Exploring the rich history of the 5th to 15th century!
Historical Events
Historical events that occurred during the European Middle Ages.
The Portuguese Interregnum originated during the reign of King Ferdinand I. In 1383, Ferdinand was slowly dying. Since the king’s only son, Prince Afonso, had pre-deceased him, Ferdinand had one living child left, Princess Beatrice. As a succession crisis began to stir, the king married his daughter to King John I of neighboring Castile in May. Although they were former […]
The Battle of Crecy originated on February 1, 1328, with King Charles IV of France’s death. Since the king died without leaving behind a son, the Capetian dynasty ended. As a result, the question of succession arose amongst the French. After much debate, the succession came down to Philip of Valois and King Edward III of England. Philip of Valois […]
Sixty years before the Battle of Bouvines, Henry II of England established the Angevin Empire. Through inheritance and marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the king brought England and Western France under his control in 1154. Alarmed by this development, Louis VII of France sought to undermine the empire. Although the king spent his reign attempting to, he ultimately proved unsuccessful. […]
The Hundred Years’ War originated in 1328 after the death of King Charles IV of France. Since the king died without a male heir, the Capetian dynasty ended with him. In response, a French assembly had to decide who would succeed Charles. Under French Salic law, a female couldn’t inherit the throne. Therefore, the assembly’s decision narrowed down to Philip […]
Thirty years before the Battle of Bosworth Field, a civil war began in England. Known as the Wars of the Roses, the conflict revolved around which faction of the Plantagenet royal family should rule: Lancastrian or Yorkist. In 1455, the Lancastrian king, Henry VI, reigned. His grandfather, Henry IV, had established the Lancastrian branch after overthrowing his cousin, Richard II, […]