slug: kairouan

label: Kairouan

description: Tunisian town

text: Muslim Conquest: A 10,000-man Arab army under the command of general Uqba ibn Nafi invades the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa. He establishes a military base at Kairouan (Tunisia) for further invasions, and founds the Great Mosque, also known as the "Mosque of Uqba".

title: 670

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: The Great Berber Revolt: Muslim forces under Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi, governor of Egypt, break out of besieged Kairouan (Tunisia). He scatters the Berbers, the western and central Maghreb remained under the control of the Berber Kharijites.

title: 742

section: Events › By place › Africa

section: Deaths

text: Tunisian Coup: Following the death of the Umayyad caliph, Hisham, Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib assembles a small force in Tunis and declares himself emir of Ifriqiya. Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi, wali of Ifriqiya decides against fighting and returns to Damascus. Abd al-Rahman installs himself in Kairouan, and crushes multiple revolts around the country.

title: 744

text: The Warfajuma Berbers and their Sufrite allies sweep up from southern Tunisia and capture Kairouan, killing Emir Habib Al-Fihri and putting an end to the Fihrid dynasty. In the meantime, the Ibadites that Ibn Habib had driven out of Tripoli return, rallied by their imam Abu al-Khattab al-Ma'afiri in Jebel Nefusa, the Ibadites recapture Tripoli.

title: AD 757

text: A group of four Basra-educated missionaries, including 'Abd al-Rahman Iban Rustam, proclaim the Ibadi imamate. Followers conquer the city of Kairouan (modern Tunisia), and massacre the Kharijites.

title: 758

text: An Abbasid Caliphate army reconquers the city of Kairouan (in modern-day Tunisia), from 'Abd al-Rahmān ibn Rustam of the Rustamid dynasty. The latter is forced to flee west, where he creates an autonomous state around Tihert (Tiaret).

title: 761

section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate

text: The Kharijite Berbers of Tlemcen and Tiaret try to conquer Ifriqiya from the Abbasid Caliphate, but fail to capture the capital of Kairouan (modern Tunisia).

title: AD 767

text: The Ad-dimnah Hospital (bimaristan) is created in Kairouan (modern Tunisia), by the Aghlabid emir Ziyadat Allah I.

title: 830

section: Events › By place › North Africa

section: Religion & Belief

text: Lusterware tiles, that decorated the mihrab of the Mosque of Uqba at Kairouan (modern Tunisia), are made (approximate date).

title: 860

section: Events › By topic › Art

date: May

text: May – Ibrahim II, Aghlabid emir of Ifriqiya, sends a large army to Palermo, to impose Arab authority from Kairouan. After an uprising, the Sicilians make a bid for independence.

title: 892

text: The Berber Kutama tribesmen under Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah capture the cities of Kairouan and Raqqada. The capital city of the Rustamid imamate, Tihert is destroyed. The remaining Ibadi are forced into the desert.

title: 909

text: The Sunnis of Kairouan (modern Tunisia) revolt against the Shi'ite Zirid dynasty. The city is quickly retaken and sacked.

title: 1017

section: Events › Africa

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

title: 1057


slug: kalmar-union

label: Kalmar Union

description: former country. personal union of the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden and Norway (1397–1523)

section: Culture & Society

date: June 17

text: June 17 – Erik of Pomerania is crowned in Kalmar (Sweden) as ruler of the Kalmar Union, a personal union of the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway (with Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland and Orkney) and Sweden (including Finland and Åland) engineered by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, his great-aunt and adoptive mother, who retains de facto power in the realm.

title: 1397

section: Events › April–June

section: Conflict & Security

date: November

text: November – As an aftermath to the War in Gotland (1403-1404), Queen Margaret I buys the rights to Visby for 8000 marks from Albrecht of Mecklenburg during negotiations in Flensburg. This strengthens the Kalmar Union and pushes out the Teutonic Order, angering grand master Konrad von Jungingen.

title: 1405

section: Events › October–December

date: October 26

text: October 26 – Erik of Pomerania, ruler of the Kalmar Union, marries Philippa, daughter of Henry IV of England, in Lund Cathedral.

title: 1406

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen of the Teutonic Knights guarantees peace with the Kalmar Union of Scandinavia by selling the Baltic Sea island of Gotland to Queen Margaret of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

title: 1409

section: Events › Date unknown

date: October 28

text: October 28 – Erik of Pomerania becomes sole ruler of the Kalmar Union (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) on the death of Queen Margaret.

title: 1412

date: July 17

text: July 17 – Peace of Vordingborg is signed, ending the war between the Hanseatic League of German cities (Hamburg, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Rostock, Stralsund and Wismar) and the Scandinavian Kalmar Union of Denmark and Sweden. King Eric VII of Denmark and Adolph VIII, Count of Holstein sign, along with Hein Hoyer, representing the League, at Vordingborg Castle. Denmark cedes the Duchy of Schleswig to Holstein and agrees to stop interfering with the League, to end ten years of war.

title: 1435

section: Events › July–September

date: June 23

text: June 23 – Christian I is elected king of Sweden, ending the war between Sweden and Denmark and restoring the Kalmar Union.

title: 1457

date: June

text: June – Gribshunden, the flagship of King Hans Oldenburg of Denmark sinks off the coast of Ronneby in Sweden while King Hans is ashore to negotiate with Sten Sture the Elder to restore the power of the Kalmar Union. According to some accounts, the sinking (and the death of more than 150 crew) happened after an explosion and fire, though explorations of the shipwreck centuries later show no indication of burning.

title: 1495

date: October 18

text: October 18 – The nobles of Sweden's estates formally elect King Hans of Denmark and Norway as King of Sweden, restoring the power of the Kalmar Union.

title: 1497

date: February 17

text: February 17 – Battle of Hemmingstedt: The Danish army fails to conquer the peasants' republic of Dithmarschen.

title: 1500

section: Events › January–March

date: July 27

text: July 27 – Battle of Brännkyrka: The Kalmar Union, led by King Christian II of Denmark, is defeated by the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Younger.

title: 1518

date: June 6

text: June 6 – Gustav Vasa is elected king of Sweden, establishing the full independence of Sweden from the Kalmar Union, which marks the end of the Kalmar Union. This event is also traditionally considered to be the establishment of the modern Swedish nation.

title: 1523

date: September 1

text: September 1 – By the Treaty of Malmö signed on Sweden withdraws from the Kalmar Union with Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

title: 1524

date: February 11

text: February 11 – Norway's independence is proclaimed, marking the ultimate end of the Kalmar Union.

title: 1814

section: Events › February


slug: kamakura-shogunate

label: Kamakura shogunate

description: feudal military government of Japan

date: February 9

text: February 9 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shogun, dies at Kamakura after a 7-year reign in which he has established the Kamakura Shogunate (see 1192). He is succeeded by his 16-year-old son Minamoto no Yoriie, his grandfather Hōjō Tokimasa proclaims himself regent for Yoriie (until 1202).

title: 1199

section: Events › By place › Japan

text: Minamoto no Sanetomo becomes the third shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate. During his reign, Sanetomo is a puppet ruler for his mother Hōjō Masako who uses him as a pawn in her war with her father Hōjō Tokimasa.

title: 1203

date: May 13

text: May 13 – Emperor Juntoku is forced to abdicate, and is briefly succeeded by his 2-year-old son Chūkyō on the throne of Japan. Ex-Emperor Go-Toba leads the unsuccessful Jōkyū War against the Kamakura shogunate.

title: 1221

section: Events › By place › Asia

date: July 16

text: July 16 – (28th day of 6th month of Gennin 1); Hōjō Yasutoki becomes the new regent (shikken) for the Kamakura shogunate in Japan after the death of his father, Hōjō Yoshitoki.

title: 1224

section: Events › July – September

date: February 25

text: February 25 – (Karoku 2, 27th day of 1st month) In Japan, 8-year-old Kujō Yoritsune is raised to the status of the Shōgun Fujiwara no Yoritsune of the Kamakura shogunate by the Emperor Go-Horikawa, but the power over the Imperial military remains with the regent Hōjō Yoshitoki.

title: 1226

section: Events › January – March

text: The Hikitsuke, a judicial organ of the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates of Japan, is established.

title: 1249

section: Births

date: June 5

text: June 5 – Hōjō Tokimune, 8th regent of the Kamakura shogunate (d. 1284)

title: 1251

text: Kublai Khan sends an emissary to the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, demanding an acknowledgment of suzerainty and payment of tribute; the Japanese refuse, starting a diplomatic back-and-forth, lasting until the Mongols attempt to invade in 1274.

title: 1268

section: Crime & Justice

date: October 5

text: October 5 – (Shoan, 22nd day of the 8th month) Hojo Morotoki becomes the 10th regent for the Kamakura shogunate of Japan.

title: 1301

section: Events › October– December

date: November 13

text: November 13 – (1 Ocho, 22nd day of 9th month) Munenobu Hojo becomes the regent for the Kamakura Shogunate (to July 1312).

title: 1311

section: Events › October – December

date: July 6

text: July 6 (1 Showa, 2nd day of 6th month) – Hirotoki Hojo becomes the regent for the Kamakura shogunate in Japan.

title: 1312

date: August 11

text: August 11 (12th day of 7th month of 4 Shōwa) – Hōjō Mototoki becomes ruler (shogun) and regent (shikken) of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan upon the death of Hōjō Hirotoki.

