The Second millenium

[Vince]

Welcome to 1161.

Having captured northern China, the Jin Dynasty invades the south. Their navy leads the way across the Yangtze River. But China's new paddle boat navy is faster and more maneuverable, and they use large, ship-mounted catapults to fire explosives onto the Jin ships. So great is Jin's defeat that they assassinate their Emperor and sign a peace treaty.

Moslems in southern Portugal launch a major counter-offensive, driving the Portuguese back to two miles from Lisbon.

After assassinating the King of Sweden last year, the new King is assassinated by Karl VII, who rules six years before he gets assassinated. Little is known about him other than the Catholic Church grew during his reign.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1162!

Much of northern Italy is in rebellion against the HRE when Emperor Frederick Redbeard surrounds Milan. The city surrenders, and Frederick orders it destroyed. Most of northern Italy then ends their rebellion.

In Mongolia, Genghis Khan is born.

Thomas Becket begins his eight year term as Archbishop of Canterbury. A nobleman who had supported the Crown over the Church, Becket is made a priest and the next day is made Archbishop. He will resist England's King Henry II in a struggle for control of English Catholicism, will be forced into exile, will return, and the King will eventually have him murdered.

Meanwhile, the Unitarians, having conquered all of Africa's northern coast except for Egypt, and having conquered enough of Spain from rival Moslems to have a secure base, begin building a 400 ship navy to attack Catholic Spain. But their ruler dies before the fleet is completed, and the invasion is cancelled.

 

[Vince]

1163

The Albigenses of France are condemned as heretics by the Catholic Church. Decades later, the Catholic Church will begin a bloody crusade against them. Destroying most records, the Catholics left little information on what the Albigenses (also called the Catharii) actually believed. They seem to have been a blend of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Gnosticism, and dualism. "Dualism" is the belief that their are two gods, one good and the other evil.

The Unitarians drive the last Sicilian strongholds out of north Africa.

Pope Alexander III personally lays the first stone of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Still in use, its magnificent Gothic architecture is both an artistic and scientific marvel.

Leading a coalition of Welsh princes, Owain defeats an English invasion and becomes King of Wales. He has a lot of trouble with the English Church trying to appoint Welsh bishops, but as a devout Catholic he protects the Church.

 

[Vince]

1164

A small group of cardinals elect Paschal III as Pope, with the backing of the Holy Roman Emperor. But Paschal is an incompetent, and his only real accomplishment is keeping the other Pope out of Rome. The Catholic Church later repudiated all his ordinances, declaring that he was never really the Pope. He dies after four years.

With all of north Africa except Egypt under their control, the Unitarians begin signing trade treaties with the Europeans.

There is widespread conflict in England between King Henry II and the Catholic Church. One treaty is signed, King Henry demands that everyone, including the clergy, must obey his royal courts, and Thomas Becket leaves for Rome to get help from the Pope.

In Egypt, the Moslem Fatimid government burns Bashnouna, a monk, at the stake for refusing to convert to Islam.

 

[Vince]

1165 is a great year for a reckless Portuguese adventurer named Gerald the Fearless. He seizes eight Moslem cities for Portugal.

William the Rough begins his 49 year reign as King of Scotland. Reigning with wisdom and justice, he was defeated by England and forced to acknowledge their sovereignty; later, he purchased Scottish independence from Richard the Lionhearted.

Once again, England invades Wales, gets beaten, and gets thrown out.

In Israel, Moslems seize Caesarea Philippi from the Crusaders.

 

[Vince]

1166

Rory O'Connor becomes Ireland's last Irish High King. His reign was wracked by Irish civil war, and being invaded by the Normans didn't help any.

Brittany was a small kingdom in northwestern France. This year, England conquers it.

Over in Cambodia, the King is assassinated, but the new King is stuck with 11 years of rebellions before he himself is killed.

Ever heard of William the Marshall? The son of a minor nobleman, he is knighted this year. Later, he becomes one of the greatest knights in history, eventually ruling England as Regent.

