slug: macedonia-ancient-kingdom

label: Macedonia (ancient kingdom)

description: ancient Hellenic kingdom

year_label: 640 BCE

text: Argaeus I, king of Macedonia (approximate date)

title: 640 BC

year_label: 463 BCE

section: Crime & Justice

text: In Athens, the democratic statesman Ephialtes and the young Pericles attempt to get the oligarchic Kimon ostracized for allegedly receiving bribes. Kimon is charged by Pericles and other democratic politicians with having been bribed not to attack the King of Macedonia (who may have been suspected of covertly helping the Thasian rebels). Though Kimon is acquitted, his influence on the Athenian people is waning.

title: 463 BC

text: Perdiccas III, king of Macedonia

title: 359 BC

year_label: 309 BCE

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Lysimachus, the Macedonian ruler of Thrace and one of diadochi, founds the city of Lysimachia on the north-western extremity of the Thracian Chersonese (the modern Gallipoli peninsula) to serve as his capital.

title: 309 BC

section: Events › By place › Thrace

year_label: 295 BCE

text: The king of Macedon, Antipater II, murders his mother Thessalonike, accusing her of being too fond of his brother and co-ruler Alexander V.

title: 295 BC

year_label: 281 BCE

text: The Battle of Corupedium in Lydia is the last battle of the Diadochi, the rival successors to Alexander the Great. It is fought between the armies of Lysimachus, King of Thrace, Macedonia, Western Anatolia and Seleucus, ruler of Eastern Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Babylonia and Iran. Seleucus kills Lysimachus during the battle.

title: 281 BC

section: Events › By place › Asia Minor

text: Lysimachus, king of Thrace and Macedonia (b. c. 360 BC)

title: 281 BC

year_label: 274 BCE

text: Pyrrhus returns from Italy and Sicily and invades Macedonia defeating Antigonus II Gonatas at the Battle of the Aous and conquering Upper Macedonia and Thessaly while Antigonus holds onto the coastal Macedonian towns. Antigonus' troops desert him and Pyrrhus is declared King of Macedonia.

title: 274 BC

year_label: 239 BCE

text: Antigonus II Gonatas, king of Macedon from 277 BC who has rebuilt his kingdom's power and established its hegemony over Greece (b. c. 319 BC)

title: 239 BC

year_label: 238 BCE

text: Philip V, king (basileus) of Macedonia (d. 179 BC)

title: 238 BC

year_label: 231 BCE

text: Demetrius II, king of Macedonia, seeks military help from Agron, king of Illyria, a loosely organized state on the Adriatic coast north of Epirus, against the advancing Aetolians. The Illyrian army routs the Aetolians and returns home as the victor.

title: 231 BC

year_label: 222 BCE

text: Battle of Sellasia: Cleomenes III of Sparta is defeated by Antigonus III of Macedon and his allies (the Achaean League, the Boeotian League, the Acarnanians, Epirus and the Illyrians under the command of Demetrius of Pharos) near Sellasia (north of Sparta) and flees to Egypt under the protection of King Ptolemy III. Antigonus III's forces occupy Sparta, which is the first time this city has ever been occupied.

title: 222 BC

year_label: 200 BCE

text: The Acarnanians, with Macedonian support, invade Attica, causing Athens, which has previously maintained its neutrality, to seek help from the enemies of Philip. Attalus I of Pergamum, who is with his fleet at Aegina, receives an embassy from Athens asking him to come to the city for consultations. After he is told that Roman ambassadors are also in Athens, Attalus goes there in haste.

title: 200 BC


slug: macedonia-region

label: Macedonia (region)

description: geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe, today forming parts of the Republics of Greece, North Macedonia and Bulgaria

text: Emperor Constans II undertakes an expedition to the Balkan Peninsula, and defeats the Avars in Macedonia. He temporarily reasserts Byzantine rule, and resettles some of them in Anatolia to fight against the Rashidun Caliphate (approximate date).

title: 658

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

section: Conflict & Security

text: Kuber, brother of Asparukh of Bulgaria, defeats the Avars in Syrmia (Pannonia). He leads his followers of around 70,000 people to Macedonia (modern North Macedonia).

title: 685

section: Events › By place › Europe

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

title: 689

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

title: 774

text: A Byzantine expeditionary force under Staurakios, chief minister (logothete), begins a campaign against the communities (Sclaviniae) of Greece. Setting out from Constantinople, the imperial army follows the Thracian coast into Macedonia, and then south into Thessaly, Central Greece and the Peloponnese. Staurakios restores a measure of Byzantine authority over these areas, and collects booty and tribute from the locals.

title: 783

text: Presian I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, sends his prime-minister Isbul against the Smolyani (a Slavic tribe in Byzantine territory near the Struma River). The Bulgarian army campaigns along the Aegean coasts, and conquers most of Thrace and Macedonia, including the fortress city of Philippi, as recorded in the Presian Inscription.

title: 837

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: The Bulgarians violate the peace treaty (see 815), and invade Macedonia along the River Struma. The cities of Serres and Philippi are devastated.

title: 846

text: Emperor Leo VI (the Wise) is forced to sign a peace treaty with Simeon I, ruler (knyaz) of the Bulgarian Empire. All Slavic-inhabited lands of Macedonia and southern Albania are ceded to the Bulgarians.

title: 904

text: The imperial delegation arrives in Macedonia, but goes nowhere with Nikephoros II. Far from offering Byzantine Italy as dowry for Theophano, Nikephoros refuses to accept the claims of Otto I.

title: 967

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

title: 972

text: Spring – The Normans under Duke Robert Guiscard take Dyrrhachium (modern-day Durrës) in Illyria and advance inland, capturing most of Macedonia and Thessaly. Robert is forced to leave Greece to deal with an uprising in Italy. He leaves his son Bohemond in charge of the army, who lays siege to the city of Larissa. Emperor Alexios I Komnenos mobilizes a new army, and with the support of 7,000 Seljuk Turks he clears Thessaly from the Normans.

title: 1082

text: Ivan Asen II becomes ruler (tsar) of the Bulgarian Empire, during his reign he will add Epirus, as well as parts of Albania and Macedonia to his realm.

title: 1218

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: June 6

text: June 6 – Andronikos II Palaiologos concludes a peace agreement and divides the Byzantine Empire in two. Andronikos III is recognized as co-emperor and receives Thrace and Macedonia. He rewards his followers and gives them towns and regions to administer. Adrianople becomes the new capital.

title: 1321

section: Events › April – June

date: July 28

text: July 28 – Battle of Velbazhd: The Bulgarians under Tsar Michael Shishman (who is mortally wounded) are beaten by the Serbs. Bulgaria does not lose any territory to Serbia, but is powerless to stop the Serbian advance towards the predominantly Bulgarian-populated Macedonia.

title: 1330

section: Events › January–December

section: Religion & Belief

text: A monk, Leonardo da Pistoia, arrives in Florence from Macedonia, with the Corpus Hermeticum.

title: 1460

section: Events › Date unknown

date: October 23

text: October 23 – The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) is founded in the town of Thessaloniki. Its aim is to liberate the region of Macedonia from the Ottoman Turks.

title: 1893

section: Events › October

date: February 27

text: February 27 – The Sultan of Turkey orders 50,000 troops to the Bulgarian frontier because of unrest in Macedonia.

title: 1901

section: Events › February

date: August 2

text: August 2 – The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising, organized by the Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization, breaks out in the Ottoman provinces of Macedonia and Adrianople.

title: 1903

section: Events › August

date: July

text: July – Pavlos Melas enters Macedonia with a small unit of men during the Macedonian Struggle.

title: 1904

section: Events › July

date: July 3

text: July 3 – Young Turk Revolution in the Ottoman Empire: Major Ahmed Niyazi, with 200 followers (Ottoman troops and civilians), begins an open revolution by defecting from the 3rd Army Corps in Macedonia, decamping into the hill country.

title: 1908

date: August 10

text: August 10 – Second Balkan War: The Treaty of Bucharest is signed, ending the war. Macedonia is divided, and Northern Epirus is assigned to Albania.

title: 1913


slug: macedonia-roman-province

label: Macedonia (Roman province)

description: Roman province

year_label: 92 BCE

text: Gaius Sentius becomes Roman governor of Macedonia. He serves until 88 BC.

title: 92 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Republic

year_label: 88 BCE

text: The Dardani, Scordisci, and the Maedi attack the Roman province of Macedonia.

title: 88 BC

year_label: 48 BCE

date: July 10

text: July 10 – Battle of Dyrrhachium: Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia; he retreats to Thessaly.

title: 48 BC

year_label: 43 BCE

text: Marcus Junius Brutus proceeds to secure his position in Thrace and Macedonia. Gaius Cassius Longinus campaigns in Syria and defeats the army of Publius Cornelius Dolabella at Laodicea.

title: 43 BC

year_label: 42 BCE

date: August

text: August – Lucius Decidius Saxa and Gaius Norbanus Flaccus are appointed by Mark Antony, to lead an advanced force of eight legions to Macedonia along the Via Egnatia into Thrace.

title: 42 BC

year_label: 40 BCE

text: Treaty of Brundisium: The Triumvirs agrees to divide the Roman Republic into spheres of influence. Gaius Octavian styles himself "Imperator Caesar" and takes control of the Western provinces. Mark Antony is given the Eastern provinces; the River Drin, the boundary between the provinces Illyricum and Macedonia, is to serve as their frontier. Marcus Aemilius Lepidus controls Hispania and Africa. The treaty is cemented by the marriage of Antony and Octavia the Younger.

title: 40 BC

text: The Albani appear in the Roman province of Macedonia, specifically in Epirus.

title: AD 150

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

text: Emperor Alexander Severus decides that Thessaly should be a separate province from Macedonia. He increases taxes, in order to maintain the war against the Sassanids, and strengthen the defenses of the Roman Empire.

title: 230

text: Galerius has the Rotunda of Galerius built in Thessaloniki (Macedonia).

title: 306

date: September 19

text: September 19 – Flavius Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar, with control of Thracia, Achaia, and Macedonia.

title: 335

text: Emperor Constantius II builds new forts to secure upper Mesopotamia. Persia's king Shapur II sends an emissary to Constantinople with gifts and a letter wrapped in white silk. He requests that Constantius return the lands of his ancestors from the Euphrates to the frontier of Macedonia. Constantius tactfully refuses to cede any territories.

title: 358

text: Battle of Thessalonica: The Goths under Fritigern defeat a Roman army in Macedonia. Theodosius I retreats to Thessalonica and leaves Gratian in control of the Western Roman Empire.

title: 380

text: Emperor Theodosius I cedes Dacia and Macedonia to Valentinian II. They recognize Magnus Maximus as Augustus.

title: AD 383

date: April

text: April – Massacre of Thessalonica: Resentment among the citizens of Thessalonica (Macedonia) breaks out into violence after the arrest of a popular charioteer. Butheric, military commander of Illyricum, is murdered. Emperor Theodosius I orders vengeance, despite the pleas for mercy by Ambrose, bishop of Milan; more than 7,000 inhabitants are massacred by the Roman army.

title: 390

text: The Goths, led by Alaric, invade and devastate Thrace and Macedonia and impose a tribute on Athens.

title: 395

section: Health & Medicine

text: The Ostrogoths leave Pannonia, and migrate to Macedonia and Moesia, from whence they ravage the Balkans.

title: 473

section: Events › By place › Balkans

text: The Ostrogoths are given status as foederati; they control a large part of Macedonia and Thrace (Balkans).

title: 483

text: Winter – The Kutrigurs and Huns under Zabergan cross the frozen Danube River, and invade the Balkans. They raid Thracia and Macedonia, but are driven back near Constantinople by a Byzantine force under Belisarius.

title: 559

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

title: 599


slug: madagascar

label: Madagascar

description: island sovereign state off the coast of Southeast Africa, in the Indian Ocean

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: August 10 – Diogo Dias discovers an island which he names São Lourenço, since August 10 is the feast day of Saint Lawrence, a Roman Catholic martyr of the 3rd century. The massive island is later known as Madagascar.

title: 1500

section: Events › July–September

section: Economy & Finance

text: The capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, is founded by King Andrianjaka.

title: 1625

text: The Dutch in the Cape Colony start to import slaves from India and South-East Asia (later from Madagascar).

title: 1658

date: July 11

text: July 11 – Pierre de Beausse, an envoy of France's King Louis XIV, formally claims possession of the African island of Madagascar on behalf of the French East India Company after landing on the coast in the 32-gun frigate Saint-Paul.

title: 1665

text: Adam Baldridge founds a pirate base at Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar.

title: 1685

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: April 1

text: April 1 – Scottish pirate William Kidd and his crew arrive at Île Sainte-Marie off of the coast of Madagascar in Kidd's Adventure Galley bringing with them the cargo of the captured ships Quedagh Merchant and Rouparelle. Upon arrival, all but 13 of Kidd's crew desert to work for another pirate, Robert Culliford. The Adventure Galley, which is leaking and falling apart, sinks and the Rouparelle is sunk by the deserters. Kidd and his 13 henchmen depart on Quedah Merchant.

title: 1698

section: Events › April–June

date: March 28

text: March 28 – Four Christians are ordered to be burnt alive in Antananarivo, Madagascar, by Queen Ranavalona I; 14 others are executed.

title: 1849

section: Events › January–March

section: Culture & Society

date: February 20

text: February 20 – Ranavalona II, the Merina Queen of Madagascar, is baptized.

title: 1869

date: October 1

text: October 1 – French troops capture Antananarivo, Madagascar.

title: 1895

date: February 10

text: February 10 – Freedom of religion is proclaimed in Madagascar.

title: 1897

text: February 27 – The French military governor of Madagascar, Joseph Gallieni, exiles Queen Ranavalona III to Réunion, abolishing the monarchy the next day.

title: 1897

date: May 5

text: May 5 – WWII: Battle of Madagascar (Operation Ironclad) begins when British forces land on the Vichy French colony of Madagascar. On May 7 the northern city of Diego Suarez surrenders.

title: 1942

section: Events › May

date: November 6

text: November 6 – WWII: Battle of Madagascar ends when Vichy French forces on Madagascar sign an armistice with the Allies.

title: 1942

section: Events › November

date: March 29

text: March 29 – A rebellion against French rule erupts in Madagascar.

title: 1947

section: Events › March

text: Common African, Malagasy and Mauritian Organization (OCAMM) (Organisation Commune Africaine Malgache et Mauricienne) is established.

title: 1969

date: March 17

text: March 17 – The President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, is overthrown in a coup d'état, following a month of unrest in Antananarivo.

title: 2009

section: Science & Discovery

date: September 1

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

section: Events › September

section: Climate & Environment

date: January 23

text: January 23 – Tropical Storm Ana kills 115 people in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique, days after a series of floods killed 11 people in Madagascar.

title: 2022

section: Events › January


slug: madhya-pradesh

label: Madhya Pradesh

description: state in central India

year_label: 150 BCE

section: Religion & Belief

text: The enlargement of the Great Stupa of Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India begins, taking about 100 years.

title: 150 BC

section: Events › By topic › Art

date: February 23

text: February 23 – The Chitragupta Temple (now in India at Khajuraho at the Madhya Pradesh state) is consecrated to the Hindu god Shiva, at the Maha Shivaratri celebration.

title: 1023

section: Conflict & Security

date: October 11

text: October 11 – In what is now the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Mahmud Khalji, Sultan of Malwa attempts to cross the Banas River to invade Mandalgarh in what is now the state of Rajasthan, but he and his armies are driven back by the forces of the Rana Kumbhakaran Singh, ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar.

title: 1446

section: Events › October–December

date: October 22

text: October 22 – Nasir-ud-Din Shah overthrows the government of his father, Ghiyath Shah, ruler of the Malwa Sultanate (located in much of what is now the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh) for the last 31 years. Upon becoming the new Sultan, Nasir has his brother Ala-ud-Din executed, along with Ala-ud-din's children. Ghiyasuddin is poisoned the following February.

title: 1500

date: August 6

text: August 6 – In India Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire, defeats the rebellious governor of Malwa, Abdullah Khan Uzbeg. The defeat comes the day after the Imperial Army's arrival at Indore, now in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

title: 1564

date: April 15

text: April 15 – In India, the Battle of Dharmat is fought in the modern-day state of Madhya Pradesh between rival claimants to the throne of the Mughal Empire. Prince Muhi al-Din Muhammad, the son of the Emperor Shah Jahan, leads 30,000 men in a triumph over 22,000 troops led by Jaswant Singh of Marwar and Ratan Singh Rathore. Despite heavy losses, with more than 11,000 casualties, Prince Muhi, who has adopted the name Aurangzeb, continues toward Samugarh and Agra and captures the throne at the end of July.

title: 1658

date: February 2

text: February 2 – In India, the Mughal Empire city of Burhanpur (now in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh) is sacked and looted by troops of the Maratha Empire on orders of the Maratha emperor, the Chhatrapati Sambhaji. General Hambirrao Mohite began the pillaging three days earlier.

title: 1681

date: June 19

text: June 19 – At Burhanpur (in the modern-day Indian state of Madhya Pradesh), the Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad survives an attempted ambush by Mughal Empire forces dispatched by the Sayyid brothers (Syed Abdullah Khan and Syed Husain Ali Khan Barha) and goes on to establish a rival state in southern India.

title: 1720

section: Deaths

date: December 21

text: December 21 – The Maharaja Chhatrasal, monarch of Bundelkhand in India (part of the modern-day states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh) dies at the age of 82. His kingdom is divided into four parts, with one part going to Baji Rao I of the Marathas and the other three going to his three sons: Harde Sah gets the Panna State, Jagat Rai gets the Jaitpur State and Bharti Chand gets the Jaso State.

title: 1731


slug: madras

label: Madras

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: June 3

text: June 3 – Santhome Church is established by Portuguese explorers over the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle at Madras (now Chennai) in India.

title: 1523

section: Health & Medicine

text: November 6 – The oldest hospital in India, the Government General Hospital, is opened at Madras by the English East India Company for the treatment of ill soldiers.

title: 1664

date: January 3

text: January 3 – In Madras (now Chennai) in India, local residents employed by the East India Company threaten to boycott their jobs after corporate administrator William Gyfford imposes a house tax on residences within the city walls. Gyfford places security forces at all entrances to the city and threatens to banish anyone who fails to pay their taxes, as well as to confiscate the goods of merchants who refuse to make sales. A compromise is reached the next day on the amount of the taxes.

title: 1686

date: December 14

text: December 14 – Maratha Empire General Santaji Ghorpade defeats Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's General Alimardan Khan, captures him and brings him back to fort Jinjee near Madras.

title: 1692

date: December 5

text: December 5 – John Goldsborough arrives in Madras as the new administrator of the British East India Company.

title: 1692

date: November 4

text: November 4 – Anwaruddin Khan, the Nawab of the Arcot State in South India, is driven back by the Captain Louis Paradis of the French Army after he and 10,000 soldiers attempt to drive the French back out of Madras.

title: 1746

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: October 18

text: October 18 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war. Great Britain obtains Madras, in India, from France, in exchange for the fortress of Louisbourg in Canada.

title: 1748

date: April 29

text: April 29 – Battle of Cuddalore: A British fleet under Sir George Pocock engages the French fleet of Anne Antoine, Comte d'Aché indecisively near Madras.

title: 1758

date: February 16

text: February 16 – The Comte de Lally (Thomas Lally) ends the French Army's two-month siege of the British Indian fort at Madras and retreats.

title: 1759

date: September

text: German light cruiser SMS Emden bombards Madras, the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers in the War.

title: 1914


slug: madrid

label: Madrid

description: capital of Spain

date: May 25

text: May 25 – King Alfonso VI of León and Castile ("the Brave") recaptures Toledo from the Moors, and occupies other cities such as Madrid and Talavera (including the castle of Aledo). Alfonso moves his capital to Toledo, and consolidates his power between Sistema Central and the Tagus River, from where he launches more attacks against the taifas of Córdoba, Seville, Badajoz and Granada (modern Spain).

title: 1085

section: Events › By place › Europe

date: June 5

text: June 5 – The Farce of Ávila takes place in the Kingdom of Castile in Spain as noblemen in Ávila declare that King Enrique IV is deposed and that they will only recognize his half-brother, Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, as their monarch. King Enrique, who was the subject of a similar deposition in Plasencia on April 27, continues his reign of the rest of the kingdom from Madrid.

title: 1465

section: Events › April–June

date: January 15

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

title: 1475

section: Events › January–March

date: July 12

text: July 12 – The regency over the Kingdom of Spain by Archduchess Maria and her husband, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, ends after almost three years when Maria's brother Crown Prince Philip returns to Madrid. Philip resumes his role as regent for King Charles I, the father of both Maria and Philip; Maria and Maximilian had served during the absence of both the King and the Crown Prince starting on October 1, 1548.