title: 1315

date: October 29

text: October 29 – (Gen'ō 1, 15th day of 9th month) Nichiin of Japan's Daimoku sect refutes all other sects of Buddhism during an interrogation by the Kamakura shogunate, permitting the sect to continue.

title: 1319

text: Prince Morikuni, 9th and last shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. (b. 1301)

title: 1333

date: May 18

text: May 18 – Siege of Kamakura in Japan: Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo, led by Nitta Yoshisada, enter and destroy the city, breaking the power of the Hōjō clan over the Kamakura shogunate. The Kamakura period ends, and the Kenmu Restoration under Go-Daigo begins.

title: 1333

section: Events › January–December


slug: kangxi-emperor

label: Kangxi Emperor

description: 3rd Emperor of the Qing dynasty (r. 1661–1722)

section: Deaths

date: February 5

text: February 5 – The Shunzhi Emperor of the Chinese Qing Dynasty dies, and is succeeded by his 7-year-old son the Kangxi Emperor.

title: 1661

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: February 1

text: February 1 – Chinese general Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) captures the Dutch East India Company's settlement at Fort Zeelandia (now Tainan) on the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege, ending the company's rule on the island, then establishes the Kingdom of Tungning. In response, the Kangxi Emperor of the mainland Qing dynasty relocates all residents along the southern coast, by 50 miles.

title: 1662

date: December 16

text: December 16 – In China, the 1661 edict of the "Great Clearance", the forcible evacuation of the coastal areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangnan, and Shandong in order to fight a rebellion, is rescinded by the Kangxi Emperor after lobbying by Zhou Youde, the Viceroy of Liangguang.

title: 1668

section: Events › October –December

text: The Chinese Kangxi Emperor allows coastal residents deported in the Great Clearance of 1662 to return home.

title: 1669

section: Culture & Society

date: September 18

text: September 18 – the Kangxi Emperor of China grants titles and ranks to all of his wives, and names Empress Xiaozhaoren as his consort.

title: 1677

date: March 23

text: March 23 – Revolt of the Three Feudatories in southern China: rebel general Wu Sangui, lord of the Yunnan fief, takes the imperial crown, names himself monarch of "The Great Zhou", based in the Hunan province, with Hengyang as his capital. He contracts dysentery over the summer and dies on October 2, ending the rebellion against the Kangxi Emperor.

title: 1678

date: December 7

text: December 7 – Wu Shifan, grandson of Chinese general Wu Sangui, commits suicide at Kunming in Yunnan province, ending the 8-year Revolt of the Three Feudatories against the Kangxi Emperor and the Qing dynasty in China.

title: 1681

text: The Chinese army of the Qing dynasty attacks a Russian post at Albazin, during the reigns of the Kangxi Emperor and the dual Russian rulers Ivan V and Peter I. The event leads to the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689.

title: 1685

section: Science & Discovery

date: February 7

text: February 7 – Six French Jesuit scientists, Joachim Bouvet, Jean-François Gerbillon, Louis-Daniel Lecomte, Guy Tachard, Claude de Visdelou and the leader, Jean de Fontaney, arrive in Beijing and are welcomed by the Emperor of China, Kangxi.

title: 1688

date: August 23

text: August 23 – Gravely ill, the Empress Xiaoyiren is proclaimed empress by her husband, China's Kangxi Emperor, after having been Imperial Noble Consort since 1682. She dies the next day.

title: 1689

section: Religion & Belief

date: March 22

text: March 22 – The Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty issues the Edict of Toleration, recognizing all the members of the Roman Catholic Church, not just the Jesuits, and legalizing missions and their conversion of Chinese people to the Christian Faith.

title: 1692

date: June 12

text: June 12 – China's Kangxi Emperor leads troops in the Battle of Jao Modo, about 37 mi from the modern Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator, and defeats 5,000 Mongolian troops of the Dzungar Khanate under the command of Galdan Boshugtu Khan.

title: 1696

section: Events › April–June

date: April 23

text: April 23 – As Chinese troops from the Manchu Dynasty (ruled by the Kangxi Emperor) complete their conquest of Mongolia, Galdan Boshugtu Khan, ruler of the last part of Mongolia to be conquered, the Dzungar Khanate, poisons himself, ending the resistance to conquest.

title: 1697

date: June 29

text: June 29 – Flemish Jesuit missionary François Noël is welcomed in China by the Kangxi Emperor at the Forbidden City in Beijing, and discusses the Emperor's disdain over the disapproval of Jesuit accommodation of Confucian rites by the Roman Catholic Church.

title: 1706

text: The Kangxi Emperor announces that all western businessmen in China can trade only in Guangzhou.

title: 1720

date: December 20

text: December 20 – After the longest reign by a Chinese Emperor in history (61 years), the Kangxi Emperor dies, and is succeeded by his son Yinzhen as Yongzheng Emperor.

title: 1722

date: February 4

text: February 4 – The Kangxi Era ends in Qing dynasty China, and the Yongzheng Era begins, with the coronation of Yinzhen, the Yongzheng Emperor.

title: 1723


slug: kansas

label: Kansas

description: state of the United States of America

date: September 19

text: September 19 – The Juan de Oñate expedition of Spanish explorers first encounters the indigenous Escanjaque Indians in what is now the U.S. state of Kansas. The Escanjaques ask the Spaniards to assist them in a war against a rival tribe, the Rayados. Instead, Oñate befriends the Rayados five days later.

title: 1601

section: Events › July–September

date: February 22

text: February 22 – Annie Le Porte Diggs, Canadian-born state librarian of Kansas (d. 1916)

title: 1853

section: Births › January–March

section: Conflict & Security

date: May 19

text: May 19 – "Bleeding Kansas: The Marais des Cygnes massacre is perpetrated by pro-slavery forces in the U.S. state of Kansas.

title: 1858

date: June 17

text: June 17– The Parsons Sun newspaper in Parsons, Kansas is founded by Milton W. Reynolds and Leslie J. Perry, though the latter left after the first issue was published.

title: 1871

section: Health & Medicine

date: February 19

text: February 19 – Kansas becomes the first U.S. state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.

title: 1881

section: Events › February

section: Climate & Environment

date: January 12

text: January 12 – The Schoolhouse Blizzard hits Dakota Territory and the states of Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas, leaving 235 dead, many of them children on their way home from school.

title: 1888

section: Events › January

date: November 3

text: November 3 – 1936 United States presidential election: Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected to a second term, in a landslide victory over Kansas Governor Alf Landon; farmers support Roosevelt.

title: 1936

section: Events › November–December

date: April 26

text: April 26 – A series of 55 tornadoes break out in the central U.S., killing 21. The most notable tornado strikes Andover, Kansas.

title: 1991

section: Events › April


slug: karnataka

label: Karnataka

description: Indian state

text: King Pulakeshin I establishes the Chalukya dynasty in India. He extends his kingdom by conquering Vakataka and the west coast of Karnataka, giving him access to the valuable Arabian Sea trade routes.

title: 543

section: Events › By place › Asia

date: May 6

text: May 6 – In India, Veera Virupaksha Ballala, son and heir of Emperor Veera Ballala III of the Hoysala Empire, returns to the capital, Halebidu (now a ruins in the state of Karnataka), after two years as a hostage. Emperor Ballala III had agreed to leave his son behind at Delhi for two years as part of his surrender to the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji.

title: 1313

section: Events › April – June

date: February 24

text: February 24 – In southern India, Harihara II succeeds Bukka Raya I, as ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire at its capital, Vijayanagara (now Hampi in Karnataka state).

title: 1377

section: Events › January–March

date: April 16

text: April 16 – Mujahid Shah, ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate in what is now the Karnataka state in southern India, is assassinated by his uncle, Da'ud Shah, while traveling between Adoni and Kulbarga. Da'ud and three accomplices enter Mujahid's tent and stab him to death, after which Da'ud declares himself to be the new Sultan of Bahmani.

title: 1378

date: April 20

text: April 20 – At Kalaburagi in the Bahmani Kingdom (now in India's state of Karnataka) Ghiyath-ad-din Shah becomes the new Shah upon the death of his father, Mohammed Shah II.

title: 1397

date: June 14

text: June 14 – Shams-ud-Din Shah becomes the new Shah of the Bahmani Kingdom (now in India's state of Karnataka) upon the death of his brother, Ghiyath-ad-din Shah.

title: 1397

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: July 27

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

title: 1404

date: February 13

text: February 13 – The 42 ft tall Statue of Gommateshwara is consecrated by King Veera Pandya in the Indian city of Karkala, capital of the Vijayanagara Empire and now part of the Karnataka state.

title: 1432

date: May 24

text: May 24 – In what is now the state of Karnataka in India, Prince Mallikarjuna Raya becomes the new Emperor of Vijayanagara upon the death of his father, Deva Raya II, and takes the name of Emperor Deva Raya III.

title: 1446

date: September 4

text: September 4 – At Bidar, in what is now the Karnataka state of India, Nizam-Ud-Din Ahmad III becomes the new Sultan of Bahmani three days after the death of his father, Humayun Shah.

title: 1461

date: April 5

text: April 5 – Mahmud Gawan, the chief minister (peshwa) of India's Bahmani Kingdom (now in the state of Karnataka) is executed in Bidar on orders of the Sultan Muhammad Shah III Lashkari, after being falsely convicted of treason. The preparer of the forged document that led to Gawan's overthrow, Malik Hasan Bahri, becomes the new peshwa.

