text: The Two Towers in Bologna are completed.


date: February 28

section: Births

text: February 28 – Xi Zong, Chinese emperor (d. 1150)

source_section: Births


date: July 7

text: July 7 – Sutoku, Japanese emperor (d. 1164)


text: Tancred, Norman nobleman (approximate date)


text: Ahmed-Al-Kabeer, Arab Sufi teacher (d. 1182)


text: William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey (d. 1148)


text: Aldebrandus, bishop of Fossombrone (d. 1219)


text: Matthias I, duke of Lorraine (approximate date)


date: January 29

section: Deaths

text: January 29 – Pope Gelasius II dies in exile after a 1-year pontificate at the Abbey of Cluny. He is succeeded by Callixtus II as the 162nd pope of the Catholic Church.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: January 29 – Gelasius II, pope of the Catholic Church

source_section: Deaths


date: February

text: February – Geoffrey de Clive, English bishop


date: March 10

text: March 10 – Muirchertach Ua Briain, Irish king of Munster


date: March 29

text: March 29 – Peter de Honestis, Lombard monk


date: June 20

text: June 20 – Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick, Norman nobleman


date: June 27

text: June 27 – Herwig of Meissen, German bishop


date: June 28

text: June 28 – Roger of Salerno, Norman nobleman


date: July 17

text: July 17 – Baldwin VII, count of Flanders (b. 1093)


date: July 22

text: July 22 – Herbert de Losinga, English bishop


date: August 4

text: August 4 – Landulf II, archbishop of Benevento


date: August

text: August – Robert the Leper, French nobleman in the Principality of Antioch, executed


date: September 13

text: September 13 – Gleb Vseslavich, Kievan prince


date: October 13

text: October 13 – Alan IV, duke of Brittany (b. 1063)


section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: King Jima succeeds Pasa as ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Emperor Trajan and Titus Sextius Cornelius Africanus become Roman consuls.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


section: Conflict & Security

text: Hadrian succeeds Gaius Julius Cassius Steirieus as archon of Athens.


section: Religion & Belief

text: Tacitus is named proconsul of the Roman province of Asia (112–113).


date: August 29

text: August 29 – Salonia Matidia receives the title of Augusta upon the death of Marciana.


text: Beatus of Lungern, Swiss monk and hermit


text: Pasa (the Great), Korean ruler of Silla


text: The Pseudo-Ingulf's Croyland Chronicle records Cornwall as a nation distinct from England.

source_section: Events › By place › England


date: June 17

text: June 17 – Reconquista: Battle of Cutanda: The combined forces of Aragon and Navarre under King Alfonso the Battler crush the Almoravid army near Calamocha. Alfonso recaptures the fortified towns of Calatayud and Daroca.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Fang La, a Chinese rebel leader, leads an uprising against the Song dynasty in Qixian Village (modern-day Zhejiang) in southeast China. He raises an army and captures Hangzhou.


text: Siege of Sozopolis: Byzantine forces under Emperor John II Komnenos conquer Sozopolis in Pisidia, from the Sultanate of Rum. The Seljuk garrison is defeated while they are trapped between the Byzantine cavalry and the army (which is besieging the fortress).

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


section: Exploration & Expansion

text: The Almoravid fleet under Admirals Abu Abd Allah ibn Maymum of Almería and Isa ibn Maymum of Sevilla attacks the coastline of the Christian Kingdom of Galicia.


text: Summer – Baldwin II leads an expedition to Antioch to defend the northern Crusader states. He signs a 1-year truce with Ilghazi, Artuqid ruler of Mardin, securing the possession of Kafartab and other fortresses in Syria.

source_section: Events › By place › Levant


date: January 16

text: January 16 – Council of Nablus: King Baldwin II of Jerusalem and Patriarch Warmund convenes an assembly at Nablus, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. The prelates and noblemen who attend the meeting confirm the clergy's right to collect the tithe and to bear arms "in the cause of defense".


text: August–September (the eighth month of the Chinese calendar) – Wanyan Xiyin, a Jurchen nobleman and minister, completes the design of the first version of the Jurchen script.


text: Baldwin II grants the Knights Templar under Hugues de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-Omer a headquarters in a wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount in the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.


text: Bishop Urban begins the construction on Llandaff Cathedral in Wales.


text: Order of Premonstratensians founded by Norbert of Xanten at Prémontré in Picardy.


section: Science & Discovery

text: Walcher of Malvern, an English astronomer and mathematician, creates a system of measurement for the Earth using degrees, minutes and seconds of latitude and longitude.

source_section: Events › By topic › Science


section: Health & Medicine

text: The flourishing south Chinese coastal city of Quanzhou claims a population of 500,000 citizens, including the hinterland.


section: Crime & Justice

text: King Henry I gives a portion of the Stoneleigh estate (located in Warwickshire) to Geoffrey de Clinton, his chamberlain and treasurer. He builds a motte and bailey castle and forms a lake to provide better defences.


date: November 25

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: November 25 – The White Ship sinks in the English Channel off Barfleur. Henry I's only legitimate son, William Adelin, is among 300 (many of them Anglo-Norman nobility) who drown.


section: Culture & Society

text: Freiburg is founded by Conrad I and his elder brother, Duke Berthold III of Zähringen, as a free market town.


text: Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa, Portuguese


text: Frederick II of Berg, archbishop of Cologne (d. 1158)


text: Zhao Boju, Chinese landscape painter (d. 1182)


text: Ioveta of Bethany, princess and daughter of Baldwin II


text: Fujiwara no Yorinaga, Japanese statesman (d. 1156)


text: Urban III, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1187)


text: Rainald of Dassel, archbishop of Cologne (d. 1167)


text: Gunhilda of Dunbar, Scottish Noblewoman (d. 1166)


text: William I ("the Wicked"), king of Sicily (d. 1166)


text: Alfonso of Capua, Italo-Norman nobleman (d. 1144)


text: Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, Arab-Jewish translator


text: Roger de Mowbray, English nobleman (d. 1188)


text: Arnold I of Vaucourt, archbishop of Trier (d. 1183)


text: Philip of Milly, French nobleman and knight (d. 1171)


date: September 3

text: September 3 – Blessed Gerard, founder of the Knights Hospitaller


date: September 24

text: September 24 – Welf II ("the Fat"), duke of Bavaria (b. 1072)


text: November 25 – Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester (b. 1094)


text: November 25 – William Adelin, duke and son of Henry I (b. 1103)


text: November 25 – Matilda FitzRoy, countess and daughter of Henry I


text: November 25 – Ralph of Pont-Echanfray, Norman knight (b. 1070)


text: Ingegerd, queen of Denmark and Sweden (b. 1046)


text: Adelaide, countess of Vermandois and Valois (or 1124)


text: Fujiwara no Sadazane, Japanese calligrapher (b. 1076)


text: Eudo Dapifer (or FitzHerbert), Norman nobleman


text: Raymond Pilet d'Alès, French nobleman (b. 1075)


text: Afridun I (the Martyr), ruler (shah) of Shirvan (b. 1046)


text: Fujiwara no Atsutaka, Japanese nobleman and poet


date: August 12

text: August 12 – Battle of Didgori: King David IV ("the Builder") of Georgia with a Georgian army of 55,600 men) defeats the 300,000-strong Seljuk coalition forces at Mount Didgori.

source_section: Events › By place › Eurasia


text: Emperor Emperor Huizong of Song sends an expedition to crush the rebellion at Hangzhou (modern-day Zhejiang) in China. The rebels are defeated and their leader Fang La is captured and executed.


text: The much larger Seljuk army is heavily defeated; Georgia is unified and independence is achieved from Muslim authority. King David IV lays siege and captures Tbilisi later in the year assigning it as his capital.


text: Emperor John II Komnenos recovers southwestern Anatolia (modern Turkey) from the Seljuk Turks and then hastens to the Balkans, where the Pechenegs are continuing their incursions. He transfers Byzantine troops to the Danube frontier at Paristrion.


text: Summer – Seljuk forces under Toghtekin make extensive raids into Galilee. King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, in reprisal, crosses the Jordan River with a Crusader army and ravages the countryside. He occupies and destroys a fortress that Toghtekin has built at Jerash.


text: Summer – Sultan Mahmud II of the Seljuk Empire declares a Holy War on the Kingdom of Georgia. He sends an expedition under Ilghazi, the Artukid ruler of Mardin, to invade the country.


text: A large rebellion takes place in Córdoba (modern Spain) against the ruling Almoravid dynasty.


date: December 25

text: December 25 (Christmas Day) – The Praemonstratensian Order (Norbertines) is formed, when a group of canons make solemn vows at Prémontré.


text: The third and largest church is completed at Cluny Abbey (modern France).


text: Henry I founds Reading Abbey in England. The Cluniac Order populates the abbey.


text: Spring – Peter Abelard, a French theologian and philosopher, is condemned and charged with the heresy of Sabellius in a synod at Soissons. Abelard writes Sic et Non.


text: L'Aumône Abbey is founded by Count Theobald IV of Blois at Loir-et-Cher.


date: April 22

text: April 22 – Antipope Gregory VIII (supported by Emperor Henry V) is arrested by papal troops at Sutri. He is taken to Rome and imprisoned in the Septizonium.


text: Joscelin of Louvain, Flemish nobleman (d. 1180)


text: Kojijū, Japanese noblewoman and poet (d. 1202)


text: Chōgen, Japanese Buddhist monk (kanjin) (d. 1206)


text: Henry of France, archbishop of Reims (d. 1175)


text: Ascelina, French Cistercian nun and mystic (d. 1195)


date: January 7

text: January 7 – Erminold, German Benedictine abbot


date: January 18

text: January 18 – William of Champeaux, French philosopher


date: January 24

text: January 24 – Adeliza of Louvain, age 17, marries King Henry I of England two months after the accidental death of the heir to the English throne, Henry's only legitimate son, William Adelin.


date: February 10

text: February 10 – Domnall Ua Lochlainn, Irish king (b. 1048)


date: March 2

text: March 2 – Floris II ("the Fat"), count of Holland (b. 1085)


text: March 2 – Petronilla of Lorraine becomes regent of Holland (Low Countries) after her husband, Floris II ("the Fat") dies. He is succeeded by his 6-year-old son Dirk VI (Theodoric).


date: April 23

text: April 23 – Jón Ögmundsson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1052)


date: August 7

text: August 7 – Ulrich I of Passau (or Udalrich), German bishop


date: December 11

text: December 11 – Al-Afdal Shahanshah, Fatimid caliph (b. 1066)


date: December 13

text: December 13 – Ulrich of Eppenstein, German abbot


text: Alfanus II (or Alfano), Lombard archbishop of Salerno


text: Zhou Tong, Chinese archery teacher and martial artist


text: Zhou Bangyan, Chinese bureaucrat and ci poet (b. 1056)


text: Fang La, Chinese rebel leader (executed in Kaifeng)


date: September 13

text: September 13 – Count Joscelin I and Waleran of Le Puiset are taken prisoner by Turkish forces led by Belek Ghazi near Saruj in northern Syria. Belek offers Joscelin liberty in return for the cession of Edessa. He refuses to accept these terms; Joscelin and Waleran and 60 other Crusaders are taken to the castle at Kharput.


text: Siege of Tbilisi: The Georgians led by King David IV ('the Builder') re-conquer the city of Tbilisi from the Emirate of Tbilisi after a 1-year siege. David makes it his capital and unifies the Georgian State.


text: The Almoravid fleet attacks Sicily to suppress the Italo-Norman raiders. The same year the Muslim population of Malta rebels against the Normans.


text: Battle of Beroia: Emperor John II Komnenos transfers the Byzantine field army from Asia Minor (where it has been engaged against the Seljuk Turks) to the Balkans. The Pechenegs who have set up their camp (defended by a circular formation of wagons) near Beroia (modern Bulgaria) are defeated. John orders the Varangian Guard (some 480 men), the elite Palace Guard to hack their way through the Pecheneg circle of wagons, causing a general rout in their camp. Pecheneg survivors are taken captive and enlisted into the Byzantine army.


date: August 8

text: August 8 – A Venetian fleet under Doge Domenico Michiel with well over a hundred ships sets sail from Venice, carrying an army of around 15,000 men and siege-material on the Venetian Crusade. The fleet departs for Palestine – but the Venetians pause to attack Corfu (this in retaliation for the refusal of John II to renew exclusive trading privileges). For six months, throughout the winter of 1122–23, the Venetians lay siege to the Byzantine island.


text: King Alfonso the Battler of Aragon creates the lay community of knights known as the Confraternity of Belchite. It is the first local attempt to imitate the Order of the Knights Templar created in Palestine.


date: February 13

text: February 13 – Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi is formally proclaimed vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate by Caliph al-Amir.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


date: September 23

text: September 23 – The Concordat of Worms: Emperor Henry V recognizes freedom of election of the clergy and promises to restore all Church property. This brings an end to the power struggle between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire, known as the Investiture Controversy. In the aftermath, Cappenberg Abbey is founded by Count Gottfried II for the new order of Premonstratensians.


date: February 24

text: February 24 – Wanyan Liang, Chinese emperor (d. 1161)


text: Isaac ben Abba Mari, French Jewish rabbi (approximate date)


text: Jayavarman VII, Cambodian ruler of the Khmer Empire (d. 1218))


text: Ibn Hubal, Arab physician and scientist (approximate date)


text: Frederick I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1190)


text: Fujiwara no Kiyoko, Japanese empress consort (d. 1182)


text: January 18 – Christina Ingesdotter, Kievan princess


date: March 12

text: March 12 – Giso IV, count of Gudensberg (b. 1070)


date: August 9

text: August 9 – Cuno of Praeneste, German cardinal


date: September 9

text: September 9 – Al-Hariri of Basra, Abbasid poet (b. 1054)


date: September 16

text: September 16 – Vitalis of Savigny, Catholic French Saint and itinerant preacher (b. 1060)


date: October 20

text: October 20 – Ralph d'Escures, English archbishop


date: November 8

text: November 8 – Ilghazi, Artuqid ruler of Mardin


date: November 28

text: November 28 – Ottokar II, margrave of Styria


date: December 3

text: December 3 – Berthold III, duke of Zähringen


date: December 4

text: December 4 – Henry III, duke of Carinthia


text: Yejong, Korean ruler of Goryeo (b. 1079)


text: Alberada of Buonalbergo, duchess of Apulia


text: Al-Baghawi, Persian hadith scholar and writer


text: John of Tours, Bishop of Wells


date: February 25

text: February 25 – Japan's Emperor Toba abdicates in favor of his 3-year-old son Sutoku after a 16-year reign. The retired Emperor Shirakawa rules as regent during Toba's minority.

source_section: Events › By date › January–March


date: September 27

text: September 27 – Prince Wuqimai of the House of Wanyan becomes the new Emperor of China after the death, on September 19, of his elder brother, the Emperor Taizu, founder of the Jin dynasty. Wuqimai is proclaimed the Emperor Taizong of Jin.

source_section: Events › By date › July–September


text: The Pactum Warmundi: A treaty of alliance, is established between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Republic of Venice at Acre. The Venetians receive a street, with a church, baths and a bakery, free of all obligations, in every town of the kingdom. They are also excused of all tolls and taxes.

source_section: Events › By place › Middle East


date: April 18

text: April 18 – King Baldwin II of Jerusalem is captured by Turkish forces under Belek Ghazi – while preparing to practice falconry near Gargar on the Euphrates. Most of the Crusader army is massacred, and Baldwin is taken to the castle at Kharput. To save the situation the Venetians are asked to help. Doge Domenico Michiel lifts the siege of Corfu (see 1122) and takes his fleet to Acre, arriving at the port in the end of May.

source_section: Events › By date › April–June


date: May 30

text: May 30 – The Venetian fleet arrives at Ascalon and instantly sets about attacking the Fatimid fleet. The Egyptians fall into a trap, caught between two Venetian squadrons, and are destroyed or captured. While sailing back to Acre, the Venetians capture a merchant-fleet of ten richly laden vessels.


date: May

text: May – Baldwin II and Joscelin I are rescued by 50 Armenian soldiers (disguised as monks and merchants) at Kharput. They kill the guards, and infiltrate the castle where the prisoners are kept. Joscelin escapes to seek help. However, the castle is soon besieged by Turkish forces under Belek Ghazi – and is after some time recaptured. Baldwin and Waleran of Le Puiset are moved for greater safety to the castle of Harran.


date: June

text: June – King David IV of Georgia, nicknamed "Davit IV Aghmashenebeli" ("David the Builder") by his subjects, defeats Sultan Mahmud II of the Seljuk Empire (encompassing much of what is now Iraq and Iran).


text: August 9 – Battle of Al-Dimas: An Italo-Norman campaign in North Africa ends with their troops being massacred by Zirid forces near Mahdia (modern Tunisia).


date: March 18

text: March 18 – The First Council of the Lateran convenes in Rome; it confirms the 1122 Concordat of Worms and demands clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church.


date: July 22

text: July 22 – William de Corbeil is installed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest-ranking cleric in England, after his February 4 election is approved by Pope Callixtus II.


date: October 7

text: October 7 – Pope Calixtus II issues the papal bull Aequitatis et justitiae, placing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tricarico in Italy under the protection of the papacy.

source_section: Events › By date › October–December


text: Diego Gelmírez, archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, declares a Crusade in Al-Andalus (modern Spain) against the Almoravids.


text: Furness Abbey (or St Mary of Furness) is founded in England by Stephen, count of Boulogne, for the Order of Savigny.


date: March 25

text: March 25 – St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, commonly known as Barts, is founded by Rahere, a favourite courtier of King Henry I; it is now the oldest hospital in the United Kingdom operating on its original site.


date: May 9

text: May 9 – A fire in the city of Lincoln, England, nearly destroys the Lincolnshire town; it is memorialized 600 years later by historian Paul de Rapin.


text: March 18 – The coronation of Japan's Emperor Sutoku takes place.


date: November 12

text: November 12 – In Spain, Queen Urraca of León and Castile, the self-proclaimed Imperator totius Hispaniae ("Empress of All Spain"), formally acknowledges 8-year-old Fernando Pérez de Lara as her son and an heir, after he was born out of wedlock from her relationship with Count Pedro González de Lara.


text: Sigurd I performs a Crusade, the Kalmare ledung, to Christianize the Swedish province of Småland. He makes a pact with King Niels of Denmark.


date: March 29

text: March 29 – Shi Zong (or Wulu), Chinese emperor (d. 1189)

source_section: Births


text: Minamoto no Yoshitomo, Japanese general (d. 1160)


text: Osbern of Gloucester, English lexicographer (d. 1200)


text: Parakramabahu I, Sri Lankan king of Polonnaruwa (d. 1186)


text: Robert I (the Great), count of Dreux (approximate date)


date: January 29

text: January 29 – Frederick I, Archbishop of Bremen since 1104, dies after a reign of more than 18 years, and is succeeded by Adalbert II.


date: February 9

text: February 9 – Otto (the Rich), count of Ballenstedt (b. 1070)


date: March 4

text: March 4 – Peter of Pappacarbone, Italian abbot and bishop


date: May 3

text: May 3 – Felicia of Roucy, queen of Aragon and Navarre


date: May 29

text: May 29 – Battle of Yibneh: A Crusader army led by Eustace Grenier defeats the Fatimid forces (16,000 men) near Ibelin. Despite the numerical superiority, Vizier Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi is forced to withdraw to Egypt while his camp is plundered by the Crusaders. Eustace returns to Jerusalem in triumph, but later dies on June 15.


date: June 15

text: June 15 – Eustace Grenier, French constable and regent


date: July 18

text: July 18 – Bruno di Segni, Italian prelate and bishop


date: August 29

text: August 29 – King Eystein I (Magnusson) dies during a feast at Hustad after a 20-year reign, leaving his brother Sigurd the Crusader to rule over Norway.


text: August 29 – Eystein I (Magnusson), king of Norway


date: September 11

text: September 11 – Marbodius of Rennes, French archdeacon


date: September 19

text: September 19 – Taizu, emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 1068)


date: September 27

text: September 27 – Fujiwara no Akisue, Japanese nobleman (b. 1055)


date: December 12

text: December 12 – At Sankt Veit an der Glan, Engelbert II of the House of Sponheim becomes the new Duke of Carinthia and the Margrave of Verona (an area encompassing parts of Austria, Slovenia and Italy) upon the death of his older brother Henry IV.


date: December 14

text: December 14 – Henry IV, duke of Carinthia (House of Sponheim)


text: Ottokar III of Styria, Margrave (d. 1164)


text: Possible date – Eleanor of Aquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine, queen consort successively of France and England, and patron of the arts (d. 1204)


date: February 2

text: February 2 – Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. c. 1064)


date: March 15

text: March 15 – Ernulf, Bishop of Rochester (b. c. 1040)


date: April 23

text: April 23 – King Alexander I of Scotland (b. c. 1078)


date: June 12

text: June 12 – Hasan-i Sabbah, founder of the Nizari Ismaili state (b. c. 1250)


date: June 24

text: June 24 – Nicholas of Worcester, prior of the Benedictine priory of Worcester Cathedral


date: December 13

text: December 13 – Pope Callixtus II, Burgundian-born Catholic religious leader (b. c. 1065)


text: Guibert of Nogent, French historian and theologian (b. 1053)


text: The Republic of Venice pillages the islands of Rhodes, ravages Samos and Lesbos, and occupies Chios (controlled by the Byzantine Empire). The Republic of Florence sacks and conquers the neighboring independent republic of Fiesole in Italy.


date: November

text: November – Jin–Song War: Emperor Taizong of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty declares war on the Chinese Song dynasty – and orders his armies to invade Song territory. He sends the Western army to the city of Taiyuan in Shanxi province and the Eastern army to Bianjing (modern-day Kaifeng), the Song capital. The Song forces are not expecting an invasion and are caught off guard.


text: King Alfonso the Battler of Aragon and Navarre leads a Castellan raid in Andalusia (Southern Spain).


text: The first fair in Portugal is created in Ponte de Lima; it is an early sign of commercialization and economic development.


text: Albert of Aix, German historian and writer, begins his Historia Hierosolymitanae expeditionis (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts


text: The Khamag Mongol, a Mongolic tribal confederation, begins to play an important role on the Mongolian Plateau. They occupy the fertile lands of the basins of the rivers Onon, Kherlen and Tuul in the Khentii Mountains.


date: October 3

text: October 3 – Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi, the vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate, is dismissed and imprisoned by Caliph al-Amir.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Lothair II (supported by Pope Honorius II) asks Frederick II to restore to the crown the estates that he has inherited from Henry V. Frederick refuses, and by year's end a succession dispute breaks out between the House of Welf and the House of Hohenstaufen. The latter is led by Frederick and his brother Conrad III, duke of Franconia.


text: Saracen pirates raid the city of Antibes in Provence and the Benedictine monastery of Saint Honorat on the Lérins Islands (French Riviera).


text: A collection of Zen Buddhist koans is compiled, in the Chinese Blue Cliff Record.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: King Inge the Younger of Sweden is murdered in Vreta Abbey at the instigation of Queen Ulvhild Håkansdotter after a 20-year reign. Her cousin Magnus Nielsen ("the Strong") becomes a ruler over Västergötland (until 1134).


date: March 29

text: March 29 – Reading School is founded in Berkshire in England.

