Editing 1203

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{About year|1203}}
{{Year nav|1203}}
{{C13 year in topic}} 
[[File:Alexius4.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|Portrait of [[Alexios IV Angelos|Alexios IV]] (c. 1182–1204)]]
Year '''1203''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MCCIII]]''') was a [[common year starting on Wednesday]] of the [[Julian calendar]]. It was also the first year to have all digits different from each other since 1098.

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== By place ===
==== Fourth Crusade ====
* [[April 20]] &ndash; The Crusader army evacuates Zara (modern [[Zadar]]) and sets sail to [[Corfu]]; [[Boniface I, Marquis of Montferrat|Boniface of Montferrat]] and Doge [[Enrico Dandolo]] stay behind to await Prince [[Alexios IV Angelos|Alexios Angelos]]. After a brief pause at [[Durrës]] (modern [[Albania]]), the fleet reaches Corfu. Meanwhile, news of its approach (through spies) has reached Emperor [[Alexios III Angelos]] at [[Constantinople]]. He gives order to strengthen the city walls and the fortifications.<ref>[[David Nicolle]] (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', p. 49. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
* [[May]] &ndash; [[June]] &ndash; The Crusader fleet rounds [[Greece]] and stops at Negroponte (modern-day [[Chalkis|Halkis]]), where the local authorities submit to Alexios Angelos. Encouraged by this, the Crusader leaders send him and several ships to extend his authority over the neighboring island of [[Andros]]. Mid-June, the Crusader fleet sails from Greece to [[Abydos (Hellespont)|Abydos]], where it enters the [[Dardanelles]].<ref name="auto">David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', p. 51. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
* [[June 23]] &ndash; The Crusader fleet comes within sight of Constantinople, and enters the [[Bosporus]]. The Byzantine capital is defended by a garrison of 15,000 soldiers (including 5,000 men of the [[Varangian Guard]]), and a fleet of 20 galleys. On [[June 26]], the Byzantine troops skirmish with the Crusader forces, who attack, without success, the cities of [[Chalcedon]] and [[Üsküdar#Chrysopolis|Chrysopolis]].<ref name="auto"/><ref>Steven Runciman (1952). ''A History of The Crusades. Vol III: The Kingdom of Acre'', p. 100. {{ISBN|978-0-241-29877-0}}.</ref>
* [[July 2]] &ndash; Crusader leaders sail close to the city's walls in order to display the young Alexios Angelos, where they call upon the Byzantines to rise up in his favour. After rowing back and forth for a while, receiving insults and missiles, the attempt is abandoned. The Crusader leadership decides to land an invasion force north of [[Galata]] – using prevailing currents and winds.<ref>David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', pp. 51–52. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
* [[July 5]] &ndash; The Crusader fleet disembarks their horse transports, and barrels down upon the Byzantine defenders in a full cavalry charge. The Byzantines flee after brief combat, and retreat to the Tower of Galata, where they fortify themselves. After a bitter struggle, the Crusaders capture the tower and break the floating chain, and allow their fleet to enter the [[Golden Horn]].<ref>David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', pp. 53–57. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
* [[Siege of Constantinople (1203)|Siege of Constantinople]]: The Crusaders, led by Boniface of Montferrat, capture Constantinople, in support of the deposed Emperor [[Isaac II Angelos|Isaac II]] and his son Alexios Angelos. This marks the main outcome of the [[Fourth Crusade]].
** [[July 11]] &ndash; The Crusaders take positions opposite the [[Palace of Blachernae]] on the northwest corner of the city. Their first attempts are repulsed, but on [[July 17]] the Venetians take a section of the wall of about 25 towers, while the Varangian Guard holds off the Crusaders on the land wall, inflicting heavy casualties. The Venetians set fire to the buildings inside the Golden Horn walls, and then abandon the occupied fortifications.<ref>David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', pp. 57–61. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
** [[July 17]]&ndash;[[July 18|18]] &ndash; Alexios III tries to counterattack from the [[Walls of Constantinople#Gate of St. Romanus|Gate of St. Romanus]] but retreats without a fight. Embarrassed, he prefers to escape and abandon his subjects, fleeing with the imperial treasure to [[Develtos]] (a fortified town on the [[Gulf of Burgas]]) in [[Thrace]]. Meanwhile, the Byzantine aristocracy restores the ex-emperor Isaac II to the imperial throne. On [[August 1]], Alexios Angelos is crowned co-emperor as Alexios IV.<ref>David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', p. 63. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
* August &ndash; Alexios IV announces new taxes and enrages the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Orthodox Church]] by confiscating large quantities of Byzantine icons, many centuries old, and melts them down to produce enough silver to pay the massive debt to the Venetians. A riot breaks out in Constantinople – during which the Byzantine populace loots and burns the homes of Italian residents in the city.<ref>David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. '' The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', p. 64. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
* [[August 31]] &ndash; The Venetians rally a rabble of soldiers and storm through the walls, attacking the Mitation Mosque which results in extensive fires in Constantinople. Finally, they are fought off by the Byzantines and Muslims standing side by side. It becomes one of the most extensive urban conflagrations in [[History of Europe|European History]] and renders some 100,000 people homeless.<ref>David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', p. 64. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>
* August&ndash;October &ndash; Alexios IV leads a Crusader expedition (some 6,000 men) to extend his central-government control, against the fugitive Alexios III in Thrace. Meanwhile, a Crusader fleet operates in the [[Sea of Marmara]] in support of the Thracian campaign. The Crusaders seize several towns, including [[Edirne|Adrianople]], while Alexios escapes and withdraws to [[Macedonia (theme)|Macedonia]].<ref>Philips, Jonathan (2004). ''The Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople'', p. 209. {{ISBN|978-0-14-303590-9}}.</ref>

