1162 CE

King Henry II has his chancellor Thomas Becket elected to succeed the late Theobald of Bec as archbishop of Canterbury. He accepts the pallium sent by Pope Alexander III. Ladislaus II, duke of Bosnia, is declared king of Hungary and Croatia. He is crowned by Archbishop Mikó and grants one-third of the kingdom to his brother, Stephen IV. Emperor Gaozong of Song becomes embroiled in war again as hostilities resume with the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty (or "Great Jin") after 21 years of peace. Another peace treaty is signed, Gao abdicates the throne in favor of his adopted son Xiaozong. The smaller Southern Song empire becomes richer than the Song dynasty.

In the 1160s, the 12th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • July 24 – Emperor Gaozong of Song becomes embroiled in war again as hostilities resume with the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty (or "Great Jin") after 21 years of peace. Another peace treaty is signed, Gao abdicates the throne in favor of his adopted son Xiaozong. The smaller Southern Song empire becomes richer than the Song dynasty.source

Conflict & Security

  • March 6 – German forces led by Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, capture Milan; much of the city is destroyed three weeks later on the emperor's orders. The fortifications are demolished and the churches are destroyed. The population is dispersed, and the commune abolished. The fate of Milan leads to the submission of Brescia, Piacenza, and many other northern Italian cities.source
  • The Almohad emir, Abd al-Mu'min, prepares a gigantic fleet of some four hundred ships to invade Al-Andalus (modern Spain). He dies the following year, before the fleet is completed.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • Egyptian military commander Shawar appointed Vizier of Egypt.source

Religion & Belief

  • June 3 – King Henry II has his chancellor Thomas Becket elected to succeed the late Theobald of Bec as archbishop of Canterbury. He accepts the pallium sent by Pope Alexander III.source
  • July 15 – Ladislaus II, duke of Bosnia, is declared king of Hungary and Croatia. He is crowned by Archbishop Mikó and grants one-third of the kingdom to his brother, Stephen IV.source
  • The Beisi Pagoda (or North Temple Pagoda) is completed during the Song dynasty in China.source
  • Synod of Ireland held at Clane.Irelandsource
  • Lorcán Ua Tuathail (St Laurence O'Toole) elected as Archbishop of Dublin.Irelandsource

Births

  • March 5 – Ogasawara Nagakiyo, Japanese warrior (died 1242)source
  • March 11 – Theodoric I, margrave of Meissen (died 1221)source
  • June 20 – Benchō, Japanese Buddhist patriarch (died 1238)source
  • June 30 – Yang (or Gongsheng), Chinese empress (died 1233)source
  • Fujiwara no Teika, Japanese poet and calligrapher (died 1241)source
  • Renier of Montferrat, Byzantine politician (died 1183)source
  • Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi, Abbasid traveler and writer (died 1231)source
  • Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, ruler of the Ethiopian Empire (died 1221)source
  • Guillem de Cabestany, Spanish troubadour (died 1212)source
  • Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex (approximate date)source
  • Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire (died 1227)source
  • Kajiwara Kagesue, Japanese nobleman (died 1200)source

Deaths

  • February 18 – Theotonius, Portuguese advisor (born 1082)source
  • May 31 – Géza II, king of Hungary and Croatia (born 1130)source
  • July 7 – Norwegian forces supporting 6-year-old Magnus V (Erlingsson) defeat the 15-year-old King Haakon II (Sigurdsson), who is killed in battle in Romsdal after a 5-year reign.source
  • July 7 – Haakon II (Sigurdsson), king of Norway (born 1147)source
  • July 29 – Guigues V, count of Albon and Grenoble (born 1125)source
  • July 31 – Fujiwara no Tadazane, Japanese nobleman (born 1078)source
  • August 6 – Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Barcelona (born 1114)source
  • September 27 – Odo II, duke of Burgundy (born 1118)source
  • Henry Aristippus (or Henricus), Italian chancellorsource
  • Odo of Deuil (or Eudes), French abbot and historiansource
  • Hugh de Morville, Constable of Scotland, Norman nobleman and knightsource
  • Adalbert of Pomerania, German missionary and bishopsource
  • Ibn Zuhr (or Avenzoar), Moorish physician (born 1094)source
  • Richard de Belmeis II, English bishop and politiciansource
  • Cosnamhaigh Ua Dubhda, lord of Ui-Amhalghadha.Irelandsource
  • Macraith Ua Macliag, chief of Cinel-Lughna.Irelandsource