1292

1291 1292 1293 1294 1295 1296 1297 1298 1299 1300

political events

Adolf of Nassau wins election as German king May 5 to succeed the late Rudolf I, but he has only nominal allegiance from many princes, including Rudolf's son Albrecht of Austria (see 1298).

England's Edward I resolves the Scottish succession November 17 (see 1291); he selects John de Balliol (or Bailleul), 53, to succeed the late Alexander III and Alexander's granddaughter, the maid of Norway. Son and namesake of the man who founded Oxford's Balliol College and his wife, Dervorguilla, Balliol is related to the late maid of Norway through his mother; his three older brothers have died, leaving him as the maid's nearest surviving kinsman. Edward makes the choice conditional on John's recognition of the English king as overlord of the Scots; crowned at Scone November 30 after swearing fealty to Edward, John de Balliol pays homage to Edward at Newcastle (but see 1295).

Mongol troops arrive in eastern Java to avenge an insult to the Chinese emperor Kublai Khan. The Singhasari king Kertanagra who was responsible for the insult has been replaced by the Kairi ruler Jayakatwang, who has seized the palace, but the Signhasari prince Vijaya has escaped and joins forces with the Mongols in defeating Jayakatwang, whereupon Vijaya turns against the Mongols, drives them out of Java, and founds the Majapahit empire that will gain control of Bali, Madura, Malayu, and Tanjungpura. Vijaya's descendants will rule for more than 2 centuries (see 1293).

transportation

Venetian shipwrights begin development of a "great galley" that will be capable of long voyages with large cargoes. The shallow-draft single-deck merchant vessels, 120 to 150 feet in length, will have one or two masts for sails but will be powered mostly by oarsmen. Crews of 100, 200, and more will man two or three banks of oars with 25 to 30 benches of oarsmen on each side (see 1317).

Some 20,000 gondoliers pole their slim craft through the more than 100 canals that link Venice's 112 islands. Rich families in the lagoon city of 200,000 own as many as five gondolas, some of them up to 33 feet in length (see 1881).

science

Scientist Roger Bacon dies at Oxford June 11 at age 77 (approximate) shortly after being released from the prison where he was confined by papal order in 1284.

religion

Pope Nicholas IV dies at Rome April 4 after a 5-year reign in which he has developed the first coherent policy for administering the papal territories. He will not be replaced until 1294.

1291 1292 1293 1294 1295 1296 1297 1298 1299 1300