Year 1340 ( MCCCXL) was a

leap year starting on Saturday A leap year starting on Saturday is any year with 366 days (i.e. it includes 29 February) that begins on Saturday, 1 January, and ends on Sunday, 31 December. Its dominical letters hence are BA. The most recent year of such kind was 2000 and the n ...

(link will display the full calendar) of the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

Events

January 26 Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. *1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. * 1564 – The Council of Tren ...

– King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

is declared King of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. * April 8 –

Marinid The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...

galleys, under the command of Muhammad ibn Ali al-Azafi, rout the Castellan fleet, off the coast of

Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...

. *

April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. April is commonly associated with ...

–

July July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the fourth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., it being the mont ...

– Trapezuntine Civil War: An abortive uprising occurs against

Irene Palaiologina of Trebizond Irene Palaiologina (Greek: Ειρήνη Παλαιολογίνα, ''Eirēnē Palaiologina''), (c. 1315 – after 1341) was Empress regnant of Trebizond from April 6, 1340 to July 17, 1341. She was an illegitimate daughter of the Byzantine Empe ...

, the first of a number of coups, revolts, and succession disputes. *

June 7 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia at Constantinople (Byzantine Empire). * 879 – Pope John VIII recognizes the Duchy of Croatia under Duke Branimir as an independent state. * 1002 – Henr ...

–

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

is officially declared a city. *

June 24 Events Pre-1600 *1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa. * 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...

** Hundred Years' War:

Battle of Sluys The Battle of Sluys (; ), also called the Battle of l'Écluse, was a naval battle fought on 24 June 1340 between England and France. It took place in the roadstead of the port of Sluys (French ''Écluse''), on a since silted-up inlet between ...

– The English fleet, under the command of

, battles the French fleet, under that of Admiral

Hugues Quiéret Hugues Quiéret ( 129024 June 1340) was a French nobleman, admiral and military commander. He was a knight, lord of Tours-en-Vimeu and of Hamicourt, both in Picardy. Before becoming an admiral, he was an advisor, Chamberlain, Grand Master of Fr ...

and treasurer Nicolas Béhuchet, assisted by Genoese

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

galleys under Egidio Bocanegra, on the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

coast. The French fleet is virtually destroyed, and both of its commanders are killed. **

Valdemar IV of Denmark Valdemar IV Atterdag (the epithet meaning "Return of the Day"), or Waldemar (132024 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance ...

, son of deceased King Christopher II, is elected to the throne, following 8 years of interregnum. *

July 26 Events Pre-1600 * 657 – First Fitna: In the Battle of Siffin, troops led by Ali ibn Abu Talib clash with those led by Muawiyah I. * 811 – Battle of Pliska: Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I is killed and his heir Staurakios is se ...

– Hundred Years' War: French defeat the English at the

Battle of Saint-Omer The Battle of Saint-Omer, fought on 26 July 1340, was a major engagement in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War, during Edward III's 1340 summer campaign against France launched from Flanders. The campaign was initiated in the aftermath o ...

. *

September 25 Events Pre-1600 * 275 – For the last time, the Roman Senate chooses an emperor; they elect 75-year-old Marcus Claudius Tacitus. * 762 – Led by Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, the Hasanid branch of the Alids begins the Alid Revolt ag ...

– Hundred Years' War: The temporary Truce of Espléchin is signed between England and France. *

October 30 Events Pre-1600 * 637 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Antioch surrenders to the Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of the Iron Bridge. * 758 – Guangzhou is sacked by Arab and Persian pirates. *1137 – Ranulf of Apulia defeats Ro ...

–

Battle of Río Salado The Battle of Río Salado also known as the Battle of Tarifa (30 October 1340) was a battle of the armies of King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile against those of Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of the Marinid dynasty and Yusuf I ...

in Spain: The kings of Castile and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

defeat the Nasrid ruler of Granada and his Moroccan allies. *

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

has about 74 million inhabitants. *An epidemic in northern Italy, recorded by Augustine of Trent in his ''Epistola astrologica'' * Bohemian Crusade: The Church authorizes a military expedition against heretics. *The

Monarchy of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the w ...

reaches its 2000 year anniversary (according to traditional starting dates).

Births

* March 5 –

Cansignorio della Scala Cansignorio della Scala (5 March 1340 – 19 October 1375) was Lord of Verona from 1359 until 1375, initially together with his brother Paolo Alboino. Biography He inherited the lordship of Verona at the death of his father Mastino, together wit ...

, Lord of Verona (d.

1375 Year 1375 ( MCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * April 14 – The Mamluks from Egypt complete their conquest of the Armenian Kingdo ...

) *

March 6 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. * 845 & ...

– John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (d. 1399) *

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

–

Haakon VI Haakon VI of Norway ( no, Håkon, sv, Håkan; August 1340 – 11 September 1380), also known as ''Håkan Magnusson'', was King of Norway from 1343 until his death and King of Sweden between 1362 and 1364. He is sometimes known as ''Haakon Magnus ...

, king of Norway 1355–

1380 Year 1380 ( MCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February – Olaf II of Denmark also becomes Olaf IV of Norway, with his mother M ...

and of Sweden

1362 Year 1362 ( MCCCLXII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 1 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania switches New Year to January 1, before ...

–

1364 Year 1364 ( MCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 15 – Joint kings Magnus Eriksson and Haakon Magnusson of Sweden are both ...

(d.

) *

October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôc ...

