Events

• November/December – Henry II of England, when word reaches him in France of Thomas Becket's latest actions, utters words that are interpreted by his followers as a wish for the archbishop's death.

• December 29 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral.

• The city of Dublin is captured by the Normans.

• According to folklore, the Welsh prince Madoc sailes to North America and founds a colony.

• Estimation: Fes in the Almohad Empire becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire.

• The Danes attack Estonia.

• The palace guards massacre the civil officials at the Korean court and place a new king on the throne. The coup leaders scrap the privileges that have kept the aristocrats in power and appoint themselves to top posts.

• Earliest dating for the making of Cheddar cheese

Births

• Eustace the Monk, French pirate (d. 1217)

• Isabelle of Hainaut, queen of Philip II of France (d. 1190)

• Mukhali, general of Genghis Khan

• Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominicans (d. 1221)

• Valdemar II of Denmark (d. 1241)

• Leonardo of Pisa (Leonardo Fibonacci) (d. 1250), mathematician

Deaths

• January 22 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese Daoist and co-founder of the Quanzhen School (b. 1113)

• November 18 – Albert I of Brandenburg (b. c. 1100)

• November 28 – Owain Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (b. c. 1100)

• December 29 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (assassinated) (b. c. 1118)

• Al-Mustanjid, Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad

• Ruben II of Armenia (b. 1160)

• Mstislav II of Kiev

• Eliezer ben Nathan, Jewish poet and writer (b. 1090)

• Eudes, Viscount of Porhoet, co-ruler of the duchy of Brittany