1290   King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England; this was Tisha B’Av on the Hebrew calendar, a day that commemorates many Jewish calamities. 1334    The bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed… Continue reading →

180     Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world. 924     Edward the Elder (died), English king (born 877) 1429    Hundred Years’ War: Charles VII of France is crowned the King of France in the Reims Cathedral after a… Continue reading →

622     The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1194    Clare of Assisi (born), Italian saint (died 1253) 1216    Pope Innocent III (died) (born 1160) 1377    Coronation of Richard II of England. 1546    Anne Askew (died), English poet (born 1520) 1557    Anne of Cleves (died) (born 1515) 1611     Cecilia Renata of Austria (born) (died 1644) 1661    Pierre… Continue reading →

1099   First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege. 1149    The reconstructed Church of the Holy Sepulchre is consecrated in Jerusalem. 1291    Rudolph I of Germany (died) (born 1218) 1353    Vladimir the Bold (born), Russian prince (died 1410) 1381    John Ball, a… Continue reading →

1575    Richard Taverner (died), English translator (born 1505) 1610    Ferdinando II de’ Medici (born), Grand Duke of Tuscany (died 1670) 1671    Jacques d’Allonville (born), French astronomer and mathematician (died 1732) 1696    William Oldys (born), English historian and author (died 1761) 1769    An expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà establishes a base in California and sets… Continue reading →