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rtrapasso -> RE: The THREAD!!! (6/16/2007 4:25:23 PM)
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Year 1270:
Hungary's Arpád king Béla IV dies May 3 at age 63 after a 35-year reign during which Mongol invasions have left three fourths of the country in ruins and Bohemia's Ottakar II has taken much of his territory; he is succeeded by his headstrong son Stephen (István), now 31, who will reign until his death in 1272 as Stephen V.
Genoese noblemen Oberto Spinola and Oberto Doria seize power as captains of the people (see 1262). The Fieschi family's Guelph party has allied itself with the French prince Charles d'Anjou, the people of Genoa have taken exception to the alliance, and the Ghibelline party will rule the city-state for 15 years under the leadership of Spinola and Doria.
Louis IX embarks from southern France in July at the head of an Eighth Crusade, arrives at Carthage after a 17-day voyage, but dies of plague August 25 along with his son Jean Tristan as his army is cut down by heat and disease. His brother Charles d'Anjou arrives with the Sicilian fleet and negotiates the evacuation of what remains of the army in payment for an indemnity. Louis will be canonized as St. Louis in 1297; survived by his widow, Marguerite de Provence, now 49, he is succeeded after a reign of nearly 44 years by his 25-year-old son, who will reign until 1285 as Philippe III.
Louis IX walls Carcassonne with an outer ring of fortifications before his departure. The city is considered impregnable and will not be attacked for centuries.
The German poet-minnesinger Tannhäuser dies at age 65.
Chinese astronomer Guo Shoujing (a.k.a. Kuo Shou-Ching) [b. 1231, d. 1314] builds the "simplified instrument," the first known astronomical device to use an equatorial mounting. The instrument is mounted to revolve parallel to Earth's axis. When aimed at a star, it keeps it in view despite Earth's rotation. The "simplified instrument" is made from bronze and weighs several tons. It is a form of the torquetum, an improvement of the armillary sphere first described by Ptolemy. See also 140 ce Astronomy; 1276 Astronomy.
Alchemist Arnold of Villanova [b. near Valencia (Spain), c. 1235, d. near Genoa (Italy), September. 6, 1311] about this time produces the first preparation of pure alcohol and also nearly discovers carbon monoxide*. See also 900 Food & agriculture.
*i wonder if he was prevented by fatal poisoning, perhaps... [X(] - no, guess not - he didn't die for several more years...
William of Moerbeke completes his translation of almost the complete works of Archimedes from Greek into Latin. See also 1260 Communication; 1277 Medicine & health.
Naturalist physician Witelo's Perspectiva ("perspectives") is a treatise on optics that deals with refraction, reflection, and geometrical optics. He rejects the notion that rays are emitted from the eye. See also 1020 Physics; 1604 Physics.
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