By place Europe •
May – The
First Parliament of Ravennika, convened by Emperor
Henry of Flanders, is held in the town of
Ravennika in
Greece, in an attempt to resolve the rebellion of the
Lombard nobles of the
Kingdom of Thessalonica. Henry pardons Lord
Amédée Pofey (or Buffois), and reinvests with his fief, while the other nobles persist in their rebellion and keep to their castles. After receiving imperial recognition,
Geoffrey I of Villehardouin becomes Henry's vassal, thereby subordinating
Achaea directly to
Constantinople. •
June –
Treaty of Sapienza: The
Republic of Venice recognizes the possession of the
Peloponnese by Geoffrey I of Villehardouin and keeps only the fortresses of
Modon and
Coron. Venice also acquires an exemption of her merchants from all tariffs, and the right to establish "a church, a market and a court" in every city of Achaea. •
July 22 –
Massacre at Béziers: The Crusader army, led by
Simon de Monfort, arrives in the
Languedoc area, and makes camp at
Béziers, to start a siege. The citizens, believing that their city walls are impregnable, harass the Crusaders, by sending a group of soldiers (supported by armed civilians) to launch a sortie against their camp. When they are forced to retreat, the Crusaders storm the walls (which are not properly manned) and enter the gate, sacking and killing some 20,000
Cathars and
Catholics alike. •
August 15 –
Siege of Carcassonne: Simon de Montfort takes
Carcassonne, after negotiating the city's surrender with
Raymond Roger Trencavel (or Raimond), viscount of Béziers and
Albi, who is imprisoned and dies in mysterious circumstances 3 months later in his own dungeon. The Cathars are allowed to leave and expelled with nothing more than their clothes.
Britain •
November – Against the backdrop of the continuing
Papal Interdict of 1208,
John, King of England, is excommunicated by
Pope Innocent III. Despite the excommunication, John will continue to make amends to the Church – including giving alms to the poor whenever he defiles a holy day by hunting during it. He feeds 100 paupers to make up for when he "went into the woods on the feast of St.
Mary Magdalen", and three years from now, he will feast 450 paupers "because the king went to take cranes, and he took nine, for each of which he feasted fifty paupers." •
Black Monday,
Dublin: A group of 500 recently arrived settlers from
Bristol are massacred by warriors of the Irish
O'Byrne clan. The group (accompanied by women and children) leaves the safety of the walled city of Dublin to celebrate
Easter Monday near a wood at
Ranelagh, and are attacked without warning. Although a relatively obscure event in history, it is commemorated by a mustering of the
Mayor,
Sheriffs, and soldiers on the day, as a challenge to the native tribes for centuries afterwards. •
London Bridge is completed by a stone-arched structure. On the bridge are houses built; this is for paying the maintenance, though it has to be supplemented by other rents and by tolls.
Asia • Spring – The Mongols led by
Genghis Khan begin their first invasion against the
Western Xia state (or Xi Xia). They push up along the
Yellow River, capturing several garrisons and defeating an imperial army. The Mongols besiege the capital
Zhongxing – which holds a well-fortified garrison of some 70,000 men (hastily reinforced with another 50,000). Genghis lacks the proper equipment and experience to take the city. In October, an attempt to flood the city by diverting the Yellow River is disastrous and floods the Mongol camp, forcing the Mongols to withdraw. •
Tamar the Great, queen of
Georgia, raids
Eastern Anatolia and seizes
Kars. She leads a liberational war in southern
Armenia.
By topic Education • In
England, an exodus of scholars from
Oxford leads to foundation of the
University of Cambridge.
Markets • King
Philip II of France ("Augustus") grants a "conduit" to merchants, going to the
Champagne fairs (a
trade fair organized in different towns of the
County of Champagne), guaranteeing the safety of their travel – as any attempt made against them – is now to be considered a crime of
lèse-majesté (an offense against the king). The decision increases again the appeal of the fairs to merchants from
Italy and the
Low Countries. • In
Tuscany, the banking firm known as the
Gran Tavola ("Great Table") is formed; most of the partners are members of the
Bonsignori family.
Religion •
February 24 – The
Franciscan Order is founded by the Italian priest
Francis of Assisi. He and 11 of his followers journey to
Rome where he receives approval of his rule from
Pope Innocent III. Franciscan friars can not own any possessions of any kind. They wander and preach among the people, helping the poor and the sick. They support themselves by working and by begging for food, but they are forbidden to accept money either for work or as alms. The Franciscans work at first in
Umbria and then in the rest of Italy. The impact of these street preachers and especially of their founder is immense, so that within 10 years they number some 5,000 followers. •
October 21 – Innocent III crowns
Otto IV as emperor of the
Holy Roman Empire in
St. Peter's Basilica at
Rome. == Births ==