| 5 February 1265 | Papal States, Italy [Catholicism] | Guy Foulquoi, the papal legate to England, is elected Pope Clement. |
| 5 February–16 May 1488 | Holy Roman Empire [wars] | Maximilian, King of the Romans, and his court are taken prisoner while trying to garrison the rebellious city of Bruges in Flanders. They are sent to Ghent, Flanders, as hostages, and Maximilian is forced to proclaim his acquiescence to a peace that guarantees the autonomy of the Netherlands ‘Union’. |
| 5 February 1556 | France, Spanish Netherlands, Holy Roman Empire [treaties] | A truce is signed at Vaucelles in the Spanish Netherlands between King Henry II of France and King Philip II of Spain, who is now governor of the Netherlands following the abdication of his father the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. |
| 5 February 1661 | China [administration] | K'ang-Hsi becomes the second emperor of the Manchu dynasty in China at the age of six after the death of Shun-chih. He begins his personal rule in 1669 at the age of fifteen. |
| 5 February 1679 | France, Holy Roman Empire [treaties] | The final Peace Treaty of Nijmegen is signed by the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I and King Louis XIV of France. By its terms, France gives up the fortress of Philippsburg but retains Freiburg. Additionally, Duke Charles of Lorraine is restored to his territories in Lorraine. However, the French retain Longwy and Nancy as well as military access roads in the territory. Charles refuses to accept these terms and as a result Lorraine remains under French occupation. |
| 5 February 1788 | England [births and deaths] | Robert Peel, British prime minister 1834–35 and 1841–46, founder of the Conservative Party, born in Bury, Lancashire, England (–1850). |
| 5 February 1792 | India [Anglo–Mysore Wars (1767–99)] | Tippu, sultan of Mysore, India, is defeated in his war with the British and Hyderabad. He cedes half of Mysore to Britain. |
| 5 February 1811 | UK [political events] | The worsening mental illness of King George III of Britain necessitates the passage of the Regency Act, under which the Prince of Wales becomes Prince Regent and governs in his place. His powers are limited for 12 months. |
| 5 February 1840 | New Zealand, UK [treaties] | By the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand Maori chiefs surrender their sovereignty to the British government. |
| 5 February 1885 | Congo, Belgium [colonization] | The Congo State is established as a personal possession of King Leopold II of Belgium. |
| 5 February 1922 | USA [magazines] | US publishers DeWitt Wallace and his wife Lila Acheson Wallace publish the first issue of the Reader's Digest magazine in Greenwich Village, New York City. |
| 5 February 1985 | Spain [political events] | Spain reopens its frontier with Gibraltar, ending the 16-year-long siege imposed by General Francisco Franco on the British territory. |
| 5 February 1987 | Middle East [Iran–Iraq War (1980–88)] | Iran launches a missile attack on Baghdad, capital of its opponent in the Iran–Iraq war. On 19 February, a truce is agreed in the ‘war of cities’, in which both sides have inflicted damage on heavily populated areas. |
| 5 February 1989 | UK [communications] | Satellite television is broadcast direct to homes in Britain via satellite dish decoders. Four Sky TV channels are available, featuring news, film, sport, and a general channel. |
| 5 February 2007 | England [buildings] | The Swiss Re building at 30 St Mary Axe in London, England – more popularly known as the ‘Gherkin’ – is sold for £600 million in a deal thought to be the most expensive recorded in the capital for a single building. |
