1274

Events

Europe

* May 7 - The Second Council of Lyons, held by the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church convenes to consider the conquest of the Holy Land via Crusades and address the East-West Schism with the Byzantine church. The Council eventually approves a tithe to support efforts to conquer the Holy Land from Muslims, and reaches apparent resolution of the schism which ultimately proves unsuccessful.
* November - The diet at Nuremberg orders that all crown estates seized since the death of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor be restored to Rudolph I of Germany; almost all European rulers agree, with the notable exception of King Otakar II of Bohemia, who had benefited greatly by conquering or otherwise coming into possession of many of those lands.
* Pope Gregory X decrees that conclaves (meetings during which the electors have no contact with the outside) should be used for papal elections, reforming the electoral process which had taken over 3 years to elect him.

England

* August 2 - King Edward I of England finally returns from the Ninth Crusade to England to be crowned king, 2 years after his father King Henry III's death.
**His interim chancellor and effective regent, Walter de Merton retires from royal service to make the final revisions to his statutes for the foundation of Merton College, Oxford and take up the post of Bishop of Rochester.
**One of Edward's first acts is to enforce a decree requiring all English Jews to wear yellow badges.
* The first main survey of the Hundred Rolls, an English census seen as a follow up to the Domesday Book completed in 1086, is begun; it lasts until 1275.

Italy

* Bonvesin de la Riva writes the didactic-allegoric poemet "Libro de le tre scritture" (Negra, Rubra, Aurea), the first text in ancient Western Lombard language (still similar to other Gallo-Italian languages), and one of the first great literary works in Italy. It tells about Hell, Christ's Passion and Paradise; this plot suggests Dante in his "Comedia".

Asia

* November 20 - The Mongol Empire attempts the first of several invasions of Japan (30,000 soldiers and support personnel sails from Korea); after the Mongols capture outlying islands, they are repulsed on the main island at the Battle of Bun'ei by amassed Japanese warriors and a strong storm which batters their forces and fleet. Credit for the storm — called a "kamikaze", or divine wind — is given by the Japanese to the god Raiden.
* Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism, enters a voluntary exile on Mount Minobu.

Births

* July 11 - Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland (d. 1329)
* Eric VI of Denmark (d. 1319)
* Saint Louis of Toulouse (d. 1297)
* Adam Murimuth, English ecclesiastic and chronicler (approximate date; d. 1347)
* Marchetto da Padova, Italian music theorist (approximate date)
* Imam Dhahabi

Deaths

* March 7 - Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italian Catholic theologian (b. 1225)
* June 25 - Nasir al-Din Tusi, Persian scientist and writer (b. 1201)
* July 15 - Bonaventure, Italian theologian and saint (b. 1221)
* August 15 - Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and founder of the Sorbonne (b. 1201)
* September 2 - Prince Munetaka, Japanese shogun (b. 1242)
* Henry III of Champagne
* Aedh mac Felim Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht