Medieval Timeline - Browse by Century

Marriage of King John
Date: 1200 A.D.
Description:
King John of England, having divorced his first wife Avice of Gloucester, marries Isabella of Angoulême. Isabel was the heiress to the Angoumois province in Aquitaine and descended on her mother's side from Prince Peter, the fifth son of King Lewis le Gros of France. Unfortunately, Isabella was already betrothed to a Poitevin noble, Hugh of Lusignan. Hugh was enraged and, together with many of his neighbours, took up arms against John. John retaliated by accusing the rebel nobles of treason and challenged them to clear their characters by selecting champions to fight an equal number of English and Norman knights.

The Poitevin barons declined this challenge and instead appealed directly to John's over-lord, King Philip II Augustus of France. In 1202 Philip summoned John to appear before him to answer the complaints of his peers, but not only did John fail to appear, he also did not make any excuse for his absence. Consequently Philip condemned the English King to forfeit his French lands, and with Prince Arthur (John's nephew through his older brother Geoffrey), he commenced an invasion of Normandy.

John's aged mother Eleanor now took up the cause against her grandson, Arthur, but was then besieged by the prince at her castle at Mirebeau. John's army arrived and raised the siege, taking Arthur prisoner. Some time in 1203, Arthur mysteriously disappeared (he was probably murdered by John). However, by now many of the Norman Barons had actively ceased to respect John. Castle after Castle fell to Philip until by 1204 only Château Gaillard remained in English hands. When in 1204 this too fell, John was forced to accept the loss of his lands in Normandy, Maine, Anjou, Touraine and part of Poittou, all of these having submitted to Philip.

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The Beginning of the Fourth Crusade
Date: 1202 A.D.
Description:
The Fourth Crusade begins in Venice.

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Constantinople Falls
Date: April 12th, 1204 A.D.
Description:
Instead of reaching Jerusalem, the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade became involved in Venetian and Byzantine intrigues, and they were diverted to Constantinople to help the deposed Byzantine emperor Isaac Angelus to regain his throne. Within a few months the crusaders had stormed and sacked the city, establishing a Latin empire there under Baldwin of Flanders.

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Genghis Khan and the Formation of the Mongol Empire
Date: 1206 A.D.
Description:
Temujin, a Mongol chieftain, having unified the feuding Mongol tribes under his own leadership through political acumen and military flair, is proclaimed as the 'Genghis Khan' by the Kuriltai (chieftains) at the quriltai (Mongol assembly), so founding the Mongol Empire.

The title Genghis (or Chingis) is literally 'Perfect Warrior'.

His organization of the tribes into semi-feudal clans bound together by unquestioning allegiance to the Khan would create a sophisticated military organization. This would be complemented by the Great Yasa or jasagh, which was an imperial code of laws to which he himself was subject.

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The Children's Crusade
Date: 1212 A.D.
Description:
In 1212 a French boy from Coyes claimed he had met Christ and was urged by him to lead a Children's Crusade. Their innocence and faith would convince the Muslims of their cause, and the children attracted to the crusade believed it. This French boy, known as Stephen, went to Paris to gather support for his crusade to the Holy Land. Thousands of other children joined him and the movement even spread into Germany. Nicholas, a German peasant from near Cologne, served as a rallying point for those in Germany. Eventually Stephen and about 9,000 followers escorted by priests reached the port of Marseilles. In the port local merchants offered to transport them all to the Holy Land. In route a storm at sea drowned all of the children aboard two ships, and the remaining five parted ways, each heading for different destinations. One group went to Bougie in North Africa and the other sailed to Alexandria, Egypt. Both groups of children had the same end result in these port cities; all were sold in the slave markets. While those in Stephen's group met horrible ends, the group led by Nicholas had crossed the Swiss Alps and were in northern Italy. They numbered only about 7,000 or less and wandered south through Italy begging for food as they went. Only a few hundred of Nicholas' group remained when they reached the city of Brindisi on the southern Italian coast. A Norwegian trader by the name of Friso took the children who were left under his wing. Most of these children subsequently ended up in Mediterranean brothels or slave markets. Remarkably, a few actually did make it to the Holy Land by tagging along with groups of pilgrims. The handful of child crusaders that did reach the Holy Land failed to make any sort of an impression on the Muslims who occupied Jerusalem.

