F-YEAH HISTORY

ON THIS DAY: 10th October 1471 - The Battle of Brunkeberg The Battle of Brunkeberg was fought on 10 October 1471 between the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder and forces led by Danish King Christian I.

Earliest picture of a European cannon, "De Nobilitatibus Sapientii Et Prudentiis Regum" by Walter de Milemete, 1326 "Walter de Milemete was an English scholar who created the first Western illustration of a firearm. The drawing, which depicts a small cannon for firing arrows, appeared in Walter's De officiis regnum (1326). Firearms had been used in the 1324 siege of the German town of Metz, and in 1326 a Florentine document mentioned a bronze gun capable of firing iron balls."

Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello (1397–1475) The Battle of San Romano was fought on June 1st 1432, some 30 miles outside Florence, between the troops of Florence, commanded by Niccolò da Tolentino, and Siena, under Francesco Piccinino. The outcome is generally considered favourable to the Florentines, but in the Sienese chronicles it was considered a victory. As the 1430s began Florence had found itself in conflict with the rival city state of Lucca, and her allies, Siena and Milan.

The Florentine deployed about 4,000 horse and 2,000 infantry. The clash, which lasted for some six or seven hours, consisted of a series of heavy cavalry fights. It was decided by the intervention of a second cavalry corps commanded by Micheletto Attendolo.

15th-century miniature showing Queen's Isabeau's 1435 funeral cortege on the Seine, from the chronicle of Martial d'Auvergne Isabeau of Bavaria (also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – 24 September 1435) was Queen of France as the wife of King Charles VI, whom she married in 1385. She was born into the old and prestigious House of Wittelsbach, the eldest daughter of Duke Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt and Taddea Visconti of Milan. Isabeau was sent to France when she was around 15 or 16, on approval to the young French king who liked her enough to marry her three days after meeting her.

Seal of Elizabeth of Holstein-Rendsburg Elizabeth of Holstein-Rendsburg (c. 1300 - before 1340) was, by two consecutive marriages, duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg and junior queen of Denmark.

A member of the House of Schauenburg, Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry I, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg, and Heilwig of Bronckhorst. Her first husband was John II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, whom she married in c. 1315. Elizabeth gave birth to a son who succeeded her husband as Albert IV, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, but she ruled the duchy as regent due to his minority.

In 1330, Duchess Elizabeth married Eric, junior king of Denmark, the son of her brother Gerhard's enemy, King Christopher II of Denmark. The couple had no children and the marriage was dissolved the next year. Her former husband died in war with Holstein in 1332.

NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 106 front, c. 1205-1207 NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 106, Seal: Man in armour and nasal helm with a shield with a boss holding a sword up in his right hand on a horse galloping to the right.

Image and description source: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales.

Earliest known depiction of Polish King Mieszko II Lambert with Duchess Matilda of Swabia Mieszko II Lambert,  (born 990—died May 10, 1034), king of Poland from 1025 to 1034, grandson of Mieszko I. He was dominated by his wife, the German Ryxa (or Richeza), the niece of the emperor Otto III. Complications ensued from his political alliances with the German emperors and Saxon aristocracy, and he let the achievements of his father, Bolesław I, crumble. Much territory was lost to Bohemia and to the Holy Roman Empire. At his death, Poland fell into anarchy.

Bojo Jinul Bojo Jinul (1158–1210), often called Jinul or Chinul for short, was a Korean monk of the Goryeo period, who is considered to be the most influential figure in the formation of Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism. He is credited as the founder of the Jogye Order, by working to unify the disparate sects in Korean Buddhism into a cohesive organisation.

Depiction of the Battle of Ellandun The Battle of Ellandun was fought between Egbert of Wessex and Beornwulf of Mercia in September 825. Sir Frank Stenton described it as "one of the most decisive battles of English history". It effectively ended Mercian supremacy over the southern kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England and establishing West Saxon dominance in southern England.

Anglo-Norman 12th-century gaming piece, illustrating soldiers presenting a sheep to a figure seated on a throne On this richly carved game piece, two soldiers, shown with swords and shields, present a sheep to an enthroned figure with a scepter in his hands The dark stone inlay used for the figures' eyes and the deep, fine carving indicate costly workmanship. The upper portion of the border is a modern restoration.

ON THIS DAY: 917 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Bulgarians led by Tsar Simeon I drove the Byzantines out of Thrace with a decisive victory in the Battle of Achelous (pictured). Click here to read more.

Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos, Latinised as Alexius I Comnenus (Greek: Ἀλέξιος Α' Κομνηνός, 1056 – 15 August 1118—note that some sources list his date of birth as 1048), was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. Inheriting a collapsing empire and faced with constant warfare during his reign against both the Seljuq Turks in Asia Minor and the Normans in the western Balkans, Alexios was able to halt the Byzantine decline and begin the military, financial, and territorial recovery known as the Komnenian restoration. His appeals to Western Europe for help against the Turks were also the catalyst that triggered the Crusades.

Lipscani shops around 1900. Photograph by Alexandru Antoniu Lipscani is a street and a district of Bucharest, Romania, which in the Middle Ages was the most important commercial center of Bucharest and the whole Wallachia. It is located near the ruins of the old Princely Court built by Vlad III the Impaler.

Engravings of Julius Caesar and Joshua, from a series of the Nine Worthies, c. 1550 The Nine Worthies are nine historical, scriptural and legendary personages who personify the ideals of chivalry as were established in the Middle Ages. All are commonly referred to as 'Princes' in their own right, despite whatever true titles each man may have held. In French they are called Les Neuf Preux, meaning "Nine Valiants", which term gives a slightly more focused idea of the sort of moral virtue they were deemed to represent so perfectly, that of soldierly courage and generalship. The study of the life of each would thus form a good education for the aspirant to chivalric status. In Italy they are i Nove Prodi.

The Nine Worthies include three good pagans: Hector, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, three good Jews: Joshua, David and Judas Maccabeus, and three good Christians: King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godfrey of Bouillon.

Leopold the Fair at the Battle of Mailberg Leopold II (German: Luitpold, 1050 – 12 October, 1095), known as Leopold the Fair (German: Luitpold der Schöne), was the Margrave of Austria from 1075 to his death in 1095. He was a member of the House of Babenberg.

ON THIS DAY: 1265 – Second Barons' War: Battle of Evesham – the army of Prince Edward (the future king Edward I of England) defeats the forces of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, killing de Montfort and many of his allies.

ON THIS DAY: 1423 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of Cravant – the French army is defeated by the English at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne.