1090 CE

King William Rufus of England tries to take advantage of the unrest in Normandy and take it from his brother Robert Curthose. Though he wins over several Norman nobles to his side, his plot to capture the capital city of Rouen fails. Troubadours begin playing in western Aquitaine (Poitou and Saintonge) and Gascony (approximate date). Qin Guan, Chinese poet of the Song dynasty, writes the Can Shu (Book of Sericulture), which describes a silk-reeling machine that has the world's oldest known mechanical belt drive.

In the 1090s, the 11th century.

Conflict & Security

  • November 3 – King William Rufus of England tries to take advantage of the unrest in Normandy and take it from his brother Robert Curthose. Though he wins over several Norman nobles to his side, his plot to capture the capital city of Rouen fails.source
  • Hassan-i Sabbah founds the Nizari Ismaili state after taking control of the Alamut Castle and organising the military group called the Order of Assassins.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • Béjaïa (or Bugia) becomes the capital of the Hammadid dynasty in modern-day Algeria. It becomes an important port and centre of culture.source
  • Troubadours begin playing in western Aquitaine (Poitou and Saintonge) and Gascony (approximate date).source
  • A third Almoravid expedition is launched in Al-Andalus, designed to finally subdue the Taifa's Kingdoms. The cities of Córdoba, Seville, Granada, Málaga, Almería and Ronda fall to the troops of Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin.source

Culture & Society

  • Qin Guan, Chinese poet of the Song dynasty, writes the Can Shu (Book of Sericulture), which describes a silk-reeling machine that has the world's oldest known mechanical belt drive.source
  • King Stephen II of Croatia becomes involved in an open conflict between factions of the Croatian nobility, who reassert their traditional rights in their own counties.source

Births

  • January 17 – Qin Hui, Chinese chancellor (died 1155)source
  • Theobald of Bec, Norman churchman, archbishop of Canterburysource
  • Alaungsithu, Burmese king of the Pagan dynasty (died 1167)source
  • Chen Yuyi, Chinese politician of the Song dynasty (died 1138)source
  • Frederick II ("the One-Eyed"), German nobleman (died 1147)source
  • Eliezer ben Nathan, German rabbi and liturgical poet (died 1170)source
  • Bernard of Clairvaux, French abbot and theologian (died 1153)source
  • Theobald II of Champagne ("the Great"), French noblemansource
  • Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, illegitimate son of King Henry I of Englandsource
  • Niklot (or Nyklot), Obotrite prince and tribal chief (died 1160)source
  • Conrad I, Duke of Zähringen, German nobleman and rector of Burgundy (died 1152)source
  • Arnold of Brescia, Italian canon regular (approximate date)source
  • Eric II ("the Memorable"), king of Denmark (approximate date)source
  • Juliane de Fontevrault, illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of Englandsource

Deaths

  • March 22 – García II, king of Galicia and Portugal (born 1042)source
  • April 16 – Sikelgaita, Lombard duchess of Apulia (born 1040)source
  • May 3 – Adelaide of Rheinfelden, queen consort of Hungarysource
  • May 12 – Liutold of Eppenstein, German noblemansource
  • May 18 – Berthold of Rheinfelden, German noblemansource
  • June 26 – Jaromír, Bohemian prince and bishopsource
  • July 3 – Egbert II (or Ekbert), German noblemansource
  • August 11 – Fujiwara no Atsuie, Japanese nobleman (born 1033)source
  • August 13 – Constance of Normandy, duchess of Brittanysource
  • St Isaiah of Rostov, Kievan missionary and bishopsource
  • William of Poitiers, French priest and chronicler (born c.1020)source
  • Guo Xi, Chinese landscape paintersource
  • Fayun Faxiu, Chinese Chan Buddhist monk (born 1027)source
  • Osbern of Canterbury, English hagiographersource