Directory

1143 CE

Emperor John II Komnenos Komnenos dies of a poisoned arrow wound while hunting wild boar on Mount Taurus in Cilicia. He is succeeded by his 24-year-old son Manuel I, who is chosen as his successor, in preference to his elder surviving brother Isaac. Manuel dispatches John Axouchos, his commander-in-chief (megas domestikos), to Constantinople ahead of him – with orders to arrest Isaac in the Great Palace. Pope Innocent II dies at Rome after a 13-year pontificate. He is succeeded by Celestine II as the 165th pope of the Catholic Church. Treaty of Zamora: The Kingdom of Portugal is recognized by King Alfonso VII ("the Emperor") of León and Castile in the presence of his cousin, King Afonso I of Portugal and papal representatives.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • October 5 – Treaty of Zamora: The Kingdom of Portugal is recognized by King Alfonso VII ("the Emperor") of León and Castile in the presence of his cousin, King Afonso I of Portugal and papal representatives.source

Conflict & Security

  • July 1 – Battle of Wilton: Earl Robert of Gloucester (illegitimate son of the late King Henry I) defeats the English forces of King Stephen during a surprise attack at Wilton Abbey. In the darkness, Stephen escapes, while his steward William Martel fights a rearguard action to delay the pursuers.source
  • Norman raiders capture Jijel (modern Algeria). A Norman raid on Ceuta fails, but at the same time the Normans lead a successful assault against Sfax.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • Adolf II, count of Schauenburg and Holstein, founds Lübeck – which later becomes one of the leading Hanseatic cities. He divides the conquered Slavic lands, as part of the eastward expansion in Germany.source

Religion & Belief

  • Robert of Ketton makes the first European translation of the Qur'an for Peter the Venerable, Lex Mahumet pseudoprophete, into Latin.source
  • Autumn – Stephen arrests Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex, during a meeting of the Royal Court at St. Albans. He is charged with treason against Stephen, but given his freedom back in return for surrendering his title and castles. Geoffrey becomes an outlaw and fortifies Ramsey Abbey, where he sets up his headquarters to plunder the countryside of Ely.source

Births

  • July 31 – Nijō, emperor of Japan (d. 1165)source
  • Konoe Motozane, Japanese nobleman (d. 1166)source
  • Fujiwara no Motozane, Japanese waka poet (d. 1166)source
  • Philip I (of Alsace), count of Flanders (d. 1191)source
  • Jigten Sumgön, founder of the Drikung Kagyu (d. 1217)source
  • Mu'in al-Din Chishti, Persian preacher (d. 1236)source
  • Beatrice I, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1184)source
  • Balian of Ibelin, French nobleman (d. 1193)source

Deaths

  • January 12 – Leo of Constantinople, Byzantine patriarchsource
  • January 26 – Ali ibn Yusuf, ruler of the Almoravids (b. 1084)source
  • February 6 – Hugh II, Duke of Burgundy, French nobleman (b. 1084)source
  • April 8 – Emperor John II Komnenos Komnenos dies of a poisoned arrow wound while hunting wild boar on Mount Taurus in Cilicia. He is succeeded by his 24-year-old son Manuel I, who is chosen as his successor, in preference to his elder surviving brother Isaac. Manuel dispatches John Axouchos, his commander-in-chief (megas domestikos), to Constantinople ahead of him – with orders to arrest Isaac in the Great Palace.source
  • April 18 – Gertrude of Süpplingenburg, German duchess and regent (b. 1115)source
  • June 24 – Ermesinde of Luxembourg, Countess of Namur, French noblewoman (b. 1080)source
  • August 2 – Muño Alfonso, Galician military leadersource
  • September 23 – Pope Innocent II dies at Rome after a 13-year pontificate. He is succeeded by Celestine II as the 165th pope of the Catholic Church.source
  • September 23 – Pope Innocent II, pontiff of the Catholic Churchsource
  • September 24 – Agnes of Waiblingen, daughter of Henry IV (b. 1072)source
  • November 13 – King Fulk of Jerusalem dies after a hunting accident in Acre. He is succeeded by his 13-year-old son Baldwin III – who is crowned as co-ruler alongside his mother, Queen Melisende on Christmas Day. Due to the political situation the Crusader States of Tripoli, Antioch and Edessa assert their independence. Raymond of Antioch demands the return of Cilicia to his principality and invades the province.source
  • November 13 – Fulk (the Younger), king of Jerusalemsource
  • December 24 – Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, English noblemansource
  • Spring – King Conrad III gives Bavaria to his half-brother Henry II ("Jasomirgott"). His wife, Gertrude (daughter of the late Emperor Lothair III) dies in childbirth at Klosterneuburg Monastery in Lower Austria on April 18.source