1260s facts for kids

The 1260s was a ten-year period. It began on January 1, 1260, and ended on December 31, 1269. This decade saw many important events around the world.

In Asia, Kublai Khan became the main leader of the huge Mongol Empire. He moved his capital city to Beijing. Kublai Khan was often at war with the Song Dynasty in southern China. The Mongols faced some defeats, like their first loss under Kublai Khan against the Mamluks of Egypt in Palestine. They also lost battles in the Caucasus region. The Mamluks, led by their new sultan Baibars, grew stronger in the Middle East. They took control of several crusader states and helped stop Mongol attacks. Meanwhile, the Empire of Nicaea took back Constantinople from the Latin Empire, bringing back the Byzantine Empire.

Europe also had many political challenges. Arguments over land ownership led to several wars. In England, the Second Barons' War was a civil war. It was fought between King Henry III and his nobles, who disagreed with his wish for complete power. King Otakar II of Bohemia became a very powerful prince. He gained more land through wars and family inheritances. Iceland and Greenland agreed to be ruled by Norway. However, when the Norse tried to invade Scotland, the Scottish stopped them and made peace. In Spain, the Reconquista continued, and several important cities were taken back from the Moors. The way the pope was chosen was improved. Also, the first parliaments met in Ireland and England.

This decade also brought important cultural achievements. Roger Bacon published his major scientific work, Opus Majus. Thomas Aquinas also published his famous book, Summa contra Gentiles. Beautiful architecture and sculptures were created in European cathedrals. Examples include the Cathedral of Chartres and Nicola Pisano's pulpits for the Duomo di Siena and Pisa's Baptistery. In religion, the Sukhothai kingdom in Thailand made Buddhism its official religion. In Europe, Jewish people faced unfair rules and challenges. Some leaders made laws forcing Jewish people to wear special yellow badges.

War and Politics

Europe's Conflicts

Battles and Peace Deals

North and West Europe

• 1260 – The Baltic Samogatians and Curonians won the Battle of Durbe against the Teutonic Knights.
• 1263 – October – King Alexander III of Scotland won the Battle of Largs. He defeated a large group of ships sent by King Haakon IV of Norway.
• 1263 – The leaders in eastern Iceland agreed to be loyal to the Norwegian king. This ended the Icelandic Commonwealth and the Icelandic civil war.
• 1266 – The war between Scotland and Norway ended. King Alexander III of Scotland and King Magnus VI of Norway signed the Treaty of Perth.

Central and South Europe

• 1260 – September 4 – The army of King Manfred of Sicily and the Ghibellines won a battle. They fought against the Guelphs at Monte Aperto.
• 1260 – A war began in the Valais region (now in Switzerland). The Bishopry of Sion defended against an attack by the County of Savoy.
• 1263 – Genoa took the city of Chania on Crete from the Venetians.
• 1264 – The Thuringian War of Succession came to an end.
• 1266 – February 26 – The Battle of Benevento was fought. An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeated forces from Germany and Sicily. King Manfred of Sicily was killed in this battle. Pope Clement IV then made Charles king of Sicily and Naples.

Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)

• 1263 – King James I of Aragon won a battle against the Moors. He took back control of Crevillente during the Reconquista.
• 1264 – In Spain, King James I of Aragon took back the cities of Orihuela and Elx in Alicante from the Moors. This ended over 500 years of Islamic rule there.
• 1265 – King Alfonso X of Castile took control of the city of Alicante, Spain, from the Moors during the Reconquista.
• 1267 – King Afonso III of Portugal and King Alfonso X of Castile signed a treaty. They agreed that the Guadiana River would be the southern border between Portugal and Spain. This border is still the same today.

Southeast Europe

• 1260 – King Otakar II of Bohemia took control of Styria. He won the Battle of Kressenbrunn against King Bela IV of Hungary.
• 1261 – Bela IV of Hungary stopped the Tatars from attacking Hungary.
• 1268 – King Stephen V of Hungary started a war with Bulgaria.

England: The Second Barons' War

• 1261 – King Henry III of England received a special order from the pope. This order allowed him to ignore the Provisions of Oxford. This was one reason for the civil war between the king and the nobles of England.
• 1264 – The Second Barons' War, an English civil war, began this year.
• 1264 – May 12 to May 14 – The Battle of Lewes was fought in Sussex. Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester's forces captured King Henry and his brother, the future King Edward I. This made de Montfort the unofficial "king of England" because he was now in control.
• 1265 – January 20 – The first English parliament met in Westminster. This building is now known as the Houses of Parliament.
• 1265 – Future King Edward I escaped from being held by Simon de Montfort.
• 1265 – August 4 – The Battle of Evesham was fought in Worcestershire. Edward's army won against the rebellious nobles led by Simon de Montfort. De Montfort and many of his supporters were killed. This event is sometimes seen as the end of the age of chivalry in England.
• 1266 – October – The war improved as supporters of Simon de Montfort offered to make peace with the king. This agreement was called the Dictum of Kenilworth.
• 1267 – The Second Barons' War ended. The rebels and King Henry III of England agreed to peace, as outlined in the Dictum of Kenilworth.

Political Changes

• 1260 – The Duchy of Saxony was divided into Saxony-Lauenberg and Saxony-Wittenberg. This ended the first Saxon state.
• 1261 – The people of Greenland accepted the rule of the King of Norway.
• 1262 – Strasbourg became an Imperial Free City within the Holy Roman Empire.
• 1262 – The Icelandic Commonwealth signed a treaty with Norway. They accepted the Norwegian King Haakon IV as their ruler.
• 1264 – The state of Hesse became independent from Thuringia. It then became a free state of the Holy Roman Empire.
• 1265 – The Isle of Man was controlled by Scotland for ten years.
• 1267 – Emperor Baldwin II of Constantinople gave the Principality of Achaea to King Charles I of Sicily. This gift, part of the Treaty of Viterbo, was meant to encourage Charles to help him restore the Latin Empire.
• 1268 – The county of Wernigerode became a state that served the margrave of Brandenburg.

Important Births

• 1264 – Pope Clement V (died 1314)
• 1265 – May 14 – Dante Alighieri, a famous Italian poet (died 1321)

Notable Deaths

• 1263 – November 14 – Alexander Nevsky, the Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir
• 1264 – October 2 – Pope Urban IV
• 1265 – February 8 – Hulagu Khan, a Mongol khan (born 1217)
• 1265 – August 4 – Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
• 1266 – Berke, the khan of the Golden Horde of the Mongol Empire
• 1266 – Birger Jarl, the Swedish regent and founder of Stockholm
• 1268 – October 29 – Conradin, the duke of Swabia and King of Jerusalem and Sicily (born 1252)

See also

In Spanish: Años 1260 para niños