Throughout the Medieval Era, a large number of UFO sightings were described at a time when there were no balloons, airplanes, or any other kind of technology that could explain these mysterious phenomena.
It was a time when there was no radio and television and the few newspapers had only a regional reach, making these reports remain unknown to the rest of the world.
Below we list a series of these intriguing events found in medieval literature:
1271: During a scheduled execution in Tasunokuchi, Japan, a UFO appeared and frightened the population. According to reports “appeared in the sky a bright object like the full moon”. The victim was a well-known Buddhist monk named Nichiren who, after the sighting of the mysterious object, was spared.
1290: In the chronicles of the English historian William of Newburgh is this description: “The abbot and the monks were making a meal, when a flattened, round, shiny and silvery object flew over the abbey and caused a great terror”.
1431: In the town of Angkor, Cambodia, best known for the Angkor Temple built in the shape of Vimanas, the flying machines described in ancient Hindu texts, the entire population mysteriously disappeared and large aircraft were sighted in the area.
1453: Strange lights were seen circling over the city of Constantinople the night before the Turks conquered. Some of the lights flew at high speed and split into many smaller lights.
1458: In Japan, five “stars” appeared and circled the Moon, changed color three times, and then disappeared. The citizens of Kyoto were so distressed by this event that they ran and hid, waiting for the arrival of horrible disasters.
1461: The Duke of Burgundy wrote in his memoirs that “an object appeared in heaven over France on the night of November 1, 1461. It was long and wide as a half moon and stood still for about a quarter of an hour, clearly visible, then suddenly began to spin and twist and then ascended to the heavens”.
1468: A large wheel-like object flew out of Mount Kasuga in Japan. None of the citizens had seen anything like it before.
1479: A large “comet”, reported to have several windows around it, was sighted flying over Arabia.
1492: In Christopher Columbus’s personal journal, during his journey to the discovery of America, we find this passage: “Saturday, September 15, 1492 – That day and night he steered his course W making a little over 27 leagues, and at nightfall they saw a marvellous sheet of fire fall from the sky into the sea 4 or 5 leagues away”.
1561: More than two hundred objects flew over the skies of Nuremberg, Germany. The Nuremberg Gazette described a battle between objects of various shapes, including high-speed flying crosses, spheres, cigar-shaped tubes that were opened to release other smaller objects, two crescent-shaped objects, and later a huge black triangle resemres to a spearhead.
1566: In Basil, Switzerland, a large number of dark spheres, similar to those sighted in Nuremberg a few years earlier, flew across the sky and appeared to be waging combat. This battle was witnessed by hundreds of people and a newspaper article, written by Samuel Coccius, says: “Many became fiery and red, eventually being consumed and disappearing”.
1593: In Manila, Philippines, a soldier disappeared in leaving traces and the next day reappeared 15,000 km away in Mexico City. The man was able to accurately describe the news of the previous day in the Philippines, a feat that would be impossible without the current media technology.
1606: A large number of “revolving fireballs” are reported in Kyoto, Japan. A “spinning red wheel” hovered over Nijo Castle and samurai guards were put on alert.
1666: A ball of light was spotted by the citizens of Robozero, Russia, in the middle of a cloudless day. The ball has been described as being brighter than the sun.
1686: A large sphere flies through the skies of Leipzig, Germany, and two smaller, brighter spheres come out of it.
1731: In Sheffield, England, Thomas Short described the following: “A dark red cloud, below which was a luminous body that ebuted intense beams of light. The beams of light moved slowly for a while, then stopped. Suddenly, it got so hot that I could take my shirt off even though I was out of the house”. This event was reported on December 9, in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere.
A similar object appeared on the same day in Romania. Ancient manuscripts describe: “A sign appeared in the sky, blood-red and very large. He remained in place for two hours, separated into two parts that then joined and the object disappeared westward”.
1749: Three globes “like the Moon” appeared over Japan. People were so afraid that there were several riots. To try to control the situation, the government ordered that anyone who was rebelling “because of the globes” be executed. Later, other “three Moons” appeared and a few days later, “two Suns” were reported.
1766: In Sweden, three objects “like the Moon” appeared in the sky and remained for four days, then disappeared to never be seen again. In another incident that same year, a luminous globe appeared at night and designed beams of light from it.