title: 1481

date: November 27

text: November 27 – Led by Prince Prataparudra Deva, son of the Emperor Purushottama Deva, the Gajapati Empire (now India's state of Odisha) invades the Vijayanagara Empire (now the Karnataka state) and its armies advance as far as the Penna River, where they are stopped by a force commanded by the Vijayanagara sultan Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, and are turned back.

title: 1496

section: Events › October–December

date: March 5

text: March 5 – In what is now the Karnataka state of India, Waliullah Shah is installed as the new ruler of Bahmani by the Sultan of Bidar, Amir Barid I.

title: 1522

date: November 4

text: November 4 – Ali Adil Shah II becomes the new Sultan of Bijapur (located in what is now India's Karnataka state) upon the death of his father, Mohammed Adil Shah.

title: 1656

date: July 31

text: July 31 – Dodda Kempadevaraja (Devaraja Wodeyar I) becomes the new maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore (part of modern-day India's Karnataka state) upon the death of his cousin, Kanthirava Narasaraja I. He is crowned on August 19.

title: 1659

date: February 21

text: February 21 – In India, Shivaji Bhonsale of the Maratha Empire captures the English East India Company's trading post at Sadashivgad (in the modern-day Indian state of Karnataka).

title: 1665

date: January 15

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

title: 1725

date: March 19

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

title: 1732

date: November 1

text: November 1 – The States Reorganisation Act of India reforms the boundaries and names of Indian states. Three new states, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, are formed.

title: 1956

section: Events › November

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: kashmir

label: Kashmir

description: disputed territory between China, India and Pakistan

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk, crosses the Indus River at Hund and travels to Kashmir ("Heaven on Earth") in northwestern India (approximate date).

title: 631

section: Events › By topic › Religion

section: Deaths

text: King Ksemagupta dies of a fever after a hunting party. He is succeeded by his youngest son Abhimanyu II. Queen Didda, the widow of Ksemagupta, becomes regent and the de facto ruler of Kashmir (modern India).

title: 958

text: Didda, queen consort and regent of Kashmir (India)

title: 1003

text: Shams-ud-Din Shah Mir, having defeated Kota Rani, Hindu queen regnant of Kashmir, in battle at Jayapur (modern Sumbal), asks her to marry him, but she commits suicide rather than do so; thus he takes over sole rule of Kashmir, beginning the Muslim Shah Mir Dynasty.

title: 1339

section: Events › Date unknown

text: Sikandar But-shikan succeeds Sikandar Shah, as Sultan of Kashmir.

title: 1390

date: December 20

text: December 20 – Enraged by the disrespect shown to him by Yousuf Shah Chak, the Mughal Emperor, Akbar, orders the invasion of Kashmir with 5,000 men.

title: 1585

date: March 9

text: March 9 – The First Anglo-Sikh war ends with the signing of the Treaty of Lahore. Kashmir is ceded to the British East India Company, and the Koh-i-Noor diamond is surrendered to Queen Victoria.

title: 1846

date: November 25

text: November 25 – The new Pakistan Army and Pashtun mercenaries overrun Mirpur in Kashmir, resulting in the death of 20,000 Hindus and Sikhs.

title: 1947

date: October 20

text: October 20 – A war begins in Kashmir, along the border between India and Pakistan, initiating the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. Also, Pakistan establishes diplomatic relations with the United States of America.

title: 1947

section: Events › October

date: January 1

text: January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2026

title: 1949

date: April 13

text: April 13 – India launches Operation Meghdoot, bringing most of the disputed Siachen Glacier region of Kashmir under Indian control and triggering the Siachen conflict with Pakistan.

title: 1984

date: May 26

text: May 26 – Kargil War: The Indian Air Force launches an attack on intruding Pakistan Army troops and mujahideen militants in Kashmir.

title: 1999

section: Events › May


slug: kavadh-i

label: Kavadh I

section: Births

text: Kavadh I, king of the Persian Empire (d. 531)

title: 449

section: Culture & Society

text: Kavadh I is crowned by the nobles, and succeeds his blind uncle Balash as the 19th king of Persia.

title: 488

section: Events › By place › Persia

section: Conflict & Security

text: King Kavadh I of Persia is deposed and exiled to Susiana by his younger brother Djamasp. He is installed by the nobles to the Sassanid throne.

title: 496

text: Kavadh I returns from exile with support of 30,000 Hephthalites (White Huns), and again assumes the Sassanid throne. He punishes his opponents and probably his brother Djamasp, who usurped the throne from him.

title: 498

text: War with Sassanid Persia: Emperor Anastasius I refuses to pay a share of the cost of defending the Caucasian Gates, through which nomadic tribes have come for raids on Persia and the Byzantine Empire. King Kavadh I invades Armenia and captures Theodosiopolis.

title: AD 502

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

text: War with Sassanid Persia: Emperor Anastasius I sends a Byzantine army (52,000 men) to Armenia, but is defeated. The Romans attempt an unsuccessful siege of the Persian-held city Amida, on the Tigris. King Kavadh I invades Osroene, and lays siege to the city of Edessa (Northern Mesopotamia).

title: 503

section: Events › Byzantine Empire

text: King Kavadh I hands over the fortress-city of Amida, and agrees to an armistice with the Byzantine Empire.

title: 504

text: King Kavadh I adopts the doctrine of the Mazdakites, and breaks the influence of the magnates' (nobility).

title: 513

text: Kavadh I, king of the Persian Empire (b. 449)

title: 531


slug: kayseri

label: Kayseri

description: city in Turkey

text: Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea Mazaca (d. 379)

title: 330

section: Religion & Belief

text: Basil the Great becomes bishop of Caesarea (Cappadocia).

title: 370

text: January 1 – Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea Mazaca (b. 330)

title: 379

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War: A Persian army under King Khosrau I breaks through the Caucasus into Anatolia (modern Turkey). They attack the cities of Theodosiopolis and Caesarea, but are thwarted. Khosrau is forced to retreat and sacks Sebasteia. On the way home, he is intercepted by a Byzantine force under Justinian (magister militum of the East), and severely defeated near Melitene. The royal baggage is captured, and many Persians drown, while escaping across the Euphrates.

title: 576

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

title: 638

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

text: Arab-Byzantine Wars: Umayyad Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd Al-Malik begins the preparations for his campaign on Constantinople; he orders new ships be built in the port-cities in Palestine, Egypt & Ifriqiya. General Umar ibn Hubayra raids southern Anatolia by sea and conquers Lycia, where another Arab fleet joins him, and they spend winter. As the navy advances, Sulayman sends land armies into Anatolia, which settle at Caesarea.

title: 716

text: Arab–Byzantine War: Muslim forces under Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik resume their expedition against Anatolia (modern Turkey). In a large-scale raid they plunder the fortress city of Caesarea.

title: 726

date: January

text: January – Arethas of Caesarea speaks on the occasion of the Epiphany. He becomes the official rhetor at the Byzantine court of Emperor Leo VI (the Wise) at Constantinople, and is nominated as Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia.

title: 901

date: July 2

text: July 2 – Nikephoros II Phokas is proclaimed emperor by his troops in Caesarea. He sends a fleet to secure the Bosphorus Strait against his enemies. Chief minister Joseph Bringas gathers support and closes the gates of Constantinople. General Marianos Argyros is killed in a riot, forcing Bringas to flee.

title: 963

text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II continues the reconquest of south-eastern Anatolia (modern Turkey). He recaptured Cyprus through Niketas Chalkoutzes, and reorganizes the conquered lands into new themes. In the summer, they take the fortress cities of Anazarbus and Adana. Byzantine troops under General John Tzimiskes besiege Mopsuestia, but with the coming of winter he is forced to retreat to Caesarea.

title: 964

text: Summer – Bardas Phokas (the Younger) and his family rebel against their own cousin, John I. Bardas is proclaimed 'emperor' by his troops at Caesarea, but the rebellion is extinguished by Bardas Skleros. Phokas and his relatives are captured and exiled to the island of Chios (Aegean Sea).

title: 970

text: Spring – The Seljuk Turks make incursions into Mesopotamia, Cilicia and Cappadocia. They sack the Byzantine city of Caesarea, move south through the Cilician Gates and raid the region around Antioch in Syria.

title: 1067

section: Events › By place › Seljuk Empire

text: Spring – Al-Ashraf Musa, Ayyubid ruler of Damascus, assembles his allies and secures his active support of Kayqubad I, Sejuk ruler of the Sultanate of Rum. A civil war seems inevitable when Kayqubad is poisoned during a feast at Kayseri, on May 31. Meanwhile, the Seljuks strengthen the fortresses in the eastern provinces against the Mongols.

title: 1237

section: Events › By place › Levant

date: April 15

text: April 15 – Battle of Elbistan: A Mamluk army (some 14,000 men) under Sultan Baibars marches from Syria into the Mongol-dominated Sultanate of Rum and attacks the Mongol occupation force at Elbistan. Baibars, with at least 10,000 horsemen, defeats and overwhelms the Mongol forces. After the battle, he marches unopposed to Kayseri in the heart of Anatolia in triumph and enters the city on April 23.

title: 1277


slug: kazakhstan

label: Kazakhstan

description: sovereign state in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: The newly founded Uyghur Empire controls most of the former Turkic Empire territory, creating an empire that extends from Lake Balkash (modern Kazakhstan) to Lake Baikal (Mongolia), and is subject to Chinese suzerainty (approximate date).

