de la Frontera and Jerez.

title: 1275

date: April

text: April – Marinid forces under Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq cross the straits from Alcácer Seguir to Tarifa. From there they advance to Jerez de la Frontera, where they besiege the city. Marinids detachments are dispatched to devastate a broad area from Medina-Sidonia to Carmona, Vejer de la Frontera, Écija and Seville, cutting down trees, orchards, and vineyards, destroying villages, and killing or capturing many inhabitants.

title: 1285

text: Late September – Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from Alcácer Seguir to Tarifa. During the next three months, Marinid forces besiege Vejer de la Frontera, and carry out daily raids around Ferez. In the meantime, other Marinid raiding parties devastate the countryside as far north as Alcalá del Río, near Seville.

title: 1291

date: June 24

text: June 24 – Castilian forces led by King Sancho IV ("the Brave") begin the siege of Tarifa: eleven newly built engines bombard the city constantly by land and sea. Meanwhile, Muhammad II, Nasrid ruler of Granada, provides the army of Sancho with men, arms and also aids the blockade in the Strait of Gibraltar. Muhammad attacks Marinid outposts and his forces seize Estepona on the coast to the west of Málaga. Sancho conquers Tarifa after a siege of four months, on October 13.

title: 1292

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: September 16

text: September 16 – In Spain, the Emirate of Granada, ruled by Muhammad al-Faqih, and the Crown of Aragon, ruled by Jaime II the Just sign a military agreement to fight against the Kingdom of Castile and to capture the port of Tarifa. "Finalment, el tractat fou signat per Jaume II ale 16 de setembre de 1301, amb contingut practicament igual que la proposta que ja hem comentat del rei de Granada." ("Finally, the treaty was signed by James II on September 16, 1301, with practically the same content as the proposal we have already commented on from the King of Granada.")

title: 1301

section: Events › July– September

date: August

text: August – The 17-year-old King Ferdinand the Summoned, supervised by his mother, Queen-Regent María de Molina, signs a peace treaty at Córdoba with Granada for three years. In return, Muhammad III renews his vassalage with Castile and pays the same tribute given as to his father, the late King Sancho the Brave. The strategic port city of Tarifa remains in Castilian hands.

title: 1303


slug: tarim-basin

label: Tarim Basin

description: geographical area in Central Asia

year_label: 109 BCE

text: The Han general Zhao Ponu and 700 cavalrymen are victorious in the Battle of Loulan in the Tarim Basin, capturing the king of Loulan in the first Han intervention west of the Hexi Corridor.

title: 109 BC

section: Events › By place › Asia

year_label: 60 BCE

text: The Han dynasty government establishes the Protectorate of the Western Regions, the highest military position of a military commander on the Western frontier (Tarim Basin).

title: 60 BC

section: Events › By place › China

year_label: 73 CE

text: Ban Chao (Pan-Ch’ao), competing with the Xiongnu, imposes a Chinese protectorate on the kings of Lop Nor and Khotan in the Tarim Basin, with the aim of controlling the Silk Road.

title: AD 73

year_label: 75 CE

text: Revolt against the Chinese in Tarim: Cachera and Turpan are besieged. Luoyang orders the evacuation of Tarim. Ban Chao makes the rebels retreat towards Khotan. At the same time, the Chinese army of Ganzhou reconquers Turpan in Northern Xiongnu. Ban Chao convinces the emperor of the need to control Central Asia in the fight against Xiongnu.

title: AD 75

year_label: 94 CE

text: The Chinese General Ban Chao completes his conquest of the Tarim Basin by taking Yānqi, which is located on the strategic Silk Road.

title: AD 94

text: Having organised the territories of the Tarim Basin, Chinese General Ban Chao retires to Luoyang and dies shortly thereafter.

title: AD 102

text: In China, Ban Yong, son of Ban Chao, reestablishes the Chinese control over the Tarim Basin.

title: AD 123

text: The Chinese domination of the Tarim Basin weakens.

title: AD 152

text: Emperor Taizong of Tang begins the military campaigns against the Western Regions states in the Tarim Basin. General Hou Junji captures the kingdom of Gaochang, to solidify Tang rule in Central Asia.

