Browse Historical Events by Month:
Battles, revolts, and explorations. Learn about the noteworthy events in May that have taken place throughout the ages. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull "Ad Extirpanda," on May 15, 1252 authorizing the use of torture during the Inquisition under specific conditions to extract confessions from suspected heretics. It represented a significant shift in papal policy.
Alfonso X inherits the throne and becomes King of Castile, León, and Galicia upon the death of his father, Ferdinand III. His coronation may have taken place around in June 1252. His reign, from 1252 to 1284, was marked by a focus on culture, law, and science.
William of Rubruck, a Flemish Franciscan friar, departs from Constantinople on May 7, 1253, on a diplomatic and missionary mission to the Mongol Empire on behalf of King Louis IX of France. He reached the court of Möngke Khan at Karakorum in January 1254.
The main purpose of the trip was to to gather intelligence on the Mongol army for the Crusades and to convert the Mongols to Christianity, specifically targeting Sartach. After spending several months, he began his journey back in July 1254, arriving in the County of Tripoli on August 15, 1255.
The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae More
The Battle of Lewes takes place on May 14, 1264, north of Lewes, Sussex, during the Second Barons' War, where Simon de Montfort's rebel forces defeated King Henry III. resulting in the capture of King Henry III and Prince Edward, and in Simon de Montfort becoming the the effective ruler of England.
The Second Council of Lyon convened by Pope Gregory X, on March 31, 1272 opens on May 7, 1274; focusing on reunification of the Eastern and Western Churches and crusade plans for the Holy Land.
King Albert I of Germany is assassinated on May 1, 1308 near Windisch, Switzerland by his nephew John Parricida (John of Swabia). The killing was intended to stop King Albert I efforts to establish a hereditary Habsburg monarchy.
French King Philip VI's Great Council in Paris formally confiscates the Duchy of Aquitaine (Gascony) on May 24, 1337, taking away King Edward III lands in France.
In response, Edward III sent a formal challenge to Philip VI and began using documents that implied his claim to the French throne, creating the "trigger cause" and marking the start of the hostilities and the start of the Hundred Years' War. This was followed on January 26, 1940 with a full public proclamation declaring himself King of France, in part to provide legal cover for his alliance with the Flemish. The 100 year War was eventually won by the French at the Battle of Castillon in 1453.
Siege of Calais begins: King Edward III of England surrounds the city of Calais during the Hundred Years' War, leading to a prolonged siege lasting over a year.
The Jacquerie peasant revolt begins around May, 28, 1358 in northeastern France with the massacre of nine noblemen in a village north of Paris. It spread quickly, with peasants attacking castles and killing noblemen. The revolt was fueled by resentment over heavy taxes, food shortages, and the abuses of the nobility during the Hundred Years' War.
The revolt, named after the contemptuous noble term for peasants, "Jacques" or "Jacques Bonhomme," was characterized by violent repression, with noble forces putting an end to the rebellion by early June 1358.
The Treaty of Brétigny was drafted on May 8, 1360 and ratified on October 24, 1360, between Kings John II of France and Edward III of England. it is seen now as marking the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453).
The Treaty of Brétigny is signed, ending the first phase of the Hundred Years' War between England and France and granting significant territorial concessions to England. 8 May 1360
The Treaty of Brétigny is signed between England and France, marking a temporary end to the first phase of the Hundred Years' War and granting substantial territorial concessions to England.
Charles V of France is crowned King of France at Reims Cathedral on May 19, 1364 after the death of his father, John II.
Pope Gregory XI issued five papal bulls condemning the teachings of John Wycliffe. The letters declared Wycliffe a "Master of Errors" and were sent to various authorities in England, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, and the University of Oxford.
The Battle of Beverhoutsveld takes place between Louis II, Count of Flanders, leading the forces of the town of Brugesakes, against the Ghent forces led by Philip van Artevelde. The battle takes place near Bruges in modern-day Belgium, on a field located between the towns of Beernem, Oostkamp and Assebroek, resulting on the defeat of the Count of Flanders. The Ghent forces occupied the town of Bruges that same day but the Count Louis II managed to escape and fled to the town of Rijssel. The Battle of Beverhoutsveld marked an important phase in the rebellion of Ghent. More
Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
John I of Castile marries Beatrice of Portugal in a union arranged to secure Castile's claim to the Portuguese throne. After Beatrice's father, King Ferdinand I of Portugal, died later in 1383, John of Castile attempted to press his wife's claim to the throne. However, this led to a Portuguese period of political turmoil and the Castilian attempt was ultimately repelled by Portuguese forces under John of Aviz, who would become King John I of Portugal.
The Treaty of Windsor is signed, establishing an alliance between England and Portugal, which remains the world's oldest diplomatic alliance.
The Battle of Rovine takes place on May 17, 1395, where Voivod Mircea (Romanian: Mircea cel Bătrân) defeats a large Ottoman army led by Sultan Bayezid I, the Thunderbolt, temporarily halting the Ottoman expansion into Wallachia.