title: 1551

section: Events › July–September

date: May 8

text: May 8 – Madrid is declared the capital of Spain, by Philip II.

title: 1561

date: January 11

text: January 11 – Valladolid is briefly the capital of Habsburg Spain under Philip III, before returning indefinitely to Madrid in 1606.

title: 1601

date: January 16

text: January 16 – The first part of Miguel de Cervantes' satire on the theme of chivalry, Don Quixote (El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha, "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha"), is published in Madrid. One of the first significant novels in the western literary tradition, it becomes a global bestseller almost at once.

title: 1605

date: January 30

text: January 30 – Japan's diplomatic mission to Europe, led by Hasekura Tsunenaga, meets with King Philip III of Spain at Madrid and presents an offer of a treaty.

title: 1615

date: March 7

text: March 7 – Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King Charles I of England, travelling incognito with royal favourite George Villiers, arrives in Madrid to pursue negotiations over the "Spanish match", the Protestant Charles's proposed marriage with the Catholic Habsburg Infanta Maria Anna of Spain.

title: 1623

date: August 4

text: August 4 – War of the Spanish Succession: The Spanish Bourbon armies of King Philip V retake Madrid from the Portuguese and Habsburg Austria troops that had entered the city in June.

title: 1706

date: June 28

text: June 28 – War of the Spanish Succession: Troops dispatched from Portugal capture Madrid and proclaim the Habsburg dynasty's Archduke Charles of Austria to be the King Carlos III of Spain, after the Bourbon ruler, Philip V, has fled.

title: 1706

date: October 31

text: October 31 – King Philip V of Spain establishes the Biblioteca Nacional de España as the Palace Public Library (Biblioteca Pública de Palacio) in Madrid.

title: 1712

date: December 12

text: December 12 – Johan Willem Ripperda of the Netherlands, the former Dutch Ambassador to Spain, arrives in Madrid and claims that King Philip V has appointed him as the new Prime Minister. The bluff is successful and he is granted authority by the King's advisers, but after four months, he is forced to resign.

title: 1725

date: April 12

text: April 12 – The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Spain's Royal Academy of the Fine Arts, is formally established in Spain, eight years after first being proposed to King Fernando VI by Jeronimo Antonio Gil as a small school in Madrid. The foundation of the Royal Academy is considered by historians to be "an essential step in modernizing Spain" during the Spanish Enlightenment.

title: 1752

date: May 2

text: May 2 – Peninsular War: Dos de Mayo Uprising – The people of Madrid rise up against the French troops.

title: 1808

date: November 30

text: November 30 – Peninsular War: Battle of Somosierra: A French cavalry charge of the Polish Chevau-léger (some 8,000 horsemen) of the Imperial Guard under Baron Jan Kozietulski overwhelm the Spanish positions at Somosierra. The victory removes the last obstacle barring the road to Madrid.

title: 1808

date: August 12

text: August 12 – Peninsular War: The combined English and Portuguese army under the command of Wellington enters Madrid, following the Battle of Salamanca.

title: 1812

date: October 21

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

title: 1812

date: November 19

text: November 19 – The Museo del Prado opens in Madrid. Initially, it has 311 significant paintings.

title: 1819

date: May 23

text: May 23 – The rebel Spanish government withdraws from Madrid to Seville following the French advance.

title: 1823

text: May 25 – The Duke of Angoulême, commander of the invading French forces, establishes a regency in Madrid on behalf of Ferdinand VII who remains a captive of the Spanish government.

title: 1823

text: May 2 – The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) is founded clandestinely at the Casa Labra tavern in Madrid, by printer Pablo Iglesias.

title: 1879

date: March 8

text: March 8 – Spanish Premier Eduardo Dato e Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.

title: 1921

date: April 14

text: April 14 – The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed in Madrid. Meanwhile, as a result of the victory of the Republican Left of Catalonia, Francesc Macià proclaims in Barcelona the Catalan Republic, as a state of the Iberian Federation.

title: 1931

section: Events › April

text: December 14 – Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is officially inaugurated in Madrid, and hosts its first Association football match.

title: 1947

section: Events › December

date: May 15

text: May 15 – The Latin Union (Unión Latina) is created by the Convention of Madrid. Its member countries use the five Romance languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. It suspended operations in 2012.

title: 1954

date: May 30

text: May 30 – Real Madrid beats Fiorentina 2–0 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, to win the 1956–57 European Cup (football).

title: 1957

date: December 20

text: December 20 – Spanish prime minister Luis Carrero Blanco is assassinated in Madrid by the separatist organization ETA.

title: 1973

section: Crime & Justice

date: September 10

text: September 10 – Picasso's painting Guernica is moved from New York to Madrid.

title: 1981

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: December 17

text: December 17 – The Alcalá 20 nightclub fire in Madrid, Spain, injuring 47 and killing 83 people.

title: 1983

date: December 7

text: December 7 – Two Spanish passenger planes collide on the foggy runway at a Madrid airport, killing 93 people.

title: 1983

date: November 27

text: November 27 – Colombian Avianca Flight 011 crashes near Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, killing 181 of the 192 on board.

title: 1983

text: April 12 – El Descanso bombing: A terrorist bombing attributed to the Islamic Jihad Organization in the El Descanso restaurant near Madrid, Spain, mostly attended by U.S. personnel from the Torrejón Air Base, causes 18 deaths (all Spaniards) and 82 injuries.

title: 1985

text: March 11 – Al-Qaeda bombings on Cercanías trains in Madrid, Spain, kill at least 192 people.

title: 2004

text: December 2–13 – The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place in Madrid, Spain, after Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announced in October that his country could not host the conference due to political unrest in the country.

title: 2019


slug: magdeburg

label: Magdeburg

description: capital city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt

text: The first known mention of Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt), founded by Charlemagne, is made.

title: 805

date: May 24

text: May 24 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom. He recognizes the stem duchies (uniting them in a German confederation) and all their sovereign privileges. Two of the four most influential duchies, Bavaria and Swabia, do not accept his rule. Henry fortifies Magdeburg against the Magyars.

title: 919

section: Events › By Place › Europe

text: Magdeburg becomes the capital of the East Frankish Kingdom, after a Diet held by King Otto I (approximate date).

title: 937

text: Otto I completes and dedicates a new cathedral at Magdeburg in Saxony. Like other imperial churches of the period, it includes a westwork – a structure attached to the entrance wall and outfitted with galleries. Otto makes Magdeburg a base for missionary efforts to convert the Slavs to the east. The patron saint of the city is Mauritius, who, as a military leader fighting for Christianity against pagan armies, shares affinities with Otto himself.

title: 967

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Otto I founds the Archbishopric of Magdeburg at the synod of Ravenna. He appoints Adalbert as the archbishop of Magdeburg. The archbishopric under Adalbert includes the bishoprics of Brandenburg and Havelberg — as well as the newly erected sees of Meissen, Merseburg and Naumburg-Zeitz.

title: 968

text: Otto II has the three insurrectionists punished at Magdeburg. Henry II is stripped of all his possessions and imprisoned in the custody of Bishop Folcmar of Utrecht. The other two: Henry III (the Younger) loses his duchy to Otto I and Henry I, bishop of Augsburg, is arrested and imprisoned in Werden Abbey (Germany).

title: 978

text: In continental Europe, the Holy Roman Empire established itself as the most powerful state. The Holy Roman Emperor Otto III made a pilgrimage from Rome to Aachen and Gniezno (Gnesen), stopping at Regensburg, Meissen, Magdeburg, and Gniezno. The Congress of Gniezno (with Bolesław I the Brave) was part of his pilgrimage. In Rome, he built the basilica of San Bartolomeo all'Isola, to host the relics of St. Bartholomew.

title: AD 1000

section: Events › Christendom

text: October 21 – Gero, archbishop of Magdeburg

title: 1023

text: Magdeburg is almost destroyed by fire.

title: 1118

section: Events › By place › Germany

text: Cölln, twin city of the later built Alt-Berlin, is founded on the Fischerinsel. The town becomes a trade center, which is linked with Magdeburg and Frankfurt an der Oder.

title: 1237

section: Events › By topic › Cities and Towns

text: Katharina von Bora flees to Magdeburg.

title: 1546

section: Events › Date unknown

date: March 20

text: March 20 – The siege of the Protestant German city of Magdeburg by the Catholic League begins and lasts for more than two months before the city falls and the inhabitants are massacred.

title: 1631

date: May 20

text: May 20 – Thirty Years' War: After a two-month siege, the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor, under the command of Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly sacks the Protestant German city of Magdeburg, and massacres over 20,000 inhabitants. Shocked by the massacre, many Protestant states in the Holy Roman Empire decide to ally with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and support his ongoing invasion.

title: 1631

date: November 8

text: November 8 (October 29 O.S.) – The Edict of Potsdam is issued by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg in response to France's Edict of Fontainebleau, welcoming the Protestant Huguenots of France to resettle in eastern Germany in Brandenburg. The French Colony of Magdeburg is established on December 1 in Saxony as a community separate from Magdeburg.

title: 1685

section: Culture & Society

date: March 29

text: March 29 – Richard Wagner's opera Das Liebesverbot is performed for the first time, in Magdeburg.

title: 1836

date: April

text: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses begins with the seizure of the Bible Students' office in Magdeburg.

title: 1933

date: July 6

text: July 6 – Langenweddingen level crossing disaster: A level crossing collision between a train loaded with children and a tanker-truck near Magdeburg, East Germany, kills 94 people, mostly children.

title: 1967

section: Events › July

date: April 4

text: April 4 – Fragments of burnt human remains believed to be those of Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun, Joseph Goebbels, Magda Goebbels and the Goebbels children are crushed and scattered in the Biederitz river at a KGB center in Magdeburg, East Germany.

title: 1970

text: December 20 – Six people are killed, while over 300 are injured, after a car is driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.

title: 2024


slug: maghreb

label: Maghreb

description: part of North Africa

section: Science & Discovery

text: December 7 – An annular solar eclipse is visible from Tibet to the Maghreb.

title: 671

section: Events

section: Conflict & Security

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

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Andalusian merchants set up an emporium (trade settlement) on the Maghreb coast at Ténès (modern Algeria). It is early evidence of the revival of the maritime trade in the Western Mediterranean, after the chaos of the early 8th century.

title: 775

section: Religion & Belief

text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Rustam is recognized as imam of the Ibadis, in Maghreb (western North Africa).

title: AD 777

date: June 11

text: June 11 – Battle of Fakhkh: An Alid uprising in Medina is crushed by the Abbasids. One of the Alids, Idris ibn Abdallah, flees to the Maghreb in western North Africa, where he later founds the Idrisid dynasty in 788/789.

title: 786

section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate

text: Fatimid forces fail to seize the Maghreb al-Aqsa (modern Morocco) from the local Berber tribes allied to the Iberia-based Caliphate of Córdoba.

title: 933

text: Ziri ibn Manad is installed as governor of central Maghreb. He initiates the construction of the fortress of Ashir, near Médéa (modern Algeria). It symbolises the rise of the Zirid dynasty in the Western Mediterranean region.

title: 935

text: The Fatimid general Jawhar al-Siqilli launches a military campaign in the west of the Maghreb. He resumes his expansion, together with the Zirids, and conquers Fez (modern-day Morocco).

title: 967

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: Caliph Al-Mu'izz transfers the royal residence of the Fatimid Caliphate from El-Mansuriya (modern Tunisia) to the newly founded city of Cairo in Egypt. Egypt becomes the autonomous centre of the Fatimid Caliphate. He leaves general Buluggin ibn Ziri to govern the Western North African territories, which will become the province of Al-Maghreb (meaning the West).

title: 973

text: The Zirid Dynasty fails to reconquer the western part of the Maghreb (Land of Atlas), which they have recently lost to the Umayyad Caliphate.

title: 987

text: A Pisan and Genovese fleet attack Bona (modern Annaba) on the Maghribi coast (modern Algeria). The city is occupied for one year.

title: 1034

text: The Banu Hilal, a confederation of tribes of Arabia, begin their invasion in the Maghreb (North Africa). They are organized by the Egyptian Fatimid Caliphate to punish their former Zirid vassals.

title: 1049

text: The Almohad Caliphate conquers the Maghrib al-Awsat (modern Algeria). The city of Béjaïa becomes one of the main naval bases of the Almohads.

title: 1152

text: Summer – In the Maghreb, after a string of successes against the Almohad Caliphate, Hafsid forces under Sultan Abu Zakariya Yahya conquer the city of Tlemcen (modern Algeria). The Kingdom of Tlemcen becomes a vassal of Abu Zakariya, and is formed in a series of small states between his rule and the states of the Western Maghreb.

title: 1242

date: September 8

text: September 8 – Berber forces of the Marinid Sultanate under Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq complete the conquest of Morocco and capture Marrakesh after a long siege, effectively ending the Almohad Caliphate. The last Almohad ruler, Idris al-Wathiq (or Abu Dabbus), is assassinated by a slave. The Marinids become the new masters of the western Maghreb and Abu Yusuf Yaqub takes up the title of "Prince of the Muslims".

title: 1269


slug: magnus-iv-of-sweden

label: Magnus IV of Sweden

section: Deaths

date: May 8

text: May 8 – King Haakon V Magnusson of Norway dies at the age of 49 with no sons, leaving the throne empty until the nobles can agree on his successor. Havtore Jonsson manages a guardianship government until the nobles choose Magnus VII Eriksson, son of Haakon's daughter Ingeborg.

title: 1319

section: Events › April – June

date: April 12

text: April 12 – Sweden's governing council votes to bar foreigners from the royal palace, and to request that the Norwegian council admonish the regent Ingeborg to avoid taking advice from foreigners when making decisions. Ingeborg, who is serving as regent for her minor son, King Magnus, ruler of Sweden and Norway, has become infamous for making decisions without consultation from the councils of either of the kingdoms.

title: 1321

section: Health & Medicine

date: February 20

text: February 20 – Norway's regency council takes a stand against Ingeborg Haakonsdater, mother of and regent for the 7-year-old King Magnus VII. Ingeborg is removed from her position as chief regent on charges of misuse of her power.

title: 1323

section: Events › January – March

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Approximate date – Magnus Erikssons landslag (the Country Law of Magnus IV of Sweden) is promulgated.

title: 1341

date: August 15

text: August 15 – Magnus IV of Sweden abdicates from the throne of Norway, in favor of his son Haakon VI of Norway. However, Haakon is still a minor, allowing Magnus to remain de facto ruler.

title: 1343

section: Events › January–December

date: December 6

text: December 6 – Five-year-old Erik Magnusson, the eldest son of King Magnus IV of Sweden, is appointed heir to the Swedish throne, even though Sweden is an elective monarchy at this time.

title: 1344

date: April 28

text: April 28 – Erik Magnusson is recognized as king of most of Sweden, in opposition to his father, King Magnus.

title: 1357

date: June 21

text: June 21 – Upon the death of Erik Magnusson, his claims to the Swedish throne die with him, and power is restored undivided to his father, King Magnus. With this unexpected death of Erik Magnusson, a previous promise to give Helsingborg to Denmark was reneged on by Magnus IV Eriksson. But Valdemar IV Atterdag was far too ambitious a ruler to have his plan to reassemble the Danish kingdom fall into pieces, and so he proceeded to invade Scania the next year with his mercenary army.

title: 1359

date: February 15

text: February 15 – Joint kings Magnus Eriksson and Haakon Magnusson of Sweden are both deposed by noblemen, who instead elect Magnus's nephew Albrekt of Mecklenburg the new king of Sweden.

title: 1364

date: March 3

text: March 3 – Battle of Gataskogen: Albert of Mecklenburg defeats and captures Magnus Eriksson, obtaining the throne of Sweden.

title: 1365


slug: maharashtra

label: Maharashtra

description: state in the western and central peninsular region of India

section: Crime & Justice

text: A Bodhisattva (detail of a wall painting in the Ajanta Caves) in Maharashtra (India) of the Gupta period) is made (approximate date).

title: 475

section: Events › By topic › Art

date: May 28

text: May 28 – At Junnar in what is now India's Maharashtra state, the Ahmadnagar Sultanate is established by Ahmad Nizam Shah, who leads a secession of his land from the Bahmani Kingdom and defeats the Bahmani General Jahangir Khan.

title: 1490

section: Events › April–June

date: January 16

text: January 16 – The siege of Nagpur ends in the modern-day Maharashtra state of India, as Kok Shah, the King of Deogarh, surrenders his kingdom to the Mughal Empire.

title: 1637

section: Events › January–March

date: February 4

text: February 4 – The Battle of Sinhagad takes place in India (in the modern-day Maharashtra state) as the Maratha Empire army, led by Tanaji Malusare, leads an assault on the Kondhana Fortress that had been captured by the Mughal Empire. Tanaji, called "The Lion" by his followers, captures the fortress by guiding the successful scaling of the walls of the fortress with ladders created from rope, but is killed in the battle. The Maratha emperor Shivaji orders the fortress named Sinhagad, the Marathi language words for "Lion's Fort".

title: 1670

date: April 24

text: April 24 – In India, Shivaji Bhonsale, the Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, captures the Kenjalgad Fort in what is now the Maharashtra state.

title: 1674

date: January 11

text: January 11 – The Patta Fort and the Avandha Fort, located in what is now India's Maharashtra state near Ahmednagar, are captured from the Maratha clan by Mughul Army commander Matabar Khan. The Mughal Empire rules the area 73 years.

title: 1688

date: April 21

text: April 21 – In India, the siege of the fortress of Sajjangad (located in the Maharashtra state) is begun by an army led by Fateullahakhan. The fortress falls on June 6.

title: 1700

section: Climate & Environment

date: September 30

text: September 30 – Latur earthquake: A 6.2 earthquake occurs in the vicinity of Maharashtra, India having a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing 9,748 and injuring 30,000.

title: 1993

section: Events › September

date: August 11

text: August 11 – 2019 Indian floods: At least 114 people, including 57 in Kerala, 30 in Karnataka and 27 in Maharashtra, are reported to have died in monsoon-related floods in India. At least 227 died across India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

title: 2019

section: Events › August


slug: mahatma-gandhi

label: Mahatma Gandhi

description: Indian independence activist (1869–1948)

section: Births

date: November 9

text: November 9 – Shrimad Rajchandra, prominent Indian Jain philosopher, scholar, poet & spiritual mentor of Mahatma Gandhi (d. 1901)

title: 1867

section: Births › November–December

date: October 2

text: October 2 – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader, Father of the Nation (d. 1948)

title: 1869

section: Births › October–December

date: April 9

text: April 9 – Shrimad Rajchandra, Indian Jain philosopher, scholar and poet, spiritual mentor of Mahatma Gandhi (b. 1867)

title: 1901

section: Deaths › March–April

section: Culture & Society

date: September 11

text: September 11 – Mahatma Gandhi coins the term Satyagraha, to characterize the nonviolence movement in South Africa.

title: 1906

section: Events › September–October

date: September 5

text: September 5 – Mahatma Gandhi launches the non-cooperation movement in India, with the goal of obtaining independence from British rule

title: 1920

date: March 10

text: March 10 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay for sedition.

title: 1922

section: Events › March

date: March 18

text: March 18 – In British India, Mahatma Gandhi is sentenced to six years in prison for sedition (he serves only two).

title: 1922

date: April 6

text: April 6 – In an act of civil disobedience, Mahatma Gandhi breaks the salt laws of British India by making salt by the sea at the end of the Salt March.

title: 1930

section: Events › April

date: March 12

text: March 12 – Mahatma Gandhi sets off on a 200-mile march towards the sea with 78 followers to protest against the British monopoly on salt in India; more will join them during the Salt March that ends on April 5.

title: 1930

section: Conflict & Security

date: March 2

text: March 2 – Mahatma Gandhi informs the British Viceroy of India that civil disobedience will begin the following week.

title: 1930

date: September 7

text: September 7 – The Second Round Table Conference on the constitutional future of India opens in London; Mahatma Gandhi represents the Indian National Congress.

title: 1931

date: January 4

text: January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.

title: 1932

section: Events › January

section: Economy & Finance

date: September 20

text: September 20 – Mahatma Gandhi begins a hunger strike in Poona prison, India.

title: 1932

date: July 4

text: July 4 – Gandhi is sentenced to prison in India.

title: 1933

section: Events › July

date: January 12

text: January 12 – Mahatma Gandhi begins his fast-unto-death in Delhi, to stop communal violence during the Partition of India.

title: 1948

date: January 30

text: January 30 – Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: Indian pacifist and leader Mahatma Gandhi is shot by Nathuram Godse in New Delhi.

title: 1948

date: November 15

text: November 15 – Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte are executed for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.

title: 1949

section: Events › November


slug: mahdia

label: Mahdia

description: place in Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The African slave trade through the Sahara is so extensive that the town of Zawila (Tunisia) is established.

title: 700

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: The Fatimid Caliphate creates a new capital in Ifriqiya, al-Mahdiya on the Tunisian coast.

title: 921

section: Events › By place › Africa

text: Summer – Fatimid caliph al-Qa'im dispatches a naval expedition under Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi to raid the coast of Provence and Liguria, sacking Genoa on 16 August and attacking Pisa. Ya'qub also raids Corsica and Sardinia before returning to Mahdia with some 8,000 prisoners.

title: 935

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: The Banu Hilal razes Kairouan (in modern Tunisia). The Zirid dynasty has to re-settle to Mahdia (approximate date).

title: 1057

text: Mahdia campaign: The navies of Genoa and Pisa take the capital of the Zirids, and occupy Mahdia for a year. Subsequently, both republics obtain trading privileges.

title: 1087

text: Conflict between the de facto independent Muslim republics of Gabès and Mahdia (modern Tunisia) in Ifriqiya. Madhia is supported by the Zirid Dynasty while Gabes receives the aid of Roger II, count of Sicily.

title: 1117

date: August 9

text: August 9 – Battle of Al-Dimas: An Italo-Norman campaign in North Africa ends with their troops being massacred by Zirid forces near Mahdia (modern Tunisia).

title: 1123

section: Events › By date › July–September

text: The Hammadid Emirate (modern Algeria) launches an assault against the city of Mahdia (modern Tunisia).

title: 1135

section: Events › By place › North Africa

text: Abd al-Mu'min, ruler of the Almohad Caliphate, is unable to feed his population during a famine. He recognize the de facto protectorate of Roger II to support the commercial center of Mahdia.

title: 1142

text: Taking advantage of internal strife and a famine episode, George of Antioch takes Mahdia (June 22), Susa (July 1) and Sfax (July 12) in Tunisia, in the name of Roger II.

title: 1148

text: The Almohads conquer Mahdia (modern Tunisia) from the Normans after an important naval success near the city, against Christian reinforcements coming from Sicily.

title: 1160

date: July 1

text: July 1 – The Barbary Crusade begins as the Kingdom of France and the Republic of Genoa attempt to stop the raids of the Barbary pirates by invading the North African region of Ifriqiya and laying siege to Mahdia in what is now Tunisia. Louis II, Duke of Bourbon and Giacomo Fregoso of Genoa bring 6,000 knights and soldiers on 60 ships against 40,000 Muslim defenders led by the Caliph Abu al-Abbas Ahmad II of the Hafsid Sultanate and the Sultan Abu Tashufin II of Tlemcen.

title: 1390

section: Events › July–September

date: June 28

text: June 28 – Capture of Mahdia (1550): The Spanish Armada arrives in North Africa to begin the process of capturing the fortress of Mahdia (now in Tunisia) from control of the Ottoman Empire.

title: 1550

section: Events › April–June

date: September 10

text: September 10 – Spanish troops, commanded by Genoa's General Andrea Doria, capture the Tunisian fortress of Mahdia from the Ottoman Empire after fighting that began on June 28.

title: 1550


slug: mahmud-of-ghazni

label: Mahmud of Ghazni

description: Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire from 998 to 1030

section: Births

text: Mahmud of Ghazni, emir of the Ghaznavid Empire (d. 1030)

title: 971

section: Deaths

text: Sabuktigin, founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty, dies after a 20-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Ismail as emir of Ghazna. But many in the court favor his elder brother Mahmud.

title: 997

section: Events › By place › Central Asia

text: Battle of Ghazni: The Afghan prince Mahmud defeats his younger brother Ismail (the ruling emir of the Ghaznavid Dynasty) in battle. He places Ismail in comfortable captivity for the rest of his life and expands the realm of his late father, Sebuktigin, into the Punjab in northwestern India.

title: 998

section: Events › By place › Persia

text: Mahmud of Ghazni, Muslim leader of Ghazni, begins a series of raids into northern India, establishing the Ghaznavid Empire across most of today's Afghanistan, eastern Iran, and Pakistan.

title: 1001

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: Mahmud of Ghazni invades the Kingdom of Bhatia (modern-day Bhera, Pakistan). He defeats its ruler, Biji Rai, who is captured and subsequently immolates himself.

title: 1004

text: Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni appoints Malik Ayaz to the throne, making Lahore (modern Pakistan) the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire.

title: 1021

section: Religion & Belief

text: Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni sacks the Hindu religious center of Somnath and takes away a booty of 20 million dinars (approximate date).

title: 1024

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: March

text: March/April: The Ghaznavid Sultan Maḥmūd brutally sacks the city of Rayy after receiving a request for help by its Buyyid ruler Majd al-Dawla against his rebellious troops. He crucifies a large number of the local population and burns many books that he considers heretical.

title: 1029

date: April 30

text: April 30 – Mahmud of Ghazni, Ghaznavid emir (b. 971)

title: 1030

text: April 30 – Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni dies after a 28-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Mas'ud I, who seizes the throne of the Ghaznavid Empire, which includes much of Afghanistan, Iran, and India.

title: 1030


slug: maine

label: Maine

description: state of the United States of America

date: August 13

text: August 13 – The ship Gift of God of the Plymouth Company arrives at the mouth of the modern-day Kennebec River in Maine. English colonists establish Fort St. George, also known as the Popham Colony. The settlement lasts little more than a year, before residents return to England in the first oceangoing ship built in the New World, a 30-ton pinnace called The Virginia.

title: 1607

section: Culture & Society

text: Captain John Smith publishes his book A description of New England in London. Smith relates one voyage to the coast of Massachusetts and Maine, in 1614, and an attempted voyage in 1615, when he was captured by French pirates and detained for several months before escaping.

title: 1616

section: Events › Date unknown

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: April 12

text: April 12 – The Treaty of Casco Bay is signed between officials of the Province of New York and the Penobscot tribe and the Wabanaki Confederacy, bringing an end to further fighting that has happened in the two years since the end of King Philip's War in the modern-day U.S. state of Maine. Under the terms of the treaty, English settlers pay rent to the Penobscots and are given back farm land that had been confiscated in the war, while the English settlers agree to respect the Penobscot land rights.

title: 1678

date: December 20

text: December 20 – Edmund Andros arrives in Boston to become the British Governor of the newly created Dominion of New England, which includes most of the what are now the U.S. states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and much of the eastern portion of New York. The unpopular Andros, who reigns as a dictator after being appointed by King James II, is driven out of office in 1689 after the overthrow of James, and the Dominion of New England is broken up into its constituent colonies.

title: 1686

section: Events › October–December

date: November 26

text: November 26 – The Treaty of Whitehall, more formerly the Treaty of Neutrality for America, is signed at the Palace of Whitehall in Westminster between representatives of King Louis XIV of France and King James II of England, with both sides pledging that "though the two Countries might be at war in Europe their Colonies in America should continue in peace and Neutrality". The treaty is broken less than two years later when King William's War breaks out in what is now the U.S. state of Maine.

title: 1686

section: Conflict & Security

date: July 25

text: July 25 – Father Rale's War (1722–1725) begins along the Maine and Massachusetts border.

title: 1722

date: June 19

text: June 19 – The British create Cumberland County and Lincoln County in Maine.

title: 1760

date: July 8

text: July 8 – The Niagara Conference begins at the invitation of Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern district, who hosts "one of the largest conventions of red men ever held on the continent" to negotiate the end of the hostilities from the French and Indian War. Reportedly, 2,000 representatives of the North American tribes meet at upstate New York coming from distances ranging "From Dakota to Hudson's Bay, and from Maine to Kentucky."

title: 1764

date: March 15

text: March 15 – Maine is admitted as the 23rd U.S. state.

title: 1820

section: Events › January–March

date: March 3

text: March 3 and 6 – The Missouri Compromise becomes law, allowing admission of Missouri and Maine, as slave and free states respectively, as U.S. states.

title: 1820

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: The Cumberland and Oxford Canal connects the largest lakes of southern Maine with the seaport of Portland, Maine.

title: 1832

section: Health & Medicine

date: June 2

text: June 2 – Maine passes the Maine Liquor Law, the first state-wide prohibition in the United States.

title: 1851

date: December 14

text: December 14 – Margaret Chase Smith, American politician, U.S. Senator from Maine ( d. 1995 )

title: 1897

section: Births › November–December

date: September 13

text: September 13 – Margaret Chase Smith of Maine is elected United States Senator, becoming the first woman to serve in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

title: 1948

section: Events › September


slug: mainz

label: Mainz

description: capital of the federal state Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

year_label: 13 BCE

text: The Roman general Nero Claudius Drusus builds the stronghold of castrum Moguntiacum in the location of the modern-day city of Mainz, Germany.

title: 13 BC

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

year_label: 12 BCE

text: Roman armies based at Xanten, Cologne and Mainz campaign beyond the Rhine.

title: 12 BC

year_label: 15 CE

text: Summer – Germanicus launches a two-pronged attack from Vetera and Moguntiacum. On his return journey, he recaptures the aquila of Legio XIX and visits the battlefield of the Teutoburg Forest. Germanicus arranges the burial for the remains of Varus' army.

title: 10s

section: Events › 15 AD › Roman Empire

year_label: 69 CE

text: German warbands cross over to join the revolt and attack the fortress at Mainz.

title: AD 69

text: Emperor Alexander Severus and his mother Julia Mamaea move to Moguntiacum (modern Mainz), the capital of Germania Superior. His generals have planned a military offensive and built a bridge across the Rhine. Alexander prefers to negotiate for peace by buying off the Alemanni. This policy outrages the Roman legions and he loses the trust of the troops.

title: 234

text: Battle of Solicinium: Emperor Valentinian I launches a punitive expedition against the Alamanni, due to the crises in Britannia and Gaul. The Alamanni re-cross the Rhine and plunder Moguntiacum (modern Mainz).

title: 367

date: December 31

text: December 31 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine at Mogontiacum (modern Mainz), beginning an invasion of Gaul (traditional date, this may have occurred in 405).

title: 406

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

title: AD 411

date: April 7

text: April 7 – Attila's forces invade Gaul and sack Metz. The major cities of Strasbourg, Worms, Mainz, Trier, Cologne, Reims, Tournai, Cambrai, Amiens and Beauvais are destroyed by the Huns.

