text:
1276

Year 1276 (MCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * Spring – Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq and Muhammad II, ruler of Granada, agree to a truce with King Alfonso X (the Wise) for two years. Before Abu Yusuf leaves, Muhammad's secretary addresses a poem to Abu Yusuf, expressing fear of Castile's power and appealing for Marinid's continued support. Later, Abu Yusuf lands at Alcázar Seguir on January 19. This ending the first Marinid invasion in Al-Andalus (modern Spain).
 * June – King Rudolf I declares war on his rival Ottokar II. After 6 months of campaigning, Ottokar surrenders all his lands (including Austria and Styria) except Bohemia and Moravia. Rudolf makes Vienna his capital, marking the beginning of the Habsburg Dynasty, which will last until 1918.

England

 * Spring – King Edward I (Longshanks) orders the people of Bayonne in Gascony (as part of the only English possessions in France) to provide Castile with warships "to resist the Saracens by sea", but he excuses himself from personal participation against the Marinid invasion in Spain because of his wars in Wales and his plan to lead a Crusade to the Holy Land.

Africa

 * Battle of Dongola: Mamluk forces led by Sultan Baibars gain a decisive victory against the Kingdom of Makuria. They capture the Makurian capital of Dongola and force King David of Makuria to flee upstream on the Nile. He seeks refuge in the Kingdom of Al-Abwab, but is handed over to Baibars, who has him executed. Later, Baibars conquers Al-Maris (Lower Nubia), previously a part of Makuria, and annexes it into Egypt.

Asia

 * Spring – The court of the Southern Song Dynasty of China and hundreds of thousands of its citizens flee from Hangzhou to Fujian, and then Guangdong, in an effort to escape a Mongol invasion under Kublai Khan.
 * June 15 – Remnants of the Chinese Song court in Fuzhou province conduct the coronation ceremony for Prince Zhao Shi to become Emperor Duan Zong (until 1278).
 * The mountain fortress Alamut Castle (Eagle's Nest) is again captured by the Mongols from a Nizari force under Shams al-Din Muhammad.

The Americas

 * A severe 23-year drought begins to affect the Grand Canyon area, eventually forcing the agriculture-dependent Puebloans (or Anasazi) to migrate out of the region.

Cities and Towns

 * March 9 – Augsburg is granted the status of an Imperial Free City. Later, Ravensburg also receives the status in the same year.

Culture

 * Merton College, Oxford, is first recorded as having a collection of books, making its Library the world's oldest in continuous daily use.

Economy

 * Henry of Ghent (or Henricus) becomes the last major theologian to openly consider annuities as a usurious contract. The end of the debate allows for the expansion of the budding practice of renten emission, to become a staple of public finance in northwestern Europe.

Religion

 * January 10 – Pope Gregory X dies after a 4-year pontificate at Arezzo. He is succeeded by Innocent V as the 185th pope of the Catholic Church.
 * June 22 – Innocent V dies after a 5-month reign at Rome. He is succeeded by Adrian V (or Hadrian) as the 186th pope of the Catholic Church.
 * August 18 – Adrian V (or Hadrian) dies after a 2-month reign at Viterbo. He is succeeded by John XXI as the 187th pope of Rome (until 1277).
 * The foundation stone of the Minoritenkirche in Vienna is laid by Ottokar II.

Births

 * February 21 – Thomas de Multon, English nobleman (d. 1313)
 * May 3 – Louis of Évreux, son of Philip III (the Bold) (d. 1319)
 * September 14 – Hugh de Courtenay, English nobleman (d. 1340)
 * September 29 – Christopher II, king of Denmark (d. 1332)
 * October 4 – Margaret of Brabant, queen of Germany (d. 1311)
 * October 19 – Hisaaki, Japanese prince and shogun (d. 1328)
 * Agnes of Bavaria, German noblewoman and regent (d. 1345)
 * Diederik II, German count of Limburg-Hohenlimburg (d. 1364)
 * Humphrey de Bohun, English nobleman and knight (d. 1322)
 * Ichijō Uchisane, Japanese nobleman and regent (d. 1304)
 * Margaret of Lusignan, queen of Cilician Armenia (d. 1296)
 * Matilda of Brunswick-Lüneburg, German co-ruler (d. 1318)
 * Maurice de Moravia (or Moray), Scottish nobleman (d. 1346)
 * Najm ad-Din al-Tufi, Persian scholar and theologian (d. 1316)
 * Robert of Anjou, king of Naples (House of Capet) (d. 1343)
 * Thomas Dagworth, English nobleman and knight (d. 1350)
 * Vakhtang III, king of Georgia (House of Bagrationi) (d. 1308)

Deaths

 * January 10 – Gregory X, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1210)
 * January 24 – Walram II of Nassau, German nobleman (b. 1220)
 * March 26 – Margaret of Holland, Dutch noblewoman (b. 1234)
 * May 11 – Zaynaddin ibn al-Ajami, Ayyubid scholar (b. 1195)
 * June 22 – Innocent V, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1220)
 * June 27 – Henry of Antioch, Outremer nobleman (b. 1217)
 * July 27 – James I (the Conqueror), king of Aragon (b. 1208)
 * August 18 – Adrian V, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1215)
 * September 6 – Vicedomino de Vicedominis, Italian cardinal
 * November 30 – Hōjō Sanetoki, Japanese nobleman (b. 1224)
 * Ahmad al-Badawi, Almohad Sufi scholar and mystic (b. 1200)
 * Benedict III, Hungarian priest, vice-chancellor and archbishop
 * Ela Longespee, English noblewoman and co-heiress (b. 1244)
 * Gerardo of Borgo San Donnino, Italian friar, scholar and writer
 * Guido Guinizelli, Italian poet and founder of Dolce Stil Novo
 * Louis of France, French prince and heir apparent (b. 1264)
 * Hamuro Mitsutoshi, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 1203)
 * Mathilde of Saarbrücken, German noblewoman and regent
 * Najm al-Din al-Qazwini al-Katibi, Persian scholar and writer
 * Rolandino of Padua, Italian scholar, jurist and writer (b. 1200)
 * Vasily of Kostroma, Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal (b. 1241)

title: 1276


text:
1275

Year 1275 (MCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * Battle of Neopatras: Emperor Michael VIII (Palaiologos) assembles a Byzantine expeditionary force (some 30,000 men), mostly mercenaries from Bulgaria, Serbia and the Sultanate of Rum. He places these forces under his own brother, John Palaiologos, and General Alexios Kaballarios. Michael sends them against Thessaly, and is supported by the Byzantine navy led by Admiral Alexios Doukas Philanthropenos, who is ordered to attack the Latin principalities and prevent them from aiding John I (Angelos), ruler of Thessaly. John is caught by surprise by the rapid advance of the Byzantine forces and is bottled up with a garrison in his capital of Neopatras, which the Byzantines proceed to lay siege. John manages to escape: he climbs down the walls of the fortress with a rope and walks through the Byzantine lines. After 3 days, John reaches Thebes, where he requests the aid of John I de la Roche, duke of Athens. He receives some 500 horsemen with whom he returns to Neopatras. Meanwhile, the Byzantine forces have been weakened, with several detachments sent off to capture other forts or plunder the region. The Byzantines panic under the sudden attack of a smaller but disciplined Latin force and breaks completely when a Cuman contingent switches sides. Despite John's attempt to rally his forces, they flee and scatter.
 * Battle of Demetrias: Michael VIII (Palaiologos) sends a Byzantine fleet led by Alexios Philanthropenos, to harass the Latin coasts. A joint Latin fleet composed of Lombard and Venetian vessels from Negroponte (Euboea) and Venetian-held Crete, is variously given at 30 to 60 ships. The Latin fleet under Admiral Guglielmo II da Verona gets the Byzantines by surprise and their attack is so effective that they almost win. Their ships, on which high wooden towers have been erected, have the advantage, and many Byzantine seamen and soldiers are killed or drowned. Just as victory seem theirs, Greek reinforcements arrive, led by John I (Angelos). His arrival boosts the Byzantines' morale, and John's men, ferried on board the ships by small boats, begin to replenish their casualties and turn the tide. The Latin casualties are heavy, which also include Guglielmo. By nightfall, all but two Latin ships have been captured.

Europe

 * May 13 – Marinid forces led by Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq land in Spain upon a call from Muhammad II, ruler of Granada. With a fleet of 20 ships organized at Ceuta, some 5,000 men are transported from Alcázar Seguir to Tarifa. Without meeting any significant Christian opposition. The Maranids raid as far as the towns of Vejer de la Frontera and Jerez.
 * June 14 – Battle of Hova: King Valdemar Birgersson is defeated by his brother Magnus in the forest of Tiveden.
 * July 22 – Magnus III deposes Valdemar Birgersson and is elected new king of Sweden at the Stones of Mora.
 * September 8 – Battle of Écija: A Castilian army led by Nuño González de Lara is defeated by Marinid forces.
 * October 21 – Battle of Martos: A Castilian army under Sancho of Aragon is defeated by the Moors at Martos.
 * October 27 – Floris V, count of Holland, grants the city of Amsterdam freedom from taxes (called a road toll).
 * December 12 – Battle of Roccavione: Ghibelline forces defeat a Neapolitan army at Roccavione (Piedmont).

England

 * Spring – King Edward I (Longshanks) demands a meeting with Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, prince of Wales, at Chester to pay homage, but Llywelyn refuses. In an attempt to stir up internal problems, Llywelyn seeks to marry the 23-year-old Eleanor of Montfort, daughter of Simon de Montfort. But Eleanor is captured by English pirates (employed by Edward) on the journey from France to meet Llywelyn. She is held prisoner at Windsor Castle and used as a bargaining chip over the coming years, in Edward's attempts to subjugate Llywelyn and Wales.
 * April 22 – The first Statute of Westminster, drawn up between Parliament and Edward I (Longshanks), defines the legal privileges that landowners are allowed. These are based on the investigations carried out in 1274, into the landowner's rights to own their land. Establishing a series of laws into 51 chapters, including equal treatment of rich and poor, free and fair elections, and definition of Bailable and non-bailable offenses.
 * September 11 – 1275 British earthquake: The earthquake struck the south of Great Britain. The epicentre is unknown, although it may have been in the Portsmouth-Chichester area on the south coast of England or in Glamorgan, Wales.
 * October 8 – Battle of Ronaldsway: Scottish forces under John de Vesci defeat the Manx of the Isle of Man in a decisive battle, firmly establishing Scottish rule of the island.
 * The first main survey of the Hundred Rolls, an English census seen as a follow-up to the Domesday Book completed in 1086, is finished; it began in 1274.

Africa

 * Marinid forces take the city of Algiers, at that time independent.

Asia

 * March – Mongol forces (some 200,000 men) under Bayan of the Baarin (Hundred Eyes) defeat a Chinese army of 130,000 men led by the Song chancellor Jia Sidao on the Yangtze River. Sidao sends an emissary to Bayan to discuss a truce, but he declines to negotiate. Dowager Empress Xie Daoqing strips Sidao of his rank and titles, and is later on her orders executed by one of his own guards, as he is sent to exile in Fujian.
 * The 21-year-old Marco Polo together with his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, arrives at Kublai Khan's opulent summer palace at Shangdu (or Xanadu), after a 4-year journey. They present the "Great Khan" sacred oil from Jerusalem and papal letters of Pope Gregory X. Kublai takes Marco into his royal court and appoints him as a 'special envoy' (possibly as a tax collector).
 * The mountain fortress Alamut Castle (Eagle's Nest) is temporarily recaptured from the Mongols by a Nizari force under Shams al-Din Muhammad.
 * April – The Japanese era Bun'ei ends and the Kenji era begins during the reign of the 8-year-old Emperor Go-Uda (until 1278).

Art and Science

 * Jean de Meun completes the French allegorical work of fiction, Roman de la Rose, with a second section (the first section was written by Guillaume de Lorris in 1230).