title: 745

section: Events › By place › Asia

section: Science & Discovery

date: May 1

text: May 1 – The Solar eclipse of 1 May 1185, visible across Central America, Northern and Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan, occurs.

title: 1185

section: Events › By topic › Astronomy

text: Spring – The Mongol army led by Subutai and Jochi cross the steppes of modern Kazakhstan, and returns to the horde of Genghis Khan on the Irtysh River. At a great kurultai or gathering of chiefs, Subutai reports on the Western campaign. Jochi submits to Genghis and his supposed 'insubordination' (see 1220) is forgiven. As a result of the Mongol invasion in 1219–1223, Kazakhstan and Central Asia become part of the Mongol Empire.

title: 1224

date: February 28

text: February 28 – In what is now part of Kazakhstan and Russia, Tulak Khan of Borjigin is confirmed by the Beylerbey Mamai of the Golden Horde, with the approval of the ruler Tokhtamysh, after Mamai arranges the assassination of Tulak's cousin, the former khan.

title: 1379

section: Events › January–March

date: November 27

text: November 27 – Annular solar eclipse is visible through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, eastern China, Myanmar and northern Philippines.

title: 1704

section: Events › October–December

date: November 16

text: November 16 – Venera program: The Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe from Baikonur, Kazakhstan toward Venus (on March 1, 1966, it becomes the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet).

title: 1965

section: Events › November–December

date: February 26

text: February 26 – A Soviet nuclear test is conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Eastern Kazakhstan.

title: 1967

section: Events › February

date: April 19

text: April 19 – The Soviet Union performs a nuclear weapon test in eastern Kazakhstan.

title: 1985

section: Events › April

date: December 13

text: December 13 – The Majilis of Kazakhstan approves the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and agrees to dismantle the more than 100 missiles left on its territory by the fall of the USSR.

title: 1993

section: Events › December

date: March 14

text: March 14 – Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American to ride into space aboard a Russian launch vehicle (the Soyuz TM-21), lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

title: 1995

section: Events › March

date: December 10

text: December 10 – The capital of Kazakhstan is moved from Almaty to Astana.

title: 1997

date: November 20

text: November 20 – A Russian Proton rocket is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying the first segment of the International Space Station, the 21-ton Zarya Module.

title: 1998

section: Events › November

section: Crime & Justice

date: November 11

text: November 11 – In Kazakhstan, Zamanbek Nurkadilov, former mayor of Almaty, government minister and a political opponent of Nursultan Nazarbayev is found dead at his family compound.

title: 2005

date: January 5

text: January 5 – A nationwide state of emergency is declared in Kazakhstan in response to the 2022 Kazakh unrest. The cabinet of prime minister Askar Mamin resigns, while president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev removes former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, widely regarded as being the real power in the country, from his position as Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan.

title: 2022

section: Events › January

date: January 6

text: January 6 – The CSTO deploys a "peacekeeping" mission in Kazakhstan, including Russian paratroopers, following a request by Kazakh president Tokayev.

title: 2022

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: December 25

text: December 25 – Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer ERJ-190AR, crashes in Kazakhstan. Twenty-nine out of the 67 on board survive the crash.

title: 2024


slug: kent

label: Kent

description: ceremonial county of England, United Kingdom

section: Conflict & Security

text: Great Conspiracy: Picts, Scotti and Saxons reach Roman London and plunder the city. Theodosius, a general (Comes Britanniarum), is sent with a relief force to Britannia. He marches from Richborough, Kent, to deal with the invaders.

title: 368

section: Events › By place › Roman Empire

text: King Vortigern invites a number of Germanic warriors to aid him in consolidating his position in Britain, according to the Historia Brittonum. He hires Saxons who are probably settled in Kent as mercenaries to fight against the Picts and the Scots beyond Hadrian's Wall.

title: 428

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Battle of Aylesford: At a place named Agaelesthrep (often identified as Aylesford (Kent), Hengist fight the native Britons. His brother Horsa is killed and his son Oisc takes his place. According to the account preserved in Nennius, they were opposed by Vortimer.

title: 455

section: Events › By place › Britannia

text: Battle of Wippedesfleot: The Saxons under command of Hengist and Aesc are defeated by the Britons near Ebbsfleet (Kent). During the battle 12 Welsh leaders are killed (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).

title: 465

section: Religion & Belief

text: The See of Rochester is established, and Justus is appointed as bishop. He founds Rochester Cathedral (Kent).

title: 604

section: Events › By topic › Religion

date: April 1

text: April 1 – King Hlothhere of Kent re-establishes Kentish supremacy in London.

title: 675

section: Events › By place › Britain

text: King Æthelred of Mercia invades Kent, in an attempt to enforce overlordship and diminish Kentish influence in Surrey and London. His armies destroy the Diocese of Rochester (seat of the bishops in West Kent), and ravage the surrounding countryside.

title: 676

text: Danish Vikings land in Kent and besiege Rochester. Town defences having been improved, the city holds out long enough for Alfred the Great to organize an army. He forces the Vikings to flee back across the Channel, to the Continent.

title: 885

text: Autumn – A Viking force with a fleet of 250 longships arrives at the river mouth of the settlement of Lympne (East Kent). They attack the small fortification (called Eorpeburnan).

title: 892

text: Mercia and Northumbria rebel against King Eadwig and switch their allegiance to his brother Edgar. The English nobles (in support of the church) agree to divide the kingdom along the Thames River, with Eadwig keeping Wessex and Kent in the south and Edgar ruling in the north. Edgar's advisers recall Dunstan from Flanders (see 956).

title: 957

section: Events › By place › England

text: November 16 – Ælfric of Abingdon, archbishop of Canterbury, leaves ships to the people of Wiltshire and Kent in his will, leaving the best, equipped for 60 men, to King Æthelred the Unready.

title: 1005

section: Events › By place › British Isles

date: August

text: August – A large Viking army led by Thorkell the Tall lands on Kent and proceeds to terrorize most of Southern England.

title: 1009

text: Eustace II, count of Boulogne, supports the Kentishmen in an attempt to seize Dover Castle. The conspiracy fails, and Eustace is sentenced to forfeit his English fiefs.

title: 1067

text: Spring – A rebellion led by William the Conqueror's half-brothers Odo of Bayeux and Robert (2nd Earl of Cornwall), begins against King William II with the aim to remove him from the throne. Odo's revolt in Kent and Sussex is supported by nobles across the country.

title: 1088

date: June 12

text: June 12 – Peasants' Revolt: In England, rebels from Kent and Essex, led by Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, meet at Blackheath. There the rebels are encouraged by a sermon, by renegade priest John Ball.

title: 1381

section: Events › April–June

date: May 8

text: May 8 – Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI of England.

title: 1450

date: July 3

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

title: 1495

section: Events › July–September

date: June 4

text: June 4 – 1525 Bayham Abbey riot; Villagers from Kent and Sussex, England riot and occupy Bayham Old Abbey for a week in protest against Cardinal Thomas Wolsey's order to suppress the monastery in order to fund two colleges founded by him.

title: 1525

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Huguenots increasingly immigrate to the English county of Kent, especially Canterbury, from France.

title: 1547

section: Events › Date unknown

date: June 18

text: June 18 – Mass executions by burning at the stake resume in England for Protestants convicted of heresy under the law of England's Catholic ruler, Queen Mary I. On the first day, four women and three men are put to death at Maidstone at Kent. The next day, at Canterbury, another seven prisoners are burned. On June 22, ten more people (six men and four women) burn at the stake at Lewes at Sussex. In all, 24 people (12 men and 12 women) are killed in a five-day period

title: 1557

section: Technology & Infrastructure

date: July 22

text: July 22 – The Durtnell (Dartnell) family of Brasted, Kent, England, begin to work as building contractors. The business continues under thirteen generations of the family until ceasing to trade in 2019.

title: 1591

section: Climate & Environment

text: In England, a very high tide occurs, the highest ever known in the Thames, and the sea walls in Kent, Essex, and Lincolnshire are overthrown, thus great desolation is caused to the lands near the sea.

title: 1625

section: Health & Medicine

date: July 9

text: July 9 – The first group purporting to represent an all-England cricket team, consisting of 11 players from various parts of England, comes to Kent and loses to the renowned Kent team, led by Lord John Sackville.

title: 1739

date: August 12

text: August 12 – Lord Castlereagh, the British Foreign Secretary, commits suicide at his house in Kent. He is judged to have been insane at the time.

title: 1822

section: Deaths

date: June 9

text: June 9 – English novelist Charles Dickens dies at Gads Hill Place in Kent, leaving his last book, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.

title: 1870

section: Events › June

date: January 28

text: January 28 – Walter Arnold, of East Peckham, Kent, England, is fined 1 shilling for speeding at 8 mph km/h, exceeding the contemporary urban speed limit of 2 mph km/h, the first speeding fine.

title: 1896


slug: kentucky

label: Kentucky

description: state of the United States of America

date: April 13

text: April 13 – Dr. Thomas Walker and five other men (Ambrose Powell, Colby Chew, William Tomlinson, Henry Lawless and John Hughes) cross through the Cumberland Gap, a mountain pass through the Appalachian Mountains, to become the first white people to venture into territories that had been inhabited exclusively by various Native American tribes. On April 17, Walker's party continues through what is now Kentucky and locates the Cumberland River, which Walker names in honor of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.

title: 1750

section: Culture & Society

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: June 7

text: June 7 – Frontiersman Daniel Boone first begins to explore modern-day Kentucky.

