Battle of Tara: The Byzantines defeat the Serbian-Hungarian army under
Grdeša, count (župan) of
Travunija, near the snow-covered
Tara River. The Serbs are overpowered, and Grand Prince
Uroš II is forced to accept the peace agreement made by Emperor
Manuel I (Komnenos). Uroš is succeeded by his brother
Desa, who becomes co-ruler of the
Principality of Serbia (until
1153).[1]
Levant
Spring –
Joscelin II, count of
Edessa, on his way to
Antioch is separated from his escort and falls into the hands of some Turcoman free-booters.
Nur al-Din, ruler (atabeg) of
Aleppo, heard of Joscelin's capture and sends a squadron of cavalry to take him from his captors. Joscelin is led before a hostile crowd and publicly blinded. Nur al-Din puts him in prison in the
Citadel of Aleppo.[2]
The city of
Ascalon is fortified with 53 towers by order of the 17-year-old Caliph
Al-Zafir, as it is the most strategic frontier fortress of the
Fatimid Caliphate.[4]
The Irish Chronology (Chronicon Scotorum) is written (approximate date).
By topic
Religion
The 15-year-old King
Inge I (the Hunchback) of
Norway calls for a meeting at
Bergen of all religious leaders in anticipation that the English cardinal
Nicholas Breakspear will find an archbishopric at
Trondheim.
Confronted with internal strife, the commune of
Bologna is the first Italian
republic to turn to the rule of a
podestà, Guido di Ranieri da Sasso (it ends in
1155).[21][22]
Spring – King
Baldwin III and his mother, Queen
Melisende, are called to intervene in a dispute between Baldwin's aunt
Hodierna and her husband
Raymond II, count of
Tripoli. Hodierna decides to take a long holiday, and travels to
Jerusalem, while Raymond escorts her out on the road southwards. On the way back to Tripoli, a group of
Assassins stabs him to death at the southern gate of the city. The garrison rushes to arms and pours into the streets, slaying every Muslim in their way, but the Assassins manage to escape; the motive of their act is never known.[23]
Baldwin III demands more authority and blames
Manasses, ruler of
Ramla, for interfering with his legal succession as ruler of Jerusalem. He demands a second coronation from Patriarch
Fulcher separated from Melisende. Fulcher refuses, and as a kind of self-coronation Baldwin parades through the city streets with laurel wreaths on his head. Before the High Court (Haute Cour) the decision is made to divide the kingdom into two districts.
Baldwin III begins a civil war against Melisende and launches an invasion in the south. He captures the castle of
Mirabel, which is defended by Manasses. Baldwin spares his life and is exiled,
Nablus thereupon surrenders soon after. Melisende seeks refuge in the
Tower of David with her younger son, the 16-year-old
Amalric. Baldwin enters Jerusalem, he allows his mother to retain Nablus and the neighbourhood as her dower.[24]
February 15 – King
Conrad III dies after a 14-year reign at
Bamberg. He is succeeded by his 29-year-old nephew
Frederick I (Barbarossa), duke of
Swabia, who is crowned as
King of the Germans at
Aachen several days later, on
March 9. Frederick becomes sole ruler of
Germany and receives the royal insignia, despite the fact that Conrad has a 6-year-old son,
Frederick IV, who becomes duke of Swabia.
March 21 – King
Louis VII repudiates his marriage to
Eleanor of Aquitaine and has it annulled on grounds of misconduct and consanguinity – returning her lands and titles. Within 6 weeks, Eleanor re-marries
Henry of Anjou, who had claimed the counties of
Anjou and
Maine, and the province of
Touraine upon the death of his father
Geoffrey Plantagenet (the Fair), the previous year. With the addition of Eleanor's lands, he now controls territory stretching unbroken, from
Cherbourg to
Bayonne.[26]
April 6 – King
Stephen has his nobles swear fealty to his son
Eustace, as the rightful heir of the English throne.
Theobald, archbishop of
Canterbury, and other bishops refuse to crown Eustace favouring Henry of Anjou to claim the throne instead. Stephen confiscates their property and Theobald is forced into exile in
Flanders.
Stephen besieges
Newbury Castle and holds the young
William as a hostage to ensure that his father,
John Marshal, keeps his promise to surrender the castle. When John refuses to comply, Stephen threatened to have the young boy
catapulted over the walls. After this, William remains a crown hostage for many months.[27]
Spring – The 19-year-old
Henry II of England lands with a Norman fleet (some 40 ships) on the south coast of
England. He defeats King
Stephen (a cousin of his mother, Queen
Matilda) with a small army at
Malmesbury. Henry travels north through the
Midlands, while a temporary truce is accepted.
