The Second millenium

[Vince]

1309

Pope Clement V officially moves the seat of the Catholic Church to Avignon, France, beginning the "Babylonian Captivity." The King of France is now the real head of the Catholic Church.

Rhodes surrenders to Christian Knights, who turn it into an independent nation that survives for two centuries. Although just off the coast of Turkey, Rhodes is part of Greece today.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1310.

Dante publishes “The Divine Comedy.” By far the most famous of the three parts is “The Inferno,” where Dante describes Hell as being cone-shaped (wide at the top) and getting steadily narrower as each level gets more evil. He freely names Popes and other high-ranking officials as being in Hell.

Located on Africa's Atlantic coast, Mali launches a large exploration fleet to explore the Atlantic Ocean. One ship returns, and the rest are never heard from again. The most likely explanation is that they ran out of water before they reached the Americas, where there is no evidence of their arrival.

France burns 54 Knights Templar at the stake on false charges of heresy.

Oxford University builds the first known student dormitory.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1311!

In England, Lincoln Cathedral becomes the tallest building in the world, holding the #1 spot for the next 238 years.

Walter V was the ruler of Athens, and he hired the Catalan Company to defend his tiny kingdom against neighboring Greek States and the Byzantine Empire. They succeed, so he fires them without pay. They attack and win a devastating victory. About 700 French knights are killed, effectively ending the Age of Chivalry in France. Aragon, a Spanish Catholic kingdom, is handed control of Athens

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1312!

Henry VII is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. He reduces the civil wars going on in Italy and revitalizes the Empire, but dies next year, and everything he accomplished comes undone. For those with short memories, Germany and Italy are both parts of the HRE, but different áreas have different kings who have their own armed forces. Various Italian cities are at war with each other over trading rights.

There are contradictory accounts of how it happened, but Hungary defeats a rebel army with heavy losses on both sides. The victory gives Hungary's King control of northeastern Hungary and makes it imposible for his rivals to launch any major offenses.

Portugal rediscovers the Canary Islands off the northwestern African coast. They eventually establish the first European colonial government, and it is from here that the African slave trade becomes a major factor. The islands are part of Spain today.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1313!

Wang Zen is an innovative Chinese scientist who improved (but did not invent) wooden maovable type. This year he publishes a book on the science of agriculture that is historically interesting in addition to helping Chinese farmers. At this time, China is part of the Mongolian Empire.

Pressured by the Habsburg Family, Austria is trying to expand into other parts of the Holy Roman Empire. This year they are defeated by Bavaria and lose part of their seized territory.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1314!

Tran Minh Tong begins his fourteen year reign as Emperor of Vietnam. After abdicating to his ten year old son, he continues to rule for another 29 years. Honest but incompetent, he appointed competent assistants who ruled well. But after handing the throne to his son, he seemed unable to recognize competence, and a series of inept generals and rulers led to a national decline.

Hopelessly outnumbered but not outclassed, the Scots win a smashing victory over England at the Battle of Bannockburn. Under the personal command of England's incompetent Edward II, a force of about 3,000 cavalry and 16,000 footmen advanced on a Scottish army less than half its size. The Scots had dug pits on the sides of the road, forcing the English to bunch together on ground that could not support heavy cavalry. Fearing that the Scots would merely retreat, Edward II diverted part of his cavalry to cut them off, not realizing that the Scots had picked an excellent spot for the battle and had no intention of fleeing. The battle began when an over-eager English knight charged at Scotland's King Robert the Bruce, who killed the knight with his axe. Poor organization led to English advances that were unsupported by the rest of their army, and in a two-day-long battle, Scotland killed at least 11,000 English while only taking light losses. For the time being, Scotland was again independent.

Louis the Bavarian begins his nineteen year reign over the Holy Roman Empire. His reign is marked by such serious conflicts with the Popes that he one time deposed a Pope and replaced him.

 

[Vince]

1315 is here! That's MCCCXV, you know.

Starting with heavy rain in the spring, Europe enters “The Great Famine.” It takes two years for the rainfall to get back to normal, and another five years for Europe to recover. Hay cannot be dried, salt cannot be obtained by evaporating sea water (salt preserves meat), and emergency food supplies are confiscated by the nobility. Desperate for food, France invades Flanders but has to retreat when their armies get bogged down in the mud and floods.

Edward the Bruce, brother of the King of Scotland, invades Ireland with 6,000 men. His goal is to creat a second front against the English. He eventually wins, is declared High King of Ireland, and is then defeated and killed.

At the Battle of Morgarten, 1,500 Swiss soldiers defeat an invading Austrian army. At the time, Austria was part of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Habsburg family sent the invaders. The HRE had two rival kings, and the Habsburgs, who wanted to annex Switzerland to use as a trade route to Italy, used Switzerland's support for the rival king as their excuse to invade.

Would you believe it? Cairo, Egypt becomes the largest city in the world.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1316.

