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{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{About year|1238}}
{{Year nav|1238}}
{{C13 year in topic}}
[[File:27 History of the Russian state in the image of its sovereign rulers - fragment.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|Grand Prince [[Yuri II of Vladimir]] (right) dies at the [[battle of the Sit River]] (1896)]] 
Year '''1238''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MCCXXXVIII]]''') was a [[common year starting on Friday]] of the [[Julian calendar]].

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== By place ===

==== Mongol Empire ====
* [[January 15]]&ndash;[[January 20|20]] &ndash; [[Siege of Moscow (1238)|Siege of Moscow]]: The Mongols under [[Batu Khan]] and [[Subutai]] campaign across the northern heartland of the [[Kievan Rus']], committing numerous atrocities across multiple settlements, including the sacking of an insignificant town known as [[Moscow]]. According to the [[Novgorod Chronicle|''Chronicle of Novgorod'']], Moscow is a fortified village, a trading post "on a crossroads of four rivers". The village is taken by the Mongols after 5 days of siege.
* [[March 4]] &ndash; [[Battle of the Sit River]]: The Mongols defeat a Kievan Rus' army (some 4,000 men) under Grand Prince [[Yuri II of Vladimir]] in an engagement at the [[Sit (river)|Sit River]] (located in the [[Sonkovsky District]]). With Yuri's death, so too dies the hope of any united Rus' resistance against the Mongols. Batu Khan splits his forces up into several contingents – ordering each to wreak havoc across the Rus' territories (modern-day [[Russia]] and [[Ukraine]]).
* March &ndash; [[Siege of Kozelsk]]: The 12-year-old Prince Vasily of [[Principality of Chernigov|Chernigov]] (grandson of [[Mstislav II Svyatoslavich]]), manages against all the odds, to hold out in his capital of [[Kozelsk]] for nearly two months with only citizen militia. He leads a successful sortie outside of the walls – where the garrison slaughters thousands of Mongols and destroys siege equipment. Finally, Kozelsk is conquered and Vasily is slaughtered alongside the inhabitants.
* [[Evpaty Kolovrat]], Kievan knight (''[[bogatyr]]''), returns to his hometown of [[Ryazan]], which was burnt to the ground by the Mongols in [[1237]]. He gathers some 1,700 survivors and pursues Batu Khan, attacking his rearguard, and annihilating thousands of Mongols. Finally, Kolovrat is slain from afar by siege-weaponry. Batu Khan shows admiration for his bravery and as a sign of respect, returns his body and allows his soldiers to return home. 
* Autumn &ndash; The Mongols under Batu Khan retire, leaving behind the ruined northern Rus' territories. He spends the rest of the year suppressing the last resistance of the [[Kipchaks]], while his cousin [[Möngke Khan|Möngke]] (son of [[Tolui|Tolui Khan]]) conquer the [[Alans]] and the northern [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasian]] tribes. Later, Möngke makes a raid of reconnaissance as far as [[Principality of Kiev|Kiev]].<ref>[[Steven Runciman]] (1952). ''A History of The Crusades. Vol III: The Kingdom of Acre'', p. 211. {{ISBN|978-0-241-29877-0}}.</ref>

==== Europe ====
* [[June 8]] &ndash; [[Treaty of Stensby]]: The Teutonic Knights sign an agreement with King [[Valdemar II of Denmark]] ("the Conqueror"). [[William of Modena]], Italian papal diplomat, meets Grand Master [[Hermann Balk]] and Valdemar on a Danish island, settling outstanding disputes with [[History of Denmark#Middle Ages|Denmark]].<ref>David Nicolle (2005). Osprey: ''Lake Peipus 1242 – Battle on the Ice'', p. 48. {{ISBN|1-85532-553-5}}.</ref> The [[Livonian Brothers of the Sword]] are merged into the [[Teutonic Order]] as an autonomous branch and become known as the [[Livonian Order]].
* [[July 11]] &ndash; [[Siege of Brescia (1238)|Siege of Brescia]]: Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] begins the siege of [[Brescia]]. He rejects the negotiations of the [[Lombard League]] and insists on unconditional surrender to the imperial forces in northern [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Italy]]. This blocks all possibilities of a peaceful settlement. [[Milan]] and five other Lombard cities are attacked. In early October, after a successful sortie by the city's defenders, Frederick is forced to lift the siege.
* [[August 21]] &ndash;  [[Battle of Örlygsstaðir]]: Chieftain [[Sighvatr Sturluson]] and his son, [[Sturla Sighvatsson]], are defeated by [[Kolbeinn ungi Arnórsson]] and [[Gissur Þorvaldsson]], for control of [[Icelandic Commonwealth|Iceland]] (known as the [[Age of the Sturlungs]]).
* [[September 28]] &ndash; King [[James I of Aragon]] [[Conquest of Valencia (1238)|captures the city of Valencia]] from the [[Moors]], who retreat to [[Granada]]. During the campaign, James' cousin, [[Bernat Guillem de Montpeller]], dies from wounds received in action.
* Autumn &ndash; [[Muhammad I of Granada|Muhammad I]], Almohad ruler of the [[Emirate of Granada]],  begins the construction of the [[Alhambra]] Complex on the site of a pre-[[Islamic]] fortress.

==== England ====
* January &ndash; [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]] marries the 23-year-old [[Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester|Eleanor]], sister of King [[Henry III of England|Henry III]]. While the marriage takes place with the king's approval, the act itself is performed secretly and without consulting the barons. Eleanor has previously been married to [[William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke|William Marshal]] and has sworn a vow of perpetual [[chastity]] upon his death, which she breaks by marrying Montfort. Archbishop [[Edmund of Abingdon]] condemns the marriage for this reason.

==== Middle East ====
* [[March 6]] &ndash; [[Al-Kamil]], Ayyubid ruler of [[Egypt in the Middle Ages|Egypt]], dies at [[Damascus]] and is succeeded by his 18-year-old son [[Al-Adil II]]. After Al-Kamil's death, a civil war breaks out, and his elder son [[As-Salih Ayyub]], sets out from Damascus to invade Egypt. But a sudden ''[[coup d'état]]'' dethrones him in favour of his uncle, [[As-Salih Ismail, Emir of Damascus|As-Salih Ismail]].<ref>Steven Runciman (1952). ''A History of The Crusades. Vol III: The Kingdom of Acre'', pp. 176–177. {{ISBN|978-0-241-29877-0}}.</ref> 
* The [[Nizari Ismaili state|Nizari]] Imam [[Muhammad III of Alamut|Muhammad III]] and the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] caliph [[Al-Mustansir (Baghdad)|Al-Mustansir]] send a joint diplomatic mission to the European kings [[Louis IX of France]] and [[Henry III of England]] to forge a Muslim–Christian alliance against the Mongols, but this is unsuccessful.<ref name="Daftary1992p418">{{cite book |last1=Daftary |first1=Farhad |title=The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines |date=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-42974-0 |pages=418–420 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQGlyZAy134C&pg=PA418 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Daftari2000">{{cite web |last1=Daftary |first1=Farhad |author-link1=Farhad Daftary |title=The Mediaeval Ismailis of the Iranian Lands {{!}} The Institute of Ismaili Studies |url=http://www.iis.ac.uk/mediaeval-ismailis-iranian-lands |website=www.iis.ac.uk |access-date=31 March 2020 |archive-date=August 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803145807/http://www.iis.ac.uk/mediaeval-ismailis-iranian-lands |url-status=dead }}</ref></onlyinclude>
[[File:Entrada_de_Jaume_I_a_València.jpg|thumb|1238]]

