date: April 11

text: April 11 – Stephen IV, king of Hungary and Croatia (b. 1133)


section: Deaths

text: April 11 – Ibn al-Tilmidh, Arab physician and calligrapher (b. 1074)

source_section: Deaths


date: July 22

text: July 22 – John Marshal (or FitzGilbert), Marshal of England (b. 1105)


date: September 5

text: September 5 – Nijō, emperor of Japan (b. 1143)


date: December 9

text: December 9 – King Malcolm IV of Scotland (b. 1141)


text: December 9 – King Malcolm IV of Scotland dies at Jedburgh after a 12-year reign and is succeeded by his brother William the Lion as ruler of Scotland (until 1214).

source_section: Events › By place › British Isles


text: Rostislav Glebovich, Kievan prince of Minsk


text: Muhammad al-Idrisi, Arab geographer (b. 1100)


text: Goswin of Anchin, Flemish Benedictine abbot (b. 1086)


text: Sibylla of Anjou, countess consort of Flanders (b. 1112)


text: Adalgott of Disentis, German abbot and bishop


section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Henry II enacts the Assize of Clarendon, reforming English law, influential in the development of jury trial in common law countries worldwide.


section: Conflict & Security

text: Summer – Henry II of England invades and conquers Brittany to punish the local Breton barons. He grants the territory to his 7-year-old son Geoffrey.


text: Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos asks Venice to help pay the costs of defending Sicily, whose Norman rulers have had good relations with Venice. Doge Vitale II Michiel refuses to pay the requested subsidy. Manuel begins to cultivate relationships with the main commercial rivals of Venice: Genoa and Pisa. He grants them their own trade quarters in Constantinople, very near the Venetian settlements.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Mieszko III the Old proclaims a Prussian crusade against the pagans and pressures the collaboration of Frederick I. He leaves Greater Poland in the hands of his younger brother Casimir II the Just.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: July 5

section: Religion & Belief

text: July 5 – The town of Bad Kleinkirchheim (in modern Austria) is first mentioned, in an ecclesiastical document, in which Archbishop Conrad II of Salzburg confirms the donation of a chapel, nearby Millstatt Abbey.


text: Autumn – Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa begins his fourth Italian campaign, hoping to secure the claim of Antipope Paschal III in Rome and the coronation of his wife Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, as Holy Roman Empress.


text: Cartae Baronum ("Charters of the Barons"), a survey commissioned by the English Treasury requiring each baron to declare how many knights he had enfeoffed.


section: Culture & Society

text: Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, has the Brunswick Lion created at Dankwarderode Castle in Braunschweig (modern Germany). (Mentioned by Albert of Stade, a German abbot and chronicler, as the year of origin.)


text: Anglo-Norman soldier William Marshal is knighted while on campaign in Normandy; he will be described as "the greatest knight that ever lived".


date: February 24

section: Births

text: February 24 – Al-Mansur Abdallah, Zaidi imam (d. 1217)

source_section: Births


date: July 29

text: July 29 – Henry II, Count of Champagne (Henry I, King of Jerusalem) (d. 1197)


date: December 24

text: December 24 – John, king of England (d. 1216)


text: Arnold of Altena, German nobleman (d. 1209)


text: Wansong Xingxiu, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 1246)


text: Shunten (Shunten-Ō), Ryukyu ruler of Okinawa (d. 1237)


text: Philip d'Aubigny, Anglo-Norman knight and courtier (d. 1236)


text: Ch'oe U, Korean general and dictator (d. 1249)


text: Alan IV ("the Young"), viscount of Rohan, Morbihan (d. 1205)


text: Odo III (or Eudes), duke of Burgundy (d. 1218)


text: William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, English nobleman (d. 1240)


text: Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon, French rabbi (b. 1224)


text: Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati, Andalusian Moorish pharmacist (d. 1239)


date: February 21

text: February 21 – Abdul Qadir Gilani, Persian preacher (b. 1078)


date: April 9

text: April 9 – Waleran de Beaumont, English nobleman (b. 1104)


date: May 7

text: May 7 – William I ("the wicked"), king of Sicily (b. 1120)


text: May 7 – King William I ("the Wicked") of Sicily dies at Palermo after a 12-year reign. He is succeeded by his 12-year-old son William II ("the Good"), whose mother, Margaret of Navarre, will be regent until he comes of age.


date: May 12

text: May 12 – Gunhilda of Dunbar, Scottish Noblewoman (b. 1120)


date: August 23

text: August 23 – Konoe Motozane, Japanese nobleman (b. 1143)


date: October 12

text: October 12 – Henry I, duke of Wiślica


text: Gillamaire Ua Conallta, Irish poet and Chief Ollam


text: Fujiwara no Motozane, Japanese waka poet (b. 1143)


text: Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn, High King of Ireland


text: Grigor III Pahlavuni, Armenian catholicos of Cilicia (b. 1093)


text: Ahmad Yasawi, Turkic Sufi religious leader (b. 1093)


text: Rosalia, Norman-Sicilian noblewoman, hermit and saint (b. 1130)


text: Athanasius VII bar Qatra, Syrian patriarch of Antioch


text: Taira no Kiyomori becomes the first samurai to be appointed Daijo Daijin, chief minister of the government of Japan.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Diarmaid mac Murchadha (or Dermot), former king of Leinster, returns to Ireland with an advance party of Flemings under Richard fitz Godbert de Roche.

source_section: Events › By place › Ireland


date: March 18

text: March 18 – Battle of Al-Babein: A second Zangid army (some 12,000 men) under General Shirkuh and his nephew Saladin marches towards Egypt, but is met by the combined Crusader-Fatimid forces led by King Amalric of Jerusalem. After skirmishing down the Nile, the Crusaders are defeated near Giza and forced to retreat to Cairo.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


date: April 7

text: April 7 – Oath of Pontida: Supported by Pope Alexander III, the Lombard League is founded, a military alliance between the municipalities of Milan, Lodi, Ferrara, Piacenza and Parma, against the German invading forces of Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) in Northern Italy. The League (with other Italian cities) openly challenges Frederick's claim to power (Honor Imperii).


date: May 29

text: May 29 – Battle of Monte Porzio: The army of the Commune of Rome is defeated by German forces under Frederick I and the local princes; Alexander III leaves Rome. Frederick proceeds to Rome, where he is crowned by Antipope Paschal III for the second time. A sudden outbreak of pestilence kills many of his advisors and knights.


date: May

text: May–June – Saladin leads the defence of Alexandria against the Crusader-Fatimid forces. He takes command over the garrison (plus some 1,000 cavalry), and the army's sick and wounded.


date: July 8

text: July 8 – Battle of Sirmium: Byzantine forces (15,000 men) under General Andronikos Kontostephanos defeat the Hungarians at Sirmium. Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) consolidates his control over the western Balkans.


date: August 4

text: August 4 – Amalric I accepts a peace treaty and enters Alexandria at the head of the Crusader army. Saladin and his troops are escorted out with full military honours, and retreats to Syria.


text: Probable date – Battle of Pantina: The Byzantines intervene on behalf of Grand Prince Tihomir of Serbia against his rebellious brother, Prince Stefan Nemanja, who defeats the Byzantine forces and becomes Grand Župan of Serbia.


text: Absalon, Danish archbishop and statesman, leads the first synod at Lund. He is granted land around the city of "Havn" (modern-day Copenhagen) and fortifies the coastal defence against the Wends.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


date: April 12

section: Crime & Justice

text: April 12 – King Charles VII (Sverkersson) is murdered at Visingsö by supporters of Canute I (son of Eric IX), who proclaims himself king of Sweden. However, Charles's half-brothers Boleslaw and Kol Sverkerson proclaim themselves rulers of Östergötland, in opposition to Canute, which leads to fights for the power in Sweden (until 1173).


text: King Henry II prohibits English students from attending the University of Paris; many settle at the University of Oxford.

source_section: Events › By place › England


date: February

text: February – Frederick VI, duke of Swabia (d. 1191)


text: Warin II (the Younger), Norman knight (d. 1218)


text: Anders Sunesen, archbishop of Lund (d. 1228)


text: William I, count of Holland (Low Countries) (d. 1222)


date: January 12

text: January 12 – Aelred of Rievaulx, English abbot (b. 1110)


date: February 27

text: February 27 – Robert of Melun, bishop of Hereford (b. 1100)


text: April 12 – Charles VII (Sverkersson), king of Sweden (b. 1130)


date: July 13

text: July 13 – Xia (Shenfu), Chinese empress consort (b. 1136)


date: August 14

text: August 14 – Rainald of Dassel, German archbishop (b. 1120)


date: August 17

text: August 17 – Nicolò Politi, Italian monk and hermit (b. 1117)


date: August 22

text: August 22 – Relindis of Hohenburg, French abbess


date: August

text: August – Frederick I claims imperial authority over Bohemia, Greater Poland and Hungary. He installs his 3-year-old son Frederick V as duke of Swabia, after Frederick's cousin, Frederick IV, dies of disease at Rome.


text: Basava, Indian philosopher and statesman (b. 1105)


text: Abraham ibn Ezra, Spanish philosopher (approximate date)


text: Raymond I (or Raimond), French nobleman


text: Christian I (the Quarrelsome), count of Oldenburg


text: Alaungsithu, Burmese king of the Pagan Dynasty (b. 1090)


text: Henry I, count of Nassau (epidemic)


text: King Valdemar I ("the Great") of Denmark conquers the Wendish capital at Arkona on the island of Rügen (modern Germany). The Wends become Christians and subject to Danish suzerainty.


date: October 20

text: October 20 – Amalric I invades Egypt again from Ascalon, sacking Bilbeis and threatening Cairo. In November, a Crusader fleet sails up the Nile and arrives in Lake Manzala, sacking the town of Tanis.

source_section: Events › By place › Levant


text: The newly born Commune of Rome conquers and destroys the rival neighboring city of Albano (modern Italy).


section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Autumn – Count William IV of Nevers, arrives in Palestine with a contingent of elite knights. In Jerusalem he is present during a council with Amalric and other nobles to decide on an expedition to Egypt.


text: Nur al-Din, Zangid ruler (atabeg) of Aleppo, sends an expedition under General Shirkuh to Egypt on request of the Fatimid caliph Al-Adid. He offers him a third of the land, and fiefs for his generals.


date: April 9

text: April 9 – Emperor Rokujō of Japan is deposed by his grandfather, retired-Emperor Go-Shirakawa, after an 8-month reign. He is succeeded by his 6-year-old uncle, Takakura, as the 80th emperor.


text: Summer – King Amalric I of Jerusalem and Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos negotiate an alliance against Fatimid-Egypt. Archbishop William of Tyre is among the ambassadors sent to Constantinople to finalize the treaty.


date: March 27

text: March 27 – Patrick of Salisbury, Angevin governor of Poitou, is killed in an ambush at Poitiers by French forces under Guy of Lusignan. He is escorting Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine on a journey near the border of Aquitaine. Patrick's nephew, William Marshal, is part of the royal escort and is taken prisoner. Later he is ransomed and becomes a member of Eleanor's household.


text: Stephen du Perche, Sicilian chancellor, is accused of plotting to claim the throne and is forced to flee.


date: December 22

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: December 22 – Afraid that the Egyptian capital Fustat (modern-day Old Cairo) will be captured by Crusader forces, its Fatimid vizier, Shawar, orders the city set afire. The capital burns for 54 days.


section: Climate & Environment

text: Yuanqu County (also known as Wanting County) in China is destroyed by a flood of the Yellow River.


text: Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, marries the 12-year-old Matilda (or Maud), daughter of King Henry II of England.


