The Second millenium

[Vince]

1121 is a really bad year for the Moslems.

A century earlier, Cordoba, in southern Spain, had been the intellectual capital of Europe, but it had fallen into decline. This year, its citizens stage a major revolt against the African Moslem Empire, but they are defeated. But Georgia, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, defeats a Moslem coalition that outnumbers them almost 6 to 1. Georgia had been tributary to Turkish Moslems for two centuries, but now it begins its "Golden Age." The Georgians had already re-seized some of their territory, and now they go into open and successful warfare.

Peter Abelard was the greatest theologian, philosopher, lecturer, and teacher of his time. But when he got caught in immorality, he was banished to various monasteries. He kept harassing the Church, and finally they castrate him this year, and send him back to a monastery.

 

[Vince]

1122

The Concordat of Worms is signed between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire. Only the Pope could appoint bishops and other Church offices, and only the Pope could bestow spiritual authority. The Emperor, however, could grant political power to bishops, and could also command them to support him in his wars.

About this time, an Icelandic priest writes “The Book of Icelanders.” His detailed work includes the history of Norwegian kings. It has been lost, and a later, shorter copy is still a valuable historical work.

The Pechenegs were a Turkish tribe that had settled in Bulgaria. This year, they invade the Byzantine Empire and are so smashingly defeated that they disappear forever.

It's a difficult year for the Normans. The African Moslems send a fleet to attack Sicily, and the Moslem population on recently=-conquered Malta rebels. But the Normans win both conflicts.

 

[Vince]

1123 is the second bad year on a row for the Normans. The Italians had destroyed a Moslem fleet at Mahdia, on the western part of north Africa's coast, which was capital of the floundering kingdom of Ifriqiya. This year the Normans invade the city. Their army is annihilated.

But it's an even worse year for the Egyptians. They send an army into Asia to help recapture Jerusalem, and they are soundly defeated. At the same time, Venice sends a navy that destroys an Egyptian fleet. The Kingdom of Jerusalem and Venice then sign a military pact.

Sutoku begins his nineteen year reign as Emperor of Japan. Quietly incompetent, he is exiled when a brief civil war changes the succession.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1124

Celestine II is elected Pope, serving for a few hours. He is arrested by troops who proclaim Honorius II as Pope. Celestine then resigns and is released.

Honorius II begins his six-year reign as Pope. Determined to extend Papal control, he has conflicts with France, Sicily, and even the Benedictine monks.

David I becomes King of Scotland, reigning for 29 years. Heavily influenced by the English royalty, he begins the "Davidian Revolution," setting up the internal government of Scotland along the English system. He started out with most of Scotland refusing to obey him, but after defeating his nephew he pacified the rest of the nation. He reformed the Church, kept good relations with England, decreased the remaining paganism, and strengthened the central government.

The Normans' string of bad years continues, as England defeats them in battle---again.

 

[Vince]

1125

With the death of HRE Henry V, the central power of Germany weakens. Future German Emperors become figureheads while the Holy Roman Emperor is the real ruler of Germany. Lothar of Saxony, who had been the King of Germany, now becomes the Holy Roman Emperor for the next four years. A competent ruler who was troubled by internal resistance, he and the Pope supported each other because they both needed support.

Meanwhile, Venice is on a rampage in the Mediterranean, seizing and pillaging various islands. Florence is on a rampage within Italy itself, seizing small towns and countryside.

In Spain, Alfonso the Battler leads a successful raid into Moslem territory, while Crusaders drive back the Seljuk Turks who have invaded a Catholic area.



China endures “The Humiliation of Jingkang.” Having conquered the Liao Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty invades China and besieges its capital. After two year (1127), the capital falls, the Emperor is captured, and the Jin seize much of northern China. The escaped members of the royal family flee south and establish a new capital.

 

[Vince]

1126

Reeling in defeat from the Jin Dynasty, the government of China flees southward, as the Jin capture much of northern China. Panic-stricken at the sight of the Jin, the Chinese Emperor abdicates to his son Qinzong, who reigns for one year. In January of the next year, both of them are captured by the Jin.The Chinese have to deal with a three month long protest over an official they removed, as well as relocating a large portion of the population that fled the north with the government.

