The Second millenium

[Vince]

And now it is 1275.

China has a total eclipse, and they also suffer a massive defeat by the Mongolians. And Marco Polo reaches Beijing. And while you've heard of Marco Polo, have you ever heard of Rabban Bar Sauma? Of Turkish-Mongolian ancestry, this Nestorian Christian (he believed that Jesús had only one Nature) sets out with a student from Mongolia to Jerusalem. They get stuck in Baghdad, and he is later sent as an ambassador to Europe, where he meets many monarchs as well as the Pope. His attempts to form a Frankish-Mongol alliance fail, but when he retires, he writes about his travels. His brilliant insights into Medieval European life, as seen by an Oriental, are of value to historians.

The English Parliament passes a series of laws requiring a fair trial for everyone, regardless of their wealth.

 

[Vince]

1276 is the “Year of Four Popes.”

In January, Pope Gregory X dies, and Pope Innocent V is quickly elected, but he dies six months later. A noted scholar, he was working on a plan to re-unite with the Orthodox Church when he died.

Adrian V, a layman who is a successful lawyer and diplomat, is quickly elected, but he dies in six weeks. The oldest legal statute document in England lists his name. In his book “The Divine Comedy,” Dante meets him in Purgatory, where he is condemned for his greed, referring to his acceptance of major (well-paying) Church offices while a layman.

John XXI, the only physician ever to become Pope, is quickly elected. He dies eight months later, but at least he survived the year. It is possible that he is “Peter of Spain,” a brilliant philosopher, university professor, and logician. He orders a private apartment built for him to study in, and he is killed when it collapses on him.

A major 23 year drought begins in the Grand Canyon area of the southwestern United States. As is their custom, the Pueblo Indians migrate out of the area, although they stay in the southwest United States. Archaeologists have shown that many large Pueblo settlements were lived in for less than thirty years.

China's tottering government appoints a new Emperor as the Mongolians continue to close in.

Oxford University in England already had a library, but it is mentioned for the first time this year. It is the oldest continually-operated library in the world.

 

[Vince]

1277

Six months after Pope John XXI is killed when his apartment collapses on him, the family of Nicolas III gets him elected. For three years he strengthens the Papacy, winning concessions from European leaders and Roman politicians, even forbidding foreigners to hold office in Rome. He sends Franciscan Missionaries to China and actually gets the Orthodox Church to ask his approval of certain rites during their church services. Despite his financial honesty and personal morality, he appoints family members to high Church offices, leading to corruption in the Papacy that will continue after his death. In “The Inferno,” Dante portrays him as a major villain in Hell.

China invents the land mine, using it against Mongol invaders.

Burma begins to collapse after a major defeat by the Mongolians. But Syrian Moslems invade a Mongolian kingdom in western Turkey, defeating the Moslems and annexing their kingdom.

 

[Vince]

1278

Trần Nhân Tông begins his fifteen year reign as King of Vietnam. He defeats the Mongolian invaders twice, and then they leave Vietnam alone.

China's new Emperor dies and is succeeded by his brother. Meanwhile, the Mongolians are closing in on the Emperor's Court, and the Chinese government is running out of places to flee.

It's the biggest knightly battle in history, as over 80,000 men (not all of them knights) take to the field in central Europe. Most of the battle consisted of a frontal smash by mounted knights. As the heat wore the survivors out, heavy cavalry (who were not knights) slaughtered the survivors. The Holy Roman Empire wins, and the Habsburg Family will rule central Eurpoe until after World War 1. Austria and Hungary were on the wining side, and centuries later will form the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a result of the political changes the battle brings to central Europe.

 

[Vince]

By George, it's 1279.

In Asia, the unthinkable happens. Kublai Khan conquers all of China and adds it to the Mongol Empire. But despite this huge territorial gain, the Mongolian Empire has fragmented and is smaller than it used to be.