title: 451

section: Events › By place › Europe

section: Births

text: Lullus, archbishop of Mainz (approximate date)

title: 710

text: King Æthelbert II of Kent sends a message to Boniface, archbishop of Mainz, requesting two well-trained goshawks for hunting. He had earlier made a gift of two falcons and a goshawk to King Æthelbald of Mercia (approximate date).

title: 748

section: Events › By place › Britain

text: King Æthelbald of Mercia calls the Synod of Gumley, at the instigation of Boniface, bishop of Mainz, and issues a charter that releases the Catholic Church from all public burdens.

title: 749

date: November

text: November – Pepin the Short, youngest son of Charles Martel, forces the last Merovingian king Childeric III to retire to the monastery of Saint-Bertin. He proclaims himself as king of the Franks with the support of Pope Zachary, and is crowned at Soissons by Boniface, bishop of Mainz, becoming, as Pepin III, the first Carolingian monarch of the Frankish Kingdom.

title: 751

date: October 16

text: October 16 – Lullus, archbishop of Mainz

title: 786

text: Saxon War: The Slav Obodrites, under their ruler Witzan, attack the northern Saxons in Liuni. He is killed in an ambush and succeeded by his son Drożko (Thrasco), who becomes a Carolingian dux. King Charlemagne leads a Frankish expeditionary force north from Mainz, and marches to the Elbe, where eastern Saxon rebels again surrender.

title: 795

text: Harald Klak accepts Christianity, and is baptized with his wife and son Godfrid at Mainz.

title: 826

section: Events › By topic › Religion

date: April 21

text: April 21 – Rabanus Maurus, a Frankish Benedictine monk, becomes archbishop of Mainz after the death of Odgar.

title: 847

date: February 4

text: February 4 – The 7-year-old Louis IV ("the Child") is proclaimed king of the East Frankish Kingdom at an assembly at Forchheim (Bavaria). Because of his young age, the reins of government are entirely in the hands of others – the Frankish nobles and bishops. The most influential of Louis' councillors are Hatto I, archbishop of Mainz, and Solomon III, bishop of Constance.

title: 900

date: September 24

text: September 24 – King Louis IV (the Child), the last Carolingian ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom, dies at Frankfurt am Main after an 11-year reign. The East Frankish dukes elect Conrad I at Forchheim as the king of the East Frankish Kingdom. Charles III is elected as king of Lotharingia. Conrad is chosen through the influence of Louis' guardian and regent, Hatto I, archbishop of Mainz.

title: AD 911

date: May 15

text: May 15 – Hatto I, archbishop of Mainz

title: 913

text: Summer – Liudolf, duke of Swabia, and his brother-in-law Conrad the Red rebel against King Otto I. Otto and his army fail to capture the cities of Mainz and Augsburg. He declares Liudolf and Conrad as outlaws in absentia. His brother Bruno I, archbishop of Cologne, restores royal authority in Lorraine, but some of the rebellious dukes receive support from the Hungarians. They seize the opportunity to invade Bavaria.

title: 953

text: Frederick, archbishop (elector) of Mainz

title: 954

section: Exploration & Expansion

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

title: 973

section: Events › By topic › Commerce

date: June 7

text: June 7 – Henry II, a cousin of Otto III, is elected and crowned as King of Germany by Archbishop Willigis at Mainz. Henry does not recognise the coronation of Arduin. Otto of Worms withdraws his nomination for the title of Holy Roman Emperor and receives the Duchy of Carinthia (modern Austria) - Henry is the first King to be elected away from the Cathedral of Aachen since the tradition was begun by Otto I in 936.

title: 1002

date: May 16

text: May 16 – From his capital at Mainz in Germany, Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, issues a grant of lands in Tragoess (now in Austria) to the Göss Abbey.

title: 1023

section: Events › April–June

date: September 8

text: September 8 – Conrad the Elder is crowned as King Conrad II of Germany in a ceremony at Mainz, and he and Conrad the Younger are invested as joint dukes of Franconia.

title: 1024

section: Events › July–September

date: May 27

text: May 27 – Members of the People's Crusade under Emicho massacre at least 1,000 Jews in Mainz. Archbishop Ruthard tries to hide some of them in the cellars of Mainz Cathedral but the crusaders learn of this – and murder most of the Jews. Men, women, and children of all ages are slaughtered indiscriminately.

title: 1096

section: Events › By place › First Crusade

text: July 25 – Henry V marries 8-year-old Matilda (daughter of King Henry I of England). She is crowned Queen of the Romans in a ceremony at Mainz. After the betrothal Matilda is placed into custody of Bruno, archbishop of Trier, who is tasked with educating her in German culture, manners and government.

title: 1110

date: May 20

text: May 20 – Diet of Pentecost: Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, organises a conference in Mainz. During the diet Frederick negotiates with Henry the Lion about an anti-French alliance with England.

title: 1184

date: December 9

text: December 9 – The 18-year-old Frederick II is crowned King of the Germans at Mainz. Frederick's authority in Germany remains tenuous, and he is recognized only in southern Germany. In the region of northern Germany, the center of Guelph power, his rival Otto IV continues to hold the imperial power despite his excommunication.

title: 1212

text: Siegfried III, archbishop of Mainz, conquers Wiesbaden (a free imperial city) and orders the city's destruction, during the war of Emperor Frederick II against the Papal States.

title: 1242

text: Earliest likely date for Johannes Gutenberg's development of printing with movable type at Mainz.

title: 1439

text: Johannes Gutenberg has set up his movable type printing press, as a commercial operation in Mainz, by this date.

title: 1450

text: The Jews are expelled from Mainz, Germany.

title: 1462

date: October 28

text: October 28 – Adolph II of Nassau captures the town of Mainz and ends the Mainz Diocesan Feud, then carries a massacre of more than 400 citizens.

title: 1462

date: December 23

text: December 23 – Thirty Years' War: Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden takes the city of Mainz, without any resistance.

title: 1631

text: September 8 – The Siege of Mainz (in the modern-day Rheinland-Pfalz state of Germany), which had started on June 1, ends after almost three months, as French General Nicolas Chalon du Blé surrenders the walled city to the armies of Austria and the Dutch Republic.

title: 1689


slug: major-league-baseball

label: Major League Baseball

description: North American professional baseball league

date: May 4

text: May 4 – The first supposedly Major League Baseball game is played in America.

title: 1871

section: Culture & Society

date: July 11

text: July 11 – Baseball legend Babe Ruth makes his major league debut, with the Boston Red Sox.

title: 1914

section: Events › July

date: October 9

text: October 9 – In Major League Baseball, the Cincinnati Reds win the World Series, five games to three, over the Chicago White Sox, whose players are later found to have lost intentionally.

title: 1919

section: Events › October

date: August 18

text: August 18 – Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player (d. 1972)

title: 1934

section: Births › August

date: August 26

text: August 26 – The first televised Major League Baseball games are shown on experimental station W2XBS in the United States: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

title: 1939

section: Events › August

section: Deaths

date: November 25

text: November 25 – Kenesaw Mountain Landis, 1st commissioner of Major League Baseball (b. 1866)

title: 1944

section: Deaths › November

date: April 1

text: April 1 – Jackie Robinson, the first African American in Major League Baseball since the 1880s, signs a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

title: 1947

section: Events › April

date: November 13

text: November 13 – Wataru Misaka makes the roster of the New York Knicks to become the first person of color to play in modern professional basketball, months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Misaka has led the Utah Utes to the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships.

title: 1947

section: Events › November

date: April 8

text: April 8 – The Montreal Expos become Major League Baseball's first team outside the United States.

title: 1969

section: Conflict & Security

date: July 13

text: July 13 – Reggie Jackson's long home run, which hits a transformer on the roof of Tiger Stadium, helps the American League defeat the National League 6–4 in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit.

title: 1971

date: October 13

text: October 13 – The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles 4–3 in Game 4 of the World Series at home in the first ever Major League Baseball postseason game played at night. The Pirates defeat the Orioles 2–1 in the decisive Game 7 at Baltimore four days later.

title: 1971

date: October 22

text: October 22 – The Oakland Athletics defeat the Cincinnati Reds four games to three to capture Major League Baseball's World Series. It is the Athletics' first championship since 1930, when the franchise was in Philadelphia.

title: 1972

date: October 17

text: October 17 – The Pittsburgh Pirates become only the fourth MLB team (as well as the only MLB franchise to accomplish the feat twice) to recover from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to win the 1979 World Series.

title: 1979

date: October 21

text: October 21 – In Major League Baseball, The Philadelphia Phillies of the National League defeat the Kansas City Royals of the American League, 4–1, in Game Six of the World Series to win the championship.

title: 1980

date: August 9

text: August 9 – 1981 Major League Baseball strike ends in the United States, and Major League Baseball resumes with the All-Star Game in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium.

title: 1981


slug: malaga

label: Málaga

description: municipality and capital of the province of Málaga, in Spain

text: The city of Málaga, in southern Spain in the province of Spania, is conquered by the Visigoths.

title: 621

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

date: February 12

text: February 12 – (18 Dhu-I-qa'da 413 AH) In Spain, Al-Ma'mun al-Qāsim ibn Ḥammud returns to Córdoba to become the new Emir, after the Emir Yaḥya ibn ʿAli ibn Ḥammud al-Muʿtali bi-llāh leaves the city and moves to Málaga. Al-Qasim reigns for 10 months before being forced out by Abd al-Rahman V.

title: 1023

section: Events › January–March

text: A third Almoravid expedition is launched in Al-Andalus, designed to finally subdue the Taifa's Kingdoms. The cities of Córdoba, Seville, Granada, Málaga, Almería and Ronda fall to the troops of Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin.

title: 1090

section: Events › By place › Europe

date: January 22

text: January 22 – Sultan Muhammad I (or Ibn al-Ahmar) suffers fatal injuries after falling from his horse near the city of Granada during a minor military expedition. He is succeeded by his son Muhammad II, who becomes ruler of the Emirate of Granada. Muhammad enters negotiations with King Alfonso X ("the Wise") to make peace with Castile, but he refuses to grant a truce to the Banu governors (arraeces) of Málaga and Guadix in Andalusia.

title: 1273

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

date: August 15

text: August 15 – The first Feria de Agosto takes place in the Spanish city of Málaga in celebration of the 1487 conquest of the Granadan city by the Kingdom of Castile. The festival is still celebrated in Spain more than 500 years later.

