Middle Ages
Angkor Wat: Suryavarman II and the World's Largest Temple
Angkor Wat became the largest religious monument in the world, a Hindu temple later turned to Buddhist worship and now the national symbol of Cambodia.
Region
Asia
Middle Ages
Jingkang Incident (1127): The Fall of Kaifeng and Northern Song
Jin victory; Kaifeng fell, two Song emperors were taken captive and the Song court re-formed in the south as the Southern Song.
Middle Ages
Hangzhou (Lin'an): The Southern Song Capital City (1138)
Hangzhou served as the Southern Song capital from 1138 until its surrender to the Mongols in 1276.
Middle Ages
Yue Fei: The Song General Executed in 1142 and His Legend
Yue Fei was put to death on false charges as the Song made peace with the Jin; he was rehabilitated in 1162 and became a symbol of loyalty.
Middle Ages
Polonnaruwa and Parakramabahu I: Sri Lanka's Medieval Capital
Parakramabahu I reunited Sri Lanka under one ruler and made Polonnaruwa a magnificent capital, but the kingdom fragmented within a few decades of his death.
Middle Ages
Hogen Rebellion (1156): Samurai Enter Kyoto Court Politics
Victory for Emperor Go-Shirakawa; Sutoku was exiled and warrior clans became decisive in court politics.
Middle Ages
Battle of Caishi (1161): Song Gunpowder Fleet Beats the Jin
Song victory; the Jin failed to cross the Yangtze and Wanyan Liang was murdered by his own officers weeks later.
Middle Ages
Battle of Myriokephalon (1176): Manuel I's Defeat in Anatolia
Seljuk victory; Manuel agreed to dismantle frontier forts, and Byzantium gave up its plans to conquer Konya.
Middle Ages
Cham Sack of Angkor (1177): Champa's Raid on the Khmer Capital
Cham forces plundered the Khmer capital and killed its king, but Jayavarman VII drove them out, took the throne in 1181 and later conquered Champa.
Middle Ages
Genpei War (1180-1185): Taira and Minamoto Clash for Japan
Minamoto victory; the Taira were destroyed and Minamoto no Yoritomo built the Kamakura warrior government.
Middle Ages
Angkor Thom and the Bayon: Jayavarman VII's Capital
Jayavarman VII created a new fortified capital centred on the Bayon, a Mahayana Buddhist state temple that became the last great temple-mountain of Angkor.
Middle Ages
Battle of Dan-no-ura (1185): The Fall of the Taira Clan
Decisive Minamoto victory; the Taira clan was destroyed, Emperor Antoku drowned and the Genpei War ended.