1364
Charles V succeeds his father in France
Brought back to France after eight years as an English hostage, John II had died in London, unwilling to break parole. His thoughtful, sickly son Charles assumed the crown. Studious where his father had been chivalric, the new king would turn the war around with patience, taxes, and Du Guesclin.
Casimir III founds the University of Krakow
The Polish king, eager to give his kingdom the trappings of high European civilization, established a studium generale on the model of Bologna. The institution would later be refounded by Queen Jadwiga's bequest and become one of the great universities of Central Europe, training generations of clerks, mathematicians, and astronomers.
Battle of Cocherel: Du Guesclin's first victory
The Breton mercenary Bertrand du Guesclin defeated a Navarrese-Anglo-Gascon force in Normandy on the day of Charles V's coronation, an auspicious omen for the new king's reign. Du Guesclin used a feigned retreat to draw the enemy into a trap, a tactic he would refine. He would become Constable of France within six years and the architect of a slow, methodical French recovery.
Florentine merchant Francesco Datini begins ledgers
From a Prato house the merchant would keep an obsessive archive of letters, accounts, and contracts that would survive as medieval Europe's richest commercial record, comprising some one hundred fifty thousand documents. His motto, 'in the name of God and of profit,' neatly captured the spiritual dilemma of a commercial class that needed both.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1364?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1364. The most significant is Charles V succeeds his father in France: Brought back to France after eight years as an English hostage, John II had died in London, unwilling to break parole.
What era was 1364 part of?
1364 falls within the Late Middle Ages (1301-1500). Plague, papal schism, and the seeds of nation-states.
Which regions saw notable events in 1364?
The curated events from 1364 span Europe.