On This Day: May 1st

The Act of Union joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect.

Henry Morgan's raid on Lake Maracaibo: the Spanish Armada de Barlovento is defeated by an English Privateer fleet led by Captain Henry Morgan.

The Edict of Expulsion is officially proclaimed in Castile, requiring all Jewish residents to leave within three months.

Christopher Columbus presents his plans for discovering a western route to the Indies to the Spanish Queen Isabella I of Castile.

Scottish Royal forces loyal to King James II defeat a rebel army of the Black Douglases in the battle of Arkinholm.

Wars of Scottish Independence end: By the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton, England recognises Scotland as an independent state.

Norman mercenaries land at Bannow Bay in Leinster, marking the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland.

The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.

A synod in Carthage condemns Pelagianism.

Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.