The Massacre at Béziers takes place during the Albigensian Crusade, where the Catholic Crusaders sack the city of Béziers in southern France.
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The Battle of Bouvines, the concluding battle of the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214 took place on near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders. The French army commanded by King Philip Augustus routed a larger allied army led by Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV in one of the rare pitched battles of the High Middle Ages and one of the most decisive medieval engagements.
1227, August 15 - 31
Genghis Khan, (actually named Borjigin Temujin), the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, dies in Mongolia some time in late August. 1227. At the time of his death, the Mongol Empire was 2.5 times larger by territory than the Roman Empire.
A study published in 2003 in The American Journal of Human Genetics suggested that Genghis Khan DNA can be found in one in 200 men today. The cause of his death is shrouded in mystery and it is now believed that it was caused by the bubonic plague.
The foundation stone for the current Cologne Cathedral in Germany was laid on August 15, 1248, by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden marking the beginning of its construction. The ambitious Gothic cathedral project, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, would take over 600 years to complete with construction finally concluding in 1880. The High Cathedral Church, belonging to the Catholic Church. It is Germany's most visited landmark.
The towers for its two huge spires give the cathedral the largest façade of any church in the world. The edifice was completed per its original medieval plan in 1880.
The Seventh Crusade, led by King Louis IX of France, reaches Egypt and begins the siege of Damietta.
The Seventh Crusade, led by King Louis IX of France, departs from France on August 25, 1248. with the objective to reconquer the Holy Land. The expedition was a failure for the crusaders ending in defeat in 1250 at the Battle of Mansourah, where King Louis IX was captured and later ransomed.
The Byzantine Empire recaptures the city of Constantinople from the Latin Empire, marking the end of the Fourth Crusade.
The Battle of Evesham took place on August 4, 1265, during the Second Barons' War in England. Prince Edward (future King Edward I) decisively defeated the rebel barons led by Simon de Montfort, ending the baronial rebellion and reestablishing royal authority.
King Louis IX of France dies on August 25, 1270, near Tunis while on the Eighth Crusade, leading to his son, Philip III, becoming king.
King Louis IX of France dies from a plague in Tunis while leading the Eight Crusade which had as a goal the conquest of Tunis, then proceed to Egypt and march to the Holy Land. However, upon arrival in Tunisia it became clear that it was not going to be possible to conquer the Bey of Tunis.
The city was well prepared to withstand an invasion, with a newly repaired city wall and warriors from Morocco and the Crusaders were suffering for a lack of fresh water. More
The Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty of China successfully repels a second invasion attempt by the Japanese forces in the Battle of Kōan.
Swiss National Day - Alliance against the Holy Roman Empire in 1291.
The Siege of Acre ends, resulting in the fall of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the complete expulsion of European Christian forces from the Holy Land.
The Peace of Caltabellotta, was signed on August 31, 1302, ending the 20-year War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). It formally divided the Kingdom of Sicilywith the island of Sicily (as the independent Kingdom of Trinacria) under the rule of Frederick III of the House of Barcelona, while the mainland territories remained under Angevin control as the Kingdom of Naples.
William Wallace, Scottish leader of the resistance against English rule, is captured by English forces near Glasgow. Wallace was betrayed by John Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to Edward I, who handed him over to the English who took Wallace to London.
In London, Wallace was condemned as a traitor and executed on August 23, 1305. Menteith received large land grants in Knapdale and Kintyre for his service.
1314, August 23-24
The Battle of Bannockburn takes place, where Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce defeat the English army, securing Scottish independence.
The Battle of Montecatini takes place, on August 29, 1315, between the forces of Florence and Pisa, in the Val di Nievole, ending in a decisive victory for the Ghibelline army of Pisa, commanded by Uguccione della Faggiuola, over the Guelph forces of Florence and their allies from the Kingdom of Naples.
The Treaty of Leake is signed by King Edward II and his cousin, Thomas of Lancaster in Leake, Nottinghamshire. The agreement was a compromise to reconcile the king with Lancaster and his followers and to end the baronial conflict. The treaty reconfirmed the Ordinances of 1311 and granted a pardon to Lancaster and his supporters.
The Battle of Crécy occurs during the Hundred Years' War, where the English army, led by Edward III, defeats the French forces under the command of but King Philip VI of France. was the commanding monarch of the losing French army.
King John of Bohemia, known as John the Blind, a loyal ally of France was a notable fatality on the French side. As the battle turned against the French, he insisted his knights tie their horses' reins to his so he could fulfill his wish to strike one blow with his sword; their bodies were discovered the next day still bound together.