1180 - 1199 A.D. The Lionheart and the Sultan

Richard the Lion-heart didn't speak English. 

Or he most likely didn't. In fact, he didn't care much for England. The end of the twelfth-century finishes off with him pretty much at war with pretty much everyone. The '80s and '90s also saw the end of the great West African Ghana Empire, and the beginning of the next: the Sosso Empire. Saladin is still the great Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and the fight is on for Jerusalem. As always, I'll be filling in much more detail as I go along!

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(Feature Photo: Richard the Lionheart in an illuminated manuscript; Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

 

1180 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen / Henry "the Young king" is co-ruler with his father – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain)  Louis VII of France dies and Philip II "Augustus" becomes king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Alexander III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria – Japan's Heian Period is coming to a close (ends in 1189) – Xiaozong is emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (located in modern-day southeast China)

The Wagadou Empire, (also called the Ghana Empire), established sometime in the 4th century, and located in the Sudan savannah region (modern southern Mauritania and Mali), has now entered its declining phase; This comes due to drought and the rise of the Sosso Kingdom (1180-1235) and then the Mali Empire (1240-1645) (worldhistory.org) (ancientorigins.net) (answersafrica.com(Photo: Ruins of the Ancient Ghana Empire in West Africa)

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Super Expensive Dover Castle

King Henry II of England rebuilds Dover Castle, spending vast sums on it, making it the most expensive castle project of its time (Photo: Dover Castle in 2012, Credit: Nilfanion)

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The Genpei War, a national civil war in China between the Taira and the Minamoto clans begins; It will last until 1185 and is the culmination of a decades-long war of these two clans (Photo: Scene of the Genpei War on a screen of six leaves, painted sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries; Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

 

1181 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen / Henry "the Young king" is co-ruler with his father – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Pope Alexander III dies and Lucius III is installed as bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria – Japan's Heian Period is coming to a close (ends in 1189) – Xiaozong is emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (located in modern-day southeast China) – Jayavarman VII becomes king of the Angkor Empire (modern-day Cambodia)

The Genpei War continues in Japan

Jayavarman VII, the new king of the Angkor Empire (in modern-day Cambodia) begins a great building program, much of which is dedicated to the physical and spiritual health of his people (Photo: The city of Bayon, which was his monument to Buddhism; Credit: Wikimedia Commons) 

1182 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen / Henry "the Young king" is co-ruler with his father – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Lucius III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria – Japan's Heian Period is coming to a close (ends in 1189) – Xiaozong is emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (located in modern-day southeast China) – Jayavarman VII is king of the Angkor Empire (modern-day Cambodia)

The Genpei War continues in Japan

Eleanor "Fair Maid of Brittany" is born to Constance, Duchess of Brittany, and Geoffrey II Duke of Brittany, who is the son King Henry II of England; She will become heir to the English throne after both her father and brother, Arthur, die; However, at that time, King John of England (after he presumably killed her brother) imprisons her so that she cannot press her claim to the throne

Jewish people are expelled from Paris and Provins,

“By the 12th century, there were large Jewish communities (around 100,000) in Germany and France. Jewish merchants gained a high profile from moneylending and, combined with their status as religious outsiders, this made them vulnerable to prejudice, Jews suffered legal restrictions and massacres (especially during the Crusades and Black Death), and by 1492, they were expelled entirely from England, France, and Spain”

(History of the World Map by Map pg. 112)

 

1183 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen / Henry "the Young king" is co-ruler with his father – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Lucius III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria – Japan's Heian Period is coming to a close (ends in 1189) – Xiaozong is emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (located in modern-day southeast China) – Jayavarman VII is king of the Angkor Empire (modern-day Cambodia)

The Genpei War continues in Japan

June 11, Henry the Young King, who has been co-ruler, or junior king of England with his father King Henry II, dies, aged 28, in Martel, near Limoges in France; He had been campaigning against his father, but fell sick at the beginning of June; Before he died, he asked his father to come to him so he could ask for forgiveness; King Henry II did not come, fearing a trap, but sent his ring as a sign of forgiveness; Henry the Young King died clutching it; He is buried in Rouen Cathedral

 

1184 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Lucius III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria – Japan's Heian Period is coming to a close (ends in 1189) – Xiaozong is emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (located in modern-day southeast China) – Jayavarman VII is king of the Angkor Empire (modern-day Cambodia)

The Genpei War continues in Japan

 

1185 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Pope Lucius III dies and Urban III becomes pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria – Japan's Heian Period is coming to a close (ends in 1189) – Xiaozong is emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (located in modern-day southeast China) – Jayavarman VII is king of the Angkor Empire (modern-day Cambodia)

The Genpei War ends in Japan (had begun in 1180)

November 25, Pope Lucius III dies, aged 87-88, in Verona, Holy Roman Empire and Urban III becomes pope/bishop of Rome

Temple Church in London, located between Fleet Street and the River Thames and built by the Knights Templar as their English Headquarters, is consecrated on February 10 (this is 65 years after they were founded in Jerusalem in order to protect the pilgrims coming to the Holy Land) (Photo: Temple Church in London in 2012; Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

 

1186

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Urban III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria

 

August 19, Geoffrey II Duke of Brittany and the son of King Henry II of England, dies, aged 27 after being trampled to death in a riding accident at a tournament in Paris; His widow, 20 year-old Constance, is pregnant with Arthur I, who becomes Duke of Brittany after he is born; Constance remains Duchess of Brittany until her death in 1201, Constance will marry twice more and have more children

 

1187 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Pope Urban III dies, and Gregory VIII succeeds him, then Gregory dies and Clement III succeeds him  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria

March 29, Arthur I Duke of Brittany, the grandson of King Henry II of England is born; His father, Geoffrey II Duke of Brittany, died last year; His mother is Constance, Duchess of Brittany; He only lives to be 15 or 16, when he dies at the hands of his uncle King John of England in 1203

July 3-4, Crusader and Muslim forces clash at the extinct volcano called the Horns of Hattin where the Crusaders are defeated; Saladin also wins the relic of the True Cross which is paraded through the streets of Damascus upside down; Additionally, he orders the mass execution of all Hospitallers and Templars (The New Concise History of the Crusades, Pg.76)

Muslim forces under Saladin wrest control of the city from the Crusaders (Jerusalem Besieged pg. 202)

October 20, Pope Urban III dies of grief upon hearing about the Crusaders' defeat and the capture of Jerusalem and the True Cross (The New Concise History of the Crusades, Pg.79) and Gregory VIII succeeds him

October 29, Pope Gregory VIII issues Audita tremendi, "A beautifully crafted document, it became the model for all subsequent crusading bulls. It imposed a seven-year truce throughout Europe so that rulers could concentrate on the Levant. It accepted the formulation of St. Bernard, that the success of a crusade was linked to the spiritual well-being of Christendom...Jerusalem fell because of the sins of Christ's followers, the pope maintained. Only through their penance could it be redeemed." (The New Concise History of the Crusades, Pg.76)

December 17, Pope Gregory VIII, after two months of holding the office, dies in Pisa, Republic of Pisa, and Clement III succeeds him

 

1188 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II is king of England / Eleanor of Aquitaine is queen – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II is king of Sicily – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany – Clement III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria

 

1189

RULERS & ROYALTY: Henry II, king of England, dies and his son, Richard I "The Lionheart" succeeds him – Sancho VI is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) – Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – William II, king of Sicily, dies, and his illegitimate son, Tancred of Lecce usurps the throne – Fredrich Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire and King of Germany  Clement III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria

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King Richard I the Lionheart

July 6, King Henry II of England dies, aged 56, at Chinon Castle, Chinon, Touraine, Kingdom of France; His son, Richard, succeeds him as King Richard I of England; Richard speaks no only English, only French, and is more focused on his French origin; His empire is called the Angevin Empire, which include England and most of modern-day France; All together, he will only spend 10 months of his reign in England

