Browse Historical Events by Month:
Tragic deaths, ravaged cities, and great acts of heroism. Discover what happened this month in history and the defining moments that shaped the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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According to Roman tradition, Romulus prayed to Jupiter, asking him to make his soldiers "stay" (stator) and hold their ground. Jupiter answered the prayer, the Romans rallied, defeated the Sabines, and Romulus dedicated a sacred spot (likely an altar) to Jupiter Stator at the place where they stood firm.
The actual stone temple was built much later, by M. Atilius Regulus in 294 BCE, after a similar vow during a later battle.
Leonidas I, King of Sparta, is born. Son of King Anaxandrides II and a member of the Agiad dynasty.
Birth of the historian and philosopher, Herodotus, often called the "Father of History" circa 484 BCE
Herodotus of Halicarnassus was Greek researcher, historian and geographero ften called the world's first historian a titled believed to have been conferred on him by the ancient Roman orator Cicero.by. He wrote The Histories, a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars, among many other subjects such as the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty of Cyrus.
Greek playwright Aeschylus dies in Gela, Sicily., c 455 BCE. He is known as the "father of tragedy, revolutionizing drama by introducing the second actor, enabling dialogue and conflict, and often basing plays on myth and history.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, one of Rome's most famous orators, statesmen, and philosophers was born on January 3, 106 BCE, in Arpinum, a town southeast of Rome, into a wealthy equestrian family
Julius Caesar, defying the order of the Roman Senate not to so, crosses the Rubicon River with his legion on January 10, 49 BCE famously uttering "alea iacta est" ("the die is cast") and leading to the Roman Civil War.
The Rubicon, a small river in northern Italy, served as the boundary between Caesar's province and Italy proper. His crossing precipitated a civil war, leading to Caesar's rise as dictator and ultimately the end of the Roman Republic, ushering in the Roman Empire. Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. "Crossing the Rubicon" now is use to mean "Passing a point of no return".
The Julian Calendar takes effect, under the direction of Julius Caesar, replacing the traditional Roman calendar which had been introduced around the seventh century B.C. and followed the lunar cycle. It introduced a solar year of 365 days with a leap year every fourth year to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons.
The Julian calendar was a successful reform that remained the standard in the Roman Empire and the Western world for over 1,600 years until it was replaced by the more accurate Gregorian calendar in the 16th century.
Octavian (later known as Augustus) celebrates a triple triumph in Rome for his victories in the Battle of Actium.
Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title "Augustus" by the Roman Senate on January 16, 27 BCE, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
Roman General Drusus, alongside with his brother Tiberius, complete the conquest of Raetia c.15 BCE (BC), getting control of the trade routes and expanding the Empire's northern borders and paveing the way for further Roman expansion into Germania.
Epiphany is celebrated annually on this day. It is a major feast that commemorates, for Western Christians, the coming of the Magi and, for Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jesus' birth, baptism in the Jordan River by John, and first miracle. Churches commemorate this with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, typically on the Sunday after Epiphany (January 6) in Western traditions, or on January 19 (Julian calendar equivalent) in Eastern Orthodoxy.
Roman legions in Germania Superior proclaim their commander, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor on January 2, 69 CE in Cologne, following unrest against Emperor Galba, kicking off the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors.
Support quickly spread to the armies in Lower Germany, Gaul, Britain, and Raetia. Vitellius's received recognition by the Senate on April 19, AD 69, following the death of Galba's successor, Otho. His reign was marked by lavish excess and ended in civil war against Vespasian, who ultimately defeated and executed him.
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Trajan becomes Roman emperor on January 27, 98, following the death of Nerva, who, facing military unpopularity, had adopted Trajan the year before to ensure a stable, transition. Trajan became the first emperor born outside Italy, ushering in an era of massive territorial expansion.
Roman Emperor Theodosius I, dies on January 17, 395 CE. He bequeathed the Eastern half to his son Arcadius and the Western half to his son Honorius, marking the permanent split of the Roman Empire. The East eventually became the Byzantine Empire and the West collapsed within a century.
The Western Roman Empire collapsed due to a combination of factors, including invasion from Germanic tribes, internal political instability, economic issues (overspending, heavy taxes, reliance on slave labor), and a widened gap between rich and poor. The traditional "fall" of the Western Roman Empire is thought to be in 476 AD when Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor, was deposed by the Germanic general Odoacer. Many Roman culture and institutions, especially the Church, persisted as they transformed into medieval Europe. The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire continued for another thousand years.
Arcadius, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, proclaims his nine months old son, Theodosius, co-Augustus on January 10, 402 AD, a title for co-emperor.
When Arcadius died on May 1, 408 AD, Theodosius became the sole ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire at the age of seven as Theodosius II. A regency was established, Initially, under the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius to govern the empire because of his age.
Charlemagne dies in Aachen, the imperial capital city at the age of 72 on January 28, 814. His body was buried the same day in the Palatine Chapel, which is now a part of Aachen Cathedral. His son, Louis the Pious had been crowned co-emperor by his father a year before on September 11, 813, and succeeded him as the sole Holy Roman Emperor.
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Alfred the Great, then a prince, led the West Saxon army to a victory at the Battle of Ashdown against a Danish invasion, on January 8, 871. He was fighting alongside his brother, King Æthelred, in a key battle where the Danes suffered heavy losses, including several of their earls.
Holy Roman Emperor Otto III died unexpectedly from a fever (possibly smallpox) on January 23, 1002 at age 21, from a sudden fever while on campaign near Civita Castellana while attempting to retake Rome from rebellious aristocrats.
His death, before he could be married to the Byzantine princess Zoe, threw the Empire into political crisis due to the lack of a clear heir. Otto III was succeeded by his second cousin Henry II who was crowned King of Germany in 1002 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1014.
Edward the Confessor, King of England, dies on January 5, 1066, leading to a succession crisis, the Battle of Hastings. and the Norman Conquest.
Harold Godwineson, head of the most powerful noble family in England, is crowned King Harold II on January 6, 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, leading to a war of succession involving Tostig, brother of Harold, King Harald III Hardraade of Norway and William, duke of Normandy.
King Harold managed to fight and kill Tostig and King Harald III at the Battle of Stamford Bridge near York but was himself soon defeated and killed by William at the Battle of Hastings. Almost a year after Edward the Confessor's death, on Christmas Day, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman king of England. More