==== Europe ====
* Spring &ndash; King [[Philip II of France]] invades [[Duchy of Normandy|Normandy]] and attacks a number of castles in the surrounding region. In April, [[John, King of England]] loses the support of his French vassals who desert him. Philip enters [[Rouen]], leading to the eventual [[Treaty of Paris (1259)]] and unification of Normandy and France.
* At Rouen, [[William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber|William de Braose]], an English nobleman, becomes the guardian of the imprisoned 16-year-old [[Arthur I, Duke of Brittany|Arthur of Brittany]], designated heir to the throne of [[Kingdom of England|England]] – who is not known to be alive after April and is probably murdered by or at the orders of his uncle, King John.
* August &ndash; [[Siege of Château Gaillard]]: French forces under Philip II begin the siege at [[Château Gaillard]] as part of a campaign to reconquer the continental properties of King John of England. During the winter of 1203/1204, the English under [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke|William Marshal]] attempt to relieve the castle.
* October &ndash; [[Brothers' Quarrel (Hungary)|Brothers' Quarrel]]: [[Emeric, King of Hungary]] captures his rebellious brother [[Andrew II of Hungary|Duke Andrew]] without resistance following their third confrontation in recent years.<ref>{{cite book |last=Engel |first=Pál |year=2001 |title=The Realm of St Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895–1526 |pages=86–87 |publisher= I.B. Tauris Publishers |isbn=1-86064-061-3}}</ref>
* [[December 6]] &ndash; King John abandons the lands that have been held by the [[Duke of Normandy|Dukes of Normandy]] for over a hundred years and returns to England. Only two castles hold out against the French forces – they are [[Château de Chinon|Chinon Castle]], controlled by [[Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent|Hubert de Burgh]] and [[Château de Loches|Loches Castle]].
* The [[Oeselians]] ravage [[Denmark|Danish Scania]]. The returning pirates later skirmish with the German settlers of [[Riga]], near [[Visby]] in [[Gotland]].

==== Levant ====
* Summer &ndash; On orders of [[Al-Adil I]], sultan of [[Egypt in the Middle Ages|Egypt]], Muslim ships attack Crusader vessels off [[Kingdom of Cyprus|Cyprus]]. Ships from [[Acre, Israel|Acre]] retaliate this action, by capturing six Muslim ships off Acre. King [[Aimery of Cyprus|Aimery]] of [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] declares the truce void between Al-Aldil and the Crusaders, and raids Muslim territory in northern [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]]. Al-Adil responds by taking his army to the outskirts of Acre – but does not launch an assault and retires afterward. A plague breaks out in Acre and half the newly arrived Crusader army dies.<ref>David Nicolle (2011). Osprey: Campaign - Nr. 237. ''The Fourth Crusade 1202–04. The betrayal of Byzantium'', p. 19. {{ISBN|978-1-84908-319-5}}.</ref>

==== East Asia ====
* Early &ndash; [[Battle of Khalakhaljid Sands]]: Temüjin, [[Khan (title)|khan]] of the [[Mongol]] tribe and the future [[Genghis Khan]], is comprehensively defeated by the forces of [[Toghrul]], khan of the [[Kereit]].<ref name=PR>{{cite book |last=Ratchnevsky |first=Paul |year=1991 |translator=Thomas Haining |translator-link=Thomas Haining |title=Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy |publisher=[[Blackwell Publishing]] |location=Oxford |url=https://archive.org/details/genghiskhan00paul/ |url-access=registration |isbn=978-06-31-16785-3}}</ref>
* Midyear &ndash; The [[Baljuna Covenant]], an [[oath]] of mutual fidelity, is sworn by Temüjin and a small group of companions.<ref name=PR/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Cleaves |first=Francis Woodman |author-link=Francis Woodman Cleaves |date=1955 |journal=[[Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies]] |title=The Historicity of The Baljuna Covenant |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=357–421 |doi=10.2307/2718438 |jstor=2718438 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2718438}}</ref>
* Late &ndash; In a 3-day battle at the Jeje'er Heights on the lower [[Kherlen River]], Temüjin defeats the Kereit and Toghrul is killed.<ref name=PR/><ref name=JW>{{Cite book |last=Weatherford |first=Jack |title=Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world |location=New York |publisher=Crown |year=2004 |edition=1st |page=60}}</ref>

==== Japan ====
* [[Minamoto no Sanetomo]] becomes the third ''[[shogun]]'' of the [[Kamakura shogunate|Kamakura Shogunate]]. During his reign, Sanetomo is a puppet ruler for his mother [[Hōjō Masako]] who uses him as a pawn in her war with her father [[Hōjō Tokimasa]].

=== By topic ===

==== Economy ====
* First evidence that the [[Knights Templar|Temple]] in [[London]] is extending loans to John, King of England. The sums remain small, but are often used for critical operations, such as the ransoming of the king's soldiers captured by the French.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ferris|first=Eleanor|title=The Financial Relations of the Knights Templars to the English Crown|journal=American Historical Review|year=1902|volume=8|issue=1|pages=1–17 |doi=10.2307/1832571|jstor=1832571}}</ref>

==== Religion ====
* [[April 8]] – Congress of [[Zenica|Bilino Polje]]: [[Ban Kulin]], ruler of [[Banate of Bosnia|Bosnia]], officially declares his allegiance to the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and denounces [[Heresy in Christianity|heresy]].
* [[Ragnall mac Somairle]], a Scottish nobleman, invites [[Benedictines|Benedictine]] monks to establish the abbey of [[Iona Abbey|Iona]].
* The Temple of [[Nataraja]] is completed, at [[Chidambaram]] in [[India]].</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[January 10]] &ndash; [[Abu Shama]], Arab historian and writer (d. [[1267]])
* [[Abu Zakariya Yahya]], ruler of the [[Hafsid dynasty|Hafsid Sultanate]] (d. [[1249]])
* [[Bi Bi Monajemeh Nishaburi]], Persian astronomer (d. [[1280]])
* [[Cecilia Cesarini]], Italian [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] nun and saint (d. [[1290]])
* [[Donnchadh, Earl of Mar|Donnchadh]], Scottish ruler (''[[mormaer]]'') of [[Mar (Scottish province)|Mar]] (d. [[1244]])
* [[Eva Marshal]], Cambro-Norman noblewoman  (d. [[1246]])
* [[Hamuro Mitsutoshi]], Japanese ''[[Waka (poetry)|waka]]'' poet (d. [[1276]])
* [[Hōjō Tokiuji]], Japanese [[Nobility|nobleman]] and spy (d. [[1230]])
* [[Ibn Abi Usaybi'a]], Syrian physician and historian (d. [[1270]])
* [[Kujō Motoie]], Japanese nobleman and poet (d. 1280)
* [[Mindaugas]] (or Mendog), king of [[Kingdom of Lithuania|Lithuania]] (d. [[1263]])
* [[Peter II, Count of Savoy|Peter II]] ("the Little Charlemagne"), count of [[County of Savoy|Savoy]] (d. [[1268]])
* [[Sengaku]], Japanese [[Buddhism in Japan|Buddhist]] monk and writer (d. [[1273]])
* [[Vasilko Romanovich]], Grand Prince of [[Principality of Kiev|Kiev]] (d. [[1269]])
* [[Xueting Fuyu]], Chinese [[Zen]] [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] abbot (d. [[1275]])
* [[Zakariya al-Qazwini]], Persian astronomer (d. [[1283]])

== Deaths ==
* January &ndash; [[Sayyida Zumurrud Khatun]], ''[[umm al-walad]]'' (mother) of the Abbasid caliph
* [[January 12]] &ndash; [[Martin of Leon|Martin of León]], Spanish priest (b. [[1130]])
* [[January 21]] &ndash; [[Agnes II, Abbess of Quedlinburg|Agnes II]], abbess of [[Quedlinburg Abbey|Quedlinburg]] in Saxony (b. [[1139]])
* March &ndash; [[Hedwig of Brandenburg|Hedwig]], margravine of [[Meissen]] (b. [[1140]])
* [[April 6]] &ndash; [[William of Æbelholt]], French churchman (b. [[1125]])
* May &ndash; [[Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd]], Welsh prince<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pryce |first=Huw |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4E2uBwAAQBAJ |title=The Acts of Welsh Rulers, 1120-1283 |date=2010-10-15 |publisher=University of Wales Press |isbn=978-0-7083-2387-8 |pages=334 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[July 12]] &ndash; [[Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Surrey|Isabel de Warenne]], English noblewoman
* [[July 21]] &ndash; [[Harvey I, Lord of Léon|Harvey I of Léon]], Breton nobleman (b. [[1153]])
* [[September 11]] &ndash; [[Stephen of Tournai]], French bishop (b. [[1128]])
* [[October 8]] 
** [[Hiki Yoshikazu]], Japanese warrior and nobleman
** [[Minamoto no Ichiman]], Japanese nobleman (b. [[1198]])
* [[November 4]] &ndash; [[Dirk VII, Count of Holland|Dirk VII]], Dutch nobleman and knight
* [[November 30]] &ndash; [[Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi]], Arab scholar and jurist (b. [[1146]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimscholars.info/manage.php?submit=scholar&ID=60101|title=Biodata|website=MuslimScholars.info|access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref>
*''unknown dates''
** [['Abdallah ibn Ghaniya]], Almoravid ruler of [[Mallorca]]
** [[Alexios Palaiologos (despot)|Alexios Palaiologos]], Byzantine heir apparent<ref>{{cite book|last=Vannier|first=Jean-François|chapter=Les premiers Paléologues. Étude généalogique et prosopographique|trans-chapter=The First Palaiologoi. Genealogical and Prosopographical Study|editor-last1=Cheynet|editor-first1=Jean-Claude|editor-last2=Vannier|editor-first2=Jean-François|title=Études Prosopographiques|trans-title=Prosopographic Studies|location=Paris|publisher=Publications de la Sorbonne|year=1986|isbn=978-2-85944-110-4|language=fr|pages=171–172}}</ref>
** [[Gille Críst, Earl of Mar|Gille Críst]], Scottish nobleman and knight<ref>Oram, Richard D., "The Earls and Earldom of Mar, c1150-1300", Steve Boardman and Alasdair Ross (eds.) ''The Exercise of Power in Medieval Scotland, c.1200-1500'', (Dublin/Portland, 2003), pp.&nbsp;46–66</ref>
** [[William de Stuteville]], English nobleman<ref>{{DNB|wstitle=Stuteville, Robert de}}</ref>
*''probable''
** [[Eudokia Komnene, Lady of Montpellier|Eudokia Komnene]], Byzantine noblewoman
** [[Siraj al-Din al-Sajawandi]], Persian scholar<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VUp8M1Q_hB0C&pg=PT26|title=الأعلام - ج 7 : محمد بن قاسم - نافع بن الحارث|last=الزركلي|first=خير الدين|publisher=IslamKotob|language=ar}}</ref>
** [[Toghrul]] (or Wang Khan), Mongol leader<ref name=JW/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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