date: April 22

text: April 22 – Abubakar ibn Gussom, Arab poet (d. 1242)


date: August 31

text: August 31 – Emperor Zhangzong of Jin, Chinese ruler (d. 1208)


date: November 19

text: November 19 – Emperor Ningzong, Chinese ruler (d. 1224)


text: William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby (approximate date)


text: Temüge (or Otgon), brother of Genghis Khan (d. 1246)


text: Ibn Muti al-Zawawi, Arab jurist and philologian (d. 1231)


text: Robert of Braybrooke, English High Sheriff (d. 1210)


text: Robert of Courtenay, Lord of Champignelles, French nobleman and knight (d. 1239)


date: January 17

text: January 17 – Thierry of Alsace, count of Flanders (b. 1099)


text: March 27 – Patrick of Salisbury, Norman nobleman (b. 1122)


date: April 5

text: April 5 – Robert de Beaumont, English nobleman (b. 1104)


date: September 20

text: September 20 – Antipope Paschal III dies at Rome after a 4-year reign. Giovanni di Struma is elected as his successor and will reign as Antipope Callixtus III with support from Emperor Frederick I.


text: September 20 – Paschal III, antipope of Rome (b. 1110)


date: October 24

text: October 24 – William IV, count of Auxerre and Nevers


date: November 5

text: November 5 – Hugh IX of Lusignan, French nobleman


text: Wivina, French Benedictine abbess and saint (b. 1103)


text: Bermudo Pérez de Traba, Spanish nobleman (b. 1088)


text: Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi, Persian scholar (b. 1097)


text: Conrad of Babenberg, archbishop of Salzburg (b. 1115)


text: Eleanor of Aquitaine leaves the English court of Henry II, to establish her own court in Poitiers. It will become known as a center of courtly love. Richard I accompanies his mother and is made heir to Aquitaine.

source_section: Events › By topic › Art and Science


text: King Henry II of England and Louis VII of France sign a peace treaty which includes the betrothal of their respective heirs, the 11-year-old Richard of England and the 8-year-old Alys of France (or Alice).


date: May

text: May – Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland: Anglo-Norman mercenaries land at the request of deposed King Diarmaid mac Murchadha (Dermot). Among those arriving is Richard de Clare (a vassal of Henry II), who has made an alliance with exiled Diarmaid mac Murchadha to help him regain the throne of Leinster. This begins the period of Anglo-Norman dominance of Ireland.


date: August 21

text: August 21–23 – At the Battle of the Blacks, Saladin crushes a rebellion by Sudanese forces (50,000 men) of the Fatimid army, along with a number of Egyptian emirs and commoners. He never again has to face a military uprising from Cairo.


text: During the Swedish power struggle, Boleslaw is killed, but his brother Kol continues as ruler of Östergötland (until 1173), in opposition to King Knut Eriksson of Sweden.


text: Summer – Saladin invites his brother Turan-Shah to join him in Cairo. He brings his family and retinue with him but also a substantial army provided by Nur al-Din. Turan-Shah is welcomed by Al-Adid as a friend.


text: Andrey Bogolyubsky, Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, sacks Kiev (with help from allies) and makes Vladimir the capital of Kievan Rus'. He installs relatives on the throne at Kiev.


text: Spring – A Zangid expedition under General Shirkuh accompanied by his nephew Saladin invades Egypt. King Amalric I of Jerusalem orders his fleet to return to Acre and retreats with the Crusaders back to Palestine.


text: Winter – Saladin supported by reinforcements from Nur al-din, defeats a Crusader-Byzantine force under Amalric I near Damietta. During the 3-month siege, the Crusaders are forced to retreat to Palestine.


text: Late Summer – Emperor Manuel I Komnenos sends an embassy to Egypt to demand tribute, and threatens the country with war when they refuse to pay it. The Byzantine fleet under Admiral Andronikos Kontostephanos sets out from the Hellespont; 60 war galleys are sent to Palestine with money for "the knights of Jerusalem". Andronikos with the rest of the fleet sails to Cyprus, at which he defeats a patrolling squadron of 6 Fatimid ships.


date: January 8

text: January 8 – Shirkuh enters Cairo, leaving the Zangid army encamped outside the city. He goes to the palace, where the 18-year-old Fatimid caliph Al-Adid welcomes him with ceremonial gifts and promised money.


text: Stephen III of Hungary concludes a concordat with Pope Alexander III, renouncing his right of investiture.


text: Spring – Gerald the Fearless, Portuguese warrior and knight, receives the support of King Afonso I ("the Great"). The Almohad caliph, Abu Yaqub Yusuf, manages to broker an alliance with King Ferdinand II against Afonso. The allies manage to besiege Badajoz, and finally take both Afonso and Gerald prisoner.


date: January 18

text: January 18 – Shawar, Fatimid vizier and de facto ruler, is invited to join Shirkuh on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Al-Shafi'i. Underway he and his escort are taken prisoner; on orders from Al-Adid, Shawar is decapitated.


date: February 4

text: February 4 – 1169 Sicily earthquake: An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of around 7 strikes the eastern coast of Sicily, causing an estimated 15,000 deaths.


text: Henry II makes an effort to end the strife between him and his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, in order that he may dally in western Herefordshire with his mistress, Rosamund Clifford, the daughter of Walter de Clifford. He divides the succession to his kingdom among his four sons, Henry the Young King, Richard I, Geoffrey of Brittany, and John.


date: September 10

text: September 10 – Alexios II Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1183)


text: Ahi Evren, Bektashi Sufi preacher and philosopher (d. 1261)


text: Taira no Atsumori, Japanese samurai (d. 1184)


text: Muhammad II, Khwarezmid viceroy and ruler (d. 1220)


text: Eustace de Vesci, English nobleman and military leader (d. 1216)


text: Ibn al-Mustawfi, Ayyubid governor and historian (d. 1239)


text: Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-Din, Ayyubid ruler of Damascus (d. 1225)


text: Nasu no Yoichi, Japanese samurai (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Yoshitsune, Japanese nobleman (d. 1206)


date: January 13

text: January 13 – Bertrand de Blanchefort, French Grand Master


text: January 18 – Shawar, Fatimid vizier and de facto ruler


text: February 4 – John of Ajello, Italian bishop of Catania


date: February 6

text: February 6 – Thoros II ("the Great"), prince of Armenia


date: March 23

text: March 23 – Shirkuh dies from over-eating after a 2-month reign. He is succeeded by Saladin, who is appointed chief vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate. He takes over as commander of Nur al-Din's forces in Egypt.


text: March 23 – Shirkuh, Zangid general and chief vizier


date: May 21

text: May 21 – Berthold of Zwiefalten, German abbot


date: July 9

text: July 9 – Guido of Pisa, Italian geographer


text: Basil bar Shumna, archbishop of Edessa


text: Ramiro Fróilaz, Leonese military leader


text: Boleslaw, Swedish co-ruler of Östergötland


text: Stephen du Perche, Sicilian chancellor


text: Gerhoh of Reichersberg, German theologian


text: Hilary of Chichester, English bishop (b. 1110)


text: Hadrian returns large parts of Mesopotamia to the Parthians as part of a peace settlement. He inaugurates a policy of retrenchment and cultural integration, giving up the policy of conquest of his predecessor in order to consolidate the empire.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: The Jewish Diaspora Revolt is quelled, likely by autumn 117, though unrest may have persisted in Egypt until early 118. Its suppression results in the near-complete expulsion of Jews from Cyrenaica, Cyprus, and several regions of Egypt.


text: On his death bed, Trajan allegedly adopts Hadrian, a fellow Spaniard, and designates him as his successor. Hadrian will reign until 138.


text: John I becomes the 7th Bishop of Jerusalem.


section: Economy & Finance

text: The silver content of the Roman denarius falls to 87 percent under emperor Hadrian, down from 93 percent in the reign of Trajan.

source_section: Events › By topic › Commerce


section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: Construction begins on the Pantheon in Rome.


text: Aelius Aristides, Greek orator (d. 181)


date: August 8

text: August 8 – Trajan, Roman emperor (b. AD 53)


text: Emperor Trajan falls seriously ill and dies of a stroke at Selinus in Cilicia, age 63, while en route from Mesopotamia to Italy, leaving the Roman Empire at its maximal territorial extent.


text: Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, Roman historian (b. AD 56)


text: Hermione of Ephesus, Maurus, Pantalemon and Sergius, Astius and several other Christian martyrs in persecution by Trajan


text: Gaius Julius Quadratus Bassus, Roman general in Judea (b. AD 70)


date: July 22

text: July 22 – Henry II and Thomas Becket meet near Fréteval, France, where they come to an agreement to end their differences. This results in Becket's partial restoration.


date: December 1

text: December 1 – Becket controversy: Henry II sends word that his conflict with Thomas Becket is at an end, and his lands will be restored. Becket returns to England, landing at Sandwich.


text: The Welsh prince Madoc (son of King Owain ap Gruffudd of Gwynedd) sails to North America, in his ship the Gwennan Gorn, and founds a colony.

source_section: Events › By topic › Folklore


date: September 21

text: September 21 – Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland: Following a siege, combined Anglo-Norman and Irish forces seize the city of Dublin, forcing Ascall mac Ragnaill, last King of Dublin, into exile.


date: December 29

text: December 29 – Thomas Becket is assassinated by four knights (who believe themselves to be carrying out Henry II's wishes) in Canterbury Cathedral, after his refusal to be arrested for breaking his agreement with Henry II.


text: Fes in the Almohad Caliphate (modern Morocco) becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Winter – Egyptian forces, led by Saladin, invade the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and besiege Darum on the Mediterranean coast. Its defenses are weak, and though Saladin has no siege engines with him, the fall seems imminent. King Amalric I withdraws his Templar garrison from Gaza, to assist him in defending Darum. Saladin raises the siege and marches on Gaza, where he captures the lower town (despite the stiff resistance ordered by Lord Miles of Plancy), and massacres the inhabitants. However, the citadel is too strong for Saladin, and he is forced to retreat to Egypt.


text: The palace guards massacre the civil officials at the Korean court of Goryeo and place Myeongjong as new ruler on the throne of the Goryeo dynasty.


text: Saladin sends an Egyptian squadron up the Gulf of Aqaba, which captures the Crusader outpost of Aila, at the head of the Gulf.


text: Peter Waldo, a French merchant of Lyon, starts the popular religious movement of the "Poor Men of Lyon", or Waldenses.


date: June 14

text: June 14 – King Henry II has his 15-year-old son, Henry the Young King, crowned by Roger, Archbishop of York, as junior king and heir to the English throne. The coronation drives Pope Alexander III to allow the exiled Thomas Becket (whose privilege as Archbishop of Canterbury to crown English monarchs has been infringed) to lay an interdict on England as punishment, and this threat forces Henry to negotiate with Becket. Sir William Marshal is appointed tutor-in-arms to Henry the Young King.


date: November

text: November – Becket controversy: Thomas Becket excommunicates three bishops.


text: Pope Alexander III addresses a series of letters to the backward Swedish church. He wants to impose the strict canonical requirements on the Swedes, that is, the ecclesiastical legal system. Due to being Christianized in 1050, Sweden is having trouble to fully adapt to the Catholicism that is preached and acted on in Europe.


date: June 29

text: June 29 – 1170 Syria earthquake: One of the largest earthquakes to hit Syria. It forms part of a sequence of large earthquakes that propagate southwards along the Dead Sea Transform, starting with the 1138 Aleppo earthquake and continuing with the 1157 Hama, 1170 and 1202 Syria events.


text: This is the earliest date for the making of cheddar cheese in Somerset (this is according to a pipe roll of Henry II, who purchases 10,240 lb of cheddar at a farthing per pound).