source_section: Events › By topic › Education


date: October 17

text: October 17 – Lu You, Chinese poet and writer (d. 1210)


text: Bolesław IV (the Curly), duke of Poland (approximate date)


text: Guigues V, count of Albon and Grenoble (approximate date)


text: Baldwin of Forde, English archbishop (approximate date)


text: Fernando Rodríguez de Castro, Spanish nobleman (d. 1185)


text: Otto II (the Rich), margrave of Meissen (d. 1190)


text: Abraham ben David, French rabbi (approximate date)


text: William de Vesci, Norman High Sheriff (d. 1184)


text: Eystein II (Haraldsson), king of Norway (approximate date)


text: Giovanni de Surdis Cacciafronte, Italian bishop (d. 1184)


text: William of Æbelholt, French churchman (d. 1203)


text: Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani, Persian historian and writer (d. 1201)


text: Matilda of Savoy, queen consort of Portugal (d. 1157)


text: Chueang, Thai ruler of the Ngoenyang Kingdom (d. 1192)


date: January 24

text: January 24 – David IV (the Builder), king of Georgia (b. 1073)

source_section: Deaths


date: April 12

text: April 12 – Vladislaus I, duke of Bohemia (b. 1065)


date: May 19

text: May 19 – Vladimir II, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1053)


date: May 23

text: May 23 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, dies of cancer in Utrecht after leading an expedition against King Louis VI ("the Fat") of France and then against the citizens of Worms. Having no legitimate children, Henry leaves his possessions to his nephew, Frederick II ("the One-Eyed"), duke of Swabia. At the Hoftag diet in Regensburg, Lothair, duke of Saxony, is elected King of Germany and crowned at Aachen on September 13.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: June 22

text: June 22 – Lambert of St-Bertin, French chronicler


date: September 14

text: September 14 – Constance, princess of Antioch (b. 1078)


date: September 27

text: September 27 – Richeza of Berg, duchess of Bohemia


date: October 21

text: October 21 – Cosmas of Prague, Bohemian chronicler


date: December 3

text: December 3 – Berengar II, German nobleman


date: December 29

text: December 29 – Agnes I, abbess of Quedlinburg


text: Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi, vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate


text: King Henry I of England arranges a marriage between his nephew Stephen of Blois and the 20-year-old Matilda, daughter and heiress of Eustace III, count of Boulogne. This gives Stephen control of the County of Boulogne and also lands in England that have belonged to Eustace (who dies on his return from the Holy Land).

source_section: Events › By place › England


text: Bernard of Sédirac, Spanish abbot and archbishop


text: Ibn al-Khashshab, Seljuk Shi'i magistrate (qadi)


date: January 18

text: January 18 – Emperor Hui Zong of the Song Dynasty abdicates in favour of his eldest son, Qin Zong after a 24-year reign. Hui Zong assumes the honorary title of Taishang Huang (or "Retired Emperor").

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Summer – Emperor John II Komnenos re-confirms the treaty of 1082. This ends the hostilities with Hungary and Venice. John secures Braničevo, and recovers the region of Sirmium on the Danube, but is forced by Venice to renew the exclusive commercial privileges.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Shrewsbury Castle is granted by King Henry I to his second wife, Queen Adeliza of Louvain (or Adelicia). The command of the castle is given to William FitzAlan.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


date: January 31

text: January 31 – Jurchen forces lay siege to Kaifeng. Qin Zong negotiates the terms of surrender, agreeing an annual indemnity. He orders Song forces to defend the prefectures of the Northern Song.


date: February 18

text: February 18 – Battle of Chlumec: Duke Soběslav I defeats a German army under King Lothair III and his Moravian ally, Duke Otto II the Black. Soběslav becomes the head of the Bohemian Principality.


text: Spring – The Crusaders under Pons, count of Tripoli, attack the fortress of Rafaniya (once held by Pons' grandfather Raymond IV), which dominates the entry of the Buqaia from the Orontes Valley. They besiege the fortress for 18 days and capture it on March 31.

source_section: Events › By place › Levant


text: Jin–Song War: Jurchen forces reach the Yellow River Valley, two days after New Year. Remnants of the court flee south, including much of the populace, and communities such as the Kaifeng Jews.


text: Autumn – Bohemond II takes over his inheritance of the Principality of Antioch. He sails from Otranto with a Norman fleet of 24 ships, carrying a number of troops and horses. Bohemond lands at the port of St. Symeon early in October and is welcomed at Antioch.


text: Spring – In China, scholars and farmers demonstrate around the capital city of Kaifeng, for the restoration of a trusted military official, Li Gang (李綱). Small conflicts erupt between the protestors and the government.


text: Summer – King Alfonso the Battler of Aragon and Navarre launches a campaign raid into Granada in Andalusia (modern Spain) against the Almoravids. In the aftermath, the Almoravid deport Jews and Christians from Andalusia to Morocco.


text: Olegarius, archbishop of Tarragona, creates a community of knights (known as the "Confraternity of Tarragona"), to combat the Almoravids in Catalonia.


text: Adelard of Bath, an English philosopher, translates Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī's arithmetic and astronomical works into Latin.

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: Two previously written Chinese pharmaceutical works, one by Shen Kuo and one by Su Shi, are combined into one written work.


text: Ragnvald Knaphövde, pretender to the Swedish throne, is killed by upset peasants at a local thing. Sweden is without a ruler, but Magnus Nielsen ("the Strong") claims sovereignty over Götaland.


text: Rutherglen (located in South Lanarkshire) becomes one of the first of the Royal Burghs in Scotland.


text: Mieszko III the Old, duke of Greater Poland (d. 1202)


text: Muneko, Japanese princess and empress (d. 1189)


text: Taira no Tokiko, Japanese Buddhist nun (d. 1185)


text: Averroes ibn Rushd, Andalusian judge and physician (d. 1198)


text: Sviatoslav III, Grand Prince of Kiev (d. 1194)


text: Eynion de Tilston, Norman knight and lord of Tilston (approximate date)


text: Michael the Syrian ("the Great"), Syriac patriarch (d. 1199)


text: Abu Madyan, Andalusian mystic and Sufi master (d. 1198)


text: Peter I of Courtenay, French nobleman (d. 1183)


text: Fan Chengda, Chinese politician, poet and geographer (d. 1193)


text: Sibylla of Burgundy, queen of Sicily (d. 1150)


date: February 10

text: February 10 – William IX of Aquitaine (b. 1070s)


text: February 18 – Otto II the Black, Moravian prince (b. 1085)


date: March 8

text: March 8 – Urraca, queen regnant of León and Galicia (b. 1079)


text: March 8 – Queen Urraca of León ("the Reckless") dies after a 17-year reign. She is succeeded by her 21-year-old son Alfonso VII el Emperador who becomes king of León (until 1157).


date: July 30

text: July 30 – Cecilia of Normandy (or Cecily), English princess


date: September 1

text: September 1 – Świętosława of Poland, queen of Bohemia


date: October 1

text: October 1 – Morphia of Melitene, queen of Jerusalem (or 1127)


date: December 4

text: December 4 – Omar Khayyam, Persian mathematician (b. 1048)


date: December 13

text: December 13 – Henry IX the Black, duke of Bavaria (b. 1075)


text: December 29 – Wulfhilde of Saxony, duchess of Bavaria (b. 1072)


text: Al-Tutili ("Blind Poet of Tudela"), Andalusian Muwallad poet


text: Edgar the Ætheling, uncrowned king of England (b. c. 1052)


text: Vikramaditya VI, king of the Western Chalukya Empire


text: Winter – King Lothair III makes Henry X ("the Proud"), duke of Bavaria to succeed his late father, Henry IX ("the Black"), who has died on December 13.


date: June 12

text: June 12 – Qinzong's younger brother, the 20-year-old Gaozong, re-establishes the Song dynasty (as the Southern Song dynasty) in Lin'an (modern-day Hangzhou) and is proclaimed emperor.


date: January 9

text: January 9 – Jin–Song Wars: Jurchen forces sack the Chinese capital of Kaifeng of the Northern Song dynasty during the Jingkang incident. They capture Emperor Qinzong, along with his father, Huizong, and members of the House of Zhao.


date: December 18

text: December 18 – Conrad III (with support of the imperial cities, Swabia and Austria) is elected and crowned as anti-king of Germany at Nuremberg.


text: Imad ad-Din Zengi, a Turkish military leader, becomes governor (atabeg) of Mosul. He seizes the cities of Nisibin, Sinjar and Harran in the Jazira Region (Northern Mesopotamia).


text: Spring – The forces of Alfonso VII of León and Castile begin the Siege of Guimarães, which will end in their withdrawal.


text: Summer – King Roger II of Sicily claims the Hauteville possessions in Italy as well the overlordship of Capua. However, a coalition of Norman noblemen in Apulia and Calabria resist (supported by Pope Honorius II) against Sicilian rule. The same year, Roger regains control over Malta after a rebellion. Roger II also establishes a pact with the maritime Republic of Savona to guarantee the security of the Mediterranean Sea, probably following an Almoravid raid against the Sicilian realm.


text: The Kalyan minaret (as part of the Po-i-Kalyan mosque complex) is completed in Bukhara (modern Uzbekistan).


date: March 2

text: March 2 – Charles the Good, count of Flanders, is murdered by a band of knights while praying in church; he leaves no children. King Louis VI of France appoints William Clito (son of Robert Curthose) as new ruler. But the Flemish towns of Bruges, Ghent, Saint-Omer and Ypres recognize (with English financial support) Thierry of Alsace as rival count.


text: King Henry I of England arranges the marriage of his daughter Matilda (the widow of Emperor Henry V) to the 14-year-old Geoffrey of Anjou (son of Count Fulk V). This is done to ensure an alliance between England and Anjou, and to prevent Fulk allying with Louis VI. Henry has the English nobles swear allegiance to Matilda as the rightful heir to the throne. Upon his death, her cousin Stephen of Blois crosses the channel and usurps her throne, becoming the King of England. She wages a lengthy civil war known as the Anarchy, which lasts from 1135–1154.


date: April 16

text: April 16 – Felix of Valois, French nobleman and hermit (d. 1212)


date: May 23

text: May 23 – Uijong, Korean ruler of Goryeo (d. 1173)


date: July 23

text: July 23 – Zhao Fu, emperor of the Song Dynasty (d. 1129)


date: October 18

text: October 18 – Go-Shirakawa, Japanese emperor (d. 1192)


date: October 29

text: October 29 – Yang Wanli, Chinese politician and poet (d. 1206)


date: November 27

text: November 27 – Emperor Xiaozong of Song, Chinese emperor (d. 1194)


date: December

text: December – Henry I ("the Liberal"), count of Champagne (d. 1181)


text: Bolesław I the Tall, duke of Wrocław (d. 1201)


text: Approximate date – Julian of Cuenca, Spanish bishop


date: February 7

text: February 7 – Ava (von Göttweig), German poet (b. 1060)


date: February 10

text: February 10 – William IX ("the Troubador"), duke of Aquitaine (b. 1071)


text: March 2 – Charles the Good, count of Flanders (b. 1084)


date: March 23

text: March 23 – Ottone Frangipane, Italian Benedictine monk and saint (b. 1040)


date: May 16

text: May 16 – Gens du Beaucet, French hermit and saint (b. 1104)


date: July

text: July – William II, Norman duke of Apulia and Calabria (b. 1095)


date: August 12

text: August 12 – Jordan of Ariano, Norman warrior and nobleman


date: September 1

text: September 1 – Prince Álmos (or Almus), duke of Hungary and Croatia


date: October 1

text: October 1 – Morphia of Melitene, queen consort of Jerusalem (or 1126)


date: November 1

text: November 1 – Zhang Bangchang, ruler of Da Chu (b. 1081)


date: November 12

text: November 12 – Godbald (or Godebald), bishop of Utrecht


date: November 25

text: November 25 – Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, Japanese samurai (b. 1045)


date: December 19

text: December 19 – Jordan II (or Giordano), prince of Capua


text: Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin, Irish historian and abbot


date: January 15

text: January 15: Lý Dương Hoán became the king of Đại Việt, ascending to the throne as Emperor Lý Thần Tông.


date: February

text: February – Saint-Omer and Ghent declare for Thierry (Theoderic) in his challenge to his cousin William Clito for the County of Flanders.


date: June 21

text: June 21 – Battle of Axspoele in Flanders: William, with his Norman knights and French allies, defeats Thierry, who is forced to flee to Bruges and then to Aalst where he is besieged.


