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What Happened in May?
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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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.
Peasants' Revolt in England: The Peasants' Revolt, a major uprising against high taxes and social injustice, culminates in a confrontation between rebel forces and King Richard II at Smithfield in London.
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.
Henry V of England and Charles VI of France sign the Treaty of Troyes on May 21, 1420, during the Hundred Years' War, establishing Henry V of England as heir to the French throne.
The agreement signed in the French city of Troyes during the Hundred Years' War, following Henry V's military successes in France, was intended to end the war by recognizing Henry V as Charles's heir and cementing his marriage to Charles's daughter, Catherine of Valois. It declared Henry and his heirs would inherit the French throne, disinheriting the Dauphin Charles (later Charles VII)
Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians and sold to the English, leading to her trial and execution.
Joan of Arc, the peasant girl daughter of a tenant farmer at Domremy, who led the French army to victory over England at Orleans during the Hundred Years' War, was burned at the stake for heresy by an English-dominated tribunal in Rouen. More
1450, c. May 15
Jack Cade leads a rebellion against King Henry VI of England in the Kent region, known as Cade's Rebellion. Cade and his followers marched to London, briefly entered the city, and executed officials, but were driven out and ultimately defeated in July 1450.
Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Empire forces led by Sultan Mehmed II after a being under siege for 55 days. The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire which had lasted for over 1000 years. Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine emperor, was killed fighting against the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottomans capture Constantinople's strategically important region of Morea on May 29, 1460, exactly seven years after the fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453, completing their conquest of the Byzantine Empire.
The Battle of Tewkesbury, a major battle in the Wars of the Roses takes place om May 4, 1471, resulting in a decisive victory for the Yorkists led by King Edward IV. against the Lancastrian army under the command of the Duke of Somerset.
The battle took place south of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and was a turning point in the Wars of the Roses. The Lancastrian king, Henry VI, was a prisoner in the Tower of London. He died shortly after the battle, on May 21, 1471. Tewkesbury restored political stability to England until the death of Edward IV in 1483. More
Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci leaves on May 10, 1497 from Cadiz, Spain, on his first voyage to the New World.
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches India on May 20 1498, opening the sea route to the East. Da Gama departed from Lisbon, Portugal, on July 8, 1497, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and up the east coast of Africa where he hired a pilot in Malindi to help him cross the Indian Ocean. He arrived at Calicut where he erected a padrão (stone pillar) to prove he had reached India.
His voyage proved the sea route to India was viable and profitable, paving the way for Portuguese dominance in Asian trade and for a new era of European colonization in the East.
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad during his third voyage to the Americas.