title: 640

text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty sends a Chinese expeditionary force, to invade and annex the Tarim Basin kingdom of Karasahr in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate. The oasis state is conquered, and Western Turks sent to assist Karasahr are defeated by the Tang forces.

title: 644

text: Tang general Ashina She'er re-establishes Tang control of Karasahr, and leads a military campaign against the Tarim Basin kingdom of Kucha in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate.

title: 648

date: January 19

text: January 19 – The Tang campaign against Kucha ends after the forces of Kucha surrender, following a 40-day siege led by general Ashina She'er, establishing Chinese control over the northern Tarim Basin (Xinjiang).

title: 649

text: Battle of Dafei River: Chinese forces (80,000 men), under general Xue Rengui of the Tang dynasty, are annihilated by the Tibetans, who take over control of the Tarim Basin.

title: 670

text: Empress Wu Zetian regains control of the Kingdom of Khotan in the Tarim Basin (Northwest China).

title: 692

text: Emperor Tridu Songtsen dies in battle, and is succeeded by his mother Khri ma lod, who becomes de facto ruler of the Tibetan Empire. She begins a massive expansion into the Tarim Basin and Northern China.

title: 704


slug: tarragona

label: Tarragona

description: municipality in Catalonia, Spain

text: From his headquarters at Tarraco (Tarragona), Publius Cornelius Scipio, the Roman commander in Spain, launches a combined military and naval assault on the Carthaginian headquarters at Carthago Nova (modern-day Cartagena). He successfully besieges and captures the city. In capturing this city, Scipio gains access to copious stores and supplies, Spanish hostages, the local silver mines, a splendid harbour and a base for an advance further south.

title: 209 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

text: A group of Franks penetrate as far as Tarragona in Spain (approximate date).

title: 250

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

text: The Franks, who invaded the Roman Empire near Cologne in 257, reach Tarraco in Hispania.

title: 259

text: The Visigoths under King Liuvigild capture the city of Seville, after a siege of nearly 2 years. His rebellious son Hermenegild seeks refuge in a church at Córdoba, but is arrested and banished to Tarragona. His wife Inguld flees with her son to Africa.

title: 584

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Catalonian troops, under Count Berenguer Ramon II, reconquer Tarragona (lost again in 1108). He will rule Catalonia with his 6-year-old nephew Ramon Berenguer III, until he comes of age.

title: 1088

section: Religion & Belief

text: The troops of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, led by archbishop Oleguer Bonestruga, capture Tarragona from the Moors.

title: 1118

section: Events › By place › Spain

date: July 17

text: July 17 – Battle of Fraga: The Castellan troops led by King Alfonso I (the Battler) defeat the Almoravid army, thanks to a timely intervention of a Norman Crusader army from Tarragona, led by Robert Bordet.

title: 1133

date: September 5

text: September 5 – A Catalan-Aragonese expeditionary army under King James I (the Conqueror) embarks with 155 ships, 1,500 knights and 15,000 men from Tarragona, Salou, and Cambrils, in southern Catalonia. He sets sail to conquer Majorca. On December 31, James finally conquers the island from the Almohad ruler, Abu Yahya.

title: 1229

section: Culture & Society

date: December 25

text: December 25 – King James II of Aragon marries for the fourth time during his reign, taking as his bride Elisenda de Montcada, in a ceremony in the Spanish city of Tarragona.

title: 1322

section: Events › October – December

date: June 22

text: June 22–July 1 – The 2018 Mediterranean Games are held in Tarragona, Spain.

title: 2018

section: Events › June


slug: tarsus-mersin

label: Tarsus, Mersin

description: district and town in Mersin, Turkey

section: Conflict & Security

text: Florianus holds power for some weeks and fights indecisively against Probus in Cilicia, but his soldiers, many of whom are from the colder Rhine and Danube frontiers, suffer from heat and disease. He is overthrown and then assassinated by his own troops near Tarsus (Turkey), in collusion with Probus. Probus, age 44, is proclaimed new Emperor of Rome.

title: 276

text: Flavius Dalmatius puts down a revolt in Cyprus, led by Calocaerus. Calocaerus is brought to Tarsus (Cilicia), and executed.

title: 334

date: July 19

text: July 19 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). Empress dowager Verina sends a letter to the governors of the Diocese of the East and the Diocese of Egypt for support. He is recognized in Antioch and makes it his capital.

title: 484

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: Byzantine–Arab War: Emperor Theophilos invades the Abbasid dominions, and reaches the Euphrates River in north-eastern Syria. He captures and sacks the city of Tarsus, but is defeated in Cappadocia.

title: 831

section: Events › By place › Abbasid Empire and Byzantine Empire

text: Arab–Byzantine War: The Byzantines under Andronikos Doukas, along with Eustathios Argyros, campaign against the Abbasids and defeat the Muslim garrisons of Mopsuestia and Tarsus, near Marash (modern Turkey).

title: 904

date: October 22

text: October 22 – Abbasid commander Ahmad ibn Kayghalagh leads a raid against the Byzantine Empire from Tarsus, joined by the governor Rustam ibn Baradu. He reaches the Halys River and takes 4,000–5,000 captives.

title: 906

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

date: September

text: September - October – A Byzantine fleet under Basil Hexamilites deals a crushing defeat to the Hamdanid fleet at Tarsus in Cilicia (modern Turkey).

title: 956

text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tarsus and Mopsuestia. The Muslim residents abandon the defense and flee into Syria. Nikephoros completes the conquest of Cilicia; Muslim raids into Anatolia (modern Turkey) permanently cease. Byzantine troops under General Niketas Chalkoutzes occupy Cyprus, liberating the Greek population from Muslim domination.

title: 965

text: Summer – The Byzantine fleet under Admiral Eustathios recaptures the ports of western Cilicia, Seleucia and Corycus. Eustathios extends his power over Cilician territory (belonging to Bohemond I) further east – occupying Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra.

title: 1101

text: Spring – Bohemond I, Norman prince of Antioch, is released from Seljuk imprisonment at Niksar, after a ransom is paid of 100,000 gold pieces. During his absence, Tancred (Bohemond's nephew) attacks the Byzantines, and re-captures the cities of Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra in Cilicia. Tancred is deprived of his lordship by Bohemond's return, and is rewarded with a small fief within the Principality of Antioch.

title: 1103

section: Events › By place › Levant

text: Summer – The Byzantines re-occupy the Cilician cities of Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra. A naval squadron, under Admiral Cantacuzenus, pursues in Cypriot waters a Genoese raiding fleet, and sails on to Latakia, where they capture the harbour and the lower city. Bohemond I reinforces the garrison in the citadel.

title: 1104

text: The Crusaders under Tancred, prince of Galilee, recover the Cilician cities of Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra conquered by Emperor Alexios I 3-years ago (see 1104).

title: 1107

text: Spring – Emperor John II (Komnenos) leads a Byzantine expeditionary force into Cilicia (the Byzantine fleet guards his flank). He defeats the Armenians under Prince Leo I ("Lord of the Mountains"), and captures the cities of Mersin, Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra. Leo retreats to the great fortifications of Anazarbus – where its garrison resists for 37 days. The Byzantine siege engines batter down its walls, and the city is forced to surrender. Leo escapes into the Taurus Mountains, while the Byzantine forces march southward into the plain of Antioch.

title: 1137

text: Summer – Raymond-Roupen, prince of Antioch, invades Armenian Cilicia, together with his mother, Alice, and establishes himself at Tarsus. There he waits for help from the Knights Hospitaller. Constantine of Baberon, a powerful Armenian nobleman and regent for Queen Isabella, marches with his forces to the Tarsus stronghold.

title: 1220


slug: tartu

label: Tartu

description: second most populous city in Estonia

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The first mention is made of Tartu, Estonia, as Grand Prince Yaroslav I (the Wise) of Novgorod and Kiev defeats the Estonians and finds a fort named Yuryev (modern-day Tartu). The Rus' will hold the fortress for 30 or 31 years.

title: 1030

text: Sosols (a tribe in Estonia) destroy the Kievan Rus' fortification of Yuryev in Tartu, and carry out a raid on Pskov.

title: 1061

text: Vsevolod Mstislavich of Novgorod defeats the Chuds and captures Tartu.

