By place in 1135
Levant • Spring –
Shams al-Mulk Isma'il, Seljuk ruler of
Damascus, sends envoys to
Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk ruler of
Mosul, to seek his protection in exchange of Damascus. Zengi crosses the
Euphrates, receiving the surrender of the city of
Hama. He besieges Damascus but, due to a shortage of supplies, is forced to abandon the siege. Zengi extricates himself from Damascus, his Seljuk forces capture the fortresses at
Ma'arrat and
Atharib. • Queen
Melisende of
Jerusalem reconciles with her husband
Fulk V, after a period of estrangement occasioned by her growing power, and rumors that she has had an affair with
Hugh II (
du Puiset), former count of
Jaffa.
Europe •
January 7 – King
Harald IV returns with Danish reinforcements and the support of King
Eric II ("the Memorable"). He captures his nephew and joint ruler
Magnus IV (Sigurdsson), who is blinded, castrated – and confined in
Nidarholm Abbey (located on the island of
Munkholmen). •
May 26 – King
Alfonso VII is crowned as "Emperor of All Spain" (
Imperator totius Hispaniae) in the
Cathedral of León. The coronation is attended by
Ramon Berenguer IV (his brother-in-law),
Raymond V and other Spanish nobles who recognize him as their
overlord. • Summer – King
Roger II lands with a Sicilian expeditionary force in
Salerno. He splits his army, and conquers the cities of
Aversa and
Alife. Roger besieges
Naples – but despite poor health conditions within the city, he is not able to take it, and returns again to
Messina. •
August 15 – Emperor
Lothair III receives homage from Eric II, and makes him an imperial prince at the
Reichstag. His diplomatic missions to
Hungary and
Poland result in a tribute payment. Duke
Bolesław III Wrymouth is given
Pomerania and
Rügen as German fiefs. • Lothair III receives a
Byzantine embassy at his court, on behalf of Emperor
John II Komnenos. It offers large financial subsidies for Lothair to start a campaign against Roger II. The negotiations will last for some months. •
September – King
García IV ("the Restorer") breaks with Alfonso VII, and makes common cause with the
County of Portugal against
Castile and
León. •
October –
Conrad III, duke of
Franconia, gives up his title as
King of Italy in opposition with Lothair III. He receives a pardon and recovers his estates. •
Pisans in the service of the
Holy See (
Diocese of Rome) sack the city of
Amalfi. • A
Moorish fleet raids the
Catalan port-town of
Elna (Southern
France).
England •
December 1 – King
Henry I dies at
Lyons-la-Forêt in
Normandy after a 35-year reign. He is succeeded by his nephew
Stephen of Blois (grandson of
William the Conqueror), who asserts his claim to the throne in opposition to claims by Henry's daughter
Matilda (prolonged in a civil war known as
The Anarchy). •
December 26 – Stephen of Blois is crowned at
Westminster Abbey in
London by Archbishop
William de Corbeil. Matilda (pregnant with child) and her husband
Geoffrey V ("the Fair") leave for their own safety to Normandy, where she plans how to overthrow Stephen and claim the English throne for her own.
Middle East •
August 29 – Caliph
Al-Mustarshid is assassinated at
Baghdad after a 17-year reign. He is succeeded by his son
Al-Rashid Billah as ruler of the
Abbasid Caliphate (until
1138).
North Africa • Summer – A Sicilian expeditionary force led by Roger II embarks from Messina and takes the island of
Djerba (modern
Tunisia). • The
Hammadid Emirate (modern
Algeria) launches an assault against the city of
Mahdia (modern
Tunisia).
Asia •
Jin–Song War – Song forces under
Yue Fei begin a counteroffensive against the
Jurchen-ruled
Jin dynasty in northern
China. He defeats Jin forces, by entangling his
paddle-wheel ships at the
Huai River. •
June 4 – Emperor
Hui Zong dies in exile in
Heilongjiang (
Manchuria), having been held prisoner with his son
Qin Zong since their capture in
1127.
By topic Religion • January –
Byland Abbey is founded in
England by the
Congregation of Savigny. •
Buildwas Abbey is founded in England by
Roger de Clinton, bishop of
Coventry. == Births ==