 

[Vince]

Faith and Begorrah! 1167 is a very bad year for Ireland. The Normans invade, and centuries of struggle begin, as Ireland tries to be independent of England.

The King of Sweden is assassinated, and six years of civil war begin between three half-brothers.

HRE Frederick Redbeard captures Rome, where he is crowned (again) by Pope Paschal III.

After liberating Portugal, Alfonso the Bold had been steadily expanding his boundaries southward. But jealous Spanish kingdoms begin insisting that the areas Alfonso seizes from the Moslems actually belong to them (In some cases, the Spanish Catholic kingdoms actually did hold those areas). This year, Leon defeats Portugal, forcing Alfonso to give them some of his conquered territory.

Japan appoints a Samurai as the chief minister of government. This class of military nobility will eventually rule the nation.

 

[Vince]

1168

Callixtus III begins his ten year reign as the last of the three rival Popes supported by the Holy Roman Emperor. He spends most of his unsuccessful reign confined to a small geographical area. When the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick invaded Italy, he was soundly defeated by a coalition of Italian states with the heavy backing of Pope Alexander III.
Forced to make peace in 1178, Emperor Frederick declares Pope Alexander III the legitimate Pope and repudiates the three rival Popes he had supported. He also recognized the Pope as ruler of the Papal States. In return, Pope Alexander recognizes the HRE as ruler of the Catholic Church. Pope Callixtus voluntarily resigns and retires to a rectory.

Pope Alexander had been elected by the majority of the cardinals eighteen years earlier and is recognized by the Catholic Church as having been the only real Pope during this time. He dies three years after his victory.

Egypt spends 54 days burning down its own capital, so the Crusaders can't capture it.

Denmark captures the strongest remaining pagan temple/fortress in Europe.

In Russia, the new nation of Vladimir-Suzdal is founded. Lasting for 221 years, it becomes the center of the Russian language and eventually includes Moscow. To help you understand Russian history, the Rus founded a variety of minor nations called "principalities" that over a period of centuries united into Russia.

 

[Vince]

1169 is a very bad year for the Portuguese...and the Irish...and the Sicilians.

The legendary Portuguese general Gerald the Fearless and King Alfonso the Bold are captured by a Moslem-Spanish alliance

Turkish Moslems take advantage of the chaos in Palestine and seize Egypt. In Palestine itself, the various Moslem and Crusader kingdoms had exhausted themselves with their wars, and both sides were only able to give token resistance to the Turks.

A massive earthquake kills 15,000 people in Sicily.

The legendary luck of the Irish comes to an end. Left alone by the Romans, the Germans, and the Moslems, the Irish had been invaded by the Vikings, who formed small kingdoms and then got absorbed into the population. But this year, England sends a small force of Norman knights (who are allied with some of the Irish) and the process of being forced into the English Empire begins.

 

[Vince]

1170 has to be an improvement over last year.

The military seize the government of Korea, ruling the nation for the next 85 years. Palace guards who supported the coup assassinated all government officials in the palace. The new rulers abolish the privileges of the aristocrats and give themselves all the major government positions.

Dublin, Ireland is captured by Norman invaders.

Fes is a city in Morocco that is considered "The Athens of Africa." When the Unitarians captured it, they united it with a nearby area, imported large numbers of settlers, and this year it becomes the most populated city in the world. Still a major legal and educational center, it is the largest area of the world that bans all automobiles.

On December 29, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated by knights loyal to King Henry II.

 

[Vince]

1171

The big event of the year is the collapse of the Fatimid Empire. Surviving 262 years, it had controlled all of northern Africa and part of the mid-East at its height. With the loss of Egypt last year, what is left falls apart. Saladin, the legendary Moslem warrior, becomes Sultan of Egypt this year. He withdraws Egypt from the Fatimids and founds a new dynasty. He also switches Egypt from Shiite Moslem to Sunni Moslem.

