1391

1391 1392 1393 1394 1395 1396 1397 1398 1399 1400

political events

The Byzantine emperor John V Palaeologus dies at Constantinople February 16 at age 59 and is succeeded by his able son of 41, who will reign until 1425 as Manuel II Palaeologus. His rebellious son Andronicus, who usurped the throne in 1376 and held power until 1379, has predeceased the emperor.

Tamerlane pursues the Tatar khan Toqtamish and his Golden Horde into the Russian steppe, defeats him, and forces him to abdicate his throne (see 1380; 1393).

Gaston III, comte de Foix, dies in August at age 60 (approximate), having imprisoned his late son and namesake on suspicion of conspiring to poison him and letting the young man die in confinement.

human rights, social justice

Alleged "witch" Jehenna de Brigue tells a Parisian judge that her aunt has taught her to summon the devil (see 1390). She is sentenced to be burned, but the execution is delayed when she appears to be pregnant. It is then discovered that she is not pregnant, she appeals her case, a new hearing is held, Jehenna is stripped and tortured, and she changes her story, claiming that her neighbor Jean de Ruilly's wife, Macette, hired her to bewitch and poison her husband so that she could run off with another man. Macette is arrested, confesses after torture on the rack, and is sent along with Jehenna to "the Châtelet aux Halles [to be] mitred as sorcerers, put in the pillory; then led to the Pig Market to be burned alive."

religion

Seville has a massacre of Jews in June that spreads throughout Andalusia as Spaniards seek scapegoats for the Black Death and demand that Jews convert to Christianity or be killed. Castilian sailors set fire to the Barcelona ghetto August 5 and for 4 days a mob rages out of control, killing hundreds. Roughly 100,000 people are killed in the rioting; about 100,000 more save themselves by accepting conversion. Many Spanish Jews will seek conversion in the next few years (see 1492).

1391 1392 1393 1394 1395 1396 1397 1398 1399 1400

Materials

A paper mill is established in Nuremberg (Germany). See also 1355 Materials; 1494 Materials.

A Treatise on the Astrolabe by Geoffrey Chaucer [b. c. 1342/43, d. London, October 25, 1400] shows how to construct such a device and how to use an astrolabe to compute the elevation of a star. See also 1490 Tools.

A 24-km (15-mi) canal is constructed from Lake Môlln to the river Delvenau (Germany). The canal enables traffic to pass from the Baltic up the river Stecknitz, through Lake Môlln, along the canal, down the river Delvenau to the river Elbe and on to the North Sea. Along the way a boat would go over a dozen stanches on the rivers and pass through two locks on the canal. See also 1387 Transportation; 1395 Transportation.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)