1284

Events

War and politics

* King Charles II of Naples is captured in a naval battle off Naples by Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon.
* The Statute of Rhuddlan is created, formally incorporating Wales into England in the entity England and Wales.
* Battle of Meloria: The Italian city-state of Genoa defeats its rival Pisa, ending Pisa's marine power and hastening the city's decline in power.
* King Stefan Dragutin of Serbia receives Belgrade, Syrmia, and other territories from Hungary, when his son marries the king of Hungary's cousin.
* Mamluk sultan of Egypt Qalawun signs a 10-year truce with the Crusader city of Acre; he will violate the truce on pretexts in 1290.
* The Mongol Golden Horde, led by Nogai Khan, attacks Hungary a second time.
* The Kingdom of Germany imposes a trade embargo on Norway, due to the latter pillaging a German ship. The embargo cuts off vital supplies of grain, flour, vegetables and beer, causing a general famine. [http://eh.net/Clio/Conferences/ASSA/Jan_92/Greif,%20Milgrom,%20Winegast%20Abstra]

Culture

* The German city of Hamburg is destroyed by a fire.
* Peterhouse, the oldest college at the University of Cambridge, is founded by Hugo de Balsham.
* The Republic of Venice begins coining the ducat, a gold coin that is to become the standard of European coinage for the following 600 years.
* Construction on the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais is interrupted by a partial collapse of the choir; the event unnerves French masons working in the Gothic style.
* Jean de Meun translates Vegetius' 4th century military treatise "De Re Militari" from Latin into French.

Births

* April 25 - King Edward II of England (d. 1327)
* John I, Count of Holland (d. 1299)
* Count Edward of Savoy (d. 1329)

Deaths

* March 24 - Hugh III of Cyprus
* April 4 - King Alfonso X of Castile (b. 1221)
* August 19 - Alphonso, Earl of Chester, son of Edward I of England (b. 1273)
* Siger of Brabant, Flemish theologian
* Adelaide of Holland, regent of Holland
* Tekuder, Khan of the Mongol Empire
* Hōjō Tokimune, regent of Japan (b. 1251)

In legend

* June 26 - According to legend, the Pied Piper of Hamelin visits the German town of Hamelin and leads 130 children to their deaths, as told in the tales of the Brothers Grimm and many others.

Computing

IEEE 1284 - The infamous parallel port