England's Henry II invades Ireland. He was following a smaller invasion of Norman knights, but he brings a large army with him. Allied with various Irish kings, he rapidly seizes Dublin from the Normans and two other seaports from the Irish.

A survey concludes that Constantinople has about 2,500 Jews, about 1% of the population.

There is controversy over the dates, but about this time Stefan Nemanja becomes King of Serbia, founding what will later become the Serbian Empire, which survives about two centuries. He did not found the Serbian Orthodox Church, but he organized it well enough to give it its first archbishop. He furthered education and science, and eventually resigned and retired to a monastery.

 

[Vince]

1172

The Romans, the Scots, the Germans, the Moslems, and the Vikings couldn't do it, but Ireland is conquered by England. Henry II is declared High King of Ireland, but the separate Irish kingdoms remain somewhat independent—for now. Henry II immediately calls a synod that ends the last of Irish Christianity, making the entire nation Catholic. Meanwhile, Henry II's eldest son, Henry the Young King, starts a two-year rebellion because he is jealous of his father giving some castles to one of his brothers. The Catholic Church officially finds Henry II innocent of the murder of Thomas Becket.

 

[Vince]

And now it's 1173.

Sixteen year old Richard the Lionhearted leads his own army, putting down rebellions against his father Henry II, King of England. Henry needs the help, because his wife and some of his sons have withdrawn to France to lead a rebellion against him.

Sweden's civil war comes to an end, as Knut Erikson becomes the sole King.

Construction begins on the Leaning Tower of Pisa. (It wasn't supposed to lean).

The Welsh seize Abergavenny Castle from the Normans. A fortified Roman site, the castle was built on a hill with three steep slopes. A town was built on the level side. After the Roman fortification had crumbled, William the Conqueror had the castle built on the site.

 

[Vince]

1174 is a great year for England. A rebellion against Henry II ends in failure, and Henry even captures part of Scotland.

But it's a rough year for the Normans: from Sicily, they attack Alexandria, Egypt, and are defeated. And although Ireland has acknowledged Henry II as their High King, the Normans invade Thomond, on Ireland's west coast. The Irish give them a beating and throw them out. And to top it off, Saladin captures Damascus from the Crusaders.

Thirteen year old Baldwin the Leper begins his eleven year reign as King of Jerusalem. A man of superb courage but poor military ability, he would spend much of his reign unsuccessfully battling Saladin.

Tragedy in Central America: the Toltecs ("Artisans") were a successful American civilization that is noted for its advances in architecture, pottery, and art. At their height, they controlled most of southern Mexico's east coast. But they put too much work into building great cities, and these cities became tempting targets for rival civilizations. Constantly defeated by the Maya and others, they are finished off by migrants from northern Mexico. Their last king commits suicide this year, but their civilization does not disappear. It influences others and eventually grows into the Aztec Empire.

 

[Vince]

1175

Namayan reaches its greatest extent in the Philippines, when the King's son inherits a large territory from his relatives. The kingdom survives until the Spanish conquest, but little is known about it.

You might recall that the Welsh had captured Abergavenny Castle from the English a few years ago. The local ruler summons various Welsh leaders, under a safe conduct, to a meeting at the castle, where he orders them massacred. The Welsh remove him from office, replacing him with his son, for the massacre.

Portugal wins a major naval victory over the Unitarians, who had tried to re-seize Lisbon.

 

[Vince]

1176


Emperor Lý Cao Tông begins his disastrous 34 year reign over Vietnam. Cruel and self-indulgent, he built palaces and pagodas as the fancy struck him, putting the peasantry under a burdensome government. His reign marked the beginning of Vietnamese turmoil that would continue into the next century.

Frederick Redbeard, the Holy Roman Emperor, suffers a surprising defeat from a league of Italian city-states. The next year, the Emperor is forced to recognize Alexander III as Pope.

