By place Europe •
March 6 – German forces led by
Frederick Barbarossa,
Holy Roman Emperor, capture
Milan; much of the city is destroyed three weeks later on the emperor's orders. The fortifications are demolished and the churches are destroyed. The population is dispersed, and the commune abolished. The fate of Milan leads to the submission of
Brescia,
Piacenza, and many other northern Italian cities. •
July 7 – Norwegian forces supporting 6-year-old
Magnus V (Erlingsson) defeat the 15-year-old King
Haakon II (Sigurdsson), who is killed in battle in
Romsdal after a 5-year reign. •
July 15 –
Ladislaus II, duke of
Bosnia, is declared king of
Hungary and
Croatia. He is crowned by Archbishop
Mikó and grants
one-third of the kingdom to his brother,
Stephen IV.
England •
June 3 – King
Henry II has his chancellor
Thomas Becket elected to succeed the late
Theobald of Bec as archbishop of
Canterbury. He accepts the
pallium sent by
Pope Alexander III.
Africa • The
Almohad emir,
Abd al-Mu'min, prepares a gigantic fleet of some four hundred ships to invade
Al-Andalus (modern
Spain). He dies the following year, before the fleet is completed. •
Egyptian military commander
Shawar appointed
Vizier of
Egypt.
China •
July 24 –
Emperor Gaozong of Song becomes embroiled in war again as hostilities resume with the
Jurchen-led
Jin dynasty (or "Great Jin") after 21 years of peace. Another peace treaty is signed, Gao abdicates the throne in favor of his adopted son
Xiaozong. The smaller
Southern Song empire becomes richer than the
Song dynasty.
By topic Religion • The
Beisi Pagoda (or North Temple Pagoda) is completed during the Song dynasty in China. == Births ==