istoryworld
All Events
Henry II, coming to the throne of England, is king or feudal overlord of an unbroken swathe of territory from the Tweed to the Pyrenees
Vienna is adopted by the Babenberg rulers as the capital city of Austria
A Russian prince, Andrei Bogolyubski, makes his capital east of Moscow at Vladimir, where he builds a cathedral and several churches
Henry the Lion builds a new town at Lübeck, well placed to develop as the centre of the Hanseatic League
Chrétien de Troyes and other French authors turn the stories of Arthur and his knights into a romance of courtly love
Thomas Becket, Lord Chancellor to Henry II, is forced by the king to accept the vacant post of archbishop of Canterbury
Thomas Becket, having offended the king by his firm stand as archbishop of Canterbury, flees to a monastery near Paris
Normans land in Ireland, seize Wexford, and in the following year capture Waterford and Dublin
The English exchequer grows in importance under Henry II, taking its name from the table on which financial calculations are made
The first known mystery play, the Mystery of Adam, takes place outside a church somewhere in France
Henry II arranges for the archbishop of York to crown his son, the 'Young King', as a joint ruler
Thomas Becket, in France, suspends the English bishops who have participated in the coronation of the 'Young King'
After an apparent reconciliation with Henry II, Thomas Becket leaves France and returns to Canterbury
Four knights, acting on an unguarded hint from Henry II, murder Thomas Becket on December 29 in his cathedral at Canterbury
Saladin deposes the Fatimid caliph and brings Egypt back to orthodoxy, acknowledging the rule of the Sunni caliph in Baghdad
The English king, Henry II, acknowledges Rhys ap Gruffydd as the lord of south Wales
Henry II, the king of England, summons the Irish and Norman lords to do homage to him in Dublin
The Scottish king, William the Lion, is captured raiding into Northumberland and is taken south with his feet tied beneath his horse
The Gothic style is first seen in Britain in the new east end of Canterbury cathedral
Construction begins on London Bridge, the first stone bridge to be built across a tidal waterway
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
The shared memories and legends of Nordic peoples are brought together in a great German epic, the Nibelungenlied
In Cordoba the Muslim philosopher Averroës writes commentaries on Aristotle that are influential throughout medieval Europe
In Cairo the Jewish philosoper Moses Maimonides writes, in Arabic, a much translated text with the endearing title Guide to the Perplexed