Robert de Beaumont, 2nd
Earl of Leicester, announces his support for the cause. Hoping to dethrone Stephen and replace him with Matilda.[29]
August – Stephen assemble troops to renew the siege of
Wallingford Castle in a final attempt to take the stronghold. Henry of Anjou marches south to relieve the siege, arriving with a small army of mercenaries. He places Stephen's besieging troops under siege themselves. Stephen agrees to make a truce and accepts Henry as heir to the English throne.[31]
November 6 – The
Treaty of Wallingford: Henry of Anjou and Stephen ratify the terms of a permanent peace under the direction of Archbishop
Theobald of Bec. Ending the civil war (
The Anarchy) – between England and
Normandy after 18-years. The treaty grants the throne to Stephen for the duration of his life, but makes Henry the heir apparent.[32]
February 10 –
Taira no Tadamori dies after a career in which he has used his military and diplomatic skills to subdue the
pirates menacing commerce in the
Seto Inland Sea. He expands trade with
China and becomes the first
samurai to serve Emperor
Konoe as personal bodyguard. He is succeeded by his son
Taira no Kiyomori, who assumes control of the
Taira Clan. He establishes the first samurai-dominated government in
Japan.
Estimation: Constantinople, capital of the
Byzantine Empire, becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from
Merv in the
Seljuk Empire.[35]
April 18 –
Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of
Aleppo, encamps before
Damascus and overthrows
Mujir al-Din by force with support of the Jewish citizens, who open the eastern gate to the bulk of his army. Mujir flees to the citadel, but capitulates after only a few hours. He is offered his life and the Emirate of
Homs. A few weeks later Mujir is suspected of plotting with old friends in Damascus and is exiled to
Baghdad. Damascus is annexed to
Zangid territory and all of
Syria is unified under the authority of Nur al-Din, from
Edessa in the north to the
Hauran to the south.[36]
Nur al-Din establishes the
Al-Nuri Hospital in Damascus. The hospital has outpatient consulting rooms, a conference room, prayer hall, vestibules and bathrooms.[37]
Europe
February 26 – King
Roger II dies at
Palermo after a 24-year reign. He is succeeded by his fourth son
William I (the Bad) as ruler of
Sicily. William appoints
Maio of Bari, a man of low birth, to chancellor and his adviser. He pursues his father's policy of strengthening authority over the towns and the Italian nobles, who rally around his cousin
Robert III, count of
Loritello, in
Apulia and Calabria.
Autumn – King
Frederick I (Barbarossa) leads a expedition into
Italy for his imperial coronation. He wants to impose his will upon the towns and cities of
Lombardy, a region long accustomed to interference from
Germany. Frederick encounters stiff resistance to his authority, the Lombard nobles are unwilling to acknowledge his rule and the rights to raise taxes.[38]
The
Almohad army conquers the last independent Muslim stronghold at
Granada (modern
Spain), after a six year siege.[39]
A plan to conquer
Ireland is approved by Adrian IV in a
Papal Bull (a formal proclamation issued by the pope) called Laudabiliter. It gives Henry II lordship over Ireland, but the Irish kings resist English rule.
Spring –
Raynald of Châtillon, prince of
Antioch, makes an alliance with
Thoros II (the Great), ruler of
Armenian Cilicia. He invades
Cyprus and conducts a widespread plundering of the Byzantine island.[46] The Crusaders and the Armenian forces march up and down the island robbing and pillaging every building, church and convent as well as shops and private houses. The crops are burnt; the herds are rounded up – together with all the population – and driven down to the coast. The massacre lasts about three weeks; on the rumor of a Byzantine fleet in the offing, Raynald gives the order for embarkation. The Crusader ships are loaded with booty, and every Cypriot is forced to ransom himself.[47]
August 12 – The
1157 Hama earthquake takes place after a year of foreshocks. Its name is taken from the city of
Hama, in west-central
Syria (then under
Seljuk rule), where the most casualties are sustained.[53]
Autumn – Emperor
Manuel I (Komnenos) sets out from
Constantinople at the head of an expeditionary army. He marches to
Cillicia; and while the main army follows the coast road eastwards – Manuel hurries ahead with a force of only 500 cavalry. He manages to surprise King
Thoros II (the Great), who has participated in the attack on
Cyprus (see
1156). Thoros flees into the mountains and Cilicia is occupied by the Byzantines.[58]
The
Diet of Roncaglia is convoked by Frederick I. He mobilises an army of 100,000 men and leaves in June for a second Italian expedition – accompanied by
Henry the Lion and his Saxon forces. He crosses the
Alps and lays
siege to Milan. German forces capture the city from the rebels after a short siege.[59] However Milan soon rebels again, with
Empress Beatrice taken captive and forced into
parading on a donkey.
