12th Century A-Z

A

Empire founded by King Henry II, consisting of lands in England, Wales, Ireland and France

B

Benedictine monk, founder of Clairvaux Abbey and the Knights Templar

C

Spanish city on the banks of the river Guadalquivir, which served as the capital of the conquering Almoravid and Almohad moorish dynasties

D

Prince of the Cumbrians, crowned King of Alba (Scotland) and later made a Saint

E

This powerful woman, Duchess of Aquitaine and Queen of France, became Queen of England following her marriage to Henry Duke of Normandy (who later became King Henry II)

F

Muslim Caliphate, based in Cairo and tracing its lineage to the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, came to an end after invasion by the Seljuk Turks

G

Political factions, divided by their support for the Holy Roman Emperor or the Pope, dominated Italian politics throughout the century

H

German nun, polymath and mystic, writer, composer, philosopher and early practitioner of natural history

I

Controversy, which was really a power battle between secular Kings and the Papacy, over the right to appoint Bishops and Abbots

J

Levantine city, lying between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, which was the target of the Third Crusade

K

South-East Asian empire, which built the temple complex of Angkor Wat at their capital

L

The Kings of this medieval north Iberian state, heavily involved in the Reconquista, gave their name to a modern American rock band

M

Empress who fought a civil war against King Stephen for the throne of England, also known as The Anarchy

N

This country’s leader, Sigurd I, becomes the first European king to visit the holy land, either as a pilgrim or on crusade

O

Nephew of Kings Richard and John of England, elected King of Germany before later being crowned Holy Roman Emperor

P

Mythical Christian King, said to have ruled a great empire in India or Central Asia

R

Warrior King of England, known in his native French tongue as “Couer de Lion” and one of the leaders of the Third Crusade

S

This warlord, founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty, spearheaded the Muslim military resistance to the Third Crusade

T

This Archbishop of Canterbury was murdered, probably on the orders of King Henry II

U

The first of these institutions of higher education was founded in the Italian city of Bologna, followed shortly by the English city of Oxford

V

This Italian city hosted negotiations for a peace treaty between the Papacy, Emperor Barbarossa and the Norman Kings of Sicily

W

This ship sank soon after leaving Barfleur in Normandy, killing the heir to the English throne and his entire party, leading to a succession crisis

Y

River which was the site of several battles in the wars between the Jurchen-Jin and Song dynasties in China

Z

Middle Eastern dynasty, based in Mosul and Damascus and named for its founder, a Seljuk Turkic general, controlled most of the Levant and Egypt throughout the century