istoryworld
All Events
Victory over the Muslims at Ourique is seen as the moment of Portugal's independence from the kingdom of Leon
The great castle of Krak des Chevaliers is built in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem by the Knights of St John
The new abbey church of St Denis is consecrated near Paris, introducing the style of architecture later known as Gothic
The city of Edessa is captured by Zangi, a Mameluke general, in the first setback for the crusaders in the Middle East
The fall of Edessa prompts the pope, Eugenius III, to call for a second crusade to defend the Latin kingdom
A new form of pious devotion is seen in Chartres, with people painfully dragging wagons of stone to enlarge the cathedral
A bishop in the crusader territories of the Middle East has news of a fabulously wealthy Christian king, Prester John
Rival Berber tribesmen, the Almohads, evict the Almoravids from Marrakech and soon conquer the whole north African coast
Alfonso I takes Lisbon from the Muslims, with the unexpected help of some passing English crusaders
Gilbert of Hastings, an English priest, becomes bishop of the recovered see of Lisbon - the first of many such links between England and Portugal
The second crusade is led east by two kings, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany
Seville falls to the Almohads, from north Africa, who make it their Spanish capital
By the time Louis VII and Conrad III reach the Holy Land they have lost more than half their joint armies to Muslim attacks
Louis VII and Conrad III do grave harm to the Latin Kingdom by a feeble attack that merely alienates the previously friendly city of Damascus
In feudal France and Germany Charlemagne is by now venerated as a saint
The city of Angkor and the great temple of Angkor Wat are created by the Khmer dynasty in Cambodia
The Aztecs begin to move south from their original home, which they call Aztlan, somewhere in northern Mexico
The Medici move into Florence from their country home in the Mugello valley
After centuries of raiding the northern part of Sri Lanka, the Tamils establish a settled Hindu presence in the island
The biblical kings and queens in the west porch of Chartres cathedral are a striking early example of Gothic sculpture
Zen Buddhism reaches Japan from China and appeals greatly to the new samurai class
German merchants begin trading along the coasts of Latvia and Estonia, a region to which they give the name Livonia
The merging of Catalonia with Aragon, by marriage, creates a power in northern Spain of comparable strength to Castile
Frederick Barbarossa becomes king of Germany and Holy Roman emperor, greatly extending the power of the empire during a long reign
The inhabitants of Damascus surrender their city to Nur ed-Din, helping him greatly in his campaign against the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem
