1369
Timur seizes Samarkand
The Barlas chief, having outmaneuvered his brother-in-law Husayn at every turn, took the great trade city as his capital. He would adorn it with mosques, observatories, and tile work imported from a half-dozen conquered civilizations, creating a showcase of imperial power and artistic synthesis. Samarkand was about to become the most splendid city in fourteenth-century Asia.
Hongwu abolishes the Yuan civil service exams
The new Ming emperor discarded the truncated Mongol examination system and spent years designing a new one based strictly on the Four Books in Zhu Xi's neo-Confucian interpretation. The resulting exam demanded rigorous mastery of classical texts and moral philosophy. It would define Chinese elite identity for the next five centuries and become the template for Korea and Vietnam.
Charles V resumes the Hundred Years' War
Citing repeated breaches of Bretigny by the Black Prince's harsh Aquitanian taxes, the French king formally appealed Edward III's vassalage and reopened hostilities. Du Guesclin, now Constable of France, was instructed to avoid pitched battles and recover ground town by town, castle by castle. The patient Fabian strategy worked, and within five years most of Aquitaine had returned to French control.
Valdemar IV dies and Denmark passes to Margaret's regency
The warrior-king who had clawed back Danish territory from the Hanseatic League and Swedish magnates died without a male heir. His daughter Margaret maneuvered her infant son onto the throne and began the political campaign that would culminate in the Kalmar Union - Scandinavia united under one extraordinary woman's will.
Peter I of Cyprus assassinated after sacking Alexandria
The crusading king who had raided Alexandria in 1365 - the last major crusade against Egypt - was murdered in his bed by his own knights, weary of his wars and tyranny. His death ended the last European monarch's serious attempt to revive the crusading movement against the Mamluk Sultanate.