Editing 1346 (section)

== Europe ==

=== Scandinavia ===
In 1346 Denmark sold Northern Estonia ([[Danish Estonia]]) to the [[Teutonic Knights]] following the end of an uprising and conflict between the pro-Danish party (bishop Olaf of Lindanise) and the pro-German party (captain [[Marquard Breide]]), called the [[St. George's Night Uprising]]. The Danish dominions in were sold for 10,000 [[mark (weight)|marks]] to the [[Livonian Order]], ignoring the promise by [[Christopher II of Denmark|Christopher II]] in 1329 never to abandon or sell its Estonian territories. The King of Denmark even made a public statement "repenting" for that broken promise, and asked forgiveness from the [[Pope Clement VI|pope]].<ref>Bousfield, Jonathan. ''The Rough Guide to the Baltic States''. Rough Guides Limited, 2004. {{ISBN|1-85828-840-1}} pp. 416</ref>

[[File:Orhan I.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Ottoman emir Orhan married Byzantine princess Theodora in 1346]]

=== Balkans and Asia Minor ===
In the [[Balkans]], on [[April 16]] (Easter Sunday), [[Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia|Stefan Dušan]] was crowned in [[Skopje]] as [[Tsar]] of the new [[Serbian Empire]], which now occupied much of southeastern Europe.<ref name = "dusan"/> Also in 1346, both Bulgaria and Byzantium (which at this time covered most of Greece) were in the middle of a series of civil wars. At the same time, the Christian-held islands and possessions around the Aegean Sea were subject to Turkish raids.<ref name = turk>Theunissen, Hans. "Ottoman-Venetian Diplomatics: The cAhd-Names." ''Electronic Journal of Oriental Studies.'' 1.2 University of Utrecht (1998)</ref>

Orhan, the Ottoman Turkish prince of [[Bithynia]] was married to Theodora, daughter of Emperor [[John VI Kantakouzenos]].<ref name="Cyril267">{{cite book|last=Mango|first=Cyril|title=The Oxford History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Oxford UP|year=2002|page=267}}</ref> The Greek clergy believed that the marriage of a Christian princess and a prominent Muslim would increase the region's power. Orhan already had several other wives, and although Theodora was permitted to keep her religion, she was required to spend the rest of her life in an Islamic harem. Kantakouzenos hoped that Orhan would become his ally in any future wars, but Orhan, like his fellow Turks, became his enemy in the Genoese war. As part of the alliance, the Ottoman prince was permitted to sell the Christians he had captured at Constantinople as slaves in the public market.<ref name="Cyril267"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Gibbon|first=Edward|title=The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/gibbon/decline/files/volume2/chap64.htm#Europe|access-date=2008-07-05}}</ref>

=== Central ===
[[File:Karl IV. (HRR).jpg|upright|thumb|Charles IV, elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1346]]
On [[July 11]], [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] of [[Luxembourg]] was elected emperor of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In consequence of an alliance between his father and [[Pope Clement VI]], the relentless enemy of the emperor [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]], Charles was chosen Roman [[Antiking|king in opposition]] to Louis by some of the princes at [[Rhens]]. He had previously promised to be subservient to Clement, he confirmed the papacy in the possession of wide territories, promised to annul the acts of Louis against Clement, to take no part in Italian affairs, and to defend and protect the church.<ref name = charles/>

Charles IV was at this time in a very weak position in Germany. Owing to the terms of his election, he was derisively referred to by some as a "priest's king" (Pfaffenkönig). Many bishops and nearly all of the Imperial cities remained loyal to Louis the Bavarian. Charles further endangered his high position when he backed the losing side in the Hundred Years' War. He lost his father and many of his best knights at the [[Battle of Crécy]] in August 1346. He himself was wounded on the same field.<ref name = charles/>
<!-- The acquisition of these territories and his restless foreign policy had earned Louis many enemies among the German princes. In the summer of 1346 the [[House of Luxembourg|Luxemburg]] [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] was elected rival king, with the support of [[Pope Clement VI]]. Louis himself obtained much support from the [[Imperial Free City|Imperial Free Cities]] and the [[knight]]hood and successfully resisted Charles, who was widely regarded as a papal puppet ("rex clericorum" as William of Ockham called him). Also the Habsburg dukes stayed loyal to Louis. In the Battle of Crécy, Charles' father [[John I, Count of Luxemburg|John of Luxemburg]] was killed; Charles himself also took part in the battle but escaped. Prague became the new capital of Bohemia under Charles, who began rebuilding the city after the style of Paris -->

