Browse Historical Events by Month:
Wars, expanding empires, and critical deaths. Explore significant events and milestones from November that have helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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King Canute the Great of England and Denmark dies on November 12, 1035. Rule of the empire was disputed and divided, between his sons: Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut.
Harold was crowned King of England in 1037. Harthacnut ruled Denmark and the North Sea empire and became king of both England and Denmark after Harolds death in 1040. Harthacnut rule was unpopular and his sudden death in 1042 ended the union and restored the Anglo-Saxon line in England with the ascension of Edward the Confessor.
King Cnut the Great of England, Denmark, and Norway dies on November 12, 1035 and his empire is divided among his sons, Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut.
Their inability to maintain control resulted in the rapid decline and end of the North Sea Empire as Norway and Denmark broke away and England eventually passed to Edward the Confessor in 1042 CE.
Sultan Malik Shah I, ruler of the Seljuk Empire, dies on November 19, 1092, likely from poisoning, while on a hunting trip. His death led to a period of instability and infighting within the empire, which significantly weakened the empire, contributing to the success of the First Crusade in 1098-1099.
The Seljuk Empire was a medieval Sunni Muslim state that emerged in the 11th century, controlling a vast territory across the Middle East, Anatolia, and Central Asia
The Battle of Alnwick is fought in Northumberland, England, between Scottish and English forces. The battle resulted in an English victory; Malcolm III of Scotland, later known as Malcolm Canmore, was killed together with his son Edward by an army of English knights led by Robert de Mowbray. More
Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Scotland, dies on November 16, 1093 at Edinburgh Castle, reportedly of grief, a few days after learning of her husband and eldest son's deaths in battle.
She was a deeply pious and charitable woman known for her work in church reform and for aiding the poor. In 1250, Pope Innocent IV officially canonized her as a saint in the Roman Catholic in recognition of her holiness and fidelity. She was later declared a patroness of Scotland in 1673. Her feast day is currently celebrated on November 16, the date of her death, in the revised General Roman Calendar, while some traditionalist Catholics observe it on June 10.
Pope Urban II delivers a sermon during the Council of Clermont in France urging Christians to reclaim the Holy Land, sparking the First Crusade. More
The People's Crusade, a precursor to the First Crusade. It was a disorganized popular movement led by Peter the Hermit and others, with thousands of peasants and commoners embarking on a journey to the Holy Land.
The Siege of Ma'arrat al-Numan begins during the First Crusade, resulting in the capture of the town and its gruesome events.
The Crusaders, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, enter Jerusalem during the First Crusade and captured the city.
Henry I of England marries Matilda of Scotland, consolidating his rule after the turmoil following his brother's death.
William II of England (William Rufus) is buried at Winchester Cathedral, England, after his death in a hunting accident.
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, dies, and his son Henry V succeeds him.
King Baldwin I of Jerusalem dies, and his sister's son, Baldwin II, succeeds him as King of Jerusalem.
The Council of Poitiers begins, addressing issues related to simony and clerical marriage within the Catholic Church.
A massive earthquake known as the "Marash Earthquake" strikes modern day Turkey and Syria, in the early morning hours of November 29, 1114, killing thousands of people and destroying many towns and cities. The effects of the earthquake in the city of Marash was so devastating that one account described it as a "tomb for its own people". The city is now known as Kahramanmaraş.
The White Ship, carrying King Henry I's 17-year-old son and heir, William Adelin, and about 300 other nobles, rapidly sinks in the English Channel after striking a well known rock. Only one person, a butcher survived. The disaster left Henry with no legitimate male heir, resulting in a succession crisis and a devastating 18-year civil war known as "The Anarchy" after his death.
The First Lateran Council, the ninth ecumenical council and the first of the Catholic Church opens in Rome on March 18, 1123. It was convened by Pope Callistus II and it primarily served to formally ratify the Concordat of Worms which ended the investiture controversy.
The Council went on to confirm that only the Church had the authority to bestow spiritual powers on bishops, not secular rulers. It also issued decrees against simony, clerical concubinage, and church robbery, and reaffirmed indulgences for Crusaders.
Empress Matilda's forces defeat King Stephen's troops at the Battle of the Standard during the Anarchy in England.
King Stephen of England dies, and Henry II becomes King, marking the end of the Anarchy.
Pope Innocent III excommunicates Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor on November 18. 1210. The excommunication was a result of Otto IV invading southern Italy to seize the Kingdom of Sicily, which violated papal interests and went against his earlier promises to the Church.
