1346

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	13th century 14th century 15th century
Decades:	1320s 1330s 1340s 1350s 1360s
Years:	1343 1344 1345 1346 1347 1348 1349

1346 in variouscalendars

Gregorian calendar	1346 MCCCXLVI
Ab urbe condita	2099
Armenian calendar	795 ԹՎ ՉՂԵ
Assyrian calendar	6096
Balinese saka calendar	1267–1268
Bengali calendar	753
Berber calendar	2296
English Regnal year	19Edw. 3– 20Edw. 3
Buddhist calendar	1890
Burmese calendar	708
Byzantine calendar	6854–6855
Chinese calendar	Ất dậuNiên (WoodRooster) 4043 or 3836 — to — Bính tuất niên (FireDog) 4044 or 3837
Coptic calendar	1062–1063
Discordian calendar	2512
Ethiopian calendar	1338–1339
Hebrew calendar	5106–5107
Hindu calendars
-Vikram Samvat	1402–1403
-Shaka Samvat	1267–1268
-Kali Yuga	4446–4447
Holocene calendar	11346
Igbo calendar	346–347
Iranian calendar	724–725
Islamic calendar	746–747
Japanese calendar	Jōwa2 ( trinh hòa ２ niên )
Javanese calendar	1258–1259
Julian calendar	1346 MCCCXLVI
Korean calendar	3679
Minguo calendar	566 beforeROC Dân tiền 566 niên
Nanakshahi calendar	−122
Thai solar calendar	1888–1889
Tibetan calendar	Âm mộc kê niên (female Wood-Rooster) 1472 or 1091 or 319 — to — Dương hỏa cẩu niên (male Fire-Dog) 1473 or 1092 or 320

Year1346(MCCCXLVI) was acommon year starting on Sunday(link will display the full calendar)of theJulian calendar.It was a year in the14th century,in the midst of a period known inEuropean historyas theLate Middle Ages.In Asia that year, theBlack Deathcame to the troops of theGolden HordeKhanate; the disease also affected theGenoeseEuropeans they were attacking, before spreading to the rest of Europe. In Central and East Asia, there was a series of revolts afterKazanKhan was killed in an uprising, and theChagatai Khanatebegan to splinter and fall; several revolts in China began what would eventually lead to the overthrow of theYuan dynasty.The Indian kingdom ofVijayanagarawon several victories over Muslim conquerors in the north in this year as well.

In Eastern Europe,Stefan Dušanwas proclaimedTsar of Serbiaon April 16 (Easter Sunday) at Skopje. In the nearbyByzantine Empire,the Ottoman emirOrhanmarried Byzantine princess Theodora as part of an alliance between her fatherJohn VI Kantakouzenosand the Ottomans. Ongoing civil wars in both Bulgaria and Byzantium continued. Denmark sold its portion ofNorthern Estoniato theLivonian Orderof theTeutonic Knightsafter finally quelling theSt. George's Night Uprising.In Central Europe,Charles IVofLuxembourgwas electedRoman Kingon July 11. A number of banking families in Italy, including theBardi family,faced bankruptcy in this year, and much of Italy suffered a famine. TheHundred Years' Warbetween theKingdom of Franceand theKingdom of Englandcontinued in Western Europe, asEdward III of Englandledan invasiononto the continent and won a number of victories.

Events

• Spring – A severeBubonic Plagueepidemic begins in theCrimea,marking the first major epidemic of theBlack Death.
• March 18– The French prepare to defend thechannelcoasts.
• April 1–August 20–Siege of Aiguillon:The French fail to takeAiguillonfrom its English defenders.
• April 16– TheSerbian Empireis proclaimed inSkopjebyDusan Silni,occupying much ofSoutheast Europe.
• May–June– An English invasion fleet assembles atPortsmouth.
• June 9–Battle of St Pol de Léon:The English army defeatsCharles of BloisinBrittany.
• June 15–Genoeseforces led bySimone Vignosoland on the Mediterranean island ofChiosand capture it from local Greek control within a week, apart from theCastle of Chios,which resists until 12 September.
• June 20– The English win a small victory atLa Roche-DerrieninBrittany.
• June 24– The leaders ofGhent,BrugesandYpresagree to supportEdward III.
• July–Edward IIIorders the closing of English ports to stop information from reachingFrance.
• July 3– The English fleet attempts to sail fromPortsmouthtoNormandy,but is forced back by contrary winds.
• July 11–Charles IV, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia,is electedKing of the Romans.
• July 11–12–Edward IIIand the English army cross theEnglish Channeland begin an invasion of France.
• July 12–18– The English raid and burn neighbouring towns and villages in theCotentin Peninsula.
• July 26–Battle of Caen (1346):An English army captures andsacksthe French city ofCaen.
• August 10–Jaume Ferrersets out fromMajorcafor the "River of Gold", theSenegal River.
• August 24–Battle of Blanchetaque:The English defeat the French.
• August 26–Battle of Crécy:The English defeat the French, in the first European battle where gunpowder is used.
• September 4– The English begin the siege ofCalais.
• September–October–Anglo-Gascon offensivesoverrun large parts of southwest France.
• October 4– The English capture andsackthe French city ofPoitiers.
• October 17–Battle of Neville's Cross:The English army defeats the Scots.
• October–November– SeveralMongoltowns in theCrimeaare cleared of inhabitants by theBlack Death.
• Repairs are made in theHagia Sophia.

