By place Europe •
July 2 –
Peace of Pressburg: Kings
Ottokar II and
Stephen V sign a peace agreement at
Pressburg, settling territorial claims, following the failed invasion of
Hungary by Ottokar in April. In the agreement, Stephen promises not to support Ottokar's opponents in
Carinthia, and Ottokar renounces the castles he and his partisans occupy in Hungary. •
August 21 – The counties of
Poitou and
Toulouse are absorbed into the French domains following the death of
Alphonse, Count of Poitiers, son of the late King
Louis VIII of France. • Construction of the
Tower of Kamyenyets (or the White Tower) in
Belarus begins. Later, it becomes a frontier stronghold on the northern border of
Volhynia. • The 17-year-old
Marco Polo departs from
Venice with his father and uncle
Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, to set off for
Asia to meet the Mongolian emperor
Kublai Khan (the grandson of
Genghis Khan) at his court in
Beijing,
China. They sail across the
Mediterranean Sea and travel overland, crossing
Armenia,
Persia and the
Pamir Mountains.
Levant • February – Mamluk forces led by Sultan
Baibars continue their territorial expansion in western
Syria and appear before
Safita Castle (called the
White Castle) built by the
Knights Templar. After a heroic defense, the small garrison is advised by Grand Master
Thomas Bérard to surrender. The survivors are allowed to withdraw to
Tortosa. • May–June – Baibars conducts an unsuccessful
siege of Tripoli, and also fails in an attempted naval invasion of
Cyprus. He sends an Egyptian fleet (some 20 ships) to
Limassol, while King
Hugh III of Cyprus ("the Great") has left for
Acre. Due to bad weather and seamanship, 11 ships run aground and the crews fall into the hands of the Cypriots. •
May 9 – English prince
the Lord Edward and King
Charles I of Anjou arrive in Acre, with a fleet of 30 galleys, starting
Lord Edward's crusade (the Ninth) against Baibars. During this crusade they are unable to capture any territory and peace is quickly negotiated with the
Mamluk Sultanate. Baibars consolidates his occupation in Syria. •
December 18 – Kublai Khan renames his empire "Great Yuan" (大元; dà yuán), officially marking the start of the
Yuan dynasty in China. • The
Nakhi Kingdom, of the northern
Himalayan foothills, is annexed by the Yuan dynasty (approximate date).
By topic Religion •
September 1 –
Pope Gregory X succeeds the late
Clement IV as the 184th pope of the
Catholic Church, as the compromise candidate between French and Italian cardinals, ending a
three-year conclave, the longest ever. == Births ==