World History Timeline

Timeline

1026 events

11th century

  3. c. 1010★★★★★

    The Tale of Genji written

    Court lady Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji, often considered one of the world's first novels.

    ArtCulture· Japan
  5. c. 1011 – c. 1021★★★★★

    Ibn al-Haytham's Book of Optics

    Ibn al-Haytham composes the Book of Optics, explaining vision as light entering the eye and emphasising experimental method.

    Science· Egypt
  6. 1025★★★★★

    Chola invasion of Srivijaya

    The fleet of the Chola king Rajendra I raids Srivijayan ports along the Strait of Malacca, weakening the maritime empire.

    War· India, Indonesia, Malaysia
  7. c. 1025★★★★★

    Ibn Sina completes the Canon of Medicine

    Ibn Sina (Avicenna) completes The Canon of Medicine, a medical encyclopedia used as a standard text in the Islamic world and Europe for centuries.

    Science· Iran
  8. c. 1040★★★★★

    Bi Sheng invents movable type

    The artisan Bi Sheng creates movable type from fired clay, the earliest known movable-type printing.

    Technology· China
  9. 1044★★★★★

    Anawrahta founds the Pagan Empire

    Anawrahta takes the throne at Pagan, going on to unify the Irrawaddy valley and establish Theravada Buddhism in Burma.

    DynastyReligion· Myanmar
  11. 1049★★★★★

    One Pillar Pagoda built

    Emperor Lý Thái Tông has the One Pillar Pagoda built in Thăng Long; it becomes an emblem of Hanoi.

    ReligionArt· Vietnam
  12. 1054★★★★★

    Country renamed Đại Việt

    Emperor Lý Thánh Tông renames the country from Đại Cồ Việt to Đại Việt, the name used for most of the following centuries.

    Politics· Vietnam
  13. July 16, 1054★★★★★

    East–West Schism

    Papal legates lay a bull of excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia, marking the split between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

    Religion· Turkey, Italy
  14. October 14, 1066★★★★★

    Battle of Hastings

    William of Normandy defeats King Harold II, beginning the Norman conquest of England.

    War· United Kingdom
  15. 1070★★★★★

    Temple of Literature founded

    Emperor Lý Thánh Tông founds the Temple of Literature in Thăng Long, dedicated to Confucius.

    CultureReligion· Vietnam
  16. August 26, 1071★★★★★

    Battle of Manzikert

    The Seljuks defeat and capture Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV, opening Anatolia to Turkish settlement.

    War· Turkey
  20. 1077★★★★★

    Battle of Như Nguyệt River

    Lý Thường Kiệt halts the Song invasion at the Như Nguyệt (Cầu) River; tradition links the poem "Nam quốc sơn hà" to the battle.

    War· Vietnam, China
  21. January 1077★★★★★

    Walk to Canossa

    During the Investiture Controversy, Emperor Henry IV goes to Canossa to seek absolution from Pope Gregory VII.

    ReligionPolitics· Italy, Germany
  22. 1086★★★★★

    Domesday Book compiled

    William I orders a great survey of land and property across England, recorded in the Domesday Book.

    PoliticsEconomy· United Kingdom
  24. c. 1088★★★★★

    University of Bologna founded

    Traditionally founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is regarded as the oldest university in continuous operation.

    CultureScience· Italy
  26. July 15, 1099★★★★★

    Crusaders capture Jerusalem

    The First Crusade takes Jerusalem after a siege, followed by a massacre of its inhabitants.

    WarReligion· Israel, Palestine
  27. c. 11th century★★★★★

    Cahokia at its peak

    Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis, is the largest urban center of the Mississippian culture in North America, dominated by Monks Mound.

    Culture· United States
  28. c. 11th century – c. 1450s★★★★★

    Great Zimbabwe flourishes

    Great Zimbabwe, a city of mortarless stone enclosures, was the centre of a powerful state that prospered from cattle and the gold trade with the Swahili coast.

    CultureEconomy· Zimbabwe

12th century

  1. c. 1110s – c. 1150s★★★★★

    Construction of Angkor Wat

    King Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat, originally a temple to Vishnu and today the largest religious monument in the world.

    ReligionArt· Cambodia
  2. 1127★★★★★

    Jingkang incident

    Jurchen Jin forces sack Kaifeng and capture two Song emperors, ending the Northern Song; the court re-forms in the south.

    WarDynasty· China
  3. 1147 – 1149★★★★★

    Second Crusade

    Launched after the fall of Edessa and led by Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, the crusade ends in failure before Damascus.

    WarReligion· Syria, Turkey, France, Germany
  4. 1181★★★★★

    Accession of Jayavarman VII

    Jayavarman VII becomes Khmer king, bringing the empire to its greatest extent and building Angkor Thom and the Bayon.

    PoliticsReligion· Cambodia
  5. 1185★★★★★

    Battle of Dan-no-ura

    The decisive naval battle of the Genpei War, in which the Minamoto clan destroys the Taira.

    War· Japan
  6. July 4, 1187★★★★★

    Battle of Hattin

    Saladin destroys the army of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem near Tiberias, causing most Crusader strongholds to fall.

    War· Israel
  7. October 2, 1187★★★★★

    Saladin captures Jerusalem

    After a short siege, Saladin takes Jerusalem, ending 88 years of Crusader rule and prompting the Third Crusade.

    WarReligion· Israel, Palestine
  8. 1189 – 1192★★★★★

    The Third Crusade

    Richard the Lionheart and other European monarchs retake Acre but not Jerusalem; the Treaty of Jaffa with Saladin ends the campaign.

    WarReligion· Israel, Palestine, Lebanon
  9. 1192★★★★★

    Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes shōgun

    Minamoto no Yoritomo is appointed shōgun, consolidating the Kamakura shogunate, Japan's first warrior government.

    PoliticsDynasty· Japan
  10. 1192★★★★★

    Second Battle of Tarain

    Muhammad of Ghor defeats Prithviraj Chauhan, opening northern India to Muslim rule.

    War· India
  11. c. 1200s★★★★★

    Rock-hewn churches of Lalibela

    Under King Gebre Meskel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, eleven monolithic churches were carved out of the rock in Ethiopia; they are now a World Heritage Site.

    ReligionArt· Ethiopia

13th century

  1. April 1204★★★★★

    Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople

    Crusaders capture and sack Constantinople, establishing the Latin Empire and permanently weakening Byzantium.

    WarReligion· Turkey
  2. 1206 – 1526★★★★★

    Founding of the Delhi Sultanate

    Qutb ud-Din Aibak establishes the Delhi Sultanate, which dominates much of northern India for over three centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
  4. July 16, 1212★★★★★

    Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

    A coalition of Christian Iberian kingdoms defeats the Almohads, a major turning point of the Reconquista.

    War· Spain
  5. June 15, 1215★★★★★

    Magna Carta

    King John of England seals Magna Carta at Runnymede, subjecting royal power to the law.

    Politics· United Kingdom
  6. 1225★★★★★

    Trần dynasty replaces the Lý

    Empress Lý Chiêu Hoàng cedes the throne to her husband Trần Cảnh (Trần Thái Tông), founding the Trần dynasty under the regency of Trần Thủ Độ.

    Dynasty· Vietnam
  7. 1227★★★★★

    Death of Genghis Khan

    The founder of the Mongol Empire dies during the campaign against Western Xia; his heirs continue its expansion.

    DeathPolitics· Mongolia, China
  8. 1234★★★★★

    Mongols destroy the Jin dynasty

    Mongol and Southern Song forces take Caizhou, ending the Jurchen Jin dynasty in northern China.

    WarDynasty· China
  9. c. 1235★★★★★

    Sundiata Keita founds the Mali Empire

    After defeating the Sosso king Sumanguru at the Battle of Kirina, Sundiata Keita founded the Mali Empire, which became one of the largest empires in West Africa.

    DynastyWar· Mali, Guinea
  10. 1237 – 1240★★★★★

    Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'

    Mongol armies under Batu devastate the Rus' principalities and take Kiev in 1240, beginning over two centuries of Golden Horde domination.

    War· Russia, Ukraine
  11. c. 1238★★★★★

    Founding of the Sukhothai Kingdom

    Tai leaders break from Khmer control and found Sukhothai, often regarded as the first Thai kingdom.

    DynastyPolitics· Thailand
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