John XXII begins his eighteen year reign as Pope. Like his predecessor, he ruled from Avignon, France, where he was a tool of the French king. A competent administrator, he re-organized many Church organizations, but his strong interference in European politics gained a lot of hostility. Frustrated at the Pope, the Holy Roman Empire invaded Rome and set up a rival Pope, but he didn't last long. Living in luxury, he bitterly opposed teaching that Chirst and the Apostles lived in poverty, even condemning the Franciscans for teaching that their poverty was a virtue.

"Good Khan" begins his successful four year reign over China (part of the Mongolian Empire). He restores governmental respect for Chinese culture, restores civil service exams for government officials, forces Mongol rulers to learn and respect Chinese culture, ruthlessly executes his opponents, reforms the currency, and keeps thing peaceful.

Last year, Edward the Bruce had invaded Ireland. This year, Edward and his Irish allies suffer a devastating defeat from England and her Irish allies. But the two armies totalled out to less than two thousand men, so Edward is able to make a comeback.

With the Great Famine at its height, inflation in England hits 100%.

 

[Vince]

1317 is a REALLY slow year.

King Birger of Sweden isn't too bright. Still upset at his brothers for having imprisioned him years ago, he invites them to a banquet and throws them into a dungeon to starve to death. This provoques a civil war, and the next year, Birger is overthrown.

European weather patterns return to normal, but it will take another five years to recover from the Great Famine.

 

[Vince]

1318

Edward the Bruce, brother of the King of Scotland, is killed in battle while trying to hold on to his Irish conquests.

Living in luxury, Pope John XXII condemns the Franciscan monks for teaching the value of poverty.

Still recovering from the Great Famine, Europe is struck by massive cattle and sheep diseases.

Daigo II begins his fourteen year reign as undisputed Emperor of Japan, followed by another five years with a rival Emperor. Daigo was determined to be the absolute ruler, and he constructed various unsuccessful plots to overthrow ruling families. Forced to flee from a rival Emperor, he was imprisioned but escaped, and continued to bring civil war across Japan. Defeated by his opponents, he set up a rival court in Southern Japan and reigned from there until his death.

 

[Vince]

1319 has got to be an improvement over last year.

Three year old Magnus Eriksson becomes King of both Norway and Sweden, uniting the two countries. His territory includes all of Finland, Iceland, and Greenland. When he was fifteen, he assumed power from the regents, and after a few minor civil wars he actually bought eastern Denmark and added it to his realm. He invaded Russia a few times, always winning but always having to withdraw due to problems at home. Towards the end of his reign, Denmark successfully seized some of Sweden's territory. Despite his many successes, he is reagarded as a weak king who benefitted from the greater weakness of his neighbors. Overall, he reigned for fifty-five years.

At the Battle of Chios, a small Catholic navy scores a total defeat over a small Turkish navy. But since no one had a powerful Navy at the time, it was a major victory that delayed Turkish expansión.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1320.

Don't make fun of Wladisaw the Elbow-High. With Poland fragmented into five areas, he had inherited one and eventually conquered the other four, re-unifying Poland and being crowned King this year. For the next thirteen years he will administer justice, make Jews equal to Christians under the law, and keep beating German invaders. Alas, his sons inherited parts of the kingdom after his death and the nation disintegrated again.

The French were still holding on to a few castles in Greece. This year, Byzantium manages to seize all of them.

Without authority from the Catholic Church, the Shepherd's Crusade leaves northern France to fight the Moslems in Spain. Massacring Jews everywhere they can, they are defeated by Spanish Catholics and their leaders executed.

An epidemic in England kills large numbers of horses.

 

[Vince]

1321 is a very quiet year.

Lithuania defeats Russia at the Battle of Irpen River. Now, this is a tough one. A lot of historians doubt that this battle ever took place. The Lithuanians won and captured Kiev. Yet, important names do not appear in any other records, and it appears that Kiev still paid tribute to the Mongols. It also appears that Lithuania accepted Kiev's submission and then withdrew. Different sources give widely different accounts of what happened. Today, most historians agree that the battle did take place, but it didn't accomplish much.

One source Reports that at Chincon, France, 160 Jews are burned at the stake. However, Chincon is in Spain, and I can find no other references to this event.

Levi ben Gerson publishes a series of mathematical formulas for making predictions based on random samples.

 

[Vince]

1322

It's a busy year for England's King Edward II. Having gotten the daylights beaten out of him by the Scots, he manages to defeat English rebels in two battles. So then he invades Scotland and gets beaten again.

And it's a rough year for the Habsburg Family. There is a disputed election for Holy Roman Emperor, so the Habsburgs invade Bavaria and get badly beaten. The election is still not settled, but the Habsburg leader is captured and imprisioned.

Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England, was built on the site of various monasteries and small churches. This year, the central tower, built by the Normans, falls over. The English replace it with a new tower that still stands today.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1323!