Markets

 * In Ghent, the first instance is recorded of emission of life annuities by a town in the Low Countries; this event confirms a trend of consolidation of local public debt in northwestern Europe, initiated in 1218 by Reims.

Technology

 * The verge escapement, a simple type of escapement used in clocks, is invented (approximate date).

Religion

 * August – Gregory X persuades King Alfonso X (the Wise) to give up his claim to the title of "King of the Romans". Gregory gains support in northern Italy through Rudolf I, king of Germany.
 * Ramon Llull, Spanish scholar and theologian, establishes a school in Majorca to teach Arabic to preachers, in an attempt to aid proselytizing to Moors. He also discovers diethyl ether.
 * Rabban Bar Sauma, Chinese Nestorian monk, embarks on a pilgrimage from China to Jerusalem. He travels to Hotan, Kashgar, Taraz and Khorasan (modern Afghanistan).
 * The era of the tosafot (medieval commentators on the Talmud) ends (it began in 1100).

Births

 * August 18 – Bartholomew Badlesmere, English nobleman (d. 1322)
 * September 27 – John II (the Peaceful), Dutch nobleman (d. 1312)
 * October 20 – Chungseon (or Wang Jang), Korean ruler (d. 1325)
 * Andrew Horn, English scholar, chamberlain and writer (d. 1328)
 * Aymer de Valence, Anglo-French nobleman and knight (d. 1324)
 * Dnyaneshwar, Indian Hindu poet, philosopher and writer (d. 1296)
 * Eleanor of Brittany, Anglo-Norman Benedictine abbess (d. 1342)
 * Fernando de la Cerda, Spanish nobleman and prince (d. 1322)
 * Fujiwara no Tamefuji, Japanese nobleman and poet (d. 1324)
 * Gasan Jōseki, Japanese Sōtō Zen monk and disciple (d. 1366)
 * Gerard of Lunel, French nobleman, monk and hermit (d. 1298)
 * Gregory of Raska, Serbian copyist, bishop and writer (d. 1321)
 * Gueraula de Codines, Spanish folk healer and occultist (d. 1340)
 * Hōjō Morotoki, Japanese nobleman and regent (shikken) (d. 1311)
 * Hugues de Bouville, French nobleman and chamberlain (d. 1331)
 * Jón Halldórsson, Norwegian cleric, priest and bishop (d. 1339)
 * Musō Soseki, Japanese Rinzai Zen monk and teacher (d. 1351)
 * Peter of Zittau, Bohemian abbot, historian and writer (d. 1339)
 * Takatsukasa Fuyuhira, Japanese nobleman and regent (d. 1327)
 * William of Alnwick, English friar, bishop and theologian (d. 1333)

Deaths

 * January 6 – Raymond of Penyafort, Spanish priest (b. 1175)
 * January 26 – Ulrich von Liechtenstein, German poet (b. 1200)
 * February 8 – Paio Peres Correia, Portuguese Grand Master
 * February 11 – Urania of Worms, German Jewish precentress
 * February 26 – Margaret of England, queen of Scotland (b. 1240)
 * March 5 – Shi Tianze, Chinese general and politician (b. 1202)
 * March 9 – Fujiwara no Chōshi, Japanese empress (b. 1218)
 * March 24 – Beatrice of England, countess of Richmond (b. 1242)
 * April 13 – Eleanor of England, countess of Leicester (b. 1215)
 * May 6 – Marie of Brienne, Latin empress and regent (b. 1224)
 * May 21 – Cecile of Baux, Savoyan noblewoman and regent
 * May 29 – Sophie of Thuringia, duchess of Brabant (b. 1224)
 * June 17 – Arghun Aqa (the Elder), Mongol nobleman (b. 1210)
 * August 15 – Lorenzo Tiepolo (or Theupolo), doge of Venice
 * September 8 – Nuño González de Lara, Spanish nobleman
 * September 24 – Humphrey IV de Bohun, English nobleman
 * October 21 – Sancho of Aragon, archbishop of Toledo (b. 1250)
 * October 23 – Ferdinand de la Cerda, Spanish prince (b. 1255)
 * November 23 – Margaret of Bar, French noblewoman (b. 1220)
 * December 17 – Eric Birgersson, Swedish nobleman (b. 1250)

 * Beatrice of Sicily, Latin empress of Constantinople (b. 1252)
 * Bernard IV of Lippe, German nobleman and knight (b. 1230)
 * Bohemond VI (the Fair), Outremer prince and knight (b. 1237)
 * Dietrich VI of Meissen, German nobleman and knight (b. 1226)
 * Fujiwara no Tameie, Japanese waka poet and writer (b. 1198)
 * Geoffrey of Briel (or Bruyères), Achaean nobleman (b. 1223)
 * Jia Sidao, Chinese politician and Grand Chancellor (b. 1213)
 * John FitzJohn, English nobleman and rebel leader (b. 1240)
 * Kujō Tadaie, Japanese nobleman and chancellor (b. 1229)
 * Luca Grimaldi, Genoese troubadour, politician and diplomat
 * Paul Balog, Hungarian vice-chancellor and bishop (b. 1227)
 * William of Luxi, priest, preacher, theologian, and biblical exegete (DOB unknown)
 * Xueting Fuyu, Chinese Buddhist monk and abbot (b. 1203)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: 1275


text:
1274

Year 1274 (MCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * May 7 – Second Council of Lyon: Pope Gregory X convenes a council at Lyon, after Emperor Michael VIII (Palaiologos) gives assurances that the Orthodox Church is prepared to reunite with Rome. The council agrees to a settlement between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church over several key issues – Orthodox acceptance of papal primacy and the acceptance of the Nicene Creed with the Filioque clause. Gregory approves a tithe to support efforts to liberate the Holy Land from Muslims, and reaches apparent resolution of the schism, which ultimately proves unsuccessful. All but four mendicant orders of friars are suppressed. Catholic teaching on Purgatory is defined for the first time.
 * November – The Imperial Diet at Nuremberg orders that all crown estates seized since the death of Emperor Frederick II be restored to King Rudolf I. Almost all European rulers agree, with the exception of Ottokar II, king of Bohemia, who has benefited greatly by conquering or otherwise coming into possession of many of those lands.

England

 * August 2 – Prince Edward (the Lord Edward) finally returns from the Holy Land, to be crowned king of England, two years after his father King Henry III's death, on August 19.
 * September 21 – Walter de Merton, English chancellor and regent, retires from royal service, in favour of Robert Burnell, who becomes a strong ally of the Edwardian regime.
 * The first main survey of the Hundred Rolls, an English census seen as a follow-up to the Domesday Book (completed in 1086), is begun; it lasts until 1275.

Africa

 * Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq, Marinid ruler, enters peacefully into Ceuta, putting an end to some 40 years of the city's independence.

Asia

 * November 4–19 – Battle of Bun'ei: Forces of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty of China invade Japan. After conquering the Japanese settlements on Tsushima and Iki islands, Kublai Khan's fleet moves on to Japan and lands at Hakata Bay. Their landing is not unopposed: an old sea wall runs along much of the bay, and behind it are stationed the warriors of Hōjō Tokimune. The Japanese open combat with whistling arrows (kabura-ya), designed to unnerve and intimidate their foes. The Mongols use bombs against the Japanese forces and manage to break through at a few places, burning down the nearby town of Hakata (modern-day Fukuoka). The invaders are eventually repelled, and after inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese, a withdrawal is ordered. Credit for a great typhoon – called a kamikaze, or divine wind – the Mongol fleet is dashed on the rocks and destroyed. Some sources suggest that 200 warships are lost. Of the 30,000 strong invasion force, some 13,000 does not return.
 * Nichiren, Japanese priest and philosopher, enters exile on Mount Minobu. He leads a widespread movement of followers in Kantō and Sado mainly through his prolific letter-writing.

Literature

 * Bonvesin da la Riva, Italian poet, writes the didactic-allegoric poem Liber di Tre Scricciur ("Book of the Three Scriptures"). The text is in the Western Lombard language (similar to other Gallo-Italic languages). The poem is one of the first great literary works in Italy. It tells about Hell, the Passion of Jesus and Paradise; the plot later prefigures Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy (or La Divina Commedia).
 * May 1 – In Florence, the 9-year-old Dante first sees the 8-year-old Beatrice, his lifelong muse. She appears later as one of his guides in the Divine Comedy, Paradiso and Purgatorio.

Religion

 * Pope Gregory X decrees that conclaves (gatherings of the College of Cardinals where the elections of a bishop of Rome are convened) should be used for papal elections, reforming the electoral process which had taken over 3 years to elect him.
 * Gregory X obtains the region of Romagna from Rudolf I, in exchange for acknowledging him as Holy Roman Emperor. With this important acquisition, the Papal States become the second-largest power block in Italy after the Kingdom of Sicily.

Births

 * February 9 – Louis of Toulouse, French archbishop (d. 1297)
 * July 11 – Robert I (the Bruce), king of Scotland (d. 1329)
 * July 25 – John Beauchamp, English nobleman (d. 1336)
 * October 4 – Rudolf I, German nobleman (d. 1319)
 * November 24 – Catherine I, Latin empress (d. 1307)
 * Adam Murimuth, English priest and chronicler (d. 1347)
 * Al-Dhahabi, Syrian scholar and encyclopedist (d. 1348)
 * Anastasia de Montfort, Italian noblewoman (d. 1345)
 * Eric VI, king of Denmark (House of Estridsen) (d. 1319)
 * Ibn al-Jayyab, Andalusian scholar and poet (d. 1349)
 * Marino Faliero (or Falier), doge of Venice (d. 1355)
 * Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi, Indian Sufi poet (d. 1337)
 * Rizzardo IV, Italian nobleman and military leader (d. 1312)
 * Robert Clifford, English nobleman and knight (d. 1314)
 * Sancho I (the Peaceful), king of Majorca (d. 1324)
 * Seisetsu Shōchō, Chinese missionary (d. 1339)

Deaths

 * February 18 – Jakob Erlandsen, Danish cleric and archbishop
 * February 19 – Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Afghan Sufi poet (b. 1177)
 * February 21 – Ibn Malik, Moorish grammarian and writer (b. 1205)
 * March 7 – Thomas Aquinas, Italian friar and theologian (b. 1225)
 * April 26 – Heinrich von Wartenberg, Swiss nobleman and abbot
 * June 3 – Lawrence of St. Martin, English archdeacon and bishop
 * June 26 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Persian scientist and writer (b. 1201)
 * July 15 – Bonaventure, Italian theologian and philosopher (b. 1221)
 * July 22 – Henry I (or Henry III), king of Navarre (House of Blois)
 * July 23 – Wonjong of Goryeo, Korean prince and ruler (b. 1219)
 * August 4 – Robert Stitchill (or Stichel), English prior and bishop
 * August 12 – Du Zong (or Zhao Qi), Chinese emperor (b. 1240)
 * August 15 – Robert de Sorbon, French chaplain and theologian
 * September 2 – Munetaka, Japanese prince and shogun (b. 1242)
 * October 14 – Henry, English prince and son of Edward I (b. 1268)
 * November 4 – Sō Sukekuni, Japanese governor (jitodai) (b. 1207)
 * November 8 – Fujiwara no Akiuji, Japanese nobleman (b. 1207)
 * November 10 – Aveline de Forz, English noblewoman (b. 1259)
 * November 28 – Philip of Castile, son of Ferdinand III (b. 1231)
 * Arnold Fitz Thedmar, English merchant and chronicler (b. 1201)
 * Beatrice of Montferrat, Italian noblewoman and regent (b. 1210)
 * Gilbert of Preston, English nobleman and chief justice (b. 1209)
 * Henry I Kőszegi (the Great), Hungarian nobleman (b. 1210)
 * Liu Bingzhong, Chinese court advisor and architect (b. 1216)
 * Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi, Seljuk philosopher and writer (b. 1207)
 * William of Douglas (Longleg), Scottish nobleman (b. 1220)

In Fiction

 * The video-game Ghost of Tsushima is set in the year 1274.

title: 1274


text:
1273

Year 1273 (MCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * January 22 – Sultan Muhammad I (or Ibn al-Ahmar) suffers fatal injuries after falling from his horse near the city of Granada during a minor military expedition. He is succeeded by his son Muhammad II, who becomes ruler of the Emirate of Granada. Muhammad enters negotiations with King Alfonso X ("the Wise") to make peace with Castile, but he refuses to grant a truce to the Banu governors (arraeces) of Málaga and Guadix in Andalusia.
 * Autumn – Sultan Muhammad II of Granada sends an embassy to the court of Alfonso X in Seville, where it is received with honour. Alfonso agrees to Granada's demands, to end his support for the Banu Ashqilula, in exchange for the promise that Muhammad becomes Alfonso's vassal. Muhammad pays him 450,000 maravedis each year in tribute and grants the Banu rebels a truce for two years.
 * October 1 – Rudolf I is elected King of Germany over the rival candidate Ottokar II, king of Bohemia, ending the Great Interregnum. He is the first of many Habsburgs to hold the throne and is crowned in Aachen Cathedral, on October 24. Ottokar refuses to acknowledge Rudolf as the new ruler and is placed under the imperial ban, leading to the outbreak of war in 1276.
 * The Congregatio Regni totius Sclavonie Generalis, with its decisions (statuta et constitutiones), is the oldest surviving document written by the Croatian parliament (or Sabor).

Middle East

 * July – Mamluk forces under Baibars capture the last remaining stronghold of the Order of Assassins (Hashashin) sect, Al-Kahf Castle.
 * August – Mongol forces surround the castle of Al-Bira. Baibars skirts around the enemy with camels and wagons. He launches a devastating attack and routes the Mongols.
 * December – Followers of Persian poet and mystic Rumi establish the Mevlevi Order ("whirling dervishes") in the city of Konya (approximate date).

Asia

 * March 14 – Battle of Xiangyang: Chinese forces surrender to Kublai Khan's general Aju (or Achu) after a 6-year siege. The battle is the first in which firearms are used in combat.
 * In Korea, the Sambyeolcho Rebellion against the Goryeo dynasty (a vassal state of the Yuan dynasty) ends as rebel forces are defeated.

Art and Science

 * The Holy Redeemer khachkar, believed to be one of the finest examples of art, is carved in Haghpat (modern Armenia).

Economy

 * Alfonso X creates and grants privileges to the Mesta to promote the wool industry, protecting livestock owners and their animals in the Crown of Castile.

Religion

 * October 6 – Thomas Aquinas, Italian priest and theologian, writes Summa Theologica, a master work of Catholic theology, leaving it unfinished, after having a mystical experience during mass.

Births

 * January 14 – Joan I of Navarre, queen of Navarre (d. 1305)
 * March 25 – Henry Percy, English nobleman and knight (d. 1314)
 * July 22 – Ewostatewos, Ethiopian religious leader (d. 1352)
 * November 24 – Alphonso, English prince and heir (d. 1284)
 * Abulfeda, Ayyubid prince, geographer and historian (d. 1331)
 * Adam de Gordon, Scottish statesman and knight (d. 1333)
 * David VIII, king of Georgia (House of Bagrationi) (d. 1311)
 * Geoffrey I of Vianden, Luxembourgian nobleman (d. 1310)
 * Henry VII of Luxembrug, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1313)
 * Ibn Adjurrum, Marinid scholar and grammarian (d. 1323)
 * Kujō Moronori, Japanese nobleman and regent (d. 1320)
 * Robert Bertrand, Norman nobleman and knight (d. 1348)
 * Yolande of Aragon, Spanish princess (infanta) (d. 1302)

Deaths

 * January 22 – Muhammad I, Nasrid ruler of Granada (b. 1195)
 * January 25 – Odo of Châteauroux, French bishop (b. 1190)
 * April 29 – Al-Qurtubi, Moorish scholar and writer (b. 1214)
 * June 13 – Hōjō Masamura, Japanese nobleman (b. 1205)
 * July 8 – Anno von Sangershausen, German Grand Master
 * September 15 – Henry of Sandwich, English bishop (b. 1204)
 * September 30 – Arsenios Autoreianos, Byzantine patriarch
 * October 9 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, queen of Germany (b. 1227)
 * October 11 – Hildebold of Wunstorf, German archbishop
 * October 18 – George de Cantilupe, English nobleman
 * October 23 – Adelaide of Burgundy, French noblewoman
 * December 17 – Rumi, Persian scholar and mystic (b. 1207)
 * Ákos, Hungarian cleric, priest, chancellor and chronicler
 * Albert Suerbeer, German archbishop and prince-bishop
 * Baldwin of Courtenay, emperor of the Latin Empire (b. 1217)
 * George Elmacin, Egyptian historian and writer (b. 1205)
 * Ottaviano degli Ubaldini, Italian bishop and cardinal (b. 1214)
 * Robert de Keldeleth, Scottish monk, abbot and chancellor
 * Robert Walerand, English nobleman, seneschal and judge

title: 1273


text:
1272

Year 1272 (MCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * February – Charles I of Anjou, king of Sicily, occupies the city of Durrës, and establishes the Angevin Kingdom of Albania. A delegation of Albanian nobles and citizens from Durrës make their way to Charles' court.
 * February 21 – Charles signs a treaty, and is proclaimed King of Albania. He promises to protect the nobles, and to honor the privileges they have from the Byzantine Empire. The treaty declares the union between the Kingdom of Albania (Latin: Regnum Albanie) and the Kingdom of Sicily, under Charles' rule. He appoints Gazo Chinard as his vicar-general, and sends his Sicilian fleet to Achaea, to defend the principality against Byzantine attacks.
 * June – Marinid forces land in Spain, and ravage the countryside. They kill and capture many, and plunder livestock. The Marinids attack the castle of Vejer de la Frontera in Andalusia. On hearing the news, King Alfonso X (the Wise) abandons his meeting with Sultan Muhammad I, and orders an all-out war against Granada.
 * August 6 – King Stephen V falls ill and is taken to Csepel Island. He dies and is succeeded by his 10-year-old son Ladislaus IV ( the Cuman), who is being held captive in the fortress of Koprivnica in northern Croatia. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, becomes regent during the minority of her son (until 1277).
 * November – Charles I orders his officials to take all Genoese prisoner within his territories, except for the Guelphs and to seize their property. The Sicilian fleet occupies Ajaccio on Corsica. Pope Gregory X condemns the aggressive policy of Charles and proposes that the Genoese elect Guelph officials.
 * Floris V, count of Holland, makes an unsuccessful attack on Frisia in an attempt to recover the body of his father, William II, who was killed (16 years ago) by the Frisians near Hoogwoud (modern Netherlands).
 * Reconquista: King Afonso III ( the Boulonnais) eliminates the last Moorish community in Portugal at Faro. Completing the reconquest of the West of the Iberian Peninsula.

England

 * The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers and Curriers are granted rights to regulate the leather trade in the City of London. The Fishmongers Company receive its first Royal Charter.
 * November 16 – King Henry III dies at the palace (Westminster Hall) after a 56-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Edward I, who slowly returns from the Holy Land via Gascony.

Levant

 * May 22 – King Hugh III (the Great) signs a peace with Sultan Baibars, Mamluk ruler of Egypt, at Caesarea. The Kingdom of Jerusalem is guaranteed for 10 years the possession of its present lands, which consists mainly of the narrow coastal plain from Acre to Sidon, together with the right to use without hindrance the pilgrim-road to Nazareth. The County of Tripoli is safeguarded by the peace treaty.
 * June 16 – Edward (the Lord Edward) prevents an assassination attempt at Acre. A Syrian Nizari (or Assassin) supposedly sent by Baibars penetrates into the prince's chamber and stabs him with a poisoned dagger. The wound is not fatal, but Edward is seriously ill for some months. Baibars hastens to dissociate himself from the deed by sending his congratulations on the prince's escape.
 * August 18 – Nubian forces sack the Egyptian Red Sea outpost of Aydhab and raid the southern frontier city of Aswan. In return, Baibars invades the kingdom of Makuria.

Astronomy

 * In astronomy, the recording of the Alfonsine tables is completed.

Births

 * January 14 – Hōjō Sadatoki, Japanese regent (d. 1311)
 * January 31 – William Ferrers, English nobleman (d. 1235)
 * February 12 – Zhao Bing, Chinese emperor (d. 1279)
 * May 10 – Bernardo Tolomei, Italian theologian (d. 1348)
 * December 13 – Frederick III, king of Sicily (d. 1337)
 * Amalric of Tyre, Outremer nobleman and prince (d. 1310)
 * Badr al-Din Solamish, Mamluk ruler of Egypt (d. 1291)
 * Berthold VII, German nobleman and regent (d. 1340)
 * Eric Eriksøn (Longlegs), Danish nobleman (d. 1310)
 * Fath al-Din ibn Sayyid, Egyptian theologian (d. 1334)
 * Guy de Beauchamp, English nobleman (d. 1315)
 * Isabel Bruce, queen consort of Norway (d. 1358)
 * Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I (d. 1307)
 * Louis I, French nobleman and knight (d. 1322)
 * Margaret of Anjou, French noblewoman (d. 1299)
 * Otto I of Hesse, German nobleman (d. 1328)
 * Shiwu (or Stonehouse), Chinese poet (d. 1352)

Deaths

 * January 6 – Alfonso of Molina, Leonese prince (b. 1202)
 * March 14 – Enzo of Sardinia, king of Sardinia (b. 1218)
 * March 17 – Go-Saga, emperor of Japan (b. 1220)
 * March 18 – John FitzAlan, English nobleman (b. 1246)
 * April 2 – Richard of Cornwall, English nobleman (b. 1209)
 * April 27 – Zita (or Sitha), Italian maid and saint (b. 1212)
 * May 15 – Thomas of Cantimpré, Flemish priest (b. 1201)
 * May 20 – Guy de Bourgogne, French abbot and cardinal
 * May 27 – Eric I (Abelsøn), Danish nobleman and knight
 * June 10 – Berchtold von Falkenstein, German abbot
 * August 6 – Stephen V, king of Hungary (b. 1239)
 * August 7 – Richard Middleton, English Lord Chancellor
 * September 18 – Peter III de Brus, English nobleman
 * October 10 – Yolande of Brittany, French noblewoman
 * October 27 – Hugh IV, French nobleman (b. 1213)
 * November 16 – Henry III, king of England (b. 1207)
 * November 19 – David of Augsburg, German friar and mystic
 * December 18 – Philip Türje, Hungarian archbishop (b. 1218)
 * Amanieu VII, French nobleman and knight (House of Albret)
 * Bartholomeus Anglicus, English monk and encyclopedist
 * Berthold of Ratisbon, German monk and preacher (b. 1210)
 * Gerard of Abbeville, French monk and theologian (b. 1220)
 * Guido Guerra V, Italian nobleman and politician (b. 1220)
 * James Audley (or Aldithel), English high sheriff (b. 1220)
 * Maud de Prendergast, Norman-Irish noblewoman (b. 1242)
 * Nikephoros Blemmydes, Byzantine theologian (b. 1197)
 * William of Saint-Amour, French philosopher and writer
 * William of Sherwood, English philosopher and logician

title: 1272


text:
1271

Year 1271 (MCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * July 2 – Peace of Pressburg: Kings Ottokar II and Stephen V sign a peace agreement at Pressburg, settling territorial claims, following the failed invasion of Hungary by Ottokar in April. In the agreement, Stephen promises not to support Ottokar's opponents in Carinthia, and Ottokar renounces the castles he and his partisans occupy in Hungary.
 * The 17-year-old Marco Polo departs from Venice with his father and uncle Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, to set off for Asia – to meet the Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan (the grandson of Genghis Khan) – at his court in Beijing in China. They sail across the Mediterranean Sea and travel overland, crossing Armenia, Persia, and the Pamir Mountains.
 * August 21 – The counties of Poitou and Toulouse are absorbed into the French domains following the death of Alphonse of Poitiers, son of the late King Louis VIII (the Lion).
 * Construction of the Tower of Kamyenyets (or the White Tower) in Belarus begins. Later, it becomes a frontier stronghold on the northern border of Volhynia.

Levant

 * February – Mamluk forces led by Sultan Baibars continue their territorial expansion in western Syria and appear before Safita Castle (called the White Castle) built by the Knights Templar. After a heroic defense, the small garrison is advised by Grand Master Thomas Bérard to surrender. The survivors are allowed to withdraw to Tortosa.
 * April 8 – Siege of Krak des Chevaliers: Mamluk forces under Baibars capture the strategically important castle Krak des Chevaliers from the Knights Hospitaller. During the siege the defenders receive a letter, supposedly from Grand Master Hugues de Revel, to surrender the castle. Under safe-conduct the Hospitallers retreat to Tripoli.
 * May–June – Baibars conducts an unsuccessful siege of Tripoli, and also fails in an attempted naval invasion of Cyprus. He sends an Egyptian fleet (some 20 ships) to Limassol, while King Hugh III (the Great) has left for Acre. Due to bad weather and seamanship, 11 ships run aground and the crews fall into the hands of the Cypriots.
 * May 9 – Prince Edward (the Lord Edward) and King Charles I of Anjou arrive in Acre, with a fleet of 30 galleys, starting the Ninth Crusade against Baibars. During the Crusade they are unable to capture any territory and peace is quickly negotiated with the Mamluk Sultanate. Baibars consolidates his occupation in Syria.
 * October – Abaqa Khan, Mongol ruler of the Ilkhanate, detaches some 10,000 horsemen from Anatolia to support Edward I (the Lord Edward) in his war against Baibars. They invade Syria and defeat Mamluk forces who protect the region around Aleppo. The Mongols plunder the cities of Maarat al-Numan and Apamea.

Asia

 * September 12 – Nichiren, Japanese Buddhist priest, is arrested by a band of soldiers and nearly beheaded. This incident, known as Hosshaku Kenpon or "casting off the transient and revealing the true," is regarded as a turning point of Nichiren's teachings within the various schools, known as Nichiren Buddhism.
 * December 18 – Kublai Khan renames his empire "Great Yuan" (大元; dà yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty in China.
 * The Nakhi Kingdom, of the northern Himalayan foothills, is annexed by the Yuan Dynasty (approximate date).

Religion

 * September 1 – Pope Gregory X succeeds late Clement IV as the 184th pope of the Catholic Church, as the compromise candidate between French and Italian cardinals, ending a three-year conclave, the longest ever.

Births

 * March 13 – Judith of Habsburg, queen of Bohemia (d. 1297)
 * March 14 – Stephen I, German nobleman and regent (d. 1310)
 * May 25 – Shah Jalal, Indian Sufi leader and mystic (d. 1346)
 * June 20 – John de Ferrers, English nobleman (d. 1312)
 * September 8 – Charles Martel, king of Hungary (d. 1295)
 * September 27 – Wenceslaus II, king of Poland (d. 1305)
 * November 2 – Gong of Song, Chinese emperor (d. 1323)
 * November 5 – Mahmud Ghazan, Mongol ruler (d. 1304)
 * Awhadi Maraghai, Persian poet and mystic (d. 1338)
 * Blanche of Brittany, French noblewoman (d. 1327)
 * Cheng Duanli, Chinese scholar and poet (d. 1345)
 * Cormac MacCarthy Mor, king of Desmond (d. 1359)
 * Eifuku Mon'in, Japanese empress consort (d. 1342)
 * Elizabeth of Aragon, queen of Portugal (d. 1336)
 * Gerlach I, German nobleman and knight (d. 1361)
 * Maurice de Berkeley, English nobleman (d. 1326)
 * Mikhail Yaroslavich, Kievan Grand Prince (d. 1318)
 * Nijō Tamemichi, Japanese poet and writer (d. 1299)
 * Sargis II, Georgian nobleman and prince (d. 1334)
 * Sunbi Heo, wife of Chungseon of Goryeo (d. 1335)

Deaths

 * January 17 – Joan of Chiny, French noblewoman (b. 1205)
 * January 28 – Isabella of Aragon, queen of France (b. 1248)
 * February 9 – Beatrix of Merania, German princess (b. 1210)
 * March 13 – Henry of Cornwall, English nobleman (b. 1235)
 * March 21 – Ibn Sab'in, Andalusian philosopher and mystic
 * April 17 – Isabella of France, queen of Navarre (b. 1241)
 * July 1 – Bartholomew of Braganca, Italian friar and bishop
 * July 28 – Walter de Burgh (or Bourke), Norman nobleman
 * August 21 – Alphonse, son of Louis VIII (the Lion) (b. 1220)
 * August 25 – Joan of Toulouse, French noblewoman (b. 1220)
 * September 1 – Annibaldo degli Annibaldi, Italian theologian
 * September 9 – Yaroslav III, Kievan Grand Prince (b. 1230)
 * October 17 – Steinvör Sighvatsdóttir, Icelandic female poet
 * October 19 – Philip Basset, English chief justiciar (b. 1185)
 * Al-Mansur al-Hasan, Yemeni imam and politician (b. 1199)
 * Arnaldo de Peralta, Aragonese archbishop and statesman
 * Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine nobleman and co-ruler
 * Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq, Mongol ruler of the Chagatai Khanate
 * Haji Bektash Veli, Persian philosopher and mystic (b. 1209)
 * Henry of Segusio, Italian jurist and cardinal-bishop (b. 1200)
 * Lauretta of Saarbrücken, German noblewoman and regent
 * Maria of Chernigov, Kievan princess and regent (b. 1212)
 * Marsilio Zorzi, Venetian statesman, Count of Curzola and Mèleda
 * Richard de Grey, English nobleman, constable and knight
 * Roger de Leybourne, English nobleman and High Sheriff
 * Stephen the Posthumous, Hungarian pretender (b. 1236)
 * Vardan Areveltsi, Armenian historian and writer (b. 1198)

title: 1271


text:
1270

Year 1270 (MCCLXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1270th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 270th year of the 2nd millennium, the 70th year of the 13th century, and the 1st year of the 1270s decade.

The Eighth Crusade

 * Before August – King Louis IX of France launches the Eighth Crusade, in an attempt to recapture the Crusader States from the Mamluk sultan Baibars; the opening engagement is a siege of Tunis.
 * August 25 – King Louis IX of France dies while besieging the city of Tunis, possibly due to poor quality drinking water.
 * October 30 – The siege of Tunis and the Eighth Crusade end, through an agreement between Charles I of Sicily (Louis IX's brother) and Muhammad I al-Mustansir, Khalif of Tunis.

Other events

 * August 10 (10 Nehasé 1262) – Yekuno Amlak overthrows the Ethiopian Zagwe dynasty, claims the imperial throne and establishes the Solomonic Dynasty, which will last until 1974.

Asia

 * In Korea, the Sambyeolcho Rebellion begins against the Goryeo dynasty, a vassal state of the Yuan dynasty.
 * The ancient city of Ascalon is captured from the Crusader States, and utterly destroyed by the Mamluk sultan Baibars, who goes so far as to fill in its important harbor, leaving the site desolate, and the city never to be rebuilt.
 * The city of Tabriz, in present-day Iran, is made capital of the Mongol Ilkhanate Empire (approximate date).
 * The independent state of Kutch is founded, in present-day India.
 * A census of the Chinese city of Hangzhou establishes that some 186,330 families reside within it, not including visitors and soldiers (Historian Jacques Gernet argues that this means a population of over 1 million inhabitants, making Hangzhou the most populous city in the world).
 * December 15 – The Nizari Ismaili garrison of Gerdkuh, Persia surrender after 17 years to the Mongols.

Europe

 * February 16 – Livonian Crusade - Battle of Karuse: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order decisively, on the frozen surface of the Baltic Sea.
 * September 1 – King Stephen V of Hungary writes his walk to the antiquum castellum near Miholjanec, where the Sword of Attila has been recently discovered.
 * December – Crucial aspects of the philosophy of Averroism (itself based on Aristotle's works) are banned by the Roman Catholic Church, in a condemnation enacted by papal authority at the University of Paris.
 * The Summa Theologica, a work by Thomas Aquinas that is considered within the Roman Catholic Church to be the paramount expression of its theology, is completed (year uncertain).
 * Witelo translates Alhazen's 200-year-old treatise on optics, Kitab al-Manazir, from Arabic into Latin, bringing the work to European academic circles for the first time.
 * The Sanskrit fables known as the Panchatantra, dating from as early as 200 BCE, are translated into Latin, from a Hebrew version by John of Capua.
 * Construction of the Old New Synagogue in Prague is completed.
 * The cathedral on the Rock of Cashel in Ireland is completed.
 * Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall, donates to the Cistercian Hailes Abbey in England (his father's foundation) a phial held to contain the Blood of Christ, acquired in the Holy Roman Empire; this becomes such a magnet for pilgrimage that within 7 years the monks are able to rebuild their abbey on a magnificent scale.
 * The Chronicle of Melrose is ended.

Births

 * March 12 – Charles, Count of Valois, son of Philip III of France (d. 1325)
 * Theodore Metochites, Byzantine statesman and author
 * Michael of Cesena, Franciscan theologian (d. 1342)
 * Cino da Pistoia, Italian poet (d. 1336)
 * Isabella of Burgundy, Queen of Germany (d. 1323)
 * Ma Zhiyuan, Chinese poet
 * Namdev, Marathi saint and poet (d. 1350)
 * approximate – William Wallace, Scottish patriot

Deaths

 * January 18 – Saint Margaret of Hungary (b. 1242)
 * February 23 – Saint Isabelle of France, French princess and saint (b. 1225)
 * March 17 – Philip of Montfort, Lord of Tyre
 * May 3 – Béla IV of Hungary (b. 1206)
 * July 9 – Stephen Báncsa, Hungarian cardinal (b. c. 1205)
 * July 18 – Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury
 * August 25
 * King Louis IX of France (b. 1214)
 * Alphonso of Brienne (b. c. 1225)
 * September 24 – Philip of Montfort, Lord of Castres
 * December 4 – Theobald II of Navarre (Theobald V of Champagne) (b. c. 1238)
 * David VII Ulu, King of Georgia (b. 1215)
 * Ibn Abi Usaibia, Syrian Arab medical historian (b. 1203)
 * Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, Jewish rabbi and scholar (b. 1200)
 * Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk (b. 1212)
 * Uli I of Mali, second mansa of the Mali Empire

title: 1270


text:
1216

Year 1216(MCCXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * Spring – First Barons' War: The English army, led by John, King of England ("Lackland"), sacks the town of Berwick-on-Tweed and raids southern Scotland. John pushes up towards Edinburgh over a ten-day period. On his return, he puts down a revolt in East Anglia. On March 24, he arrives at Hertford to deal with the challenge of a coming French invasion.
 * April 10 – Ten-year-old John I, son of the former King Sverker II ("the Younger") succeeds Eric X ("Knutsson") as King of Sweden, when Eric dies of fever at the end of a 8-year reign, at Näs Castle on the island of Visingsö.
 * April 22 – Battle of Lipitsa: The Kievan princes Mstislav Mstislavich and Konstantin of Rostov defeat Konstantin's younger brothers Yuri II and Yaroslav II for the rule of the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal (modern Russia).
 * May 18 – King John of England assembles a naval force to defend against a French invasion. Bad storms disperse the fleet, and John spends the summer reorganizing defenses across the country. He sees several of his military household desert to the barons, including his half-brother, William Longespée, who is the commander of John's army in the south.
 * May 21 – Prince Louis of France, son of King Philip II ("Augustus"), invades England in support of the barons, landing in Thanet. He enters London without opposition, and is proclaimed, but not crowned, King of England at Old St Paul's Cathedral. In June, Louis captures Rochester Castle and Winchester, and soon controls over half of the English kingdom.
 * June – The rebel English barons besiege Windsor Castle and Dover Castle; the latter is strategically important as the 'gateway to England', controlling the shortest route to France. Meanwhile, King John uses Corfe Castle in the southwest as his base of operations while he plans his campaign against the barons and the French invading army under Louis.
 * July 24 – Albigensian Crusade: French forces under Raymond VII, count of Toulouse, besiege Castle Beaucaire in May. After three months, the occupants are running low on supplies and surrender to Raymond.
 * October 19 – Ten-year-old Henry III succeeds his father, King John of England, when the latter dies of dysentery at Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire). William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, becomes regent.
 * November 12 – William Marshal and Cardinal Guala Bicchieri, Italian diplomat and papal legate to England, issue a Charter of Liberties, based on Magna Carta, in the new king's name.

