15 September 1776 - The British Captured New York.

The British under Gen. William Howe seized Staten Island and Long Island in the summer of 1776 prior to an attack on New York at the southern end of York Island (Manhattan Island today). The defence of the city was led by George Washington who commanded a mere 500 men as many had deserted with the onset of autumn. 

On 15 September in an operation lasting several hours 9000 British troops landed in Kip's Bay on the east side of the island and despite Washington's efforts to rally his men and almost getting himself killed they entered the city after nightfall with minimal casualties, the Americans lost 50 killed. Washington withdrew to Harlem Heights where the battle for control of York Island rumbled on for months.    

16 September 1400 - The Revolt of Owain Glyndŵr.

The only serious revolt against English rule in Wales since the country had been conquered in the 1280s.

Glyndŵr came from a prominent Welsh family descended from the Princes of Powys. He served in the English army against the Scots in the 1380s before retiring to his estate at Sycharth, north east Wales. 

In 1399 King Richard II was deposed and replaced by King Henry IV who an animosity to the Welsh as they had supported King Richard in his final months. With the King's protection assured a neighbour of Glyndŵr's Baron Grey of Ruthin began to extend his lands at the cost of Glyndŵr whose complaints to the King were ignored. Glyndŵr took the drastic step of not only rebelling against English rule but proclaiming himself Prince of Wales at Sycharth in September 1400.

Within days the uprising had spread with the lands of Englishmen being seized or ravaged. The rebellion would reach its height in 1406 with Glyndŵr receiving emissaries from France and setting up a Welsh Parliament. It would only finally die down with his death in 1415. 

There are more people living in Greater London than the whole of Scotland and Wales combined

Was Richard II the first to be named Prince of Wales?

The first Prince of Wales was the future King Edward II who was given that title in 1301 aged 17. He had been born in Caernarvon Castle, those were the days when a King took his pregnant wife on campaign with him. 

It was adopted to counter the title Prince of Wales held by the last ruler of an independent Wales Llywelyn II who assumed that style in 1258. He was killed in battle in 1282. 

Some say it was to honour the Welsh, to give them a Prince of their own, but I think it was more of an English attempt to subjugate Wales - here is your new Prince of Wales and he's ENGLISH.   

17 September 1745 - The Jacobites entered Edinburgh.

Charles Stuart "Bonnie Prince Charlie" landed in Scotland with a small army of exiled Scots in July 1745 to claim the Throne for his father James Stuart. The young Prince, aged just 24, raised the Stuart standard and proclaimed his father James VIII, King of Scots.

His march south was unopposed, the English army in Scotland was woefully small and it took many weeks before a sizeable force could be sent north both by road and sea. Thus it was that the Jacobites, over 2000 strong, reached Edinburgh on 16 September giving the city 24 hours to surrender. Without a shot fired Edinburgh surrendered the next day and the Prince entered as a conquering hero.

Interesting to note that Edinburgh Castle did not surrender, it was held for the King by Gen. George Preston a veteran in his mid 80s. It remained so throughout the Jacobites' seven week occupation of the city and it was he who took control once the Jacobites left in November.  

They didn't have any artillery, so the castle was safe. The story continues in a few days' time, so I'll pick it up then. 

18 September 1898 - The Fashoda Incident.

One of those curious, seemingly minor incidents in the colonies that almost brought two major powers to war.

While the British were dealing with the Mahdiist uprising in Sudan (see 2 September) the French saw an opportunity to stake a claim on territory on the Upper Nile. 

With undefined borders between the African colonies claims could be made simply by being the first to enter disputed territory and planting a flag. Such was the case in 1898 when 150 French and African soldiers trekked from West Africa by land and river to the outpost of Fashoda a trading post at the southern limit of the Egyptian zone of influence. Arriving in mid July the French under Maj. Jean-Baptise Marchand suffered badly from disease and an attack by Mahdiists were just about holding on awaiting either reinforcements (which never came) or another Dervish attack.   

Meanwhile the British under Gen. Herbert Kitchener had defeated the Mahdiists and secured Khartoum when they received orders to press on south to deal with the French incursion. Setting off along the Nile with 1500 men in five gunboats Kitchener arrived at Fashoda on 17 September to find Marchand and his men entrenched in the ruins of the fort. Talks the next day resulted in the French agreeing to withdraw, they were in no position to resist, so after being resupplied by the British they headed north east for the safety of French Somaliland.

News of the incident aroused much outrage in London and Paris with calls for war from both sides, but ultimately the absurdity of a full scale war over a ruined fort in a disease-ridden outpost in Africa became apparent. In fact some good came out of it. Realizing how close they had come to war better relations were insisted upon culminating in the Entente Cordiale in 1904.