Moslems hang nearly 3,000 Egyptian Copts (a racial group that is predominantly Christian) after a failed revolt.

The Byzantine Empire suffers a massive defeat from Seljuk Turks, and they are never able to recover a large part of their empire as a result.

In eastern France, Sens Cathedral puts up a clock, beginning a long tradition of using church towers to tell time.

 

[Vince]

1177

The Treaty of Venice sets the pace for Italy for the next several years. HRE Frederick Redbeard recognizes Alexander III as Pope, abandoning Calixtus III. The Catholic Church lifts its excommunication of Frederick. Frederick makes peace with Italy's northern city-states (which are technically part of the HRE) and years later the empire will recognize their independence. Sicily and the HRE make peace, bringing in a golden age of prosperity for Sicily. The HRE renounces all claims to Rome, but the citizens still refuse to submit to Pope Alexander.

Sixteen year old Baldwin the Leper, King of Jerusalem, leads a hopelessly outnumbered Christian army against Saladin. But Baldwin wins, killing about 88% of Saladin's 26,000 man army, while losing 1,000 of his own men.

Kyoto is devastated by fire.

 

[AirDancer]

Hi, Vince,

Just wanted you to know I appreciate your efforts with this thread. I read it daily to learn what was happening in the world back in the day. Thank you!

Blessings!

 

[Vince]

Thank you, Air Dancer. I'm enjoying learning this much history myself.

1178 is quite a year.

After a hard day's work in the fields, five English monks take a break after the sun sets. They were looking at the moon and discussing it, when they saw a series of gigantic explosions on the lunar surface. Scientists agree that they probably saw a meteor or comet strike the moon.

An unknown Chinese author reports that Moslem sailors sailed across the Pacific and discovered a new land. His description indicates that they could have landed in the western United States.

Moslem pirates raid southern France, killing about 300 people and taking others as slaves. Seven years later, the slaves are returned.

Portugal captures Beja from the Moslems. Among the city's treasures is a church from the sixth century. Built while part of the Visigoth Kingdom, it features Visigoth carvings and architecture and is still in use.

Uh-oh! The Leaning Tower of Pisa begins to lean.

 

[Vince]

1179 is a good year for the Catholic Church.

Conflict breaks out between Icelandic nobility and the Catholic Church. The nobles had paid for the churches and demanded that they control the local churches and get a part of the people's tithes. Settled without bloodshed, both sides agreed that the churches would be independent of local rulers and that only the Catholic Church could appoint bishops.

Pope Alexander III decrees that Portugal is independent, and he forbids the Catholic kingdoms of Spain to make war against Portugal. Why? Because Portugal was very strongly Catholic and believed that the Church should be independent of the government. And it's a great year for Portugal. First, they defeat another invasion by the Unitarians. Then they defeat a naval attack, and their victorious fleet sails to northwest Africa and captures Ceuta, a seaport that is close to Portugal. Although located in Africa, Ceuta is part of Spain today.

The Pope then presides over the Third Lateran Council, which declares that only cardinals can elect a Pope, forbids homosexuality, condemns a variety of heretics, declares that the testimony of a Catholic shall always outweigh the testimony of a Jew, and forbids usury.

In Mexico, Chichen Itza, one of the greatest of the Mayan cities, is sacked by Mayapan, a rival Mayan city 100 kilometers away. Usually reliable because it is carved in stone (literally), Mayan history is widely contradictory at this point. Irreconcilable chronologies tell us that Mayapan, a large city, was frustrated at the way it was mistreated by the Mayan government, so it built a huge wall around itself and revolted, but there is a three-decade discrepancy about when this happened. But the Mayans settled the revolt with diplomacy.

Philip II begins his very successful 44 year reign as King of France. Some historians call him the first King of France, while the previous kings were King of the Franks. Regardless, he defeats his enemies consistently, expands the power of the central government, provides so much justice that the common people love him, and manges the economy so efficiently that France becomes a prosperous nation.