Year by year · 13th century

1279

1279 in world history: 5 events, 4 deaths and 2 states that came to an end. 743 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 19 March

    Mongol fleet destroys the last Song forces at Yamen

    In a sea battle off the Pearl River delta, Yuan forces crushed the Song navy. The minister Lu Xiufu jumped into the sea with the child emperor, completing Kublai Khan's conquest of China.

    Kublai Khan

  2. Battle

    Battle of Yamen

    The Battle of Yamen was a naval battle fought in March 1279 off the southern coast of China, in which the Yuan fleet destroyed the last loyalist fleet of the Song Dynasty.

ProfileState667 states with a known seat in 1279Open the atlas at 1279 →

In the profiles

  • Song DynastyThe loyalist fleet is destroyed at Yamen, ending the Song Dynasty
  • Yuan DynastyThe last Song loyalist fleet is destroyed at Yamen, leaving the Yuan masters of all China

Wars and longer events

Died in 1279 4

States that came to an end 2

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1279. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1279
MLA
“1279.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1279. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1279.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1279.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1279’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1279 (Accessed: ).