Yeah I'm Yan [size=42](not Yair)[/size]
I usually start my chronicles in 1197 AD, since that was the old start date, and I love the ring of it (it rhymes). Easier to remember.
When it comes to the history of the game, I don't worry overly much about the events in history unless they can add some colour; most of my players agree that an Order of wizards who go out of there way to avoid getting involved aren't effected by a lot of the historical events we know about. That, and I tend to set my tales in Brittany and the UK, since my entire group is of that heritage.