Monks from the Savigniac abbey Aulnay-sur-Odon in Normandy found a new abbey in England.

More improvements were made to Arundel Castle between 1176 and 1188. ¹

Cistercian monks from Whitland founded the Welsh abbey of Cwmhir in this year. ¹

A square central keep was constructed at Peveril castle which was under the control of Henry II. ¹

Peter de Colechurch began the construction of a new London Bridge across the Thames, replacing the old wooden structure that had been destroyed by fire in 1136. The new bridge was built of stone and took until 1209 to complete. ¹

With the Assize of Northampton King Henry II built upon the criminal justice system that he had set out in 1166 at Clarendon. The country was divided into six areas and these areas were covered by six groups of justices. The justices would follow a circuit around each area. ¹

Lord Rhys held the first eisteddfod at Cardigan Castle after rebuilding work at the fortress was completed.

Richard 'Strongbow' fitzGilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke died in Ireland. ¹

Again King Henry's knowledge of law is used in a conflict. This time between Alfonso IX of Castile, and Sancho VI of Navarre. The meeting was held in London. ¹

After several years of moving the location of this abbey, the Cistercian monks finally settled at Byland in North Yorkshire. ¹

Because of complaints about the abbess and nuns, King Henry II removed them from Amesbury Abbey and replaced them nuns from the abbey of Fontevrault in France making it an alien priory. The abbey was originally founded with Benedictine nuns in 979 by Alfrida.

Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy, the Norman knight who invaded and conquered the Irish region of Ulidia (Ulster). ¹

Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano. ¹

John de Courcy, a Norman knight with an army of around 320 men from Dublin, attacked the area of Ulidia now Ulster and captured its capital town Downpatrick. The king of the area, MacDunlevy, attempted to retake the town but was beaten back by de Courcy.

In the city of Palermo, on the island of Sicily, Joan, the daughter of King Henry II married William II, the king of Sicily. ¹

At the Council of Oxford King King Henry II gave his title of Lord of Ireland to his son Prince John. ¹

MacDunlevy, the native king of Ulidia (Ulster), was joined by the king of a neighbouring district and raised a large army to retake Ulidia from John de Courcy. They were also joined by several Irish bishops and many clerics. But the army was not able to defeat Courcy who then became lord of Ulidia. ¹

As part of his penance for his involvement in the death of Archbishop Thomas Becket, King Henry II of England founded the first of the small number of Carthusian houses that were created in England. Witham Priory also known as Witham Charterhouse was built in Somerset and populated by monks from Grande Chartreuse the mother monastery of the Carthusian religious order.

A report from Gervase, a medieval chronicler at Canterbury, appears to indicate that the Moon was hit by a comet and resulted in flaming debris being ejected into space. Further reports state that people were killed by the debris hitting the Earth. So did the comet hit the Moon or just burn up in the atmosphere? ¹

Within two weeks Richard broke the defences of the fortress town of Taillebourg. King Henry II employed his son Richard to bring the rebellious barons of the Aquitaine area under control. ¹

Canterbury Trinity Chapel and corona building work by William Englishman. ¹

In 1177 or 1179 another fire took hold in the city of Rochester damaging the Cathedral.

(Not the same as Pope Innocent III)

At this Council led by Pope Alexander III it was decreed that the election of a Pope should be done only by Cardinals and that two thirds of them should agree on the same candidate. This was done to prevent a repeat of the schism that had seen a small number of Cardinals vote for a different candidate who then became an anti-pope. The meeting of the Cardinals where they vote for the new pope was given the term Conclave.

Following the Capetian tradition of the French Kings, King Louis VII of France had his eldest son Philip crowned at Rheims Cathedral. Philip then became joint ruler of France. ¹

Work on Wells Cathedral began in this year. (More Information to follow)

The massive keep at Kenilworth was under construction during this period. ¹

Built by Hamelin Plantagenet, Henry II's brother. ¹

A non-aggression treaty signed between Philippe Augustus and Henry II. ¹

Baldwin became the Bishop of Worcester after the death of Roger.

Philippe II, Augustus succeeds to the French throne after the death of his father. ¹

This law was passed to force all freemen to arm themselves according to their wealth with weapons and equipment in order to protect their homes and country from invaders.

Geoffrey,one of the younger sons of King Henry II of England married Constance of Brittany and was granted the title Duke of Brittany.

Chinese astronomers saw and documented a supernova now known as SN 1181 and is believed to have originated in the constellation Cassiopeia.

Henry de Clinton exchanged Kenilworth Castle for other land? ¹

In 1182 Abergavenny Castle was invaded by the sons of Sitsyllt in revenge for the death of their father. ¹

Dingstow (Dingestow) Castle was under construction by 1182, in the form of a motte and bailey. Located near Monmouth in south Wales. ¹

The high altar was complete enough at Notre Dame in Paris for its dedication ceremony lead by the Papal Legate Henry and Heraclius, the patriarch of Jerusalem. ¹

Henry II's son Henry, crowned as the Young King, died of dysentery and Richard became heir to the English throne. ¹

King Henry II issues a forest code to ensure the royal forests were protected and prioritised the welfare of the animals over the needs of the local people.

A serious fire damaged the abbey at Glastonbury resulting in the need for major rebuilding work. ¹

Earth tremors damaged the Cathedral at Lincoln beyond repair. The earthquake must have been very powerful as it was said that it was felt throughout the country. Only the West front survived in good shape and rest of the building had to be demolished.

Reports of an earthquake in the Plantagenet Chronicles occurring in Sicily. Need to confirm.

Alfonso of Portugal died after reaching ninety years of age. He was succeeded by his second legitimate son Sancho.

John is knighted by his father at Windsor Castle before travelling to Ireland.

John accepted the post of Lord or Ireland and travelled there to take control. He was around eighteen years old and took his friends of the same age with him. They treated the native Irish barons with contempt and the English soldiers were unable to subdue the Irish fighters in unfamiliar conditions and the mission soon became a complete disaster. By the end of the year John returned to England. William Marshal, the Earl of Pembroke was entrusted with the task of controlling Ireland.

After the death of Richard, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1184 a dispute arose as to who should replace him. The monks chose Peter de Leia, the bishop of St. David's in Wales, while others chose Baldwin. It took the intervention of King Henry II to put an end to the dispute and he chose Baldwin.

There was an eclipse of the Sun over the north of Europe. Interestingly, there was an earthquake that damaged Lincoln Cathedral in 1185. Did the earthquake happen before or after the eclipse? Are the two events related?

Signed by Philippe Augustus to ensure his authority over his vassals. ¹

A Cistercian Abbey was founded by monks from Strata Florida in Wales in Conwy. ¹

Plans for a Cistercian abbey in Somerset were put forward around about this time. ¹

Geoffrey, the son of King Henry II died in a tournament. ¹

To avoid war with Philippe Augustus, after Philippe had taken Issousun, King Henry II signed a peace treaty at Chateauroux. ¹

Archbishop Baldwin preached the Crusade, the spot being marked with a cross that was restored in 1897.

Chichester Cathedral suffered another disastrous fire.

After a short siege Saladin captured the port of Acre from the Christians.

The Christian Army of Jerusalem was beaten by Turkish forces at the Battle of Hattin. Guy of Lusignan was King of Jerusalem at this time. All Knights Templars and Hospitallers who survived the battle were executed afterwards. The Archbishop of Tyre, a man called Josias, was dispatched from the city to Europe to inform the Pope and European leaders of the disaster that had taken place and to ask for help. ¹

Only ten days after the Crusader defeat at Hattin, Conrad of Montferrat arrived with group of Italian knights at the port of Tyre. He had first attempted to land at Acre unaware that the city had fallen to Saladin and once he learnt the truth he turned to Tyre. When he arrived at Tyre he found that it was under siege and on the brink of surrender. Conrad took charge and defied Saladin to attack even though the Muslim leader threatened to kill Conrad's father, the Marquis of Montferrat who he held prisoner. For the moment Saladin decided against an attack.

Jerusalem fell to the Muslims and the al-Asqu mosque was returned to Islam. The Muslims allowed four Christian Priests to hold services in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was in contrast to the first Crusaders who since they first captured the city in 1099 had treated Jerusalem as theirs alone. The Muslim leader was Al-Malik al-Nasir Salad ed-Din Yusuf also known as Saladin. ¹

When Josias, the Archbishop of Tyre, reached Rome and the Papal Court he informed Pope Urban III of the disaster at Hattin. The Pope was is poor health and the news was too much for him to bare and he died. Gregory VIII was elected as the new Pope but his reign only lasted two months. Gregory died on 17th of December at Pisa. ¹

King Richard took the Cross. Before going on a Crusade a vow was taken and the person was given a piece of cloth in the shape of a cross to be sown onto the surcoat. To go on a Crusade meant a person was granted a plenary indulgence which freed them from the terrors of purgatory and hell if they killed the enemy and gave them the promise of eternal life in heaven. ¹

Saladin turned his attention back to Tyre and offered Conrad gold and the release of his father if the port was surrendered. After Conrad refused to accept the conditions Saladin first ordered an attack by sea. But the crusaders were well prepared and when the Muslim ships entered the harbour a chain was raised behind them and all onboard were killed. With captured Muslim ships, the crusaders were able to drive back any further seaborne attacks.

After failing to take the port by sea, Saladin attempted a land attack, but again the crusaders were too well prepared and came out from their defences and attacked the weary besiegers. Saladin accepted he could not captured Tyre and retreated.

Odd events surrounding the meeting of King Henry II and Philippe II of France in a field at Gisors. The events surround a sacred oak tree. ¹

Josias, the Archbishop of Tyre, found King Henry II and Philippe II at Gisors and told them of the defeat at Hattin. Both kings agreed to peace terms and to contribute to a joint Crusade. It was decided to raise a new tax to pay for the endevour. This tax, known as the Saladin Tithe, was imposed on the people of England and France to raise funds for a new Crusade. But the truce between England and France did not last long enough for the planned joint crusade to get underway. ¹

At Mainz Cathedral, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa took the Cross showing his intention to travel to the Holy Land.  ¹

The conflicts between England and France started once again with King Henry II attacking French lands and Philippe II attacking English lands in Normandy. ¹

Unhappy that King Henry would give the throne of England to John, Richard sided with Philippe Augustus of France.

While Richard I was away on Crusade, William Longchamp, the Bishop of Ely and Chancellor ordered the enlargement of the bailey surrounding the keep Tower in London. A new ditch and bank were constructed with a new section of curtain wall.

John married Isabella of Gloucester who was the heiress of the Glamorgan lordship. ¹

The Order of the Teutonic Knights established at Acre. ¹

In 1189 William Marshal married Isabel, the heiress of Earl Richard de Clare. Isabel's castles passed to William including Pembroke Castle. ¹

The post of Lord Mayor of London was introduced in this year. The first holder of the title was Henry FitzAilwin. ¹

After the defeat of the Moors in the Algarve region of southern Portugal, Sancho I adopted the title of King of Silvers. ¹

Richard, joined forces with the French King to attack his own father. ¹

In early May 1189, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa garthered his army at Ratisbon (now called Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany). He had ensured that his lands were safe while he was away on crusade and left his eldest son Henry in charge of the country. ¹

King Henry II was now seriously ill and submitted at a conference with the French King to peace. Henry agreed to do homage to Philippe and several towns and castles were taken by the French. It was now that Henry learnt of John's allegiance with the French King and this news upset the English King so much it was a major cause of his death.

King Henry II died at Chinon and was buried in the choir church of Fontevrault. Richard, his eldest son, became King of England. William Marshal, who served under Henry II and was favoured by Richard, was sent to England to prepare for Richard's arrival. ¹

Richard of Normandy arrived at Portsmouth to claim the crown. ¹

John 'Lackland' married Isabella of Gloucester. ¹

Richard I was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. He was escorted along a path of woollen cloth. At the head of the procession was the clergy, first the priors next the abbots then the bishops. In the midst of the bishops were four barons holding golden candelabra, followed by Geoffrey de Lucy, John Marshal, William Marshal and William Fitzpatrick holding the Cap of State, golden spurs, golden sceptre and golden verge. The golden crown was carried by William de Mandeville. Richard was anointed with holy oil on his head, chest and hands. During the service a bat was seen to flutter around the throne which was seen to be an evil omen. ¹

King Richard received the homage of the Bishops, Earls, Abbots and Barons who swore fealty to him. ¹

William II, the king of Sicily died suddenly in November of 1189. It had been planned that he would take part in the Third Crusade.

William I of Scotland gave Richard I of England 10,000 marks for the Crusade. This overturned the Treaty of Falaise which William had to sign when captured in 1174. ¹

Richard set sail with his crusading army from Dover Castle at the end of the year. To ensure he had the allegiance of his younger brother John, Richard had bestowed upon him the title count of Mortain and had approved John's marriage to their cousin Isabelle. But Richard did not nominate John as his heir.  ¹

Built by Hubert de Burgh this castle is one of the three he owned in the Welsh Marches. White Castle, and Grosmont Castle being the other two. ¹

In this year Rhys ap Gruffydd, The Lord Rhys captured the castle at Kidwelly from the Normans. It is possible that he repaired its structure at this time. ¹

London adopted the cross of St. George, the red cross on a white background. This flag was being used by the fleet of Genoa and allowed the ships from London to use the flag for protection when they entered the Mediterranean on trading missions.

A group of German knights on crusade during the siege of Acre formed an Order to assist sick pilgrims travelling to holy land. ¹

Before his departure to the Holy Land, King Richard nominated his cousin, Arthur, as hier to the English throne.

The large army of German crusaders marched towards Constantinople on the way to the Holy Land. But Isaac II, the Byzantine Emperor, had sided with Saladin and was attempting the stop them by attacking the crusaders. But the German army was too strong and they captured Adrianople. A peace treaty was signed by Isaac and Frederick of Germany, the crusaders' leader, that ensured the Germans were given supplies and free passage through to the Holy Land.

Even though the Jews were under special protection from King Richard I, because of their wealth that could help pay for the Crusades, the mob attacked 150 Jews hiding in the castle at York. Most committed suicide rather than be attacked by the mob, but the rest believing promises that they would be spared if they came out left the castle and were promptly massacred. ¹

Beaufort Castle was captured by Saladin after a long siege from Raynald of Sidon who had offered to hand over the castle to the Muslim leader on the condition that he had three months to remove his family to a place of safety. At the end of the three months Saladin expected the castle to be handed over but found that Raynald had used the time to refortify and supply the castle against a siege. Raynald mde the mistake of begging for more time and was held hostage by Saladin. Raynald's men finally gave up the castle for the release of Raynald.

Richard was given the pilgrim's scrip (a bag for the journey) and staff by the archbishop of Tours in preparation for his Crusade. These items were traditionally carried by pilgrims. ¹

King Richard I of England and King Philippe II, Augustus of France, met at Vézelay and agreed to divide the spoils of the Crusade equally between themselves. They planned to take different routes, Richard via Marseilles and Philippe via Genoa. Richard had around 100 ships at his disposal, several of which were from the Cinque Ports, others from Shoreham and Southampton and more donated by private persons. Other ships were hired from ports in Normandy. Richard could have had a force of around 8000 men half of which could have had horses. ¹

Richard leaves to begin his crusade.

Richard was in no hurry to reach the Holy Land as he had an issue to resolve in Italy first. William II, the King of Sicily, had recently died. He was married to Richard's sister, Joan, who was bequeathed a large dower, a payment meant to support her if she outlived her husband. William had also bequeathed a large sum of money to Henry II, the king of England. Through force, Tancred of Lecce claimed the throne of Sicily and imprisoned Joan refusing to pay the money to her or the King of England. When Richard arrived in Messina he demanded that his sister should be released and all the money owing should be paid. ¹

The people of Messina, supporting Tancred, shut the gates on Richard and attacked his soldiers. In the harbour French ships turned against Richard as the friendship between Richard and Philippe had broken down because Philippe believed Richard was about to refuse to go through with his marriage to Alais, Philippe's half-sister. This was true as Richard had arranged a marriage to Berengaria of Navarre who was travelling to meet him. Richard's men stormed Messina and captured the town. Richard was lenient on the people of Messina and decided to build a fort overlooking the town. Tancred agreed to pay the money owed, freed Joan from prison and paid Richard a large amount of gold. Friendly relations were restored between Richard and Philippe when Richard agreed to split the gold with the French king. ¹

Baldwin, the Archbishop of Canterbury, succumbed to the pestilence that had taken hold in the Christian army that was besieging Acre in the Holy Land.

Richard and Philippe stayed in Sicily over the winter months waiting for the weather to improve before continuing their journeys to the Holy Land. ¹

Foundation of a Cistercian abbey in south-west Scotland by the lords of Galloway.

John began a campaign opposing William Longchamp who had been appointed administrator of England by Richard I while he was away on Crusade.

From the Chronicles of Meaux Abbey came the report saying 'In the twenty-third year of Henry, the body of Arthur some time king of the Britons was found at Glastonbury, between two stone pyramids formerly erected in the sacred cemetery. Hidden by a hollow oak, lying about fifteen feet deep in the ground. Some confusion with this date as I've also seen the date 1178 from Meaux Abbey chronicles. ¹

William Longchamp besieged Lincoln Castle accusing its owner of corruption. In response, Prince John captured Nottingham and Tickhill castles from William. The sheriff of the castle escaped and found refuge at Prince John's court while his wife Nicolaa successfully held the castle against the siege.

The order known as the Teutonic Knights set up a hospital within the captured city of Acre where they treated the sick and injured Crusaders. The Order was recognised by Pope Clement III.

With the death of Pope Clement III, Celestine III was elected to succeed him. He was consecated on Easter Day, 14th of April.

The King of France set sail for the Holy Land a few days before Richard. ¹

John and William Longchamp met at Winchester to discuss their differences. Several senior bishops were appointed as arbitrators and at the end of the meeting both John and William agreed to follow the recommendations. Longchamp was to return Lincoln Castle to it's owner and accept limits to his powers. In return John was to surrender Nottingham and Tickhill Castles.

The fleet left Sicily to sail to Rhodes. On route, three ships were separated from the group and landed on Cyprus at the port of Limassol. The governor of Cyprus at the time was Isaac Dacus Comnenus, who had come to power from trickery. He had sided with Saladin, and treated Richard's ships as the enemy. ¹

Philippe Augustus landed in Acre in an attempt to remove Guy of Lusignan as the King of Jerusalem, and replace him with Conrad of Montferrat. ¹

Richard located the three lost ships at Limissol, and promptly attacked Comnenus' troops in the town and drove them out. Comnenus was again attacked outside the town, but escaped, leaving behind his standard, embroidered with gold cloth. This was later presented to the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds. ¹

King Richard I met Guy of Lusignan (King of Jerusalem), Geoffrey (Richard's brother), Bohemund (Prince of Antioch), Raymond (Count of Tripoli), Humphrey of Toron and other knights to discuss the attempt by Philippe II of France to replace Guy of Lusignan with Conrad of Montferrat as the King of Jerusalem. ¹

Richard took time to marry Berengaria at Limassol. ¹

By the 1st of June, Richard had control of the whole of Cyprus and imposed a 50% tax in return for letting the Cypriots return to a more traditional way of life. Richard of Camville and Robert of Turnham were left in charge of Cyprus.

King Richard I landed at Tyre and quickly moved towards Acre, where he needed to help an army that was besieging the town which was being held by a garrison of Saladin's troops. By July 12th, the town fell to Richard. Richard held Saladin's men hostage in exchange for 200,000 dinars and the release of 1500 of Richard's own troops who were being held by Saladin. When no ransom was paid, Richard publicly executed 2700 of the garrison. It was at this point that Richard angered Leopold of Austria, who was to imprison Richard as he tried to return to Normandy. Leopold's banner was ripped down from alongside Richard's and the French. The banners indicated that the spoils of war should be shared, but Richard was not prepared the share with Leopold, who had not contributed to the fall of Acre. ¹

Most of Europe would have seen the Sun eclipsed by the moon just before midday.

Under Richard's command, the city of Acre is taken back by the Crusaders.

Geoffrey, the illegitimate son of King Henry II and half-brother to Richard and John landed secretly at Dover. He had been consecrated as the new archbishop of York while in Tours and his return was banned by William Longchamp. Several days after he arrived he was arrested. Citing the Winchester treaty, John sought another meeting between himself and Longchamp. This was agreed and the two were to meet at Loddon bridge near Reading. Geoffrey was freed, but Longchamp decided to flee and headed to Dover Castle.

Bishop William Longchamp held the Tower of London against Prince John's supporters for only three days. The Bishop surrendered the Tower and escaped to continue his support for King Richard. ¹

William Longchamp was captured when his disguise as a female merchant was seen through. John ordered that he should be expelled from the country.

After the damaging earth tremors of 1185 Bishop Hugh of Lincoln started rebuilding work on the Cathedral at Lincoln. His new scheme was followed even after his death apart from minor alterations up to the completion of the Angel Choir in 1280.

Work on the choir and east transept at Lincoln Cathedral progressed between 1192 and 1200.  ¹

William de Camville had been granted Llansteffan Castle by King Henry II and rebuilding work started in 1192.

King Richard I realised that he didn't have the resources to maintain control over the Cypriots. He worried that back in England, John, his younger brother could sieze the throne. So Richard sold the island to the Knights Templar for a sum of 100,000 besants. 40,000 of which needed to be paid straight away, while the rest was to be paid in instalments.

The churches of Scotland had been under the control of York. In this year Pope Celestine III transferred the jurisdiction of Scottish churches directly to Rome.

The Knights Templar hadn't held Cyprus for long before revolts by the local population forced them to sell the island on. They sold it to Guy de Lusignan who became its ruler.

Conrad of Montferrat was killed by two Assassins disguised as monks as he walked home. The Assassins, one of whom had been captured alive and questioned, had been sent by their leader Sinan. The suspected reasons for the murder are varied, some theories suggest Conrad had intercepted a shipment of wealthy goods bound for the Assassin Order while others suggest Saladin had ordered the murder of both Conrad and Richard I. Some also suggest it was Richard himself who had ordered the murder.

Word reached Richard that a Moslem caravan rich with supplies was heading for a well known as the Round Cistern. The caravan was not expecting an attack and the Christian army managed to capture a large amount of rich merchandise, horses and camels. ¹

Saladin was in Jerusalem when he heard the news of the Christian attack on the caravan. It looked certain that the Crusaders would use the resources that they had captured to continue on and attack the city. But Richard decided to return to Jaffa against the wishes of many in his army. While peace negotiations were again sent to Saladin Richard moved his army up to Acre in preparation to leave the Holy Land. When Richard left Jaffa Saladin took his army out of Jerusalem and attacked the city. After three days of assault the walls of Jaffa fell and the Moslems entered. ¹

Richard the Lionheart signed a peace treaty with the Moslem leader Saladin. ¹

After the agreement of a peace treaty Richard left the Middle East and began the voyage back to England.

Richard was shipwrecked while returning home from the middle east.

Hubert Walter follows Baldwin as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Saladin died.

The West front of Peterborough Cathedral was constructed between the years 1193 and 1230. ¹

A terrible famine struck both England and France, possibly caused by prolonged severe weather.

Richard was captured by the Emperor of Germany, Henry IV after being shipwrecked on the way home after his Crusade. The Emperor demanded a large ransom to set Richard free.

Bishop Herbert Poore presented plans to move the cathedral at Old Sarum to a new site nearer the river to be called New Sarum, or now Salisbury. Richard I approved the plan.

The castle at Nottingham was being held by supporters of John but it fell to Richard I after a siege of several days. ¹

Richard I returned to England after his Crusade and imprisonment in Germany. John had all his castles in England confiscated and the only title left to him was that of Lord of Ireland.

The Crown Wearing. Richard took part in a precession to Winchester Cathedral. The king wore a golden crown and was followed by notables from the Church and State. The previous Crown Wearing was in 1158. ¹

In Nottingham a council was called to hear the King's request for raising taxes. Although a large amount of money had been raised to free him from Germany even more was raised to fund Richard's expedition to France to deal with the King of France. Once the money was raised Richard left England and was never to return. ¹

On his return from imprisonment, Richard declares war on Philippe Augustus and defeats him at Fretevel. All the French archives were destroyed in the battle which were being transported in a wagon behind the army. ¹

Modifications to the west end of the church were undertaken under the direction of the abbot John de Cella. The plan was to add an extra three bays to the existing structure. Progress was slow due to mismanagement of the funds and when John de Cella died not much progress had been achieved. The work was completed under the direction of the next abbot, William of Trumpington. ¹

Arthur, the grandson of Henry II, was given the title of Duke of Brittany.

The Assize of Measures introduced a common set of weights and measures by which goods must be sold. A standard length of cloth was introduced called the ell. ¹

Pedro was the son of Alfonso II. He reigned until his death in battle in 1213.

At the Great Council King Richard I requested that 300 knights should be given to him for a years service in France. The Great Council refused. ¹

In Paris, Maurice de Sulley died in 1196 but the building work at Notre Dame Cathedral continued under the direction of his successor Eudes de Sulley. ¹

After the death of Rhys ap Gruffydd, Lord Rhys, his eldest son Gruffydd ap Rhys was generally accepted as his successor, but not by his brother Maelgwn. With the help of Gwenwynwyn ap Owain, the ruler of the areas around mid Wales, Maelgwn invaded the lands of South Wales controlled by Gruffydd his brother. The invaders managed to capture the town and castle at Aberystwyth.

Gruffydd ap Rhys was captuted by his brother Maelgwn and handed his over to Gwenwynwyn ap Owain.

Monks from Revesby in Lincolnshire moved to Somerset and colonised the new abbey at Cleeve. ¹

This Cistercian abbey in north-west Wales was colonised by monks from Cwmhir.

Gwenwynwyn ap Owain exchanged his prisoner, Gruffydd ap Rhys, for a castle(?). Gruffydd ap Rhys was transferred to Corfe Castle. Maelgwn extended his control over the South or Wales.

The Order of the Teutonic Knights is approved by Pope Innocent III.

Richard besieged the castle at Chalus where some treasure had been unearthed. Richard believed it was his and tried to take the castle. Riding too close to the walls, Richard was shot in the shoulder. The castle then fell and the archer who shot Richard was brought before him. Richard forgave the archer but Richard's second in command had the archer executed. Richard died of his wounds. On his death bed, Richard nominated his brother John as his heir rather than Arthur of Brittany. Richard was buried At Fontevraud Abbey. ¹

John is crowned Duke of Normandy at Rouen by Walter the Archbishop of Rouen. ¹

John landed back in England on the 25th at Shoreham in Sussex. He reached London on the 26th and chose people to help him run the country. He appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury, Hubert Walter, as Chancellor. Geoffrey fitz Peter was chosen as Justiciar and William, Earl of Pembroke, became Marshal of John's household. ¹

John is crowned as King of England at Westminster Abbey. ¹

King John had been married to Isabella of Gloucester for several years but they had no children. When John became king he quickly obtained a divorce leaving himself free to arrange a marriage that would give him political gain. Within the year he would marry Isabella of Angouleme, the daughter of an important baron in Aquitaine. ¹

William the Lion of Scotland was eager to support John's claim to the throne of England in exchange for ownership of the northern territories of England iincluding Northumberland and Cumberland. John had promised to honour these demands while back in Normandy as long as the Scottish King kept the peace until he arrived. Through mediation the threat of conflict between England and Scotland was put aside. This allowed John to concentrate his efforts against France where King Philip was causing problems.

King John, along with many nobles, knights and soldiers, left England from Shoreham and sailed to Normandy. Within a few days John and Philip agreed a short peace treaty to last until the middle of August. ¹

Building work on eastern area of the Cathedral at Rochester began in around 1200 and continued until 1227. ¹

Work began on the Lincoln Cathedral's main West transept, or Great transept in 1200.  ¹

The early cathedral at Rouen in France was badly damaged by a fire that destroyed other churches and parts of the city as well. ¹

An eclipse of the moon occurred at around midnight. (Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC) ¹

At le Goulet on the River Seine, Philippe II of France signed a peace treaty with King John providing two years of peace. The agreement recognised John as overlord of most of the English owned lands in France, but John had to give Philippe the lands of Norman Vexin and Evreux and a large sum of money. ¹

Eager to make peace with the count of Angouleme, John marries his only daughter, Isabella. Isabella was engaged to Hugh of Lusignan, a family which John was worried about due to their power and influence and the fact that an alliance between Angouleme and Lusignan would be a danger to him. Isabella was around fifteen years old. ¹

John and Isabella returned to England in late September and were both crowned at Westminster Abbey.

During a tour of the Midlands, John received homage from William 'the Lyon', King of Scotland at Lincoln. William was looking to move into the areas of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland. John on the other hand ensured that those areas were controlled by Barons he could trust. ¹