By place Europe • Spring –
Boniface I, Marquis of Montferrat, sends envoys to
Venice,
Genoa and other city-states to negotiate a contract for transport to the
Levant. Meanwhile, Boniface and various nobles are mustering an expeditionary army (mainly forces from
France and the
Holy Roman Empire) at
Paris. On
February 23,
Baldwin IX, count of
Flanders and his brother
Henry of Flanders take the cross at
Bruges (modern
Belgium), and agree to take part in the
Fourth Crusade called by Pope
Innocent III (see
1199). •
May 22 – The Kings
John of England and
Philip II of France, sign a peace treaty at
Le Goulet, an island in the middle of the
Seine River, near
Vernon in
Normandy. The agreement recognizes John as overlord of most of the English owned lands in France, but John has to give Philip the lands of Norman
Vexin and
Évreux and a large sum of money (some 20,000 marks) – a "relief" payment for recognition of John's sovereignty of
Brittany. •
August 25 – Eager to make peace with
Aymer Taillefer, count of
Angoulême, John marries 15-year-old
Isabella of Angoulême at
Bordeaux. In order to remarry, John needs to abandon his first wife,
Isabella of Gloucester. John accomplishes this by arguing that he has failed to get the necessary
papal dispensation to marry Isabella of Gloucester. • The rebel leader
Ivanko is captured and executed by the Byzantine general
Alexios Palaiologos (son-in-law of Emperor
Alexios III Angelos).
Britain •
November 22 – During a tour of the
Midlands, John receives homage from
William the Lion, king of
Scotland, at
Lincoln. William is looking to move into the areas of
Northumberland,
Cumberland, and
Westmoreland. John on the other hand ensures that these areas are controlled by English nobles he can trust.
Levant •
February 17 –
Al-Adil I, Ayyubid ruler of
Damascus,
Jerusalem, and parts of the
Jazira takes control of
Egypt, and is recognized as sultan of the
Ayyubid Empire. During his reign, he promotes trade and good relations with the
Crusader States. His son
Al-Kamil becomes the effective ruler (
viceroy) of Egypt.
Asia •
Temüjin (or
Genghis Khan) manages to unite about half the feuding
Mongol clans under his leadership. He delegates authority based on skill and loyalty, rather than tribal affiliation or family. The main rivals of the
Mongol confederation are the
Naimans to the west, the
Merkits to the north, the
Tanguts to the south and the
Jin Dynasty (or
Great Jin) to the east.
By topic Education • The
University of Paris receives its charter, from Philip II. He issues a diploma "for the security of the scholars of
Paris", which affirms that students are subject only to ecclesiastical jurisdiction. == Births ==