Historical
1255: Mongolia, Iraq - Hulagu Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan) captures Bagdhad
1256: Mongolia, Iran - Generals of Hulagu Khan, after three year siege, destroy the castles of the Assassins and massacre the Persian Assassins
1256: Mongolia - Kublai Khan attains throne of Mongolian Empire
1258: England - English barons led by Simon de Montfor demand reforms to curtail the arbitrary powers of the king, they became known as the Provisions Of Oxford
1260: Egypt, Israel - Battle Of Ain Jalut, the Muslin Mamelukes (led by the ex-slave Baybars) and Julegu Khan stop the Mongols in Palestine, the Mongol general Ket Buqa is killed
1261: Turkey - Byzantines recapture Constantinople from Crusaders
1262: Norway, Iceland, Greenland - King Haakon IV of Norway annexes Iceland and Greenland to end a civil war in Iceland
1263: Scotland, Norway - Norsemen ejected from Scotland
1265: England - Edward I (Longshanks) defeats Barons at Evesham in the Barons War (1264-67)
1266: Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria - Venetians Niccolo Polo and brother Maffeo Polo make trade expedition to Constantinople, and then east to Bolgara and then Sarai, in the Kingdom of Barka Khan, after a year, their return blocked by war between Barka Khan and Hulagu Khan, the Polo brothers journey east to the capital Kaifeng and see Kublai Khan, three years later they returned to Venice
1267: China - Kublai Khan begins construction of new capital at Peking
1270-1270: Tunisia - French king Louis IX dies in Tunisia while on the Eighth Crusade (of nine), during his reign he Increased both the authority of the king and the judicial system
1271-1272: Egypt - Ninth Crusade (of nine), future Edward I of England undertook another expedition against Baibars/Baybars in 1271, after having accompanied Louis on the Eighth Crusade, the Ninth Crusade is a failure and ends the Crusades in the Middle East
1271: China - Kublai Khan formally creates the Yuan dynasty of China
1271: Italy, China - Marco Polo leaves for China with his father Niccolo, they arrive in the court of the Great Khan
1273: Italy - The last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire dies and the Hapsburg Dynasty is established with the new Emperor Rudolf I of the Hapsburgs who five years later gain control over Austria, the Hapsburgs last until 1918
1274: Mongolia, Japan - Mongols unsuccessfully attempt to Invade Japan
1275: China - The Polos arrive at Cambuluc (Peking)
1279: Mongolia, China - Mongols under Kublai Khan defeat Sung dynasty of China
1280: China - Kublia Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, founds the Yuan dynasty in China and makes Peking his capital, he is the first non-Chinese to rule China, his empire stretches from China to Arabia to eastern Europe and is the largest the world has ever known
1281: Japan, China - The waiting Japanese troops repel a Chinese at Hakozaki Bay then a typhoon (Kamikaze or "Divine Wind") destroys the Mongol fleet of Kublia Khan
1282: Danish - nobility forced Eric V to sign a Danish "Magna Carta" which establishes a Danish parliament
1284: Italy - Republic of Genoa defeats the rival Italian city state of Pisa in a naval battle off Meloria
1286: Mongolia, China - Nayan, uncle of Kublai Khan, with 400,000 horsemen, meets Kublai Khan, with 260,000 cavalry and 100,000 Infantry, in battle, Kublai Khan is victorious, and Nayan is captured and executed
1291: Israel - Moslems expel Crusaders from the Middle East
1291: Switzerland - Three Swiss cantons, Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden form the League of the Three Forest Cantons for mutual defense, this League constitutes the basis for the ultimate establishment of the Swiss state
1293: Sweden, Finland - Eric IX (Jedvardsson), Christian King of Sweden, defeats the Finns and forces them to convert to Christianity
1294: Mongolia - Kublai Khan dies
1295: Iran, Italy - Khans of Persia convert to Islam, the Polos return to Venice
1296: Italy - Marco Polo, fighting for Venice, is captured by Genoa and Imprisoned for two years, where he dictates his travels to his fellow Inmate, Rustichello da Pisa, who Incorporates tales of his own as well as other collected anecdotes and current affairs from China, the book is called "The Travels of Marco Polo", It depicts the journey throughout Asia, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into the Inner workings of the Far East, Including China, India, and Japan
1298: China - Chinese develop a cannon
1298: England - Battle of Falkirk, English under Edward I defeat the Scots who had rebelled under the leadership of William Wallace
1302: Belgium, France - Battle of the Spurs, Flemish army defeats French army near Courtrai, Belgium
1302: France - Philip IV of France calls together representatives of the nobility, townspeople and clergy, the meeting became known as the Estates-General, the purpose is to garner support against Pope Boniface whose 'Unam Sanctum' proclaims Papal supremacy over national leaders
1309: France - Pope Clement V, heavily Influenced by Philip IV of France, takes residency in Avignon, France (until 1378)
1314: Scotland, England - Battle Bannockburn (central Scotland), the Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, routes a larger force led by Edward II, King of England and gains Scottish Independence for the next three centuries
1315-1317: Europe - The Great Famine occurs, the worst famine to strike northern Europe, It started with bad weather which caused crop failures for the next two years, It took until 1322 to fully recover and millions died
1315: Switzerland, Austria - Battle of Morgarten, Swiss forces, led by the canton of Schwyz, defeat Leopold I (Hapsburg), Duke of Austria and leads to an expanded Swiss alliance
1324: Mali, Saudi Arabia - Ruler of Mali makes pilgrimage to Mecca
1326: France, England - England is Invaded by the French wife of King Edward II, Isabelle, she is supported by French troops and gains control of England as Edward II was forced to flee London, Isabelle arranges for her son Edward III to be crowned King of England
1326: Turkey - Ottoman Empire is established when the Byzantine fortress of Bursa fall after a nine-year siege to the forces of the Osmali Turks, under Osman who soon dies and is succeeded by his son Orkhan who rules until 1360
1337: England, France - Hundred Years War begins when French king Philip VI contests the English claim to Normandy and other northern provinces while at the same time, English king Edward III contests the legitimacy of Philip based on the fact that his mother was the daughter of Philip IV and demands the crown of France
1340: England, France - Battle Of Crecy, British forces under command Edward III defeat a French army commanded by Philip VI, It is the first use of cannon and small arms in a Eropean battle
1340: England, France - Battle of Sluis (off the coast of Flanders), the English navy destroys the French navy giving the English naval supremacy in the English Channel
1346: England, France - Edward III of England defeats Philip VI of France at Crecy en Ponthieu, English longbowmen so far eclipse Genoese crossbowmen that the long bow replaces the cross bow as an Instrument of war
1347-1353: Europe - The Black Death (aka. bubonic plague) spreads throughout Europe, It is the worse natural disaster in European history, an estimated 19 to 35 million die, the plague is spread by rats Infested by Infected fleas, the plague originated in the East and ships carrying Infected vermin came to the Island of Sicily then spread northward, a bizarre effect of the plague was the large-scale outbreak of anti-semitism from the belief that the Jews caused the plague
1348: Poland - Casimir III the King of Poland starts the University Of Kracow