Levant

 * February 14 – Leo I, King of Armenia ("the Magnificent"), with support of the Knights Hospitaller, reconquers the Principality of Antioch. Armenian troops enter Antioch while Prince Bohemond IV of Antioch ("the One-Eyed") is absent. The Knights Templar, supporting Bohemond, abandon the citadel, and Raymond-Roupen is installed as Prince of Antioch by the Latin Patriarch, Peter II.
 * October 8 – Az-Zahir Ghazi, Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo, dies after a 23-year reign. He is succeeded by his 3-year-old son Al-Aziz Muhammad. Because of his young age, Toghril becomes Al-Aziz's regent or guardian (atabeg).

Religion

 * May – Pope Innocent III travels to Perugia to try to settle the long feud between Genoa and Pisa, that both states might contribute to the transport of the Fifth Crusade. There, after a short illness, Innocent dies on July 16. Two days after his death the aged Cardinal Cencio Savelli (later Honorius III) is elected as the 177th pope of the Catholic Church.
 * December 22 – Honorius III officially approves the Order of Preachers (the Dominican Order), by the Papal bull Religiosam vitam.
 * Ballintubber Abbey is founded by King Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair of Connacht, in Ireland.

Births

 * September 25 – Robert I, French nobleman (d. 1250)
 * Al-Mahdi Ahmad bin al-Husayn, Arab ruler (d. 1258)
 * Bernard Ayglerius (or Aygler), French cardinal (d. 1282)
 * Contardo of Este, Italian nobleman and knight (d. 1249)
 * Eric IV (the Plowpenny), king of Denmark (d. 1250)
 * Eric XI (the Lisp and Lame), king of Sweden (d. 1250)
 * Henry V (the Great), count of Luxembourg (d. 1281)
 * Liu Bingzhong (or Liu kan), Chinese adviser (d. 1274)
 * Nijō Yoshizane, Japanese nobleman (kugyō) (d. 1270)
 * Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, Persian musician (d. 1294)
 * Stephen Longespée, English seneschal (d. 1260)
 * Zahed Gilani, Arab Sufi leader and writer (d. 1301)

Deaths

 * January 18 – Guy II of Dampierre, French nobleman
 * January 31 – Theodore II, patriarch of Constantinople
 * February 23 – Geoffrey de Mandeville, English nobleman
 * April 10 – Eric X (Knutsson), king of Sweden (b. 1180)
 * April 27 – Sukeko, Japanese princess and empress
 * June 11 – Henry of Flanders, Latin emperor (b. 1178)
 * July 16 – Innocent III, pope of the Catholic Church
 * September 2 – Peter II (of Ivrea), patriarch of Antioch
 * October 8 – Az-Zahir Ghazi, Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo
 * October 19 – John (Lackland), king of England (b. 1166)
 * Eustace de Vesci, English nobleman and knight (b. 1169)
 * Fujiwara no Ariie, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 1155)
 * Ida of Boulogne, French noblewoman and ruler (b. 1160)
 * Jetsun Dragpa Gyaltsen, Tibetan spiritual leader (b. 1147)
 * Kamo no Chōmei, Japanese poet and essayist (b. 1155)

title: 1216


text:
1217

Year 1217 (MCCXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Fifth Crusade

 * Summer – Various groups of French knights reach the Italian ports. King Andrew II of Hungary arrives with his army in Split, in Dalmatia. He is joined by German forces, led by Duke Leopold VI (the Glorious). At the end of July, Pope Honorius III orders the crusaders assembled in Italy and Sicily to proceed to Cyprus, but there is no transport provided by the Italian city-states, Venice, Genoa and Pisa.
 * September: Leopold VI finds some ships in Split, that bring him and a small force to Acre. Andrew follows him about a fortnight later; in Split, he receives only two ships. The rest of Andrew's army is left behind. Meanwhile, King Hugh I of Cyprus lands at Acre, with troops to support the Crusade.
 * November – The Crusader army (some 15,000 men) under Andrew II sets out from Acre, and marches up the Plain of Esdraelon. Sultan Al-Adil I, on hearing that the crusaders are assembling, sends some Muslim troops to Palestine, to halt their advance. The crusaders move towards Beisan, while Al-Adil waits at Ajloun Castle, ready to intercept any attack on Damascus. He sends his son, Al-Mu'azzam, to cover Jerusalem. On November 10, Andrew's well-mounted army defeats Al-Adil at Bethsaida, on the Jordan River. Beisan is occupied and sacked; the Muslims retreat to their fortresses and towns.
 * December – King John I of Jerusalem leads an expedition into Lebanon. On December 3, he undertakes fruitless assaults on Muslim fortresses and on Mount Tabor. Meanwhile, the Crusader army under Andrew II wanders across the Jordan Valley and up the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. During the occupation, Andrew spends his time collecting alleged relics. By the end of December, supplies run out, and the crusaders retreat to Acre.

Europe

 * Spring – First Barons' War: English forces of King Henry III besiege the French-controlled Mountsorrel Castle in Leicestershire. Prince Louis sends reinforcements (some 20,000 men) to assist the Barons in the castle. The English army lifts the siege and withdraws to Nottingham. Louis makes the mistake of moving the French forces to Lincoln Castle – where the English garrison holds out against previous attacks. Meanwhile, Henry's forces return to Mountsorrel Castle. This time Louis fails to arrive in time to prevent the razing to the ground of the castle.
 * April 9 – Peter II of Courtenay is crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III. Shortly after his coronation, Peter borrows some ships from the Venetians, promising in return to conquer Durazzo for them. He fails in this enterprise and seeks to make his way to Constantinople by land. On the journey, he is seized by troops of Theodore Komnenos Doukas, despot of Epirus, and is put in prison.
 * May 20 – Battle of Lincoln: Henry III's forces led by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke defeat the French army of Prince Louis and the rebel barons who are besieging Lincoln Castle. During the battle, Thomas, Comte du Perche is killed and Louis is expelled from his base in the southeast of England. The looting that takes place afterward is known as the "Lincoln Fair". The citizens of Lincoln are loyal to Louis so Henry's forces sack the city. To the south, inhabitants of towns between Lincoln and London ambush and kill many of the French soldiers.
 * June 6 – The 13-year-old King Henry I of Castile dies from the fall of a roof tile in Palencia, an event which his regent, Álvaro Núñez de Lara, attempts to conceal. He is succeeded by his sister Berengaria, who renounces the throne in favour of her son Ferdinand III, on August 31. The young king begins his reign (supported by his mother as adviser and regent) by a war against his father, King Alfonso IX of León, and the Castilian nobles.
 * June – The 13-year-old Haakon IV becomes king of Norway, following the death of Inge II (Bårdsson) – this largely ends the civil war era in Norway. During his minority, Earl Skule Bårdsson becomes Haakon's regent.
 * August 24 – Battle of Sandwich: An English fleet under Hubert de Burgh defeats the French armada (10 large ships and 70 supply ships) in the English Channel, near Sandwich. The French fleet is commanded by Eustace the Monk, a mercenary and pirate, who fights for both the French and English when it suits his needs. The French fleet is bringing more men and supplies to assist Prince Louis, in his quest to take the English throne. The English capture Eustace's flagship, and Eustace himself is (while offering 10,000 marks for ransom) beheaded.
 * September 12 – Treaty of Kingston: The First Baron's War ends. After the defeat of the French fleet, Prince Louis is without hope of taking the English throne. William Marshal blockades London from the sea and land. At Lambeth Louis accepts peace terms. He waives his claim for the throne and promises to restore Normandy to Henry III but does not. The French and Scots are to leave England, and an amnesty is granted to the rebels.
 * September 21 – Livonian Crusade: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword and allied Livs and Letts defeat the Estonian army in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day, and kill their leader Lembitu.
 * October 18 – Reconquista: The city of Alcácer do Sal, located along the Sado River, is conquered from the Moors by troops of King Afonso II of Portugal.
 * November – In the Kingdom of Castile, former regent and Castilian nobleman, Álvaro Núñez de Lara, is captured and forced to relinquish all his castles.
 * unknown date – Stefan Nemanjić is elevated to be the first King of the Serbian lands by Pope Honorius III and crowned by Stefan's brother, Archimandrite Sava, in Žiča.

Asia

 * The Mongol army under Muqali (or Mukhali) attacks Hebei Province, as well as Shandong Province and Shaanxi Province (controlled by the Jin Dynasty). He returns to Genghis Khan's camp in Mongolia, and receives the hereditary of prince with the title "Grand Preceptor of the Empire", a golden seal, and a white standard with nine tails and a black crescent in the middle. He is appointed as commander-in-chief of operations in North China.

Births

 * May 3 – Henry I (the Fat), king of Cyprus (d. 1253)
 * August 19 – Ninshō, Japanese priest (d. 1303)
 * Baldwin II of Courtenay, Latin emperor (d. 1273)
 * Baldwin de Redvers, English nobleman (d. 1245)
 * Boniface of Savoy, English archbishop (d. 1270)
 * Ferdinand, Portuguese prince (infante) (d. 1246)
 * George Akropolites, Byzantine statesman (d. 1282)
 * Guillaume III, French nobleman and knight (d. 1288)
 * Guo Kan, Chinese general and governor (d. 1277)
 * Henry of Antioch, co-ruler of Jerusalem (d. 1276)
 * Henry of Ghent, Flemish philosopher (d. 1293)
 * Ibn Sab'in, Andalusian Sufi philosopher (d. 1271)
 * Izz al-Din ibn Shaddad, Arab historian (d. 1285)
 * John I (the Red), English nobleman (d. 1286)
 * Kangan Giin, Japanese Zen Master (d. 1300)

Deaths

 * February 9 – Raynald of Nocera, Italian monk and bishop (b. 1150)
 * February 22 – Judah ben Samuel, German Jewish rabbi (b. 1150)
 * March 30 – Fujiwara no Kanefusa, Japanese nobleman (b. 1153)
 * March 31 – Alexander Neckam, English abbot (b. 1157)
 * April 21 – Al-Mansur Abdallah, Yemeni imam (b. 1166)
 * April 23 – Inge II (Bårdsson), king of Norway (b. 1185)
 * April 25 – Hermann I (or III), German nobleman (b. 1155)
 * May 20 – Thomas of Perche, French nobleman (b. 1195)
 * June 6 – Henry I, king of Castile and Toledo (b. 1204)
 * July 22 – Hadmar II of Kuenring, German nobleman
 * August 24 – Eustace the Monk, French mercenary
 * September 8 – Robert I, French nobleman and knight
 * September 10 – William de Redvers, English nobleman
 * September 21
 * Caupo of Turaida, king of Livonia
 * Lembitu, Estonian military leader
 * September 29 – Jean de Montmirail, French monk (b. 1165)
 * October 14 – Isabella, English noblewoman (b. 1174)
 * November 4 – Philip of Dreux, French bishop (b. 1158)
 * November 29 – Ibn Jubayr, Andalusian traveller (b. 1145)
 * December 29 – Gyōi, Japanese monk and poet (b. 1177)
 * Abd al-Haqq I, ruler of the Marinid Sultanate (b. 1147)
 * Jigten Sumgön, founder of the Drikung Kagyu (b. 1143)
 * John of Ferentino, Italian notary and cardinal (b. 1150)
 * Maria Komnene, queen consort of Jerusalem (b. 1154)
 * Nijōin no Sanuki, Japanese noblewoman (b. 1141)
 * Niketas Choniates, Byzantine historian (b. 1155)
 * Philip Simonsson, Norwegian nobleman (b. 1185)
 * Reginald of Bar (or de Mouçon), French bishop
 * Richard de Clare, Norman nobleman and knight
 * Simon of Pattishall (or Pateshull), English judge
 * Torchitorio IV de Serra, Sardinian judge (b. 1190)
 * Wang Chuyi, Chinese Daoist philosopher (b. 1142)
 * William I, French nobleman and knight (b. 1176)
 * William de Lanvallei, English landowner and knight

title: 1217


text:
1218

Year 1218 (MCCXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Fifth Crusade

