Edmund of Woodstock, son of Edward I of England and younger half-brother to deposed King Edward II. is executed on March 19, 1330 at Winchester Castle by beheading on order of Ro ger Mortimer, the de facto ruler of England. The execution followed Edmund's prior involvement in a plot to restore the imprisoned Edward II to the throne.
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What Happened in March?
The first Olympic games, the founding of dynasties, and legendary battles. Explore historic milestones from March that influenced today's world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Edward of Woodstock, son of Edward III of England, and known as the "Black Prince", is named Duke of Cornwall, the first Duke in England on March 17.1337.
The Duchy of Cornwall was created by King Edward III to provide his son with independent revenue but it also went on to establish a tradition where the title is held by the eldest son and heir of the reigning British monarch. In addition to Duke of Cornwall, Edward of Woodstock, was also named, Earl of Chester (1333) and Prince of Wales (1343).
The Combat of the Thirty takes place on March 26, 1351, where thirty Breton knights led by Robert Bemborough fight thirty English knights in Brittany. to determine who would rule the Duchy of Brittany.
It was an arranged fight between selected combatants from both sides of the conflict, fought among 30 champions, knights, and squires on each side. After a hard-fought battle, the Franco-Breton Blois faction emerged victorious. The combat was later celebrated as a noble display of the ideals of chivalry.
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King Henry of Trastámara becomes King Henry II (Enrique II) of Castile and Leon on March 23, 1369, after defeating and murdering his half-brother, King Peter, at the Battle of Campo de Montiel earlier that month on March 14.
.Following the battle, King Peter was lured into a trap and killed by Henry himself marking the definitive start of Henry's second and undisputed reign. Although Henry had previously been crowned in 1366 during a brief usurpation, his permanent reign as the first monarch of the House of Trastámara is officially dated from his1369 victory at the Battle of Campo de Montiel
King Robert II of Scotland is crowned on March 26, 1371, at Scone Abbey, beginning the Stuart dynasty.
Pope Gregory XI dies on March 27, 1378, in Rome, just over a year after he had moved the papal court back to Rome from Avignon. His death was followed by the election of Pope Urban VI on April 8, 1378 but a subsequent dispute over the legitimacy of this election led to the Western Schism with the election on September 20, 1378 of Clement VII as a rival pope in Avignon by a majority of the cardinals seceding from Rome.
The Battle of Castagnaro is fought on March 11, 1387 during the War of the Venetian Succession. With the army of Padua, led by the English mercenary John Hawkwood—achieving a decisive victory over Verona. The crushing defeat and capture of key Verona commanders along with thousand of Verona soldiers led to the end of Verona's Scaliger dynasty's rule.
The Turko-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane captures the city of Damascus on March 24, 1401 from the Mamlukin Sultanate, subjecting the city to intense plunder and destruction with some estimates of up to 50,000 killed. His victory, weakened Mamluk authority in Syria and lead to Tamerlane’s subsequent victory over the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, at the Battle of Ankara in 1402. More
Twelve-year-old, Prince James of Scotland is captured on March 22, 1406, by English pirates off Flamborough Head. on March 22, 1406, while fleeing to France with a party led by his guardian Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, who was also captured. James was handed over to King Henry IV of England, initiating an 18-year imprisonment.
The capture was believed to cause James’s father, King Robert III, to die soon after on April 4, 1406 with James becoming King James I at age 12, but remaining an English captive. Reportedly, he was well treated and educated while kept captive. During his capture, Scotland was ruled by Regents or Governors from the House of Stewart. First, his uncle, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, from 1406 to 1420, followed by Robert's son, Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, who negotiated, James I's release. James was assassinated at Perth on February 21, 1437 in a failed coup by his uncle Walter Stewart, Earl of Athol. Queen Joan, although wounded, managed to scape and reached their son, who became King James II, in Edinburgh Castle.
c. 1412, March
The Medici family is expelled from Florence Italy, c. March, 1412, due to political and economic conflicts and their accommodating actions during the French invasion which was viewed by the Florentine peoples as a betrayal and a sign of weakness, leading to a revolt. The exile lasted for 18 years.
King Henry IV of England dies on March 20, 1413, and was succeeded by his son, Henry of Monmouth, who was crowned at Westminster Abbey on April 9, 1413 and became King Henry V.
A Siege of Domrémy in France starts on March 23, 1421, during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years's War between France and England.
Domrémy was a frontier village situated between lands loyal to the French Dauphinin (Charles VII) and those controlled by the Anglo-Burgundian alliance. Joan of Arc, who was born in Domrémy, there was a witness to the ongoing conflict and raids on her home village which influenced her missio to support the French crown and lift the Siege of Orléans in 1429.
James I of Scotland was released from English custody on March 28, 1424 after 18 years of captivity, following the Treaty of Durham, returning to Scotland to claim his throne with his wife, Joan Beaufort, a cousin of the English King in England. He was crowned at Scone on May 21, 1424.
He faced high ransom costs and resentment from nobles, which coupled with his harsh centralized rule led to his assassination on February 21, 1437. Queen Joan had managed to escape the attack and successfully protected her son, James II who was six years old and went on to succeed James I, under a regency council established by Joan during his minority. James II was crowned at Holyrood Abbey. The assassins, led by James I's uncle Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, were executed after their failed attempt to seize power.
Scotland entered a period of power struggles between powerful nobles, Despite the chaos taking place during his minority, James II later continued his father’s work, strengthening royal authority and tackling powerful, rebellious families.
Joan of Arc, a 17-year-old peasant girl, after successfully gaining an audience with the Dauphin King Charles VII, arrives his court, c. March 5, 1428, claiming divine guidance and seeking support for her mission to lift the siege of Orléans and ensure his coronation.
Despite Charles, initial skepticism, her charisma and faith convinced him to provide her with armor and an army to fight the English.
Pope Eugenius IV is crowned as the 207th pope on March 11, 1431, succeeding Pope Martin V.
Albert II of Habsburg becomes King of the Romans (King of Germany) on March 18, 1438, after the death of his father-in-law, Sigismund. He also ruled briefly as King of Hungary and Bohemia before his death in 1439.
He introduced administrative reforms for the Holy Roman Empire but died campaigning against the Ottomans, never achieving the imperial coronation.
Edward, Earl of March, defeats Henry VI during the Wars of the Roses at the battle of Towton on March 29, 1461. His victory on top of his previous victory at the battle of Mortimer's Cross strengthen Edward's position to claim the throne.
He went on to become King of England as Edward the IV, after the death of his father on March 4, 1461. He was formally crowned on June 28, 1461, at Westminster Abbey. Historical Time Line
The Treaty of Medina del Campo between England (Henry VII) and Spain (Ferdinand and Isabella)is signed Monarchs on March 27, 1489. The treaty formed an alliance against France, facilitated trade, and arranged the marriage of Catherine of Aragon to Arthur, Prince of Wales.
Spain King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castille issue the Alhambra Decree, on March 31, 1492, mandating that all Jews be expelled from the country. The decree was issued shortly after freeing Spain from Muslim rule after nearly 800 years.
Explorer Christopher Columbus arrives back in his home port of Palos, Spain on March 15, 1493, following his first voyage to the Americas. His return voyage was difficult, and his ships were separated by a storm; making landfall first in the Azores before reaching Lisbon, Portugal, and eventually arriving back in his home port.