Siege of Avignon: Crusader forces under Louis VIII besiege Avignon. They dig trenches facing the city walls – which are connected on both sides of the Rhône with pontoon bridges. On August 8, Louis launches an assault led by Count Guy II of Saint-Pol, but the attackers are repulsed. After negotiations, the consuls agree to pay an indemnity of 6,000 marks. On September 9, the gates are opened and Louis enters the city without violence.[2]
The Teutonic Knights undertake a new Crusade, attempting to subdue the pagan Prussians, who occupy a part of the Baltic coast. They are invited to Poland by High Duke Konrad I, a grandson of Bolesław III (Wrymouth). Their task is to defend Masovia against raids of the Prussians. After defeating them, the German knights set up their own state, which they named after the pagan people they have all but annihilated – Prussia.[3]
Summer – Genghis Khan starts a campaign against the Tanguts, punishing the vassal kingdom of Western Xia (or Xi Xia) for not contributing to the Mongol invasions. He assembles a large force (some 100,000 men), and lays siege to Liangzhou, second-largest city in Western Xia, which surrenders without resistance. In the autumn, Genghis crosses the Helan Mountains, and in November he lays siege to Lingwu. Meanwhile, Emperor Xian Zong dies and is succeeded by his nephew Mo (or Li Xian).[5]
March 26 – Emperor Frederick II issues the Golden Bull of Rimini, in which he grants Teutonic Knights the right to all of the lands they will get during the mission in Prussia; he also considers himself a senior of the Teutonic Order and Poland, as well as the universal ruler of Christian Europe.[8]
^Dell'Umbria, Alèssi (2006). Histoire universelle de Marseille. De l'an mil à l'an deux mille. Marseille: Agone. p. 19. ISBN2-7489-0061-8.
^Strayer, Joseph R. (1992). The Albigensian Crusades, pp. 133–134. London, England: Faber. ISBN0-571-11064-9.
^Brezinski, Richard (1998). History of Poland: Old Poland – The Piast Dynasty, pp. 22–23. ISBN83-7212-019-6.
^Picard, Christophe (2000). Le Portugal musulman (VIIIe-XIIIe siècle. L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. p. 110. ISBN2-7068-1398-9.
^Man, John (2004). Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection, p. 214. ISBN978-0-312-36624-7.