 * May 24 – A Crusader expeditionary force, (some 30,000 men) under King John I of Jerusalem, embarks at Acre (supported by Frisian ships), and sails for Egypt. They arrive at the harbour of Damietta, on the right bank of the Nile, on May 27. Sultan Al-Adil, surprised by the invasion, recruits an army in Syria, while his son Al-Kamil marches an Egyptian force northwards from Cairo, and encamps at Al-Adiliya, a few miles south of Damietta.
 * June 24 – Siege of Damietta: The Crusader army assaults the fortified city of Damietta, but they repeatedly fail. As a result, the Crusaders create a new type of naval siege weaponry, attributed by the German chronicler Oliver of Paderborn: two ships are bound together, with a siege tower and ladder constructed on top.
 * August 24 – After a fierce fight, the Crusaders manage to establish themselves on the ramparts of Damietta, and capture the fort.
 * September – Cardinal Pelagius arrives with reinforcements at the Crusader camp, and proceeds to challenge the command of John I, claiming that the Church holds greater authority than a secular leader. Meanwhile, the Crusaders spend time clearing out an old canal, so that their ships can surround Damietta. Pelagius also brings news that King Frederick II has promised to follow soon, with a German expeditionary force.
 * Al-Kamil decides to offer the Crusaders a deal, Jerusalem in exchange for their departure from Egypt. John I favored accepting this offer but Pelagius refuses, unless it also includes Kerak Castle and other former castles of Jerusalem, to the east of the Jordan River. Al-Kamil refuses these strategically important sites, and Pelagius rejects the offer. This angers the Crusaders – who consider Jerusalem their important goal.
 * October 9 – Al-Kamil conducts a surprise attack on the Crusader camp. Discovering their movements, John I and his retinue counter-attack and annihilates the Egyptian advance guard. On October 26, Al-Kamil attacks by using a bridge across the Nile, after a fierce onslaught the Egyptians are driven back into the river. The Crusaders strengthen their siege lines and receive French and English reinforcements at Damietta.
 * November 29 – A storm, lasting for 3 days, floods the Crusader camp – devastating the Crusaders' supplies and transportation. To prevent a recurrence Pelagius orders a dyke to be constructed. After the camp is repaired, a serious epidemic strikes the Crusader forces. The victims suffer from a high fever, and at least a sixth of the soldiers die. During the severe winter, the survivors are left enfeebled and depressed.

Mongol Empire

 * Spring – Genghis Khan dispatches a Mongolian army (some 20,000 cavalry) under Jebe, to deal with the Qara Khitai (or Western Liao) threat. Meanwhile, he sends Subutai with another army on a simultaneous campaign against the Merkits. Jebe defeats a force of 30,000 men led by Prince Kuchlug at the Khitan capital Balasagun. Kuchlug flees south to modern Afghanistan, but is captured by hunters – who hands him over to the Mongols. After Kuchlug is beheaded and paraded through the cities of his new domains, Genghis annexes the entire Khitai empire under Mongol rule.
 * Jochi, eldest son of Genghis Khan, leads a successful campaign against the Kyrgyz. Meanwhile, Genghis sends a caravan with precious gifts to Muhammad II, ruler (shah) of the Khwarazmian Empire, hoping to establish trade relations. However, Inalchuq, Khwarazmian governor of Otrar, attacks the caravan, claiming that the caravan contains spies. Genghis then sends a second group of three ambassadors to Muhammad to demand the merchants be set free. Muhammad refuses, and the merchants along with one of the ambassadors are executed.

Britain

 * March 11 – Treaty of Worcester: King Henry III writes to the Welsh ruler Llywelyn the Great and promises safe-conduct if they meet at Worcester. A peace treaty is signed, which confirms Llywelyn's ownership of Wales. In return, Llywelyn agrees to pay homage to Henry and to return those castles that he has captured during his recent conquests.

Europe

 * June 25 – Siege of Toulouse: During a counter-assault, Simon de Montfort is killed by a stone from one of the defender's siege engines. The leadership of the Albigensian Crusade falls to Simon's son Amaury de Montfort, who lifts the siege a month later. Raymond VI is restored as count of Toulouse after a popular rebellion.
 * July – In order to facilitate the movement of Reconquista, Pope Honorius III reverses Innocent III’s earlier judgement, and declares King Ferdinand III (the Saint) legitimate heir to the Kingdom of León.
 * Ivan Asen II becomes ruler (tsar) of the Bulgarian Empire, during his reign he will add Epirus, as well as parts of Albania and Macedonia to his realm.

Levant

 * August 31 – Al-Adil I falls ill and dies at Damascus after an 18-year reign. He is succeeded in Syria by his eldest son Al-Mu'azzam and in Egypt by his younger son, Al-Kamil.

Asia

 * Minamoto no Sanetomo becomes Udaijin ("Minister of the Right"), the third-highest post of the Japanese imperial court.
 * King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire rebuilds the city of Angkor Thom, including the Temple of Bayon.

Education

 * August – King Alfonso IX of León grants a royal charter to the University of Salamanca.

Markets

 * The city of Rheims emits the first recorded public life annuity in Medieval Europe. This type of instrument had been mostly issued by religious institutions. The emission by Rheims is the first evidence of a consolidation of public debt that is to become common in the Langue d'Oïl, the Low Countries and Germany.

Religion

 * Pedro Nolasco founds the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy in Barcelona, Spain.

Births

 * February 12 – Kujō Yoritsune, Japanese shōgun (d. 1256)
 * May 1
 * John I, count of Hainaut (d. 1257)
 * Rudolf I, king of Germany (d. 1291)
 * October 30 – Chūkyō, emperor of Japan (d. 1234)
 * Abel (Valdemarsen), king of Denmark (d. 1252)
 * Bernhard I, prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (d. 1287)
 * Fujiwara no Chōshi, Japanese empress (d. 1275)
 * Irene Komnene, Byzantine noblewoman (d. 1284)
 * Jaromar II, German prince and co-ruler (d. 1260)
 * Lý Chiêu Hoàng, empress of Vietnam (d. 1278)
 * Marie de Coucy, queen consort of Scotland (d. 1285)
 * Maurice de Berkeley, English nobleman (d. 1281)
 * Peter of Courtenay, French nobleman (d. 1249)
 * Thomas de Cantilupe, English bishop (d. 1282)
 * Yolande of Brittany, French noblewoman (d. 1272)

Deaths

 * January 10 – Hugh I (or Hugo), king of Cyprus (b. 1195)
 * January 23 – Wolfger von Erla, German bishop (b. 1140)
 * February 2 – Konstantin of Rostov, Kievan Grand Prince
 * February 12 – Alice of Courtenay, French noblewoman
 * February 18 – Berthold V, German nobleman (b. 1160)
 * May 6 – Theresa of Portugal, countess of Flanders
 * May 19 – Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1175)
 * June 25 – Simon de Montfort, French nobleman
 * July 6 – Odo III (or Eudes), duke of Burgundy (b. 1166)
 * August 7 – Adolf VI (or III), German nobleman (b. 1175)
 * August 26 – William of Chartres (Templar), French Grand Master
 * August 31 – Al-Adil I, Ayyubid general and sultan (b. 1145)
 * September 24 – Robert of Knaresborough, English hermit
 * November 12 – Henry de Abergavenny, English bishop
 * December 28 – Robert II, French nobleman (b. 1154)
 * Adelaide of Guelders, countess of Holland (b. 1182)
 * Álvara Núñez de Lara, Castilian nobleman (b. 1170)
 * Comita III of Torres, Sardinian ruler (judge) (b. 1160)
 * Federico Wanga (or Vanga), prince-bishop of Trent
 * Franca Piacenza, Italian nun and abbess (b. 1170)
 * Geoffrey de Luterel, English landowner and knight
 * Giolla Ernain Ó Martain, Irish poet and Chief Ollam
 * Henry de Abergavenny, English abbot and bishop
 * Jayavarman VII, ruler of the Khmer Empire (b. 1122)
 * Peter II, Hungarian prelate, chancellor and bishop
 * Theobald VI of Blois, French nobleman and knight
 * Umadevi, Indian queen and general (b. 1150)
 * William I of Baux, French nobleman (b. 1155)

title: 1218


text:
1219

Year 1219 (MCCXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Fifth Crusade

 * February – Pelagius orders the Crusader army to prepare an attack against the Egyptians but is unsuccessful because of the weather and strength of the defenders. Sultan Al-Kamil, in command of the Egyptian forces, is almost overthrown by a conspiracy in his entourage. He considers fleeing to the Ayyubid Emirate of Yemen, ruled by his son Al-Mas'ud Yusuf, but the arrival of his brother Al-Mu'azzam, with reinforcements from Syria, ends the conspiracy. On hearing the news that Al-Kamil and his army is retreating to Cairo, the Crusaders march to Al-Adiliya. After driving back an assault from the garrison of Damietta they occupy the town on February 5.
 * April – The Crusaders surround Damietta, with the Italian forces to the north, Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller to the east – and King John I of Jerusalem with his French and Pisan troops to the south. The Frisians and German troops occupy the old camp across the Nile. A new wave of Crusader reinforcements from Cyprus arrive led by Walter III of Caesarea. Meanwhile, Al-Mu'azzam decides to dismantle the fortifications at Mount Tabor and other defensive positions, as well as Jerusalem itself, in order to deny their protection should the Crusaders prevail there. Some fanatics wish to destroy the Holy Sepulchre, but this is refused by Al-Mu'azzam.
 * April 7 – Al-Muzaffar II, Ayyubid ruler of Hama, arrives Egypt with Syrian reinforcements, leading multiple attacks on the Crusader camp at Al-Adiliya, with little impact. In the meantime, new Crusader forces bring badly-needed supplies. Egyptian attacks continue through May, with Crusader counter-attacks utilizing a Lombard device known as a carroccio, confounding the defenders.
 * July 8 – Pelagius begins multiple attacks at Damietta, using Pisan and Venetian troops. Each time they are repelled by the defenders, using Greek fire. A counter-offensive led by Al-Kamil on the Templar camp is repulsed on July 31 by their new Grand Master Peire de Montagut, supported by the Teutonic Knights – where the Crusaders reform and pursue the enemy outside the gates.
 * August 29 – The Crusaders attack the Egyptian camp in the Battle of Faraskur and the Muslims pretend a feigned retreat to Mansoura. John I advises to camp overnight, because there is no fresh water in the region between the Nile and Lake Manzalah. Al-Kamil decides to halt the retreat and turns his forces to deliver a smashing attack upon the disorganized Crusaders, losing some 4,300 men.
 * September – Francis of Assisi, an Italian preacher, arrives in the Crusader camp and introduces Catholicism in Egypt. He seeks permission from Pelagius to visit Al-Kamil. After an initial refusal, he sends Francis under a flag of truce to Faraskur. Al-Kamil receives him courteously and offers him many gifts. He accepts a death-bed baptism, and is escorted back to the Crusader camp.
 * October – Al-Kamil sends two captive knights as envoys, to renew his former offers of an armistice. If the Crusaders evacuate Egypt, he will return the True Cross (lost in the Battle of Hattin) and they can have Jerusalem, all central Palestine and Galilee. John I advised its acceptance, along with the nobles from England, France and Germany. Pelagius again refuses the peace terms.
 * November 5 – Siege of Damietta: The Crusaders enter Damietta and find it abandoned. Seeing the Crusader standards flying from the towers, Al-Kamil hastily abandons his camp at Faraskur and withdraws to Mansoura. Survivors in the city are either sent into slavery or held as hostages to trade for Christian prisoners. On November 23, the Crusader army captures the city of Tinnis.

