1108

By place

Europe

• Spring - King Sigurd I sails from England, on the Norwegian Crusade to Palestine. He repels a Muslim fleet near the Tagus River, then attacks Sintra, Lisbon and Alcácer do Sal, and finally defeats a second Muslim fleet further south.
• May 29 - Battle of Uclés: Almoravid forces defeat the armies of Castile and León. The advance of the Reconquista is halted, and the Berbers re-capture the towns of Uclés, Cuenca, Huete and Ocaña. The Christians, many of nobility, are beheaded.
• July 29 - King Philip I dies at Melun, after a 48-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Louis VI, who faces at the start of his rule insurrections, from feudal brigands and rebellious robber barons.
• September - Siege of Dyrrhachium: Italo-Norman forces under Bohemond I lift the siege due to illness and lack of supplies. Bohemond becomes a vassal of the Byzantine Empire by signing the Treaty of Devol.
• Autumn - The Principality of Nitra ceases to exist, after King Coloman of Hungary, deposes its last ruler, Álmos, duke of Croatia.
• The consuls of Bergamo are first mentioned, indicating that the city has become an independent commune in Lombardy.

  Levant

• Summer - Jawali Saqawa, Turkish ruler of Mosul, accepts a ransom of 30,000 dinar by Count Joscelin I and releases his cousin Baldwin II, count of Edessa, who is held as prisoner.
• Baldwin II marches out against Sidon, with the support of a squadron of sailor-adventurers from various Italian cities. A Fatimid fleet from Egypt defeats the Italians in a sea-battle outside the harbour.

  Asia

• The Taira and Minamoto clans join forces to rule Japan, after defeating the warrior monks of the Enryaku-ji temple near Kyoto. The Taira replaces many Fujiwara nobles in important offices – while the Minamoto gains more military experience by bringing parts of Northern Honshu under Japanese control.

  By topic

Religion

• Chichester Cathedral is consecrated under Ralph de Luffa, bishop of Chichester, in England.
• Construction begins on the tower of Winchester Cathedral, building continues until 1120.
• Pistoia Cathedral in Italy is damaged by a severe fire.