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Contents: political eventsreligion education literature |
France's Louis IX annuls England's 1258 Provisions of Oxford in January in the Mise of Amiens (see 1263); Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, rejects the king's decision and goes to war with Henry III, who meets with an ignominious defeat May 14 at the Battle of Lewes. Leicester captures the king and his brother Richard, earl of Cornwall, marches on London with his prisoners, but finds the drawbridge of London Bridge raised against him. Londoners break down the drawbridge and lower it to let Leicester enter the city in triumph. He becomes virtual governor of England, and 2 days after the battle receives the surrender of Henry's son Edward, now 25, who has contributed to his father's defeat by a rash pursuit of the Londoners and is forced to give up his earldom of Chester. The heads of traitors are boiled, dipped in tar to preserve them, and displayed on pikes along the southern side of the bridge. Henry's wife, Eleanor of Provence, now 44, has raised her own army of mercenaries to support her husband in the Barons' War; her brother-in-law Richard of Cornwall is imprisoned at Wallingford and will be moved to Kenilworth (see 1265).
Ferrara's first marquesa Azzo d'Este dies at age 59 (approximate) after having established his authority over the city and its surrounding area. He is succeeded by his son Obizzo, who will rule until 1293.
Florentine Ghibelline leader Farinata degli Uberti dies November 11, having led the forces of Sicily's king Manfred to victory over the pro-papal Guelph at Monte Aperto (Montaperti) and gone on to capture Florence. The Inquisition will condemn him posthumously as a heretic in 1283.
Volhynia's prince Danilo Romanovich dies at age 63 after a 59-year reign in which he has gained control of Galicia, encouraged migrants to settle in his territories, married his sons into the ruling families of Austria, Hungary, and Lithuania, driven out the Mongols, but been forced to spend his final years as a vassal of the Mongol khan.
Pope Urban IV issues a bull ordering the entire Church to observe the Feast of Corpus Christi (or Corpus Domini) on the ninth Sunday after Easter in the liturgical calendar but dies at Perugia October 2 at age 64 (approximate) after a 3-year reign. He has fled Rome to escape a suspected assassinaton and his successor will not be elected until next year.
Oxford's Merton College is founded by the former chancellor of England Walter de Merton, whose new school begins Oxford's collegiate system (see Balliol, 1261; Oriel, 1326).
Nonfiction: Summa Contra Gentiles by Thomas Aquinas, who is careful to distinguish between scientific knowledge, which is discoverable by the human mind, and divine knowledge, which is "higher than man's knowledge"; De Computo Naturali by Roger Bacon.
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