1340 CE
A year defined by the decisive English naval victory at the Battle of Sluys, which gave England command of the English Channel in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War.
Conflict & Security
- The Battle of Sluys was fought on June 24 off the coast of Flanders, resulting in a devastating English victory over the French fleet that secured English naval dominance in the Channel.
- The English fleet under King Edward III destroyed or captured nearly the entire French fleet at Sluys, killing thousands of French sailors and soldiers in a fierce close-quarters engagement.
- The English victory at Sluys ensured that France could not mount a naval invasion of England and allowed Edward III to transport armies across the Channel for campaigns in France.
- The Battle of Rio Salado was fought on October 30 in southern Spain, where a combined Castilian and Portuguese force defeated a Marinid Moroccan army, ending the last major Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
Economy & Finance
- Edward III of England defaulted on massive loans from the Florentine banking houses of the Bardi and Peruzzi, contributing to their eventual collapse and a financial crisis in Italy.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 272 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
Culture & Society
- The estimated world population was approximately 378 million.