== Births ==
* [[March 12]] &ndash; [[Saint Fina|Serafina]], Italian noblewoman and saint (d. [[1253]])
* [[April 23]] &ndash; [[Narathihapate]] (or '''Sithu IV'''), Burmese ruler (d. [[1287]])
* [[May 1]] &ndash; [[Magnus VI of Norway|Magnus VI]] ('''the Law-mender'''), king of [[Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)|Norway]] (d. [[1280]])
* [[May 3]] &ndash; [[Emilia Bicchieri]], Italian nun and prioress (d. [[1314]])
* [[July 11]] &ndash; [[Dafydd ap Gruffydd]], prince of [[Wales]] (d. [[1283]])
* [[Al-Bahrani]], Arab [[Shia Islam|Shia]] scholar and philosopher (d. 1280)
* [[Guglielmo Agnelli]], Italian sculptor and architect (d. [[1313]])
* [[Henry de Montfort]], English [[Nobility|nobleman]] and knight (d. [[1265]])
* [[Hōjō Nobutoki]], Japanese nobleman and [[regent]] (d. [[1323]])
* [[Madhvacharya|Madhva Acharya]], Indian [[Hinduism|Hindu]] religious leader (d. [[1317]])
* [[Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly|Maurice FitzGerald]], Irish nobleman and justiciar (d. [[1277]])
* [[Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia|Meinhard II]], duke of [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]] ([[House of Gorizia]]) (d. [[1295]])
* [[Nicholas Segrave, 1st Baron Segrave|Nicholas Segrave]], English nobleman and knight (d. 1295)
* [[Nizamuddin Auliya]] (or '''Awliya'''), Indian [[Sufism|Sufi]] scholar (d. [[1325]])
* [[Otto de Grandson]], Savoyard nobleman and knight (d. [[1328]])
* [[Pedro Armengol]], Spanish nobleman and priest (d. [[1304]])
* [[Rinchen Gyaltsen]], Tibetan [[imperial preceptor]] (d. [[1279]])
* [[Yang Hui]], Chinese mathematician and writer (d. [[1298]])
* [[Yao Sui]], Chinese politician, poet and writer (d. 1313)
* [[Yunus Emre]], Seljuk poet, [[Mysticism|mystic]] and writer (d. 1328)
* [[Zhang Hongfan]], Chinese general and admiral (d. 1280)

== Deaths ==
* [[March 4]]
** [[Joan of England, Queen of Scotland|Joan of England]], queen consort of [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] (b. [[1210]])<ref>{{cite book|editor=Elizabeth Ewan|title=The biographical dictionary of Scottish women : from the earliest times to 2004|url=https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict00ewan|url-access=registration|date=2006|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|location=Edinburgh|isbn=0-7486-1713-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict00ewan/page/n466 400]|edition=Reprinted }}</ref>
** [[Vasilko Konstantinovich]], Kievan prince (b. [[1209]])
** [[Yuri II of Vladimir]], Kievan Grand Prince (b. [[1188]]) 
* [[March 6]] &ndash; [[Al-Kamil]], Ayyubid ruler of [[Egypt in the Middle Ages|Egypt]] (b. [[1177]])
* [[March 16]] &ndash; [[Benchō]], Japanese [[Buddhism in Japan|Buddhist]] monk (b. [[1162]])
* [[March 19]] &ndash; [[Henry the Bearded|Henry I]] ('''the Bearded'''), duke of [[Greater Poland|Poland]] 
* [[March 21]] &ndash; [[Awhad al-Din Kermani]], Persian Sufi poet
* [[June 9]] &ndash; [[Peter des Roches]], bishop of [[Diocese of Winchester|Winchester]]
* [[July 9]] &ndash; [[William de Malveisin]], bishop of [[Diocese of St Andrews|St. Andrews]]
* [[July 10]] &ndash; [[Sophia of Wittelsbach]], German noblewoman
* [[September 28]] &ndash; [[Jeanne des Roches]], French baroness
* [[December 26]] &ndash; [[Alexander de Stavenby]], English bishop 
* [[Ibn Hud|Abu abd Allah Muhammad]] (or '''Ibn Hud'''), Almohad ruler
* [[Azriel of Gerona]], Catalan [[rabbi]] and scholar (b. [[1160]])
* [[Evpaty Kolovrat]], Kievan warrior and knight (b. [[1200]])
* [[Heinrich I von Müllenark]], German archbishop (b. [[1190]])
* [[Hugh le Despenser (sheriff)|Hugh le Despenser]], English nobleman and high sheriff
* [[Hugh of Ibelin (died 1238)|Hugh of Ibelin]] ('''the Strong'''), Cypriot knight (b. [[1213]])
* [[John I of Trebizond|John I]] ('''Axouchos Komnenos'''), Byzantine emperor
* [[John of Béthune (died 1238)|John of Béthune]], French military leader and knight
* [[Matsudono Moroie]], Japanese nobleman (b. [[1172]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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