“Nine Iron Khan,” a Mongolian, begins his five year reign over China. He takes the throne through assassination and intrigue, after failing to become ruler of the entire Mongol Empire. With the support of the Chinese people, he quickly executes his rivals, but refuses to execute officials whom he does not regard as a threat. He tries hard to gain support, but ensures that Mongols and Moslems hold most of the key positions in a land where Confucianism is the dominant religion. He attempted to bring justice to the poor, but he had inherited a government too corrupt to reform in his lifetime. He practiced freedom of religion and generally ran a successful empire.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria had already toppled, but this year an earthquake destroys what little still stands.

Thomas Aquinas is declared a Catholic saint.

 

[Vince]

1324 just roared in!

Emperor Musa, the Lion of Mali, is the ruler of the mighty Mali Empire on Africa's northwestern coast. A devout Moslem, he makes a pilgrimage to Mecca this year, accompanied by 60,000 men. He gives gold to the poor on the journey, and his fame spreads through central, northern, and eastern Africa, as well as the Arabian world. He returned home to learn that his generals had captured a lot of territory while he was away.

Marco Polo dies. Twenty-five years after being released from prison, he is a wealthy merchant who had financed various expeditions. On his deathbed, he forgives a large number of debts and donates much of his money to religious and charitable organizations.

 

[Vince]

1325 is a little late due to technical difficulties, but it's here now. And it is a year with a lot of emotion attached.

In the southern part of North America, the Nahua Indians (pronounced "Nah wah") migrated south. They kept encountering other Indians who had gotten there before them, and they were made unwelcome and sometimes even were attacked. A small, heavily outnumbered group of nomads whom nobody wanted, they came to a large lake with an island big enough to hold all of them. On July 18, 1325, a small party of scouts went to the island and began exploring, when they heard one of the scouts shouting over and over "My people, come here! My people come here!" which is only one word in the Nahua language.

Rushing to the man, they saw that a large golden falcon had caught a rattlesnake. Holding the rattlesnake with one claw, and perched on a cactus with the other, the falcon ignored the Indians as he fought to the death with the rattlesnake. The falcon won and flew off with his prize. And of course, the Nahua realized that they had found a home. They named their new nation "My People Come Here," which is only one word in their language:








"Mexico"

http://flagpedia.net/data/flags/ultra/mx.png

 

[Vince]

Yesterday, we discussed the men, the myth, and the legend of how the oldest existing nation in the Americas was born. Today we'll discuss the history and the archaeology. As a group, the Indians in northern Mexico were called the Chichimesa when they began migrating south. The Nahua were one of the last ones to leave. They actually roamed for centuries. Central Mexico had been divided into city-states, and in a land cursed by a lack of water, a new tribe was not welcome. The Nahau were sometimes attacked and were conquered for a while before escaping.

When they founded Mexico, they simultaneously founded a city, a state, and a nation. Today the island and the lake are gone, but Mexico City is one of the world's great cities with a population of 9 million. They also founded the State of Mexico, because as the Nahau expanded, they absorbed and were absorbed by neighboring tribes.

According to the Mexican Public School System, Mexico voluntarily united with other city-states to form the Aztec Empire. Other historians regard the founding of Mexico as the beginning of the Aztec Empire, and that the Mexican nation was actually founded by the Spanish on the remnants of the Aztecs.

And one more item. Two of our orphans here at La Ola are Nahua. We love them, and they're welcome here.

 

[Vince]

We're still in 1325.

There is disagreement among historians as to whether the founding of Mexico is the beginning of the Aztec Empire, or if the Mexican Indians later voluntarily united with other small states to form the Aztec Empire. At any rate, from
1325–1521: The Aztec Empire thrives, based in Tenochtitlan, central Mexico. Their arts are characterized by monumental stone architecture, turquoise mosaics, stone carving, ceramics, cotton textiles, and Aztec codices
And what, pray tell, is an Aztec codice? It's a comic book, without words, that teaches about history or current events. About 500 Aztec codices, or copies of them, survive, and thus we know much about their culture. In 1521, the Aztec capital fell to the Spanish, and the Empire was destroyed.

 

[Vince]

It's still 1325, but we've moved from Mexico to the United States.
In an event that has no connection with Mexico, the Crow Creek Massacre occurs in the northwestern United States. A group of Indians had a settlement with 55 lodges, and for some reason had feared an attack. They had built a moat around their settlement, but when it fell into disrepair, they began strengthening it. At his point, other Indians annihilated them, killing about 500 and mutiliating the corpses. It appears that everyone was suffering from malnutrition, and the massacre was done to obtain the settlement's farmland.

Alfonso the Brave begins his thirty-two year reign as King of Portugal. His reign was marked by peace and the expansión of the Portuguese navy and merchant fleet. But Alfonso was heavily invovled in marital intrigues as he and the Kingdom of Castile constantly plotted to seize each other's thrones through royal marriages.