The Kaifeng Jews might have been in China since 612, and this year, they flee south with the government. China never persecuted them, but most of them eventually converted to Islam or were assimilated into mainstream Chinese culture. Thee are about 500 of them left today.

Adelard of Bath was an English scholar who translated many Moslem scientific studies into Greek and Latin. He also helped introduce the Indian numeric system that we use today into Europe. This year he translates a major Moslem math and science work into Latin.

 

[Vince]

1127

Twelve year old Ly Than Tong begins his successful nine year reign as King of Vietnam. For most of this century, Vietnam will quietly deal with internal growth. China will always be a threat, but will generally leave Vietnam alone. Before dying at the age of 23, the King peacefully transfers the throne to his son.

So many Chinese flee their capital at Kaifeng that Constantinople becomes the world's largest city.

When Charles the Good became ruler of Flanders, he quickly became a beloved figure to the poor. He personally distributed bread during a famine, but his greatest deeds wee stopping wealthy families from hoarding grain in order to drive up the prices. This year, a local priest and a set of nobles assassinate him while he is praying in a church. The conspirators are tortured to death, and French influence over Flanders is increased.

Still at war with itself, the Italian city of Milan conquers a neighboring city.

Moslems complete the lovely Kalyan minaret in modern Uzbekistan. A tower that is almost 150 feet tall, it is still used for its original purpose of calling people to prayer five times a day. A century after it is built, Genghis Khan will order it to be spared when he destroyed its city. It has also ben used to execute criminals by throwing them off the top.

 

[Vince]

1128

Alfonso the Bold, Count of Portugal, defeats his mother and gains full control. At this time, "Portugal" only controlled the northernmost part of the modern nation, and it was still part of the Kingdom of Leon.

Bernard of Clairvaux is a major Catholic figure during this time. Never becoming Pope himself, he helped end a major schism in the Church, codified rules for various orders of monks, helped shape doctrines, and was the chief organizer of the Second Crusade.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1129!

This is complicated. Sutoku is Emperor of Japan. But his grandfather, a retired former Emperor, held the real power. This year, his grandfather dies, so Sutoku's father, another retired former Emperor, gains the real power. Don't laugh, Folks. Japan wasn't troubled by civil wars when their Emperors died. Sutoku himself never accomplished much, and he was later deposed in a small revolution and forced to retire.

They had been active for some years now, but the Knights Templar are finally granted full recognition by the Pope. This military/religious order helped and protected pilgrims to the Holy Land.

 

[Vince]

1130

Innocent II begins his thirteen year reign as Pope. Claiming that his appointment was illegal (he had been appointed Pope by an eight-man commission), rival cardinals elect Anacletus II as Pope. Elected by the majority of cardinals, Pope Anacletus seizes Rome, forcing Pope Innocent to flee.

As Pope, Anacletus crowns Roger II as King of Sicily, beginning a kingdom that will outlast the Byzantines, Holy Roman Empire, and Papal Territories, all of whom will sometimes go to war with it. In 1860, 99% of Sicily will vote to unite with Italy.

Pope Innocent toured France, Germany, and England, where he was widely recognized as the real Pope. Later, the HRE invaded Rome and had Innocent crown the new Emperor, but they couldn’t hold the city. Pope Cletus dies in 1038, and a council then declares Innocent to be Pope. He spends his next five years almost powerless, however.

For the next 110 years, Norway will be wracked by civil wars as various claimants to the throne battle it out.

Brahmadeva, the great Indian mathematician, dies. His most famous work was an application of trigonometry to astronomy.

 

[Vince]

1131 is a good year for blind people.

Twenty one year old Bela the Blind begins his ten year reign as King of Hungary. His uncle had blinded him as a child to prevent him ever becoming King, but it didn't work out that way. He had to deal with continual attempts by his cousin Boris to steal the throne, and foreign nations were willing to help his cousin. His wife, Queen Helena, ruled competently, putting her brother in charge of the army; he won enough victories over Polish and Bohemian invaders that they were forced to agree to peace. The King and Queen prevented civil war by killing supporters of Boris, which was a lot less bloody than civil war would have been. The royal couple married off two of Bela's sisters to enemy kings, thus bringing peace. But he drank too much, and that killed him after ten years of successful rule.

