By place Byzantine Empire •
September 24 – Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos dies in
Constantinople after a 37-year reign. He is succeeded by his 11-year-old son,
Alexios II Komnenos, who will reign briefly as emperor of the
Byzantine Empire under the regency of his mother,
Maria of Antioch. Maria assumes power as regent (until 1183) and takes as her advisor and lover,
Alexios Komnenos (protosebastos), a nephew of Manuel I, which causes scandal and unrest among the Byzantine populace.
Europe •
January 13 –
Henry the Lion, Duke of
Saxony and
Bavaria, is stripped of his duchies and all his imperial fiefs at an
Imperial Diet in
Würzburg for violating the king's peace. On
April 13, Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa issues the
Gelnhausen Charter, formally dissolving Henry's former domains. A portion of Saxony is reorganized as the
Duchy of Westphalia, while other territories are granted to his ally,
Otto I the Redhead, Duke of Bavaria. •
September 18 – King
Louis VII (called the Younger) dies in
Paris after a 43-year reign. He is succeeded by his 15-year-old son,
Philip II, who becomes sole ruler of
France and reigns until 1223. • Portuguese admiral defeats the Almohad fleet for the second time in two years. • The assembly traditionally considered the first
Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland is convened at
Łęczyca (approximate date).
England • The town of
Portsmouth is founded by the Norman merchant
Jean de Gisors, who establishes it as a strategic port to facilitate trade between
England and France (approximate date).
Levant • Summer – King
Baldwin IV (known as "the Leper") sends envoys to
Saladin proposing a peace treaty. Due to a severe drought, much of
Syria is afflicted by
famine, prompting Saladin to agree to a two-year truce. Although
Raymond of Tripoli initially denounces the agreement, he is forced to accept it following an Ayyubid naval raid on the port city of
Tartus. • Saladin intervenes in a conflict between the
Zengids of
Mosul and the
Artuqids. He persuades the
Seljuk sultanate of Rum not to become involved and proceeds to raid
Cilician Armenia. • Baldwin IV arranges the marriage of his sister,
Sibylla, to
Guy of Lusignan, brother of the constable
Amalric of Lusignan. Baldwin grants Guy the
County of Jaffa and Ascalon as a fief.
Asia •
March 18 – Emperor
Takakura is forced to abdicate by
Taira no Kiyomori after a 12-year reign. He is succeeded by his two-year-old son,
Emperor Antoku, who will reign until
1185. Kiyomori assumes control of the government, ruling as regent in the child emperor's name. •
Genpei War: Prince
Mochihito launches a rebellion against the ruling
Taira clan. In support of the uprising,
Minamoto no Yorimasa issues a call to arms, appealing to several Buddhist monasteries—such as
Enryaku-ji,
Mii-dera, and others—that have been alienated by Kiyomori. •
June 20 –
Battle of Uji: Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa take refuge in the
Byōdō-in Temple. They appeal to warrior monks for assistance, but are ultimately defeated by Taira forces. Yorimasa commits suicide, and Mochihito is killed while fleeing. •
September 14 –
Battle of Ishibashiyama: A Taira force of approximately 3,000 men, led by
Ōba Kagechika, defeats
Minamoto no Yoritomo near
Mount Fuji (in present-day
Odawara). Yoritomo narrowly escapes by sea and flees to
Awa Province. •
November 9 –
Battle of Fujigawa: Minamoto forces, numbering around 30,000 and commanded by Minamoto no Yoritomo, defeat a Taira army under
Taira no Koremori near the
Fuji River. The Taira forces retreat in disorder, though Koremori manages to escape.
By topic Culture •
Alexander Neckam becomes a lecturer in
Paris and begins writing
De Natura Rerum, one of the earliest Western European works to mention
chess (approximate date).
Demography •
Hangzhou, the capital of the
Southern Song dynasty in
China, becomes the largest city in the world, surpassing
Fez in the
Almohad Caliphate. == Births ==