The Gothic Belfry of Douai (1380): A…

The late Novgorodian Prince Alexander Nevsky is canonized locally in Vladimir in 1380.

Mamai, having concluded negotiations with Prince Jogaila of Lithuania and Russian prince Oleg of Ryazan, a fierce enemy to Dmitri, sets his camp on the shore of Don, waiting for the forces of his allies to arrive.

Dmitri, aware of the approaching armies of Lithuania and Ryazan, decides to attack Mamai immediately before he can be reinforced, and on the evening September 7, 1380, leads Russian forces across the Don.

At the lifting of thick fog around 11 AM, the armies battle for three hours.

The outnumbered Russian forces prevail, although suffering great casualties in holding off the Horde's attack.

The cavalry of Vladimir, Prince of Serpukhov (Dmitri's cousin), led by Dmitri Bobrok, Prince of Volynia, launches a flanking surprise counter-strike and achieves victory over the Horde forces.

Although this victory does not end the Tatar domination over Russia, it enhances the prestige of the grand duke of Moscow in the eyes of the other Russian rulers and has finally broken the age-long tradition of submission to the Khanate of the Blue Horde.

Despite Mamai's loss to Dmitri of Muscovy in 1380 and two subsequent failed attacks by Tokhtamysh, he continues to rule until his assassination in this year in Kaffa (Crimea) by the Genoese, who cannot forgive the total waste of a military unit of Genoese crossbowmen who had been slaughtered by the Russians at Kulikovo.

Tokhtamysh dreams of emulating his ancestors and makes plans to reunite the Ulus Jochi.

In 1380, he invades the Blue Horde by fording across the Volga and quickly annihilates an army sent by Muscovy.

The assassination of Mamai shortly after the Battle of Kulikovo makes Tokhtamysh's victory over the horde all the more easier.

Olaf, the six-year-old son of Margaret of Denmark and King Haakon VI of Norway, had been elected king of Denmark in 1376 ; on his father’s death in 1380, he inherits the crown of Norway as well.

The twenty-three-year-old Margaret, however, wields the real power in both realms.

Norway and Denmark are thus united in a personal union and are to have the same king, with the exception of short interregnums, until 1814.

After Olaf, no Norwegian king will be born on Norwegian soil for more than five hundred and fifty years, until the birth of prince Harald in 1937.

The old part of Warsaw (Stare Miasto), on the west bank of the Vistula, occupied since the tenth century and first documented in the twelfth century when it was the residence of the dukes of Mazovia, is built around the market square (Rynek) and is enclosed by walls erected in 1380.

Wallachia frees itself from Hungarian sovereignty in 1380.

Catherine of Siena during the Western Schism of 1378 had been an adherent of Pope Urban VI, who had summoned her to Rome.

Remaining at the papal court, she has tried to persuade nobles and cardinals of his legitimacy.

Although she will never learn to write, Catherine dictates several treatises on spiritual topics, the best known of which is “The Dialogue of Divine Providence.” Her collection of over three hundred surviving letters is considered one of the great works of early Tuscan literature.

She dies of a stroke on April 29, 1380, at thirty-three.

Pope Pius II will canonize Catherine in 1461.

Vettore Pisani directs the Venetian fleet in a successful blockade of Chioggia in the winter of 1380, then wins a series of minor naval engagements in the Adriatic.

The Genoese, suffering from the hunger and hardship they had intended for the Venetians, are forced to surrender and turn over their fleet; about four thousand Genoese become prisoners.

Olivier de Clisson Appointed Constable of France (1380–1392)

On November 28, 1380, King Charles VI of France, newly crowned at the age of twelve, appointed Olivier de Clisson as Constable of France, following the death of Bernard du Guesclin. Despite strong opposition from the King’s uncles—the Dukes of Berry and Burgundy—Clisson was supported by Louis I, Duke of Anjou, and ultimately secured the office.

The Appointment and Opposition

• Two other candidates declined the position, acknowledging that Clisson’s military experience made him the most qualified.
• As Constable of France, Clisson became the highest-ranking military officer, second only to the king in matters of war and defense.
• His appointment was opposed by the Dukes of Berry and Burgundy, who distrusted Clisson’s power and close ties to Anjou.

Powers and Privileges of the Constable

• The Constable of France had the right to:
  • Lead royal armies and command military campaigns.
  • Keep war loot, except for gold, silver, and prisoners, which belonged to the crown.
  • Influence state military strategy and noble alliances.
• Clisson’s tenure lasted from 1380 to 1392, during which he played a key role in French military efforts against the English and internal noble conflicts.

Impact and Legacy

• Clisson’s appointment reinforced the influence of the pro-Valois faction, as he continued Charles V’s strategy of harassing English forces in France.
• His leadership and experience in the Breton Wars and the Hundred Years' War made him a formidable military figure, feared by both English and rival French nobles.
• His later years as Constable of France would see him embroiled in political conflicts, eventually leading to his downfall in 1392.

The appointment of Olivier de Clisson as Constable of France in 1380 marked a continuation of the Valois military leadership, ensuring French forces remained in the hands of experienced commanders while deepening rivalries within the French nobility.