Mongol Empire

 * Winter – Genghis Khan sends a Mongol army (some 20,000 men) under his eldest son Jochi and Jebe to cross the Tian Shan mountains ("Heavenly Mountains") to ravage the fertile Fergana Valley, in the eastern part of the Khwarezm Empire. The Mongols suffer many losses but slip through the defensive lines and confuse the enemy who thinks this is Genghis' main force. Muhammad II dispatches his elite cavalry reserve to protect the fertile regions with force. Meanwhile, another Mongol army under his second and third sons Chagatai and Ögedei passes through the Dzungarian Gate, and immediately start laying siege to the border city of Otrar.
 * Mongol forces under Chagatai and Ögedei capture Otrar after a 5-month siege. The city becomes the first of many settlements to have its entire population slain or enslaved before it is razed to the ground. Inalchuq, the Khwarezmian governor of Otrar, is captured and executed by pouring molten silver into his eyes and ears – an unlikely and unnecessarily expensive end.
 * By letter, Genghis Khan summons Qiu Chuji (Master Changchun) to visit him, to advise him on the medicine of immortality (the Philosopher's Stone).

Europe

 * June 15 – Livonian Crusade: Danish Crusaders led by King King Valdemar II (the Victorious), conquer Tallinn in the Battle of Lyndanisse. What is to become the flag of Denmark (Dannebrog) allegedly falls from the sky during that battle. Their stronghold in Tallinn will help the Danes conquer the entirety of Danish Estonia.
 * Twenty-four Lithuanian dukes and nobles purportedly sign a peace treaty with Halych-Volhynia, stating a common cause against invading Christian Crusaders.

Asia

 * May 2 – King Leo II (or Levon) of Armenian Cilicia dies, leaving only two daughters. The elder, Stephanie, is the wife of John I; the younger, Isabella, daughter of Princess Sibylla of Cyprus and Jerusalem, is three years old. Leo has promised the succession to his nephew, Raymond-Roupen of Antioch, but on his death-bed he names Isabella as his heir.

Technology

 * The windmill is first introduced to China, with the travels of Yelü Chucai to Transoxiana.
 * Mina'i ware pottery production in Persia ceases as a result of the Mongol conquests.

Births

 * February 18 – Tettsū Gikai, Japanese Zen Master (d. 1309)
 * April 5 – Wonjong of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 1274)
 * Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi, Moorish Sufi leader (d. 1287)
 * Ariq Böke (or Buka), Mongol ruler (khagan) (d. 1266)
 * Baldwin of Avesnes, French nobleman (d. 1295)
 * Christopher I (or Christoffer), king of Denmark (d. 1259)
 * Umiliana de' Cerchi, Italian noblewoman (d. 1246)
 * William Devereux, English nobleman (d. 1265)

Deaths

 * February 6 – Robert of Courçon, English cardinal (b. 1160)
 * February 13 – Minamoto no Sanetomo, Japanese shogun (b. 1192)
 * March 17 – Rudolph I, Count Palatine of Tübingen (b. 1160)
 * March 22 – Henryk Kietlicz, archbishop of Gniezno (b. 1150)
 * April 30 – Aldebrandus, bishop of Fossombrone (b. 1119)
 * May 1 – Raoul I of Lusignan, French nobleman and knight
 * May 2 – Leo II (or Levon), king of Armenian Cilicia (b. 1150)
 * May 14 – William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (b. 1146)
 * June 15 – Theoderich von Treyden, German missionary
 * June 17 – David of Scotland, Scottish nobleman (b 1152)
 * October 29 – Ch'oe Ch'ung-hŏn, Korean ruler (b. 1149)
 * November 3 – Saer de Quincy, English nobleman (b. 1170)
 * November 5 – Hugh IX (the Brown), French nobleman
 * December 17 – Conon de Béthune, French knight (b. 1150)
 * Casimir II (or Kasimir), duke of Pomerania-Demmin (b. 1180)
 * Gerard de Furnival, Norman nobleman and knight (b. 1175)
 * Henry de Grey, English nobleman and courtier (b. 1155)
 * Inalchuq (or Inalchuk), Khwarezmian governor of Otrar
 * John of Béthune, French nobleman and bishop (b. 1160)
 * John de Courcy, English nobleman and knight (b. 1150)
 * Peter II of Courtenay, Latin emperor of Constantinople
 * Richalmus, German Cistercian abbot and biographer
 * Scholastique of Champagne, French noblewoman (b. 1172)
 * Walter III of Châtillon, French nobleman and knight
 * William de Valognes, Scoto-Norman Lord Chamberlain
 * Yolanda of Flanders, Latin empress and regent (b. 1175)

title: 1219


text:
1213

Year 1213 (MCCXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

 * May 15 – King John of England submits to Pope Innocent III, who in turn lifts the interdict of 1208 the following year.
 * May 30 – Battle of Damme: The English fleet under William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, destroys a French fleet off the Belgian port in the first major victory for the fledgling Royal Navy.
 * September 12 – Battle of Muret: The Toulousain and Aragonese forces of Raymond VI of Toulouse and Peter II of Aragon are defeated by the Albigensian Crusade, under Simon de Montfort.
 * Jin China is overrun by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, who plunder the countryside and cities, until only Beijing remains free, despite two bloody palace coups and a lengthy siege.
 * Pope Innocent III issues a charter, calling for the Fifth Crusade to recapture Jerusalem.
 * Construction of the Kilkenny Castle in Ireland is completed.

Births

 * March 9 – Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, French crusader (d. 1271)
 * June 10 – Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi, Persian philosopher and Sufi mystic
 * Ibn al-Nafis, polymath (d. 1288)
 * Hethum I, King of Armenia, ruler of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (d. 1270)

Deaths

 * January 18 – Queen Tamar of Georgia (b. c. 1160)
 * April 13 – Guy of Thouars, regent of Brittany
 * April 21 – Maria of Montpellier, Lady of Montpellier, Queen of Aragon (b. 1182)
 * September 12 – King Peter II of Aragon (killed in battle) (b. 1174)
 * September 28 – Gertrude of Merania, queen consort regent of Hungary (murdered) (b. 1185)
 * October 10 – Frederick II, Duke of Lorraine
 * October 14 – Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex
 * Sharafeddin Tusi, Persian mathematician (b. 1135)

title: 1213


text:
1212

Year 1212 (MCCXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

England

 * July 10 – The Great Fire: The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground; over 3,000 people die, many of them by drowning in the River Thames. According to a contemporary account: "An awful fire broke out on the Southwark side of London Bridge; while it was raging, a fire broke out at the other end also and so hemmed in the numerous crowds who had assembled to help the distressed. The sufferers, to avoid the flames, threw themselves over the bridge into boats and barges; but many of these sunk, the people crowding into them.".
 * King John (Lackland) impounds the revenue of all prelates appointed by bishops, who have deserted him at his excommunication. He remains on good terms, however, with churchmen who stood by him, including Abbot Sampson, who this year bequeaths John his jewels.

Europe

 * Spring – After the fall of Argos the Crusaders complete their conquest of the Morea in southern Greece. The city, along with Nauplia, is given to Otho de la Roche, a Burgundian nobleman, as a fief, along with an income of 400 hyperpyron from Corinth. Meanwhile, the Venetians conquer Crete and evict Enrico Pescatore, a Genoese adventurer and pirate, active in the Mediterranean.
 * July 16 – Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa: The Christian forces of King Alfonso VIII (the Noble) decisively defeat the Almohad army (some 30,000 men) led by Caliph Muhammad al-Nasir. The victory gives a further impulse to the Reconquista but this leaves the Kingdom of Castile in a difficult financial position, as numerous soldiers have to be paid by the treasury.
 * The Children's Crusade is organized. There are probably two separate movements of young people, both led by shepherd boys, neither of which embark for the Holy Land – but both of which suffer considerable hardship.
 * Early Spring – Nicholas leads a group from the Rhineland and crosses the alps into Italy. In August, he arrives with some 7,000 children in Genoa. Nicholas travels to the Papal States where he meets Pope Innocent III.
 * June – The 12-year-old Stephen of Cloyes leads a group across France to Vendôme. Attracting a following of over 30,000 adults and children. After arriving in Marseilles the vast majority return home to their families.
 * The Teutonic Order builds Bran Castle (or Dietrichstein) in the Burzenland (modern Romania) as a fortified position at the entrance of a mountain pass through which traders can travel. The Teutonic Knights built another five castles, some of them made of stone. Their rapid expansion in Hungary makes the nobility and clergy, who are previously uninterested in those regions, jealous and suspicious.
 * December 9 – The 18-year-old Frederick II is crowned King of the Germans at Mainz. Frederick's authority in Germany remains tenuous, and he is recognized only in southern Germany. In the region of northern Germany, the center of Guelph power, his rival Otto IV continues to hold the imperial power despite his excommunication.

Asia

 * Autumn – Genghis Khan invades Jin territory and besieges Datong. During the assault, he is wounded by an arrow in his knee and orders a withdrawal for rest and relaxation.

Literature

 * Kamo no Chōmei, a Japanese poet and essayist, writes the Hōjōki, one of the great works of classical Japanese prose.

Religion

 * The contemplative Order of Poor Clares is founded by Clare of Assisi (approximate date).
 * The Papal Interdict (see 1208) laid on England and Wales by Innocent III remains in force.

Births

 * March 22 – Go-Horikawa, emperor of Japan (d. 1234)
 * May 6 – Constance, margravine of Meissen (d. 1243)
 * July 9 – Muiz ud-Din Bahram, Indian ruler (d. 1242)
 * Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari, Andalusian poet (d. 1269)
 * Farinata degli Uberti, Italian military leader (d. 1264)
 * Ibn Sahl of Seville, Almohad poet and writer (d. 1251)
 * Isabella II, queen and regent of Jerusalem (d. 1228)
 * Malatesta da Verucchio, Italian nobleman (d. 1312)
 * Maria of Chernigov, Kievan Rus' princess (d. 1271)
 * Yolande of Dreux, French noblewoman (d. 1248)
 * Zita (or Sitha), Italian maid and saint (d. 1272)