Summer – King
Henry II travels to
France to meet King
Louis VII and propose a marriage between his three-year-old son
Henry and Louis' daughter
Margaret (less than a year old). She is shipped to
England, as the future wife and queen. The
Vexin region is promised to Margaret as
dowry and is put under the care of the
Knights Templar, until her future husband is old enough to take control of it.[62]
The 12-year-old
William Marshal is sent to the
Château de Tancarville in
Normandy to be brought up in the household of
William the Tancarville, a cousin of William's mother. He begins his training as a knight, this also includes academic studies, practical lessons in chivalry and courtly life, and warfare and combat (using wooden swords and spears).
September 5 – Emperor
Go-Shirakawa abdicates the throne after a 3-year reign. He is succeeded by his 15-year-old son
Nijō as the 77th emperor of
Japan. Go-Shirakawa retains power, and gives
Kiyomori Taira a higher position to lead a
samurai-dominated government.
^Joannes Cinnamus (1976). Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus, p. 87. Columbia University Press.
ISBN978-0-231-52155-0.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 267.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^Smail, R. C. (1956). Crusading Warfare 1097–1193, p. 160. New York: Barnes & Noble Books.
ISBN1-56619-769-4.
^Gore, Rick (January 2001). "Ancient Ashkelon". National Geographic.
^Knödler, Julia (2010). Germany: Narrative (1125–1250), p. 178. Clifford J. (ed). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology, pp. 176–185. New York: Oxford University Press.
^Nobel, Keith Allan (1994). Changing Doctoral Degrees: An International Perspective. Society for Research into Higher Education.
ISBN0335192130.
^Joseph Rickaby (1908).
Scholasticism. A. Constable. p. 23.
^Dutton, Kathryn (2015-12-01). "Crusading and political culture under Geoffrey, count of Anjou and duke of Normandy, 1129–51". French History. 29 (4): 419–444.
doi:
10.1093/fh/crv014.
ISSN0269-1191.
^Bombaci, Alessio (1959). "Summary report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. Introduction to the Excavations at Ghazni". East and West. 10 (1/2): 3–22.
ISSN0012-8376.
JSTOR29754076.
^F.R.Hist.S., George R. Potter M. A. Ph d F. S. A. (2009-12-15). "A note on the Devonshire papers at Ghatsworth House, Derbyshire". Journal of the Society of Archivists. 4 (2): 124–129.
doi:
10.1080/00379817009513947.
^Picard, Christophe (1997). La mer et les musulmans d'Occident VIIIe-XIIIe siècle. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
^Bradbury, Jim (2009). Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139–53, p. 180. Stroud, UK: The History Press.
ISBN978-0-7509-3793-1.
^Duncan, A.A.M. (2002). The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence, p. 71. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
ISBN0-7486-1626-8.
^Bradbury, Jim (2009). Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139–53, p. 183. Stroud, UK: The History Press.
ISBN978-0-7509-3793-1.
^Warren, W. L. (1961). King John. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 21.
^Williams, John B. (1997). "The making of a crusade: the Genoese anti-Muslim attacks in Spain 1146–1148". Journal of Medieval History. 23 (1): 29–53.
doi:
10.1016/s0304-4181(96)00022-x.
^White, Graeme J. (2000). Restoration and Reform, 1153–1165: Recovery From Civil War in England, p. 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN978-0-521-55459-6.
^Ghazarian, Jacob G. (2000). The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1393. Routledge Curzon (Taylor & Francis Group), 2000, Abingdon.
ISBN0-7007-1418-9.
^Runciman, Steven (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 283.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^Holt, Richard (2000).
"Society and Population 600 - 1300". In Palliser, D. M.; Clark, Peter; Daunton, Martin J. (eds.). The Cambridge Urban History of Britain. Vol. 600–1540. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 88.
ISBN9780521444613.
^Picard, Christophe (2000). Le Portugal musulman (VIIIe-XIIIe siècle. L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. p. 110.
ISBN2-7068-1398-9.
^King John by Warren. Published by University of California Press in 1961. p. 27.
^Barlow, Frank (April 1936). "The English, Norman, and French Councils Called to Deal with the Papal Schism of 1159". The English Historical Review. 51 (202): 264–268.
doi:
10.1093/ehr/LI.CCII.264.
