1258 facts for kids

The year 1258 was a time of big changes around the world, from powerful volcanoes erupting to major battles and shifts in how countries were ruled. It was a year that saw new leaders rise and old empires face challenges.

Major Events of 1258

A Giant Volcano Erupts

Around January of 1258, a huge volcano exploded somewhere in the world. Scientists aren't completely sure where it happened, but it might have been in a warm place like El Chichón in Mexico or Quilotoa in Ecuador. This eruption was so powerful that its effects were felt far away.

People living at the time reported strange things happening:

• A dry, misty fog appeared in France.
• The moon looked different during lunar eclipses in England.
• Europe had a very cold winter.
• Northern Iceland experienced a difficult spring.
• There was not enough food, leading to famine, in England, parts of Western Germany, France, and Northern Italy.
• Widespread illnesses, sometimes called pestilence, affected cities like London, parts of France, Austria, Iraq, Syria, and South-East Turkey.

The Fall of Baghdad

On February 10, a huge event happened in the city of Baghdad. Hulagu Khan's Mongol army attacked and took over the city. Baghdad was incredibly important at the time. It was the main center for Islamic culture and learning, and it was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, a powerful Islamic empire.

The Mongols caused a lot of destruction in Baghdad, burning many buildings and causing great loss of life. This event marked a major turning point in history, ending the Abbasid Caliphate and changing the power balance in the Middle East.

New Leaders and Rules

• Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, also known as Llywelyn the Last, declared himself the Prince of Wales. He was the last ruler of an independent Wales before it was later taken over by England.
• In England, King Henry III of England was forced by seven powerful noblemen to agree to something called the Provisions of Oxford. This agreement was very important because it meant the king could no longer rule completely on his own. It required him to call a parliament, which was a group of people who would help make decisions. This was a big step towards limiting the power of the king in England.
• In China, the Baoyou era, which was a way of naming periods of time, came to an end in the Northern Song Dynasty.
• In northern Italy, some problems among the people led to the start of a new kind of medieval music called Geisslerlieder. These were songs of repentance (saying sorry for wrongs) sung by groups of Flagellants, who were people who traveled around and showed their religious devotion in public.
• Gissur Thorvaldsson was made Earl of Iceland by King Haakon IV of Norway.
• Korea also surrendered to the Mongols during this year.

Important Births of 1258

• Arghun: He later became the fourth ruler of the Ilkhanate, a Mongol kingdom in Iran. (He died around 1291).
• Osman I: He was the founder of the powerful Ottoman Empire. (He died in 1326).

Notable Deaths of 1258

• February 20 – Al-Musta'sim: He was the last Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad, who died when the Mongols took the city.
• August 18 – Theodore II Lascaris: He was an emperor of Nicea, which was a part of the Byzantine Empire that continued after Constantinople fell.
• Hong Bok-won: A commander from Goryeo (an old Korean kingdom) who later worked for the Mongol Empire.
• Meinhard I of Gorizia-Tyrol: A count from a region in Europe. (He was born around 1200).
• Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili: A spiritual leader from Morocco. (He was born in 1175).
• Clement of Dunblane: A Dominican friar who became the first bishop from the Dominican Order in Britain.

See also

In Spanish: 1258 para niños