1217 CE

Peter II of Courtenay is crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III. Shortly after his coronation, Peter borrows some ships from the Venetians, promising in return to conquer Durazzo for them. He fails in this enterprise and seeks to make his way to Constantinople by land. On the journey, he is seized by troops of Theodore Komnenos Doukas, despot of Epirus, and is put in prison. Battle of Sandwich: A Plantagenet English fleet commanded by Hubert de Burgh attacked and defeated a Capetian French fleet led by Eustace the Monk and Robert of Courtenay off Sandwich, Kent. The English captured the French flagship and most of the supply vessels, forcing the rest of the French fleet to return to Calais. When the news reached Louis, he entered into renewed peace negotiations. Or 6 – Negotiations between Louis VIII of France and regent William Marshal, on behalf of the young King Henry III of England start at either Staines on 6 September, because the royal court was nearby at Chertsey or possibly on 5 September on an island of the Thames near Kingston.

In the 1210s, the 13th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • September 12 – Treaty of Kingston: The First Baron's War ends. After the defeat of the French fleet, Prince Louis is without hope of taking the English throne. William Marshal blockades London from the sea and land. At Lambeth Louis accepts peace terms. He waives his claim for the throne and promises to restore Normandy to Henry III but does not. The French and Scots are to leave England, and an amnesty is granted to the rebels.source
  • September 12 and 13 – Louis VIII of France and Henry III of England, together with Henry's mother Isabella of Angoulême, Cardinal Guala and William Marshal, came to an agreement on the final Treaty of Kingston.Francesource
  • September 20 – A Treaty of Lambeth signed on 20 September ratifying the Kingston treaty. Louis undertook not to attack England again and agreed to renounce his claim to the English throne, in exchange for 10,000 marks.Francesource
  • October 18 – Reconquista: The city of Alcácer do Sal, located along the Sado River, is conquered from the Moors by troops of King Afonso II of Portugal.source
  • Magna Carta was extended to Ireland in the Great Charter of IrelandIrelandsource

Conflict & Security

  • February – Prince Louis VIII of France returns to France from England to gather reinforcements in the First Barons' WarFrancesource
  • May 20 – Battle of Lincoln: Henry III's forces led by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke defeat the French army of Prince Louis and the rebel barons who are besieging Lincoln Castle. During the battle, Thomas, Comte du Perche is killed and Louis is expelled from his base in the southeast of England. The looting that takes place afterward is known as the "Lincoln Fair". The citizens of Lincoln are loyal to Louis so Henry's forces sack the city. To the south, inhabitants of towns between Lincoln and London ambush and kill many of the French soldiers.source
  • May 20 – Second Battle of Lincoln: English relief forces under the command of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke defeat French troops at Lincoln Castle, during the First Barons' War. Thomas, Count of Perche, commanding the French troops, was killed and Louis VIII of France was expelled from his base in the southeast of England.Francesource
  • August 24 – Battle of Sandwich: An English fleet under Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent defeats the French armada (10 large ships and 70 supply ships) in the English Channel, near Sandwich. The French fleet is commanded by Eustace the Monk, a mercenary and pirate, who fights for both the French and English when it suits his needs. The French fleet is bringing more men and supplies to assist Prince Louis, in his quest to take the English throne. The English capture Eustace's flagship, and Eustace himself is (while offering 10,000 marks for ransom) beheaded.source
  • August 24 – Battle of Sandwich: A Plantagenet English fleet commanded by Hubert de Burgh attacked and defeated a Capetian French fleet led by Eustace the Monk and Robert of Courtenay off Sandwich, Kent. The English captured the French flagship and most of the supply vessels, forcing the rest of the French fleet to return to Calais. When the news reached Louis, he entered into renewed peace negotiations.Francesource
  • September 9 – A letter is brought to Louis VIII of France from William Marshal asking for a day's truce and requesting that Hugh de Malaunay might be sent to speak with Marshal and the council. Both of these requests were granted by Louis. A parley was then fixed for September 12, and a prolongation of the truce till the 14th.Francesource
  • September 21 – Livonian Crusade: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword and allied Livs and Letts defeat the Estonian army in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day, and kill their leader Lembitu.source
  • September 28 – Prince Louis VIII of France returns to France from Dover, EnglandFrancesource
  • September: Leopold VI finds some ships in Split, that bring him and a small force to Acre. Andrew follows him about a fortnight later; in Split, he receives only two ships. The rest of Andrew's army is left behind. Meanwhile, King Hugh I of Cyprus lands at Acre, with troops to support the Crusade.source
  • November – In the Kingdom of Castile, former regent and Castilian nobleman, Álvaro Núñez de Lara, is captured and forced to relinquish all his castles.source
  • November – The Crusader army (some 15,000 men) under Andrew II sets out from Acre, and marches up the Plain of Esdraelon. Sultan Al-Adil I, on hearing that the crusaders are assembling, sends some Muslim troops to Palestine, to halt their advance. The crusaders move towards Beisan, while Al-Adil waits at Ajloun Castle, ready to intercept any attack on Damascus. He sends his son, Al-Mu'azzam, to cover Jerusalem. On November 10, Andrew's well-mounted army defeats Al-Adil at Bethsaida, on the Jordan River. Beisan is occupied and sacked; the Muslims retreat to their fortresses and towns.source
  • The Mongol army under Muqali (or Mukhali) attacks Hebei Province, as well as Shandong Province and Shaanxi Province (controlled by the Jin Dynasty). He returns to Genghis Khan's camp in Mongolia, and receives the hereditary of prince with the title "Grand Preceptor of the Empire", a golden seal, and a white standard with nine tails and a black crescent in the middle. He is appointed as commander-in-chief of operations in North China.source
  • Spring – First Barons' War: English forces of King Henry III besiege the French-controlled Mountsorrel Castle in Leicestershire. Prince Louis sends reinforcements (some 20,000 men) to assist the Barons in the castle. The English army lifts the siege and withdraws to Nottingham. Louis makes the mistake of moving the French forces to Lincoln Castle – where the English garrison holds out against previous attacks. Meanwhile, Henry's forces return to Mountsorrel Castle. This time Louis fails to arrive in time to prevent the razing to the ground of the castle.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • December – King John I of Jerusalem leads an expedition into Lebanon. On December 3, he undertakes fruitless assaults on Muslim fortresses and on Mount Tabor. Meanwhile, the Crusader army under Andrew II wanders across the Jordan Valley and up the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. During the occupation, Andrew spends his time collecting alleged relics. By the end of December, supplies run out, and the crusaders retreat to Acre.source

