Politics & PowerThe 12th century

Politics & Power in the 12th century

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged politics and power — dynasties, constitutions, revolutions and changes of regime, narrowed to the 12th century — 15 of them, drawn from 14 nations, running from 1100 to 1198. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
15
Nations
14
Earliest
1100
Latest
1198
Europe
6
Asia
5
Africa
4

Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

  1. Asia

    Azerbaijan

    The Shirvanshahs make Baku their capital

    The Shirvanshahs, who had held Baku since the 11th century, made it their capital, walling the inner city and raising the Maiden Tower.

    Era: Islam, the Seljuks and the Shirvanshahs' Baku

    Sources: Baku: location, history and economy · Encyclopædia Britannica, Icheri-Shekher (Inner City), Baku · Encyclopædia Britannica, Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower · UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  2. Europe

    Croatia

    Personal union with Hungary

    King Coloman of Hungary was crowned king of Croatia and Dalmatia, joining the crowns in a personal union; Croatian tradition records the terms in the Pacta conventa, under which Croatia kept its Sabor and its ban.

    Era: The Medieval Kingdom and the Union with Hungary

    Sources: Croatia in Europe through the Ages: Development of the State · Croatia.eu (Miroslav Krleza Institute of Lexicography), Croatia: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  3. Asia

    Turkmenistan

    Merv as Seljuk capital under Sultan Sanjar

    The Great Seljuk sultan Sanjar made Merv a capital; the city's population swelled and it became one of the largest and most cultured cities in the world, a hub of Silk Road science and faith.

    Era: Merv: Silk Road City and Seljuk Capital

    Sources: Seljuq dynasty · Encyclopædia Britannica, State Historical and Cultural Park 'Ancient Merv' · UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  4. Asia

    Georgia

    Tbilisi recovered and made capital

    David IV recaptured Tbilisi from Muslim rule, ending centuries of the emirate and establishing the city as the royal capital of a reunited Georgia.

    Era: The Golden Age of David the Builder and Queen Tamar

    Sources: History of Georgia · Encyclopaedia Britannica, David IV (king of Georgia) · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  5. Europe

    Andorra

    Lordship of the Bishop of Urgell

    The Bishop of Urgell consolidated lordship over the Andorran valleys, entrusting their defence to secular protectors, among them the powerful counts of Foix.

    Era: Charlemagne, the Marca Hispanica and the Bishops of Urgell

    Sources: Andorra: History, Facts & Points of Interest · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Andorra: Countries · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian

  6. Africa

    Ethiopia

    Zagwe dynasty established

    The Zagwe dynasty takes control of the Christian highlands, ruling from Roha (later Lalibela) and sustaining the Christian kingdom after Aksum's fall.

    Era: The Zagwe Kings, Lalibela and the Solomonic Restoration

    Sources: Zagwe dynasty · Wikipedia, Ethiopia's Enduring Cultural Heritage · The Metropolitan Museum of Art

  7. Europe

    Poland

    Testament of Boleslaw III and fragmentation

    The dying Boleslaw III Wrymouth divided Poland among his sons, beginning nearly two centuries of fragmentation into rival duchies that weakened the state against its neighbours.

    Era: The Birth of the Piast State and the Christianization of Poland

    Sources: Poland: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  8. Africa

    Mauritania

    Fall of the Almoravid empire

    The Almoravid empire, which had stretched from the Senegal River to Spain, is overthrown by the Almohads, but Islam remains firmly rooted in the western Sahara.

    Era: The Almoravid Jihad

    Sources: Almoravids (Berber confederation) · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  9. Africa

    Morocco

    Almohads capture Marrakesh

    The Almohads under Abd al-Mu'min take Marrakesh, supplanting the Almoravids and building an empire across the whole Maghreb and al-Andalus.

    Era: The Berber Empires: Almoravids and Almohads

    Sources: North Africa: The Maghrib under the Almoravids and the Almohads · Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Art of the Almoravid and Almohad Periods (ca. 1062–1269) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art

  10. Europe

    Austria

    The Privilegium Minus raises Austria to a duchy

    Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa's Privilegium Minus elevated Austria from a march to a duchy and detached it from Bavaria, granting the Babenbergs wide hereditary rights; Vienna became their seat.

    Era: Ostarrîchi: The Babenberg March and Duchy

    Sources: Ostarrîchi: Austria under the Babenbergs · Die Welt der Habsburger (The World of the Habsburgs)

  11. Africa

    Egypt

    Saladin founds the Ayyubid dynasty

    Saladin abolishes the Fatimid caliphate, restores Sunni rule in Egypt and establishes the Ayyubid dynasty, later retaking Jerusalem in 1187.

    Era: Islamic Egypt: Caliphs, Fatimids and Mamluks

    Sources: Saladin · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Egypt: The Ayyubid dynasty (1171–1250) · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  12. Europe

    Ireland

    Henry II and the Lordship of Ireland

    Henry II landed at Waterford in 1171, the first English king in Ireland, and established the Lordship of Ireland; in 1177 he made his son John 'Lord of Ireland'.

    Era: Anglo-Norman Invasion, Plantation and Conquest

    Sources: Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland · New World Encyclopedia, Normans Invade Ireland · EBSCO Research Starters

  13. Asia

    Georgia

    Reign of Queen Tamar

    Tamar, titled mepe ('king'), brought Georgia to the height of its power and prestige, ruling a pan-Caucasian realm and presiding over a cultural golden age.

    Era: The Golden Age of David the Builder and Queen Tamar

    Sources: Tamara (queen of Georgia) · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of Georgia · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  14. Asia

    Japan

    Minamoto Yoritomo becomes shogun

    Yoritomo is appointed shogun, formalizing the Kamakura shogunate and a system of warrior government that would last, in varying forms, until 1868.

    Era: Kamakura and Muromachi: The Age of the Shogun

    Sources: Minamoto Yoritomo · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Kamakura period · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  15. Europe

    Belgium

    The Baarle enclaves take shape

    Medieval land deals between the lords of Breda and the dukes of Brabant scattered sovereignty across Baarle, leaving the Belgian Baarle-Hertog as a cluster of enclaves inside the Netherlands, some containing Dutch counter-enclaves.

    Era: Leopold II, the Congo, and the Curiosities of the Border

    Sources: Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau: the enclave complex · Discovering Belgium