1392

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political events

The Aragonese prince Martin arrives in Sicily with his wife, Maria (see 1387). She will continue her reign as queen with Martin as her king-consort until her death in 1401, whereupon he will reign alone as Martin II.

France's Charles VI suffers his first bout of insanity August 5, causing great distress to his wife, Isabelle of Bavaria, now 21. She will try for years to find remedies, medical and supernatural.

Ottoman forces conquer Macedonia and make the Balkan city of Skopje their provincial capital (see Serbs, 1189; Bulgaria, 1393).

Japan reunites after 56 years of civil war between northern and southern dynasties. The southern emperor abdicates in favor of the northern emperor on the understanding that the throne is to alternate between the imperial family's two branches, but the northern branch will in fact never relinquish the throne.

The Koryo dynasty that has ruled Korea since 935 ends and the Yi (Choson) dynasty that will rule until 1909 is founded by the Confucian scholar and warlord Yi Songgye, who overthrows the last Koryo king and proclaims himself king after a series of coups d'état and assassinations (see 1388). Gen. Yi will establish close relations with China, whose leaders will consider Korea a client state (see Seoul, 1394).

commerce

Some 392 Hanse vessels embark for London from Danzig during the year with cargoes of grain, honey, salt, potash, furs, and beer.

everyday life

Playing cards designed by French court painter Jacques Gringonneur will be employed for centuries to come in various games. The 52 cards are divided into four suits, each representing one of the four classes of French society: spades stand for pikemen or soldiery, clubs for farmers and husbandmen, diamonds evoke the diamond-shaped hats worn by artisans, and hearts represent the clergy, the word coeur evolving from the word chorus, meaning clergy. Each card is handmade; printed playing cards will not come into use until the 1420s or 1430s (see Hoyle, 1742).

China's Bureau of Imperial Supplies begins producing toilet paper at the rate of 720,000 sheets per year, each sheet measuring two by three feet. The Chinese by some accounts invented toilet paper in the 9th century (see Gayetty, 1857).

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