November 15

655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. 1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Morgarten. 1532 – Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Commanded by Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistadors under Hernando de Soto meet Incan Emperor Atahualpa for the first time outside Cajamarca, arranging for a meeting in the city plaza the following day. 1533 – Francisco Pizarro arrives in Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire. 1705 – Rákóczi's War of Independence: The Habsburg Empire and Denmark win a military victory over the Kurucs from Hungary in the Battle of Zsibó. 1760 – The secondly-built Castellania in Valletta is officially inaugurated with the blessing of the interior Chapel of Sorrows. 1777 – American Revolutionary War: After 16 months of debate the Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation. 1806 – Pike Expedition: Lieutenant Zebulon Pike spots a mountain peak while near the Colorado foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is later named Pikes Peak in his honor. 1849 – Boilers of the steamboat Louisiana explode as she pulls back from the dock in New Orleans, killing more than 150 people. 1864 – American Civil War: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman begins his March to the Sea. 1889 – Brazil is declared a republic by Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca as Emperor Pedro II is deposed in a military coup. 1917 – Eduskunta declares itself the supreme state power of Finland, prompting its declaration of independence and secession from Russia. 1920 – The first assembly of the League of Nations is held in Geneva, Switzerland. 1920 – The Free City of Danzig is established. 1922 – At least 300 are massacred during a general strike in Guayaquil, Ecuador. 1928 – The RNLI lifeboat Mary Stanford capsizes in Rye Harbour with the loss of the entire 17-man crew. 1933 – Thailand holds its first election. 1938 – Nazi Germany bans Jewish children from public schools in the aftermath of Kristallnacht.