1174

Baldwin IV becomes king of Jerusalem after the death of his father Amalric I (left).

Year 1174 (MCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 1174th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 174th year of the 2nd millennium, the 74th year of the 12th century, and the 5th year of the 1170s decade.

EventsEdit

July 13 – Battle of Alnwick: King William I (the Lion), supported by Flemish mercenaries, invades England, to help fight in the baronial rebellion against King Henry II. William attacks Prudhoe Castle in Northumberland, but is unable to capture it. He is captured by Lord Ranulf de Glanvill, and brought back to Newcastle.<ref name=CBH>Template:Cite book</ref> Henry occupies a part of Scotland, with its five strongest castles: Roxburgh, Berwick, Jedburgh, Edinburgh and Stirling.
September 5 – Canterbury Cathedral is severely damaged in a fire.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

September 30 – The Revolt of 1173–1174: After a year and a half of rebellion, Henry II achieves peace agreements with his sons Henry the Young King, Richard, Geoffrey and John at Montlouis, on the basis of the pre-war status quo.<ref name="Cassell's Chronology">Template:Cite book</ref> Before he returns to Normandy, Henry orders the rebel castles in England and Aquitaine to be destroyed.<ref>Warren, W. L. (2000). Henry II (Yale ed.). New Haven, U.S.: Yale University Press. pp. 140–142. Template:ISBN.</ref>
October – Battle of Thurles: Gaelic-Irish forces under King Domnall Mór Ua Briain defeat an Anglo-Norman invasion at Thurles in Ireland. The English expedition led by Earl Richard de Clare (Strongbow) is surprised while encamped in the area of Lognafola and is forced to retreat to Waterford.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

December 8 – The Treaty of Falaise: Captured by the English, William I is forced to sign a peace agreement. The treaty makes Scotland a feudal possession of England, William and his nobles swear allegiance to Henry II. He must hand over several castles to Henry in return for his freedom.<ref name=CBH/>

Summer – French forces under King Louis VII, supported by Henry the Young King and Philip of Alsace, encircle Rouen. The city holds out against the war engines long enough for Henry II to arrive in the middle of August to stage a rescue. The besiegers are fearful that Henry will invade France and the siege is lifted.
October 29 – Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa), on his fifth Italian campaign, begins the siege of Alessandria in northern Italy. He is opposed by the Lombard League (now joined by Venice, Sicily and Constantinople).<ref>Kampers, Franz. Frederick I (Barbarossa). The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909.</ref>

May 15 – Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of Syria, dies at Damascus after a 28-year reign. He is succeeded by his 11-year-old son As-Salih Ismail al-Malik. Meanwhile, Saladin declares himself his regent and vassal.
July 11 – King Amalric I dies of dysentery after an 11-year reign. He is succeeded by his 13-year-old son Baldwin IV (the Leper), who becomes ruler of Jerusalem. Count Raymond of Tripoli is appointed as his regent.
November 23 – Saladin arrives at Damascus and spends the night at his father's old house, until the gates of the Citadel of Damascus are opened to him, after a brief siege by his brother Tughtakin ibn Ayyub.<ref>Lyons, M. C.; Jackson, D. E. P. (1982). Saladin, the politics of the Holy War, p. 83. Cambridge University Press. Template:ISBN.</ref>

February – Saladin's brother Turan-Shah sails with an army and supporting fleet to conquer the Hejaz and Yemen.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
March 31 – A conspiracy against Saladin, aiming to restore the Fatimid Caliphate, is revealed in Cairo, involving senior figures of the former Fatimid regime and the poet Umara al-Yamani. Modern historians doubt the extent and danger of the conspiracy reported in official sources, but its ringleaders will be publicly executed over the following weeks.<ref>Template:Kalifen und Assassinen</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
July 25 – The Sicilian fleet (some 250 ships) under Tancred, Count of Syracuse, launches a failed attack against Alexandria. But he is deprived of support and forced to sail away after a seven-day blockade on August 1.<ref>Template:Runciman-A History of the Crusades</ref>

Kilij Arslan II, Seljuk ruler of the Sultanate of Rum, rounds off his conquest of the Danishmend Turks in Eastern Anatolia. He allies with the Zangid rulers against Mosul.<ref>Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 127. Template:ISBN.</ref>

April 7 – Pope Alexander III consecrates Richard of Dover as archbishop of Canterbury at Anagni. Richard returns to England bearing his pallium which he has received directly from the pope.<ref>Duggan, Charles (1965). "From the Conquest to the Death of John". In Lawrence, C. H. (ed.). English Church and the Papacy, p. 73. Template:ISBN.</ref>
July 7 – Henry II does penance at Canterbury for the murder of Thomas Becket (see 1170), even though indirect. He is whipped by the monks as punishment.