ISSN0013-8266.
JSTOR553521. In September 1159 Pope Adrian IV died, and a double election was made to the Papacy. The imperialist faction chose Octavian, cardinal-priest of St. Cecilia, who took the title of Victor IV, and the church party Roland, the chancellor, who became known as Alexander III.
^Dolan, Terence (2002) [1999].
"Chapter 8: Writing in Ireland". In Wallace, David (ed.). The Cambridge History of Medieval English Literature. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 208.
ISBN9780521890465.
^Karn, Nicholas (2007). "Nigel, bishop of Ely, and the restoration of the exchequer after the 'anarchy' of King Stephen's reign*". Historical Research. 80 (209): 299–314.
doi:
10.1111/j.1468-2281.2006.00392.x.
ISSN1468-2281. The author of the Liber Eliensis indicates that Richard was appointed in 1159, during the preparations for the Toulouse campaign
^Romanova, Anna; Yakushenkova, Olesia (August 2012). Ching Chan, Selina (ed.). "Comparative Analysis of the Image of the Stranger in Chinese and Russian Discourse". Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference of the Asian Studies Association. Hong Kong Shue Yan University - The Contemporary China Research Center: 1160.
ISBN978-988-18445-0-7. An example of Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave's life (1151-1202) is a good example of such types of relations with some nomadic tribes that lived close to the borders of Russian Kingdom.
^Miyawaki–okada, Junko (1 January 2006). "The Japanese Origin of the Chinggis Khan Legends". Inner Asia. 8 (1): 123–34.
doi:
10.1163/146481706793646819.
ISSN2210-5018. Minamoto no Yoshitsune, or Gen Gikei as his name is in Sino-Japanese pronunciation, was born in 1159 as a half brother of Minamoto no Yoritomo
^Inglis, Erik (2015-09-01). "Remembering and Forgetting Suger at Saint-Denis, 1151–1534: An Abbot's Reputation between Memory and History". Gesta. 54 (2): 219–243.
doi:
10.1086/681955.
ISSN0016-920X.
S2CID163497330.
^Dalton, Paul (2007). "The Date of Geoffrey Gaimar's "Estoire Des Engleis," the Connections of His Patrons, and the Politics of Stephen's Reign". The Chaucer Review. 42 (1): 23–47.
doi:
10.1353/cr.2007.0020.
ISSN0009-2002.
JSTOR25094383. A terminus ante quern of 1151 might appear at first sight to be supported by references to Adeliza of Louvain, who died in 1151
^Keefe, Thomas K. (1974). "Geoffrey Plantagenet's Will and the Angevin Succession*". Albion. 6 (3): 266–274.
doi:
10.2307/4048247.
ISSN0095-1390.
JSTOR4048247. Count Geoffrey Plantagenet's sudden death in September 1151 came at a most inopportune time for his eighteen-year-old son, Henry.
^Bauer, Susan Wise (2013).
"Chapter Nineteen: Foreign Relations". The History of the Renaissance World: From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 134.
ISBN9780393240672.
^Salamon, Maciej; Hardt, Matthias; Kruk, Mirosław Piotr; Sulikowska, Aleksandra (2012).
"The Archetypal Crusader. Henry of Sandomierz, the Second Youngest Son of Bolesław III by Darius Von Güttner-Sporzyński". Rome, Constantinople and Newly-converted Europe: Archaeological and Historical Evidence. Kraków, Leipzig, Rzeszów, Warszawa: Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas. p. 215.
ISBN9788389499851. Within the decade of his birth Henry's father died, and Henry's elder half-brother Władysław ii Wygnaniec (the exile [1105-1159]) ascended the Polish throne.
^Lingard, John (1874).
"Chapter VIII: William I, Surnamed The Conqueror". The History of England: From the First Invasion by the Romans to the Accession of William and Mary in 1688. Dublin: James Duffy & Sons. p. 216.
^McDougall, Sara (2017).
Royal Bastards: The Birth of Illegitimacy, 800-1230. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 202.
ISBN9780198785828. In 1159 William "Longsword", count of Boulogne, earl of Warenne by right of his wife, the son of King Stephen of England and his wife Matilda of Boulogne, died without issue.
^Hillenbrand, Carol (2003).
"The Imprisonment of Reynald at Châtillon". In Robinson, Chase F. (ed.). Texts, documents, and artefacts [electronic resource]: Islamic studies in honour of D.S. Richards. Leiden, Boston: BRILL. p. 91.
ISBN9789004128644.
Battle of Tara: The Byzantines defeat the Serbian-Hungarian army under
Grdeša, count (župan) of
Travunija, near the snow-covered
Tara River. The Serbs are overpowered, and Grand Prince
Uroš II is forced to accept the peace agreement made by Emperor
Manuel I (Komnenos). Uroš is succeeded by his brother
Desa, who becomes co-ruler of the
Principality of Serbia (until
1153).[1]
Levant
Spring –
Joscelin II, count of
Edessa, on his way to
Antioch is separated from his escort and falls into the hands of some Turcoman free-booters.
Nur al-Din, ruler (atabeg) of
Aleppo, heard of Joscelin's capture and sends a squadron of cavalry to take him from his captors. Joscelin is led before a hostile crowd and publicly blinded. Nur al-Din puts him in prison in the
Citadel of Aleppo.[2]
The city of
Ascalon is fortified with 53 towers by order of the 17-year-old Caliph
Al-Zafir, as it is the most strategic frontier fortress of the
Fatimid Caliphate.[4]
The Irish Chronology (Chronicon Scotorum) is written (approximate date).
By topic
Religion
The 15-year-old King
Inge I (the Hunchback) of
Norway calls for a meeting at
Bergen of all religious leaders in anticipation that the English cardinal
Nicholas Breakspear will find an archbishopric at
Trondheim.
Confronted with internal strife, the commune of
Bologna is the first Italian
republic to turn to the rule of a
podestà, Guido di Ranieri da Sasso (it ends in
1155).[21][22]
Spring – King
Baldwin III and his mother, Queen
Melisende, are called to intervene in a dispute between Baldwin's aunt
Hodierna and her husband
Raymond II, count of
Tripoli. Hodierna decides to take a long holiday, and travels to
Jerusalem, while Raymond escorts her out on the road southwards. On the way back to Tripoli, a group of
Assassins stabs him to death at the southern gate of the city. The garrison rushes to arms and pours into the streets, slaying every Muslim in their way, but the Assassins manage to escape; the motive of their act is never known.[23]
Baldwin III demands more authority and blames
Manasses, ruler of
Ramla, for interfering with his legal succession as ruler of Jerusalem. He demands a second coronation from Patriarch
Fulcher separated from Melisende. Fulcher refuses, and as a kind of self-coronation Baldwin parades through the city streets with laurel wreaths on his head. Before the High Court (Haute Cour) the decision is made to divide the kingdom into two districts.
Baldwin III begins a civil war against Melisende and launches an invasion in the south. He captures the castle of
Mirabel, which is defended by Manasses. Baldwin spares his life and is exiled,
Nablus thereupon surrenders soon after. Melisende seeks refuge in the
Tower of David with her younger son, the 16-year-old
Amalric. Baldwin enters Jerusalem, he allows his mother to retain Nablus and the neighbourhood as her dower.[24]
February 15 – King
Conrad III dies after a 14-year reign at
Bamberg. He is succeeded by his 29-year-old nephew
Frederick I (Barbarossa), duke of
Swabia, who is crowned as
King of the Germans at
Aachen several days later, on
March 9. Frederick becomes sole ruler of
Germany and receives the royal insignia, despite the fact that Conrad has a 6-year-old son,
Frederick IV, who becomes duke of Swabia.
March 21 – King
Louis VII repudiates his marriage to
Eleanor of Aquitaine and has it annulled on grounds of misconduct and consanguinity – returning her lands and titles. Within 6 weeks, Eleanor re-marries
Henry of Anjou, who had claimed the counties of
Anjou and
Maine, and the province of
Touraine upon the death of his father
Geoffrey Plantagenet (the Fair), the previous year. With the addition of Eleanor's lands, he now controls territory stretching unbroken, from
Cherbourg to
Bayonne.[26]
April 6 – King
Stephen has his nobles swear fealty to his son
Eustace, as the rightful heir of the English throne.
Theobald, archbishop of
Canterbury, and other bishops refuse to crown Eustace favouring Henry of Anjou to claim the throne instead. Stephen confiscates their property and Theobald is forced into exile in
Flanders.
Stephen besieges
Newbury Castle and holds the young
William as a hostage to ensure that his father,
John Marshal, keeps his promise to surrender the castle. When John refuses to comply, Stephen threatened to have the young boy
catapulted over the walls. After this, William remains a crown hostage for many months.[27]
Spring – The 19-year-old
Henry II of England lands with a Norman fleet (some 40 ships) on the south coast of
England. He defeats King
Stephen (a cousin of his mother, Queen
Matilda) with a small army at
Malmesbury. Henry travels north through the
Midlands, while a temporary truce is accepted.
Robert de Beaumont, 2nd
Earl of Leicester, announces his support for the cause. Hoping to dethrone Stephen and replace him with Matilda.[29]
August – Stephen assemble troops to renew the siege of
Wallingford Castle in a final attempt to take the stronghold. Henry of Anjou marches south to relieve the siege, arriving with a small army of mercenaries. He places Stephen's besieging troops under siege themselves. Stephen agrees to make a truce and accepts Henry as heir to the English throne.[31]
November 6 – The
Treaty of Wallingford: Henry of Anjou and Stephen ratify the terms of a permanent peace under the direction of Archbishop
Theobald of Bec. Ending the civil war (
The Anarchy) – between England and
Normandy after 18-years. The treaty grants the throne to Stephen for the duration of his life, but makes Henry the heir apparent.[32]
February 10 –
Taira no Tadamori dies after a career in which he has used his military and diplomatic skills to subdue the
pirates menacing commerce in the
Seto Inland Sea. He expands trade with
China and becomes the first
samurai to serve Emperor
Konoe as personal bodyguard. He is succeeded by his son
Taira no Kiyomori, who assumes control of the
Taira Clan. He establishes the first samurai-dominated government in
Japan.
Estimation: Constantinople, capital of the
Byzantine Empire, becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from
Merv in the
Seljuk Empire.[35]
April 18 –
Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of
Aleppo, encamps before
Damascus and overthrows
Mujir al-Din by force with support of the Jewish citizens, who open the eastern gate to the bulk of his army. Mujir flees to the citadel, but capitulates after only a few hours. He is offered his life and the Emirate of
Homs. A few weeks later Mujir is suspected of plotting with old friends in Damascus and is exiled to
Baghdad. Damascus is annexed to
Zangid territory and all of
Syria is unified under the authority of Nur al-Din, from
Edessa in the north to the
Hauran to the south.[36]
Nur al-Din establishes the
Al-Nuri Hospital in Damascus. The hospital has outpatient consulting rooms, a conference room, prayer hall, vestibules and bathrooms.[37]
Europe
February 26 – King
Roger II dies at
Palermo after a 24-year reign. He is succeeded by his fourth son
William I (the Bad) as ruler of
Sicily. William appoints
Maio of Bari, a man of low birth, to chancellor and his adviser. He pursues his father's policy of strengthening authority over the towns and the Italian nobles, who rally around his cousin
Robert III, count of
Loritello, in
Apulia and Calabria.
Autumn – King
Frederick I (Barbarossa) leads a expedition into
Italy for his imperial coronation. He wants to impose his will upon the towns and cities of
Lombardy, a region long accustomed to interference from
Germany. Frederick encounters stiff resistance to his authority, the Lombard nobles are unwilling to acknowledge his rule and the rights to raise taxes.[38]
The
Almohad army conquers the last independent Muslim stronghold at
Granada (modern
Spain), after a six year siege.[39]
A plan to conquer
Ireland is approved by Adrian IV in a
Papal Bull (a formal proclamation issued by the pope) called Laudabiliter. It gives Henry II lordship over Ireland, but the Irish kings resist English rule.
Spring –
Raynald of Châtillon, prince of
Antioch, makes an alliance with
Thoros II (the Great), ruler of
Armenian Cilicia. He invades
Cyprus and conducts a widespread plundering of the Byzantine island.[46] The Crusaders and the Armenian forces march up and down the island robbing and pillaging every building, church and convent as well as shops and private houses. The crops are burnt; the herds are rounded up – together with all the population – and driven down to the coast. The massacre lasts about three weeks; on the rumor of a Byzantine fleet in the offing, Raynald gives the order for embarkation. The Crusader ships are loaded with booty, and every Cypriot is forced to ransom himself.[47]
August 12 – The
1157 Hama earthquake takes place after a year of foreshocks. Its name is taken from the city of
Hama, in west-central
Syria (then under
Seljuk rule), where the most casualties are sustained.[53]
Autumn – Emperor
Manuel I (Komnenos) sets out from
Constantinople at the head of an expeditionary army. He marches to
Cillicia; and while the main army follows the coast road eastwards – Manuel hurries ahead with a force of only 500 cavalry. He manages to surprise King
Thoros II (the Great), who has participated in the attack on
Cyprus (see
1156). Thoros flees into the mountains and Cilicia is occupied by the Byzantines.[58]
The
Diet of Roncaglia is convoked by Frederick I. He mobilises an army of 100,000 men and leaves in June for a second Italian expedition – accompanied by
Henry the Lion and his Saxon forces. He crosses the
Alps and lays
siege to Milan. German forces capture the city from the rebels after a short siege.[59] However Milan soon rebels again, with
Empress Beatrice taken captive and forced into
parading on a donkey.
Summer – King
Henry II travels to
France to meet King
Louis VII and propose a marriage between his three-year-old son
Henry and Louis' daughter
Margaret (less than a year old). She is shipped to
England, as the future wife and queen. The
Vexin region is promised to Margaret as
dowry and is put under the care of the
Knights Templar, until her future husband is old enough to take control of it.[62]
The 12-year-old
William Marshal is sent to the
Château de Tancarville in
Normandy to be brought up in the household of
William the Tancarville, a cousin of William's mother. He begins his training as a knight, this also includes academic studies, practical lessons in chivalry and courtly life, and warfare and combat (using wooden swords and spears).
September 5 – Emperor
Go-Shirakawa abdicates the throne after a 3-year reign. He is succeeded by his 15-year-old son
Nijō as the 77th emperor of
Japan. Go-Shirakawa retains power, and gives
Kiyomori Taira a higher position to lead a
samurai-dominated government.
^Joannes Cinnamus (1976). Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus, p. 87. Columbia University Press.
ISBN978-0-231-52155-0.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 267.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^Smail, R. C. (1956). Crusading Warfare 1097–1193, p. 160. New York: Barnes & Noble Books.
ISBN1-56619-769-4.
^Gore, Rick (January 2001). "Ancient Ashkelon". National Geographic.
^Knödler, Julia (2010). Germany: Narrative (1125–1250), p. 178. Clifford J. (ed). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology, pp. 176–185. New York: Oxford University Press.
^Nobel, Keith Allan (1994). Changing Doctoral Degrees: An International Perspective. Society for Research into Higher Education.
ISBN0335192130.
^Joseph Rickaby (1908).
Scholasticism. A. Constable. p. 23.
^Dutton, Kathryn (2015-12-01). "Crusading and political culture under Geoffrey, count of Anjou and duke of Normandy, 1129–51". French History. 29 (4): 419–444.
doi:
10.1093/fh/crv014.
ISSN0269-1191.
^Bombaci, Alessio (1959). "Summary report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. Introduction to the Excavations at Ghazni". East and West. 10 (1/2): 3–22.
ISSN0012-8376.
JSTOR29754076.
^F.R.Hist.S., George R. Potter M. A. Ph d F. S. A. (2009-12-15). "A note on the Devonshire papers at Ghatsworth House, Derbyshire". Journal of the Society of Archivists. 4 (2): 124–129.
doi:
10.1080/00379817009513947.
^Picard, Christophe (1997). La mer et les musulmans d'Occident VIIIe-XIIIe siècle. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
^Bradbury, Jim (2009). Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139–53, p. 180. Stroud, UK: The History Press.
ISBN978-0-7509-3793-1.
^Duncan, A.A.M. (2002). The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence, p. 71. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
ISBN0-7486-1626-8.
^Bradbury, Jim (2009). Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139–53, p. 183. Stroud, UK: The History Press.
ISBN978-0-7509-3793-1.
^Warren, W. L. (1961). King John. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 21.
^Williams, John B. (1997). "The making of a crusade: the Genoese anti-Muslim attacks in Spain 1146–1148". Journal of Medieval History. 23 (1): 29–53.
doi:
10.1016/s0304-4181(96)00022-x.
^White, Graeme J. (2000). Restoration and Reform, 1153–1165: Recovery From Civil War in England, p. 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN978-0-521-55459-6.
^Ghazarian, Jacob G. (2000). The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1393. Routledge Curzon (Taylor & Francis Group), 2000, Abingdon.
ISBN0-7007-1418-9.
^Runciman, Steven (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 283.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^Holt, Richard (2000).
"Society and Population 600 - 1300". In Palliser, D. M.; Clark, Peter; Daunton, Martin J. (eds.). The Cambridge Urban History of Britain. Vol. 600–1540. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 88.
ISBN9780521444613.
^Picard, Christophe (2000). Le Portugal musulman (VIIIe-XIIIe siècle. L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. p. 110.
ISBN2-7068-1398-9.
^King John by Warren. Published by University of California Press in 1961. p. 27.
^Barlow, Frank (April 1936). "The English, Norman, and French Councils Called to Deal with the Papal Schism of 1159". The English Historical Review. 51 (202): 264–268.
doi:
10.1093/ehr/LI.CCII.264.
ISSN0013-8266.
JSTOR553521. In September 1159 Pope Adrian IV died, and a double election was made to the Papacy. The imperialist faction chose Octavian, cardinal-priest of St. Cecilia, who took the title of Victor IV, and the church party Roland, the chancellor, who became known as Alexander III.
^Dolan, Terence (2002) [1999].
"Chapter 8: Writing in Ireland". In Wallace, David (ed.). The Cambridge History of Medieval English Literature. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 208.
ISBN9780521890465.
^Karn, Nicholas (2007). "Nigel, bishop of Ely, and the restoration of the exchequer after the 'anarchy' of King Stephen's reign*". Historical Research. 80 (209): 299–314.
doi:
10.1111/j.1468-2281.2006.00392.x.
ISSN1468-2281. The author of the Liber Eliensis indicates that Richard was appointed in 1159, during the preparations for the Toulouse campaign
^Romanova, Anna; Yakushenkova, Olesia (August 2012). Ching Chan, Selina (ed.). "Comparative Analysis of the Image of the Stranger in Chinese and Russian Discourse". Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference of the Asian Studies Association. Hong Kong Shue Yan University - The Contemporary China Research Center: 1160.
ISBN978-988-18445-0-7. An example of Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave's life (1151-1202) is a good example of such types of relations with some nomadic tribes that lived close to the borders of Russian Kingdom.
^Miyawaki–okada, Junko (1 January 2006). "The Japanese Origin of the Chinggis Khan Legends". Inner Asia. 8 (1): 123–34.
doi:
10.1163/146481706793646819.
ISSN2210-5018. Minamoto no Yoshitsune, or Gen Gikei as his name is in Sino-Japanese pronunciation, was born in 1159 as a half brother of Minamoto no Yoritomo
^Inglis, Erik (2015-09-01). "Remembering and Forgetting Suger at Saint-Denis, 1151–1534: An Abbot's Reputation between Memory and History". Gesta. 54 (2): 219–243.
doi:
10.1086/681955.
ISSN0016-920X.
S2CID163497330.
^Dalton, Paul (2007). "The Date of Geoffrey Gaimar's "Estoire Des Engleis," the Connections of His Patrons, and the Politics of Stephen's Reign". The Chaucer Review. 42 (1): 23–47.
doi:
10.1353/cr.2007.0020.
ISSN0009-2002.
JSTOR25094383. A terminus ante quern of 1151 might appear at first sight to be supported by references to Adeliza of Louvain, who died in 1151
^Keefe, Thomas K. (1974). "Geoffrey Plantagenet's Will and the Angevin Succession*". Albion. 6 (3): 266–274.
doi:
10.2307/4048247.
ISSN0095-1390.
JSTOR4048247. Count Geoffrey Plantagenet's sudden death in September 1151 came at a most inopportune time for his eighteen-year-old son, Henry.
^Bauer, Susan Wise (2013).
"Chapter Nineteen: Foreign Relations". The History of the Renaissance World: From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 134.
ISBN9780393240672.
^Salamon, Maciej; Hardt, Matthias; Kruk, Mirosław Piotr; Sulikowska, Aleksandra (2012).
"The Archetypal Crusader. Henry of Sandomierz, the Second Youngest Son of Bolesław III by Darius Von Güttner-Sporzyński". Rome, Constantinople and Newly-converted Europe: Archaeological and Historical Evidence. Kraków, Leipzig, Rzeszów, Warszawa: Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas. p. 215.
ISBN9788389499851. Within the decade of his birth Henry's father died, and Henry's elder half-brother Władysław ii Wygnaniec (the exile [1105-1159]) ascended the Polish throne.
^Lingard, John (1874).
"Chapter VIII: William I, Surnamed The Conqueror". The History of England: From the First Invasion by the Romans to the Accession of William and Mary in 1688. Dublin: James Duffy & Sons. p. 216.
^McDougall, Sara (2017).
Royal Bastards: The Birth of Illegitimacy, 800-1230. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 202.
ISBN9780198785828. In 1159 William "Longsword", count of Boulogne, earl of Warenne by right of his wife, the son of King Stephen of England and his wife Matilda of Boulogne, died without issue.
^Hillenbrand, Carol (2003).
"The Imprisonment of Reynald at Châtillon". In Robinson, Chase F. (ed.). Texts, documents, and artefacts [electronic resource]: Islamic studies in honour of D.S. Richards. Leiden, Boston: BRILL. p. 91.
ISBN9789004128644.