By place Mongol Empire •
January 15–
20 –
Siege of Moscow: The Mongols under
Batu Khan and
Subutai campaign across the northern heartland of the
Kievan Rus', committing numerous atrocities across multiple settlements, including the sacking of an insignificant town known as
Moscow. According to the
Chronicle of Novgorod, Moscow is a fortified village, a trading post "on a crossroads of four rivers". The village is taken by the Mongols after 5 days of siege. •
March 4 –
Battle of the Sit River: The Mongols defeat a Kievan Rus' army (some 4,000 men) under Grand Prince
Yuri II of Vladimir in an engagement at the
Sit River (located in the
Sonkovsky District). With Yuri's death, so too dies the hope of any united Rus' resistance against the Mongols. Batu Khan splits his forces up into several contingents – ordering each to wreak havoc across the Rus' territories (modern-day
Russia and
Ukraine). • March –
Siege of Kozelsk: The 12-year-old Prince Vasily of
Chernigov (grandson of
Mstislav II Svyatoslavich), manages against all the odds, to hold out in his capital of
Kozelsk for nearly two months with only citizen militia. He leads a successful sortie outside of the walls – where the garrison slaughters thousands of Mongols and destroys siege equipment. Finally, Kozelsk is conquered and Vasily is slaughtered alongside the inhabitants. •
Evpaty Kolovrat, Kievan knight (
bogatyr), returns to his hometown of
Ryazan, which was burnt to the ground by the Mongols in
1237. He gathers some 1,700 survivors and pursues Batu Khan, attacking his rearguard, and annihilating thousands of Mongols. Finally, Kolovrat is slain from afar by siege-weaponry. Batu Khan shows admiration for his bravery and as a sign of respect, returns his body and allows his soldiers to return home. • Autumn – The Mongols under Batu Khan retire, leaving behind the ruined northern Rus' territories. He spends the rest of the year suppressing the last resistance of the
Kipchaks, while his cousin
Möngke (son of
Tolui Khan) conquer the
Alans and the northern
Caucasian tribes. Later, Möngke makes a raid of reconnaissance as far as
Kiev.
Europe •
June 8 –
Treaty of Stensby: The Teutonic Knights sign an agreement with King
Valdemar II of Denmark ("the Conqueror").
William of Modena, Italian papal diplomat, meets Grand Master
Hermann Balk and Valdemar on a Danish island, settling outstanding disputes with
Denmark. The
Livonian Brothers of the Sword are merged into the
Teutonic Order as an autonomous branch and become known as the
Livonian Order. •
July 11 –
Siege of Brescia: Emperor
Frederick II begins the siege of
Brescia. He rejects the negotiations of the
Lombard League and insists on unconditional surrender to the imperial forces in northern
Italy. This blocks all possibilities of a peaceful settlement.
Milan and five other Lombard cities are attacked. In early October, after a successful sortie by the city's defenders, Frederick is forced to lift the siege. •
August 21 –
Battle of Örlygsstaðir: Chieftain
Sighvatr Sturluson and his son,
Sturla Sighvatsson, are defeated by
Kolbeinn ungi Arnórsson and
Gissur Þorvaldsson, for control of
Iceland (known as the
Age of the Sturlungs). •
September 28 – King
James I of Aragon captures the city of Valencia from the
Moors, who retreat to
Granada. During the campaign, James' cousin,
Bernat Guillem de Montpeller, dies from wounds received in action. • Autumn –
Muhammad I, Almohad ruler of the
Emirate of Granada, begins the construction of the
Alhambra Complex on the site of a pre-
Islamic fortress.
England • January –
Simon de Montfort marries the 23-year-old
Eleanor, sister of King
Henry III. While the marriage takes place with the king's approval, the act itself is performed secretly and without consulting the barons. Eleanor has previously been married to
William Marshal and has sworn a vow of perpetual
chastity upon his death, which she breaks by marrying Montfort. Archbishop
Edmund of Abingdon condemns the marriage for this reason.
Middle East •
March 6 –
Al-Kamil, Ayyubid ruler of
Egypt, dies at
Damascus and is succeeded by his 18-year-old son
Al-Adil II. After Al-Kamil's death, a civil war breaks out, and his elder son
As-Salih Ayyub, sets out from Damascus to invade Egypt. But a sudden ''
coup d'état'' dethrones him in favour of his uncle,
As-Salih Ismail. • The
Nizari Imam
Muhammad III and the
Abbasid caliph
Al-Mustansir send a joint diplomatic mission to the European kings
Louis IX of France and
Henry III of England to forge a Muslim–Christian alliance against the Mongols, but this is unsuccessful. == Births ==