1211 CE

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (begun in the 11th century) is consecrated, in the presence of King Alfonso IX of León. Shams ud-Din Iltutmish, son-in-law of the former Sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak, becomes ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and quells the Hindu rebellions in India. Papal legate Pandulf Verraccio arrives in Northampton to serve John with his excommunication ordered by Innocent III. For John this is a serious blow to his ability to rule the country.

In the 1210s, the 13th century.

Conflict & Security

  • June 17 – Battle of Antioch on the Meander: Seljuk forces led by Sultan Kaykhusraw I are initially victorious with the Latin mercenary cavalry (some 800 men) bearing the brunt of the casualties due to their flanking charge; exhausted by the effort in their attack, the Latin army under Emperor Theodore I Laskaris is struck in the flank and rear by the Seljuk forces. However, the Seljuks stop the fight in order to plunder the Latin camp – which allows Theodore's forces to rally and counter-attack the now disorganized Turks. Meanwhile, Kaykhusraw seeks out Theodore and engages him in single combat, but he is unhorsed and beheaded. The Seljuks are routed and the former Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos, Theodore's father-in-law, is captured and imprisoned, ending his days in enforced monastic seclusion.source
  • June – Shams ud-Din Iltutmish, son-in-law of the former Sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak, becomes ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and quells the Hindu rebellions in India.source
  • October 15 – Battle of the Rhyndacus: Latin emperor Henry of Flanders lands with an expeditionary force (some 3,000 men) at Pegai, and marches eastwards to the Rhyndacus River. The Byzantine army (much larger in force overall) under Theodore I prepare an ambush, but Henry assaults his positions along the river and defeats the Byzantine army in a day-long battle. Henry marches unopposed through the remaining Byzantine lands, reaching south as far as Nymphaion.source
  • Spring – Albigensian Crusade: Crusader forces led by Simon de Montfort conquer Toulouse and besiege Lavaur in southern France. On May 3, the city is retaken; on orders of Montfort the senior knights are hanged and some 400 Cathars are burned alive.source
  • Spring – Genghis Khan summons his Mongol chieftains, and prepares to wage war against the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in northern China. He advances across the Gobi Desert with a massive army of 100,000 warriors with 300,000 horses, strung out in perhaps 10–20 groups of 5,000–10,000 men each, each with camel-drawn carts, and all linked by fast-moving messengers. Meanwhile, the Jin Government mobilizes an army of 800,000 men, most of which are untrained peasants with low morale, and some 150,000 highly-trained cavalry. This vast army, however, is spread across the Great Wall, and garrisoned separate fortresses.source
  • Battle of Yehuling: Genghis Khan bypasses the Great Wall with little opposition, and splits his forces into two armies. The main army (60,000 men) is led by himself, and the other army is taken by his son Ögedei to attack the city of Datong. Genghis heads for the strategic Juyong Pass ("Young Badger's Mouth") – which leads down to the capital of Zhongdu (modern-day Beijing), but along the way he is halted at the pass of Yehuling where the bulk of the Jin army awaits him. Between March and October, the battle is fought in three stages, after Genghis has defeated the Jin forces, he begins raiding the countryside before he withdraws for the winter.source
  • Summer – John, King of England ("Lackland") campaigns in Wales against Llywelyn the Great, prince of Gwynedd. In July, after the Welsh uprising, John and Llywelyn reach an agreement and a peace treaty is signed.source
  • Livonian Crusade: Battles of Viljandi and Turaida – The Crusaders fail to conquer the Viljandi stronghold, but manage to baptize Sakala and Ugandi counties (Southern Estonia).source

Exploration & Expansion

  • John sends a gift of herrings to nunneries in almost every shire, despite his status as an excommunicant.source

Religion & Belief

  • April 21 – Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (begun in the 11th century) is consecrated, in the presence of King Alfonso IX of León.source
  • June – Papal legate Pandulf Verraccio arrives in Northampton to serve John with his excommunication ordered by Innocent III. For John this is a serious blow to his ability to rule the country.source
  • September – The 16-year-old Frederick II is elected in absentia as German king by rebellious nobleman (supported by Pope Innocent III) at the Diet of Nuremberg (Germany).source
  • The Papal Interdict of 1208 laid by Innocent III remains in force after John refuses to accept the pope's appointee.source
  • Archbishop Aubrey (or 'Alberic of Humbert') lays the first stone of the chevet of Reims Cathedral.source

Births

  • January 20 – Agnes of Prague, Bohemian abbess (died 1282)source
  • April 25 – Frederick II, duke of Austria and Styria (died 1246)source
  • September 22 – Ibn Khallikan, Barmakid historian (died 1282)source
  • December 3 – Francesco Lippi, Italian nobleman (died 1291)source
  • Henry VII, king of Germany (Rex Romanorum) (died 1242)source
  • Muhammad III, ruler of the Nizari Ismaili State (died 1255)source
  • Ajall Shams al-Din Omar, Khwarezmian governor (died 1279)source
  • Eleanor of Portugal, queen consort of Denmark (died 1231)source
  • Shinnyo, Japanese Buddhist nun and writer (died 1282)source
  • Hugh Bigod, English nobleman and Justiciar (died 1266)source
  • Casimir I of Kuyavia, Polish nobleman and knight (died 1267)source
  • John I, Lord of Mecklenburg ("the Theologian"), German nobleman (died 1264)source
  • Prijezda I, Bosnian nobleman (Ban) and knight (died 1287)source
  • William of Villehardouin, prince of Achaea (died 1278)source

Deaths

  • February 2 – Adelaide of Meissen, duchess of Bohemiasource
  • March 26 – Sancho I ("the Populator"), king of Portugal (born 1154)source
  • March 26 – King Sancho I of Portugal ("the Populator") dies after a 25-year reign at Coimbra. He is succeeded by his son Afonso II ("the Fat") as ruler of Portugal. During his reign, he designs the first set of Portuguese written laws.source
  • May 16 – Mieszko IV Tanglefoot, duke of Poland (born 1130)source
  • June 9 – Andrew II, Baron of Vitré, French nobleman and knight (born 1150)source
  • June 17 – Kaykhusraw I, ruler of the Sultanate of Rumsource
  • August 9 – William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, Norman noblemansource
  • August 18 – Narapatisithu, ruler of the Pagan Kingdom (Burma) (born 1150)source
  • October 14 – Ferdinand of Castile, Spanish prince (born 1189)source
  • December 8 – Adelaide of Poland, Polish princesssource
  • December 14 – Shōshi, Japanese empress (born 1195)source
  • Alexios III Angelos, Byzantine emperor (born 1153)source
  • Peter of Blois, French cleric and diplomat (born 1130)source
  • Abu Musa al-Jazuli, Almohad philologian (born 1146)source