1356

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Year 1356 (MCCCLVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

January–December

• January 20 – Edward Balliol surrenders his title as King of Scotland to Edward III of England.
• September 19 – Battle of Poitiers: The English, commanded by Edward, the Black Prince, defeat the French in the Hundred Years' War, capturing King John II of France.
• October 17 – Erik XII proclaims himself king of Sweden, in opposition to his father, king Magnus IV. Thus begins a civil war in Sweden between father and son, which will last until Erik's death in 1359.
• October 18 (St Luke's Day) – The Basel earthquake destroys the city of Basel in Switzerland, the most significant earthquake in central Europe in recorded history.
• December 25 – Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, promulgates the Golden Bull, a form of constitution for his empire.

Date unknown

• The city of Lwów is granted Magdeburg rights by Casimir III of Poland.
• The majority of the Great Pyramid of Giza's limestone casing stones are removed by Bahri Sultan An-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan to build fortresses and mosques in the nearby city of Cairo, leaving the first of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in the step-stone condition in which it remains today.
• Burnt Candlemas: Edward III of England burns down every town and village in Lothian, Scotland.
• The Hanseatic League, a trading alliance between many cities in northern Europe, is officially founded.
• Ghazan II replaces Anushirwan as ruler of the Ilkhanate in Persia.
• Zhu Yuanzhang, one of the leaders in the Red Turban Rebellion, captures the city of Nanjing from the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in China; from then on it becomes his base of power and the capital of a new dynasty he will establish in 1368, the Ming dynasty.
• Probable completion of Castelvecchio Bridge in Verona; its main span of 48.7 m is the world's longest arch at this time.

Births

• July 29 – Martin of Aragon (d. 1410)
• date unknown – Robert IV of Artois, Count of Eu (d. 1387)

Deaths

• June 23 – Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut (b. 1311)
• September 19 – Killed at the Battle of Poitiers:
  • Peter I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1311)
  • Walter VI, Count of Brienne, Constable of France (b. 1304)
• date unknown
  • Harihara I, founder of the Vijayanagara Empire
  • Zheng Yunduan, Chinese poet (b. c. 1327)

References