Fast Forward ---->> It is 1961. The TV series Richard the Lionheart debuts on TV in America; The show will run until 1965 (Photo: Ernest Morris directing on set; Credit: Philment) 

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I Got Your Back, Mom

After becoming king, Richard I sends William Marshal to England with orders to release his mother, Queen Eleanor, from prison

 

"Eleanor now came into her own. At sixty-seven--a great age in those days--she emerged from captivity an infinitely wiser woman, yet she had not lost any of her energy or her dignity, and her new authority sat easily upon her. More powerful than ever before, she was eager to grasp the reins of government and exert her influence over her son, who would need all the help he could get to rule his vast empire."

(Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 248)

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July 29, Richard, son of king Henry II of England, is invested as Duke of Normandy in Rouen Cathedral after seizing his dad's treasure at Chinon; After being invested, he receives homage from his Norman vassals (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 250)

July 31, Richard comes to an agreement with Philip of Gisors, assuring him that he intends to marry Alys immediately after he returned from the Holy Land, and agrees to depart on crusade with him next spring; Richard also makes peace with the vassals that had supported his father, King Henry II (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 250)

August 13, King Richard I of England sails from Barfleur to Portsmouth, England, where he is welcomed with enthusiasm (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 250)

August 15, King Richard I of England arrives in Winchester where he is "received with stately ceremony" and secures the royal treasure; It is here that he is reunited with his proud mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 250)

August 29, John, King Richard I's brother, marries his cousin Hawise of Gloucester (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 252)

September 1, King Richard I of England and his mother, Queen Eleanor, ride in state through London, in preparation for Richard's coronation in two days (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 252)

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Anyone Want to Buy London?

September 3, King Richard I is officially crowned as king of England in Westminster Abbey in London;

"As soon as he was crowned, Richard threw himself with almost superhuman energy into preparing for the project that had come to dominate his imagination and his life: the crusade. Henry II had left a handsome sum in the treasury, but the King was in debt to King Philip [of France], and had overspent on his coronation, and had substantially reduced his revenues due to the generosity to his brother. He was consequently desperately in need of funds to finance his venture and milked his kingdom dry, imposing crippling taxes on his subjects and selling off lands and public offices at exorbitant prices.

'Everything was for sale: powers, lordships, earldoms, shreivalties, castles, towns, manors and such like'

'If I could have found a buyer, I would have sold London itself' Richard declared."

(Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 254)    

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November 11, William II, king of Sicily, dies, aged 35, in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, without a legitimate heir, so his illegitimate son, Tancred of Lecce, usurps the throne; William II's wife (now widow), Joanna, is King Richard I the Lionheart's sister; When Tancred ascends the throne, he takes her possessions and treasure, then puts her under house arrest

"By rights, the crown of Sicily should have passed to William II's aunt, Constance of Hauteville, wife of the new German Emperor Henry VI, but anti-German feeling was rife in Sicily, and Tancred was the obvious choice of the people."  

(Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 262)

 

1190 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VI "The Wise" is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – Tancred of Lecce is king of Sicily  Fredrick Barbarossa is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire  Clement III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria

February 2, King Richard I of England, who is in France, summons his mother, Queen Eleanor, and she sails to Normandy, meeting him at Bures; She takes her son John with her, as well as Archbishop Geoffrey and Alys, who Richard is supposed to marry (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 256)

King Richard I of England designates his nephew Arthur I Duke of Brittany as heir to the throne instead of his younger brother John (When John becomes king, he incarcerates Arthur and though his exact fate is unknown, it is thought that John had him killed since he was never seen or heard from again) 

In March, during the absence of King Richard I, 150 Jews are killed in a pogrom in the York Castle Keep (Clifford’s tower), in northern England; Many of them commit suicide so as not to fall into the mob’s hands; William Longchamp is despatched in the king's name to punish the perpetrators (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 256)

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A Sneak Proposal

In the spring, it seems Queen Eleanor and her son King Richard I travel together to Anjou (in France) so that he can get his affairs in order before he sets off alone on a progress through Poitou and Aquitaine

"Both Richard and Eleanor were deeply concerned at this time about the succession, since the King as yet had no direct heir to succeed him in the event of his being killed on crusade...The question was, whom should he marry?

