1208

Political Events

Bavaria's 26-year-old count palatine Otto of Wittelsbach murders the German king Philip of Swabia June 21 at Bamberg after Philip refuses him the hand of his eldest daughter Beatrix, 10 (see 1180). Otto has been at odds with Philip since 1198, he receives overtures from many former supporters of Philip, and he is chosen king November 11 at Frankfurt-am-Main. He is betrothed to Beatrix and receives large concessions from the pope, who has earlier sided with Philip.

Swedish magnates depose Sverker II after a 12-year reign and replace him with the 28-year-old Erik Knutsson, who will reign until 1216 as Erik X.

The Byzantine leader Theodore Lascaris founds the Nicaean Empire 40 miles southeast of Constantinople in opposition to the Latin Empire ruled by Henri I of Hainaut (see 1204). Now 34, Theodore has succeeded his late father, Constantine XI Lascaris; the crusaders recognize his regime as the Byzantine government-in-exile during their occupation of Constantinople, and he will gradually gain control of much of western Anatolia (see 1211).

Genghis Khan completes his conquest of Turkestan, having swept westward with no physical barriers such as forests to block the progress of his horsemen across the Asian steppe.

China's Song (Sung) dynasty diplomats sign a peace treaty with the Juchen tribespeople on the northern frontier, agreeing to let the Juchen keep the territory that they took from the Song several generations ago but that the late prime minister Han Touzhou (Han T'o-chou) tried (with disastrous results) to recover.

Medicine

Students from Bologna found a school of medicine at Montpelier (see Arnold of Villanova, 1300).

Religion

A vassal of Raymond VI, comte de Toulouse, kills the apostolic legate Pierre de Castelnau outside Saint-Guiles January 14; the legate has since 1205 been urging Raymond, now 51, to attack the Cathar "heretics" in Languedoc, and the count is suspected of having had a hand in the man's murder (see 1167). Pope Innocent III last year appointed Pierre as inquisitor to lead an expedition against the Albigenses, whose notion of Christianity is based on poverty and tolerance, with women having rights equal to those of men. The pope excommunicates Raymond, who has tolerated the Cathars up to now, and preaches an Albigensian Crusade against the "heretic" Cathars of Albi, many if not most of them women (see 1209).

England's John Lackland objects to the pope's choice for archbishop of Canterbury; Innocent III places England under an interdict March 24, forbidding the clergy to administer sacraments.

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