March 13

in History

Rome, Roman EmpireClassical

222

Elagabalus Murdered

Rome's most scandalous emperor meets his end

Emperor Elagabalus, whose brief and tumultuous reign had scandalized even Rome's jaded aristocracy, was murdered alongside his mother Julia Soaemias by the Praetorian Guard. His body was dragged through the streets and dumped in the Tiber. The Guard replaced him with his fourteen-year-old cousin Severus Alexander, hoping for a more conventional ruler. Elagabalus's reign remains one of the most bizarre and controversial episodes in Roman imperial history.

222 AD

Bloemfontein, South AfricaEarly 20th Century

1900

British Occupy Bloemfontein

An Orange Free State capital falls to the empire

British forces marched into Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War. The occupation of this strategically important city marked a significant British advance into Boer territory and signaled the shifting momentum of the war. For the Boers, the loss of their capital was a psychological blow, though their guerrilla resistance would continue for another two years across the South African veldt.

1900 AD

Late 20th Century

1954

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh.

The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh victory led to the end of the First Indochina War and French withdrawal from Vietnam.

1954 AD