Asia

Western Asia

TheGolden Horde's siege ofKaffacontinued through 1346, despite a number of obstacles. They were struck with theBlack Plagueand forced to retreat, although not until the following year. As one Russian historian records:

Citizens ofTournaibury plague victims. Miniature (c. 1353) fromThe Chronicles ofGilles Li Muisis

In the same year [1346], God's punishment struck the people in the eastern lands, in the town Ornach, and in Khastorokan, and in Sarai, and in Bezdezh, and in other towns in those lands; the mortality was great among the Bessermens, and among the Tartars, and among the Armenians and the Abkhazians, and among the Jews, and among the European foreigners, and among the Circassians, and among all who lived there, so that they could not bury them.

The many areas and peoples listed here represent much of Western Asia and theCaucasus.The "European foreigners" are those fighting with the Tartars in the Mongol-ledsiege of Kaffa.These Europeans would return to Europe the following year, carrying the plague with them. Travellers returning from the Crimea also carried the plague to Byzantium and Arabia, according to Greek and Arab scholars of the time.

Another account of the events in the Crimea reads:

It seemed to the besieged Christians as if arrows were shot out of the sky to strike and humble the pride of the infidels who rapidly died with marks on their bodies and lumps in their joints and several part, followed by putrid fever; all advice and help of the doctors being of no avail. Whereupon the Tartars, worn out by this pestilential disease, and falling on all sides as if thunderstruck, and seeing that they were perishing hopelessly, ordered the corpses to be placed upon their engines and thrown into the city of Kaffa. Accordingly were the bodies of the dead hurled over the walls, so that the Christians were not able to hide or protect themselves from this danger, although they carried away as many dead as possible and threw them into the sea. But soon the whole air became infected, and the water poisoned, and such a pestilence grew up that scarcely one out of a thousand was able to escape.

Modern scholars consider this one of the earliest, and most deadly,biological attacksin world history, though in the end the Mongols were forced to retreat.Early sources state that the plague began its spread in the spring of 1346 at theRiver Donnear the Black Sea, then spread throughout Russia, the Caucasus, and theGenovese provinceswithin the year.

Further south inGeorgia,King George the Brilliantdied and was succeeded by King David IX. King George V had managed to increase the Georgian realm to all of Transcaucasia. However, after 1346 the Kingdom began to decline, caused by George's death and the devastating spread of the plague throughout the area soon afterwards.

Central and East Asia

Central Asia was marked in 1346 by the continued disintegration of the Mongol's domains, as well as by Muslim expansion.KazanKhan,emperor of theChagatai Khanate,was killed by the forces ofQazaghanin this year, putting an end to the Chagtai Khanate's status as a unified empire. Qazghan was the leader of the group of Turkish nobles opposed to Mongol rule. Qazghan had been wounded by Kazan's forces earlier in the year, but rather than taking advantage of his opponent's weakness, Kazan retreated and many of his troops abandoned him.

To the east,Kashmirwas conquered byShah Mir,the first Muslim to rule the area.Kathmanduwas also conquered in this year.However, Muslim expansion did suffer some defeats in southern India. The Hindu kingdom ofVijayanagarain India conquered the Hoysalas and celebrated its "festival of victory", strengthening their status as a legitimate Hindu empire in opposition to Muslim rule in the north. The Delhi Sultanate in Northern India, Muhammad bin Tughluq, had a particular disdain for Hinduism, and theDeccanculture of the south. Telugu chieftains gathered in opposition to the Sultan in this year and celebrated victory.

Further east,Ibn Battutatraveled from Southeast Asia toKhanbaliq(Beijing) in China. Although the Muslim leaders there extended him a warm welcome, they advised him to leave the city soon. A civil war had caused the Khan to flee the city, and riots were becoming more and more widespread.Meanwhile, T'aigo Wangsa, a Korean Buddhist monk, traveled to China to receive training under the guidance of Buddhist leader Shih-wu. T'aigo later founded the T'aigo sect of Korean Buddhism.

Europe

Scandinavia

In 1346 Denmark sold Northern Estonia (Danish Estonia) to theTeutonic Knightsfollowing the end of an uprising and conflict between the pro-Danish party (bishop Olaf of Lindanise) and the pro-German party (captainMarquard Breide), called theSt. George's Night Uprising.The Danish dominions in were sold for 10,000marksto theLivonian Order,ignoring the promise byChristopher IIin 1329 never to abandon or sell its Estonian territories. The King of Denmark even made a public statement "repenting" for that broken promise, and asked forgiveness from thepope.

The Ottoman emir Orhan married Byzantine princess Theodora in 1346

Balkans and Asia Minor

In theBalkans,onApril 16(Easter Sunday),Stefan Dušanwas crowned inSkopjeasTsarof the newSerbian Empire,which now occupied much of southeastern Europe.Also in 1346, both Bulgaria and Byzantium (which at this time covered most of Greece) were in the middle of a series of civil wars. At the same time, the Christian-held islands and possessions around the Aegean Sea were subject to Turkish raids.

