By place Europe •
March 16 –
Siege of Montségur: French forces capture and destroy
Château de Montségur in
Languedoc, after a 9-month siege. Some 200 'heretics' (
perfecti and
credentes) are burnt in a
bonfire, near the foot of the castle. This marks the final defeat of the
Cathars (or Albigensians); the followers become scattered fugitives, meeting in forests and mountain wilds. •
March 26 –
Treaty of Almizra: King
James I (
the Conqueror) and King
Ferdinand III (
the Saint) agree on the distribution of Muslim lands yet to be
conquered. All lands south of a line, from the cities of
Biar to
Villajoyosa through
Busot, are reserved for the
Crown of Castile. This ends further Aragonese expansion on the
Iberian Peninsula. •
December – King
Louis IX (
the Saint) falls desperately ill of a severe
malarian infection. Near-death, he vows that if he recovers he will set out for a crusade. Louis' life is spared and as soon as his health permits him, he takes the cross and immediately begins preparations for the
Seventh Crusade.
Levant •
June –
Khwarazmian forces (some 10,000 men) invade Syrian territory, ravaging the land and burning the villages. As
Damascus is too strong for a siege, they attack
Galilee, past the town of
Tiberias – which they capture. The Khwarazmians attack further southward through
Nablus towards
Jerusalem. •
July 15 –
Siege of Jerusalem: Khwarazmian horsemen attack and sack the 'holy city' of Jerusalem. There is bloody fighting in the streets, the Khwarazmian force their way into the
Armenian Quarter, where they decimate the Christian population, and drive out the Jews. The city is left in a state of ruin. •
August 23 – The
Tower of David surrenders to the Khwarazmian forces, some 6,000 Christian men, women and children march out of Jerusalem. As they move along the road toward
Jaffa, they see crusader flags waving on the
Walls of Jerusalem. Returning, some 2,000 of them are massacred. •
October 4 – The Crusaders assemble a force of some 1,000 cavalry and 6,000 men outside
Acre, after hearing that Jerusalem is sacked by the Khwarazmians. They are joined by the Ayyubid forces (some 4,000 men) of
Damascus and
Homs – while Emir
An-Nasir Dawud brings his army from
Kerak. •
October 17 –
Battle of La Forbie: A Crusader army (some 10,000 men) under
Walter IV of Brienne and Ayyubid allies are defeated near
Hiribya (or
La Forbie) by Egyptian and Khwarazmian forces. The army is destroyed, with about 7,500 men killed. Walter and
William of Chastelneuf are captured.
By topic Religion •
June 7 – Pope
Innocent IV is driven from
Rome by imperial forces of Emperor
Frederick II, and travels secretly in disguise to
Sutri. Genoese galleys prepared by his relatives are waiting for him at the port of
Civitavecchia to take him to
Genoa. •
October 5 – Innocent IV flees to
France and travels to
Lyon, where he arrives on
November 29. Although the city is nominally subject to the
Holy Roman Empire, Innocent falls under the protection of Louis IX. •
December 27 – Innocent IV summons a general council to meet in Lyon (some 140 bishops eventually come) to attend what becomes later the
First Council of Lyon. == Births ==