The Knights Templar build their first stronghold in the Holy Land.

Fulk the Younger was a wealthy and successful member of the Knights Templar. Having no sons, the King of Jerusalem had asked him to marry the Princess, and this year, the two become rulers of Jerusalem. After putting down some minor rebellions, including with each other, they win enough victories to secure Jerusalem's borders. Twelve years after taking the throne, Fulk is killed when his horse stumbles.

 

[Vince]

1132

China's new capital city is struck by a massive fire that destroys about 13,000 homes. Despite this heavy loss, China continues to build the nation's first permanent navy.

In Ireland, Malachy becomes archbishop of Armagh. He is most famous for his vision of 112 future Popes. A pious Catholic, he was chosen for this difficult post because a group of corrupt laymen had seized many Church positions In fact, it took him two years to get into office, and then only after he paid a bribe. He forced his areas to accept Roman liturgy, as many of the Christians were not Catholics. He also cleaned up most of the corruption.

 

[Vince]

1133 is a REALLY bad year for Spanish Catholics. Alfonso the Battler is battling away at the Battle of Fraga in southern Spain, when an alliance of Spanish and African Moslems smash his army. The leader of a Crusader army that comes to his aid is captured, and Alfonso himself dies twenty days later. But Ramon the Holy, Count of Barcelona, takes advantage of the battle to make some raids into Moslem Spain.

Lothar III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. His four year long troubled reign has to deal with conflicts between the two Popes, as well as with Sicily.

Geoffrey of Monmouth completes his magnificent "History of the Kings of Britain." Almost nothing is known about this clergyman, except that his name appears on several surviving legal documents. His History appears to be a compilation of older works, including some Welsh language histories that have been lost. The book is most famous for its record of King Arthur as a literal person.

 

[Vince]

1134

Smarting from their defeats by the Jin Dynasty (which had seized northern China) the Chinese begin building paddle-wheeled warships for their new navy. Humans on treadmills provided the propulsion. Stay tuned, Folks. You'll be hearing about this paddle ship navy again.

It's a year of civil wars. A brief civil war breaks out in Jerusalem, as an angry knight allies himself with an Egyptian army to seize Jerusalem's throne. But the rebels are quickly defeated. Southern France, Naples, Norway, and Denmark also have short civil wars.

It is not true that Zeeland, the southwestern tip of the Netherlands, was formed this year by a massive storm. The place had been inhabited since Roman times. Its emblem is a lion struggling to get out of the water, which covers almost half the province.

About this time, Gothic architecture begins in France. It is an insulting term for large, muscular-looking, squarish buildings. Most of Europe's great cathedrals, castles, and even city halls are Gothic style--they were built to last.

 

[Vince]

1135

King Henry I of England dies after ruling for 35 years. He had appointed his daughter Matilda, widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, as Queen. But Matilda is on the continent, pregnant from her second husband, and Stephen, cousin to the family, seizes the throne.

Ifriqiya, the Moslem empire in north-central Africa continues to totter. The new Hammadid Dynasty is a small Moslem nation that only survives for a century and a half, but this year they attack Ifriqiya.

In Italy, Florence and Pisa continue to attack neighboring areas, adding them to their own territory.

Reeling in defeat from the Moslems, Spanish Catholics crown Alfonso VII as "Emperor of All the Spains." Already the ruler of four kingdoms, he unsuccessfully tried to persuade the rest of Spain to voluntarily submit to his rule.

China finally gets some good news. Rebels build their own paddle wheel fleet. When they atack, the Chinese push all kinds of logs and debris into the water, jamming the paddle wheels, and enabling them to capture the fleet with little damage.