It seems that Richard influenced by Eleanor, had changed his mind about want to espouse Alys. Alys's affair with Henry II would forever lie as an impediment between them..." 

(Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pg. 257)

Richard is supposed to marry Alys, King Philip the France's daughter after they come back from the crusade, but neither Eleanor, nor Richard, want this to actually take place

Instead, Richard becomes secretly engaged to a woman named Berengaria, who is the daughter of King Sancho IV of Navarre (in present day northeastern Spain)

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June 24, After making arrangements with his mom, Queen Eleanor, to bring Berengaria with her to the Holy Land while he is on crusade, he says goodbye to her  

July 2, King Richard I of England meets with King Philip of France to make final arrangements before going on their crusade; They agree to equally share the spoils that will come from their venture

July 4, King Richard I of England and King Philip of France set off on their crusade; After his departure, his mom, Queen Eleanor sends her other son, Prince John, back to England

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The Teutonic Order is Founded

The Teutonic Order of knights is founded while crusading forces are besieging the city of Acre in present-day northern Israel; They formed a fraternity to nurse the sick and wounded there (and is still active in the present-day) (Photo: Reconstruction of a Teutonic Knight's mantle in Malbork Castle, Poland; Credit: Lvova Anastasyia, Wikimedia Commons)

1191

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VI "The Wise" is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus"  is king of France – Tancred of Lecce is king of Sicily  Fredrick Barbarossa, emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire, dies, and Henry VI succeeds him  Clement III dies, pope/bishop of Rome, dies, and Celestine III succeeds him  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria

March 20, Pope Clement III dies, and Celestine III succeeds him

June 10, Fredrick Barbarossa, emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire, dies, aged 67, and Henry VI succeeds him

"Germans expected the Third Crusade (1189-1191) to be the most glorious triumph that Christian arms had ever achieved. The indomitable red-bearded Hohenstaufen emperor [Holy Roman/German Emperor], Friedrich Barbarossa (1152-1190), had brought his immense army intact across the Balkans and Asia Minor, had smashed the Turkish forces that had blocked the land route east from Constantinople [Istanbul in modern-day Turkey] for a century...He was expected to lead the combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire, France and England to recover the lost ports on the Mediterranean Sea...after which he would lead the Christian host on to the liberation of Jerusalem.

Instead, he drowned in a small mountain stream." 

(The Teutonic Knights, Pg. 9)

Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria, begins to refortify Jerusalem after taking control of it in 1189 (Jerusalem Besieged pg. 202)

King Jayavarman VII of the Angkor Empire (modern-day Cambodia) sends stone statues of the eight-armed Avolokiteshvara to each part of the empire; The Avolokiteshvara represents the compassion of all Buddhas (Photo: A bronze replica of one of 23 stone images; Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

 

1192 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VI "The Wise" is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – Tancred of Lecce is king of Sicily  Henry VI is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire  Celestine III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin is sultan of Egypt and Syria

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A Military Dictator and a Nun

July 11, Minamoto no Yoritomo established himself as the first shogun (a military dictator) Kamakura shogunate of Japan; He is married to Hōjō Masako, a Japanese Buddhist nun, who will reign as regent after his death in 1199 (Photo: Portrait of Minamoto in 1179; Credit: Wikipedia)

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1193 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VI "The Wise" is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) Philip II "Augustus"  is king of France – Tancred of Lecce is king of Sicily  Henry VI is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire  Celestine III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria, dies, and Al-Aziz begins ruling Egypt and Al-Afdal begins ruling Syria

