The First Battle of Homs takes place on December 10, 1260, leading to a decisive Mamluk victory (supported by local Syrian Ayyubid forces) over a Mongol force that had retaken Aleppo. The victory solidified Mamluk control over Syria after the Mongols had sacked Damascus.
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What Happened in December?
Victories, births, and treaties. Explore the significant historical events and milestones that occurred in December. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Kublai Khan issues a decree that allows Marco Polo to become an emissary of the Mongol Empire.
The Battle of Orewin Bridge takes place near Builth Wells in mid-Wales on December 11, 1282 between the English and Welsh armies. It resulted in a decisive Welsh defeat and the death of their leader, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd; effectively ended Welsh autonomy.
c. 1287, December 14
A massive flood known as the "Saint Lucia's flood" strikes the Netherlands, causing widespread destruction. along the North Sea coast devastating the province of Friesland and killing an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 people. In response, a dike was built between the villages of Beetgum and Britsum, which was a major step in reclaiming a large inland sea area called Bordine.
A heavy storm over the North Sea generated surging waves that collapsed a thin land barrier, flooding the Zuiderzee inlet and causing more than 50,000 casualties. The flood, called the St. Lucia flood, has been rated as one of the most destructive floods in recorded history. The event also created direct sea access for the village of Amsterdam, allowing its development into a major port city.
Pope Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five month son December 13, 1294, becoming one of the few popes to voluntarily resign. He was driven by a desire to return to his monastic life, acknowledging his unsuitability for the Papal role.
Pope Benedict XII, born Jacques Fournier, was elected Pope on December 20, 1334. He was the third Avignon Pope and was consecrated on January 8, 1335,
Pope Gregory XI, the last French Pope and final Avignon Pope, is elected on December 30, 1370, by the cardinals in Avignon, France, succeeding Pope Urban V.
Avignon had been the seat of the papacy since 1309, Gregory XI returned the papacy to Rome in 1377. His Papacy reign was from December 30, 1370 to March 27, 1378.
King Charles III of Naples (also known as Charles of Durazzo) was crowned King of Hungary in Székesfehérvár, Hungary on December 31, 1385, He had previously been crowned King of Naples in 1381. His rule in Hungary was short-lived as he was assassinated there in February 1386.
Tamerlane (Timur) captures and sacks Delhi on December 17, 1398, leading to three days of widespread destruction and the massacre of tens of thousands, possibly, over 100,000, inhabitants, plundering treasures and crippling the Delhi Sultanate.
The Battle of Castillon marks the end of the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
The Battle of Wakefield, takes place on December 30, 1460 during the Wars of the Roses in England, with a Lancastrian victory (loyal to Henry VI) and a major setback for the Yorkists.
The battle, claimed the lives of Richard, Duke of York, his son Edmund, Earl of Rutland, and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, ending York's direct claim to the throne, though the conflict continued.
During his first voyage, Columbus lands on December 6, 1492, on what is now the north coast of Haiti at a bay he named San Nicolas going on to name the Island, "La Isla Española", which was later Anglicized to Hispaniola. His arrival on the island followed his initial landing in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. Hispaniola went on to became a base for future Spanish colonization of the Americas.
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Christopher Columbus Flagship, the Santa María, runs aground on Christmas Day 1492, on a reef off the northwest coast of what is now Haiti but the exact location remains a mystery. The ship was declared a total loss, and its timbers were salvaged to build the Fort which he named "La Navidad", the first European settlement in the New World, where 39 members of Columbus's crew were left behind.
Columbus left for Spain in January of 1493, with the other two ships, the Niña and the Pinta. Columbus returned to the settlement a year later to find it destroyed, the fort in ruins and his men gone.It is believed the Taíno people had retaliated against the European mistreatment and violence, killing the men and burning the fort.
Martin Luther throws a copy of the Papal bull, Exsurge Domine (“Arise O Lord”) into a bonfire after the expiration of the period stipulated in the bull from Pope Leo X for Luther to recant his teachings.
Luther refused and continued to rebuke the papacy. As a result, Luther was excommunicated on Jan 3, 1521. More
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama passes away in India during his third voyage to the East. He died of malaria on December 24, 1524, in Cochin, India, shortly after arriving for his third term as Viceroy. He was initially buried in St. Francis Church in Kochi, his remains were later returned to Portugal in 1539 and eventually interred in the Jerónimos Monastery.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most important religious icons in Mexico, is believed to have appeared to Juan Diego on four occasions between December 9 and 12, 1531. More
Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible, is proclaimed Grand Prince of Moscow on December 4, 1533, at the age of three after the death of his father, Grand Prince Vasily III. He ruled under the regency of his mother, Yelena Glinskaya, until her death in 1538.
His mother's death was followed by a period of intense power struggles among nobles. Ivan was crowned "Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia" on January 16, 1547, at the age of 16, marking the beginning of a new era for Russia, with a more centralized and powerful ruler at its head.
King James V of Scotland dies on December 14, 1542, leaving his infant daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, as his heir. He died just six days after Mary was born, following a military defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss.
Pope Paul IIIi's Legate, Cardinal Giovanni del Monte, opens the first session of the Council of Trent (Trento) on December 13, 1545, marking the beginning of a long-term effort to clarify Catholic doctrines such as the seven sacraments challenged by Protestant The council, originally called in 1537 was delayed for eight years due to political disputes.