1210-1229 Magna Carta, Mongol Invasions, More Crusades

This twenty year period covers the reign of King John of England who died in 1216 -- after signing the Magna Carta in 1215 -- and was succeeded by his son Henry III.

In this period there was constant warfare in the world, one war finished somewhere, another one started somewhere else, but mostly they just overlapped each other.

First was the 1211-1276 Mongol invasion of China; then came the 1213 -1214 Angevin-Flanders War; the 1215 -1217 First Barons' War; and the 1218 -1222 Mongol invasion of Central Asia.

The Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land was in 1218; then came the 1223 -1480 Mongol invasion of Russia; the 1223 -1236 Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria; and the Sixth Crusade to the Holy Land in 1228.

1190-1209 Fourth Crusade Captures Constantinople

This twenty year period covers the reign of Richard the Lionheart (pictured) a year after the start of the 3rd Crusade to the Holy Land. Richard died in 1199 and was succeeded by his brother John.

In 1191 King Philip of France landed at Acre, followed seven weeks later by the king of England, Richard the Lionheart, and Acre surrendered to the two kings, ending Saladin's prestige.

Richard stayed and defeated the Muslims, recovering much of the Palestine coast, but was unable to take Jerusalem.

The Third Crusade was called off 1192 and on his return to England Richard was held to ransom for two years by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI for an extortionate sum which his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, worked tirelessly to raise.

In the meantime, Saladin had died in 1193 and the Fourth Crusade was underway in 1202 with the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204 -- the year that Eleanor of Aquitaine died, aged 82.

In contrast to 1099, when the first crusaders had captured Jerusalem, massacring Jews and Muslims who lived there, treating the city as exclusively theirs, Saladin never denied access to Jerusalem to other creeds -- the Jews were allowed to return, and four Christian priests were allowed to hold services in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

In 1200 the University of Paris established. 

1130-1149 The Second Crusade

This twenty year period covers the reign of King Henry I of England and the Second Crusade to the Holy Land in 1147.

Henry I of England died in 1135 and was succeeded by Stephen.

Lothaire III was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, and Innocent II was the Pope in Rome.

Pope Innocent II had to deal with an antipope in Rome so he fled to France where he garnered support and in 1133 he and Lothaire III marched on Rome, but then another antipope emerged and with the aid of Roger II, Count of Sicily -- whom he crowned 'king' -- he held a shaky control over Rome.

His successor, Pope Celestine II, died in 1244, and the next Pope, Lucius II, again turned to Roger of Sicily for support against a new political secularist body in Rome.

Pope Lucius II died in battle against the Romans -- his 'flock' -- in 1245 and his successor Eugene III tried to divert attention by promoting another crusade.

The Second Crusade took place in 1147 and lasted for two years. 

1090-1109 The First Crusade Reclaims Jerusalem

This twenty year period covers the reign of King William II of England and the First Crusade to the Holy Land in 1096.

William II died in 1100 and was succeeded by Henry I.

The Holy Roman Emperor was Henry IV of Germany; the French aristocrat Urban II was Pope; and a popular Roman, Clement, was the antipope.

Urban II gained support for his papacy by promoting a crusade to liberate Jerusalem. He died in 1099 and was succeeded by the Italian, Paschal II.

As a result of the First Crusade in 1096, Jerusalem became a Christian city in 1099.