title: 1769

date: October 10

text: October 10 – Daniel Boone leads the first attempt by British colonists to establish a settlement in Kentucky, but is turned back in an attack by Native Americans, in which his son is killed.

title: 1773

section: Events › October–December

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: November 20

text: November 20 – Daniel Boone retires from the Virginia colonial militia in order to devote his full time to establishing a settlement in Kentucky.

title: 1774

section: Conflict & Security

text: October 10 – Dunmore's War – Battle of Point Pleasant: Cornstalk is forced to make peace with Dunmore at the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, ceding Shawnee land claims south of the Ohio (modern Kentucky) to Virginia.

title: 1774

text: The term thoroughbred is first used in the United States, in an advertisement in a Kentucky gazette, to describe a New Jersey stallion called Pilgarlick.

title: 1778

section: Events › Undated

text: The Woodford Reserve bourbon whiskey distillery begins operation in Kentucky.

title: 1780

date: August 19

text: August 19 – A combined British and Native American force defeat Kentucky militiamen in the Battle of Blue Licks in the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War.

title: 1782

date: June 1

text: June 1 – Kentucky becomes the 15th state of the United States of America.

title: 1792

date: January 13

text: January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United States flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes, in recognition of the recent admission of Vermont and Kentucky as the 14th and 15th states. A subsequent act restores the number of stripes to 13, but provides for additional stars upon the admission of each additional state.

title: 1794

section: Events › January–March

date: May

text: Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which lasts until September 3, when Confederate forces enter the state.

title: 1861

section: Events › May

date: September 3

text: September 3 – Confederate General Leonidas Polk invades neutral Kentucky, prompting the state legislature to ask for Union assistance.

title: 1861

section: Events › September

date: October 8

text: October 8 – American Civil War: Battle of Perryville – Union Army forces under General Don Carlos Buell halt the Confederate invasion of Kentucky by defeating troops led by General Braxton Bragg at Perryville, Kentucky.

title: 1862

section: Events › October

date: January 1

text: January 1 – Nathan Stubblefield demonstrates his wireless telephone device in the U.S. state of Kentucky.

title: 1902

section: Events › January

date: September 27

text: September 27 – David Grant Colson, American politician, U.S. Representative from Kentucky (born 1861)

title: 1904

section: Deaths › September


slug: kenya

label: Kenya

description: country in Eastern Africa

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: April 14

text: April 14 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches Malindi, in modern-day Kenya.

title: 1498

section: Events › April–June

date: December 12

text: December 12 – Mombasa (referred to at the time as Fort Jesus, and now part of Kenya) falls under control of the Emirate of Oman, with Imam Sa'if ibn Sultan as the first Omani Governor.

title: 1698

date: December 20

text: December 20 – The final spike is driven into the Mombasa–Victoria–Uganda Railway, in modern-day Kisumu, Kenya.

title: 1901

section: Events › December

date: February 6

text: February 6 – Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the British Dominions: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon. The princess, who is on a visit to Kenya when she hears of the death of her father, King George VI, aged 56, takes the regnal name Elizabeth II.

title: 1952

section: Events › January–February

date: November 18

text: November 18 – Jomo Kenyatta is arrested in Kenya, for an alleged connection to the Mau Mau Uprising.

title: 1952

section: Events › November–December

date: October 20

text: October 20 – Martial law is declared in Kenya, in the face of the Mau Mau uprising.

title: 1952

section: Events › September–October

date: January 24

text: January 24 – Mau Mau Uprising: Rebels in Kenya kill the Ruck family (father, mother, and six-year-old son).

title: 1953

date: March 25

text: March 25–26 – Lari Massacre in Kenya: Mau Mau rebels kill up to 150 Kikuyu natives.

title: 1953

section: Events › March

section: Crime & Justice

date: January 15

text: January 15 – Mau Mau leader Waruhiu Itote is captured in Kenya.

title: 1954

date: February 18

text: February 18 – Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.

title: 1957

section: Events › February

date: August 21

text: August 21 – Jomo Kenyatta is released from prison in Kenya.

title: 1961

section: Events › August

text: December 12 – Kenya gains independence from the United Kingdom, with Jomo Kenyatta as prime minister.

title: 1963

text: December 12 – Jamhuri Day: Kenya becomes a republic, with Jomo Kenyatta as its first President.

title: 1964

section: Science & Discovery

text: January 15 – Louis Leakey announces the discovery of pre-human fossils in Kenya; he names the species Kenyapithecus africanus.

title: 1967

text: October 10 – Daniel arap Moi becomes president of Kenya.

title: 1978

date: August 1

text: August 1 – Attempted coup against the government of Daniel Arap Moi in Kenya.

title: 1982

date: December 1

text: December 1 – A peace agreement between Kenya and Somalia is signed in the Egyptian capital Cairo. With this agreement, in which Somalia officially renounces its historical territorial claims, relations between the two countries begin to improve.

title: 1984

date: December 27

text: December 27 – Riots erupt in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the general election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis that killed over 1,000 people.

title: 2007

date: April 2

text: April 2 – 148 people are killed, the majority students, in a mass shooting at the Garissa University College in Kenya, perpetrated by the militant terrorist organization al-Shabaab.

title: 2015

section: Events › April

date: October 31

text: October 31 – Heavy rain and flooding leave 3 dead and 200,000 people are homeless in Beledweyne, Somalia. Meanwhile, 29 are dead and 29,000 homeless due to flooding in nearby Kenya.

title: 2019

date: May 4

text: May 4 – A team of British and Kenyan scientists announce the discovery of Microsporidia MB, a parasitic microbe in the Microsporidia fungi group that blocks mosquitos from carrying malaria, potentially paving the way for the control of malaria.

title: 2020

date: April 25

text: April 25 – A mass cult suicide is uncovered in Shakahola forest in Kenya. 429 followers of the Good News International Ministries are found in shallow graves throughout the forest, with over 613 people missing.

title: 2023

date: April 29

text: April 29 – 50 people are killed, and 84 are reported missing, when a railway embankment fails near Mai Mahiu, Kenya, adding to the devastation caused by wider floods in Kenya and Tanzania which have caused the deaths of 488 people and the displacement of 503,000.

title: 2024


slug: kerala

label: Kerala

description: Indian state

text: Syriac Christians establish an early Christian community in Kerala, India.

title: AD 192

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Merchant Knai Thomman and 400 followers visit the Malabar Coast in Kerala (India), and assist the church there.

title: 345

section: Events › By place › India

section: Religion & Belief

date: October 10

text: October 10 – The Church of Koratty Muthy is established by Roman Catholic missionaries and local Christians on the Indian subcontinent at Koratty in the Venadu kingdom, now part of the Kerala state in India.

title: 1381

section: Events › October–December

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: July 27

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

title: 1404

section: Events › July–September

date: December 10

text: December 10 – The Ming Chinese expedition stops briefly at the Calicut Kingdom (now part of the Kerala state of India) and leaves on December 14 to sail westward across the Indian Ocean toward the island of Hormuz.

title: 1432

section: Conflict & Security

text: April 2 – The Kingdom of Cochin (ruled by a Portuguese-installed raja, Unni Ramman Koyil II in modern-day India's Kerala state) is invaded by 50,000 Nair troops of the Zamorin of Calicut.

title: 1503

date: August 15

text: August 15 – The Portuguese State of India is founded in what is now the state of Kerala, after the Kingdom of Portugal takes over territory of the Bijapur sultanate at Calicut.

title: 1505

date: July 14

text: July 14 – In what is now the state of Kerala in India, the Siege of Chaliyam begins as the Zamorin of Kozhikode, Mana Vikrama, sends troops to starve out the Portuguese Empire's Chale fortress. The Portuguese defender, Dom Jorge de Castro, is allowed to surrender the fort in November and the Portuguese are allowed to march out of the fort. De Castro is executed by the Portuguese Governor-General after returning to Portuguese controlled Goa.

title: 1571

date: December 24

text: December 24 – The Indian city of Quilon (now Kollam in the Kerala state), ruled by Portugal since 1498, is captured by the Dutch East India Company.

title: 1661

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

title: 1725

section: Events › January–March

text: Tipu Sultan invades Kerala, India, but is repulsed.

title: 1792

section: Events › Date unknown

date: November 1

text: November 1 – The States Reorganisation Act of India reforms the boundaries and names of Indian states. Three new states, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, are formed.

title: 1956

section: Events › November

date: April 5

text: April 5 – The Communist Party of India wins the elections in Kerala, making E. M. S. Namboodiripad its first chief minister.

title: 1957

section: Climate & Environment

date: August 10

text: August 10–20 – Heavy rainfall causes severe floods in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the worst flood to hit the state in a century.

title: 2018

section: Deaths

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: Disasters & Accidents

date: August 7

text: August 7 – Air India Express Flight 1344 crashes after overrunning the runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, India, killing 19 of the 191 people on board.

title: 2020


slug: khalid-ibn-al-walid

label: Khalid Ibn Al-Walid

section: Births

text: Khalid Ibn Al-Walid, general of the rashidun Caliphate (d. 642)

title: 585

text: Khalid ibn al-Walid, Arab general (approximate date)

title: 592

date: September

text: September – Battle of Buzakha: An Islamic column (6,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid defeats the Apostate rebels under Tulayha, near Ha'il (Saudi Arabia).