date: April 5

text: April 5 – Isabella of Hainault, queen of France (d. 1190)


date: May 9

text: May 9 – Valdemar II (the Conqueror), king of Denmark (d. 1241)


text: August 8 – Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order (d. 1221)


date: October 8

text: October 8 – Vladimir III Igorevich, Kievan prince (d. 1211)


text: Leonardo of Pisa, Italian mathematician (approximate date)


text: Ermengarde de Beaumont, queen of Scotland (d. 1233)


text: Amaury I, French nobleman (House of Craon) (d. 1226)


text: Lope Díaz II, Castilian nobleman (House of Haro) (d. 1236)


text: Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester (approximate date)


text: Walther von der Vogelweide, German lyrical poet (d. 1230)


text: Ranulf de Blondeville, English nobleman and regent (d. 1232)


text: Bahauddin Zakariya, Ghurid scholar and poet (d. 1262)


text: Asukai Masatsune, Japanese waka poet and writer (d. 1221)


text: Eustace the Monk, French mercenary and pirate (d. 1217)


date: January 22

text: January 22 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese philosopher (b. 1113)


date: April 23

text: April 23 – Minamoto no Tametomo, Japanese samurai (b. 1139)


date: May 6

text: May 6 – Lope Díaz I de Haro, Castilian nobleman (b. 1105)


text: May 21 – Godric of Finchale, English hermit and merchant


date: July 25

text: July 25 – Reginald II of Bar (or Renaud), French nobleman


date: August 19

text: August 19 – Mstislav II Izyaslavich, Grand Prince of Kiev


date: September 6

text: September 6 – Qutb al-Din Mawdud, Zangid ruler of Mosul


date: September 14

text: September 14 – Heilika of Lengenfeld, German countess


date: November 18

text: November 18 – Albert I (the Bear), German nobleman


date: November 20

text: November 20 – Gerung of Meissen, German bishop


date: December 20

text: December 20 – Al-Mustanjid, Abbasid caliph (b. 1124)


date: December 29

text: December 29 – Thomas Becket, English archbishop


text: Eliezer ben Nathan, German rabbi and poet (b. 1090)


text: Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd, king of Gwynedd


date: March 10

text: March 10 – King Amalric I of Jerusalem departs with a large staff for Constantinople. At Callipolis he is met by his father-in-law, John Doukas Komnenos, military governor (doux) of Cyprus. Amalric enters the Byzantine capital and is welcomed by Manuel I. In June, a treaty is signed, Amalric recognizes Manuel's suzerainty over Jerusalem.


text: The successors of Robert Bordet leave Catalonia for Mallorca, marking the end of the attempts to create a Norman principality in Iberia.


date: March 12

text: March 12 – Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) orders the arrest of all Venetians in his empire, and seizes their ships and goods.


date: September 25

text: September 25 – Saladin leads an Egyptian army to take part in a joint attack on the Crusader castles Kerak and Montréal, south of the Dead Sea. In November, Saladin withdraws his forces to Cairo to suppress a coup.


date: October 17

text: October 17 – Henry II invades Ireland and lands with a large army of at least 500 mounted knights, and 4,000 men and archers at Waterford. Henry commandeers merchant ships as part of his invasion. He claims the ports of Dublin, Waterford, and Wexford, and promises the Irish chieftains protection if they will acknowledge him as their overlord. Henry is recognized as "Lord of Ireland", traders are invited to Dublin where an English colony is set up.


text: Ascall mac Ragnaill (or Torcaill), last Norse–Gaelic king of Dublin, is captured while trying to retake Dublin from the English forces under Richard de Clare, perhaps in company with Sweyn Asleifsson, and is beheaded. Before the end of the year, Richard relinquishes possession of the city to Henry II, who converts it into an English royal town.


date: July

text: July – King Henry II decides to lead a military expedition to Ireland and summons Richard de Clare (Strongbow) to join forces. In September, Richard travels to England and promises his loyalty to Henry. He is granted Leinster as a fiefdom and is honored with the post of "royal constable in Ireland". The army is assembled at Pembroke – several siege towers are shipped over, should Henry need to assault the Norman-held towns (or others such as Cork and Limerick).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Autumn – King Alfonso II (the Chaste) of Aragon conquers the cities of Caspe and Teruel. He strengthens his southern frontier after Almohad forces under Caliph Yusuf I ravage Catalonia.


date: September

section: Health & Medicine

text: September – Doge Vitale II Michiel leads a Venetian fleet (120 ships) against the Byzantines, conquering the cities of Trogir and Dubrovnik. But the plague takes a heavy toll among the fleet's crewmen; half the ships have to be burned to keep them from falling into enemy hands. A plague also breaks out in Venice, when the remaining ships return.


text: Yesugei (Baghatur), Mongol chieftain, arranges a marriage between his 9-year-old son Temujin (Genghis Khan) and the daughter of the chief of a nearby clan, Börte. He is poisoned by the Tatars while returning home.


date: August 15

text: August 15 – Alfonso IX, king of León and Galicia (d. 1230)


text: Minamoto no Michitomo, Japanese nobleman (d. 1227)


text: Agnes of France (or Anna), Byzantine empress (d. 1220)


text: Saionji Kintsune, Japanese nobleman and poet (d. 1244)


text: Muhammad Aufi, Persian historian and philologist (d. 1242)


text: Matilda of Chester (or Maud), English noblewoman (d. 1233)


text: Stephen de Segrave, English Chief Justiciar (d. 1241)


text: Al-Aziz Uthman, Egyptian ruler and son of Saladin (d. 1198)


date: February 20

text: February 20 – Conan IV ("the Young"), duke of Brittany (b. 1138)

source_section: Deaths


date: March 29

text: March 29 – Achard of Saint Victor, Norman bishop (b. 1100)


date: April 3

text: April 3 – Philip of Milly, French nobleman and knight (b. 1120)


date: May 1

text: May 1 – Diarmaid mac Murchadha, king of Leinster (b. 1110)


date: June 9

text: June 9 – Jacob ben Meir Tam, French Jewish rabbi (b. 1100)


date: August 8

text: August 8 – Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester (b. 1096)


date: September 13

text: September 13 – Caliph Al-Adid dies of natural causes (or poisoning) after a 11-year reign. Saladin overthrows the Fatimid Caliphate, and takes over as governor (atabeg) of Egypt – ruling in the name of Emir Nur al-Din.


text: September 13 – Al-Adid, last Fatimid caliph (b. 1151)


date: November 8

text: November 8 – Baldwin IV, count of Hainaut (b. 1108)


date: December 27

text: December 27 – Petrus Ua Mórda, bishop of Clonfert


text: Ascall mac Ragnaill (or Torcaill), king of Dublin


text: Narathu, ruler of the Pagan Kingdom (b. 1118)


text: Yesugei ("Baghatur"), Mongol chieftain (b. 1134)


text: Abu'l-Hasan al-Hasan ibn Ali, Zirid ruler (b. 1109)


text: Winter – The Nubians are engaged in a series of skirmishes along the frontier in Upper Egypt. A force of Kurdish troops under Turan-Shah, a brother of Saladin, attack the Nubians. He installs a garrison in Qasr Ibrim.


text: Summer – Emir Nur al-Din begins a two year war against the Danishmendids. He creates a buffer zone between the Syrian realm and Egypt. Meanwhile, he releases Count Raymond of Tripoli for the sum of 80,000 dinars.


text: A Muslim rebellion is quelled at Prades in Catalonia; this event marks the end of the pacification of the lands recently conquered by Count Ramon Berenguer IV ("the Saint").


date: May 21

text: May 21 – Henry II of England does penance at Avranches Cathedral for the murder of Thomas Becket.


date: September 27

text: September 27–28 – Compromise of Avranches: Alberto di Morra is sent by Pope Alexander III to the Council of Avranches to investigate the Becket controversy. Henry II is absolved of censures for Becket's murder in view of his penance and swears to go on a crusade. He revokes two controversial clauses of the Constitutions of Clarendon and is reconciled with the papacy.


text: c. October – The Synod of Cashel in Ireland brings Celtic Christianity more into alignment with the Latin Church (the modern Catholic Church).


date: May 28

text: May 28 – Doge Vitale II Michiel, accused at a General Assembly at the Ducal Palace, for the destruction of the Venetian fleet, is stabbed to death by an angry mob at Venice.


date: April 17

text: April 17 – Henry II receives homage from the Irish princes who include Domnall Mór Ua Briain, king of Munster. He grants Hugh de Lacy the lordship of Meath (or Mide) for providing the services of 50 knights.


date: April

text: April–May – Béla III returns to Hungary – where he is acclaimed king by the Hungarian nobility, after the death (possibly from poison) of his elder brother Stephen III, on March 4.


text: Summer – The 14-year-old Richard (later Richard I of England) is formally recognized as duke of Aquitaine. The ceremony takes place at the church of St. Hilary in Poitiers.


text: According to the annals of the Worcester Priory in England, "nothing memorable" happens in this year.


date: July 12

text: July 12 – Matsudono Moroie, Japanese nobleman (d. 1238)


text: Isabella I, queen and regent of Jerusalem (d. 1205)


text: Kamal al-Din Isfahani, Persian poet and writer (d. 1237)


text: Az-Zahir Ghazi, Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo (d. 1216)


text: Al-Qifti, Egyptian historian and biographer (d. 1248)


text: Louis I of Blois, French nobleman (d. 1205)


text: Baldwin I, emperor of the Latin Empire (d. 1205)


text: Isabel de Clare, countess of Pembroke (d. 1220)


text: Conrad II, duke of Swabia and Rothenburg (d. 1196)


date: March 4

text: March 4 – Stephen III, king of Hungary (b. 1147)


date: March 7

text: March 7 – Il-Arslan, Khwarezm ruler (shah)


text: May 28 – Vitale II Michiel, doge of Venice


date: October 14

text: October 14 – Ludwig II, German nobleman (b. 1128)


date: December 23

text: December 23 – Ugo Ventimiglia, Italian cardinal


text: King Henry II of England and Humbert III, Count of Savoy ("the Blessed") agree to the marriage of their respective heirs, John and Alicia. The alliance never occurs because Henry's elder heir, Henry the Young King, becomes jealous over the castles in the realm which Henry has promised to the couple. He stages a rebellion which will take Henry two years to put down. By that time, Alicia will have died.


text: Robert FitzRanulph, English high sheriff


text: William III, French nobleman (b. 1093)


text: Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd, king of Gwynedd


text: Hugh of Fouilloy, French prior and writer


text: Douce II, countess of Provence (b. 1162)


text: Robert FitzEdith, English nobleman (b. 1093)


text: William VII, French nobleman b. 1131)


text: Ibn Qalaqis, Fatimid poet and writer (b. 1137)


text: The Qiandao era ends and the Chunxi era begins during the reign of Emperor Xiao Zong of the Song dynasty.

source_section: Events › By place › China


date: March

text: March – Henry the Young King withdraws to the French court, marking the beginning of the Revolt of 1173–1174, a dispute between King Henry II, his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and three of their sons over the territories they control. Eleanor is placed under de facto house arrest. William the Lion, King of Scotland, invades the North of England in support of the rebellion.


date: October 17

text: 17 October – Revolt of 1173–74: Battle of Fornham – Flemish mercenaries under rebel leader Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, are defeated at a ford in East Anglia by the English royalists under Lord Richard de Lucy.


text: Pro-Fatimid rising in Upper Egypt led by Kanz al-Dawla, governor of Aswan, is crushed by Saladin's brother Al-Adil.


text: Sinhalese king Parakramabahu I "the Great" gains a decisive victory by invading the Chola Empire as an ally of the Pandyas, capturing Tondi and Pasi regions.

source_section: Events › By place › South India


text: Summer – Saladin leads an expeditionary army against the Bedouin tribes in Oultrejordain to secure a route between Egypt and Syria. He raids the region at Kerak Castle.


date: February 21

text: February 21 – Thomas Becket is canonized by Pope Alexander III. His tomb in Canterbury Cathedral becomes a shrine and a popular pilgrimage destination.


text: Abu Yaqub Yusuf, caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, re-populates the western Andalusian city of Beja. But it is rapidly abandoned, a sign of the quick demographic weakening of the Muslims in the peninsula.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Approximate date – Peter Waldo, French spiritual leader, is converted to Christianity and founds the Waldensians.


text: Pedro Gudestéiz resigns the archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela after some controversy.


text: Traditional date – The Great Mosque of al-Nuri, Mosul, is completed to the orders of Nur al-Din Zengi.


date: August 8

text: August 8 – The construction of a campanile, which will become the Leaning Tower of Pisa, begins.

source_section: Events › By topic › Art and leisure


section: Science & Discovery

text: Algebraic chess notation is first recorded.


text: Approximate date – King Béla III of Hungary invites Cistercian and Premonstratensian monks to Hungary. They introduce advanced agricultural methods in the realm.

source_section: Events › By topic › Agriculture


text: May 21 – Shinran, founder of Jōdo Shinshū (Shin Buddhism) (d. 1263)

source_section: Births


date: October 31

text: October 31 – Kujō Ninshi, Japanese empress (d. 1239)


text: December 23 – Louis I, duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)


text: Approximate date – Llywelyn ab Iorwerth ("the Great"), Welsh king of Gwynedd (d. 1240)


text: Diya' al-Din al-Maqdisi, Arab Sunni scholar (d. 1245)


text: Louis IV, Count of Chiny ("the Young"), French nobleman (d. 1226)


text: Tankei, Japanese Buddhist sculptor (d. 1256)


text: Kolbeinn Tumason, Icelandic chieftain (d. 1208)


text: Frederick I, count of Berg-Altena (d. 1198)


text: Rostislav II, Grand Prince of Kiev (d. 1214)


text: Walter Devereux, Anglo-Norman nobleman (d. 1197)


date: January 5

text: January 5 – Bolesław IV the Curly, duke of Poland


text: January 5 – Bolesław IV the Curly, High Duke of Poland, dies after a 27-year reign. He is succeeded by his half-brother Mieszko III the Old, and as duke of Sandomierz in Lesser Poland by Casimir II the Just.


date: February 10

text: February 10 – Muiredach Ua Cobthaig, Irish bishop


date: March 10

text: March 10 – Richard of Saint Victor, Scottish theologian


date: May 25

text: May 25 – Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Belarusian granddaughter


date: August 9

text: August 9 – Najm ad-Din Ayyub, father of Saladin


date: August 13

text: August 13 – Nerses IV, Catholicos of Armenia (b. 1102)


date: September 23

text: September 23 – Fujiwara no Ikushi, Japanese empress consort (b. 1146)


date: October 15

text: October 15 – Petronilla, queen regnant of Aragon (b. 1136)


date: November 7

text: November 7 – Uijong, Korean ruler Goryeo (b. 1127)


text: Benjamin of Tudela, Spanish Jewish traveler (b. 1130)


text: Knut Eriksson (King Canute I of Sweden) extends his rule after the death of co-ruler Kol – which includes also Östergötland. He becomes the unopposed sole-ruler of Sweden with the support of jarl Birger Brosa.


text: Hemachandra, Indian poet and polymath (b. 1088)


text: Rajaraja II, Indian ruler of the Chola dynasty


date: December 8

text: December 8 – The Treaty of Falaise: Captured by the English, William I is forced to sign a peace agreement. The treaty makes Scotland a feudal possession of England, William and his nobles swear allegiance to Henry II. He must hand over several castles to Henry in return for his freedom.


date: March 31

text: March 31 – A conspiracy against Saladin, aiming to restore the Fatimid Caliphate, is revealed in Cairo, involving senior figures of the former Fatimid regime and the poet Umara al-Yamani. Modern historians doubt the extent and danger of the conspiracy reported in official sources, but its ringleaders will be publicly executed over the following weeks.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


date: July 13

text: July 13 – Battle of Alnwick: King William I (the Lion), supported by Flemish mercenaries, invades England, to help fight in the baronial rebellion against King Henry II. William attacks Prudhoe Castle in Northumberland, but is unable to capture it. He is captured by Lord Ranulf de Glanvill, and brought back to Newcastle. Henry occupies a part of Scotland, with its five strongest castles: Roxburgh, Berwick, Jedburgh, Edinburgh and Stirling.


date: July 25

text: July 25 – The Sicilian fleet (some 250 ships) under Tancred, Count of Syracuse, launches a failed attack against Alexandria. But he is deprived of support and forced to sail away after a seven-day blockade on August 1.


date: September 30

text: September 30 – The Revolt of 1173–1174: After a year and a half of rebellion, Henry II achieves peace agreements with his sons Henry the Young King, Richard, Geoffrey, and John at Montlouis, on the basis of the pre-war status quo. Before he returns to Normandy, Henry orders the rebel castles in England and Aquitaine to be destroyed.


date: October 29

text: October 29 – Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa), on his fifth Italian campaign, begins the siege of Alessandria in northern Italy. He is opposed by the Lombard League (now joined by Venice, Sicily and Constantinople).


date: October

text: October – Battle of Thurles: Gaelic-Irish forces under King Domnall Mór Ua Briain defeat an Anglo-Norman invasion at Thurles in Ireland. The English expedition led by Earl Richard de Clare (Strongbow) is surprised while encamped in the area of Lognafola and is forced to retreat to Waterford.

source_section: Events › By place › Ireland


date: November 23

text: November 23 – Saladin arrives at Damascus and spends the night at his father's old house, until the gates of the Citadel of Damascus are opened to him, after a brief siege by his brother Tughtakin ibn Ayyub.


text: Summer – French forces under King Louis VII, supported by Henry the Young King and Philip of Alsace, encircle Rouen. The city holds out against the war engines long enough for Henry II to arrive in the middle of August to stage a rescue. The besiegers are fearful that Henry will invade France and the siege is lifted.


text: Kilij Arslan II, Seljuk ruler of the Sultanate of Rum, rounds off his conquest of the Danishmend Turks in Eastern Anatolia. He allies with the Zangid rulers against Mosul.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


date: February

text: February – Saladin's brother Turan-Shah sails with an army and supporting fleet to conquer the Hejaz and Yemen.


date: April 7

text: April 7 – Pope Alexander III consecrates Richard of Dover as archbishop of Canterbury at Anagni. Richard returns to England bearing his pallium which he has received directly from the pope.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


date: May

text: May – The establishment of the Sultanate of Egypt, Saladin proclaimed the Sultan.


date: September 5

text: September 5 – Canterbury Cathedral is severely damaged in a fire.


date: July 7

text: July 7 – Henry II does penance at Canterbury for the murder of Thomas Becket (see 1170), even though indirect. He is whipped by the monks as punishment.


text: Emeric, king of Hungary and Croatia (d. 1204)


text: Gerard of Villamagna, Italian hermit (d. 1242)


text: Ingeborg of Denmark, queen of France (d. 1237)


text: Edmund of Abingdon, English archbishop (d. 1240)


text: Robert de Gresle, English landowner (d. 1230)


text: Liu Songnian, Chinese landscape painter (d. 1224)


text: Sava (the Enlightener), Serbian prince (d. 1236)


text: Hedwig of Silesia, duchess of Greater Poland (d. 1243)


date: January 18

text: January 18 – Vladislaus II, duke of Bohemia (b. 1110)


date: April 6

text: April 6 – Umara al-Yamani, Yemeni poet and historian (b. 1121)


date: May 15

text: May 15 – Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler of Syria (b. 1118)


text: May 15 – Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of Syria, dies at Damascus after a 28-year reign. He is succeeded by his 11-year-old son As-Salih Ismail al-Malik. Meanwhile, Saladin declares himself his regent and vassal.

source_section: Events › By place › Levant


date: June 28

text: June 28 – Andrei Bogolyubsky, prince of Vladimir


date: July 11

text: July 11 – Amalric I, king of Jerusalem (b. 1136)


text: July 11 – King Amalric I dies of dysentery after an 11-year reign. He is succeeded by his 13-year-old son Baldwin IV (the Leper), who becomes ruler of Jerusalem. Count Raymond III of Tripoli is appointed as his regent.


date: September 17

text: September 17 – Pietro di Miso, Italian cardinal


date: September 22

text: September 22 – Uhtred, Lord of Galloway


date: October 10

text: October 10 – Adela of Ponthieu, Countess of Surrey


text: Miles of Plancy (or Milo), French nobleman


text: Peter II of Tarentaise, French bishop (b. 1102)


text: Enguerrand (or Ingram), bishop of Glasgow


text: Gilla Mo Chaidbeo, Irish monk and abbot


text: Treaty of Windsor: High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair relinquishes his title and agrees to submit to Henry II as vassal of Connacht in Ireland.


text: The Namayan Kingdom formed by a confederation of barangays, reaches its peak on Luzon (modern Philippines).


date: May 22

text: May 22 – A group of Isma'ili Assassins gains access into Saladin's camp and attempts to kill him during the siege of Aleppo. But his bodyguard saves his life, the others are slain while trying to escape.


text: Vordingborg Castle is completed by King Valdemar I of Denmark as a defensive fortress.


text: Winter – The Massacre of Abergavenny ends with several Welsh noblemen dead, at the orders of Lord William de Braose.


text: Under the admirals of the clan Banu Mardanish, an Almohad fleet suffers a large defeat at the hand of the Portuguese, as they are trying to re-conquer Lisbon.


text: Count Raymond of Tripoli appoints William II as chancellor of Jerusalem and is elected as archbishop of Tyre.


text: The High Academy of the Bosnian Church in Moštre (modern-day Visoko), is first mentioned in the Vatican archives.


text: The Chinese court establishes several government-paper money factories in the cities of Chengdu, Hangzhou and Huizhou. In Hangzhou alone a daily workforce of more than 1,000 men is employed.


text: Eleanor of Aquitaine is held under house arrest at Old Sarum Castle in Wiltshire. She is kept in comfort there – fine clothes for her are dispatched regularly from London.


text: King Henry II begins living openly with his mistress Rosamund Clifford, raising suspicions about their relationship and alienating Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.


text: The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy is founded.


date: February 4

text: February 4 – Nadaungmya, king of Burma (d. 1235)


text: Henry Audley, English nobleman (d. 1246)


text: Margaret of Hungary, Byzantine empress (d. 1223)


text: Raymond of Penyafort, Spanish Dominican friar (d. 1275)


text: Roger III, king of Sicily (House of Hauteville) (d. 1193)


text: Herman II, German nobleman (House of Lippe) (d. 1229)


text: Emo of Friesland, Frisian scholar and abbot (d. 1237)


text: Robert Grosseteste, English statesman (d. 1253)


text: Śārṅgadeva, Indian musicologist and writer (d. 1247)


text: Al-Zahir, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (d. 1226)


text: Yolanda, empress of the Latin Empire (d. 1219)


text: Michael Scot, Scottish mathematician and scholar (d. 1232)


text: Frederick I, duke of Austria (d. 1198)


text: Theodore I, emperor of Nicaea (d. 1221)


date: January 12

text: January 12 – Yi Ui-bang, Korean military leader (b. 1121)


date: January 24

text: January 24 – Ibn Asakir, Syrian historian and mystic (b. 1105)


date: March 5

text: March 5 – Frederick of Hallum, Frisian priest and abbot


text: May 15 – Mleh I, prince of Armenia


date: May 25

text: May 25 – Ishoyahb V, patriarch of the Church of the East


date: July 1

text: July 1 – Reginald de Dunstanville, English nobleman (b. 1110)


date: July 27

text: July 27 – Ponce de Minerva, French nobleman and general


date: October 19

text: October 19 – Andrew of Saint Victor, English abbot and scholar


date: November 13

text: November 13 – Henry of France, archbishop of Reims (b. 1121)


text: Clementia of Zähringen, duchess of Bavaria and Saxony


text: Maria Torribia, Spanish laywoman and hermit


text: Ibn Saad al-Khair al-Balancy, Arab Andalusian linguist and poet (b. 1116)


text: Nicholas Hagiotheodorites, Byzantine scholar and official


date: May 29

text: May 29 – Battle of Legnano: The Imperial army (some 5,500 men) led by Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) is defeated by forces of the Lombard League, leading to the pactum Anagnium (the Agreement of Anagni).


text: September 17 – Battle of Myriokephalon: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine forces led by Manuel I, who are ambushed when moving through a narrow mountain pass near Lake Beyşehir. The Byzantines are dispersed and surrounded. They suffer heavy casualties and their siege equipment is destroyed. Manuel flees in panic and is forced to sign a peace treaty with Kilij Arslan II.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Al-Adil I, Ayyubid governor of Egypt, suppresses a revolt by the Christian Copts in the city of Qift, hanging nearly 3,000 of them on the trees near the city.


text: Spring – Saladin defeats the Zangid forces before Damascus and marries Nur al-Din's widow Asimat. On June 24 he accepts a truce and is recognized as the sovereign over Syria.


text: Summer – Saladin ends his siege of the Ismaili ("Assassins") fortress of Masyaf, which is commanded by Rashid al-Din Sinan.


text: Summer – Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) assembles a Byzantine expeditionary force, and marches towards Iconium, the Seljuk capital. Meanwhile, hordes of Seljuk Turks destroy crops and poison water supplies, to make Manuel's march more difficult, and harass the Byzantine army, in order to force it into the Meander Valley. Kilij Arslan II, ruler of the Sultanate of Rum, hears of the expedition, and sends envoys to ask for peace.


text: The Carthusians are approved as a religious order.


text: Autumn – Frederick I makes peace with Pope Alexander III and recognizes his legitimacy as pope of the Catholic Church.


text: Sens Cathedral in Burgundy installs an horologe, presumed to be an early form of clock.


text: Spring – Assize of Northampton: King Henry II establishes the rules for the administration of criminal justice that he has set out in 1166 at Clarendon.


text: Raynald of Châtillon is released and ransomed from prison in Aleppo, together with Joscelin III, the titular count of Edessa.


text: Autumn – William of Montferrat (Longsword) marries the 16-year-old Princess Sibylla, sister of King Baldwin IV (the Leper).


text: Unkei, a Japanese sculptor, completes his Dainichi Nyorai (Enjō-ji) statue, now a National Treasure of Japan.


text: Winter – An international bardic festival at Cardigan Castle in Wales. The first recorded eisteddfod.


date: October 15

text: October 15 – Leopold VI, German nobleman (d. 1230)


text: Hachijō-in Takakura, Japanese waka poet (d. 1248)


text: Maud le Vavasour, English noblewoman (d. 1225)


text: Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford (d. 1220)


text: Fujiwara no Nobuzane, Japanese painter (d. 1265)


text: Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster (approximate date)


text: Al-Mu'azzam Isa, Ayyubid ruler of Damascus (d. 1227)


text: Agnes of Hohenstaufen, German noblewoman (d. 1204)


text: William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (d. 1226)


text: Theresa of Portugal, queen of León (d. 1250)


text: Anna Komnene Angelina, Nicene empress (d. 1212)


date: April 18

text: April 18 – Galdino della Sala, Italian archbishop (b. 1096)


date: April 20

text: April 20 – Richard de Clare, English nobleman (b. 1130)


date: May 8

text: May 8 – David FitzGerald, bishop of St. Davids (b. 1106)


date: May 13

text: May 13 – Matthias I, duke of Lorraine (b. 1119)


date: July 20

text: July 20 – Yoshika, Japanese empress (b. 1141)


date: August 23

text: August 23 – Rokujō, emperor of Japan (b. 1164)


date: September 1

text: September 1 – Maurice FitzGerald, English nobleman


date: September 17

text: September 17 – John Kantakouzenos, Byzantine general


date: October 12

text: October 12 – William d'Aubigny, English politician (b. 1109)


text: Volodar Glebovich, prince of Minsk (approximate date)


text: Klængur Þorsteinsson, bishop of Skálholt (b. 1102)


text: Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monk (b. 1102)


text: John Doukas (Komnenos), Byzantine governor (b. 1128)


text: Sancha Ponce de Cabrera, Spanish noblewoman


date: August 1

text: August 1 – The Holy Roman Empire renounces any claims on the territory of Rome.

source_section: Events › January–December


date: November 25

text: November 25 – Battle of Montgisard: Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Raynald of Chatillon defeat Saladin.


text: A civil war breaks out in the Republic of Florence, between the Uberti Family and their consular opponent.

source_section: Events › Date unknown


text: The Cham sack the Khmer capital of Angkor. The date is disputed.


text: During the winter, the Estonians attack Pskov.


text: Casimir II overthrows his brother Mieszko III the Old, to become High Duke of Poland.


date: March 16

text: March 16 – The Spanish Award is signed and witnessed by, among others, Robert III de Stuteville and John of Greenford


date: March

text: March – Treaty of Venice: Frederick I Barbarossa acknowledges Alexander III as Pope, after a diplomatic mediation by Venetian doge Sebastiano Ziani.


date: September 27

text: September 27 – Pope Alexander III sends a letter to Prester John, believing he is real.


text: Puigcerdà is founded by Alfonso II of Aragon.


text: possible date – Richard FitzNeal begins to write his treatise Dialogus de Scaccario ("Dialogue concerning the Exchequer") in England.


text: Abbas Benedictus becomes abbot of Peterborough in England.


text: Byland Abbey is established on its final site in Yorkshire, England, by the Cistercians.


text: The union of Egypt and Syria under Sultan Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the foundation of the Ayyubid Sultanate.


text: Roger de Moulins becomes Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller.


date: January

text: January – Eystein Meyla, leader of the Birkebeiner in Norway, is killed. Sverre Sigurdson (Later, King Sverre I, of Norway) becomes the new leader.


text: Moscow is burned down by Gleb I, prince of Ryazan, and its inhabitants are killed.


text: During the third year of the Angen era in Japan, a fire devastates Kyoto.


date: January 13

text: January 13 – Leopold V becomes Duke of Austria.


date: February

text: February/March – Philip of Swabia, rival of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1208)


date: August

text: August – Baldwin V, King of Jerusalem (d. 1186)


text: Prithviraj Chauhan, Indian ruler of Ajmer (d. 1192)


text: Sylvester Gozzolini, Italian founder of the Sylvestrines (d. 1267)


text: Marie of Oignies, French beguin (d. 1213)


text: January 13 – Henry II, Duke of Austria (b. 1107)


text: January – Eystein Meyla, leader of the Birkebeiner in Norway. (b. 1157)


date: June

text: June – William of Montferrat, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon, father of Baldwin V of Jerusalem (b. early 1140s)


text: probable – Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk (b. 1095)


text: King George III defeats a nobles' revolt and proclaims his 18-year-old daughter Tamar (the Great) as co-ruler of Georgia.


date: August 17

text: August 17 – A battle occurs as a Latin force raids the vicinity of Hama, Syria.


text: Portuguese forces under King Afonso I (the Conqueror) capture the city of Beja from the Almohads.


date: June 18

text: June 18 – Five monks from the Canterbury Abbey report the appearance of a flaming torch spewing hot coals and sparks from the upper portion of the crescent moon.


date: July 17

text: July 17 – Saracen pirates, from the Balearic Islands, raid the Cistercian monastery of Saint Honorat on the Lérins Islands, and the city of Toulon, killing an estimated 300 and taking captives. The surviving captives are freed from the Balearic Islands in 1185.


text: Summer – Antipope Callixtus III submits to Pope Alexander III after having reigned for 10 years with support from Frederick I.


text: Orio Mastropiero is elected by the Council of Forty as doge of Venice, following the retirement of Sebastiano Ziani.


text: June 18 – Five monks from Canterbury see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed.


date: June 30

text: June 30 – Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) is crowned King of Burgundy at Arles. He will repeat the ceremony in 1186. Returning to Germany, he begins proceedings against Henry III (the Lion), duke of Saxony, who has been charged by Saxon noblemen with breaking the king's peace.


text: The Leaning Tower of Pisa begins to lean, as the third level is completed (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Art and Science


date: October 27

text: October 27 – Zhen Dexiu, Chinese politician (d. 1235)


date: December 22

text: December 22 – Antoku, emperor of Japan (d. 1185)


text: Wei Liaoweng, Chinese politician and philosopher (d. 1237)


text: Hugh I, Sardinian ruler (Judge of Arborea) (d. 1211)


text: Thomas I (or Tommaso), count of Savoy (d. 1233)


text: Armand de Périgord, French Grand Master (d. 1244)


text: Alam al-Din al-Hanafi, Ayyubid mathematician (d. 1251)


text: Wuzhun Shifan, Chinese calligrapher and painter (d. 1249)


text: Al-Faqih al-Muqaddam, Arab religious leader (d. 1232)


text: Matteo Rosso Orsini, Italian politician (d. 1246)


text: Roland of Cremona, French theologian (d. 1259)


text: Peter II (the Catholic), king of Aragon (d. 1213)


date: February 17

text: February 17 – Evermode of Ratzeburg, German bishop


date: May 27

text: May 27 – Godfrey van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht


date: December 30

text: December 30 – Pribislav, prince of Mecklenburg


text: Nashwan al-Himyari, Arab theologian and writer


text: Fujiwara no Narichika, Japanese nobleman (b. 1138)


text: Ada de Warenne, Scottish noblewoman (b. 1120)


text: Petrus Comestor, French theologian and writer


text: Frowin of Engelberg (the Blessed), Swiss abbot


text: Kristin Sigurdsdatter, Norwegian princess (b. 1125)


text: Anthelm of Belley, French prior and bishop (b. 1107)


text: Amadeus I, Swiss nobleman (House of Geneva)


text: Richard the Chaplain, bishop of Cell Rigmonaid


text: Philippa of Antioch, princess of Antioch (b. 1148)


text: Áedh Ua Flaithbheartaigh, king of Iar Connacht


text: King William I (the Lion) establishes two castles at the Beauly Firth and the Cromarty Firth in northern Scotland. On his return, the city of Aberdeen is chartered by Wiliam.


date: June 10

text: June 10 – Battle of Marj Ayyun: A Crusader army (some 10,000 men) led by Baldwin IV is defeated by Muslim forces under Saladin near the Litani River (modern Lebanon). The Knights Templar join the battle, but they are driven back in confusion. Baldwin narrowly escapes being captured in the route. Amongst Saladin's prisoners are Odo de St. Amand, Grand Master of the Templars, and Lord Baldwin of Ibelin.


text: June 18 – Battle of Kalvskinnet: Norwegian forces led by King Sverre Sigurdsson defeat and kill Earl Erling Skakke, outside Nidaros in Norway. The battle changes the tide of the civil wars.


date: August 30

text: August 30 – Siege of Jacob's Ford: Muslim forces led by Saladin conquer and destroy the unfinished Castle of Chastellet at Jacob's Ford, killing 80 knights and taking 700 civilians captive.


date: September 17

text: September 17 – A large offensive, by the Almohad army led by Yusuf I in southern Portugal, aims at the reconquest of the Alentejo. Further north, an Almohad fleet sails to attack Lisbon, but is repelled by the Portuguese, near the Cape Espichel. The Portuguese fleet later manages to enter in the harbour of Ceuta, and destroy a number of Muslim ships. It is the beginning of a four-year naval conflict between the Almohads and Portuguese.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Taira no Kiyomori, Japanese military leader, confines the former Emperor Go-Shirakawa to his quarters after discovering that he has tried to confiscate the estates of Kiyomori's deceased children.


date: March

text: March – Third Council of the Lateran: The Council condemns Waldensians and Cathars as heretics. It further institutes a reformation of clerical life and regulates that in order to prevent future schisms, the pope must receive of the cardinals' votes to be elected.


date: November 1

text: November 1 – The 14-year-old Philip II is crowned at Rheims by Archbishop William of the White Hands. He becomes joint ruler of France, together with his father King Louis VII.


text: Westminster School is founded by Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey (by papal command) in England.


text: Summer – Afonso I (the Conqueror) is recognized as King of Portugal by Pope Alexander III – bringing Portugal the protection of the Catholic Church against the Leonese monarchy.


date: June 24

text: June 24 – Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, is put under the ban of the empire when he refuses to appear before Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) to answer charges of misgovernment.


text: Mieszko III (the Old), duke of Poland, travels to Germany to ask Frederick I to offer help in his restoration of the Polish throne, but Frederick demands a payment of 10,000 silver.


text: The Maya city Chichen Itza is sacked and burned by Hunac Ceel, ruler of Mayapan (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Mesoamerica


text: The Drigung Kagyu school of Kagyu Buddhism is founded (approximate date).


date: April 4

text: April 4 – Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Indian preacher (d. 1266)


date: May 13

text: May 13 – Theobald III, count of Champagne (d. 1201)


date: May 17

text: May 17 – Ogasawara Nagatsune, Japanese warrior (d. 1247)


text: Snorri Sturluson, Icelandic historian and poet (d. 1241)


text: John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, constable (d. 1236)


text: Konoe Iezane, Japanese nobleman and monk (d. 1243)


text: Shimazu Tadahisa, Japanese warlord (d. 1227)


text: Donatus of Ripacandida, Italian monk and saint (d. 1198)


text: William IV of Ponthieu ("Talvas"), Norman nobleman (d. 1221)


text: Yaqut al-Hamawi, Arab geographer and writer (d. 1229)


text: Constance of Aragon, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1222)


text: Serapion of Algiers, English priest and martyr (d. 1240)


date: February 25

text: February 25 – Adelelm, English Lord High Treasurer

source_section: Deaths


date: April 10

text: April 10 – A Crusader army, led by King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem ("the Leper"), is ambushed by Muslim forces in a narrow valley in the forest of Banyas. Baldwin is only able to extricate his forces owing to the heroism of Humphrey II, lord of Toron, who holds up the Muslims with his bodyguard till Baldwin and his army escape. Humphrey suffers mortal wounds and dies on April 22. He is succeeded by his 13-year-old grandson Humphrey IV.


date: April 22

text: April 22 – Humphrey II, constable and lord of Toron (b. 1117)


date: June 18

text: June 18 – Erling Skakke, Norwegian nobleman (b. 1115)


date: July 14

text: July 14 – Richard de Luci, Norman High Sheriff (b. 1089)


date: July 27

text: July 27 – Mudzaffar Shah I, ruler of the Kedah Sultanate


date: August 9

text: August 9 – Roger of Worcester, English bishop (b. 1118)


date: September 2

text: September 2 – Taira no Shigemori, Japanese nobleman (b. 1138)


text: September 17 – Hildegard of Bingen, German abbess (b. 1098)


text: September 17 – Hildegard of Bingen, German abbess and polymath, dies at Rupertsberg. Having founded two monasteries, she has also written theological, botanical, and medicinal texts.


date: October 9

text: October 9 – Odo de St. Amand, French Grand Master (b. 1110)


date: October 18

text: October 18 – Chŏng Chung-bu, Korean military leader (b. 1106)


date: December 25

text: December 25 – Roger de Bailleul, French monk and abbot


text: A synod of thirty-three Armenian bishops in Hromkla discusses the conditions for union with the Byzantine Church and sends a profession of faith to emperor Manuel I Komnenos who dies before receiving it.


text: Emperor Hadrian is also a Roman Consul.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Osroene is returned to native rule by the Roman Empire.


text: Plot of the consuls: Hadrian executes four senators, all former consuls, who had been shown to have plotted against him. His relations with the Senate are strained.


text: The north-south feud between the Hun Dynasty ends.


text: 118–128 – Battle of Centaurs and Wild Beasts, from Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, Italy, is made (approximate date). It may be a copy of a painting done by the late 5th century BC Greek artist Zeuxis. It is now kept at Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Antikensammlung.


text: Pantheon, in Rome, starts to be built (approximate date).


text: Rome has a population exceeding 1 million, making it the largest city in the world.


text: The oldest known painted depiction of a wheelbarrow is found in a Chinese tomb of Chengde, Sichuan province, dated to this year.


text: Trajan's Forum (commissioned by the late Emperor Trajan) is completed with triumphal arches, columns, a market complex, and an enormous basilica, all of which replace hundreds of dwellings.


date: August 8

text: August 8 – Primus, patriarch of Alexandria


text: Aulus Cornelius Palma, Roman politician


text: Bassus of Lucera, Roman bishop and martyr


text: Ren Shang, Chinese general of Han Dynasty


text: Terentian, Roman bishop and martyr


text: Lusius Quietus, Roman general and governor


text: Gaius Avidius Nigrinus, Roman politician


text: Lucius Publilius Celsus, Roman politician


date: January 13

text: January 13 – Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, is stripped of his duchies and all his imperial fiefs at an Imperial Diet in Würzburg for violating the king's peace. On April 13, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter, formally dissolving Henry's former domains. A portion of Saxony is reorganized as the Duchy of Westphalia, while other territories are granted to his ally, Otto I the Redhead, Duke of Bavaria.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: March 18

text: March 18 – Emperor Takakura is forced to abdicate by Taira no Kiyomori after a 12-year reign. He is succeeded by his two-year-old son, Emperor Antoku, who will reign until 1185. Kiyomori assumes control of the government, ruling as regent in the child emperor's name.


text: The assembly traditionally considered the first Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland is convened at Łęczyca (approximate date).


date: June 20

text: June 20 – Battle of Uji: Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa take refuge in the Byōdō-in Temple. They appeal to warrior monks for assistance, but are ultimately defeated by Taira forces. Yorimasa commits suicide, and Mochihito is killed while fleeing.


date: September 14

text: September 14 – Battle of Ishibashiyama: A Taira force of approximately 3,000 men, led by Ōba Kagechika, defeats Minamoto no Yoritomo near Mount Fuji (in present-day Odawara). Yoritomo narrowly escapes by sea and flees to Awa Province.


date: November 9

text: November 9 – Battle of Fujigawa: Minamoto forces, numbering around 30,000 and commanded by Minamoto no Yoritomo, defeat a Taira army under Taira no Koremori near the Fuji River. The Taira forces retreat in disorder, though Koremori manages to escape.


text: Saladin intervenes in a conflict between the Zengids of Mosul and the Artuqids. He persuades the Seljuk sultanate of Rum not to become involved and proceeds to raid Cilician Armenia.


text: Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song dynasty in China, becomes the largest city in the world, surpassing Fez in the Almohad Caliphate.

source_section: Events › By topic › Demography


text: Genpei War: Prince Mochihito launches a rebellion against the ruling Taira clan. In support of the uprising, Minamoto no Yorimasa issues a call to arms, appealing to several Buddhist monasteries—such as Enryaku-ji, Mii-dera, and others—that have been alienated by Kiyomori.


text: Portuguese admiral Dom Fuas Roupinho defeats the Almohad fleet for the second time in two years.


text: The town of Portsmouth is founded by the Norman merchant Jean de Gisors, who establishes it as a strategic port to facilitate trade between England and France (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › England


text: Alexander Neckam becomes a lecturer in Paris and begins writing De Natura Rerum, one of the earliest Western European works to mention chess (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Culture


text: Summer – King Baldwin IV (known as "the Leper") sends envoys to Saladin proposing a peace treaty. Due to a severe drought, much of Syria is afflicted by famine, prompting Saladin to agree to a two-year truce. Although Raymond III of Tripoli initially denounces the agreement, he is forced to accept it following an Ayyubid naval raid on the port city of Tartus.


text: Baldwin IV arranges the marriage of his sister, Sibylla, to Guy of Lusignan, brother of the constable Amalric of Lusignan. Baldwin grants Guy the County of Jaffa and Ascalon as a fief.


date: August 6

text: August 6 – Go-Toba, emperor of Japan (d. 1239)

source_section: Births


text: Robert de Bingham, bishop of Salisbury (d. 1246)


text: Alfonso II (Berenguer), count of Provence (d. 1209)


text: Hawise of Chester, English noblewoman (d. 1143)


text: Robert of Burgate, English nobleman (d. 1220)


text: Paulus Hungarus, Hungarian theologian (d. 1241)


text: Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, French troubadour (d. 1207)


text: Kambar, Indian Hindu poet and writer (d. 1250)


text: Philip of Ibelin, Cypriot nobleman and regent (d. 1227)


text: Gilbert de Clare, English nobleman (approximate date)


text: Berengaria (the Great), queen of Castile and León (d. 1246)


text: Guala de Roniis, Italian priest and bishop (d. 1244)


text: Fernán Gutiérrez de Castro, Spanish nobleman (d. 1223)


text: Simon of Dammartin, French nobleman (d. 1239)


date: January 23

text: January 23 – Eberhard I, count of Berg-Altena (b. 1140)


date: January 29

text: January 29 – Soběslav II, duke of Bohemia (b. 1128)


date: February 6

text: February 6 – Teresa Fernández de Traba, queen of León


date: March 27

text: March 27 – Al-Mustadi, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (b. 1142)


text: June 20 – Minamoto no Yorimasa, Japanese military leader (b. 1106)


text: June 20 – Mochihito, Japanese prince and son of Go-Shirakawa


date: June 27

text: June 27 – Turan-Shah, Ayyubid emir (prince) of Damascus


date: July 1

text: July 1 – Stephanie (the Unfortunate), Spanish noblewoman


date: August 11

text: August 11 – William of Sens (or Guillaume), French architect


date: September 24

text: September 24 – Emperor Manuel I Komnenos dies in Constantinople after a 37-year reign. He is succeeded by his 11-year-old son, Alexios II Komnenos, who will reign briefly as emperor of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of his mother, Maria of Antioch. Maria assumes power as regent (until 1183) and takes as her advisor and lover, Alexios Komnenos (protosebastos), a nephew of Manuel I, which causes scandal and unrest among the Byzantine populace.


date: October 6

text: October 6 – Amalric of Nesle, French prelate and Latin patriarch


date: October 25

text: October 25 – John of Salisbury, English philosopher and bishop


date: November 14

text: November 14 – Lorcán Ua Tuathail, Irish archbishop (b. 1128)


text: Abraham ibn Daud, Spanish-Jewish philosopher (b. 1110)


text: Jayavarman VII defeats the Chams and assumes control over the Khmer Empire (modern Cambodia).

source_section: Events › Europe › Asia


text: King Béla III of Hungary and Croatia goes to war with Venice in an effort to recover Dalmatia. The city of Zadar (located on the Adriatic Sea) accepts Béla's suzerainty.

source_section: Events › Europe


text: After a series of defeats, the Almohad fleet under the admiral Ahmad al-Siqilli, crushes the Portuguese navy and reasserts its control over the Atlantic Ocean.


text: Summer – Raynald of Châtillon, lord of Oultrejordain, raids Saladin's territory, reaching as far as Tabuk (modern Saudi Arabia) on the route between Damascus and Mecca. In November, Saladin sends an expedition under his nephew, Farrukh Shah, who invades Oultrejordain. Raynald of Châtillon is forced to withdraw home. Saladin complains to King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (the Leper) for breaking the treaty (see 1180) and demands compensation.

source_section: Events › Europe › Levant


text: Philip II begins a war against Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders, over the Vermandois. He claims the territory for his wife Isabella of Hainault as her dowry. Philip is unwilling to give it up.


text: Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, submits to Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) at an Imperial Diet in Erfurt. He is banished to England and retains only Brunswick among his former lands.


text: The word Albigensians is first used by Geoffroy du Breuil of Vigeois, French abbot and chronicler, to describe the inhabitants of Albi in southern France.


