Minamoto no Yoritomo is appointed shōgun, consolidating the Kamakura shogunate, Japan's first warrior government.
The decisive naval battle of the Genpei War, in which the Minamoto clan destroys the Taira.
A kurultai proclaims Temüjin as Genghis Khan, founding the Mongol Empire.
The founder of the Mongol Empire dies during the campaign against Western Xia; his heirs continue its expansion.
Mongol and Southern Song forces take Caizhou, ending the Jurchen Jin dynasty in northern China.
Mongol forces under Batu and Subutai rout the Hungarian army during the largest Mongol incursion into Europe.
Jurchen Jin forces sack Kaifeng and capture two Song emperors, ending the Northern Song; the court re-forms in the south.