title: 1491

section: Climate & Environment

text: October 9 – A massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake destroys part of Málaga and other cities in the province of the same name.

title: 1680

section: Events › October–December

text: February 12 – Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Bouligny arrives with Malagueño colonists at Bayou Teche, to establish the city of New Iberia, Louisiana.

title: 1779

date: April 4

text: April 4 – American Revolutionary War: The Spanish capture the sloop-of-war off Málaga, Spain.

title: 1781

date: February 13

text: February 13 – After seizing Jaén, Córdoba, Seville and Granada, Napoleonic troops enter Málaga under the command of General Horace Sebastiani.

title: 1810

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: December 16

text: December 16 – The German training frigate Gneisenau, with 450 naval cadets on board, sinks in a storm during exercises off of the Spanish coast at Málaga, drowning 136.

title: 1900

section: Events › December


slug: malatya

label: Malatya

description: metropolitan municipality in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey

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

section: Religion & Belief

text: Byzantine–Arab War: Emperor Theophilos leads a massive Byzantine expeditionary force into Mesopotamia. He sacks the cities Arsamosata and Sozopetra — which some sources claim as the birthplace of Abbasid caliph Al-Mu'tasim — and forces Melitene to pay tribute.

title: 837

text: Umar al-Aqta, emir of Melitene

title: 863

date: September 3

text: September 3 – Battle of Lalakaon: A Byzantine army confronts an invasion by Muslim forces, led by Umar al-Aqta, Emir of Malatya. The Muslims raid deep into Byzantine territory, reaching the Black Sea coast at the port city of Amisos. Petronas annihilates the Arabs near the River Lalakaon, in Paphlagonia (modern Turkey).

title: 863

text: Winter – Romanos IV leaves a portion of his army as a rearguard at Melitene. The Byzantine garrison fails to check a Seljuk raid that manages to sack Amorium (penetrating deep in Byzantine territory). Romanos winters near Aleppo before returning to Constantinople.

title: 1068

text: Spring – Emperor Romanos IV begins a campaign against the Seljuk Turks, and marches towards the Euphrates via Melitene. He crosses the river at Romanopolis (modern Turkey), and captures the strategic fortress city of Chliat on the north-western shore of Lake Van. Romanos leaves a Byzantine rear guard on the upper Euphrates under General Philaretos Brachamios with orders to defend the Mesopotamian frontier.

title: 1069

text: Autumn – Kilij Arslan I, sultan of the Sultanate of Rum, leads a Seljuk expedition to take over Melitene (modern Turkey). He attempts to capture Edessa, but the Crusader fortress is too strongly defended by its garrison. Kilij Arslan then moves on to Harran, which surrenders to him.

title: 1105

section: Events › By place › Seljuk Empire

date: April 28

text: April 28 – The Mamluk Sultanate army invades the Christian outpost of Malatya in Byzantium, then loots the city.

title: 1315

section: Events › April – June

date: October 7

text: October 7 – Tamerlane, the Mongol conqueror, stops between Malatya and Aleppo at the Turkish garrison in Behesna. According to author Peter Purton, the garrison "had the temerity to shoot a catapult ball at Timur which rolled into his tent. Setting up his own battery of 20 machines, it is said that the first shot hit and destroyed the offending weapon. Treating this as a good omen, the attack was launched, the towers mined... and the place surrendered."

title: 1400

date: July 28

text: July 28 – Selim I of the Ottoman Empire captures the city of Malatya (located in what is now southeastern Turkey) as the first conquest in his war against the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and then proceeds to invade Syria.

title: 1516

section: Events › July–September


slug: malaysia

label: Malaysia

description: country in Southeast Asia

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: c. 2500 BC: Rice was first introduced to what is now modern-day Malaysia

title: 25th century BC

section: Events

year_label: 535 BCE

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: The Sungai Batu Civilization in Malaysia begins.

title: 535 BC

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: Sultan Mudzaffar Shah I establishes the Kedah Sultanate at Qodah Darul Aman (modern-day Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia).

title: 1136

text: Prince Parameswara establishes the Malacca Sultanate, in present-day western Malaysia and northern Sumatra.

title: 1400

section: Events › Date unknown

section: Deaths

date: August 2

text: August 2 – Ataullah Muhammad Shah I begins a 50-year reign as the Sultan of Kedah in what is now Malaysia, following the death of his father, Sulaiman Shah I, who had reigned for 50 years after becoming Sultan in 1373.

title: 1423

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: August 3

text: August 3 – The Ming Chinese expedition arrives at Malacca in what is now Malaysia and stays until September 2.

title: 1432

date: September 17

text: September 17 – At the royal capital, Pekan, Ahmad Shah I of Pahang becomes the new Sultan of Pahang (now one of the federal states within Malaysia) upon the death of his younger brother, Muhammad Shah

title: 1475

date: July 25

text: July 25 – Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal, Governor of Portuguese India, begins an assault on the strategic city of Malacca (now part of Malaysia) and captures it by August 15.

title: 1511

date: December 6

text: December 6 – The Battle of Perlis River is fought between the Portuguese Navy and the navy of the Aceh Sultanate (now a province of Indonesia) at the Perlis River in Malaysia. With nine light warships and 230 soldiers, the Portuguese sink or capture 45 of the 60 ships of Aceh vessel leave 4,000 of their 5,380 soldiers dead or missing.

title: 1547

date: July 27

text: July 27 – Mahmud Shah II, the Sultan of Johor and Pahang (now part of Malaysia) takes on full power upon the death of the regent, the Bendahara Paduka Raja. Mahmud II was only 10 years old when he became the Sultan upon the assassination of his father, Ibrahim Shah in 1685.

title: 1697

text: Kuala Lumpur, the future capital of Malaysia, is founded as a tin mining settlement.

title: 1857

date: August 31

text: August 31 – The Federation of Malaya gains independence from the United Kingdom, subsequently celebrated as Malaysia's National Day. Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan, Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, becomes the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya. The country's new Constitution had come into force on August 27. The Alliance Party and its successor are the ruling coalition until 2018.

title: 1957

section: Events › August

date: April 1

text: April 1 – Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan, 1st Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya (modern-day Malaysia), dies in office. He is replaced by Hisamuddin Alam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, Sultan of Selangor.

title: 1960

date: May 27

text: May 27 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Prime Minister of Malaya, holds a press conference in Singapore, announcing his idea to form the Federation of Malaysia, comprising Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, Brunei and North Borneo (Sabah).

title: 1961

section: Events › May

date: September 16

text: September 16 – Malaysia is formed through the merging of the Federation of Malaya and the British crown colony of Singapore, North Borneo (renamed Sabah) and Sarawak.

title: 1963

section: Events › September

date: September 18

text: September 18 – Rioters burn down the British Embassy in Jakarta, to protest the formation of Malaysia.

title: 1963

date: August 7

text: August 7 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Prime Minister of Malaysia, recommends the expulsion of Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia following a deterioration of PAP–UMNO relations, negotiating its separation with Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore.

title: 1965

section: Events › July–August

text: August 9 – Proclamation of Singapore: Singapore is expelled from the Federation of Malaysia, which recognises it as a sovereign nation. Lee Kuan Yew announces Singapore's independence and assumes the position of Prime Minister of the new island nation – a position he holds until 1990.

title: 1965

date: May 28

text: May 28 – The Indonesian and Malaysian governments declare that the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation is over (a treaty is signed on August 11).

title: 1966

date: June 17

text: June 17 – The Malayan Communist Party launches a second insurgency and the state of emergency is again imposed in Malaysia.

title: 1968

section: Events › May–June

date: May 13

text: May 13 – May 13 Incident: Race riots occur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

title: 1969

date: February 1

text: February 1 – Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is declared a Federal Territory.

title: 1974

section: Events › January–February

date: October 31

text: October 31 – Tun Mustapha resigns as Chief Minister of Sabah, a state in Malaysia, bringing to an end speculation that he would attempt to lead secession for Sabah to become an independent nation.

title: 1975

section: Events › October

date: September 20

text: September 20 – The term of Tuanku Al-Mutassimu Billahi Muhibbudin Sultan Abdul Halim Al-Muadzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, as the 5th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, ends.

title: 1975

date: September 21

text: September 21 – Sultan Yahya Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim Petra of Kelantan, becomes the 6th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

title: 1975

date: June 6

text: June 6 – The Double Six Crash, a plane crash in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, kills everyone on board, including Sabahan Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens.

title: 1976

section: Events › June

date: December 4

text: December 4 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, killing all 100 passengers and crew on board.

title: 1977

date: March 29

text: March 29 – Sultan Yahya Petra of Kelantan, the 6th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Head of State) of Malaysia, dies in office. He is replaced by Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang.

title: 1979

section: Events › March

date: January 1

text: January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).

title: 1982

section: Events › January

date: April 26

text: April 26 – Sultan Iskandar of Johor becomes Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, in succession to Sultan Ahmad Shah, whose term ended the previous day.

title: 1984

date: August 5

text: August 5 – The 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis culminates in the ousting of the Lord President of Malaysia, Salleh Abas.

title: 1988

date: July 31

text: July 31 – Thirty-two people are killed and 1,674 injured when a bridge at the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry terminal collapses in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia.

title: 1988

section: Events › July

text: April 26 – Sultan Azlan Muhibbudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yusuff Izzudin Shah Ghafarullahu-lahu, Sultan of Perak, becomes the 9th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, succeeding Baginda Almutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail.

title: 1989

date: December 11

text: December 11 – One of the three blocks of the Highland Towers near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia collapses, killing 48.

title: 1993

text: April 25 – Sultan Azlan Muhibbudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yusuff Izzudin Shah Ghafarullahu-lahu ends his term as the 9th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

title: 1994

text: April 26 – Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, becomes the 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

title: 1994

text: April 26 – Sultan Salahuddin of Selangor becomes the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

title: 1999

text: December 26 – The 9.1–9.3 Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis follows, affecting coastal areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, killing 227,000 people.

title: 2004

text: May 21 – The International Court of Justice awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.

title: 2008

text: November 23 – The last known Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia dies.

title: 2019

text: January 1 – The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest free trade area in the world, comes into effect for Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

title: 2022

text: August 17 – A Beechcraft 390 Premier I business jet crashes onto an expressway interchange near Elmina, Selangor, Malaysia, killing 10 people.

