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.
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What Happened in August?
Conquests, crusades, and victories. Explore pivotal historical events that took place in August. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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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.
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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.
The St. Mary Magdalene's flood devastates the Netherlands, England, and Germany, causing significant loss of life and destruction.
1363, Aug 30 - Oct 4
The naval Battle of Lake Poyang takes place between rival rebel leaders Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang who competed during the Red turban Rebellion to overthrow the Yuan dynasty and establish a new one. The battle resulted in Zhu destroying Chen's fleet and the death of Chen himself.
This was the last major battle of the rebellion which led to the fall of the Mongol Yuan dynasty and Zhu went on to defeat other contenders and captured the Yuan capital in 1368, establishing the Ming Dynasty as its first Hongwu Emperor from 1368 until his death in 1398. He was also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang.
King Richard II of England surrenders to his cousin Henry Bolingbroke at Flint Castle on August 19, 1399. Richard was forced to abdicate and Henry crowned himself King Henry IV, beginning the Lancastrian dynasty and ultimately leading to the Wars of the Roses. Richard was imprisoned in the Tower of London before his death in February 1400.
The University of St. Andrews in Scotland is chartered by a papal bull from Avignon Pope Benedict XIII.
King Henry V of England dies, and his infant son Henry VI, who was just nine months old, becomes the king, resulting in the minority rule and political instability in England. Shortly after, his maternal grandfather, Charles VI of France, also died, and Henry VI also became the titular King of France.
As he was too young to rule, his uncle, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed Regent of England, while another uncle, John, Duke of Bedford, became the Regent of France to govern the ongoing war efforts. Henry VI was crowned King of England in 1429 and King of France in 1431. More
on The Congress of Arras opens during the 199 Year war between representatives of England, France and Burgundy. The Congress concluded on September 21,1435[
King Afonso V of Portugal dies, and his son, John II, becomes king.
The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is consecrated and inaugurated by Pope Sixtus IV, on August 15, 1483. The completed ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo were revealed to the public during a solemn Mass celebrated by Pope Julius II on November 1, 1512
The Battle of Bosworth Field. The last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England. The battle was won by an alliance of Lancastrians and disaffected Yorkists. Their leader Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, became the first English monarch of the Tudor dynasty by his victory and subsequent marriage to a Yorkist princess. His opponent Richard III, the last king of the House of York, was killed during the battle. Historians consider the Bosworth Field battle one of the defining moments of English history. More
Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, with three ships, La Niña, La Pinta and Santa Maria, searching for a westerly route to the Far East. Seventy days later, on October 12th, 1492 he lands on an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador.
The indigenous Taíno people of the island called it Guanahani. The island became known later as Watling Island but it was officially named San Salvador in 1925. While many scholars now believe this Island is the most likely location, modern historians are still divided on the exact island.
Explorer Christopher Columbus, during his third trip, lands on South America at the Paria Peninsula in present-day Venezuela. Thinking it was an island, he claims it for Spain and christened it "Isla Santa".
Spanish conquistador Hernándo Cortés captures Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztec Empire after over two months of fighting, winning the Aztec Empire for Spain. Cortes' conquests began with Cuba in 1511, Mexico’s Bay of Campeche in 1519, and then deeper into Mexico.
Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, defeats the Hungarian forces at the Battle of Mohács battle that resulted in the death of King Louis II and much of the Hungarian nobility. This catastrophic defeat led to the partition of Hungary and marked the end of the Hungarian Jagiellonian dynasty, ushering in a period of Ottoman control and influence in the region for over 150 years and sustained Ottoman–Habsburg wars. Sultan Suleiman I, inherited the throne of the Ottoman Empire at the age of 26. He was the only son of Selim I, who conquered Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem and Alexandria. More
1537, c. August
The Matthew Bible, the first complete English-language Bible, is printed by John Rogers in 1537, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew".
It was a significant translation because it was based on the original Greek and Hebrew texts, unlike the earlier Coverdale Bible which relied on German and Latin sources. Rogers was eventually tried and executed as a heretic in 1555 under Mary I for having translated the Bible; a punishable offence on those days.
1539, Circa August
King Francis I of France issues the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, making French the official language of legal documents.
Pierre de Monte becomes the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (Knights of Malta) after the death of Jean Parisot de Valette on August 21, 1568
The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre occurs in France, resulting in the killing of thousands of Huguenots (Protestants). following the assassination attempt on Admiral Coligny. Catholic mobs targeted thousands of Huguenots (French Protestants), leading to widespread killings in Paris and other parts of France. Estimates for the total number of deaths vary widely, from about 2,000 to as many as 70,000.