1312
Mansa Musa ascends the throne of Mali
The new mansa inherited from Abu Bakr II an empire stretching from the Atlantic to Gao, enriched by Bure gold fields whose output dominated West African commerce. A devout Muslim and shrewd administrator, Musa would make Mali famous from Andalusia to Persia, and would empty Egypt's markets of gold during a single generous pilgrimage that astonished the Islamic world.
Order of the Temple suppressed
In the bull Vox in excelso, Clement V dissolved the Templars without a heresy verdict, their lands nominally transferred to the Hospitallers. In practice, Philip IV kept the cash. A two-century military order that had bankrolled kings and crusades, garrisoned castles from Scotland to Cyprus, ceased to exist between breakfast and dinner.
Henry VII crowned emperor in Rome
The Luxembourg king rode into a Rome torn between Guelph and Ghibelline factions and took his crown at the Lateran rather than St. Peter's, because Angevin troops held the Vatican quarter. Dante hailed him as a messianic savior who might restore imperial justice to Italy. Henry died of malaria in Tuscany the following summer.
Piers Gaveston beheaded at Blacklow Hill
Captured by the Earl of Warwick, Edward II's Gascon favorite was tried on the spot and beheaded on a Warwickshire hill by two Welsh soldiers. The king wept inconsolably. His court lost its most flamboyant figure. The political consequences of the lynching poisoned baronial-royal relations for the rest of the reign and set the stage for Edward's own deposition.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1312?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1312. The most significant is Mansa Musa ascends the throne of Mali: The new mansa inherited from Abu Bakr II an empire stretching from the Atlantic to Gao, enriched by Bure gold fields whose output dominated West African…
What era was 1312 part of?
1312 falls within the Late Middle Ages (1301-1500). Plague, papal schism, and the seeds of nation-states.
Which regions saw notable events in 1312?
The curated events from 1312 span Africa and Europe.