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The Fourth Council of the Lateran
Date: 1215 A.D.
Description:
Efficiency is a key word when talking about the Fourth Lateran Council. Summoned in 1213 by Pope Innocent III, it actually took place in 1215. It was the 12th ecumenical council and produced a great deal of significant ecclesiastical legislation. The gathering was so efficiently organized that the attending 1,200+ bishops, abbots and priests produced the new legislation over meetings which took place in the span of only three weeks. The new legislation included such things as requiring Jews to wear special badges, strictly regulating clerical dress and declaring a moratorium on new religious orders. Clerics were now forbidden to participate in the legal procedure of the ordeal and trial by combat and could not charge fees for administering the sacraments. Bishops were ordered to maintain schools and to provide sermons at their services. The legislation also required that all Catholics must go to confession and least once a year. Procedures and punishment for heretics or their protectors were also laid out.

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Magna Carta Signed
Date: June 15th, 1215 A.D.
Description:
King John's barons forced him to sign this document at Runnymede. It placed both John and future English kings within the rule of law, limiting the power of the king.

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John of England Dies
Date: October 19th, 1216 A.D.

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Henry III Crowned King of England
Date: October 28th, 1216 A.D.

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Issue of the Forest Charter
Date: November 6th, 1217 A.D.
Description:
The Norman kings of England just loved hunting, for it provided them with a bit of rest and relief from the constant demands and political maneuvering of the royal court. The Forest Laws date back to the time of King Canute and were meant to preserve the wildlife from being excessively hunted. Over the years, however the foresters, the officials charged with upholding the laws, had become extremely unpopular amongst the residents of those areas of the rural countryside that were being, more and more, designated as royal parks.

The foresters were often very corrupt, levying fines against offenders (not just poachers but also on common folk collecting firewood), sometimes causing them bodily harm, and generally exceeding their authority under the law.

Although the Forest laws would remain in existence for a century or more, after the boy King Henry III issued the Forest Charter in 1217, this event can be seen as the first event (unlike the Great Charter of 1215 which was more of benefit to the ruling classes) which was designed to improve the lot of the common people.

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Reign of Ferdinand III
Date: September 3rd, 1230 A.D.
Description:
King Alfonso IX of León (in modern day Spain) dies and is succeeded by his son, King Ferdinand III, of Castile.

Alfonso's wife and Ferdinand's mother Berengeria had been the daughter and heiress to the King of Castile (Alfonso III). On her father's death in 1217, there was so much opposition to the King of Leon gaining control over Castile that she renounced (not without some civil strife) her claim to the throne in favour of her eighteen year old son.

Thus when Ferdinand succeeded his father to the throne of Leon, the two Spanish Kingdoms would finally be united under a common monarch. Ferdinand's campaigns against the Saracens would recover much territory from the Arabs. He would capture Cordova in 1236 and Seville in 1248 and ultimately just Granada and Alicante would remain under Islamic control at the time of his death in 1252. With each expansion into Saracen territory Ferdinand would found Christian bishoprics and arrange for the building of numerous churches, monasteries and hospitals. The University of Saville was also established during his reign. Many miracles would later be ascribed to Ferdinand, and these would result in his name being canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671.

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Battle of the Sajo River
Date: April 11th, 1241 A.D.
Description:
Having defeated three separate Hungarian detachments, the Mongols under Subutai came face to face with the main Hungarian Army under King Bela. King Bela had marched out of Pest, which was the Mongol's objective, to drive off Subutai's advance guard. In the resultant battle, the Mongols, although only half as strong as their opponents, attacked with all their strength and, employing every device of smoke, noise, arrows and stones, caused such panic amongst the Hungarians that such a debacle arose and King Bela's army was put to flight.

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Battle at La Forbie
Date: October 17th, 1244 A.D.
Description:
Sultan as-Salih Ayyub demolished the forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem led by Philip of Montfort and Walter, Count of Jaffa, at La Forbie near Gaza. Prior to this, Jerusalem had been lost to an Egyptian army. At La Forbie many knights were killed and the ranks of the military orders were almost wiped out.

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Pietro D. Abano is Born
Date: 1250 A.D.
Description:
An Italian physician and philosopher who was brought to trial by the Inquisition twice.