Meanwhile, in Italy a number of banks in Florence collapsed due to internal problems in Florence, contributed by King [[Edward III of England]] defaulting on some of his loans. Most notably, the [[Bardi family]] went bankrupt in this year.<ref>Hunt, Edwin; "Dealings of the Bardi and Peruzzi" Journal of Economic History, 50, 1 (1990).</ref><ref>Sumption, Jonathan. The Hundred Years War: Trial by Battle. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. {{ISBN|0-8122-1655-5}} pg. 489–490</ref><ref name = "italy"/> Italy also suffered a famine, making it difficult for the Papacy to recruit troops for the attack on Smyrna.<ref name = "italy">Hearder, Harry and Jonathan Morris. Italy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-521-00072-6}} pp. 97.</ref><ref>Housley, Norman. The Avignon Papacy and the Crusades, 1305–1378. Oxford Eng.: Clarendon, 1986. {{ISBN|0-19-821957-1}} pp. 235.</ref> The Venetians, however, organized an alliance uniting several European parties (''Sancta Unio''), composed notably of the [[Knights Hospitaller]], which carried out five consecutive attacks on İzmir and the Western Anatolian coastline controlled by Turkish states.<ref name = turk/> In the realm of technology, papermaking reached Holland,<ref>Lewis, Charlton. China. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 
{{ISBN|0-07-141279-4}} pp. 87</ref> and firearms made their way to Northern Germany in this year. The earliest records in the area place them in the city of Aachen.<ref>Delbrück, Hans et al. ''History of the Art of War''. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990. {{ISBN|0-8032-6586-7}} pp. 28.</ref><ref>Nossov, Konstantin. ''Ancient and Medieval Siege Weapons''. The Lyons Press, 2005. {{ISBN|1-59228-710-7}} pp. 209.</ref>

=== Western Europe ===
On July 11, King Edward III crossed the English Channel and arrived in Normandy the following day<ref>{{Cite book|last=Prestwich|first=Michael|title=Plantaganet England 1225- 1360|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=9780199226870|location=New York|pages=315}}</ref> with 1,600 ships. He took the ports of La Hogue and Barfleur with overwhelming force and continued inland towards Caen, taking towns along the way. The French mounted a defence at Caen, but were ultimately defeated. The French had been planning to cross the channel and invade England with a force of about 14,000 led by Jean le Franc, but Edward's attack forced them onto the defensive.<ref name = "knighton">Knighton, Henry. ''Knighton's Chronicle 1337–1396''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995. {{ISBN|0-19-820503-1}} pp. 52–75</ref>

[[File:Battle of crecy froissart.jpg|thumb|left|Battle of Crecy, 1346]]
The French king, [[Philip VI of France|Philippe VI]], destroyed several bridges to prevent Edward's advance, but the English took the town of Poissy in August and repaired its bridge in order to advance. The French king mounted a defence near the forest at [[Crécy-en-Ponthieu|Crécy]], which ended in another English victory. Edward then proceeded to Calais, laying siege to the city from September 4. Meanwhile, Jean de France, King Philippe's son, besieged the city of Aigullon, but with no success. Philippe also urged the Scots to continue the fight against England to the north. The Scots, believing that the English were preoccupied with Calais, marched into England toward Durham in October, but were met and defeated by an English force of knights and clergymen at the [[Battle of Neville's Cross]], and King David of Scotland was captured. The Irish also mounted a brief resistance, but were similarly defeated. Before the end of the year, Edward also captured [[Poitiers]] and the towns surrounding Tonnay-Charente.<ref name = "knighton"/><ref>Ayton, Andrew. ''The English Army and the Normandy Campaign of 1346''. {{ISBN|1-85285-083-3}} pp. 253–268</ref>

For his role in the [[Battle of Crécy]], [[Edward, the Black Prince]], Philippe VI honoured the bravery of [[John I, Count of Luxemburg]] and King of [[Bohemia]] (also known as [[John of Bohemia|John the Blind]]) by adopting his arms and motto: "''Ich Dien''" or "I Serve". John's decades of fighting had already made his name widely known throughout Europe, and his heroic death at Crécy became the subject of legend, recorded by writers such as Froissart.<ref>{{cite book|title=Festivities, Ceremonies, and Rituals in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown in the Late Middle Ages|editor1=František Šmahel|editor2=Martin Nodl|editor3=Václav Žůrek|ISBN=9789004514010|publisher=Brill|year=2022|page=109}}</ref>