c. 1000 BCE
King David captures the city of Jerusalem, establishing it as the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. More
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What Happened in May?
Battles, revolts, and explorations. Learn about the noteworthy events in May that have taken place throughout the ages. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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A solar eclipse occurred during a battle between the Lydians and the Medes in what is now Turkey. It is one of the earliest recorded events in history.
The temple of the Roman god Mercury was dedicated on the Aventine Hill in Rome. This temple was a significant site for the worship of Mercury, who was the Roman god of commerce.
The Peloponnesian War begins between Athens and Sparta, marking the start of a decades-long conflict in Ancient Greece.
Roman Emperor Augustus celebrates the Ludi Saeculares, a three day secular games event, marking the end of a saeculum (a generation) and the beginning of a new one.
The ancient city of Byzantium was selected to serve as the new capital of the Roman Empire, and the city was renamed Nova Roma, or 'New Rome', by Emperor Constantine the Great.
First Council of Nicaea - the first ecumenical council of Christian bishops at Nicaea, Asia Minor.
THE COUNCIL OF NICEA Fresco in the Sistine Salon Vatican. Thes painting depicts the debate over what became the Nicene Creed.
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Athanasius is unanimously elected to be Bishop Patriarch of Alexandria after the death of Alexander. Athanasius was believed to be about 30 years old at the time.
Byzantium was renamed Constantinople (now Istanbul) and dedicated to Emperor Constantine. Constantinople is generally considered to be the center and the "cradle of Orthodox Christian civilization". Constantinople was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe, from the mid-5th century to the early 13th century.
Roman Emperor Constantine I, (Constantine the Great), was baptized in Nicomedia on May 22, 337. He was baptized on his deathbed, shortly before he died on May 22, 337 CE. A practice reflecting a common belief that baptism offered full spiritual cleansing only once.
Constantine had favored Christianity for most of his life and played a significant role in its legalization and spread. He was Baptized by Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia Although some Catholic sources indicate he was Baptized by Pope Sylvester I in Rome. Most scholars dismiss it as a political effort to connect Constantine with an orthodox Roman bishop before the Great Schism.
The coronation of Henry the Fowler as King of East Francia (Germany) marks the beginning of the Saxon Dynasty.
Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, also known as Otto the Great dies on May 7, 973 and is succeeded by his son Otto II, The transition was peaceful, as Otto I had arranged for his son to rule alongside him as co-Emperor and be recognized as the heir.
This succession solidified the Ottonian dynasty's rule over the Holy Roman Empire, a significant achievement for medieval European monarchies. Otto II continued his father's efforts to consolidate power and extend imperial influence,. However he faced some challenges, including a significant defeat in southern Italy against Muslim forces in 982.
Gregory V becomes Pope of the Roman Catholic Church after being appointed by his cousin, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III. Born as Bruno of Carinthia, he was the first German-born pope and served as the ruler of the Papal States until his death in 999. Gregory's pontificate was turbulent, marked by a rebellion in Rome and his efforts to restore his cousin to the imperial throne.
Otto III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor at the age of 16 by Pope Gregory V, on May 21, 996 in Rome. Ottos' mother Theophanu and grandmother Adelaide had served as regents for him since he was a child, when he was crowned King of Germany at age three.
Pope Sylvester II (born Gerbert of Aurillac) dies in Rome on May 12, 1003. His papacy contributed to the advancement of science and mathematics in Europe. He served as pope for just over four years and was 57 years old when he died. He was succeeded by Pope John XVII.
Known as the "Mathematical Pope," Sylvester II was a prolific scholar who introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and the abacus to Western Europe. Sylvester II died shortly after returning to Rome following a period of exile caused by a Roman uprising. Although he returned to Rome, the rebellious nobility still held political authority, leaving him largely without secular power in his final months.
Alfonso VI of Castile captures the major city of Toledo from the Moors (Muslim rulers) after a lengthy siege, triumphantly entering the city on May 25, 1085, after the surrender by its ruler, Yahya al-Qadir. a pivotal moment in the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain)
Toledo was the first major city in Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) taken by Christian forces, marking a major shift in power and serving as a strategic base for further Christian expansion. The Reconquista of Spain took nearly 800 years from the early 8th century Umayyad invasion in 711 or the Battle of Covadonga until 1492, when the last Muslim stronghold, the Emirate of Granada, fell to the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Making it one of history's longest conflicts.
Pope Alexander III issues a papal bull recognizing Portugal as an independent kingdom. While Afonso Henriques had been using the title of king since 1139 and Portugal's independence had been recognized by León in the 1143 Treaty of Zamora, the papal bull was vital in medieval Europe, for a new kingdom to be fully accepted as a sovereign entity. The bull also gave papal blessing to Portugal's conquests of land from the Moors during the Reconquista.
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade which is also known as the Kings's Crusade. It was an attempt led by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187.
John, also called John Lackland, becomes King of England when his brother Richard I (The Lionheart) dies while besieging the castle of Châlus-Chabrol in France. King John's coronation took place on May 27, 1199 at Westminster Abbey. He was King of England until his death in 1216.
King Philip II of France and King John of England sign the Treaty of Le Goulet, on May 22, 1200 ending a succession conflict between John and his nephew Arthur of Brittany after Richard I's death.
Under the treaty, Philip recognized John as king in exchange for 20,000 marks, acknowledgment of Philip's overlordship over John's French lands, and the cession of Évreux and the Norman Vexin to France. The peace was temporary, as Philip would resume hostilities in 1202, leading to England's loss of continental Normandy by 1204.