Deaths

 * February 2 – Bernhard III, German nobleman (b. 1140)
 * February 29 – Hōnen, Japanese Buddhist reformer (b. 1133)
 * April 6 – Bertram of Metz (or Berthold), German bishop
 * April 15 – Vsevolod III, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1154)
 * May 24 – Dagmar of Bohemia, queen of Denmark
 * July 15 – John I (or Johann), German archbishop
 * July 16 – William de Brus, Scottish lord of Annandale
 * August 11 – Beatrice, Holy Roman Empress (b. 1198)
 * August 26 – Michael IV, patriarch of Constantinople
 * September 19 – Henry fitz Ailwin, Lord Mayor of London
 * October 9 – Philip I (the Noble), Flemish nobleman
 * October 25 – John Comyn, English archbishop (b. 1150)
 * November 4 – Felix of Valois, French hermit (b. 1127)
 * December 5 – Dirk van Are, bishop and lord of Utrecht
 * December 12 – Geoffrey, archbishop of York (b. 1152)
 * December 14 – Matilda de Bailleul, Flemish abbess
 * Abu al-Abbas al-Jarawi, Moroccan poet and writer
 * Anna Komnene Angelina, Nicene empress (b. 1176)
 * Azzo VI of Este (or Azzolino), Italian nobleman (b. 1170)
 * Baldwin of Béthune, French nobleman and knight
 * David Komnenos, emperor of Trebizond (b. 1184)
 * Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud, ruler of the Ghurid Empire
 * Guillem de Cabestany, Spanish troubadour (b. 1162)
 * Henry de Longchamp, English High Sheriff (b. 1150)
 * Maria of Montferrat, queen of Jerusalem (b. 1192)
 * Peter de Preaux, Norman nobleman and knight
 * Robert of Auxerre, French chronicler and writer
 * Robert of Shrewsbury, English cleric and bishop
 * Walter of Montbéliard, constable of Jerusalem

title: 1212


text:
1211

Year 1211 (MCCXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * June 17 – Battle of Antioch on the Meander: Seljuk forces led by Sultan Kaykhusraw I are initially victorious with the Latin mercenary cavalry (some 800 men) bearing the brunt of the casualties due to their flanking charge; exhausted by the effort in their attack, the Latin army under Emperor Theodore I Laskaris is struck in the flank and rear by the Seljuk forces. However, the Seljuks stop the fight in order to plunder the Latin camp – which allows Theodore's forces to rally and counter-attack the now disorganized Turks. Meanwhile, Kaykhusraw seeks out Theodore and engages him in single combat, but he is unhorsed and beheaded. The Seljuks are routed and the former Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos, Theodore's father-in-law, is captured and imprisoned, ending his days in enforced monastic seclusion.
 * October 15 – Battle of the Rhyndacus: Latin emperor Henry of Flanders lands with an expeditionary force (some 3,000 men) at Pegai, and marches eastwards to the Rhyndacus River. The Byzantine army (much larger in force overall) under Theodore I prepare an ambush, but Henry assaults his positions along the river and defeats the Byzantine army in a day-long battle. Henry marches unopposed through the remaining Byzantine lands, reaching south as far as Nymphaion.

Mongol Empire

 * Spring – Genghis Khan summons his Mongol chieftains, and prepares to wage war against the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in northern China. He advances across the Gobi Desert with a massive army of 100,000 warriors with 300,000 horses, strung out in perhaps 10–20 groups of 5,000–10,000 men each, each with camel-drawn carts, and all linked by fast-moving messengers. Meanwhile, the Jin Government mobilizes an army of 800,000 men, most of which are untrained peasants with low morale, and some 150,000 highly-trained cavalry. This vast army, however, is spread across the Great Wall, and garrisoned separate fortresses.
 * Battle of Yehuling: Genghis Khan bypasses the Great Wall with little opposition, and splits his forces into two armies. The main army (60,000 men) is led by himself, and the other army is taken by his son Ögedei to attack the city of Datong. Genghis heads for the strategic Juyong Pass ("Young Badger's Mouth") – which leads down to the capital of Zhongdu (modern-day Beijing), but along the way he is halted at the pass of Yehuling where the bulk of the Jin army awaits him. Between March and October, the battle is fought in three stages, after Genghis has defeated the Jin forces, he begins raiding the countryside before he withdraws for the winter.

Europe

 * Spring – Albigensian Crusade: Crusader forces led by Simon de Montfort conquer Toulouse and besiege Lavaur in southern France. On May 3, the city is retaken; on orders of Montfort the senior knights are hanged and some 400 Cathars are burned alive.
 * March 26 – King Sancho I of Portugal ("the Populator") dies after a 25-year reign at Coimbra. He is succeeded by his son Afonso II ("the Fat") as ruler of Portugal. During his reign, he designs the first set of Portuguese written laws.
 * Livonian Crusade: Battles of Viljandi and Turaida – The Crusaders fail to conquer the Viljandi stronghold, but manage to baptize Sakala and Ugandi counties (Southern Estonia).
 * September – The 16-year-old Frederick II is elected in absentia as German king by rebellious nobleman (supported by Pope Innocent III) at the Diet of Nuremberg (Germany).

Britain

 * Summer – King John of England ("Lackland") campaigns in Wales against Llywelyn the Great, prince of Gwynedd. In July, after the Welsh uprising, John and Llywelyn reach an agreement and a peace treaty is signed.
 * June – Papal legate Pandulf Verraccio arrives in Northampton to serve John with his excommunication ordered by Innocent III. For John this is a serious blow to his ability to rule the country.
 * John sends a gift of herrings to nunneries in almost every shire, despite his status as an excommunicant.
 * The Papal Interdict of 1208 laid by Innocent III remains in force after John refuses to accept the pope's appointee.

Asia

 * June – Shams ud-Din Iltutmish, son-in-law of the former Sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak, becomes ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and quells the Hindu rebellions in India.

Religion

 * April 21 – Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (begun in the 11th century) is consecrated, in the presence of King Alfonso IX of León.
 * Archbishop Aubrey (or 'Alberic of Humbert') lays the first stone of the chevet of Reims Cathedral.

Births

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

Deaths

 * February 2 – Adelaide of Meissen, duchess of Bohemia
 * March 14 – Pietro Gallocia (or Galluzzi), Italian cardinal
 * March 26 – Sancho I ("the Populator"), king of Portugal (b. 1154)
 * May 16 – Mieszko IV Tanglefoot, duke of Poland (b. 1130)
 * June 9 – Andrew II, Baron of Vitré, French nobleman and knight (b. 1150)
 * June 17 – Kaykhusraw I, ruler of the Sultanate of Rum
 * August 9 – William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, Norman nobleman
 * August 18 – Narapatisithu, ruler of the Pagan Kingdom (Burma) (b. 1150)
 * October 14 – Ferdinand of Castile, Spanish prince (b. 1189)
 * November 29 – Páll Jónsson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1155)
 * December 8 – Adelaide of Poland, Polish princess
 * December 14 – Shōshi, Japanese empress (b. 1195)
 * Abu Musa al-Jazuli, Almohad philologian (b. 1146)
 * Alexios III Angelos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1153)
 * Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera, Byzantine empress
 * Hugh I, Sardinian ruler (Judge of Arborea) (b. 1178)
 * Peter of Blois, French cleric and diplomat (b. 1130)
 * Robert of Thornham, English seneschal and knight
 * Roger de Lacy (le Constable), English nobleman (b. 1170)
 * Samson of Tottington, English monk and abbot (b. 1135)
 * Shizuka Gozen, Japanese court dancer (b. 1165)
 * Svyatoslav III Igorevich, Kievan prince (b. 1176)
 * Thomas Morosini, Latin patriarch of Constantinople
 * Tsangpa Gyare, Tibetan Buddhist leader (b. 1161)
 * Urraca of Portugal, queen consort of León (b. 1148)
 * Xiang Zong, Chinese emperor of Western Xia (b. 1170)

title: 1211


text:
1210

Year 1210 (MCCX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * May – The Second Parliament of Ravennika, convened by Emperor Henry of Flanders, is held in the town of Ravennika (in modern Greece), in order to resolve the differences between the princes of Frankish Greece, and the Roman Catholic clergy of their domains. The assembled nobles and prelates conclude a concordat, which recognizes the independence and immunity of all Church property in Frankish Greece from any feudal duties.
 * July 18 – Battle of Gestilren: Sverker II (the Younger), the exiled former King of Sweden, is defeated and killed by the reigning King Eric X (Knutsson). After the battle, Eric takes the Swedish throne and marries Princess Richeza of Denmark, daughter of the late King Valdemar I of Denmark ("the Great"). This to improve the relations with Denmark, which has traditionally supported the House of Sverker.
 * November 18 – Emperor Otto IV is excommunicated by Pope Innocent III after he occupies Apulia in southern Italy. Otto annuls the Concordat of Worms and demands from Innocent recognition of the imperial crown's right. A German civil war breaks out, and Otto prepares an invasion against Frederick II, king of Sicily.
 * November 21 – Eric X is crowned – which is the first known coronation of a Swedish king. He strengthens his relationship with his brother-in-law, King Valdemar II of Denmark ("the Conqueror"). Shortly after, Valdemar conquers Danzig (modern-day Gdańsk) on the Baltic coast, and Eastern Pomerania from the Slavonic Wends.
 * Battle of Ümera: Estonian forces defeat the Crusaders of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The Estonians pursue the fleeing Crusaders and according to the Livonian Chronicle some of the prisoners are burned alive, while others have crosses carved on their backs with swords before being executed as well.

England

 * The Papal Interdict of 1208 remains in force.
 * King John extends his taxes and raises £100,000 from church property as an extraordinary fiscal levy; the operation is described as an “inestimable and incomparable exaction” by contemporary sources.
 * November 1 – John orders that Jews across the country have to pay a tallage, a sum of money to the king. Those who do not pay are arrested and imprisoned. Many Jews are executed or leave the country.

Levant

 * September 14 – The 18-year-old Maria of Montferrat marries the French nobleman John of Brienne, who brings a dowry of 40,000 silver pounds (from King Philip II and Pope Innocent III). On October 3, the couple is crowned as King and Queen of Jerusalem in the Cathedral of Tyre (modern Lebanon).

Asia

 * Jochi, Mongol leader and eldest son of Genghis Khan, begins a campaign against the Kyrgyz. Meanwhile, Emperor Xiang Zong of Western Xia agrees to submit to Mongol rule, he gives his daughter, Chaka, in marriage to Genghis and pays him a tribute of camels, falcons, and textiles.
 * December 12 – Emperor Tsuchimikado abdicates the throne in favor of his younger brother, Juntoku, after a 12-year reign. He is the second son of the former Emperor Go-Toba and becomes the 84th emperor of Japan.

Art and Culture

 * 1210–1211 – Shazi creates the Pen Box, from Persia (Iran) or Afghanistan (it is now kept at Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.).
 * Gottfried von Strassburg writes his epic poem Tristan (approximate date).

Astronomy

 * September 24 – Venus occults Jupiter (the last such occurrence until 1570).

Religion

 * Pope Innocent III allows the formation of the mendicant order of Francis of Assisi, to begin the Order of Friars Minor.
 * The church of St Helen's Bishopsgate in the City of London is founded, as a priory of Benedictine nuns.

Births

 * May 5 – Afonso III (the Boulonnais), king of Portugal (d. 1279)
 * June 24 – Floris IV, Dutch nobleman and knight (d. 1234)
 * July 22 – Joan of England, queen of Scotland (d. 1238)
 * unknown date – Alice of Montferrat, queen consort of Cyprus (d. 1233)

Deaths

 * March 29 – Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Persian polymath (b. 1150)
 * May 6 – Conrad II, Margrave of Lusatia, German nobleman and knight (b. 1159)
 * May 13 – Noriko (or Hanshi), Japanese empress (b. 1177)
 * July 17 – Sverker II (the Younger), king of Sweden
 * October 16 – Matilda of Boulogne, duchess of Brabant
 * November 14 – Qutb al-Din Aibak, Indian ruler (b. 1150)
 * November 30 – Florence of Holland, Scottish bishop
 * December 14 – Soffredo, Italian cardinal and patriarch
 * Aonghus mac Somhairle, Norse-Gaelic chieftain
 * Gottfried von Strassburg, German poet and writer
 * Halldóra Eyjólfsdóttir, Icelandic nun and abbess
 * Jean Bodel, French poet and writer (b. 1165)
 * Jinul (or Chinul), Korean Zen Master (b. 1158)
 * Majd ad-Dīn Ibn Athir, Zangid historian (b. 1149)
 * Maud de Braose, English noblewoman (b. 1155)
 * Muhammad II, ruler of the Alamut state (b. 1148)
 * Praepositinus, Italian philosopher and theologian
 * Risteárd de Tiúit, Norman warrior and nobleman
 * Robert of Braybrooke, English landowner (b. 1168)
 * William FitzAlan, Norman nobleman and knight

title: 1210