date: June 24

text: June 24 – Battle of São Mamede: Count Alfonso I (Henriques) defeats the forces led by his mother, Queen Theresa of Portugal, near Guimarães, and gains control of the county. Alfonso styles himself "Prince of Portugal".


text: Jin–Song Wars: Emperor Gaozong of the Song dynasty establishes a new capital at Yangzhou, while the government retreats south, after Jurchen forces capture the previous capital of Kaifeng in the Jingkang Incident.


text: Forces of the kingdom of Champa invade Đại Việt.


text: Byzantine–Hungarian War: Emperor John II Komnenos defeats the Hungarians and their Serbian allies at the fortress of Haram (or Chramon), which is modern-day Nova Palanka.


date: June 29

text: June 29 – Conrad III, anti-king of Germany, is crowned "King of Italy" by Archbishop Anselmo della Pusterla at Monza in Lombardy.


date: August

text: August – Pope Honorius II invests Roger II of Sicily as duke of Apulia at Benevento, after his failure to form a coalition against Roger.


date: November 24

text: November 24 – Waverley Abbey is founded by Bishop William Giffard in the south of England. The first abbot and 12 Cistercian monks are brought from L'Aumône Abbey in Normandy.


text: Honorius II recognizes and confirms the Order of the Knights Templar. The French abbot Bernard of Clairvaux codifies the rule of the Order. Hugues de Payens, French Grand Master of the Order, visits both England and Scotland, where he raises men and money for the Order.


text: Holyrood Abbey is founded in Edinburgh by King David I of Scotland.


text: Kelso Abbey is founded by Scottish monks of the Tironensian Order.


date: July 27

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: July 27 – The city of Bruges in Flanders (modern Belgium) receives its city charter as well new walls, and canals are built.


date: June 17

text: June 17 – King Henry I of England marries his only legitimate daughter, dowager Empress Matilda, to the 14-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet ("the Fair"), count of Anjou, at Le Mans.


date: March 18

text: March 18 – Stephen of Tournai, French bishop (d. 1203)


text: Ludwig II ("the Iron"), landgrave of Thuringia (d. 1172)


text: Ruzbihan Baqli, Persian poet and mystic (d. 1209)


text: Absalon, Danish archbishop and statesman (d. 1201)


text: Lorcán Ua Tuathail, Irish archbishop of Dublin (d. 1180)


text: Adolf II, count of Schauenburg and Holstein (d. 1164)


text: Muhammad II ibn Mahmud, Seljuk sultan (d. 1159)


text: Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid, Arab theologian (d. 1215)


text: Alain de Lille, French theologian and poet (approximate date)


text: Constance of Hauteville, princess of Antioch (d. 1163)


text: John Kontostephanos, Byzantine aristocrat


text: Taira no Norimori, Japanese nobleman (suicide 1185)


text: John Doukas Komnenos, Byzantine governor (d. 1176)


date: January 1

text: January 1 – Albero I, prince-bishop of Liège (b. 1070)


date: February 12

text: February 12 – Toghtekin, Turkish ruler of Damascus


date: June 2

text: June 2 – Pier Leoni (Petrus Leo), Roman consul


date: July 20

text: July 20 – Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi, Fatimid vizier (b. c. 1086)


date: July 28

text: July 28 – William Clito, count of Flanders (b. 1102)


text: July 28 – William Clito dies as a result of a wound received at the siege of Aalst a fortnight earlier, leaving Thierry as sole claimant to the County of Flanders. He sets up his seat of government at Bruges and King Louis VI ("the Fat") of France agrees to his accession.


date: July

text: July – Warmund (or Gormond), patriarch of Jerusalem


date: August 10

text: August 10 – Fujiwara no Kiyohira, Japanese samurai (b. 1056)


date: September 5

text: September 5 – Ranulf Flambard, Norman bishop of Durham


date: November 26

text: November 26 or 28 – Geoffrey Brito (or le Breton), archbishop of Rouen


date: December 4

text: December 4 – Henry II, Margrave of the Nordmark, German nobleman (b. 1102)


date: December 15

text: December 15 – Fulco I, Margrave of Milan, Lombard nobleman


text: Jimena Muñoz (or Muñiz), Spanish noblewoman


text: Ibn Tumart, Almoravid political leader (or 1130)


date: April 20

text: April 20 – Gao Zong regains the throne (with the support of the imperial army led by General Han Shizhong). Zhao Fu is forced to abdicate with Meng having ruled for 25 days.


date: March 26

text: March 26 – Gao Zong abdicates the throne after a mutiny of the palace guard. His 2-year-old son Zhao Fu succeeds him, but Empress Meng becomes regent and the sole ruler.


date: September

text: September – Roger II of Sicily gains recognition as duke at Melfi from the Norman nobles of Naples, Bari, Capua, Salerno and other cities that have resisted him.


text: Jin–Song War: Emperor Gao Zong of the Song dynasty moves the capital from Yangzhou to Hangzhou, after the Jurchen Jin dynasty captures Kaifeng in the Jingkang Incident.


date: April 14

text: April 14 – Following the Capetian tradition, King Louis VI (the Fat) has his eldest son Philip crowned as co-ruler of France at Rheims Cathedral. Louis himself becomes the national protector of all France.


text: Burgsteinfurt Castle is built in what is now Steinfurt (modern Germany).


text: June 2 – Fulk V, count of Anjou, marries Melisende (daughter of King Baldwin II) the heir to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Fulk gives up his title which passes to his 15-year-old son, Geoffrey V (the Fair).


text: Abu al-Abbas as-Sabti, Moroccan Sufi writer (d. 1204)


text: Date Tomomune, Japanese nobleman and samurai (d. 1199)


text: Elisabeth of Schönau, German Benedictine abbess (d. 1164)


text: Theophanes Kerameus, bishop of Rossano (d. 1152)


text: Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria (d. 1195)


date: January 23

text: January 23 – William Giffard, bishop of Winchester


text: January 23 – Henry of Blois becomes bishop of Winchester after the death of William Giffard (who was also Lord Chancellor to King Henry I) in England.


date: January 27

text: January 27 – Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (b. 1070)


date: January 29

text: January 29 – Minamoto no Shunrai, Japanese poet (b. 1055)


date: February 16

text: February 16 – Thoros I, Armenian prince (or 1130)


date: February 17

text: February 17 – Constantine II, Armenian prince


date: July 24

text: July 24 – Former Emperor Shirakawa dies at his native Kyoto. His son Toba begins his cloistered rule, sharing power with Sutoku, a grandson of Shirakawa.


text: July 24 – Shirakawa, emperor of Japan (b. 1053)


date: July 28

text: July 28 – Zhao Fu, emperor of the Song dynasty (b. 1127)


date: November 21

text: November 21 – Nigel d'Aubigny, Norman nobleman


date: December 30

text: December 30 – Roger of Cannae, Italian bishop (b. 1060)


text: John Theristus, Italian Benedictine monk (b. 1049)


text: Cellach of Armagh (or Celsus), Irish archbishop (b. 1080)


text: Athanasius VI bar Khamoro, patriarch of Antioch


text: "Pattini dheivam" worship is inaugurated in Kannagi Temple in the Chera Kingdom in India, by Emperor Cenkuttuvan; the function is attended by GajaBahu, king of Central Sri Lanka (Mahavamso).


text: Osroes I of Parthia violates the treaty with Rome by installing a puppet ruler in Armenia. Emperor Trajan marches east, without first attempting to use diplomacy to resolve the disagreement.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Last (7th) year of Yongchu era of the Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty.


text: Emperor Trajan sails from Rome to begin his expedition against Parthia. He arrives in Athens where Parthian envoys greet him with olive branches, a sign of peace.


text: Trajan's Column near the Colosseum in Rome is completed to commemorate the Emperor's victory over the Dacians in the Second Dacian War.


text: Gnaeus Claudius Severus Arabianus, Roman senator and philosopher (d. after 176)


text: Adrianus, Greek sophist philosopher (d. 193)


text: Pliny the Younger, Roman lawyer and scientist (b. AD 61)


date: January 22

text: January 22 – Jin–Song Wars: Jin forces take Hangzhou.

source_section: Events


date: February 4

text: February 4 – Jin–Song Wars: Jin forces take Shaoxing.


text: March 26 – Magnus IV and his uncle Harald Gille become joint kings of Norway, starting the civil war era in Norway.


date: April 24

text: April 24 – Jin–Song Wars: Battle of Huangtiandang – Naval forces of the Song dynasty trap Wuzhu's Jin troops in the city for 48 days.


text: Approximate date – Magnus the Strong is deposed as king of Götaland, when Sverker the Elder proclaims himself king of Sweden.


date: February 14

text: February 14 – Pope Innocent II succeeds Pope Honorius II, as the 164th pope. Other factions (including Roger II of Sicily), however, support Anacletus II as pope, leading to the papal schism of 1130, and Innocent flees to France.


date: December 25

text: December 25 – Antipope Anacletus crowns Roger II of Sicily king.


text: Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (d. 1176)


text: Baldwin III of Jerusalem (d. 1162)


text: Daoji, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 1207)


text: Zhu Xi, Chinese Confucian scholar (d. 1200)


text: Eustace IV of Boulogne, a Count of Boulogne and the son and heir of Stephen, King of England (approximate date; d. 1153)


date: February 13

text: February 13 – Pope Honorius II (b. 1060)


date: March 26

text: March 26 – King Sigurd I of Norway (b. c. 1090)


date: October 16

text: October 16 – Pedro González de Lara, Castilian magnate


date: November 11

text: November 11 – Teresa of León, Countess of Portugal, Portuguese regent (b. 1080)


text: Maud, 2nd Countess of Huntingdon (b. 1074)


text: Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury (b. 1052)


text: Brahmadeva, Indian mathematician (b. 1060)


text: Diemoth, German nun and writer (b. 1060) (approximately)


text: Alam al-Malika, Yemenite politician


text: The Knights Templars appear in the North-East of Spain and are receiving privileges from King Alfonso I (the Battler). The Templars support him to regain land from the Almoravids. Alfonso grants them exemption of tax on a fifth of the wealth taken from the Muslims. The Templars found their first stronghold in Aragon.


date: May 9

text: May 9 – Tintern Abbey is founded in Wales by Cistercian monks in the Wye Valley.


text: The Council of Rheims is held by several French bishops and many clergy.


text: Construction begins on the Beisi Pagoda in Jiangsu Province (approximate date).


date: September 14

text: September 14 – Melisende succeeds her father Baldwin II to the throne, and reigns jointly with Fulk, as King and Queen of Jerusalem. Their coronation, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is celebrated with festivities.


date: January 14

text: January 14 – Valdemar I (the Great), king of Denmark (d. 1182)


date: November 8

text: November 8 – Myeongjong, Korean king of Goryeo (d. 1202)


text: Henry of Sandomierz, Polish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Eudoxia of Kiev, high duchess of Poland (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Teishi, Japanese noblewoman (d. 1176)


text: Ladislaus II, king of Hungary and Croatia (d. 1163)


text: Nakayama Tadachika, Japanese nobleman (d. 1195)


date: January 7

text: January 7 – Canute Lavard, duke of Schleswig (b. 1096)


date: April 30

text: April 30 – Adjutor, French knight and saint


date: August 21

text: August 21 – King Baldwin II falls seriously ill, after his return from Antioch. He is moved to the patriarch's residence near the Holy Sepulchre, where he bequeaths the kingdom to his daughter Melisende, her husband Fulk and their infant son, Baldwin. He takes monastic vows, and dies soon after. Baldwin is buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at Jerusalem.


text: August 21 – Baldwin II, king of Jerusalem


date: August 30

text: August 30 – Hervey le Breton, English bishop


date: October 5

text: October 5 – Frederick I, German archbishop


date: October 13

text: October 13 – The 15-year-old Philip, eldest son of King Louis VI (the Fat) of France, dies when his horse trips over a black pig that darts out of a dung heap unexpectedly at a market in Paris.


text: October 13 – Philip, co-king of France (b. 1116)


date: November 16

text: November 16 – Dobrodeia of Kiev, Byzantine princess


date: December 4

text: December 4 – Omar Khayyám, Persian astronomer (b. 1048)


text: Harald Haakonsson, Norse Earl of Orkney


text: Meng, Chinese empress and regent (b. 1073)


text: Ramon Berenguer III (the Great), count of Barcelona, dies after a 34-year reign. He leaves most of his Catalonian territories to his elder son Ramon Berenguer IV, who continues the fight against the Almoravid Muslims. His younger son Berenguer Ramon inherits Provence (Southern France) and will reign as Ramon I (until 1144).


text: Mahmud II, sultan of the Seljuk Empire


date: July 24

text: July 24 – Battle of Nocera: Rebel Normans under Count Ranulf II defeat the Sicilian forces, led by King Roger II. Seven hundred knights are captured, and Roger is forced to retreat to Salerno.


text: The Southern Song court establishes the first permanent standing navy, with the headquarters of the Chinese admiralty based at Dinghai.


date: March 5

text: March 5 – Rievaulx Abbey is founded by the Cistercian order, near Helmsley in Yorkshire.


date: December 27

text: December 27 – Fountains Abbey soon to join the Cistercian order, is founded near Ripon in Yorkshire.


text: Malachy is appointed archbishop of Armagh in Ireland, to impose the Roman liturgy on the independent Irish Church.


text: Diarmait Mac Murchada has the abbey of Kildare in Ireland burned, and the abbess raped. He becomes king of the province of Leinster.


text: Basingwerk Abbey originally Benedictine, and later Cistercian, is founded near Holywell in Wales.


text: Summer – Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk governor (atabeg) of Aleppo and Mosul, marches on Baghdad (the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate), to add it to his dominions. He is defeated by the forces of Caliph Al-Mustarshid, near Tikrit (modern Iraq). Zengi flees and escapes, with the help of Tikrit's governor Najm ad-Din Ayyub (the father of Saladin), who conveys him across the River Tigris.


text: Barnwell Castle is erected in Northamptonshire.


date: June

text: June – A fire breaks out in the Chinese capital of Hangzhou, destroying 13,000 houses and forcing many to flee to the nearby hills. Due to large fires as this, the government installs an effective fire fighting force for the city. Items such as bamboo, planks, and rush-matting are temporarily exempted from taxation, 120 tons of rice are distributed among the poor. The government suspends the housing rent requirement of the city's residents.


date: February 2

text: February 2 – William of Norwich, English martyr (d. 1144)


date: April 21

text: April 21 – Sancho VI (the Wise), king of Navarre (d. 1194)


text: Ephraim of Bonn, German Jewish rabbi and writer (d. 1196)


text: Andronikos Kontostephanos, Byzantine aristocrat (or 1133)


text: Vladimir III Mstislavich, Kievan Grand Prince (d. 1171)


text: Rhys ap Gruffydd, Welsh prince of Deheubarth (d. 1197)


text: Philip of France, French prince and archdeacon (d. 1160)


text: Maurice II de Craon, Norman nobleman and knight (d. 1196)


date: February 9

text: February 9 – Maredudd ap Bleddyn, king of Powys (b. 1047)


date: March 26

text: March 26 – Geoffrey of Vendôme, French abbot (b. 1070)


date: April 1

text: April 1 – Hugh of Châteauneuf, bishop of Grenoble (b. 1053)


date: April 14

text: April 14 – Mstislav I (the Great), Kievan Grand Prince (b. 1076)


date: June 6

text: June 6 – Taj al-Muluk Buri, Seljuk governor and regent


date: October 26

text: October 26 – Floris the Black, Dutch count of Holland


text: Hugh III of Le Puiset, French nobleman and crusader


text: Conrad von Plötzkau, margrave of the Northern March


text: William of Zardana (or Saône), French nobleman (or 1133)


date: July 17

text: July 17 – Battle of Fraga: The Castellan troops led by King Alfonso I (the Battler) defeat the Almoravid army, thanks to a timely intervention of a Norman Crusader army from Tarragona, led by Robert Bordet.


text: Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Barcelona, launches a raid against Almoravid-held territories in Al-Andalus (modern Spain), and pillages the country all the way to Cádiz.


text: Antipope Anacletus II forces Innocent II out of Rome following the departure of Lothair III. Innocent flees and takes a ship to Pisa.


text: Rijnsburg Abbey is founded by Petronilla of Lorraine, countess and regent of Holland.


text: Construction of the chapter house at Durham Cathedral which is completed in 1140.


text: Spring – A German expeditionary force, led by King Lothair III, marches into northern Italy, and arrives at Rome, after a 6-month journey across the Alps. Accompanied by Bernard of Clairvaux, French abbot and Doctor of the Church, Lothair is crowned by Pope Innocent II as Holy Roman Emperor at the Church of the Lateran, on June 4. He receives as papal fiefs the vast estates of Matilda, former margravine of Tuscany, which he secures for his daughter Gertrude of Süpplingenburg and her husband, Duke Henry X (the Proud) of Bavaria.


text: The first convent on Iceland, the Þingeyraklaustur, is inaugurated at a monastery of the Order of Saint Benedict (located in Þingeyrar).


text: Geoffrey of Monmouth, an English cleric, writes the chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae.


date: February 23

text: February 23 – Al-Zafir, Fatimid caliph (d. 1154)


text: March 5 – Henry II (Curtmantle), king of England (d. 1189)


date: May 13

text: May 13 – Hōnen, Japanese religious reformer (d. 1212)


text: Zhang Shi, Chinese Confucian scholar (d. 1181)


text: Sigurd II (or Sigurd Munn), king of Norway (d. 1155)


text: Thorlak Thorhallsson, Icelandic bishop (d. 1193)


text: Stephen IV, king of Hungary and Croatia (d. 1165)


text: Ralph de Sudeley, English nobleman (d. 1192)


text: Urraca of Castile, queen of Navarre (d. 1179)


text: Andronikos Doukas Angelos, Byzantine aristocrat


text: Blanche of Navarre, Queen of Castile (d.1156)


text: Jean de Gisors, Norman nobleman (d. 1220)


text: Faidiva of Toulouse, countess of Savoy (d. 1154)


text: Andronikos Kontostephanos, Byzantine aristocrat


date: February 19

text: February 19 – Irene Doukaina, Byzantine empress (b. 1066)


date: May 1

text: May 1 – Manegold von Mammern, German abbot


date: December 4

text: December 4 – Bernard degli Uberti, Italian bishop


date: December 18

text: December 18 – Hildebert, French hagiographer (b. 1055)


date: December 21

text: December 21 – Guigues III (the Old), French nobleman


text: þorlákur Runólfsson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1086)


text: William of Zardana (or Saône), French nobleman


text: Gregory of Catino, Italian monk and historian (b. 1060)


text: Dirmicius of Regensburg, Irish monk and abbot


text: The House of Brandenburg is founded, when Albrecht the Bear is made head of the Nordmark.

source_section: Events › By place › Scandinavia


text: Mas'ud becomes sultan of the Seljuk dynasty in Hamadan.


text: Ermengarde becomes Viscountess of Narbonne.

source_section: Events › By place › Mediterranean


text: Battle of Färlev: Magnus IV of Norway defeats Harald IV Gille of Norway.


text: Viacheslav of Kiev becomes Prince of Turov.

source_section: Events › By place › Eastern Europe


text: Aed mac Domnaill becomes King of Ui Failghe.

source_section: Events › By place › Western Europe


text: Battle of Fraga: Castillan forces are defeated by Muslim troops. King Alfonso I (the Battler) is killed and succeeded by his brother Ramiro II as ruler of Aragon. In Navarre the nobility elects Garcia VI as Alfonso's successor.


text: Eric II becomes King of Denmark.


text: Battle of Fotevik: Harald Kesja and Magnus the Strong are defeated by the forces of Erik Emune.


text: Roger II of Sicily defeats a revolt in Naples.


text: Iziaslav II of Kiev becomes Prince of Vladimir and Volyn.


text: Yelü Dashi captures Balasagun from the Kara-Khanid Khanate, marking the start of the Qara Khitai empire (and its Kangguo era) in Central Asia.


text: Narbonne is seized by Alphonse I of Toulouse.


text: Vsevolod Mstislavich of Novgorod defeats the Chuds and captures Tartu.


text: Yuri Dolgoruki founds the town of Skniatino.


text: The Zeeland archipelago is created by a massive storm in the North Sea.


text: Robert of Ketton and Herman of Carinthia travel throughout France, the Byzantine Empire, and the Crusader States.

source_section: Events › By topic › Culture


text: Wu Ge, Chinese Song Dynasty Deputy Transport Commissioner of Zhejiang, has paddle wheel warships constructed with a total of nine wheels, and others with thirteen wheels.


text: The Augustinian Runcorn Priory is transferred to Norton Priory.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Evermode of Ratzeburg becomes abbot of Gottesgnaden.


text: The Humiliati retreat to a monastery in Milan.


text: Called by Olegarius, the bishop of Tarragona, the Knights Templar establish their first stronghold in Catalonia.


text: The Cathedral of St. Petri in Schleswig is completed.


text: Cormac's Chapel is consecrated.


text: Hugh of Grenoble is canonized by Innocent II.


text: Malachy becomes archbishop of Armagh.


text: The Japanese classic text Uchigikishu is written.


text: Aelred of Hexham enters the monastery at Rievaulx Abbey.


text: Stephen Harding becomes abbot of Cîteaux Abbey.


text: The Church of St. James is dedicated in Glasgow.


text: Buckfastleigh Abbey is refounded.


text: Leo Styppes becomes Patriarch of Constantinople.


text: The Abbey of St. Jacob is founded in Würzburg.


text: Abdul Qadir Jilani becomes principal of the Hanbali school in Baghdad.


text: Henry of Lausanne is sentenced to imprisonment by Pope Innocent II.


text: May 13 – The Saint-Denis basilica, near Paris, is damaged by a fire. This will give the opportunity to the French abbot Suger to rebuild it in a new style, which will open the Gothic period of architecture.


text: Much of Chartres, France, is destroyed by fire.


text: Herman III (the Great), margrave of Baden, marries Bertha of Lorraine.


text: The University of Salamanca is established, in the Kingdom of León.


date: June 1

text: June 1 – Geoffrey VI, count of Nantes (d. 1158)

source_section: Births


date: September 9

text: September 9 – Abdul Razzaq Gilani, Persian jurist (d. 1207)


text: Neophytos of Cyprus, Cypriot Orthodox priest (d. 1214)


text: Ralph I, French nobleman (approximate date)


text: Oldřich (or Oldericus), duke of Olomouc (d. 1177)


text: Raymond V, count of Toulouse (approximate date)


text: Sancho III (the Desired), king of Castile (d. 1158)


text: Fujiwara no Kinshi, Japanese empress (d. 1209)


text: Bernhard III, German nobleman (approximate date)


text: Yesugei (Baghatur), Mongol chieftain (d. 1171)


text: Gerardo dei Tintori, Italian mystic and founder (d. 1207)


text: Oda of Brabant (or Anderlues), Belgian prioress (d. 1158)


text: Sverker I (the Elder), king of Sweden (d. 1156)


date: March 28

text: March 28 – Stephen Harding, English abbot

source_section: Deaths


date: June 4

text: June 4 – Magnus the Strong (Nilsson), king of Västergötland


text: June 6 – Norbert of Xanten, German archbishop


date: June 25

text: June 25 – Niels (or Nicholas), king of Denmark


text: July 17 – Beltrán de Risnel, Aragonese diplomat


text: July 17 – Centule VI (or Centulle), French nobleman


date: August 9

text: August 9 – Gilbert Universalis, English bishop


date: August 13

text: August 13 – Irene of Hungary, Byzantine empress (b. 1088)


date: September 7

text: September 7 – Alfonso I (the Battler), king of Aragon


date: October 23

text: October 23 – Abu al-Salt, Andalusian astronomer


text: Hugh II (du Puiset), French nobleman


text: Urban (or Gwrgan), bishop of Llandaff (b. 1076)


text: Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, English conjoined twins (b. 1100)


text: Count Hugh II (du Puiset), in alliance with the Egyptian city of Ascalon, revolts against King Fulk V of Jerusalem, attempting to take Jaffa. Hugh submits to Fulk and is exiled for three years. While awaiting for a boat to Italy he is attacked by a Breton knight, but survives the attempted murder. Hugh retires to the Sicilian court of his cousin, King Roger II, who appoints him to the lordship of Gargano, where he dies soon afterwards.


