Friday, March 21, 2025
Today: 537 – The siege of Rome by the Ostrogoths, led by King Vitiges, begins against the Byzantine forces commanded by Belisarius. 1556 – Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, a key figure in the English Reformation, is burned at the stake for heresy under Queen Mary I of England. 1788 – A fire destroys much of New […]
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Today: 235 – Maximinus Thrax is proclaimed Roman Emperor after the assassination of Emperor Alexander Severus. This marks the beginning of the Crisis of the Third Century. 1602 – The Dutch East India Company (VOC) is established. It becomes one of the most powerful and influential trading companies in history. 1760 – The Great Fire […]
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Today: 1279 – The Mongol Yuan dynasty, led by Kublai Khan, defeats the Song dynasty at the Battle of Yamen, marking the end of the Song dynasty in China. 1563 – The Edict of Amboise is signed in France, granting limited toleration to Huguenots and temporarily ending the first phase of the French Wars of […]
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Today: 37 – The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius’ will and proclaims Caligula as emperor. 1229 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, enters Jerusalem and claims the title of King of Jerusalem during the Sixth Crusade. 1314 – Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake in Paris […]
Monday, March 17, 2025
Today: 180 – Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius dies, leaving his son Commodus as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. 432 – According to tradition, Saint Patrick arrives in Ireland as a missionary, marking the origins of Saint Patrick’s Day. 1337 – Edward, the Black Prince, son of King Edward III of England, is born. […]
Sunday, March 16, 2025
Today: 1190 – The massacre of Jews at Clifford’s Tower in York, England, took place as anti-Semitic violence spread across England. 1244 – The Montségur fortress, a stronghold of the Cathars, surrendered to the French Crusaders, leading to the mass execution of around 200 Cathars who refused to renounce their faith. 1802 – The United […]
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Today: 44 BC – Julius Caesar is assassinated by a group of Roman senators, including Brutus and Cassius, on the Ides of March in Rome. 221 – Liu Bei, a warlord in China, declares himself Emperor of Shu Han, marking the start of the Three Kingdoms period. 1493 – Christopher Columbus returns to Spain from […]
Friday, March 14, 2025
Today: 1489 – The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice, ending the independent rule of Cyprus. 1590 – Battle of Ivry: King Henry IV of France defeats the Catholic League during the French Wars of Religion. 1647 – Thirty Years’ War: The Peace of Ulm is signed between Sweden and Bavaria, […]
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Today: 624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle in Islamic history, takes place between the Prophet Muhammad’s followers and the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. 1639 – Harvard College is named for John Harvard, a clergyman who bequeathed his library and half his estate to the institution. 1781 – English astronomer William Herschel […]
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Today: 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ends his siege of Rome, retreating from the Byzantine army led by Belisarius. 1622 – Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Jesuits, are canonized as saints by Pope Gregory XV. 1664 – New Jersey is founded as a British colony when King Charles II […]