title: 632

section: Events › By place › Arabia

date: April

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

title: 633

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

title: 634

date: January

text: January – Battle of Fahl: The Rashidun army, (30,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid (known as the "Drawn Sword of God"), defeats the Byzantine forces led by Theodore Trithyrius, at Pella in the Jordan Valley (Jordan).

title: 635

text: August 15–20 – Battle of Yarmouk: In engagements along the Yarmouk River, Muslim forces (25,000 men) of the Rashidun Caliphate, led by Khalid ibn al-Walid, decisively defeat the armies of the Byzantine Empire, effectively completing the Muslim conquest of Syria. It will be regarded as one of the most decisive battles in military history, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquests, after the death of Muhammad.

title: 636

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

title: 637

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire

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

text: Khalid ibn al-Walid, Arab general (b. 592)

title: 642


slug: khan-title

label: Khan (title)

description: ruler in Mongol and Turkic cultures, variously describing kings, princes, and governors

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: A Turkish khan sends emissaries to the Byzantine Empire (approximate date).

title: 568

section: Events › By place › Asia

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

title: 634

text: Asparukh, ruler (khan) of the First Bulgarian Empire (d. 701)

title: 641

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

title: 701

section: Events › By place › Balkans

title: 735

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

title: 802

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Kardam, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire (or 803)

title: 802

text: Kardam, ruler (khan) of Bulgaria (or 802)

title: 803

date: May

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

title: 803

text: Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, conquers and destroys the Eastern part of the Avar Khaganate (approximate date).

title: 805

text: Spring – Siege of Serdica: Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, captures the fortress of Serdica (modern Sofia), after a long siege. According to Byzantine sources, he massacres the garrison (supposedly 6,000 men), sacks the city, and razes the city walls, before returning with much loot to Bulgaria. In the following years (and centuries), Serdica will serve as a base for the expansion of the Bulgars to the south of the Balkans.

title: 809

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

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

title: 811

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

title: 812

date: June 22

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

title: 813

date: April 13

text: April 13 – Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire

title: 814

text: April 13 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Over the winter Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, had assembled a huge army (including Slavs and Avars), for a campaign against the Byzantine Empire. But before he sets out for a major attack on Constantinople, he dies of a stroke. Krum is succeeded by his son Omurtag.

title: 814

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

title: 815

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

title: 827

text: Omurtag, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 17-year reign. He is succeeded by his youngest son Malamir, because his older brother Enravota favours Christianity.

title: 831

title: 831

text: Malamir, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 4-year reign and is succeeded by his nephew Presian I. Because of his young age and inexperience, the Bulgarian state affairs are dominated by his minister and commander-in-chief Isbul.

title: 836

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

title: 852

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

title: 852

text: King Charles the Bald bribes Boris I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, to form an alliance against his brother Louis the German, with Rastislav of Moravia.

title: 853

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

title: 854

text: The Christianization of Bulgaria begins: Boris I, Knyaz of the Bulgarian Empire, is converted to Orthodox Christianity. His family and high-ranking dignitaries accept the Orthodox faith at the capital, Pliska - from this point onwards the rulers of the Bulgarian Empire are known as ‘Tsars’ rather than ‘Khans’.

title: 864

text: Simeon I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire (or 864)

title: 865

date: April 16

text: April 16 – The city of Belgrade is first mentioned in a papal letter to Boris I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire.

title: 878

section: Culture & Society

text: Boris I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, establishes the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools.

title: 886

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

title: 889

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

title: 893

text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Stylianos Zaoutzes, leading minister and basileopator, convinces Emperor Leo VI (the Wise) to move the Bulgarian market from Constantinople to Thessaloniki. This affects the commercial importance of Bulgarian trade. Simeon I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, mobilizes his Bulgarian forces and invades Byzantine territory, ravaging the countryside.

title: 894

text: Simeon I (the Great), ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, seeks refuge in the fortress of Drastar, while the Magyars reach the outskirts of the capital Preslav. Facing a difficult situation with war on two fronts, Simeon calls for a truce. Leo VI sends the diplomat Leo Choirosphaktes to Bulgaria, to negotiate the terms.

title: 895

text: Emperor Sheng Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty leads an expeditionary force against the Zubu after they killed their own khan and begin to act in defiance of the Khitan.

title: 983

section: Events › By place › China

text: The Liao dynasty crushes the Zubu, a tribute state of the Khitan Empire, and takes their khan prisoner.

title: 1100

text: Chagatai Khan, second son of Genghis Khan, Khan of the Chagatai Khanate (d. 1241 or 1242)

title: 1183

text: Early – Battle of Khalakhaljid Sands: Temüjin, khan of the Mongol tribe and the future Genghis Khan, is comprehensively defeated by the forces of Toghrul, khan of the Kereit.

title: 1203

section: Events › By place › East Asia

text: A kurultai is called by Batu Khan in Siberia as part of maneuverings which will elect Möngke Khan as khan of the Mongol Empire in 1251.

title: 1250

text: Ilham Ghali khan of Kazan Khanate, (d. 1490)

title: 1449

date: December 2

text: December 2 – Muhammad Shaybani, Khan of Bukhara (b. 1451)

title: 1510

date: February 17

text: February 17 – Manchurian leader Qing Tai Zu, referred to in the west as "Nurhaci", declares himself khan and crowns himself as Emperor of China, founding the Later Jin dynasty.

title: 1616

section: Events › January–February


slug: khawarij

label: Khawarij

section: Religion & Belief

date: January 26

text: January 26 – Assassination of Ali: Ali ibn Abi Talib, first Shia imam and fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, is struck on the head with a poisoned sword by the Khawarij Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam, while at prayer at a shrine at Kufa (modern-day), dying two days later. His son, Hasan ibn Ali, is chosen by Muslims to succeed him as the next leader. According to the Umayyads, he is succeeded by Muawiyah I as Caliph, age 59, who moves his seat of government to Damascus, and founds the Umayyad Caliphate, ending the Rashidun Caliphate.

title: 661

section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire (Islamic Caliphate)

section: Conflict & Security

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

title: 697

title: 746

date: August

text: August or September – Battle of Kafartuta: Caliph Marwan II defeats and kills Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani, leader of the Kharijites, in Upper Mesopotamia. The rebels withdraw across the River Tigris, escaping destruction.

title: 746

section: Events › By place › Umayyad Caliphate

text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri, ruler of Ifriqiya (North Africa), dispatches a Muslim army and reconquers Tripolitania from the Ibadites (a puritanical Khaijite sect), driving their remnants south into the Nafusa Mountains (northwestern Libya).

title: 752

section: Events › By place › Africa

text: The city of Sijilmasa (modern Morocco) is founded by the Miknasa, a Zenata Berber tribe. They adopt Kharijism-Islam, and establish the Emirate of Sijilmasa in the northern Sahara. It becomes a wealthy trading center as the western end-point of the Trans-Saharan trade.

title: AD 757

text: The Kharijite Berbers of Tlemcen and Tiaret try to conquer Ifriqiya from the Abbasid Caliphate, but fail to capture the capital of Kairouan (modern Tunisia).

title: AD 767

text: Abu Yazid, Kharijite Berber leader (d. 947)

title: 873

text: Kharijite Rebellion: The Kharijite uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate in Jazira is ended. Caliph Al-Mu'tadid reunifies the entire province under central government, and installs his son and heir, Al-Muktafi, as governor.

title: 896

text: Abu Yazid, a Kharijite Berber leader, launches a rebellion in the Aurès Mountains (modern Algeria) against the Fatamids, seeking aid from the Caliphate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus.

title: 944

date: August 19

text: August 19 – Abu Yazid, a Kharijite Berber leader who has led a rebellion against the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya, is defeated in the Hodna Mountains (modern-day Algeria). Caliph al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah sets about restoring the Fatimid dominion over North Africa.

title: 947

text: The Kharijite Banu Ya'la tribe revolts against the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya and destroys the city of Oran (modern Algeria). They construct a new capital, Ifgan, near Mascara.

title: 955

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

title: 958


slug: khazars

label: Khazars

description: historical semi-nomadic Turkic ethnic group

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Tong Yabghu Qaghan becomes the new ruler (khagan) of the Western Turkic Khaganate, founding the Khazar Khaganate. He maintains close relations with the Tang dynasty, and possibly marries into the imperial family.

title: 618

text: Third Perso-Turkic War: The Göktürks and their Khazar allies (40,000 men) approach the Caspian Gates, and capture the Persian fortress at Derbent (modern Dagestan). Heraclius marches to the upper Tigris and invades the Persian heartland, leaving the Khazars under Tong Yabghu Qaghan to continue the siege of Tblilisi.

title: 627

text: Chorpan Tarkhan, general of the Khazars, invades and devastates Roman Armenia. He defeats a Persian cavalry force (10,000 men) sent by Shahrbaraz to repel the invasion.

title: 630

text: The Khazar Khaganate extends from the Dnieper to the Caspian Sea, and establishes the city, Itil, as its capital on the shore of the Caspian. Northward it extends to the headwaters of the Volga. Their rulers accept the Jewish religion, apparently to assert their independence from both Muslims and Christians (approximate date).

title: 650

text: Kotrag, ruler (khagan) of Great Bulgaria, leads the Khazars in overthrowing his brother Batbayan of the Onogurs, and moves south into the Carpathian Mountains.

title: 668

text: The Onogur Bulgars are scattered by the Khazars, who then establish a great Steppe empire, centered on the Lower Volga. The Onogurs depart to the Pannonian Plain.

title: 677

text: After spending nearly a decade with the Khazars (a Turkic tribe which controls a Steppe empire), the deposed emperor Justinian II flees from his exile at Cherson (Crimea). He escapes with help from Busir, ruler (khagan) of the Khazars, who marries him to his sister Theodora.

title: 704

text: The Byzantine outpost of Cherson (Crimea) rebels (with Khazar assistance) against Emperor Justinian II. He sends a fleet under the patrikios Stephen, which retakes the city and restores Byzantine control. The fleet, however, is struck by a storm on its way back and loses many ships, while the Chersonites, again with the aid of the Khazars, rebel anew.

title: 710

text: Philippicus incites the inhabitants of Cherson to revolt, with the help of the Khazars. Emperor Justinian II sallies forth from Constantinople to oppose the rebels in the Crimea. Philippicus defeats the Byzantine forces in northern Anatolia, and seizes the capital. He is proclaimed emperor and Justinian is executed, ending the house of Heraclius, that has ruled since 610.

title: AD 711

text: Summer – Emperor Leo III secures the Byzantine frontier, by inviting Slavic settlers into the depopulated districts of the Thracesian Theme (western Asia Minor). He undertakes a set of civil reforms, and reorganizes the theme structure in the Aegean region. Leo's 2-year-old son Constantine V is associated on the throne, and married to Tzitzak, daughter of the Khazar ruler (khagan) Bihar.

title: 720

date: February

text: February – Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah of the Umayyad Caliphate inflicts a crushing defeat on the Khazars of what is now Russia in a battle fought between the Cyrus and Araxes Rivers.

title: 724

section: Events › By date

text: Arab–Khazar War: The Khazars drive back the Muslim invasion, led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, into Mesopotamia. Reinforced with Syrian troops, Maslama counterattacks and takes Georgia, establishing the northern frontier on the Caucasus.

title: AD 727

date: December 9

text: December 9 – Battle of Marj Ardabil: The Khazars under Barjik invade the provinces of Jibal and Adharybaydjian. He defeats an Umayyad army (25,000 men) at Ardabil (Iran), killing al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah.

title: 730

section: Deaths

text: Barjik, prince of the Khazar Khaganate

title: 731

text: Second Arab–Khazar War: The Khazars led by Hazer Tarkhan are defeated by a Muslim force, sent by Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan near the Volga River, which destroy what remains of the Khazar forces. The Umayyad Caliphate now has full control of the Caucasus after completely destroying the Khazar Empire. After its destruction the Arab-Khazar wars are stopped, Muslim sources indicate the Khazar Khan paid tribute to Marwan and converted to Islam.

title: AD 737

text: The Khazars, a nation of the Black Sea steppe, though not ethnically Jewish, voluntarily convert to Judaism.

title: 740

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Turkic subjects like Uyghur, Karluk and Basmyl, who are not the members of the Ashina clan, stage a coup. This ends the Turkic Empire and Ashina clan (except in Khazaria).

title: 744

text: The Rus' Khaganate is created by people who are called Rus', after the 182-year dominance of the Khazars. This is the starting period of the rise of the Kievan Rus', and the later states of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine (approximate date).

title: 800

section: Events › Europe

text: Possible conversion of some Khazars to Judaism (approximate date).

title: 838

text: Byzantine missionaries Cyril and Methodius arrive in Khazaria.

title: 860

date: June 21

text: June 21 – A diplomatic delegation is sent from Baghdad to establish trade routes between the Abbasid Caliphate towards Bukhara (modern Uzbekistan). Ahmad ibn Fadlan, an Arab diplomat and traveller, makes contact with Almış, the İltäbär (vassal-king under the Khazars) of Volga Bulgaria, on behalf of Caliph al-Muqtadir.

title: 921

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

title: 963


slug: khitan-people

label: Khitan people

description: nomadic people originally from Mongolia and Manchuria

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The Khitan are first mentioned in Chinese chronicles. They wander along the boundaries of Kara-muren, and form part of the Donghu (Tong-hou) confederation.

title: 405

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: Summer – Xuan Zong makes his general Xue Ne de facto chancellor and commissions him, with a Chinese army (60,000 men), to attack the Khitans (Mongolia). Xue falls into a Khitan trap and the Tang forces are crushed, at an 80-90% casualty rate.

title: 714

date: December

text: December – Khitan military chief Ketuyu and khagan Yaonian Qulie are assassinated by their subordinate Li Guozhe, ending the Ketuyu rebellion.

title: 734

text: December – Ketuyu, Khitan military chief

title: 734

section: Births

date: October 19

text: October 19 – Yingtian, empress of the Khitan Liao Dynasty (d. 953)

title: 879

text: Han Yanhui, Chinese Khitan chancellor (d. 959)

title: 882

text: Abaoji is elected chieftain of the Yila tribe and becomes commander of all Khitan military forces.

title: 901

text: Abaoji, a Khitan tribal leader, leads 70,000 cavalry into Shanxi (Northern China) to create a 'brotherhood' with Li Keyong, a Shatuo governor (jiedushi) of the Tang Dynasty.

title: 905

date: February 27

text: February 27 – Abaoji, ruler (khagan) of the confederation of Khitans, proclaims himself emperor and establishes the Liao dynasty, killing most of the other Khitan chieftains. He occupies territories along China's northern border including parts of Hebei and Shanxi provinces.

title: 907

text: Yelü Lihu, prince of the Khitan Empire (d. 960)

title: AD 911

text: Abaoji, Khitan ruler and founder of the Liao Dynasty, adopts Chinese court formalities in which he declares himself emperor in the Chinese style and adopts an era name, Taizu of Liao. He names his eldest son Yelü Bei as heir apparent, a first in the history of the Khitan. Abaoji leads a campaign in the west, conquering much of the Mongolian Plains.

title: 916

text: Emperor Taizu of the Khitan Empire occupies a newly walled city called Shangjing (modern-day Inner Mongolia), meaning Supreme Capital. It becomes the residence of the Chinese Liao dynasty.

title: 918

text: Emperor Taizu of the Khitan Empire orders the adoption of a written script by the Khitan, resulting in the creation of Khitan "Large Script."

title: 920

date: May 15

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

title: 926

date: November 28

text: November 28 – Shi Jingtang is enthroned as the first emperor of the Later Jin by Tai Zong, ruler of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty, following a revolt against his rival, emperor Fei of Later Tang.

title: 936

date: January 11

text: January 11 – Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invades the Later Jin (Five Dynasties), resulting in the destruction of the Later Jin. Khitan forces head southwards to the Yellow River, but must return to their base in present-day Beijing in May after Tai Zong dies of an illness.

title: 947

text: Xiao Han, general of the Khitan Liao dynasty

title: 949

date: February 9

text: February 9 – The Northern Han Kingdom is founded by Liu Chong (called Shizu) in modern-day Shanxi who restores the diplomatic relations with the Khitans. Northern Han becomes a protectorate of the Liao dynasty.

title: 951

date: October 7

text: October 7 – Xiao, Chinese Khitan empress dowager

title: 951

text: Xiao Yanyan, Chinese Khitan empress (d. 1009)

title: 953

text: Han Yanhui, Chinese Khitan chancellor (b. 882)

title: 959

text: Yelü Lihu, prince of the Khitan Empire (b. 911)

title: 960

date: October 13

text: October 13 – Chinese Emperor Jingzong dies in camp during a hunting trip after a 13-year reign. He is succeeded by his 11-year-old son, Shengzong, as ruler of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty. His mother, Empress Dowager Xiao Yanyan becomes the regent.

title: 982

text: Emperor Sheng Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty leads an expeditionary force against the Zubu after they killed their own khan and begin to act in defiance of the Khitan.

title: 983

text: Goryeo-Khitan War: Negotiations led by the Korean diplomat Sŏ Hŭi prevents a fullscale invasion of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty. King Seongjong accepts Liao's demands – and agrees to end the alliance with the Chinese Song Dynasty. Goryeo becomes a Liao tributary state, the Khitan army (60,000 men) withdraws while Seongjong orders the Korean border defenses strengthened.

title: 995

section: Events › Asia

text: Emperor Sheng Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty leads an expedition into Mongolia and subdues the Zubu tribe who are forced to pay an annual tribute.

title: 1003

text: Xiao Yanyan, Chinese Khitan empress (b. 953)

title: 1009

date: March 10

text: March 10 – Battle of Gwiju: Korean forces, led by General Kang Kam-ch'an, gain a decisive victory over the Khitan Liao Dynasty at modern-day Kusong, ending the Third Goryeo-Khitan War.

title: 1019

text: In his campaigns in Liaodong, the Mongol general Muqali (or Mukhali) forms a newly Khitan-Chinese army and a special corps of some 12,000 Chinese auxiliary troops.

title: 1214


slug: khmer-empire

label: Khmer Empire

description: 802–1431 empire in Southeast Asia

text: Jayavarman II, founder of the Khmer Empire (d. 835)

title: 770

text: Prince Jayavarman declares the Khmer Empire (modern-day Cambodia) independent, and establishes the kingdom of Angkor. He is reconsecrated as a world ruler (chakravartin), or god-king (devaraja), under Hindu rites.

title: 802

text: Jayavarman III, king of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia)

title: 877

text: King Jayavarman III dies after a 42-year reign. He is succeeded by his cousin Indravarman I, as ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 877

text: Bakong, the first temple mountain of sandstone, is constructed by rulers of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia) at Angkor.

title: 881

text: Indravarman I, king of the Khmer Empire (or 890)

title: 889

text: Indravarman I, ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia), dies and is succeeded by his son Yasovarman I, called the Leper King (or 890).

title: 889

text: King Yasovarman I (called the Leper King) of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia) dedicates the Lolei Temple of the Roluos group to the god Shiva and the royal family.

title: 893

text: Yasovarman I, ruler of the Angkor Empire

title: 910

text: Ishanavarman II, king of the Khmer Empire

title: 928

text: Ishanavarman II dies after a 5-year reign and is succeeded by his uncle Jayavarman IV as king of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia). He moves the capital north from Angkor to Koh Ker.

title: 928

text: Rajendravarman II, ruler of the Khmer Empire

title: 968

text: Khmer King Jayavarman V is succeeded by Udayadityavarman I, and/or Suryavarman I.

title: 1001

text: Jayavarman V, emperor of the Khmer Empire

title: 1001

text: Suryavarman I, king of the Khmer Empire

title: 1050

section: Culture & Society

text: King Suryavarman II begins his reign as ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 1113

text: Jayavarman VII, Cambodian ruler of the Khmer Empire (d. 1218))

title: 1122

text: Suryavarman II, ruler of the Khmer Empire

title: 1150

text: Jayavarman VII defeats the Chams and assumes control over the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 1181

section: Events › Europe › Asia

text: King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire sacks the capital of Champa (approximate date).

title: 1191

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire rebuilds the city of Angkor Thom, including the Temple of Bayon.

title: 1218

text: Indravarman II, Cambodian ruler of the Khmer Empire

title: 1243

text: Mongol forces invade the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia). King Jayavarman VIII decides to pay tribute rather than fight the invasion, buying peace and preserving the empire.

title: 1283

text: King Jayavarman VIII is overthrown after a 52-year reign. He is succeeded by his son-in-law Indravarman III as ruler of the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

title: 1295

text: The Ayutthaya Kingdom besieges Angkor and sacks the Khmer capital, ending the Khmer Empire.

title: 1431

section: Events › Date unknown


slug: khmer-rouge

label: Khmer Rouge

description: followers of the Communist Party, Maoists of Kampuchea in Cambodia (until 1998)

date: March 11

text: March 11 – The first phase of the Cambodian Civil War begins between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge.

title: 1967

section: Events › March

date: October 9

text: October 9 – The Khmer Republic is proclaimed in Cambodia, escalating the Cambodian Civil War between the government and the Khmer Rouge.

title: 1970

section: Events › October

date: November 10

text: November 10 – Cambodian Civil War: In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge forces attack Phnom Penh and its airport, killing 44, wounding at least 30 and damaging 9 airplanes.

title: 1971

section: Events › November

date: April 17

text: April 17 – The Khmer Republic surrenders, when the Communist Khmer Rouge guerilla forces capture Phnom Penh ending the Cambodian Civil War, with mass evacuation of American troops and Cambodian civilians.

title: 1975

section: Events › April

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: April 18

text: April 18 – The Khmer Rouge begins a forcible mass evacuation of the city and starts the Cambodian genocide.

title: 1975

text: April 18– 30 – The Khmer Rouge massacres 3,157 civilians in Ba Chúc, Vietnam.

title: 1978

date: December 25

text: December 25 – Vietnam launches a major offensive against the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia.

title: 1978

section: Events › December

date: October 23

text: October 23 – In Paris, the Vietnam-backed government of the state of Cambodia signs an agreement with the Khmer Rouge to end the civil war and bring the Khmer Rouge into power despite its role in the Cambodian genocide. The deal ends the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and results in the creation of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia.

title: 1991

section: Crime & Justice

date: June 10

text: June 10 – Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief, Son Sen, and 11 of Sen's family members, before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold.

title: 1997

section: Events › June

date: August 7

text: August 7 – Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are found guilty of crimes against humanity and are sentenced to life imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

title: 2014

section: Events › August


slug: khosrau-i

label: Khosrau I

section: Deaths

text: King Kavad I, age 82, dies after a 43-year reign. Khosrau I, his favourite son, is proclaimed successor over his elder brothers.

title: 531

section: Events › By place › Persia

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: September

text: September – Justinian I signs a peace treaty, the "Eternal Peace", with the Persian king Khosrau I, ending the Iberian War (527-531). Both sides agree to return all occupied territories, and Justinian makes a one-off payment of 110 centenaria (11,000 pounds of gold), as a contribution to the defense of the Caucasus passes.

title: 532

section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire

section: Conflict & Security

text: King Khosrow I breaks the "Eternal Peace" treaty with the Byzantine Empire after eight years. Responding to an embassy from the Ostrogoths urging action against Emperor Justinian I's expanding power, he leads the Persian army up the River Euphrates. Extracting tributes from towns along the way, Khosrau I besieges and captures Antioch. He plunders the city extensively, transporting valuable artworks, including marble statues and mosaics, back to Persia.

title: 540

text: Lazic War: King Khosrau I intervenes in Lazica (modern Georgia), and supports the weakened king Gubazes II against a full-scale uprising. He sends an expeditionary force under Mermeroes and captures the Byzantine stronghold of Petra, located on the coast of the Black Sea, which provides the Persians a strategic port.

title: 541

text: King Khosrau I unsuccessfully attacks the Byzantine fortress city of Dara. The siege of Edessa is repulsed, and the Persians are forced into a stalemate.

title: 544

section: Events › By place › The Mediterranean World, Europe, and the Middle East

text: King Khosrau I signs a five year truce with the Byzantine Empire, but war continues to ravage the Caucasus region, especially in Armenia.

title: 545

text: King Khosrau I opens negotiations with Justinian I, leading to the establishment of a 50 year peace agreement in 562.

title: 556

text: End of the Lazic War: In the Fifty-Year Peace Treaty, King Khosrau I recognises Lazica as a Byzantine vassal state for an annual payment of 5,000 pounds of gold each year.

title: 562

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

title: 572

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War: Persian forces under the command of King Khosrau I capture the Byzantine stronghold of Dara, after a six-month siege. Meanwhile, a smaller Persian army under Adarmahan advances from Babylon through the desert, crosses the Euphrates River and ravages Syria. The cities of Apamea and Antiochia are plundered.

title: 573

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War: A Persian army under King Khosrau I breaks through the Caucasus into Anatolia (modern Turkey). They attack the cities of Theodosiopolis and Caesarea, but are thwarted. Khosrau is forced to retreat and sacks Sebasteia. On the way home, he is intercepted by a Byzantine force under Justinian (magister militum of the East), and severely defeated near Melitene. The royal baggage is captured, and many Persians drown, while escaping across the Euphrates.

title: 576

text: Byzantine-Sassanid War: King Khosrau I seeks peace, but dies before an agreement can be reached. The Mesopotamian front becomes stalemated, and Maurice (magister militum of the East) fortifies the borders in Armenia and Syria.

title: 579

text: Khosrau I, king of the Persian Empire

title: 579


slug: khosrau-ii

label: Khosrau II

text: Comentiolus, commander (magister militum) of the eastern army, receives the legitimate Persian king, Khosrau II, as a refugee in his headquarters at Hierapolis.

title: 590

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

title: 591

text: The Persian usurper Hormizd V (who rises temporarily to power) is defeated by King Khosrau II.

title: 593

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: King Khosrau II sends a Persian expedition to South Arabia and conquers Yemen. He establishes a military base to control the sea trade with the East (approximate date).

title: 599

text: Byzantine–Persian War: King Khosrau II launches an offensive against Constantinople, to avenge Maurice's death, his "friend and father", and tries to reconquer Byzantine territory. Narses, governor of Upper Mesopotamia, rebels against Phocas at the city of Edessa and requests aid from the Persians. Khosrau sends an expeditionary force to Armenia and crosses the Euphrates.

title: 602

text: Byzantine–Persian War: King Khosrau II captures the Byzantine positions east of the Euphrates; the Persians destroy many cities in the Levant region, after prolonged sieges such as the Byzantine fortress of Dara (modern Turkey).

title: 604

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

title: 605

text: Byzantine–Persian War: King Khosrau II invades Armenia, and raids deep into Anatolia through the Byzantine provinces of Cappadocia, Phrygia, Galatia, and Bithynia.

title: 608

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

title: 611

section: Events › By place › Persian Empire

text: Byzantine–Sassanid War: King Khosrau II captures Ancyra, an important Byzantine military base in central Anatolia. After the conquest of Egypt and Palestine, he restores the Persian Empire as it existed in 490 BC under Darius I.

title: 620

text: King Pulakeshin II of Chalukya receives Persian envoys, who are sent by King Khosrau II at Badami (southern India).

title: 625

section: Events › By place › Asia

text: Summer – King Khosrau II plans an all-out effort against Constantinople. He returns to Anatolia with two armies of unknown size, presumably more than 50,000 men each. One of these (possibly commanded by Khosrau himself) is to contain Heraclius in Pontus; another under Shahin Vahmanzadegan is defeated by Theodore.

title: 626

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

title: 627

date: February 25

text: February 25 – Khosrau II, the last great king of the Sasanian Empire, is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.

title: 628

date: February 28

text: February 28 – Khosrau II, king of the Persian Empire

title: 628

text: Azarmidokht (daughter of king Khosrau II) succeeds her sister Borandukht, as monarch of the Persian Empire.

title: 631