text: Chinese and Japanese astronomers observe what has come to be understood as supernova SN 1181. One of only eight supernovae in the Milky Way observed in recorded history. It appears in the constellation Cassiopeia and is visible in the night sky for about 185 days. The radio source 3C58 was thought to be the remnant from this event, but opinion is shifting towards the recently discovered nebula Pa 30 (ref : Arxiv 2105.12384).

source_section: Events › By topic › Science


text: King Philip II (Augustus) annuls all loans made by Jews to Christians, and takes a percentage for himself. A year later, he confiscates all Jewish property and expels the Jews from Paris.


text: The Yōwa era is marked by famine in Japan, during the period from July 1181 through May 1182.


date: January

text: January – William VIII of Montpellier frees the teaching of medicine from any monopoly in France, an origin of the University of Montpellier.


text: King Henry II removes Hugh de Lacy, lord of Meath, from his position as procurator of Ireland, possibly because of his having married the daughter of High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair.

source_section: Events › Europe › Ireland


date: March 22

text: March 22 – Ibn al-Farid, Arab poet and writer (d. 1234)


date: June 21

text: June 21 – Huijong, Korean ruler of Goryeo (d. 1237)


text: Marino Morosini, doge of Venice (House of Morosini) (d. 1253)


text: Irene Angelina, queen of Germany and Sicily (d. 1208)


text: Mathilde of Angoulême, French noblewoman (d. 1233)


text: Xian Zong, Chinese emperor of Western Xia (d. 1226)


date: January 30

text: January 30 – Takakura, emperor of Japan (b. 1161)


date: March 13

text: March 13 – Simon III de Montfort, French nobleman (b. 1117)


date: March 16

text: March 16 – Henry I (the Liberal), French nobleman (b. 1127)


date: March 20

text: March 20 – Taira no Kiyomori, Japanese military leader and dictator, dies at Kyoto. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in Japan.


date: April 1

text: April 1 – Ulrich II von Treven, patriarch of Aquileia


date: April 5

text: April 5 – Ramon Berenguer III, count of Provence


date: June 30

text: June 30 – Hugh de Kevelioc, English politician (b. 1147)


date: August 30

text: August 30 – Pope Alexander III dies after a 22-year pontificate at Rome. He is succeeded by the Tuscany-born Lucius III as the 171st pope of the Catholic Church.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


date: September 27

text: September 27 – Guichard of Pontigny, French archbishop


date: October 4

text: October 4 – Herman II, German nobleman (House of Sponheim)


date: October 23

text: October 23 – Adela of Meissen, queen consort of Denmark


date: November 26

text: November 26 – Roger de Pont L'Évêque, Norman archbishop


date: December 3

text: December 3 – Galgano Guidotti, Italian nobleman (b. 1148)


text: Lucas (or Luke), archbishop of Esztergom (b. 1120)


text: Mieszko III (the Old), duke of Greater Poland, agrees with his son Odon of Poznań to divide the territories between them: Mieszko hold his western lands and Odon receives the eastern lands south of the River Obra.


date: April

text: April – Massacre of the Latins: The Eastern Orthodox inhabitants of Constantinople massacre the Venetian, Genoan, and other Latin officials and traders who rule as agents of Empress Maria of Antioch. She is the mother and regent of 12-year-old Emperor Alexios II.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


date: May 11

text: May 11 – Saladin leads an Egyptian expeditionary force from Cairo to Syria. In June, he arrives in Damascus and learns that his nephew Farrukh Shah has raided Galilee, and sacked the villages near Mount Tabor. On his way back, Farrukh Shah attacks the fortress of Habis Jaldak, carved out of the rock above the River Yarmuk. The garrison, Christian Syrians with no great wish to die for the Crusaders, promptly surrenders.

source_section: Events › By place › Levant


date: May

text: May – June – Béla III, king of Hungary, ravages the region of Belgrade and Barancs (modern-day Braničevo). Meanwhile, Serbia allies itself with Hungary to gain independence.


date: July

text: July – August – Battle of Belvoir Castle: Saladin crosses into Palestine round the south of the Sea of Galilee. King Baldwin IV (the Leper) of Jerusalem marches with his army back from Oultrejordain and attacks Saladin's forces near Belvoir Castle (modern Israel). In a fierce battle, the Crusaders successfully repel Saladin's invasion. At the end of the day, each side retires, claiming the victory.


date: August

text: August – Saladin sends an Egyptian fleet to blockade Beirut and leads his forces in the Bekaa Valley. The city is strongly fortified and Baldwin IV rushes with his army up from Galilee – only pausing to collect the ships that lay in the harbors of Acre and Tyre. Failing to take Beirut by assault before the Crusaders arrived, Saladin breaks off the siege and withdraws.


date: September

text: September – Saladin invades the Jazira Region, ending the truce between him and the Zangids. After a feint attack on Aleppo, he crosses the Euphrates. The towns of the Jazira fall before him; the cities of Edessa, Saruj and Nisibin are captured in October. Saladin presses on to Mosul, and begins the siege of the city on November 10.


date: December

text: December – Baldwin IV raids through the Hauran and reaches Bosra, while Raymond III of Tripoli recaptures Habis Jaldak. A few days later, Baldwin sets out with a Crusader force to Damascus and encamps at Dareiya in the suburbs. He decides not to attack the city and retires laden with booty, to spend Christmas at Tyre.


text: Winter – Raynald of Châtillon, lord of Oultrejordain, orders the building of five ships which are carried to the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern end of the Red Sea. Part of his fleet makes a raid along the coast, threatening the security of the holy cities on Pharaoh's Island (or Île de Graye).


text: A Sicilian attempt to dislodge the Moorish fleet from Mallorca fails.


date: November

text: November – Al-Nasir, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, is shocked by the war between fellow-Muslims and tries to negotiate a peace. Saladin, thwarted by the strong fortifications of Mosul, retreats to Sinjar. He marches to conquer Diarbekir, the richest and the greatest fortress of the Jazira Region (with the finest library in Islam).


text: The Maronite Church reestablishes its affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church.


text: August – Andronikos Komnenos, a cousin of Maria's late husband, Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos), raises an army and enters the city, representing himself as the 'protector' of Alexios. He is proclaimed as co-emperor under the name Andronikos I, and has Maria imprisoned and later condemned to be strangled – forcing a signature from Alexios to put his mother to death.


date: September 14

text: September 14 – Legend of Nazaré: Dom Fuas Roupinho, alcalde of Porto de Mós, is inspired by a Marian miracle to erect the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré overlooking Nazaré, Portugal. Later this year while trying to enter the harbor of Ceuta by surprise to sink Muslim ships he is spotted and killed.


text: Spring – King Philip II (Augustus) confiscates all the lands and buildings of the Jews and expels them from Paris. The measures are profitable in the short-term – the ransoms alone bringing in 15,000 marks and enriching Christians at the expense of Jews. Ninety-nine Jews are burned alive in Brie-Comte-Robert.


text: May – The Yōwa era, marked by famine, ends during the reign of Emperor Antoku in Japan.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: William Marshal, Norman knight and head of the household of Henry the Young King, is accused of having an affair with Henry's wife, Queen Margaret of France. Although contemporary chroniclers doubt the truth of these accusations. Henry starts the process to have his marriage annulled, William leaves the royal retinue, undergoing a period of self-imposed exile, and goes on a pilgrimage to Cologne.


date: September 11

text: September 11 – Minamoto no Yoriie, Japanese shogun (d. 1204)


date: September 19

text: September 19 – Reginald de Braose, Norman nobleman (d. 1228)


text: Sakya Pandita, Tibetan Buddhist leader (d. 1251)


text: Alice of Vergy, duchess and regent of Burgundy (d. 1251)


text: Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Order (d. 1226)


text: Alexios IV (Angelos), Byzantine emperor (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Tomoie, Japanese nobleman and poet (d. 1258)


text: Lutgardis (or Lutgarde), Flemish nun and saint (d. 1246)


text: Bouchard IV, French nobleman (House of Avesnes) (d. 1244)


text: Enguerrand III, French nobleman (House of Coucy) (d. 1242)


text: Maria of Montpellier, queen consort of Aragon (d. 1213)


text: Alexios I (Megas Komnenos), emperor of Trebizond (d. 1222)


text: Eleanor of Aragon, Spanish princess and countess (d. 1226)


text: Verdiana, Italian noblewoman and saint (d. 1242)


date: January 13

text: January 13 – Agnes of Austria, queen of Hungary (b. 1154)


date: May 12

text: May 12 – King Valdemar I (the Great) dies after a 28-year reign in which he has gained independence from the Holy Roman Empire. He is succeeded by his 19-year-old son Canute VI, who becomes ruler of Denmark.


text: May 12 – Valdemar I (the Great), king of Denmark (b. 1131)


date: May 16

text: May 16 – John Komnenos Vatatzes, Byzantine general


date: July 25

text: July 25 – Maria I, countess of Boulogne (b. 1136)


text: July – Maria Komnene, Byzantine princess (poisoned) (b. 1152)


text: July – Renier of Montferrat (the Caesar John), Italian husband of Maria Komnene (poisoned) (b. 1162)


date: August 1

text: August 1 – Pietro da Pavia, Italian cardinal-bishop


date: September 15

text: September 15 – Robert III, Italo-Norman nobleman


date: October 6

text: October 6 – Richard Peche, bishop of Coventry


text: Farrukh Shah, Ayyubid ruler and nephew of Saladin


text: Cyril of Turov (or Kirill), Russian bishop (b. 1130)


text: Fujiwara no Kiyoko, Japanese empress (b. 1122)


text: Ahmed-Al-Kabeer, Arab preacher and teacher (b. 1119)


date: June 25

text: June 25 – The Peace of Constance is signed, between Frederick Barbarossa and the Lombard League, forming the legal basis for the autonomy of the Italian city republics.

source_section: Events › By area › Europe


text: Saladin conquers Syria and becomes sultan.

source_section: Events › By area › Asia › Near East


text: Three-year-old Emperor Go-Toba ascends to the throne of Japan, after the forced abdication of his brother Emperor Antoku, during the Genpei War.

source_section: Events › By area › Asia › Japan


date: August 14

text: August 14 – Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures, and flee to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan (traditional Japanese date: Twenty-fifth Day of the Seventh Month of the Second Year of Juei).


date: November 17

text: November 17 – Battle of Mizushima: The Taira Clan defeats the Minamoto Clan.


text: November – Andronikos makes a treaty with Venice, in which he promises a yearly indemnity as compensation for Venetian losses, during the Massacre of the Latins.

source_section: Events › By area › Byzantine Empire


text: Alexios II is compelled to condemn his own mother to death. In September, Andronikos Komenos is formally proclaimed Byzantine Emperor before the crowd on the terrace of the Church of Christ of the Chalke. By the end of the month, Andronikos orders Alexios' assassination; the young emperor is strangled in secret with a bow-string and his body thrown in the Bósporos.


text: The Siege of Kerak is waged between the Ayyubids and the Crusaders, in which regent Guy of Lusignan refuses to fight.


date: February

text: February – Raynald of Châtillon has at least five ships freighted over the Isthmus of Suez, which he then uses to pillage the shores of the Red Sea around Jeddah.


text: William of Tyre is excommunicated by the newly appointed Heraclius of Jerusalem, firmly ending their struggle for power.


text: Joseph of Exeter writes the first account of a sport resembling cricket.


text: Andronikos I marries Alexios II's widow, the 11-year-old Agnes of France.


text: Philippa of Armenia, empress consort of Nicaea


text: Chagatai Khan, second son of Genghis Khan, Khan of the Chagatai Khanate (d. 1241 or 1242)


date: June 11

text: June 11 – Henry the Young King, son of Henry II of England (b. 1155)

source_section: Deaths


date: October

text: October – Alexios II Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1167)


date: November 23

text: November 23 – William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (b. 1116)


text: Queen Gongye, Korean queen consort (b. 1109)


date: February 19

text: February 19 – Second Battle of Uji: Japanese forces under Minamoto no Yoshinaka are defeated by his cousins, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Yoritomo, for the control of Japan.


date: February 21

text: February 21 – Battle of Awazu: Minamoto no Yoshinaka is killed during a pursuit by his cousin's armies. He is joined by his foster brother Imai Kanehira, who commits suicide.


date: March 20

text: March 20 – Battle of Ichi-no-Tani: Japanese forces under Minamoto no Noriyori defeat the Taira clan at Ikuta Shrine in the woods of Settsu Province during the Genpei War.


date: May

text: May – Berber forces under Ali Banu Ghaniya seize the Almohad cities of Algiers, Béjaïa and Constantine by surprise. While he is away from his base in Mallorca, one of his brothers, Muhammad, takes control of the island and calls in the Almohads, who intend to capture Mallorca for themselves. Banu Ghaniya arrives just in time to defeat the Almohads and recapture the island.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


date: June 15

text: June 15 – Battle of Fimreite: King Sverre of Norway defeats and kills his rival, Magnus V (Erlingsson) near Fimreite. Sverre takes the throne and becomes sole ruler of Norway (until 1202).