Orhan, the Ottoman Turkish prince ofBithyniawas married to Theodora, daughter of EmperorJohn VI Kantakouzenos.The Greek clergy believed that the marriage of a Christian princess and a prominent Muslim would increase the region's power. Orhan already had several other wives, and although Theodora was permitted to keep her religion, she was required to spend the rest of her life in an Islamic harem. Kantakouzenos hoped that Orhan would become his ally in any future wars, but Orhan, like his fellow Turks, became his enemy in the Genoese war. As part of the alliance, the Ottoman prince was permitted to sell the Christians he had captured at Constantinople as slaves in the public market.

Central

Charles IV, elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1346

OnJuly 11,Charles IVofLuxembourgwas elected emperor of theHoly Roman Empire.In consequence of an alliance between his father andPope Clement VI,the relentless enemy of the emperorLouis IV,Charles was chosen Romanking in oppositionto Louis by some of the princes atRhens.He had previously promised to be subservient to Clement, he confirmed the papacy in the possession of wide territories, promised to annul the acts of Louis against Clement, to take no part in Italian affairs, and to defend and protect the church.

Charles IV was at this time in a very weak position in Germany. Owing to the terms of his election, he was derisively referred to by some as a "priest's king" (Pfaffenkönig). Many bishops and nearly all of the Imperial cities remained loyal to Louis the Bavarian. Charles further endangered his high position when he backed the losing side in the Hundred Years' War. He lost his father and many of his best knights at theBattle of Crécyin August 1346. He himself was wounded on the same field.

Meanwhile, in Italy a number of banks in Florence collapsed due to internal problems in Florence, contributed by KingEdward III of Englanddefaulting on some of his loans. Most notably, theBardi familywent bankrupt in this year.Italy also suffered a famine, making it difficult for the Papacy to recruit troops for the attack on Smyrna.The Venetians, however, organized an alliance uniting several European parties (Sancta Unio), composed notably of theKnights Hospitaller,which carried out five consecutive attacks on İzmir and the Western Anatolian coastline controlled by Turkish states.In the realm of technology, papermaking reached Holland,and firearms made their way to Northern Germany in this year. The earliest records in the area place them in the city of Aachen.

Western Europe

On July 11, King Edward III crossed the English Channel and arrived in Normandy the following daywith 1,600 ships. He took the ports of La Hogue and Barfleur with overwhelming force and continued inland towards Caen, taking towns along the way. The French mounted a defence at Caen, but were ultimately defeated. The French had been planning to cross the channel and invade England with a force of about 14,000 led by Jean le Franc, but Edward's attack forced them onto the defensive.

Battle of Crecy, 1346

The French king,Philippe VI,destroyed several bridges to prevent Edward's advance, but the English took the town of Poissy in August and repaired its bridge in order to advance. The French king mounted a defence near the forest atCrécy,which ended in another English victory. Edward then proceeded to Calais, laying siege to the city from September 4. Meanwhile, Jean de France, King Philippe's son, besieged the city of Aigullon, but with no success. Philippe also urged the Scots to continue the fight against England to the north. The Scots, believing that the English were preoccupied with Calais, marched into England toward Durham in October, but were met and defeated by an English force of knights and clergymen at theBattle of Neville's Cross,and King David of Scotland was captured. The Irish also mounted a brief resistance, but were similarly defeated. Before the end of the year, Edward also capturedPoitiersand the towns surrounding Tonnay-Charente.

For his role in theBattle of Crécy,Edward, the Black Prince,Philippe VI honoured the bravery ofJohn I, Count of Luxemburgand King ofBohemia(also known asJohn the Blind) by adopting his arms and motto: "Ich Dien"or" I Serve ". John's decades of fighting had already made his name widely known throughout Europe, and his heroic death at Crécy became the subject of legend, recorded by writers such as Froissart.

Births

• July 20–Margaret, Countess of Pembroke,English princess, daughter of King Edward III of England (d. 1361)
• date unknown–Eustache Deschamps,French poet (d. 1406)

Deaths

• February 10– BlessedClare of Rimini(b. 1282)
• March 28–Venturino of Bergamo,Dominican preacher (b. 1304)
• August–Muhammad Aytimur,leader of the Sarbadars of Sabzewar (alternative date is September)
• August 26(killed in the Battle of Crécy):
  • Charles II, Count of Alençon(b. 1297)
  • Louis I, Count of Flanders(b. 1304)
  • Louis II, Count of Blois
  • John of Bohemia(b. 1296)
  • Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine(b. 1320)
• October–Raghnall Mac Ruaidhrí,Scottish magnate
• October 17(killed in the Battle of Neville's Cross):
  • John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
  • Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn
• November 14–Ostasio I da Polenta,Lord of Ravenna (assassinated)
• November 27– SaintGregory of Sinai(b. c. 1260)
• date unknown
  • Eustace Folville,English outlaw
  • Hélion de Villeneuve,Grand Master of the Knights of St John