May 24 – Duke
Skule Bårdsson, claimant to the Norwegian throne, is defeated by King
Haakon IV (the Old) and his supporters. He seeks refuge in
Elgeseter Priory in
Trondheim, and Haakon burns down the monastery, in which Skule is burned alive. Haakon becomes the undisputed ruler; this ends the
civil war era in Norway, after 110 years.
July 15 –
Battle of the Neva: A Swedish army under Bishop
Thomas sails up the
Gulf of Finland in their longboats. They proceed into the
Neva River with the aim of seizing control over
Lake Ladoga and from there, striking at the city of
Novgorod. Prince
Alexander rallies his druzhina comparable to the 'household' of western European countries, and decisively routs the Swedish forces, saving the
Novgorod Republic from a full-scale enemy invasion from the North. As a result, Alexander wins his first military victory at the age of 19 and receives the title of Nevsky.[1]
Winter – Alexander Nevsky quarrels with the Kievan nobles (boyars) and merchants of Novgorod, probably about peaceful trade with the westerners. He is banished, along with his mother, wife, and his druzhina to take up residence in the region around
Moscow, a minor town on the western border of the
Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal.[2]
Summer –
As-Salih Ayyub becomes ruler of
Egypt, after deposing his half-brother
Al-Adil II. Meanwhile, other members of the
Ayyubid Dynasty are conspiring to depose him and replace him with his uncle,
As-Salih Ismail. During his reign, As-Salih begins buying large numbers of
Kipchak slaves, to form an elite core in the Egyptian army, known as
Mamluks.[4]
Levant
October 10 –
Richard of Cornwall, brother of King
Henry III, arrives at
Acre for a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem. His pilgrimage has the approval of Emperor
Frederick II, who is married to his younger sister,
Isabella of England, and gives him the task to make arrangements with the Military Orders. On his arrival, Richard travels to
Ascalon, where he is met by ambassadors from As-Salih Ayyub. As a negotiator, he is successful in the release of prisoners captured at
Gaza (see
1239), and he also assists with the building of the citadel in Ascalon.[5]
Mongol Empire
Winter – The Mongols under
Batu Khan cross the frozen
Dnieper River and
lay siege to the city of Kiev. On
December 6, the walls are rendered rubble by Chinese catapults and the Mongols pour into the city. Brutal hand-to-hand street fighting occurs, the Kievans are eventually forced to fall back to the central parts of the city. Many people take refuge in the
Church of the Blessed Virgin. As scores of terrified Kievans climb onto the Church's upper balcony to shield themselves from Mongol arrows, their collective weight strain its infrastructure, causing the roof to collapse and crush countless citizens under its weight. Of a total population of 50,000, all but 2,000 are massacred.[6]
Pope
Gregory IX authorizes a
Crusade against Novgorod, hoping that the
Kievan Rus' will be too preoccupied dealing with the raiding Mongols to the east to defend.
^David Nicolle (2005). Osprey: Lake Peipus 1242 – Battle on the Ice, p. 53.
ISBN1-85532-553-5.
^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.
^Humphreys, R. Stephen (1977). From Saladin to the Mongols: The Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193–1260, p. 268. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
ISBN0-87395-263-4.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol III: The Kingdom of Acre, pp. 182–183.
ISBN978-0-241-29877-0.
^Perfecky, George (1973). The Hypatian Codex, pp. 43–49. Munich, Germany: Wilhelm Fink Publishing House.
May 24 – Duke
Skule Bårdsson, claimant to the Norwegian throne, is defeated by King
Haakon IV (the Old) and his supporters. He seeks refuge in
Elgeseter Priory in
Trondheim, and Haakon burns down the monastery, in which Skule is burned alive. Haakon becomes the undisputed ruler; this ends the
civil war era in Norway, after 110 years.
July 15 –
Battle of the Neva: A Swedish army under Bishop
Thomas sails up the
Gulf of Finland in their longboats. They proceed into the
Neva River with the aim of seizing control over
Lake Ladoga and from there, striking at the city of
Novgorod. Prince
Alexander rallies his druzhina comparable to the 'household' of western European countries, and decisively routs the Swedish forces, saving the
Novgorod Republic from a full-scale enemy invasion from the North. As a result, Alexander wins his first military victory at the age of 19 and receives the title of Nevsky.[1]
Winter – Alexander Nevsky quarrels with the Kievan nobles (boyars) and merchants of Novgorod, probably about peaceful trade with the westerners. He is banished, along with his mother, wife, and his druzhina to take up residence in the region around
Moscow, a minor town on the western border of the
Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal.[2]
Summer –
As-Salih Ayyub becomes ruler of
Egypt, after deposing his half-brother
Al-Adil II. Meanwhile, other members of the
Ayyubid Dynasty are conspiring to depose him and replace him with his uncle,
As-Salih Ismail. During his reign, As-Salih begins buying large numbers of
Kipchak slaves, to form an elite core in the Egyptian army, known as
Mamluks.[4]
Levant
October 10 –
Richard of Cornwall, brother of King
Henry III, arrives at
Acre for a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem. His pilgrimage has the approval of Emperor
Frederick II, who is married to his younger sister,
Isabella of England, and gives him the task to make arrangements with the Military Orders. On his arrival, Richard travels to
Ascalon, where he is met by ambassadors from As-Salih Ayyub. As a negotiator, he is successful in the release of prisoners captured at
Gaza (see
1239), and he also assists with the building of the citadel in Ascalon.[5]
Mongol Empire
Winter – The Mongols under
Batu Khan cross the frozen
Dnieper River and
lay siege to the city of Kiev. On
December 6, the walls are rendered rubble by Chinese catapults and the Mongols pour into the city. Brutal hand-to-hand street fighting occurs, the Kievans are eventually forced to fall back to the central parts of the city. Many people take refuge in the
Church of the Blessed Virgin. As scores of terrified Kievans climb onto the Church's upper balcony to shield themselves from Mongol arrows, their collective weight strain its infrastructure, causing the roof to collapse and crush countless citizens under its weight. Of a total population of 50,000, all but 2,000 are massacred.[6]
Pope
Gregory IX authorizes a
Crusade against Novgorod, hoping that the
Kievan Rus' will be too preoccupied dealing with the raiding Mongols to the east to defend.
^David Nicolle (2005). Osprey: Lake Peipus 1242 – Battle on the Ice, p. 53.
ISBN1-85532-553-5.
^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.
^Humphreys, R. Stephen (1977). From Saladin to the Mongols: The Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193–1260, p. 268. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
ISBN0-87395-263-4.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol III: The Kingdom of Acre, pp. 182–183.
ISBN978-0-241-29877-0.
^Perfecky, George (1973). The Hypatian Codex, pp. 43–49. Munich, Germany: Wilhelm Fink Publishing House.