 

[Vince]

1136

In Russia's frozen north, the city of Novgorod had once been the capital of the Rus. As their kingdom collapses, the city declares itself independent, forming the Novgorod Republic. For the next three centuries it will expand north and east, forming a large frozen empire that will prosper from all the seals, furs, fish, and minerals that they will exploit in the frozen north. But their prosperity will attract the jealousy of other Russian states, and they will eventually fall from too much warfare.

It's a rough year for England. They lose Cumberland to Scotland (but later get it back) and get beaten when they invade Wales.

 

[Vince]

1137

The Zagwe Dynasty beings its 133 year reign over Ethiopia. Two centuries earlier, the evil Queen Gudit has almost destroyed Ethiopia in her successful seizure of the throne. This year, her last reigning descendant is killed by a general whose daughter the king had married. The Zagwe Dynasty will rule Ethiopia so peacefully that when they are overthrown, little changes. They concentrated on building rock-hewn churches, and there are no records of them having any disasters.

The Almoravids (the Moslem Empire of western Africa and southern Spain) send a navy that raids the Norman kingdom of southern Italy.

Louis the Young begins his difficult thirty-three year reign as King of France. He will spend much of his time dealing with rival families, and France's centuries-long conflict with England will begin. A very pious man, he got into a major conflict with Pope Innocent II, who put all of France under an interdict. He personally fought in the unsuccessful Second Crusade, straining France's economy in the process.

 

[Vince]

1138

Three year old Emperor Lý Anh Tông begins his 33 year reign over Vietnam. After defeating one major revolt and two minor ones, he rules well, getting China to acknowledge Vietnam's independence, and making Buddhism the state religion. He built a temple to the Trung Sisters, who in 39 AD drove the Chinese out of north Vietnam; the temple still stands.

With the death of Pope Antecletus, Victor IV is elected as Pope. But two months later, Bernard of Claivaux persuades him to resign, and Pope Innocent II is now the only Pope.

The third worst earthquake in history hits Aleppo, Syria. There is one massive quake and several smaller ones, with a combined death toll of about 230,000.

England is tied down with rebellions in the south, so Scotland invades. Bad move, as they are beaten and driven out by an army of mercenaries and local militia.

 

[Vince]

1139

Folks, it's an incredible story. Details aren't clear, but the county of Portugal was part of the Catholic kingdom of Leon when Moslems invaded Portugal's southern border. Alfonso the Bold, Count of Portugal, begged the King of Leon not to order the Portuguese army to abandon their homeland and flee to Leon. Leon gave permission to the Portuguese to use their entire army to defend themselves, but Leon would not help. Historians have a problem with there being six Moslem kings united against Portugal, but some of them might have been vassal kings.

The Moslems heavily outnumbered the Portuguese, but Portugal won. The nobility, who had personally fought in the battle, gathered the army around a hill, and insisted that the bewildered Alfonso stand on top. Then, to his surprise, they surrounded him, approaching him with drawn swords. And then they knelt down, thrust their swords into the ground, and declared that Portugal was free and Alfonso was King. The Catholic Church quickly agreed. There was no declaration of independence and no revolutionary war, and the King of Portugal continued to identify himself as a prince who was under the control of the King of Leon. But although Moslems still held a lot of their current territory, Portugal has remained independent ever since.

Faced with civil war over the succession, England is forced to make the prince of Scotland earl over some English territory and recognize Scottish independence.

The Catholic Church makes priestly celibacy mandatory.

 

[Vince]

1140

Roger II, King of Sicily, has finally got the entire island under control. He enacts a series of laws that are still studied today. He made the King the absolute ruler, but he made all citizens, regardless of religion or ethnic background, equal under the Law, and it was enforced. He put doctors under royal control, regulating medical practice. He forbad all forms of rioting and harming other citizens. Althugh the people were not represented in the government, his well thought-out rules made Sicily a good place to live, and it stabilized his diverse kingdom.

Gratian, a theology teacher, did not invent Cathlic canon law. But he codified it so well, eliminating contradictions and mistakes, the a grateful Pope accepted it. Although modified many times, it still forms the basis of Catholic canon law. This is the legal system of the Cathlic Church, including courts, lawyers, and judges.