date: September

text: September – King García IV ("the Restorer") breaks with Alfonso VII, and makes common cause with the County of Portugal against Castile and León.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: October

text: October – Conrad III, duke of Franconia, gives up his title as King of Italy in opposition with Lothair III. He receives a pardon and recovers his estates.


text: Lothair III receives a Byzantine embassy at his court, on behalf of Emperor John II Komnenos. It offers large financial subsidies for Lothair to start a campaign against Roger II. The negotiations will last for some months.


text: Spring – Shams al-Mulk Isma'il, Seljuk ruler of Damascus, sends envoys to Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk ruler of Mosul, to seek his protection in exchange of Damascus. Zengi crosses the Euphrates, receiving the surrender of the city of Hama. He besieges Damascus but, due to a shortage of supplies, is forced to abandon the siege. Zengi extricates himself from Damascus, his Seljuk forces capture the fortresses at Ma'arrat and Atharib.


text: Summer – King Roger II lands with a Sicilian expeditionary force in Salerno. He splits his army, and conquers the cities of Aversa and Alife. Roger besieges Naples – but despite poor health conditions within the city, he is not able to take it, and returns again to Messina.


text: Pisans in the service of the Holy See (Diocese of Rome) sack the city of Amalfi.


text: Jin–Song War – Song forces under Yue Fei begin a counteroffensive against the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty in northern China. He defeats Jin forces, by entangling his paddle-wheel ships at the Huai River.


text: The Hammadid Emirate (modern Algeria) launches an assault against the city of Mahdia (modern Tunisia).

source_section: Events › By place › North Africa


text: A Moorish fleet raids the Catalan port-town of Elna (Southern France).


text: Summer – A Sicilian expeditionary force led by Roger II embarks from Messina and takes the island of Djerba (modern Tunisia).


date: January 7

text: January 7 – King Harald IV returns with Danish reinforcements and the support of King Eric II ("the Memorable"). He captures his nephew and joint ruler Magnus IV (Sigurdsson), who is blinded, castrated – and confined in Nidarholm Abbey (located on the island of Munkholmen).


date: January

text: January – Byland Abbey is founded in England by the Congregation of Savigny.


date: May 26

text: May 26 – King Alfonso VII is crowned as "Emperor of All Spain" (Imperator totius Hispaniae) in the Cathedral of León. The coronation is attended by Ramon Berenguer IV (his brother-in-law), Raymond V and other Spanish nobles who recognize him as their overlord.


date: May

text: May – Council of Pisa is convened by Innocent II. The council addressed simony, schismatic clerics, heresy, as well as donations to the Templar Order.


date: August 29

text: August 29 – Caliph Al-Mustarshid is assassinated at Baghdad after a 17-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Al-Rashid Billah as ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate (until 1138).

source_section: Events › By place › Middle East


date: December 26

text: December 26 – Stephen of Blois is crowned at Westminster Abbey in London by Archbishop William de Corbeil. Matilda (pregnant with child) and her husband Geoffrey V ("the Fair") leave for their own safety to Normandy, where she plans how to overthrow Stephen and claim the English throne for her own.

source_section: Events › By place › England


text: Buildwas Abbey is founded in England by Roger de Clinton, bishop of Coventry.


date: August 15

text: August 15 – Emperor Lothair III receives homage from Eric II, and makes him an imperial prince at the Reichstag. His diplomatic missions to Hungary and Poland result in a tribute payment. Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth is given Pomerania and Rügen as German fiefs.


text: Queen Melisende of Jerusalem reconciles with her husband Fulk V, after a period of estrangement occasioned by her growing power, and rumors that she has had an affair with Hugh II (du Puiset), former count of Jaffa.


text: Samson of Tottington, English monk and abbot (d. 1211)


text: Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani, Arabic Hanafi jurist (d. 1197)


text: Henry Fitz Eylwin, 1st Lord Mayor of London (d. 1212)


text: Sharaf al-Dīn al-Tūsī, Persian mathematician (d. 1213)


text: Bogumilus, archbishop of Gniezno (approximate date)


text: Margaret of Navarre, queen of Sicily (approximate date)


text: Xie (Xiaozong), Chinese empress of the Song dynasty (d. 1207)


text: Maimonides, Almoravid philosopher and physician (d. 1204)


text: Magnus Haraldsson, king of Norway (approximate date)


text: Fernando Afonso, Portuguese Grand Master (d. 1207)


text: Inge I ("the Hunchback"), king of Norway (d. 1161)


text: Joachim of Fiore, Italian theologian and mystic (d. 1202)


text: André of Brienne, French nobleman (approximate date)


text: Albert of Chiatina, Italian archpriest and saint (d. 1202)


date: February 1

text: February 1 – Shams al-Mulk Isma'il, Seljuk ruler (b. 1113)


date: February 6

text: February 6 – Elvira of Castile, queen of Sicily (b. 1100)


date: February 9

text: February 9 – Taizong, emperor of the Jin dynasty (b. 1075)


text: May – Rainier (or Renier), marquess of Montferrat (b. 1084)


date: June 4

text: June 4 – Huizong, emperor of the Song dynasty (b. 1082)


text: June 4 – Emperor Hui Zong dies in exile in Heilongjiang (Manchuria), having been held prisoner with his son Qin Zong since their capture in 1127.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


date: August 9

text: August 9 – Wartislaw I, duke of Pomerania (b. 1091)


text: August 29 – Al-Mustarshid, Abbasid caliph (b. 1092)


date: December 1

text: December 1 – King Henry I dies at Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy after a 35-year reign. He is succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois (grandson of William the Conqueror), who asserts his claim to the throne in opposition to claims by Henry's daughter Matilda (prolonged in a civil war known as The Anarchy).


text: Yuanwu Keqin, Chinese Chan Buddhist monk (b. 1063)


text: Gerald de Windsor, English nobleman (b. 1075)


text: Liang Hongyu ("Red Jade"), Chinese female general (b. 1102)


text: Gisela of Burgundy, marchioness of Montferrat, French noblewoman (b. 1075)


text: Harald Kesja ("the Spear"), king of Denmark (b. 1080)


date: February 5

text: February 5 – Treaty of Durham: A peace treaty is signed by Stephen and David I. The Scots are allowed to keep Carlisle and a part of Cumberland in return for stopping their advance. David refuses an oath of allegiance, as his loyalties rest with Matilda (daughter of the late King Henry I).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


date: May 28

text: May 28 – In Russia, the people of Novgorod depose and imprison Prince Vsevolod of Pskov. Novgorod asserts its independence from Kiev, but accepts protection from neighboring Kievan princes. In July, Vsevolod along with his wife and family are released (they are exiled to an uncle in Kiev).


text: Sultan Mudzaffar Shah I establishes the Kedah Sultanate at Qodah Darul Aman (modern-day Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia).


date: August 14

text: August 14 – The siege of Bagdhad by the Seljuks ends after Abbasid caliph al-Rashid Billah flees to Mosul. Seljuk sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud enters the city the following day.

source_section: Events › By place › Levant


date: October

text: October – Battle of Crug Mawr (Great Barrow): King Owain Gwynedd (styled "Prince of Wales") defeats the Norman and Flemish forces under Robert Fitz Martin, securing the control of Ceredigion (West Wales).


text: Summer – Emperor Lothair III invades southern Italy in response to the appeal of Emperor John II Komnenos (see 1135) and conquers Apulia from King Roger II of Sicily. Duke Grimoald of Bari, supported by Lothair III, rebels against Roger.


text: The city of Béjaïa (modern Algeria) repels a Genoan naval assault.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Spring – King David I of Scotland invades northern England and captures many of the major towns including Carlisle and Newcastle. In response, King Stephen raises an army (with Flemish mercenaries), and marches to Durham. David agrees to negotiate a peace between the two countries.


date: August 18

text: August 18 – Seljuk sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud appoints al-Rashid Billah's uncle Al-Muqtafi as new caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad.


text: The Basilica of Saint-Denis is completed to designs by Abbot Suger in Paris, France.

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts and Culture


text: Melrose Abbey (located in the Scottish Borders) is founded by Cistercian monks at the request of David.


text: Worship at the original Glasgow Cathedral in Scotland begins.


text: Peter Abelard writes the Historia Calamitatum, detailing his relationship with Heloise.


date: December 14

text: December 14 – King Harald IV of Norway is murdered by Sigurd Slembe, an illegitimate son of the late King Magnus Barefoot. He is succeeded by his sons Inge I ("the Hunchback) and his 3-year-old half-brother Sigurd II.


text: Spring – Raymond of Poitiers, son of the late Duke William IX of Aquitaine, arrives at Antioch. Patriarch Ralph of Domfront (against the wishes of Princess Alice) arranges a marriage in secret with her 8-year-old daughter Constance. She is kidnapped and taken to the cathedral in Antioch, where Ralph hastily marries her to Raymond. Alice leaves the city, now under the control of Raymond and Ralph, and retires to Latakia, Syria.


date: July 22

text: July 22 – William of Anjou, viscount of Dieppe (d. 1164)


text: Xia (Shenfu), Chinese empress consort (d. 1167)


text: Amalric I (or Amalricus), king of Jerusalem (d. 1174)


text: Humbert III (the Blessed), count of Savoy (d. 1189)


text: William of Newburgh, English historian and writer (d. 1198)


text: Marie I (or Mary), countess consort of Boulogne (d. 1182)


text: Ismail al-Jazari, Artuqid polymath and inventor (d. 1206)


date: April 15

text: April 15 – Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, Norman nobleman


date: May 24

text: May 24 – Hugues de Payens, French nobleman and knight


date: November 15

text: November 15 – Leopold III, margrave of Austria (b. 1073)


date: November 21

text: November 21 – William de Corbeil, archbishop of Canterbury


text: December 14 – Harald IV (Servant of Christ), king of Norway


text: Wanyan Zonghan, Chinese nobleman and general (b. 1080)


text: Hildegard of Bingen becomes abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Disibodenberg, upon the death of Jutta von Sponheim.


text: Jutta von Sponheim, German noblewoman and abbes (b. 1091)


text: Zayn al-Din Gorgani, Persian physician (b. 1041)


text: Mael Isa Mac Mael Coluim, Irish monk and chronologist


text: William VI, count of Auvergne and Velay (b. 1096)


text: Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, Welsh princess of Deheubarth


text: Abraham bar Hiyya, Spanish mathematician and astronomer


date: August 11

text: August 11 – Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Barcelona, is married to Princess Petronilla of Aragon (only 1-year-old) – whose father, King Ramiro II of Aragon, seeks aid from Barcelona against King Alfonso VII of Castile, abdicates the throne in favor of Ramon on November 13.


text: Egyptian military commander Ridwan ibn Walakhshi appointed Vizier in Egypt.


text: The Ethiopian Empire is established by Emperor Mara Takla Haymanot of the Zagwe Dynasty.


date: March 25

text: March 25 – Bazwāj, a mamluk (slave) commander of Damascus, launches a military campaign against Tripoli, reaching Pilgrims' Mount. He defeats a Crusader army under Count Pons (protector of Tripoli). Pons is forced to flee into the mountains where native Christians capture him. Later, he is handed over and instantly put to death by Bazwāj.


date: August 29

text: August 29 – John II appears before the walls of Antioch, and encamps with the Byzantine army on the north bank of the Orontes River. For several days he besieges the city, Raymond of Poitiers (prince of Antioch) is forced to surrender. He recognizes John as his suzerain and becomes with Joscelin II (count of Edessa) a vassal of the Byzantine Empire.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


date: October 30

text: October 30 – Battle of Rignano: Sergius VII, duke (magister militum) of Naples, is defeated by the Sicilian forces under King Roger II of Sicily. Sergius is killed and Roger establishes direct control over Naples – nominating his 17-year-old son Alfonso of Capua as the new duke.


text: Spring – Emperor John II (Komnenos) leads a Byzantine expeditionary force into Cilicia (the Byzantine fleet guards his flank). He defeats the Armenians under Prince Leo I ("Lord of the Mountains"), and captures the cities of Mersin, Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra. Leo retreats to the great fortifications of Anazarbus – where its garrison resists for 37 days. The Byzantine siege engines batter down its walls, and the city is forced to surrender. Leo escapes into the Taurus Mountains, while the Byzantine forces march southward into the plain of Antioch.


text: Summer – Battle of Ba'rin: A Crusader force led by King Fulk of Jerusalem is scattered and defeated by Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk governor (atabeg) of Mosul. Fulk with a small bodyguard escapes into Montferrand Castle, which is surrounded and besieged by Zengi. After negotiations, Fulk is granted his freedom in exchange for the castle.


text: An Almoravid fleet of 37 ships attack the coasts of southern Italy, under Norman rule.


text: Spring – King Stephen sails to Normandy to confront Geoffrey V (the Fair) and the Angevins, who are attacking the southern areas of Normandy. Although Stephen has some success, he is not able to recapture Normandy from Matilda, daughter and heiress of the late King Henry I.


text: In the first commercial treaty between the Almohad Caliphate and a Christian power, the Republic of Genoa obtains trading rights in the port of North Africa.


date: June 3

text: June 3 – A fire severely damages Rochester Cathedral, but it is soon rebuilt.


date: July 25

text: July 25 – Louis VI sends his 16-year-old son Louis Capet with an escort of 500 knights to Bordeaux, along with Abbot Suger in charge of the wedding arrangements. Louis and Eleanor are married in the Cathedral of Saint-André. France unites Aquitaine and its territories to the Pyrenees.


date: June 4

text: June 4 – A fire destroys much of the city of York, including 39 churches and York Minster.


date: June 27

text: June 27 – A fire severely damages the city of Bath.


text: In China during the Song Dynasty, a fire breaks out in the new capital of Hangzhou. The government suspends the requirement of rent payments, alms of 108,840 kg (120 tons) of rice are distributed to the poor, and items such as bamboo, planks and rush-matting are exempted from government taxation.


text: Agnes of Poland, Grand Princess of Kiev (d. 1182)


text: Bretislav III, bishop of Prague (approximate date)


text: Ludwig II, count of Württemberg (approximate date)


text: Ibn Qalaqis, Fatimid poet and writer (d. 1172)


text: Walter Map, Welsh historian and writer (d. 1209)


text: Saladin (the Lion), sultan of Egypt and Syria (d. 1193)


text: Henry VI, king of Germany (approximate date)


text: Ferdinand II, king of León and Galicia (d. 1188)


text: William I of Blois, count of Boulogne (d. 1159)


text: Wenceslaus II, duke of Bohemia (approximate date)


date: January 21

text: January 21 – Guarin, Norman chancellor


date: January 27

text: January 27 – John of Crema, Italian cardinal


date: March 6

text: March 6 – Olegarius, archbishop of Tarragona (b. 1060)


date: March 8

text: March 8 – Adela of Normandy, countess of Blois


text: March 25 – Pons, count of Tripoli (b. 1098)


date: April 9

text: April 9 – William X (the Saint), duke of Aquitaine, dies while on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (modern Spain). On his deathbed, he expresses his wish to see King Louis VI (the Fat) of France as protector of his 15-year-old daughter Eleanor, and to find her a suitable husband.


text: April 9 – William X (the Saint), duke of Aquitaine (b. 1099)


date: June 20

text: June 20 – John I, bishop of Rochester


date: June 23

text: June 23 – Adalbert I, archbishop of Mainz


date: July 10

text: July 10 – Pain FitzJohn, Norman nobleman


date: August 1

text: August 1 – Louis VI dies of dysentery at Paris after a 29-year reign. He is succeeded by Louis Capet (known as Louis VII) as King of France. During his accession the burgesses of Orléans and Poitiers revolt – who wish to organise communes (creating independent city-states).


date: September 18

text: September 18 – Eric II, king of Denmark (b. 1090)


text: October 30 – Sergius VII, duke of Naples


date: December 4

text: December 4 – Emperor Lothair III dies at Breitenwang in Tyrol, while retreating from Italy after a mutiny among his troops. His son-in-law Henry X (the Proud), duke of Bavaria, inherits the Duchy of Saxony.


text: The Earldom of Pembroke, created for Gilbert de Clare, becomes the first earldom created by Stephen within the borders of Wales. Gilbert receives the rape and Pevensey Castle.


date: April 20

text: April 20 – Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos, having led an expeditionary force into Syria, arrives before the walls of Aleppo. The city proves too strong to attack, but the fortresses of Biza'a, Athareb, Ma'arrat Nu'man and Kafartab are taken by assault. While the Byzantines besiege the city of Shaizar, the Crusader allies Prince Raymond of Poitiers of Antioch and Count Joscelin II of Edessa remain in their camp playing dice.


date: April 28

text: April 28 – Siege of Shaizar begins. The Byzantines under John II besiege the capital of the Munqidhite Emirate. They capture the lower city on May 20, but fail to take the citadel. John negotiates with Emir Abu'l Asakir Sultan who sends him an offer to pay a large indemnity and become a vassal of the Byzantine Empire. John, disgusted by his Crusader allies, accepts the terms and raises the siege on May 21.


date: May

text: May – Earl Robert FitzRoy rebels against King Stephen, supporting Matilda (his step-sister) in her claim for the English throne. Matilda is given refuge by Earl William de Albini at Arundel Castle. Stephen builds siege works around the castle, but is unable to break the castle's defences. In France, Matilda's husband Duke Geoffrey V (the Fair) takes advantage of the situation by re-invading Normandy.


date: August 22

text: August 22 – Battle of the Standard: King David I of Scotland gives his full support to Matilda (daughter of the late King Henry I), and invades the north of England – travelling as far south as Lincolnshire. The Scottish army (some 15,000 men) is defeated by English forces under Earl William le Gros in Yorkshire. David retreats to Carlisle and reassembles an army.


text: Summer – A civil war breaks out in the Holy Roman Empire, a struggle begins between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, while the family name Welf of Henry X will be corrupted into Guelph.


date: March 7

text: March 7 – Conrad III is elected as King of Germany, in the presence of the papal legate Theodwin at Koblenz. He is crowned at Aachen six days later (on March 13), and acknowledged in Bamberg by several German princes of southern Germany. Henry X (the Proud), son-in-law and heir of the late King Lothair III, refuses his allegiance to Conrad. He is deprived of all his Saxon territories, which are given to Leopold IV (the Generous).


date: April 10

text: April 10 – Robert Warelwast is nominated as bishop of Exeter at a royal council in Northampton, England.


date: June 6

text: June 6 – Al-Rashid Billah (deposed caliph of Baghdad), having fled to Isfahan, is killed there by a team of four Nizari Ismailis (Assassins). This is celebrated in Alamut for a week by Shias.


date: October 11

section: Climate & Environment

text: October 11 – An earthquake in Aleppo, Syria, kills about 230,000 people.


date: November 5

text: November 5 – Lý Anh Tông is enthroned as emperor of Đại Việt at the age of two, starting a 37-year reign.


text: Casimir II the Just, duke of Poland (d. 1194)


text: Conan IV (the Young), duke of Brittany (d. 1171)


text: Hōjō Tokimasa, Japanese nobleman and regent (d. 1215)


text: Tancred ("the Monkey King"), king of Sicily (d. 1194)


text: Fujiwara no Narichika, Japanese nobleman (d. 1178)


text: Saladin (the Lion), sultan of Egypt and Syria (d. 1193)


text: Taira no Shigemori, Japanese nobleman (d. 1179)


date: January 13

text: January 13 or January 14 – Simon I, duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)


date: February 19

text: February 19 – Irene Doukaina, Byzantine empress


date: May 11

text: May 11 – William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, Anglo-Norman nobleman


date: May 27

text: May 27 – Hadmar I of Kuenring, German nobleman


text: June 6 – Al-Rashid Billah, deposed ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate, assassinated (b. 1109)


date: August 12

text: August 12 – Suero Vermúdez, Asturian nobleman


date: October 20

text: October 20 – Bolesław III Wrymouth dies after a 31-year reign. He divides Poland among his sons: Władysław II the Exile receives Silesia and the Senioral territories – which include the Kraków and Łęczyca regions, as well as parts of Kujawy and Greater Poland (Wielkopolska). Bolesław IV the Curly receives Masovia and Mieszko III the Old receives the newly established Duchy of Greater Poland. The 7-year-old Henry becomes duke of Sandomierz. Bolesław's last son, Casimir II the Just], receives nothing, as he is born 8 days after his father's death.


date: October 28

text: October 28 – Bolesław III (Wrymouth), duke of Poland (b. 1086)


text: Rodrigo Martínez, Leonese nobleman and diplomat


text: David the Scot, bishop of Bangor (approximate date)


text: Chen Yuyi, Chinese politician of the Song dynasty (b. 1090)


text: Avempace, Andalusian polymath and philosopher (b. 1085)


text: Arwa al-Sulayhi, queen and co-ruler of Yemen (b. 1048)


text: Someshvara III, ruler of the Western Chalukya Empire


date: January 25

text: January 25 – Godfrey II, Count of Louvain becomes Duke of Lower Lorraine.

source_section: Events › By region › Europe


date: April 9

text: April 9 – The Treaty of Durham is signed, between Stephen, King of England and David I of Scotland.


text: May – Representatives of Polvese Island formally submit the island to the city of Perugia, pledging military support, fiscal obligations, and an annual tribute of tench.


date: July 25

text: July 25 – Treaty of Mignano: Pope Innocent II proclaims Roger II of Sicily as King of Sicily, Duke of Apulia and Prince of Capua.


date: July 8

text: July 8 or August 21 – Jin–Song Wars: Battle of Yancheng – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu.

source_section: Events › By region › Asia


text: July 25 – Battle of Ourique: The independence of Portugal from the Kingdom of León is declared after the Almoravids, led by Ali ibn Yusuf, are defeated by Prince Afonso Henriques. He then becomes Afonso I, King of Portugal, after calling the first assembly of the Estates-General of Portugal at Lamego, where he is given the Crown from the Bishop of Bragança, to confirm the independence.


date: April 8

text: April 8 – Second Council of the Lateran: Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated by Pope Innocent II.


date: April

text: April – Second Council of the Lateran: The Anacletus schism is settled, and priestly celibacy is made mandatory within the Catholic Church.


date: July 22

text: July 22 – Pope Innocent II, invading the Kingdom of Sicily, is ambushed at Galluccio and taken prisoner.


date: November

text: November – Alberic of Ostia, papal legate to Outremer, convenes a legatine council in the cathedral of Antioch to examine the conduct of the Latin patriarch. The council is also attended by the Armenian Catholicos Gregory III and marks a symbolic beginning for Armenian-Latin ecclesiastic high-level contacts.


date: September 30

text: September 30 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes the Caucasus mountains in the Seljuk Empire, causing great devastation and killing 300,000 people.


text: King's School, Pontefract, in England is founded.

source_section: Events › By topic › Education


date: June 3

text: June 3 – Conon of Naso, Basilian abbot (d. 1236)


date: June 16

text: June 16 – Emperor Konoe of Japan (d. 1155)


text: Agnes II – abbess and artist (d. 1203)


text: January 25 – Count Godfrey I of Louvain and Duke of Lower Lorraine (as Godfrey VI)


date: February 18

text: February 18 – Prince Yaropolk II of Kiev (b. 1082)


date: June 29

text: June 29 – Empress Xing of China (b. 1106)


text: October 20 – Henry the Proud (Henry X), Duke of Bavaria


date: December

text: December – Roger of Salisbury, English bishop


text: Emperor Trajan defeats the Parthians and overruns Armenia and northern Mesopotamia.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: The kingdom of Osroene becomes a vassal kingdom of the Roman Empire.


