Events in History
- Jan 26 English king Edward III proclaimed king of France
- Apr 1 Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III of Holstein in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.
- Jun 7 Rotterdam Netherlands founded
- Jun 24 English fleet destroys the French at the battle of Sluys (the Hundred Years' War)
- Sep 25 England & France sign disarmament treaty
- Oct 30 Battle of Rio Salado (or Tarifa): King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile defeat Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada, last Marīnids invasion of Iberian Peninsula
Historical Figures Born in 1340
- Mar 6 John of Gaunt, English son of King Edward III, 1st Duke of Lancaster, founder of the English royal House of Lancaster, born in Ghent (d. 1399)
- Jul 18 Philip van Artevelde, Flemish leader and wine salesman, born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1382)
- Nov 30 John, Duke of Berry, French art collector and third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg, born in Château de Vincennes, France (d. 1416)
Historical Figures Who Died in 1340
- Mar 31 Ivan I of Moscow, Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir (b. 1288)
- Jun 1 Jan III van Diest, bishop of Utrecht (1322-40), dies
- Oct 18 Henry Henricus of Friemar, Augustine philosopher, dies
- Dec 4 Henry Burghersh, English bishop and chancellor (b. 1292)
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