March 4, Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, dies, aged 55-56. in Damascus, Syria, of a fever; His empire is broken in half, with Al-Aziz Uthman (his son) ruling Egypt and Al-Afdal ruling Syria (Photo: Saladin's Mausoleum in Damascus)

 

1194 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VI "The Wise," king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain), dies, and his son, Sancho VII, succeeds him – Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – Tancred of Lecce, king of Sicily, dies, and William III succeeds him as the last Norman king of Sicily, however, he is deposed and Henry I (also known as Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor) succeeds him  Henry VI is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire  Celestine III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Al-Aziz is ruling Egypt and Al-Afdal is ruling Syria 

June 27, Sancho VI "The Wise," king of Navarre, dies, aged 62, in Pamplona; His Sancho VII succeeds him

 

1195 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VII is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) – Philip II "Augustus" is king of France  Henry VI is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire, as well as Henry I, king of Sicily  Celestine III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Al-Aziz is ruling Egypt and Al-Afdal is ruling Syria 

 

1196 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VII is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) – Philip II "Augustus" is king of France – Henry VI is emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire, as well as Henry I, king of Sicily  Celestine III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Al-Aziz is sultan of Egypt, and Al-Afdal, sultan of Syria, is deposed, Al-Adil I succeeds him

Richard I makes Otto IV (future king of Germany with Richard’s help) the Count of Poitou

 

1197

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VII is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) – Philip II "Augustus" is king of France  Henry VI, emperor of the Holy Roman/German Empire, as well as Henry I, king of Sicily, dies, and Otto IV succeeds him as both Holy Roman Emperor (but not king of Sicily)  Celestine III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Al-Aziz is sultan of Egypt, and Al-Adil I is sultan of Syria

September 28, Henry VI, Holy Roman/German Emperor, dies, aged 31, in Messina, Kingdom of Sicily, and Otto IV succeeds him 

Tax Riot in London

 

1198 

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart" is king of England – Sancho VII is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) – Philip II "Augustus" is king of France  There is no Holy Roman Emperor until 1209 – Otto IV becomes king of Germany and the Romans – Fredrich II becomes king of Sicily  Celestine III, pope/bishop of Rome, and Innocent III succeeds him  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Al-Aziz, sultan of Egypt, dies, and Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammed succeeds him, Al-Adil I is sultan of Syria

January 8, Pope Celestine III dies, aged 91-92, and Pope Innocent III begins his papacy; "Shortly after his election in 1198, Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) proclaimed a new crusade. Innocent was a very young pope, only in his thirties at his accession...Above all, Innocent was determined to restore Christian control over the Holy Land. No goal was nearer his heart than the reconquest of Jerusalem." (The New Concise History of the Crusades, Pg. 97) 

October 21, The coronation of Otto IV takes place after he is elected King of Germany and the Romans with the help of Richard I of England in a disputed election that led to ten years of civil war; His rival is Philip of Swabia (who dies in 1208, thus making Otto IV the sole king of Germany); Otto is the great grandson of Lothair III, member of the House of Welf

November 29, Al-Aziz Uthman, Sultan of Egypt, dies, aged 27, in a hunting accident in Egypt; He is succeeded by Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammed 

 

1199

RULERS & ROYALTY: Richard I "The Lionheart," king of England, dies, and his younger brother, John "Lackland," succeeds him – Sancho VII is king of Navarre (modern-day Basque region of Spain) – Philip II "Augustus" is king of France  There is no Holy Roman Emperor until 1209 – Otto IV is king of Germany/Romans (Philip of Swabia is his rival during a civil war) – Fredrich II is king of Sicily  Innocent III is pope/bishop of Rome  The Sosso Kingdom is ruling the declining Ghana Empire in West Africa – Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammed is sultan of Egypt, and Al-Adil I is sultan of Syria

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John Finally Becomes King of England

April 6, King Richard I "The Lionheart" of England dies, aged 41, in Châlus, Duchy of Aquitaine, and his brother, John "Lackland" succeeds him