title: 1134

section: Events › By place › Eastern Europe

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich of Novgorod burns down Tartu and Otepää Castles, in Estonia.

title: 1192

section: Events

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: April – A Russian force led by Alexander Nevsky crosses the frontier between Novgorod and Livonian Crusader territory, to raid into Catholic Estonia. After that, Alexander breaks his army off into contingents to ravage the countryside. He is forced to turn back, when a local Crusader force under Bishop Hermann von Buxhövden defeats Alexander's advance guard at Mooste bridge south of Tartu.

title: 1242

date: July 18

text: July 18 – The city of Tartu, capital of the Bishopric of Dorpat (in modern-day Estonia) surrenders to Russia.

title: 1558

section: Events › July–September

text: Great Northern War: Russian troops under Tsar Peter the Great capture Tartu and Narva.

title: 1704

section: Events › Date unknown

text: Fearful of a Swedish attack, the Russians blow up the city of Tartu, Estonia.

title: 1708

date: June 30

text: June 30–July 2 – The first Estonian Song Festival takes place in Tartu.

title: 1869

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: January 14

text: January 14 – Estonian War of Independence: Estonian forces liberate Tartu from the Red Army.

title: 1919

section: Events › January

date: November 17

text: November 17 – The Tartu Art Museum is established in Tartu, Estonia.

title: 1940

section: Events › November


slug: tasmania

label: Tasmania

description: state of Australia

date: November 24

text: November 24 – Abel Tasman and his crew become the first Europeans to discover "Van Diemen's Land", later the Australian island and state of Tasmania, and the island is claimed for the Netherlands on December 3 at what becomes Prince of Wales Bay.

title: 1642

section: Events › October–December

date: January 5

text: January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place in Tasmania (called at the time Van Diemen's Land), on the River Derwent at Hobart.

title: 1827

section: Events › January–March

date: June 15

text: June 15 – Launceston Church Grammar School opens for the first time in Tasmania.

title: 1846

section: Events › April–June

date: October 24

text: October 24 – Van Diemen's Land is officially renamed Tasmania.

title: 1855

text: The Duck Reach Power Station opens in Tasmania (the first publicly owned hydroelectric plant in the Southern Hemisphere).

title: 1895

date: January 1

text: January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minister of Australia.

title: 1901

section: Deaths

date: September 7

text: September 7 – The last known thylacine ("Tasmanian tiger"), named Benjamin, dies in Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.

title: 1936

section: Events › September–October

date: February 7

text: February 7 – Serious bushfires in southern Tasmania claim 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.

title: 1967

section: Events › February

date: April 28

text: April 28 – Port Arthur massacre (Australia): Martin Bryant kills 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site in Tasmania.

title: 1996

section: Events › April

section: Crime & Justice

date: November 19

text: November 19 – Martin Bryant is sentenced to 35 consecutive sentences of life imprisonment plus 1,035 years without parole for murdering 35 people in a shooting spree in Tasmania earlier this year.

title: 1996


slug: taurus-mountains

label: Taurus Mountains

description: mountain range

year_label: 401 BCE

section: Conflict & Security

text: Cyrus the Younger uses a quarrel with Tissaphernes over the Ionian cities as a pretext for gathering a large army and also pretends to prepare an expedition to Pisidia, in the Taurus Mountains. Cyrus starts out with about 15,220 men, of whom 10,400 are Greek mercenaries. When he reaches the Euphrates River at Thapsacus, he announces that he is marching against Artaxerxes II. He advances unopposed into Babylonia; but Artaxerxes, warned at the last moment by Tissaphernes, hastily gathers an army. The two forces meet in the Battle of Cunaxa, north of Babylon, where Cyrus is slain.

title: 401 BC

section: Events › By place › Persian empire

year_label: 313 BCE

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Antigonus, after finding a pass across the Taurus Mountains that was still open, marches his main army into Asia Minor and goes into winter quarters in Celaenae in Phrygia. Meanwhile, Antigonus' admiral Medius is ordered to sail the new Antigonid fleet from Phoenicia into the Aegean. On route he captures one of Cassander's fleets (the one that had escorted Prepelaus to Asia Minor).

title: 313 BC

section: Events › By place › Asia Minor

year_label: 286 BCE

text: As Demetrius Poliorcetes and his army are chased across Asia Minor to the Taurus Mountains by the armies of Lysimachus and Seleucus, in Greece his son Antigonus meets with success. Ptolemy's fleet is driven off and Athens surrenders to Antigonus.

title: 286 BC

section: Events › By place › Greece

year_label: 236 BCE

text: Antiochus Hierax, supported by his mother Laodice I, allies himself with the Galatians (Celts) and two other states that are traditional foes of the Seleucid kingdom. With the aid of these forces, he inflicts a crushing defeat on his older brother Seleucus II's army at Ancyra in Anatolia. Seleucus leaves the country beyond the Taurus Mountains to his brother and the other powers of the peninsula.

title: 236 BC

year_label: 215 BCE

text: The Seleucid king, Antiochus III, crosses the Taurus Mountains, uniting his forces with Attalus of Pergamum and, in one campaign, deprives his rebel general, Achaeus, of all his dominions and takes Sardis (with the exception of the citadel).

title: 215 BC

section: Events › By place › Seleucid Empire

year_label: 188 BCE

text: Through the peace treaty of Apamea (in Phrygia), the Romans force the Seleucid king, Antiochus III, to surrender all his Greek and Anatolian possessions as far east as the Taurus Mountains, to pay 15,000 talents over a period of 12 years and to surrender to Rome the former Carthaginian general Hannibal, his elephants and his fleet, and furnish hostages, including the king's eldest son, Demetrius. Rome is now the master of the eastern Mediterranean while Antiochus III's empire is reduced to Syria, Mesopotamia, and western Iran.

title: 188 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

year_label: 39 BCE

text: Marcus Antonius dispatches Publius Ventidius Bassus with 11 legions to the East and drives Quintus Labienus out of Asia Minor. Labienus retreats into Syria, where he receives Parthian reinforcements. Ventidius finally defeats him in the battle at the Taurus Mountains.

title: 39 BC

text: Arab-Byzantine War: The invading Rashidun army under Khalid ibn al-Walid moves into Anatolia, conquering (without strong Byzantine resistance) the cities of Kahramanmaraş, Caesarea Cappadociae, Sebastia, and Malatya (west of the Taurus Mountains). Arab forces march into Armenia, where they capture the cities Edessa and Amida up to the Ararat plain.

title: 638

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: Constans II establishes a new civil-military defensive organisation, based upon geographical military districts. Byzantine forces maintain the frontier, along the line of the Taurus Mountains (Southern Turkey).

title: 641

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: Arab–Byzantine War: Muslims conquer Armenia, Iberia and Colchis, the last remaining Byzantine holdings east of the Taurus Mountains. Emperor Justinian II is forced to agree to joint Byzantine-Arab control of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (approximate date).

title: 692

text: Autumn–winter – The Byzantine general Heraclius, brother of Tiberios III, crosses the mountain passes of the Taurus Mountains into Cilicia with an army. He launches a campaign in Syria, defeats an Arab force from Antioch, and raids as far as Samosata (modern Turkey).

title: 698

section: Religion & Belief

text: Arab–Byzantine War: Arab forces (95,000 men) under Harun al-Rashid, son of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi, cross the Taurus Mountains and capture the Byzantine border fortress of Magida. Harun leaves his lieutenant Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus to besiege the city of Nakoleia (Phrygia), while another force (30,000 men), probably under Yahya ibn Khalid, is sent to raid the western coastlands of Asia Minor. Harun himself, with the main army, advances to the Opsician Theme.

title: 782

section: Events › By place › Abbasid Empire

text: Spring – Emperor John II (Komnenos) leads a Byzantine expeditionary force into Cilicia (the Byzantine fleet guards his flank). He defeats the Armenians under Prince Leo I ("Lord of the Mountains"), and captures the cities of Mersin, Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra. Leo retreats to the great fortifications of Anazarbus – where its garrison resists for 37 days. The Byzantine siege engines batter down its walls, and the city is forced to surrender. Leo escapes into the Taurus Mountains, while the Byzantine forces march southward into the plain of Antioch.

title: 1137