1301
Charles of Valois enters Florence
Invited by Boniface VIII as peacemaker, Charles disarmed the White Guelphs and let the Blacks loose on their rivals. Dante Alighieri, away on embassy to Rome, was condemned in absentia to exile and death by fire. The poet would never see Florence again, but exile would give Europe the Commedia and Italian literature its founding masterpiece.
Delhi Sultanate conquers Ranthambore
Alauddin Khalji's armies stormed the great Rajput fortress perched on its mesa, ending the defiance of Hammiradeva. The sultan deployed siege engines and cutting off water supplies to break the garrison's will. The fall of Ranthambore opened Rajasthan to Delhi's tax collectors and signaled that no Hindu stronghold, however high its walls or fierce its garrison, could resist Khalji ambition indefinitely.
Temür Öljeytü Khan ascends the Yuan throne
Kublai Khan's grandson took the Dragon Throne in Khanbaliq, inheriting an empire that spanned steppe and paddy. He continued his grandfather's patronage of Tibetan Buddhism and maintained the elaborate postal relay system binding the provinces. His reign would bring a brief Indian summer of stability to Mongol China - the last before court factions, fiscal crisis, and Yellow River floods cracked the dynasty from within.
Andrew III of Hungary dies, Arpad line extinguished
The last golden twig of the Arpads withered in Buda. Andrew left no male heir, and Hungary plunged into a scramble among Angevin, Bohemian, and Bavarian claimants, each backed by rival factions of the Hungarian baronage. It would take fourteen years before Charles Robert of Anjou tamed the barons and set Hungary's fourteenth-century course.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1301?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1301. The most significant is Charles of Valois enters Florence: Invited by Boniface VIII as peacemaker, Charles disarmed the White Guelphs and let the Blacks loose on their rivals.
What era was 1301 part of?
1301 falls within the Late Middle Ages (1301-1500). Plague, papal schism, and the seeds of nation-states.
Which regions saw notable events in 1301?
The curated events from 1301 span Europe, South Asia and East Asia.