1356

Updated on Oct 13, 2024

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

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 affects northern Switzerland with a maximum MSK intensity of IX–X (Destructive–Devastating), leaving around 1,000 dead.

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.