Denis the Farmer King begins his 46 year reign as King of Portugal. Fighting only two small wars with Castile, he strengthens the government by passing laws protecting the poor. He personally travels throughout Portugal, choosing sites for castles, establishing towns and educational institutions, and resolving injustices. He establishes mines, signs Portugal's first commercial treaties, and establishes the Portuguese Navy. Wanting to stop the expansion of sand into agricultural land, he plants a pine forest that still exists.

Thailand enters a Golden Age that will eventually lead to the modern nation.

For sixteen centuries the Chola Empire had rules much of Southern India. Attacked by two neighboring States, it collapses this year.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1280!

A massive flood forms the Lauwers Sea in the Netherlands. The flood re-arranged the courses of some rivers and permanently inundated a large part of the Netherlands. A careful construction of dikes and dams over the centuries has reduced the size of the sea and turned it into a fresh water lake.

Pacific islanders discover New Zealand. They bring back reports of the uninhabited land, and small groups of settlers head there.

The Disaster of Moclin occurs when two Spanish Catholic kingdoms invade the Spanish Moslem kingdom of Grenada. The Moslems lure the Catholics into an ambush, killing about 2,800 of them. The Catholic leader manages to re-organize the survivors and fight their way out.

Syrian Moslems rebel unsuccessfuly against their Egyptian Moslem rulers.

 

[Vince]

1281

Martin IV begins his four year reign as Pope. He was unanimously elected after Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily, arrested two cardinals who opposed him. Almost completely under Charles' control, the new Pope appoints Charles as a Roman senator, endorses Charles' demands that the Crusader kingdoms break their pledges of loyalty to the Byzantine Emperor, and destroys the small amounts of re-union that had been made with the Orthodox Church. When Charles is overthrown by his brutalized subjects, Martin uses excommunications in a vain attempt to keep Charles' family in command of Sicily, but he is forced to flee into exile by the hostile people of Rome.

I want to point out that common sense might tell us that the Catholics should be allowed to appoint their own Pope, rather than having emperors appoint him. But political factors still entered into Papal elections.

Smarting from their defeat seven years earlier, the Mongols assemble an even greater invasion fleet to conquer Japan. About 4,000 ships carry 140,000 soldiers in the greatest invasion in history until D-Day of 1944. The gigantic fleet arrives in Japan, only to find that the Japanese have built massive walls at the best landing places. The Mongols manage to capture some small areas but cannot get a massive force on shore. And then another Kamikaze (“Divine wind”) destroys the Mongol fleet. The Japanese capture about 70,000 survivors, and Mongolia abandons any hope of invading Japan.

 

[Vince]

1281 is such a bad year for the Mongolians that we're going back for a second look. If you remember from yesterday, a kamikaze had destroyed their massive invasion force off the Japanese coast. With their conquest of China still recent, Mongolia's fortunes continue to decline. Kublai Khan orders the burning of all Taoist literature and is so successful that the Taoist canon is still reduced by about 75%. Taoism is Chinese, not Japanese, but it emphasizes peace and harmony.

Everybody is beating the Mongolians: the Japanese, the winds, the Taoists, and of course, the Moslems. Mongolia invades Syria and is defeated.

Having thrown off their Catholic conquerors, the Byzantines invade southeastern Europe, re-seizing land taken by Sicily. Pope Martin launches a Crusade against Byzantium, but it returns in defeat next year.

 

[Vince]

1282 is a really bad year for Pope Martin IV. Sicily successfully rebels against the its tyrannical ruler (a strong ally of the Pope), the Pope's Ninth Crusade returns in failure, and north Africa repels an invasion by the Catholics.

Wales makes a major mistake in attacking an English castle. Unprepared for war, they are conquered by England and held to this day.

The Archbishop of Canterbury orders all synagogues in England closed.

 

[AirDancer]

In addition, in 1282, John Peckham (Archbishop of Canterbury) created a register which listed ordinations and assignments to the various sees (parishes). Although the register was not complete and therefore held many gaps, what information was recorded has been an aid to historians.

 

[Vince]

Thank you, Air Dancer. Everyone is welcome to post on this thread, by the way.

And now it is 1283.

The Mongolians invade Cambodia, but the Cambodians pay tribute and are left alone.

China's Grand Canal is 1,104 miles long. It has been worked on for centuries, and this year the northern section is finished.

Longshanks (King Edward 1 of England) executes the last King of Wales. He begins construction of three castles in Wales to prevent future rebellions.

Daniel of Moscow, a meek, humble man, unites western Russia with Moscow as its head. This ended Kiev Russia and established the Duchy of Moscow. Ruling peacefully with only one battle against the Mongolians, he quietly unites the Rus as they quietly throw off their Mongolian rulers.

 

[Vince]

1284

Mongolia launches a second unsuccessful invasion of Hungary, while Turkey manages to seize a Byzantine city.

It's a good year for the Spanish Catholic kingdom of Aragon, though. They capture the King of Naples in one battle and capture the island of Jardín off the African coast in another.

In Italy, Genoa wins a major naval battle against Pisa, forever ending Pisa's dominance as a Mediterranean power.

Famine begins in Norway after Germany inflicts them with a trade embargo. Meanwhile, the German city of Hamburg is destroyed by fire.

Venice did not invent the ducat, a gold coin of great value. But they Start minting them, and the ducat becomes the most important European currency for the next 600 years.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1285!

Honorius IV begins his four year Papacy. Old and tough, he supports France in an unsuccessful invasion of Sicily, provoking the Sicilians into sending a fleet against Italy. But he uses his influence to lessen the oppression of the people of Sicily (who had overthrown Charles of Anjou), brings peace to Rome itself, and lessens tensions with European rulers.

It takes them a month to do it, but Moslems capture a powerful Crusader fortress in Syria.

Sakura, a former slave, seizes the Mali Empire for the next fifteen years. He expands its borders through conquest and trade.

Longshanks bans the Catholic Church from having civil trials.

The Catholic Church in Poland begins saying Mass only in Polish, rather than German, thus strengthening national identity.

 

[Vince]

It is now 1286.

We don't know who did it, but someone in Italy invents eyeglasses. Magnifying glasses had already been invented, and now Italian monks begin making eyeglasses. The invention spreads so rapidly that fifteen years later, Venice has an eyeglass makers' guild.

Muang Sua has been a kingdom in modern Laos for six centuries. This year, the Mongols help a prince overthrow his father and become king. He then allies strongly with the Mongolians as he expands into other independent kingdoms. Although too weak to seize any of this territory themselves, the Mongolians are able to assist him. But north of this area, Kublai Khan draws up an elaborate plan for the conquest of Japan (after two failed attempts): he calls it off when he accepts grim reality--Mongolia doesn't have the resources.

When the King of Scotland is killed in an accident, he leaves only children as heirs to the throne. Warfare will break out, and England's control over Scotland will increase.

Germany negates all Jewish political rights.

 

[Vince]

The Spanish Catholic kingdom of Aragon is having a great year as it seizes and raids Moslem islands in the Mediterranean. The nobility then revolts, forcing their king to grant them more rights.

There is chaos in southeast Asia as the collapsing Mongol Empire leaves power gaps. The Hanthawaddy Kingdom will exist in lower Burma for the next two and a half centuries, eventually becoming the area's most powerful and prosperous nation.

In February, The South England Flood changes the geography so much that three English ports are rendered permanently unsuitable as major port cities. And then a massive storm in December hits both Southern England and the Netherlands. About 50,000 Dutch are drowned, and the geography is changed so much that Ãmsterdam becomes a port city.

The Mongols invade and plunder Poland, but the Poles defeat them and drive them out.

It will take them two centuries to finish, but Italian Catholics begin building a silver altar weighing nearly one ton. Much of the altar consists of statues and images that are silver-plated.

 

[Vince]

This is 1288.

Nicholas IV begins his four year reign as Pope. He successfully resolves a variety of political, military, and financial problems. By making the cardinals financially independent of the Church, and by giving them some authority to regulate the finances of the Church, he accidentally created a rivalry between them and the Church that would appear in the next century. He also declares a Crusade against Hungary for being too lenient towards pagan Hungarians.

For the third and last time, Vietnam beats an invading Mongol army and chases them back into China. But in the peace negotiations, Vietnam voluntarily agrees to become a tribute state in return for peace. This treaty never officially ends; when the Mongolian Empire later collapses, Vietnam simply stops paying tribute.

Scotland passes a law allowing women to propose to men during a leap year. Men who refused must pay a fine.

Someone in China makes a bronze handgun and is kind enough to stamp the date on it. Today it is in a museum.

 

[Vince]

1289

Egypt captures the Crusader State of Trípoli in modern Lebanon (This is not the city of Trípoli in Libya).

France expels Jews from certain áreas.

Franciscan friars arrive in China (which is part of the Mongolian Empire) for mission work.

Mexican Indians climb "The Smoking Mountain," the second-highest peak in Mexico. Still one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Popcatepetl erupted ash and smoke in 2012, but no lava.

 

[Vince]

1290

The first Portuguese university is founded.

Jews are expelled from England by Edward Longshanks. There is a bizarre story here. The Catholic Church forbade making loans with interest, creating a major financial vacuum. Being exempt, Jews were becoming very wealthy collecting interest. Then, Longshanks would simply pass very heavy taxes on the Jews to get his share of the interest. Because he had England so deeply in debt from his wars, he began seizing Jewish property. Finally forced to raise taxes on everyone, he seized all Jewish property, made all loans due to Jews due to him instead, and exiled all 2,000 of England's Jews. The exile generally went smoothly, with most of them going to Poland.

It's the "Year Without a Winter." England and western Europe do not have a winter this year.

After a successful revolt against Hungary, Wallachia becomes independent. At different times it will be rules by the Turks or the Russians, and will eventually become the basis of the modern nation of Romania.

Ten year old Birger begins his unhappy twenty-three year reign as King of Sweden. His father had stolen the throne from Birger's uncles, and he is beset by wars from family members, finally fleeing into exile.

Portugal decrees that Portuguese, not Latin, will be their official language.

An earthquake off the Chinese coast kills about 100,000 people.

Mongolia invades modern Ukrania.

 

[Vince]

1291 is a great year for people who like cheese. Rejecting the tyranny of the Hapsburgs, three northern German territories unite to form the nation of Switzerland. Over the centuries, more territories and areas will join them.

It is also a great year for the Moslems. Egypt captures the Kingdom of Jerusalem, ending the anti-Moslem Crusades and controlling the entire Holy Land. Historians are not kind in their opinión of the Crusades. They strengthened European government, increased trade and knowledge, made the Catholic clergy more war-like, and produced debts that would later lead to the sale of indulgences and hence the Protestant Reformation. The huge expenses could have been spent developing Europe instead.

The Vivaldi Brothers set sail from Genoa, Italy, for India. They are the first known Europeans to attempt to reach India by sea. They take two ships and include two Franciscan monks to help them convert the Asian Indians.They sail west out of the Mediterranean, then turn south down the western African coast. Believing inaccurate Reports that Spain was much closer to India than it really is, they sail off the edge of the earth and are never heard from again.

The Catholic Church officially recognizes the Independence of San Marino. Founded in 301, it is the oldest republic in the world. Completely surrounded by Italy, this wealthy land-locked nation has a population of about 30,000.

 

[Vince]

1292

Allied with a local ruler, the Mongols invade Indonesia. But after defeating his rival, the local ruler defeats and expels the Mongols. Mongolia's foreign policy is easy to figure out. As their Empire crumbles, the Mongolians keep invading people.

Cilicia is a Christian kingdom in southern Turkey. Fresh from defeating the Crusaders, Egypt invades them. With no regional allies left, Cilicia desperately turns to the Mongolians for an alliance against their Moslem foes. It works, but only to a point. Decades later, Cilicia will fall to the Moslems.