Year 1103 ( MCIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

Events

By place

Levant

* Spring – Bohemond I, Norman prince of Antioch, is released from Seljuk imprisonment at Niksar, after a ransom is paid of 100,000 gold pieces. During his absence, Tancred (Bohemond's nephew) attacks the Byzantines, and re-captures the cities of Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra in Cilicia. Tancred is deprived of his lordship by Bohemond's return, and is rewarded with a small fief within the Principality of Antioch. * The Crusaders under Raymond IV invade the Beqaa Valley and capture Tortosa to isolate Tripoli. Raymond expands towards the Orontes River, and begins to build a castle on the Mons Peregrinus which helps in the Siege of Tripoli (see 1102). Emperor Alexios I supports the Crusaders by sending a Byzantine fleet (ten ships) to blockade the port of Tripoli. * Summer – The Crusaders led by Bohemond I and Joscelin of Courtenay raid the territory of

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

to gain supplies. They capture the town of Muslimiyah, and extract a large tribute. Sultan Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan, the Seljuk ruler of Aleppo, agrees to pay 7,000 gold pieces and ten horses to the Crusaders while Bohemond agrees to release all Seljuk prisoners captured at Muslimiyah.

Europe

* August 24 – King Magnus III is killed in battle with the Ulaid in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

. Sigurd Jorsalfare, Øystein Magnusson and Olaf Magnusson succeed him as joint kings of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Britain

* April 27 – Anselm, archbishop of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, again goes into

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

after a dispute with King Henry I over the appointment of bishops and abbots to important Church positions. * August 5 – Matilda of Scotland, queen of England as wife of Henry I, gives birth to their first son William Adelin at

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

. They already have a daughter, Princess Matilda.

China

* Li Jie, Chinese government minister, publishes his '' Yingzao Fashi'' technical treatise on

Chinese architecture Chinese architecture () is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and has influenced architecture throughout East Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, the structural principles of ...

, during the reign of Emperor Hui Zong of the Song Dynasty.

Vietnam

* Lý Giác, a wizard, launched a rebellion against king Lý Nhân Tông of the Lý dynasty. The national army led by Lý Thường Kiệt quickly quelled the rebellion. Lý Giác then escaped to Champa and later provoked the war between the two countries which lasted for nearly 2 years. * The Champa army, under king Jaya Indravarman II, raided Đại Việt's border and launched battles to retake three provinces in the Địa Lý regions. Ngô Sĩ Liên (1993), Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, page 115, Volume II, "Kỷ nhà Lý: Nhân Tông Hoàng Đế."

By topic

Religion

* The Scandinavian city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania becomes a see of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, namely the Archdiocese of Lund (approximate date).

Births

February 24 Events Pre-1600 * 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. * 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence. ...

– Toba, emperor of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

(d. 1156) * March 24 – Yue Fei, Chinese general and poet (d. 1142) * August 5 – William Adelin, duke of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

(d. 1120) * Adeliza of Louvain, queen of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

(d. 1151) * Aénor de Châtellerault, duchess of

Aquitaine Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...

(d. 1130) * Alfonso I, count of Tripoli and

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

(d. 1148) * Heilika of Lengenfeld, German countess (d. 1170) * Henry II, margrave of the Saxon Ostmark (d. 1123) * Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, Norwegian earl (d. 1158) * Vsevolod of Pskov, Kievan prince (approximate date) * Wivina, French

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbess (d. 1168)

Deaths

January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 peopl ...

– Frutolf of Michelsberg, German monk * March 18 – Sybilla of Conversano, Norman duchess * July 10 – Eric I, king of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

* August 24 – Magnus III, king of

(b. 1073) * October 19 – Humbert II, count of Savoy (b. 1065) * Al-Hakim al-Munajjim, Persian Nizari missionary * Boedil Thurgotsdatter, Danish queen * Ebles II, French nobleman ( House of Montdidier) * Henry I, German nobleman (

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...

) * Isaac Alfasi, Algerian

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

ist and posek (b. 1013) * Manegold of Lautenbach, German priest (b. 1030) * Osbern FitzOsbern, bishop of

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

(b. 1032) * Sibylla of Burgundy, duchess of Burgundy (b. 1065) * William Firmatus, Norman

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

and pilgrim (b. 1026)

References

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