1164

By place

Europe

• Battle of Renfrew: A Norse-Gaelic army led by Lord Somerled, ruler of the Isles, invades Scotland and is routed by the Scottish forces under the command of Walter fitz Alan and Herbert of Selkirk, bishop of Glasgow.

  England

• January 30 - King Henry II tries to delimit spiritual and royal jurisdictions in the Constitutions of Clarendon, written in large part by his councilor Richard de Luci.
• November 2 - Thomas Becket, having contended with Henry II over the power of secular courts, is found guilty of contempt of court, and exiled to France.

  Levant

• Spring - Saladin accompanies his uncle, General Shirkuh, with a army sent to the Fatimid Caliphate by Nur al-Din, ruler of Syria..
• August 12 - Battle of Harim: Zangid forces under Nur al-Din defeat and capture Bohemond III of Antioch, Raymond of Tripoli, and Hugh of Lusignan.

  Africa

• A commercial treaty grants acces to Almohad-dominated ports to merchants from several European powers, including Marseille and Savona.

  Asia

• September 14 - Emperor Sutoku dies in Sanuki Province, having lived in exile from the capital at Kyoto.

  By topic

Markets

• The Venice secures its loans against fiscal revenues, to obtain lower interest rates. In the first operation of this kind, the Republic obtains 1150 silver marci, for 12 years of the taxes levied on the Rialto market.

  Religion

• April 20 - Antipope Victor IV dies at Rome and is succeeded by Paschal III, who has gained election through the infuence of Archchancellor Rainald of Dassel.
• August 5 - Uppsala is recognized as the seat of the Swedish metropolitan, with the coronation of its first archbishop Stefan, by Pope Alexander III.
• King Olaf II of Norway is canonized as Saint Olaf by Alexander III, making him a universally recognised saint of the Catholic Church.
• Rainald of Dassel brings relics of the Three Magi, from Milan to Cologne as a gift for Emperor Frederick I.