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: July 26

text: July 26 – Approximately 60 are killed in the Erfurt latrine disaster.


text: Saladin sends his nephew Izz al-Din Usama, governor (emir) of the iron-rich mountains near Beirut, to build Ajloun Castle, which controls the trade along the road between Damascus and Egypt.


text: The city of Abbeville receives its commercial charter by King Philip II of France.


date: May 20

text: May 20 – Diet of Pentecost: Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, organises a conference in Mainz. During the diet Frederick negotiates with Henry the Lion about an anti-French alliance with England.


text: May – A serious fire damages Glastonbury Abbey and destroys several buildings.

source_section: Events › By place › England


date: August 10

text: August 10 – Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur is proclaimed the new caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, after his father Abu Yaqub Yusuf is killed in Portugal.


text: The papal bull Ad Abolendam is issued against several European heretical groups: the Cathars, the Waldensians, the Patarines, Josephines and the Humiliati. It is created after a landmark meeting in Verona, between the Holy Roman Empire under Frederick I and the Catholic Church under Pope Lucius III.


text: The first royal ordinance demanding that the Knights Templar and Hospitaller assist in the collection of taxes is promulgated.


text: King Henry II of England encourages his youngest (and favorite) son John to seize Aquitaine from his brother Richard.


text: Summer – Almohad forces reconquer the Alentejo (except for Évora), and besiege Lisbon on land and blockade the port with their navy. A Portuguese soldier manages to swim to the largest ship of the fleet and to sink it. This ship was so tall, it would have allowed the Muslims easily to reach the walls of the city. The next day, the Almohads have to retreat, taking with them a number of civilian captives.


date: October 29

text: October 29 – The 18-year-old Prince Henry, eldest surviving son of Frederick I, is engaged to Princess Constance, heiress to the Kingdom of Sicily, at Augsburg in the episcopal palace.


date: April 11

text: April 11 – William Longsword, lord of Lüneburg (d. 1213)

source_section: Births


text: Guigues VI, count of Albon (House of Burgundy) (d. 1237)


text: William of Modena, Italian bishop and diplomat (d. 1251)


text: Fujiwara no Hideyoshi, Japanese nobleman (d. 1240)


text: Ahmad al-Tifashi, Almohad poet and anthologist (d. 1253)


text: Jutta of Thuringia, margravine of Meissen (d. 1235)


text: Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany, English countess (d. 1241)


date: January 2

text: January 2 – Theodora Komnene, duchess of Austria


date: January 13

text: January 13 – Gerard la Pucelle, English bishop (b. 1117)


date: February 16

text: February 16 – Richard of Dover, English archbishop


text: February 21 – Minamoto no Yoshinaka, Japanese shogun (b. 1154)


date: March 27

text: March 27 – Tamar I becomes queen regnant of Georgia on the death of her father and coregent George III. She remains sole ruler of Georgia (the first woman to hold this office) until her death in 1213.


text: March 27 – George III, king of Georgia (House of Bagrationi)


date: March 28

text: March 28 – Eckbert of Schönau (or Egbert), German Benedictine abbot


text: June 15 – Magnus V (Erlingsson), king of Norway (b. 1156)


date: September 30

text: September 30 – Arnold of Torroja, Catalan Grand Master


date: October 24

text: October 24 – Siegfried, prince-archbishop of Bremen (b. 1132)


date: November 15

text: November 15 – William de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Warwick, English nobleman


text: November 15 – Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, Holy Roman Empress consort (b. 1143)


date: November 18

text: November 18 – Josceline de Bohon, English bishop (b. 1111)


date: December 29

text: December 29 – Aindréas of Caithness, Gaelic-Scottish monk and bishop


date: July

text: July – Treaty of Boves: King Philip II of France signs a treaty to ensure his authority over his vassals, with Amiénois, Artois and other places in northern France passing to him. Philip is given the nickname "Augustus" by the monk Rigord for augmenting French lands.


date: September

text: September – Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, returns to Germany after being banished for three years by Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor.


date: December

text: December – Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa grants Minamoto no Yoritomo the authority to form the first bakufu (shogunate) in Japan, ending the Genpei War.


date: March 22

text: March 22 – Battle of Yashima: Japanese forces (with some 140 ships, 1,000 cavalry and 30,000 horses) under Minamoto no Yoshitsune defeat the Taira clan just off Shikoku in the Seto Inland Sea.


date: April 25

text: April 25 – Battle of Dan-no-Ura: The Japanese fleet (some 300 ships) led by Minamoto no Yoshitsune defeats the fleet of the Taira clan in the Shimonoseki Strait.


date: August

text: August – King William II of Sicily ("the Good") lands in Epirus with a Siculo-Norman expeditionary force of 200 ships and 80,000 men (including 5,000 knights) and marches as far as the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki, which he takes and pillages, massacring some 7,000 Greek citizens.


date: November 7

text: November 7 – Battle of Demetritzes: A reinforced Byzantine army under Alexios Branas decisively defeats William II, ending his invasion of the Byzantine Empire. Thessaloniki is recaptured, and the Normans are pushed back to Italy. Many Norman ships are lost to storms.


text: Uprising of Asen and Peter: Peter and Ivan Asen lead a revolt of the Vlachs and Bulgars against the Byzantine Empire, eventually establishing the Second Bulgarian Empire.


text: Igor Svyatoslavich's failed campaign against the Cumans, later immortalized in The Tale of Igor's Campaign, takes place this year.


date: August 15

text: August 15 – The cave monastery of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar I of Georgia. She marries Yury Bogolyubsky, Grand Prince of Novgorod.


text: Evidence is first uncovered that Henry II of England is using the safes of the Temple Church in London (consecrated February 10), under the guard of the Knights Templar, to store part of his treasure.

source_section: Events › By topic › Markets


text: The Almohad forces under Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur reconquer Béjaïa and Algiers, that have been taken by the Banu Ghaniya, descendants of the Almoravids.


date: May 1

text: May 1 – The Solar eclipse of 1 May 1185, visible across Central America, Northern and Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan, occurs.

source_section: Events › By topic › Astronomy


date: September 11

text: September 11–12 – Isaac II Angelos leads a revolt in Constantinople and deposes Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos. Andronikos tries in vain to flee across Asia but is captured and killed by an angry mob. Isaac is proclaimed emperor, ending the Komnenos Dynasty.


date: April 15

text: April 15 – 1185 East Midlands earthquake occurs. It is the first earthquake in England for which there are reliable reports indicating the damage, which includes destruction of Lincoln Cathedral.

source_section: Events › By place › British Isles


text: Saladin agrees to a 4-year truce due to severe drought and famine which has struck Palestine. The treaty is signed by Count Raymond of Tripoli and important nobles from Jerusalem. Commerce is renewed between the Crusader States and their Muslim neighbors. A flow of corn from the east saves the Crusaders and the population from starvation.


date: April 23

text: April 23 – Afonso II ("the Fat"), king of Portugal (d. 1223)


text: Shams Tabrizi, Persian poet and writer (d. 1248)


text: Tancred of Siena, Italian missionary (d. 1241)


text: Alexander of Hales, English philosopher (d. 1245)


text: Michael of Chernigov, Kievan Grand Prince (d. 1246)


text: Patrick II, Earl of Dunbar, Anglo-Scottish nobleman (d. 1249)


text: Raymond Roger Trencavel, French nobleman (d. 1209)


text: Dietrich V, German nobleman (approximate date)


text: Inge II (Bårdsson), king of Norway (d. 1217)


text: Engelbert II, archbishop of Cologne (approximate date)


text: Robert III, count of Dreux and Braine (d. 1234)


text: Gerard III, count of Guelders and Zutphen (d. 1229)


text: Angelus of Jerusalem, Israeli priest and martyr (d. 1220)


text: Gertrude of Merania, queen of Hungary (d. 1213)


date: February 9

text: February 9 – Theodoric I, margrave of Lusatia (b. 1130)


date: March 16

text: March 16 – The 23-year-old Baldwin IV of Jerusalem ("the Leper King") dies of leprosy after a 10-year reign. He is succeeded by his 8-year-old nephew, Baldwin V, as the sole ruler of Jerusalem under the regency of Count Raymond of Tripoli. The child-king becomes a pawn in the politics of the kingdom, between his mother Sibylla of Jerusalem (sister of Baldwin IV) and her younger half-sister Isabella I.


text: April 25 – Battle of Dan-no-Ura:


date: May 30

text: May 30 – Constantine Makrodoukas, Byzantine nobleman


date: June 16

text: June 16 – Richeza of Poland, queen consort of Castile (b. 1140)


date: June 19

text: June 19 – Taira no Munemori, Japanese samurai (b. 1147)


date: July 18

text: July 18 – Stefan, archbishop of Uppsala (b. before 1143)


text: September 11 – Stephen Hagiochristophorites, Byzantine official


date: September 12

text: September 12 – Andronikos I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor, assassinated (b. 1118)


date: September

text: September – John Komnenos (son of Andronikos I), Byzantine co-emperor, assassinated (b. 1159)


date: November 25

text: November 25 – Pope Lucius III dies after a 4-year pontificate in exile at Verona. He is succeeded by Urban III as the 172nd pope of the Catholic Church (until 1187).


text: November 25 – Lucius III, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1097)


date: December 6

text: December 6 – King Afonso I of Portugal ("the Great") dies after a 36-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Sancho I ("the Populator") as ruler of Portugal.


text: Ibn Tufail, Arab-Andalusian polymath and writer (b. 1105)


text: The Byzantine Empire recognizes the independence of Bulgaria and Serbia.

source_section: Events


text: The first nunnery is inaugurated in Iceland, the Kirkjubæjar Abbey.


text: Joscius becomes Archbishop of Tyre.


text: Jayavarman VII, the king of Cambodia, founds the temple of Ta Prohm.


text: John the Chanter becomes Bishop of Exeter.


text: Caliph al-Nasir marries Princess Seljuki. Right after her betrothal to him, he brings her to live with him. He then sends an escort to bring her to Baghdad from Rum, consummates the marriage, and gives her priceless jewels and lavish gifts.


date: January 27

text: January 27 – Constance of Sicily marries Henry (the future Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor).


date: May 18

text: May 18 – Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (d. 1218)


date: November 7

text: November 7 – Ögedei Khan, third son and successor of Genghis Khan (d. 1241)


text: William III of Sicily (d. 1198)


text: Checheyigen, second daughter of Genghis Khan (d. after 1253)


text: Song Ci, Chinese physician and judge (d. 1249)


text: Queen Urraca of Portugal, wife of King Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1220)


date: January 26

text: January 26 – Ismat ad-Din Khatun, wife of Saladin


date: May 29

text: May 29 or June 23 or June 24 – Robert of Torigni