1154 CE

Muhammad al-Idrisi, Arab geographer and cartographer, completes his atlas of the world, the Tabula Rogeriana, which will remain one of the most accurate maps until the Age of Discovery. Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of Aleppo, encamps before Damascus and overthrows Mujir al-Din by force with support of the Jewish citizens, who open the eastern gate to the bulk of his army. Mujir flees to the citadel, but capitulates after only a few hours. He is offered his life and the Emirate of Homs. A few weeks later Mujir is suspected of plotting with old friends in Damascus and is exiled to Baghdad. Damascus is annexed to Zangid territory and all of Syria is unified under the authority of Nur al-Din, from Edessa in the north to the Hauran to the south. Pope Anastasius IV dies after a 17-month pontificate. He is succeeded by Adrian IV (the only English pope in history) as the 169th pope of the Catholic Church.

In the 1150s, the 12th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is first marked on the world map by Muhammad al-Idrisi.source
  • The Banate of Bosnia becomes an autonomous duchy as part of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown.source

Conflict & Security

  • April 18 – Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of Aleppo, encamps before Damascus and overthrows Mujir al-Din by force with support of the Jewish citizens, who open the eastern gate to the bulk of his army. Mujir flees to the citadel, but capitulates after only a few hours. He is offered his life and the Emirate of Homs. A few weeks later Mujir is suspected of plotting with old friends in Damascus and is exiled to Baghdad. Damascus is annexed to Zangid territory and all of Syria is unified under the authority of Nur al-Din, from Edessa in the north to the Hauran to the south.source
  • The Almohad army conquers the last independent Muslim stronghold at Granada (modern Spain), after a six year siege.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • January 15 – Muhammad al-Idrisi, Arab geographer and cartographer, completes his atlas of the world, the Tabula Rogeriana, which will remain one of the most accurate maps until the Age of Discovery.source
  • Normans conduct a series of raids in North Africa, including Annaba (modern Algeria) and the Nile Delta.source
  • Autumn – King Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, leads an expedition into Italy for his imperial coronation. He wants to impose his will upon the towns and cities of Lombardy, a region long accustomed to interference from Germany. Frederick encounters stiff resistance to his authority, the Lombard nobles are unwilling to acknowledge his rule and the rights to raise taxes.source

Religion & Belief

  • Abbeydorney Abbey, established by the Cistercian Order north of the modern village of Abbeydorney.Irelandsource

Health & Medicine

  • Nur al-Din establishes the Al-Nuri Hospital in Damascus. The hospital has outpatient consulting rooms, a conference room, prayer hall, vestibules and bathrooms.source

Culture & Society

  • December 19 – The 21-year-old Henry II is crowned as sole ruler of England along with his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.source
  • Peter de Bermingham has a charter to hold a market in Birmingham, origin of the Bull Ring.source

Births

  • April 13 – Gökböri, Ayyubid general (died 1233)source
  • October 19 – Vsevolod the Big Nest, Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal (died 1212)source
  • November 2 – Constance I, queen of Sicily (died 1198)source
  • November 11 – Sancho I, king of Portugal (died 1211)source
  • Shihab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi, Persian philosopher (died 1191)source
  • Robert II, count of Dreux and Braine (died 1218)source
  • Minamoto no Yoshinaka, Japanese general (died 1184)source
  • Kyŏng Taesŭng, Korean military leader (died 1183)source
  • Agnes of Austria, queen consort of Hungary (died 1182)source
  • Benoît de Sainte-Maure, French poet (died 1173)source

Deaths

  • February 20 – Wulfric of Haselbury, English miracle workersource
  • February 26 – Roger II, king of Sicily (born 1095)source
  • February 26 – King Roger II dies at Palermo after a 24-year reign. He is succeeded by his fourth son William I ("the Bad"') as ruler of Sicily. William appoints Maio of Bari, a man of low birth, to chancellor and his adviser. He pursues his father's policy of strengthening authority over the towns and the Italian nobles, who rally around his cousin Robert III, count of Loritello, in Apulia and Calabria.source
  • March – Lawrence of Durham, English prelate and poetsource
  • April 1 or 15 – Al-Zafir, Fatimid caliph (born 1133)source
  • April 3 – Al-Adil ibn al-Sallar, Fatimid viziersource
  • June 8 – William of York, English archbishopsource
  • June 20 – Ermengol VI ("el de Castilla"), count of Urgell (born 1096)source
  • September 4 – Gilbert de la Porrée, French theologiansource
  • October 25 – Stephen, king of England (born 1096)source
  • November 18 – Adelaide of Maurienne, French queen (born 1092)source
  • December 3 – Pope Anastasius IV dies after a 17-month pontificate. He is succeeded by Adrian IV (the only English pope in history) as the 169th pope of the Catholic Church.source
  • December 3 – Anastasius IV, pope of the Catholic Churchsource
  • December 12 – Vicelinus, German bishop (born 1086)source