title: 2023

text: January 31 – Sultan of Johor Ibrahim Iskandar ascends the throne as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

title: 2024

text: November 26 – Cyclone Senyar causes at least 1,390 deaths and leaves 186 missing in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

title: 2025


slug: malcolm-iii-of-scotland

label: Malcolm III of Scotland

description: King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093

section: Births

date: March 26

text: March 26 – Malcolm III (Canmore), king of Scotland (d. 1093)

title: 1031

section: Conflict & Security

date: July 27

text: July 27 – Siward, earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland, to support King Malcolm III against Macbeth, who has usurped the Scottish throne from Malcolm's father, Duncan I. Macbeth is defeated at Dunsinane.

title: 1054

section: Events › By place › Scotland

date: August 15

text: August 15 – Battle of Lumphanan: Macbeth, King of Scotland ("the Red King") is killed by Malcolm ("Canmore"). Macbeth is succeeded by his stepson Lulach, who is crowned (probably on September 8) as king of Scotland at Scone.

title: 1057

section: Events › By place › Europe

date: March 17

text: March 17 – King Lulach ("the Unfortunate") of Scotland is killed in battle against his cousin and rival Malcolm III ("Canmore") who becomes king of the Scots.

title: 1058

section: Religion & Belief

text: unknown date – Tain becomes the first town in Scotland to be chartered as a royal burgh by King Malcolm III (Canmore).

title: 1066

section: Events › Europe › England and Scotland

section: Culture & Society

text: Edgar the Ætheling takes refuge with King Malcolm III of Scotland along with Edgar's sister Margaret, who marries King Malcolm.

title: 1068

section: Events › By place › England

text: An invasion of England by Malcolm III of Scotland is repelled.

title: 1070

section: Events

text: William the Conqueror, King of England, invades Scotland and receives the submission of King Malcolm III. He agrees to sign the Treaty of Abernethy.

title: 1072

section: Events › By place › Britain

text: Edgar Ætheling, last male member of the House of Wessex, joins forces with Kings Malcolm III of Scotland and Philip I of France in an attempt to take the English throne.

title: 1073

text: Autumn – Robert Curthose, a son of William I, is sent to invade Scotland. He reaches as far as Falkirk and forces King Malcolm III to agree to terms while building fortifications at Newcastle upon Tyne.

title: 1080

date: July

text: July – King Malcolm III of Scotland invades England, reaching as far south as Durham. The Normans led by William II and Robert march north to oppose the Scots, but a conflict is averted. Malcolm is forced to accept the terms of the Treaty of Abernethy (1072) and pays homage to William.

title: 1091

section: Events › By place › Britain and France

date: November 13

text: November 13 – Battle of Alnwick: King Malcolm III of Scotland invades Northumberland, but is killed by English forces under Earl Robert de Mowbray while besieging Alnwick Castle. He is succeeded by his brother Donald III ("the Fair") as ruler of Scotland.

title: 1093

date: May

text: May–June – Duncan, son of the late King Malcolm III of Scotland, gathers a substantial army, chiefly Anglo-Normans from England, and challenges his uncle Donald III ("the Fair") for the Kingdom of Scotland. Duncan is crowned king at Scone.

title: 1094

date: November 11

text: November 11 – King Henry I of England marries Matilda of Scotland, the daughter of King Malcolm III and a direct descendant of the Saxon king Edmund Ironside.

title: 1100


slug: maldives

label: Maldives

description: sovereign state in South Asia, situated on an archipelago in the Arabian Sea

text: King Mahaabarana Adeettiya (Koimala) from the Theemuge Dynasty becomes the first king to rule over the whole Maldives. He reclaims the northern atolls from the Indian invaders.

title: 1117

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: Dhovemi, ruler of the Maldives, converts to Islam and adopts the Muslim title of Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdullah.

title: 1153

section: Events › By topic › Religion

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: December 17

text: December 17 – Portuguese colonists are expelled from the Maldives, where Portugal has had a presence since 1558, by order of the Sultan's son, Mohamed Bodu Takurufanu al-Azam.

title: 1573

section: Events › October–December

date: November 5

text: November 5 – Mohamed bin Hajj Ali Thukkala becomes the new Sultan of the Maldives as Muhammad Ali IV.

title: 1692

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: February 27

text: February 27 – WWII: The New Zealand Division cruiser HMS Leander (1931) sinks Italian armed merchant raider Ramb I off the Maldives.

title: 1941

section: Events › February

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: January 3

text: January 3 – The southernmost island of the Maldives archipelago, Addu Atoll, declares its independence from the Kingdom of the Maldives, initiating the United Suvadive Republic.

title: 1959

date: March 19

text: March 19 – The other two southern islands of the Maldives, Huvadhu Atoll and Fuvahmulah, join Addu Atoll in forming the United Suvadive Republic (abolished September 1963).

title: 1959

date: September 21

text: September 21 – Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations.

title: 1965

section: Events › September–October

text: November 11 – A second republic is declared in the Maldives.

title: 1968

section: Events › November–December

date: November 3

text: November 3 – 1988 Maldives coup attempt: The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam, a Sri Lankan Tamil militant group, attempts to overthrow the Maldivian government. At the request of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Indian military suppresses the coup attempt within 24 hours.

title: 1988

section: Events › November

section: Climate & Environment

date: December 26

text: December 26 – The 9.1–9.3 Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis follows, affecting coastal areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, killing 227,000 people.

title: 2004

section: Events › December

date: October 13

text: October 13 – The Maldives announces its decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations.

title: 2016


slug: mali-empire

label: Mali Empire

description: empire in West Africa from c.1230 to 1670

text: The Manden region rises against the Kaniaga Kingdom. This is the beginning of a process that will lead to the rise of the Mali Empire.

title: 1234

section: Events › By place › Africa

section: Conflict & Security

text: Approximate date – Battle of Kirina: Mandinka prince Sundiata Keita defeats Sosso king Soumaoro Kanté, beginning the Mali Empire. By tradition, the Manden Charter, a constitution, is proclaimed in Kouroukan Fouga.

title: 1235

text: Kouroukan Fouga, the constitution of the Mali Empire, is created by an assembly of nobles of the Mandinka clan.

title: 1236

section: Births

text: Mansa Musa, mansa of the Mali Empire (d. c.1337)

title: 1280

date: July 19

text: July 19 – (26 Rajab 724 AH) Mansa Musa, the extraordinarily-wealthy Emperor of Africa's Mali Empire, arrives in Cairo after three days of camping by the pyramids of Giza, and brings with him a large entourage of fellow Muslim pilgrims and a vast supply of gold. Musa, who is making the pilgrimage to Mecca, meets with Egypt's Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad and stays in Cairo for three months before departing with the pilgrims on October 18.

title: 1324

section: Events › July – September

date: October 18

text: October 18 – (28 Shawwal 724 AH) After he and his entourage of Muslim pilgrims have stayed in Cairo for three months, the Emperor Mansa Musa of Africa's Mali Empire resumes the group's pilgrimage to Mecca

title: 1324

section: Events › October – December

text: The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta makes the first recorded visit to Timbuktu and Kabara, when returning from a stay in the capital of the Mali Empire.

title: 1353

section: Events › Date unknown

text: Musa II succeeds his father, Mari Djata II, as Mansa of the Mali Empire (modern-day Mali and Senegal).

title: 1374

text: Maghan II succeeds his brother, Musa II, as Mansa of the Mali Empire

title: 1387

text: Sandaki overthrows Magha II, as Mansa of the Mali Empire.

title: 1389

text: Mahmud succeeds Sandaki as Mansa of the Mali Empire, restoring the Keita dynasty.

title: 1390

section: Deaths

text: Sandaki Mari Djata, Mansa of the Mali Empire

title: 1390

text: Bamana forces from Ségou invade the Mali heartland, destroying the Mali Empire after its 400 years as a unified state.

title: 1645

text: Niani, capital of the Mali Empire, is sacked by the Bambara people of the emerging Segou Empire.

title: 1670


slug: mali

label: Mali

description: country in West Africa

section: Religion & Belief

text: Sankore Madrasah, at this stage a mosque, is founded in Timbuktu (modern-day Mali).

title: 989

section: Events › By topic › Education

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: A collective of Tuareg trading clans decide to permanently settle the city of Timbuktu (modern Mali) north of Djenné along the Niger River. Timbuktu will later achieve fame as a center of Islamic learning. The Sankore, Djinguereber and Sidi Yahya mosques are among Timbuktu's most famous religious and scholarly institutions (approximate date).

title: 1100

title: 1374

date: November 6

text: November 6 – In what is now the West African nation of Mali, Sonni Baru becomes the new monarch of the Songhai Empire following death of his father, the Emperor Sonni Ali.

title: 1492

section: Events › October—December

date: April 12

text: April 12 – Battle of Anfao: Askia Mohammad I defeats Sonni Baru in what becomes the African nation of Mali, and usurps the throne of the Songhai Empire.

title: 1493

section: Events › April–June

date: March 13

text: March 13 – Battle of Tondibi: In Mali, forces sent by the Saadi dynasty ruler of Morocco, Ahmad al-Mansur, and led by Judar Pasha, defeat the Songhai Empire, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one.

title: 1591

section: Events › January–March

title: 1645

text: Amadou Lobbo initiates his jihad, in present-day Mali.

title: 1810

date: March 10

text: March 10 – El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.

title: 1861

section: Events › March

date: June 20

text: June 20 – The short-lived Mali Federation, consisting of the Sudanese Republic (modern-day Republic of Mali) and Senegal, gains independence from France.

title: 1960

section: Events › June

date: January 7

text: January 7 – Following a four-day conference in Casablanca, five African chiefs of state announce plans for a NATO-type African organization to ensure common defense. The Charter of Casablanca involves the Casablanca Group: Morocco, the United Arab Republic, Ghana, Guinea, and Mali.

title: 1961

section: Events › January

date: January 25

text: January 25 – Pope John Paul II begins an eight-day tour of Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad.

title: 1990

date: April 6

text: April 6 – The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad unilaterally declares the independence of Azawad from Mali.

title: 2012

section: Events › April

date: July 24

text: July 24 – Air Algérie Flight 5017, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, crashes in Mali, killing all 116 people on board.

title: 2014

section: Events › July

date: May 24

text: May 24 – A coup d'état in Mali removes interim president Bah Ndaw and the acting prime minister, Moctar Ouane, from power and restores military rule leading to the country being suspended from the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union, as well as France suspending its military operations in the country.

title: 2021

section: Events › May