–

Geert Groote Gerard Groote (October 1340 – 20 August 1384), otherwise ''Gerrit'' or ''Gerhard Groet'', in Latin ''Gerardus Magnus'', was a Dutch Catholic deacon, who was a popular preacher and the founder of the Brethren of the Common Life. He was a key fi ...

, Dutch founder of the Brethren of the Common Life (d.

1384 Year 1384 ( MCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * May – September 3 – Siege of Lisbon by the Castilian army, during the ...

) *

November 30 Events Pre-1600 * 978 – Franco-German war of 978–980: Holy Roman Emperor Otto II lifts the siege of Paris and withdraws. 1601–1900 *1707 – Queen Anne's War: The second Siege of Pensacola comes to end with the failure of the Br ...

–

John, Duke of Berry John of Berry or John the Magnificent (French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was Regent of France during the minority of his nephew 1380-1388 ...

, son of

John II of France John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed ...

(d.

1416 Year 1416 ( MCDXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 27 – The Republic of Ragusa is the first state in Europe to outlaw slaver ...

) * ''date unknown'' **

Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy Enguerrand VII de Coucy, (1340 – 18 February 1397), also known as Ingelram de Coucy and Ingelram de Couci, was a medieval French nobleman and the last Lord of Coucy. He became a son-in-law of King Edward III of England following his marria ...

(d. 1397) **

John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) ( cs, Jan Nepomucký; german: Johannes Nepomuk; la, Ioannes Nepomucenus) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was the saint of Bohemia (Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of Wenceslaus ...

, saint of Bohemia (d.

1393 Year 1393 ( MCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events * January 28 – Bal des Ardents: Four members of the court of Charles VI of France die in a fire, at a masq ...

) **

Narayana Pandit Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita ( sa, नारायण पण्डित) (1340–1400) was an Indian mathematician. Plofker writes that his texts were the most significant Sanskrit mathematics treatises after those of Bhaskara II, other than the K ...

, Indian mathematician (d.

1400 Year 1400 (Roman numerals, MCD) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The year 1400 was not a leap year in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. Events January–December * Henry ...

) * ''probable'' ** Margaret Drummond, queen consort of Scotland (d.

) **

Philip van Artevelde Philip van Artevelde (c. 1340 – 27 November 1382) was a Flemish patriot, the son of Jacob van Artevelde. Because of his father's prominence he was godson of English queen Philippa of Hainault, who held him in her arms during his baptism. La ...

, Flemish patriot (d.

1382 Year 1382 ( MCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 20 – Princess Anne of Bohemia, a daughter of the late Charles IV, H ...

)

Deaths

* March 31 –

Ivan I of Moscow Iván I Danilovich Kalitá (Russian: Ива́н I Данилович Калита́; 1 November 1288 – 31 March 1340 or 1341Basil Dmytryshyn, ''Medieval Russia:A source book, 850-1700'', (Academic International Press, 2000), 194.) was Grand D ...

(b.

1288 Year 1288 ( MCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * June 5 – Battle of Worringen: Dutch forces under Duke John I (the Victoriou ...

) * April 5 – William Melton, English archbishop *

April 6 Events Pre–1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus. * 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia. *13 ...

– Emperor Basil Megas Komnenos of Trebizond *

April 7 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town. * 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...

–

Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia Yuri II Boleslav ( uk, Юрій-Болеслав Тройденович, translit=Yurii-Boleslav Troidenovych; pl, Bolesław Jerzy II; c. 1305/1310 – April 7, 1340), was King of Ruthenia and Dominus of the lands of Galicia–Volhynia (1325 ...

(b.

1308 Year 1308 ( MCCCVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * November 13 – The Teutonic Knights capture Gdańsk by treachery – while a B ...

) *

December 2 Events Pre-1600 *1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon. * 1409 – The University of Leipzig opens. 1601–1900 *1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren followin ...

–

Geoffrey le Scrope Sir Geoffrey le Scrope (1285 – 2 December 1340) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench for four periods between 1324 and 1338. Life He was the son of Sir William le Scrope, who was bailiff to the earl of Richmond in R ...

, Chief Justice of King Edward III of England *

December 4 Events Pre-1600 * 771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom. * 963 – The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 ...

–

Henry Burghersh Henry Burghersh (1292 – 4 December 1340), was Bishop of Lincoln (1320-1340) and served as Lord Chancellor of England (1328–1330). He was a younger son of Robert de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh (died 1306), and a nephew of Bartholomew de ...

, English bishop and chancellor (b. 1292) *

December 20 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian. * 1192 – Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England a ...

–

John I, Duke of Bavaria John I of Bavaria (29 November 1329–20 December 1340), was the Duke of Lower Bavaria since 1339. John I was the son of Henry XIV, Duke of Lower Bavaria, and Margaret of Bohemia. His maternal grandparents were John I of Bohemia and Elisabeth o ...

(b.

1329 Year 1329 ( MCCCXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 1 – King John of Bohemia (of the Teutonic Order) captures Medvėgali ...

) * ''date unknown'' –

Simonida Simonida Nemanjić ( sr-cyr, Симонида Немањић; c. 1294 – after 1336), born Simonis Palaiologina ( el, Σιμωνίς Παλαιολογίνα, sr. Симонида Палеолог, ''Simonida Paleolog''), was a Byzantine princes ...

, queen consort of Serbia (b.

1294 Year 1294 ( MCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events Asia * February 18 – Kublai Khan dies; by this time the separation of the four khanates of the Mongol Empire ...

)

References

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