istoryworld
Events relating to europe
The first known eisteddfod is held during Christmas festivities at Rhys ap Gruffydd's court in Cardigan castle
In a treaty signed at Cazorla, the kings of Castile and Aragon agree on a plan of cooperation against the Muslims
In Cordoba the Muslim philosopher Averroës writes commentaries on Aristotle that are influential throughout medieval Europe
Resentment of western merchants results in a massacre of Roman Catholics by fellow Christians in Constantinople
Representatives of the towns in Léon are summoned to one of the earliest known parliaments
A year after succeeding to the throne of England, Richard I sets off east as one of the leaders of the third crusade
Richard I, returning from the Holy Land in disguise, is recognized in an inn near Vienna and is imprisoned until England pays a massive ransom
The three-year old Frederick II has a claim to the thrones of both Sicily and Germany on the death of his father, the emperor Henry VI
On the death of his brother, Richard I, John becomes king of England
The longbow, a weapon of great use to English armies, is probably first developed in Wales
The samurai provide military support for the shogun, in a system similar to feudalism at this same period in Europe
In the cathedral on Torcello, and in St Mark's, Venetian mosaics are a culmination in the west of the Byzantine tradition
Flemish towns begin to acquire municipal independence, as communes, following the earlier Italian trend
German pressure eastwards (the Drang nach Osten) steadily brings colonists into regions previously occupied by Slavs
The heresy of the Cathars (meaning 'pure' ones) is now so well established in southern France that they have bishops of their own
The fleet of the fourth crusade departs from Venice - only to be diverted from its purposes by Venetian guile
A German order, the Knights of the Sword, begins the forcible conversion of Latvia and Estonia to Christianity
Fibonacci uses Arabic numerals in his Liber Abaci ('Book of the Abacus') and thus contributes greatly to their spread in Europe
The French king, Philip II, takes Normandy from the English, and follows this success by taking Anjou a year later
The crusaders of the fourth crusade besiege, take and destroy the Christian city of Constantinople
Venice takes the useful islands of Corfu and Crete as part of the spoils of the fourth crusade
A Latin empire is set up in Constantinople on the same basis as the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem
Many of the treasures adorning the church of San Marco in Venice are loot taken from Constantinople during the fourth crusade
The murder of the pope's legate to Toulouse provokes the Albigensian crusade, which aims to wipe out the Catharist heresy
St Francis and eleven companions tell Innocent III of their wish for a life of holy poverty in the bustle of the towns
