By place Levant • Summer –
Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk governor (
atabeg) of
Aleppo and
Mosul, marches on
Baghdad (the capital of the
Abbasid Caliphate), to add it to his dominions. He is defeated by the forces of Caliph
Al-Mustarshid, near
Tikrit (modern
Iraq). Zengi flees and escapes, with the help of Tikrit's governor
Najm ad-Din Ayyub (the father of
Saladin), who conveys him across the
River Tigris.
Europe •
July 24 –
Battle of Nocera: Rebel
Normans under Count
Ranulf II defeat the Sicilian forces, led by King
Roger II. Seven hundred knights are captured, and Roger is forced to retreat to
Salerno.
England •
Barnwell Castle is erected in
Northamptonshire.
Asia • June – A fire breaks out in the Chinese capital of
Hangzhou, destroying 13,000 houses and forcing many to flee to the nearby hills. Due to large fires as this, the government installs an effective
fire fighting force for the city. Items such as
bamboo, planks, and rush-matting are temporarily exempted from taxation, 120 tons of rice are distributed among the poor. The government suspends the housing rent requirement of the city's residents. • The
Southern Song court establishes the first
permanent standing navy, with the headquarters of the Chinese admiralty based at
Dinghai.
By topic Religion •
Diarmait Mac Murchada has the abbey of
Kildare in
Ireland burned, and the abbess raped. He becomes king of the province of
Leinster. •
Malachy is appointed
archbishop of Armagh in
Ireland, to impose the
Roman liturgy on the independent
Irish Church. •
March 5 –
Rievaulx Abbey is founded by the
Cistercian order, near
Helmsley in
Yorkshire. •
December 27 –
Fountains Abbey soon to join the
Cistercian order, is founded near
Ripon in
Yorkshire. == Births ==