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War of St. Sabas
Date: 1256 A.D.
Description:
Beginning in 1256, commercial rivalry between the Genoese and the Venetians turned into a civil war. The conflict began over ownership of some houses in the monastery of St. Sabas in Acre and had been seething in the courts since 1251. In 1256 open fighting began in the streets of Acre between the two factions. The dispute was not just limited to the Genoese and the Venetians; the military orders and the nobility were also drawn into the conflict. The Venetians were supported by the Pisan and Provençal merchants, Templars, Teutonic Knights, and the Order of St. Lazarus and of St. Thomas, as well as the majority of the Ibelins. The Genoese supporters included the Catalan merchants, the Hopitallers, Philip de Montfort and the Lord of Tyre. Several fierce battles ensued and in 1258 the Genoese fleet was defeated and then Philip de Monfert's attempt to take the city failed. In effect the Venetians had won and Acre became a sort of Venetian dependency. In 1261 a temporary peace was initiated, with the Genoese being barred from Acre but allowed to keep a footing in Tyre. In response to this, the Genoese signed the Treaty of Nymphaeum. The treaty was made with the Byzantines and threatened the Venetian control of trade in Byzantium. The main venue for battle now became the Byzantine Empire. Sea battles, however, still continued into 1270. Peace was finally established between the feuding factions in 1270 when St. Louis intervened. The Genoese were now allowed to return to their quarter in Acre—albeit, it now existed as ruins, and the Venetians went back to Tyre in 1277.

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Edward I Crowned King of England
Date: August 19th, 1274 A.D.

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Henry III of England Dies
Date: November 16th, 1274 A.D.

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Alexander III of Scotland Killed
Date: 1286 A.D.
Description:
In 1286 Alexander III of Scotland was killed in a hunting accident. His only heir was his 3 year old granddaughter, Margaret the 'Maid of Norway', the daughter of Erik of Norway and Alexander's own daughter Margaret. This event would mark the end of the period of peace and prosperity in Scotland, a period during which Scotland's borders had been defined and the Celtic, Saxon and Norman inhabitants of the kingdom had at last grown into a recognizable nation.

King Edward I of England saw this as an opportunity to unite both the English and Scottish kingdoms through the proposed marriage of the Scottish queen to his son Edward of Caernarvon. This idea floundered when Margaret died prematurely. Immediately almost a dozen claimants appeared willing to claim the vacant Scottish throne.

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Edward I of England Favors John Baliol in Scotland
Date: 1296 A.D.
Description:
King Edward I of England, approached to adjudicate between the rival claimants (having first obtaining from them an oath of fealty), decided in favor of John Baliol, a man in his early forties, not very intelligent and rather weak-willed, for his choice as King of Scotland. Many thought however that under traditional Scottish custom Robert the Bruce would probably have had a greater claim.

From the start Edward treated Baliol with the utmost contempt, using him solely as a feudal puppet to carry out English policies in Scotland. Eventually, tiring of this constant humiliation, Baliol renounced his oath of allegiance and openly opposed Edward. The English King, already heavily involved in a bitter war with France in Gascony, and once again confronted by yet another Welsh rebellion, was enraged. He stormed north at the head of his army to deal with Baliol and the Scottish King's rebellious followers.

At the end of March 1296 Edward's army arrived outside the town of Berwick to find the citizens and the castle prepared for a long siege. The jeers and insults from the castle's battlements soon turned to alarm as the seasoned English soldiers, wild with rage, captured the town within minutes and there spent the rest of the day massacring its citizens. The castle garrison seeing this brutality decided wisely not to resist the English further and that evening opened the castle gates and surrendered.

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English Victory at Dunbar
Date: 1296 A.D.
Description:
After capturing Berwick, Edward I of England sent his most senior lieutenant, John de Warenne, with a detachment consisting of the best cavalry, numbers of Welsh bowmen, and a force of good infantry raised in the northern levies northwards to seize Dunbar. Upon his arrival at Dunbar, de Warenne found this castle also prepared for a siege, with the main Scottish army under the command of John Comyn, Earl of Buchan deployed outside its walls at a place called Spottsmuir. De Warenne had no choice but to ignore the castle and offer battle to the deployed Scottish army. The Scots, although not lacking courage, were ill disciplined. Breaking ranks, they hurled themselves upon the English army, only to be showered by thousands of arrows from the Welsh longbows. Broken and confused, the survivors were trampled into the ground by the English cavalry, riding amongst the Scots and slaughtering them with sword, lance, axe or mace. This total English victory cost the lives of some 10,000 Scottish soldiers. John Comyn, three other Scottish earls and more than a hundred of Comyn's Nobles being captured.

With Scottish armed resistance broken Edward followed his victory at Dunbar with a triumphant march through Scotland, taking his army further north than any previous ruler of Britain since the Romans. During this march he demanded Baliol's abdication at Strcathro near Brechin. If he thought that now he had resolved the disaffection of the Scots, he would very soon be faced with an even more deadly foe.

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Battle of Stirling Bridge
Date: September 11th, 1297 A.D.
Description:
Charging English knights were cut off when Stirling Bridge collapsed and massacred by the Scots' long pikes.

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