1206

By area

Asia

• Temüjin is proclaimed Genghis Khan of the Mongol people, founding the Mongol Empire.
• Mukhali is appointed myriarch of the left wing of the newly reorganized Mongol army, and granted immunity for up to 9 breaches of the law.
• Qutb-ud-din Aybak, a Turkish Mameluke from Central Asia, proclaims the Mameluk dynasty in India, the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

  Europe

• Theodore Lascaris is crowned Byzantine Emperor at Nicaea.
• The Livonian Brothers of the Sword, in alliance with the Semigallians, conquer the Livs.
• King Valdemar II and Archbishop Andreas Sunonis raid Saaremaa Island, Estonia, forcing the islanders to submit. The Danes build a fortress, but finding no volunteers to man it, they burn it down themselves and leave the island.

  By topic

Arts and culture

• Sugar, an import from the Muslim world, is mentioned for the first time in a royal English account. Almonds, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are also imported for royal banquets.

  Education

• Colchester Royal Grammar School is founded in England.

  Religion

• The Order of the Friars Minor is founded by Francis of Assisi.
• A peasant named Thurkhill in England claims that Saint Julian took him on a tour of Purgatory. Thurkhill includes realistic touches including descriptions of Purgatory’s torture chambers, and is believed by Roger of Wendover, one of his society’s leading historians.
• This year, Dominic de Guzmán claims to have received the Holy Rosary from the Virgin Mary.

  Technics

• The Arab engineer al-Jazari describes many mechanical inventions in his book The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices.