Editing 1261

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{{About year|1261}}
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[[File:152 - Michael VIII Palaiologos (Mutinensis - color).png|upright=1.35|thumb|[[Michael VIII Palaiologos]] (1223–1282)]]
Year '''1261''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MCCLXI]]''') was a [[common year starting on Saturday]] of the [[Julian calendar]].

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== By place ===

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* [[March 13]] &ndash; [[Treaty of Nymphaeum (1261)|Treaty of Nymphaeum]]: Emperor [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]] signs a trade and defense agreement with the [[Republic of Genoa]], to counterweight the Venetian presence in the region. Genoa agrees to ally with the [[Empire of Nicaea]], by providing a fleet of up to 50 galleys during the projected Nicaean siege of [[Constantinople]], while 16 galleys are to be immediately sent against the [[Latin Empire]].<ref>[[Steven Runciman]] (1952). ''A History of The Crusades. Vol III: The Kingdom of Acre'', p. 240. {{ISBN|978-0-241-29877-0}}.</ref>
* [[July]] &ndash; Michael sends his general [[Alexios Strategopoulos]] with a small advance force of 800 soldiers, most of them Cumans, to keep watch on the Bulgarians and scout the defending positions of the Latin forces in the surroundings of Constantinople. When they reach the village of [[Silivri|Selymbria]], Strategopoulos is informed by local farmers that the entire Latin garrison and the Venetian fleet, are absent conducting a raid against the Nicaean island of [[Kefken Island|Daphnousia]]. He decides not to lose such a golden opportunity and makes plans (without the consent of Michael) to retake the capital.<ref>Bartusis, Mark C. (1997). ''The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society, 1204–1453'', pp. 40–41. University of Pennsylvania Press. {{ISBN|0-8122-1620-2}}.</ref>
* [[July 25]] &ndash; [[Reconquest of Constantinople]]: Alexios Strategopoulos and his men hide at a monastery near the city gates, before entering through a secret passage. After a short struggle, the guards who are completely taken by surprise are killed and the Venetian quarter is set ablaze. Panic spreads through the capital and Emperor [[Baldwin II, Latin Emperor|Baldwin II]] rushes out to save his life, evacuating along with many other Latins with the help of the Venetian fleet. Baldwin manages to escape to the still Latin-held parts of [[Greece]], but Constantinople is lost for good.<ref>Nicol, Donald M. (1993). ''The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453'', p. 35 (Second ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-43991-6}}.</ref>
* [[August 15]] &ndash; Michael enters Constantinople in triumph and is crowned as emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] at the [[Hagia Sophia]]. To solidify his claim, the legitimate ruler, [[John IV Laskaris]], is blinded on Michael's orders on [[December 25]], his 11th birthday. Michael banishes him to a monastery and marries his two sisters to lesser Latin and Bulgarian nobles in an attempt to wipe out the [[Laskaris|Laskarid]] dynasty.<ref>Hackel, Sergei (2001). ''The Byzantine Saint'', p. 71 (2001 ed.). St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. {{ISBN|0-88141-202-3}}.</ref>

==== Mongol Empire ====
* [[Kublai Khan]] releases 75 Chinese merchants who were captured along the border of the [[Mongol Empire]]. By doing this, Kublai hopes to bolster his popularity and depend on the cooperation of his Chinese subjects to ensure that his army receives more resources.<ref>Rossabi, Morris (1988). ''Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times'', p. 51. Los Angeles: University of California Press. {{ISBN|978-0-520-06740-0}}.</ref>

==== Levant ====
* [[June 13]] &ndash; [[Al-Mustansir II]] becomes the first Abbasid ruler in [[Cairo]] (after his escape during the [[Siege of Baghdad (1258)|Siege of Baghdad]]). He is sent with an army by Sultan [[Baibars]] to recover [[Baghdad]], but is killed in a Mongol ambush near [[Anbar (town)|Anbar]] (modern [[Iraq]]), on [[November 28]]. The Abbasid caliphs continue as religious figureheads for the Mamluks in [[Egypt in the Middle Ages|Egypt]] until the [[16th century]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Lock | first = Peter |title = The Routledge Companion to the Crusades | publisher = Routledge | year = 2013 | isbn = 9781135131371 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AkCKZ9Hs4-QC | page = 112}}</ref>

==== British Isles ====
* [[June 12]] &ndash; King [[Henry III of England]] obtains a [[papal bull]] to absolve himself from his oath to maintain the [[Provisions of Oxford]]. He hires an army of 300 French knights as a bodyguard and takes up position in the [[Tower of London]]. He dismisses the baronial officials (led by [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]]) who wish the royal power to be modified by the principle of representation. This sets the stage for the [[Second Barons' War]].<ref name="Cassell's Chronology 144">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Hywel|title=Cassell's Chronology of World History|url=https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will|url-access=registration|location=London|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2005|isbn=0-304-35730-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will/page/144 144–146]}}</ref>
* August &ndash; [[Battle of Callann]] in Ireland: Norman forces under [[John FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond|John FitzThomas]] are defeated by a Gaelic army led by King [[Fínghin Mac Carthaigh]]. John FitzGerald is killed during the fighting.<ref>''BBC History'', July 2011, p. 12.</ref>

==== Asia ====
* February &ndash; The Japanese [[Bun'ō]] era ends and the [[Kōchō]] era begins during the reign of the 11-year-old [[Emperor Kameyama]] (until [[1264]]).

=== By topic ===

==== Education ====
* Early &ndash; Following disputes, northern academics from the [[University of Cambridge]] in England set up a [[University of Northampton (13th century)|University of Northampton]] by [[royal charter]] but it is suppressed by the Crown in 1265.<ref>{{cite book|first=C. H.|last=Lawrence|chapter=The University in State and Church|title=The History of the University of Oxford|volume=1|editor=Aston, T. H.|editor2=Catto, J. I.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1984}}</ref>

==== Literature ====
* The earliest extant Chinese illustration of "[[Pascal's Triangle]]" is from [[Yang Hui]]'s (or Qianguang's) book ''Xiangjie Jiuzhang Suanfa'', published this year.

==== Religion ====
* [[May 25]] &ndash; [[Pope Alexander IV]] dies after a [[pontificate]] of 6-years at [[Viterbo]]. He is succeeded by [[Pope Urban IV|Urban IV]] as the 182nd pope of the [[Catholic Church]].
* [[August 29]] &ndash; Urban IV offers the crown of [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]] to [[Charles I of Anjou|Charles of Anjou]], youngest son of King [[Louis VIII of France]], hoping to strengthen his position.
* [[Wurmsbach Abbey]] (located in [[Bollingen]]) is established by Count [[Rapperswil|Rudolf V of Rapperswil]] in [[Switzerland]].</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[February 1]] &ndash; [[Walter de Stapledon]], English bishop of [[Diocese of Exeter|Exeter]] (d. [[1326]])
* [[February 11]] &ndash; [[Otto III, Duke of Bavaria]], king of [[Kingdom of Hungary (1000–1301)|Hungary]] and [[Croatia in personal union with Hungary|Croatia]] (d. [[1312]])
* [[February 28]] &ndash; [[Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Norway|Margaret of Scotland]], queen consort of [[Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)|Norway]] (d. [[1283]])
* [[March 1]] &ndash; [[Hugh Despenser the Elder]], English chief adviser (d. 1326)
* [[July 25]] &ndash; [[Arthur II, Duke of Brittany|Arthur II]], Breton [[Nobility|nobleman]] ([[House of Dreux]]) (d. 1312)
* [[October 9]] &ndash; [[Denis of Portugal|Denis I]] ("the Poet King"), king of [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] (d. [[1325]])
* [[Abu Abdallah ibn al-Hakim]], Andalusian [[vizier]] and poet (d. [[1309]])
* November &ndash; [['Ala' al-Dawla Simnani]], Persian [[Sufism|Sufi]] mystic and writer (d. [[1336]])
* [[Albertino Mussato]], Paduan statesman, poet and chronicler (d. [[1329]])
* [[Constantine Palaiologos (son of Michael VIII)|Constantine Palaiologos]], Byzantine prince and general, son of Michael VIII (d. [[1306]])
* [[Daniel of Moscow]] (Aleksandrovich), Russian prince (d. [[1303]])
* [[Zangpo Pal]], Tibetan religious leader (d. [[1323]])
* [[Elizabeth of Sicily, Queen of Hungary|Elizabeth of Sicily]], queen consort of Hungary ([[Capetian House of Anjou|House of Anjou]]) (d. 1303)
* [[Konoe Iemoto]], Japanese nobleman (''[[kugyō]]'') and [[regent]] (d. [[1296]])
* [[Pier Saccone Tarlati di Pietramala]], Italian nobleman and [[condottiero]] (d. [[1356]])
* [[Władysław I Łokietek]] ("Elbow-High"), king of [[Kingdom of Poland (1300–1320)|Poland]] (d. [[1333]])

== Deaths ==
* [[February 28]] &ndash; [[Henry III, Duke of Brabant|Henry III]] ("the Good"), duke of [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]] (b. [[1230]])
* [[April 1]] &ndash; [[Ahi Evran]], Bektashi Sufi preacher and poet (b. [[1169]])
* [[May 25]] &ndash; [[Pope Alexander IV|Alexander IV]], pope of the [[Catholic Church]] (b. [[1199]])
* [[July 8]] &ndash; [[Adolf IV of Holstein]], German nobleman ([[House of Schaumburg]])
* [[July 25]] &ndash; [[Nicephorus II of Constantinople]], Byzantine patriarch
* August &ndash; [[John FitzThomas, 1st Baron Desmond]], Norman Irish nobleman, killed in battle
* [[August 24]] &ndash; [[Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury|Ela of Salisbury]], English noblewoman (b. [[1187]])
* [[September 18]] &ndash; [[Konrad von Hochstaden]], German archbishop
* September 22/27 &ndash; [[Plaisance of Antioch]], queen consort of [[Kingdom of Cyprus|Cyprus]] (b. [[1235]])
* [[October 27]] &ndash; [[Sancho of Castile (bishop)|Sancho of Castile]], Spanish archbishop (b. [[1233]])
* [[November 2]] &ndash; [[Bettisia Gozzadini]], Bolognese noblewoman and academic lawyer (b. [[1209]]) 
* [[November 9]] &ndash; [[Sanchia of Provence]], Queen of the Romans, German queen consort (b. [[1225]])
* [[November 26]] &ndash; [[Hōjō Shigetoki (born 1198)|Hōjō Shigetoki]], Japanese [[samurai]] (b. [[1198]])
* [[November 27]] &ndash; [[Pope Athanasius III of Alexandria|Athanasius III of Alexandria]], Egyptian pope
* [[November 28]] &ndash; [[Al-Mustansir II]], Abbasid ruler (''[[caliph]]'') of [[Cairo]], killed
* [[Abu Bakr Ibn Sayyid al-Nās]], Andalusian theologian (b. [[1200]])
* [[An-Nasir Dawud]], Kurdish ruler, Ayyubid ruler (''[[emir]]'') of [[Damascus]] (b. [[1206]])
* [[Benedict II, Archbishop of Esztergom|Benedict II]], Hungarian chancellor, governor and archbishop
* [[Conrad I, Burgrave of Nuremberg]] ("the Pious"), German nobleman and knight (b. [[1186]])
* [[Qin Jiushao]], Chinese mathematician and writer (b. [[1202]])
* [[Sayf al-Din Bakharzi]], Persian poet and [[sheikh]] (b. [[1190]])
* [[Stephen of Bourbon]], French [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] preacher (b. [[1180]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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