text: A monument to Philopappos, prince-in-exile of old Commagene (a buffer-state between Rome and Parthia) is erected in Athens.


text: Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Sedecion to Patriarch Diogenes.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Construction begins on the Arch of Trajan in Benevento.


text: First year of Yuanchu era of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty.


text: Summer – King Roger II promulgates the Assizes of Ariano (a series of laws to rule the Norman Kingdom of Sicily) after the pacification of southern Italy.


date: August 21

text: August 21 – Jin–Song Wars – Battle of Yancheng: Chinese forces under the command of Yue Fei defeat a numerically superior Jin army led by Wuzhu.


date: December 21

text: December 21 – Siege of Weinsberg: Conrad III captures the castle at Weinsberg during the civil war between the Staufers and the Welfs in Germany.


text: Spring – King Fulk of Jerusalem confronts Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of Mosul, near Dara'a in southern Syria. Turkish forces under Mu'in al-Din (supported by the Crusaders) besiege Banias.


date: September 8

text: September 8 – Sephardi Jewish philosopher Judah Halevi, having completed the Kuzari, arrives in Alexandria on a pilgrimage to Palestine.


text: The town of Lanark in Scotland is made a Royal Burgh by King David I, giving it merchant privileges relating to government and taxation.

source_section: Events › By place › England and Scotland


text: June 3 – Pierre Abelard, a French theologian, is condemned for heresy by the Council of Sens. He sets out for Rome to present his defense to Pope Innocent II.


text: The first Cistercian monastery in Spain is founded in Fitero. The order enjoys a rapid expansion in the region in the following 15 years.


text: Gratian, an Italian monk and canon lawyer, founds the science of Canon law with the publication of the Decretum Gratiani (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: Spring – King Conrad III enfeoffs Henry II ("Jasomirgott"), a member of the House of Babenberg, with the County Palatine of the Rhine (belonging to the Holy Roman Empire).

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Summer – King Stephen appoints Geoffrey de Mandeville as Earl of Essex for his support during the civil war against Matilda (Stephen's cousin).


date: May 28

text: May 28 – Xin Qiji, Chinese military leader (d. 1207)

source_section: Births


text: Raymond the Palmer, Italian pilgrim (d. 1200)


text: John I, archbishop of Trier (approximate date)


text: Gerard de Ridefort, Flemish Grand Master (d. 1189)


text: Eliezer ben Joel HaLevi, German rabbi (d. 1225)


text: Peter Waldo, French spiritual leader (d. 1205)


text: Sophia of Minsk, queen of Denmark (d. 1198)


text: Cadfan ap Cadwaladr, Welsh nobleman (d. 1215)


text: William FitzRalph, English High Sheriff (d. 1200)


text: Adela of Champagne, queen of France (d. 1206)


text: Domhnall Caomhánach, king of Leinster (d. 1175)


text: Walter Map, Welsh clergyman and writer (d. 1210)


text: Hedwig, margravine of Meissen (approximate date)


text: Simon II, duke of Lorraine (approximate date)


date: January 12

text: January 12 – Louis I, German nobleman

source_section: Deaths


date: February 6

text: February 6 – Thurstan, archbishop of York


date: February 14

text: February 14 – Soběslav I, duke of Bohemia


text: February 14 – Leo I, prince of Armenia


date: April 7

text: April 7 – Aibert, French monk and hermit (b. 1060)


text: August 21 – Yang Zaixing, Chinese general


date: August 31

text: August 31 – Godebold, bishop of Meissen


date: September 15

text: September 15 – Adelaide, duchess consort of Bohemia


date: November 16

text: November 16 – Wulgrin II, count of Angoulême


text: Kumarapala, Indian ruler of the Pala Empire


text: Li Gang, Chinese Grand Chancellor (b. 1083)


text: Lhachen Naglug, Indian ruler of Ladakh (b. 1110)


text: Diego Gelmírez, Galician archbishop (b. 1069)


text: Wanyan Xiyin, Chinese chief adviser


date: November

text: November – The Jin dynasty and Southern Song dynasty sign the Treaty of Shaoxing, and peace in the Jin–Song Wars lasts for the next twenty years. The Huai River is established as the boundary between them.

source_section: Events


date: February 2

text: February 2 – The Anarchy in the Kingdom of England – Battle of Lincoln: Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester and Empress Matilda wrest control of the throne of England from King Stephen, who is captured and imprisoned.


date: September 9

text: September 9 – Battle of Qatwan: Yelü Dashi, founder of the Qara Khitai, defeats the Seljuk Empire and Kara-Khanid forces.


date: November 1

text: November 1 – The Anarchy in the Kingdom of England – Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester is exchanged by Empress Matilda for King Stephen, who reassumes the throne of England.


date: May 14

text: May 14 – Sephardi Jewish philosopher Judah Halevi sets off from Alexandria on a pilgrimage to Palestine.


text: The first German colonists (the future Transylvanian Saxon community) arrive in Transylvania, following grants by Geza II of Hungary. The colonization process is completed in 1162.


date: April 1

text: April 1 – Alberic of Ostia, papal legate to Outremer, solemnly dedicates the Templum Domini in Jerusalem.


date: April 2

text: April 2 – In a legatine council convened by Alberic of Ostia in the Templum Domini, the claim of the Latin Patriarch of Antioch over the diocese of Tyre is rejected. Also, a step towards church unity between the Armenian and Latin Church is achieved when the Armenian Catholicos Gregory III makes a profession of faith and promises to restore union with Rome, which is achieved at the end of the century.


section: Economy & Finance

text: The Italian winemaking company Ricasoli is founded.


date: September 14

text: September 14 – The Anarchy in the Kingdom of England – Rout of Winchester: Empress Matilda returns to the throne, after Robert is captured by loyalist forces.


date: February 13

text: February 13 – Géza II is crowned King of Hungary and Croatia at age 11, succeeding his father.


text: Nizami Ganjavi, Persian poet (d. 1209) (Possibly 1140 or 1142)


text: Malcolm IV, King of Scotland (d. 1165)


date: February 11

text: February 11 – Hugh of Saint Victor, Saxon philosopher, theologian and mystic (b. c. 1078)


text: February 13 – Béla II, King of Hungary and Croatia (b. c. 1109)


date: April 12

text: April 12 or April 13 – Engelbert, Duke of Carinthia


date: May

text: May – Aubrey de Vere II, Lord Great Chamberlain of England (b. 1062)


date: June 10

text: June 10 – Richenza of Northeim, German empress (b. c. 1087/89)


date: October 18

text: October 18 – Leopold, Duke of Bavaria (b. c. 1108)


text: Alberich of Reims, Archbishop of Bourges (b. 1085)


text: Sheikh Ahmad-e Jami, Persian Sufi writer, mystic and poet (b. 1048)


text: Judah Halevi, Sephardi Jewish philosopher and poet (b. c. 1075)


date: January 5

text: January 5 – Emperor Sutoku abdicates the throne after a 19-year reign and becomes a monk. He is succeeded by his 3-year-old brother Konoe, who accedes as the 76th emperor of Japan.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: May – Conrad III makes a peace agreement with the 13-year-old Henry the Lion at Frankfurt. He is appointed as duke of Saxony, which territories are deprived from his father, the late Duke Henry the Proud.


date: August 31

text: August 31 - Suggested date of the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy.

source_section: Events › By place › America


date: October 11

text: October 11 – Treaty of Shaoxing: The northern Jin Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty sign a peace treaty, this ending the Jurchen campaigns against the Song Dynasty in China.


date: January 28

text: January 28 – Despite having saved the southern Song Dynasty from attempts by the northern Jin Dynasty to conquer it, Chinese general Yue Fei is executed by the Song government.


date: December

text: December – Stephen lays siege to Oxford Castle, trapping Matilda and her supporters inside the city. Just before Christmas she manages to escape across the snow and ice of the frozen Thames River – dressed in white (to get past Stephen's pickets), and safely reaches Abingdon. The next day Oxford Castle surrenders to Stephen, Matilda rides with an escort to Wallingford Castle, where she seeks refuge.

source_section: Events › By place › England


text: Duke Władysław II the Exile attempts to subject his younger (half)-brothers to re-unite Poland. He is supported by the alliances with the Kievan Rus' and the Holy Roman Empire.


text: Raymond II, count of Tripoli, grants property in the county (such as the massive castle Krak des Chevaliers) to the Knights Hospitaller. After acquiring the site, they begin building new fortifications.

source_section: Events › By place › Levant


text: King Louis VII the Younger of France becomes involved in a civil war with Theobald II ("the Great"), count of Champagne, by permitting his cousin Ralph I of Vermandois (seneschal of France) to repudiate his wife, Theobald's sister Eleanor of Champagne, and to marry Petronilla of Aquitaine, who was the sister of King Louis VII’s wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.


text: Siege of Lisbon (1142): King Afonso I of Portugal attempts to besiege Lisbon with the aid of a group of Anglo-Norman crusaders.


text: Autumn – Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk governor (atabeg) of Mosul, continues his campaign against the Kurds in southeastern Anatolia (since 1141). Byzantine forces under John II fail to take Antioch.


text: Sigurd II, a Norwegian pretender, is joined in his efforts to overthrow the 7-year-old King Inge Haraldsson of Norway by Inge's older half-brother Eystein II, who becomes co-ruler. He receives one third of the late Harald's kingdom.


text: A Norman raid against the city of Tripoli fails.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Autumn – The 9-year-old Henry of Anjou, a son of Empress Matilda, lands on the south coast of England with his uncle, Earl Robert of Gloucester and several knights. Henry travels to Bristol, centre of Angevin opposition to King Stephen, where he is educated by Master Matthew. Meanwhile, Robert captures Lulworth Castle, Rufus Castle ("Bow and Arrow Castle") on the Isle of Portland and Wareham Castle.


text: Abd al-Mu'min, ruler of the Almohad Caliphate, is unable to feed his population during a famine. He recognize the de facto protectorate of Roger II to support the commercial center of Mahdia.


text: Summer – Conrad III enters Bohemia to reinstate his brother-in-law Vladislaus II as duke, whose half-sister Gertrude of Babenberg he is married. Conrad lays siege to the Prague Castle.


text: Fujiwara no Takanobu, Japanese portrait painter (d. 1205)


text: Moinuddin Chishti, Persian preacher and philosopher (d. 1236)


text: Hugh III of Burgundy, French nobleman (approximate date)


text: William the Lion, king of Scotland (approximate date)


text: Taklung Thangpa Tashi Pal, Tibetan Buddhist leader (d. 1210)


text: Al-Mustadi, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (d. 1180)


date: January 4

text: January 4 – Clementia of Aquitaine, French noblewoman (b. 1060)


date: January 16

text: January 16 – Eilika of Saxony, German noblewoman (b. 1080)


text: January 28 – Yue Fei, Chinese military leader and poet (b. 1103)


date: April 21

text: April 21 – Peter Abelard, French scholastic philosopher (b. 1079)


date: June 25

text: June 25 – William of Montevergine, Italian abbot (b. 1085)


date: June 28

text: June 28 – Guigues IV of Albon ("le Dauphin"), French nobleman


date: July 27

text: July 27 – Berthold of Garsten, German priest and abbot (b. 1060)


date: August 2

text: August 2 – Alexios Komnenos, Byzantine co-emperor (b. 1106)


date: September 10

text: September 10 – Sancho de Larrosa, Spanish bishop


text: Orderic Vitalis, English monk and chronicler (b. 1075)


text: Arslan Shah I, Seljuk ruler of the Kerman Sultanate


text: Reverter de La Guardia, viscount of Barcelona (or 1144)


text: Najm al-Din 'Umar al-Nasafi, Persian scholar and historian (b. 1067)


text: Conchobar Ua Briain, Irish king of Munster and Dublin