1191
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Contents: political eventsreligion food and drink |
The young German king Heinrich VI is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the new pope Celestine III at Rome April 14. His Norman wife, Constance d'Hauteville, becomes Holy Roman Empress-consort.
England's Richard the Lion-Hearted arrives in Sicily with a fleet of 100 ships but spends the winter quarreling with France's Philip II. He leaves Messina in March, conquers Cyprus, and marries Berengaria of Navarre, 19, who is escorted to Cyprus for the wedding by Richard's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard sells Cyprus to the Knights Templar, moves on to join the siege of Acre in June, and takes a major role in reducing Acre; his men behead some 2,500 "infidels," including entire families, but Saladin stands his ground at the walls of the holy city and Richard realizes that if he reenters Jerusalem he will not be able to keep his men from deserting and Saladin will wait him out. He offends Leopold of Austria with his arrogance. Berengaria has accompanied Richard and his sister Joanna to Palestine, where it is suggested that Joanna marry Saladin's brother and rule the kingdom of Jerusalem jointly with him.
France's Philippe II Augustus falls ill, leaves the crusade, and returns to Paris by Christmas after concluding an alliance en route with the new Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI against England's offensive Richard Coeur de Lion, who meanwhile has gained a brilliant victory September 7 over the forces of Saladin at the Battle of Arsuf and led the Christian host to within a few miles of Jerusalem. Ambushed by Saladin while marching south after taking Acre, Richard's army of about 25,000 inflicts 7,000 casualties while sustaining only 700, but Saladin regroups September 9 and continues to harass Richard's crusaders, blocking their advance on Jerusalem (see 1192).
The Russian prince George Bobolyubski leads a rebellion of disaffected Georgian noblemen against his ex-wife, Queen Tamara, but her forces win two pitched battles, the prince is captured, and Tamara allows him to withdraw to Byzantium.
Muizz-ud-Din of Ghur invades northern India (see 1187), but he is defeated in the first Battle of Tarain (Taraori) some 70 miles north of Delhi by a Rajput army under the command of Prthviraja III of Ajmer and Delhi, who has gained support from Jai Chand of Kanauj and Varnasi (Benares) (but see 1192).
The "blood libel" that Jews use the blood of Christian children to make matzoh at Passover surfaces for the first time in England (see massacre, 1190). Their pagan enemies made a similar charge against Christians in earlier centuries, and now it is the Christians who perform ritual murders, in the name of religion, on dates selected from the sacred calendar; much of the new demonizing of Jews arises from the seeming inconsistency that Crusaders are marching 3,000 miles to the Holy Land to fight Muslims while the people who are widely believed to have killed Christ are free to live peacefully in Europe. The absurd canard about using Christian blood to make matzoh will spread throughout the Continent and persist for centuries.
Pope Clement III dies at Rome March 20 after a reign of less than 3½ years and is succeeded March 30 by the Rome-born Giacinto Cardinal Bobone (or Bobo-Orsini), 84. A student and friend of the late Peter Abelard, the new pope is ordained a priest April 14 and will reign until his death in 1198 as Celestine III.
Zen Buddhism is introduced to Japan by the priest Aeisai, 50, who returns from a visit to China.
The Zen Buddhist priest Aeisai plants tea seeds in Japan, making medicinal claims for tea that will be published in 1214 (see 805; 1597; tea ceremony, 1484; 1591).
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