1212

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Year 1212 (MCCXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

• July 10 – The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground; over 3,000 people die.
• July 16 – Battle of Navas de Tolosa: The Christian kingdoms of Spain decisively defeat the Almohads, and the victory leaves the Kingdom of Castile in a difficult financial position, as numerous soldiers have to be paid by the treasury.^[1]
• December – Frederick II of Hohenstaufen is crowned King of Germany, with the support of Pope Innocent III.
• The Children's Crusade for the Holy Land is organised. There are probably two separate movements of young people, both led by shepherd boys, neither of which embark from Europe, but both of which suffer considerable hardship:^[2]
  • Early spring – Nicholas leads a group from the Rhineland to Genoa and Rome.
  • June – 12-year-old Stephen of Cloyes leads a group across France to Marseilles.
• The contemplative Order of Poor Clares is founded by Clare of Assisi.
• In Japan, Kamo no Chōmei writes the Hōjōki, one of the great works of classical Japanese prose.
• Bran Castle is erected by the Teutonic Knights, in the Southern Carpathians (present day Romania).
• John of England impounds the revenue of all prelates appointed by bishops who had deserted him at his excommunication. He remains on good terms, however, with churchmen who stood by him, including Abbot Sampson, who this year bequeaths John his jewels.^[3]
• The Banner of Las Navas de Tolosa is begun. It is a trophy of Ferdinand III of Castile, and will end up in the Museo de Telas Medievales.

• The city of Bergen op Zoom probably gets municipal rights.
• The fall of Argos to the Crusaders early in the year completes their conquest of the Morea. The city, along with Nauplia, is given to Otto de la Roche as a fief (Argos and Nauplia).

Births

• March 22 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1234)
• Isabella II of Jerusalem (d. 1228)
• Malatesta da Verucchio, Italian condottiero, founder of the Malatesta family (d. 1312)
• Zita, patron saint of maids and domestic servants (d. 1272)
• Maria of Chernigov, princess regent of Rostov and chronicler (d. 1271)

Deaths

• February 29 – Hōnen, founder of Jodo Shu, a branch of Pure Land Buddhism (b. 1133)
• April 12 – Vsevolod the Big Nest, Grand Prince of Vladimir (b. 1154)
• April/May – Maria of Montferrat, Queen of Jerusalem (b. 1192; post-natal complications)
• July 16 – William de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale
• August 26 – Michael IV, Patriarch of Constantinople
• October 9 – Philip I of Namur, Marquis of Namur (b. 1175)
• November 4 – Felix of Valois, French saint (b. 1127)
• December 5 – Dirk van Are, bishop and lord of Utrecht
• December 12 – Geoffrey, Archbishop of York (b. 1152)
• date unknown
  • Peter de Preaux, Norman knight in the service of the Angevin kings of England
  • Robert of Auxerre, French chronicler (b. 1156)
  • Robert of Shrewsbury, Bishop of Bangor

References