Timeline January 1401

Events in January 1401 4

• 1401 Burning of Damascus by Timur Timurid forces destroy much of the city after a prolonged occupation Timur occupied Damascus from late 1400 and extracted a huge ransom before his troops looted and burned the city in January 1401. Skilled craftsmen were deported east to Samarkand, permanently weakening the city's economy. During the occupation Timur held a famous series of meetings with the historian Ibn Khaldun.
• 1401 Byzantine Emperor Manuel II visits the English court Manuel II Palaiologos seeks Western aid against the Ottomans in London Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, touring Western Europe to seek help against the besieging Ottoman Turks, was received at the English court of Henry IV in London over the winter of 1400 to 1401. He was the only reigning Byzantine emperor ever to visit England. Despite warm hospitality, his tour secured little concrete military aid for Constantinople.
• 1401 Ibn Khaldun meets Timur outside besieged Damascus The historian's audiences with the Central Asian conqueror While Timur was besieging Damascus, Ibn Khaldun was let down from the city walls to meet him and spent several weeks in his camp. He later wrote an account of their conversations, including a description of the Maghreb that he wrote for Timur.
• 1401 Union of Vilnius and Radom Lithuania and Poland renew their dynastic union under Vytautas and Jogaila Lithuanian nobles meeting at Vilnius on 18 January 1401 confirmed Vytautas as Grand Duke under the ultimate authority of King Jogaila of Poland, with Lithuania reverting to Poland if Vytautas died without an heir. Polish nobles ratified the agreement at Radom in March. The union strengthened cooperation between the two states ahead of renewed conflict with the Teutonic Knights.