January 31–Battle of Rusion: The Bulgarian forces (some 7,000 men), under Tsar Kaloyan, defeat the remnants of the Latin army, near the fortress of Rusion in Thrace. Around 120 knights, supported by soldiers and cavalry, are killed in battle or captured.
February– The Bulgarians attack and loot the fortified town of Rodosto (see Battle of Rodosto), defended by a Venetian garrison. Later, Kaloyan captures many more towns and fortresses.[1]
Temüjin assembles at a Kurultai, a council of Mongol chiefs, the tribes under his rule and is elected as their leader. He is given the title of "Genghis Khan" of the Mongol people – founding the Mongol Empire. Genghis takes immediate steps to underpin his military command, starting with a fundamental reordering of tribal loyalties. United under one nomadic nation, under one banner and one authority.[3]
Muqali (or Mukhali), a Mongol general in service of Genghis Khan, is rewarded with the command of the left-wing of the newly reorganized Mongol army and takes control over the eastern Mingghans.[4]
King Valdemar II (the Conqueror) and Archbishop Andreas Sunonis raid Saaremaa Island (modern Estonia), forcing the islanders to submit. The Danes build a fortress, but finding no volunteers to man it, they burn it down themselves and leave the island.
June – King John (Lackland) lands an expeditionary army at La Rochelle to defend his interests in Aquitaine, which is his from the inheritance from his mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Meanwhile, French forces led by King Philip II (Augustus) move south to meet John. The year's campaign ends in a stalemate and a two-year truce is made between the two rulers.[6]
A peasant named Thurkhill in England claims that Saint Julian took him on a tour of Purgatory. Thurkhill includes realistic touches of descriptions of Purgatory's torture chambers. This is also believed by Roger of Wendover, one of his society's leading historians.[8]
December – The monks of Canterbury want their own sub-prior Reginald for the post of archbishop, while John (Lackland) chooses John de Gray. Pope Innocent III appoints Stephen Langton. Finally, the monks accept the Pope's decision and vote for Langton.
Technic
The Arab engineer Ismail al-Jazari describes many mechanical inventions in his book (title translated to English) The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices.
Setton, Kenneth M. (1989). A History of the Crusades, Volume VI: The Impact of the Crusades on Europe, p. 436. Madison and London: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN0-299-10740-X.
Hope, Michael (2016). Power, Politics, and Tradition in the Mongol Empire and the Īlkhānate of Iran, p. 36. Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-19108-107-1.
Almási, Tibor (1994). "IV. Béla; Gertrúd". In Kristó, Gyula; Engel, Pál; Makk, Ferenc (eds.). Korai magyar történeti lexikon (9–14. század) [Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History (9th–14th centuries)] (in Hungarian). Akadémiai Kiadó. pp.92–93, 234. ISBN963-05-6722-9.
a et b Ibn Khaldoun, Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l'Afrique septentrionale, traduction du baron de Slane (tome III), Ed. Imprimerie du Gouvernement (Alger), 1856 (read online)
Wilkinson, Louise J. (2000) "Pawn and Political Player: Observations on the Life of a Thirteenth-Century Countess" Historical Research Vol. 73 No. 181, pp. 105-123.
B. Smith, "Burgh, Richard de (died 1243)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. online edition, Oxford University Press, (2004), [author states, "Burgh, Richard de (d. 1243), justiciar of Ireland, was the son of William de Burgh (d. 1206)".].