Religion & Belief

  • April 9 – Peter II of Courtenay is crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III. Shortly after his coronation, Peter borrows some ships from the Venetians, promising in return to conquer Durazzo for them. He fails in this enterprise and seeks to make his way to Constantinople by land. On the journey, he is seized by troops of Theodore Komnenos Doukas, despot of Epirus, and is put in prison.source
  • September 11 – A treaty is signed by Louis VIII's and Henry III's regents at Lambeth Palace (the archbishop of Canterbury's London house).Francesource
  • September 13 – Papal ratification of the Treaty of Lambeth from the papal legate, who were encamped near Kingston.Francesource
  • September 22 – Papal legate issues his terms of the ratification of the Treaty of Lambeth at Merton.Francesource
  • unknown date – Stefan Nemanjić is elevated to be the first King of the Serbian lands by Pope Honorius III and crowned by Stefan's brother, Archimandrite Sava, in Žiča.source
  • Summer – Various groups of French knights reach the Italian ports. King Andrew II of Hungary arrives with his army in Split, in Dalmatia. He is joined by German forces, led by Duke Leopold VI (the Glorious). At the end of July, Pope Honorius III orders the crusaders assembled in Italy and Sicily to proceed to Cyprus, but there is no transport provided by the Italian city-states, Venice, Genoa and Pisa.source
  • The Pentemont Abbey is founded south-west of Beauvais in an orchard by Philip of Dreux, the famed crusader bishop of Beauvais, who wished to found a convent of the Cistercian order.Francesource

Crime & Justice

  • August 29 – The newly-captured French knight, Robert de Courtenay, is allowed to go to London to speak with Louis VIII about peace negotiations with England, while Robert of Dreux remains as a hostage in his stead.Francesource

Culture & Society

  • June – The 13-year-old Haakon IV becomes king of Norway, following the death of Inge II (Bårdsson) – this largely ends the civil war era in Norway. During his minority, Earl Skule Bårdsson becomes Haakon's regent.source
  • September 5 or 6 – Negotiations between Louis VIII of France and regent William Marshal, on behalf of the young King Henry III of England start at either Staines on 6 September, because the royal court was nearby at Chertsey or possibly on 5 September on an island of the Thames near Kingston.Francesource

Births

  • May 3 – Henry I (the Fat), king of Cyprus (died 1253)source
  • August 19 – Ninshō, Japanese priest (died 1303)source
  • Ferdinand, Portuguese prince (infante) (died 1246)source
  • Kangan Giin, Japanese Zen Master (died 1300)source
  • George Akropolites, Byzantine statesman (died 1282)source
  • John I (the Red), English nobleman (died 1286)source
  • Boniface of Savoy, English archbishop (died 1270)source
  • Ibn Sab'in, Andalusian Sufi philosopher (died 1271)source
  • Guillaume III, French nobleman and knight (died 1288)source
  • Henry of Ghent, Flemish philosopher (died 1293)source
  • Guo Kan, Chinese general and governor (died 1277)source
  • Baldwin de Redvers, English nobleman (died 1245)source
  • Baldwin II of Courtenay, Latin emperor (died 1273)source
  • Henry of Antioch, co-ruler of Jerusalem (died 1276)source

Deaths

  • February 22 – Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg, German Jewish rabbi (born 1150)source
  • March 31 – Alexander Neckam, English abbot (born 1157)source
  • April 21 – Al-Mansur Abdallah, Yemeni imam (born 1166)source
  • April 23 – Inge Bårdsson, king of Norway (born 1185)source
  • April 25 – Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia (or III), German nobleman (born 1155)source
  • May 20 – Thomas of Perche, French nobleman (born 1195)Francesource
  • June 6 – The 13-year-old King Henry I of Castile dies from the fall of a roof tile in Palencia, an event which his regent, Álvaro Núñez de Lara, attempts to conceal. He is succeeded by his sister Berengaria, who renounces the throne in favour of her son Ferdinand III, on August 31. The young king begins his reign (supported by his mother as adviser and regent) by a war against his father, King Alfonso IX of León, and the Castilian nobles.source
  • June 6 – Henry I, king of Castile and Toledo (born 1204)source
  • August 24 – Eustace the Monk, French mercenarysource
  • August 24 – Eustace the Monk, French mercenary and pirate (c. 1170)Francesource
  • September 8 – Robert I, Count of Alençon, French nobleman and knightsource
  • September 10 – William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon, English noblemansource
  • September 29 – Jean de Montmirail, French monk (born 1165)source
  • October 14 – Isabella, English noblewoman, sometime queen consort of England (born c. 1163)source
  • November 4 – Philip of Dreux, French bishop (born 1158)source
  • November 29 – Ibn Jubayr, Andalusian traveller (born 1145)source
  • William I, French nobleman and knight (born 1176)Francesource
  • Late May – French troops on their flight south to London after their defeat in the Second Battle of Lincoln are ambushed and some are killed by inhabitants of towns between Lincoln and London.Francesource