Year 1248 (MCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
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By place
Seventh Crusade
- August 12 – King Louis IX of France ("the Saint") leaves Paris together with his wife, Queen Margaret of Provence, and her sister Beatrice of Provence. Two of Louis' brothers, Charles of Anjou and Robert of Artois, are also present. He is followed by his cousins, Hugh IV of Burgundy and Peter Mauclerc, both are veterans of the Barons' Crusade.
- August 25 РLouis IX departs from Aigues-Mortes and Marseilles with a French expeditionary force (some 10,000 men) transported by 100 ships. An English detachment (some 5,000 men) under William Longesp̩e the Younger, grandson of King Henry III, and his mistress Ida de Tosny follows close behind with 36 transport ships.
- September 17 – Louis IX arrives at Limassol on the island of Cyprus. He gathers his forces and is well received by King Henry I of Cyprus ("the Fat"). The Crusaders are supplemented by nobles from Acre, including Grand Masters Jean de Ronay and Guillaume de Sonnac. Louis prepares a plan of campaign, with Egypt as the prime objective.
- December – Louis IX receives an embassy during his stay in Cyprus from the Mongol general, Eljigidei, who is viceroy in Persia. They bring a letter from Guyuk Khan (who had died by the time his envoys reached Cyprus) with no demands of submission, but talking in terms about Mongol favouritism for Christianity, and a proposal of a joint invasion against the Ayyubid forces in Syria.
- December – Louis IX decides to spend the winter on Cyprus to make preparations against Egypt. Meanwhile, the nobles persuade him to start negotiations with Sultan As-Salih Ayyub to intervene in the internal Ayyubid affairs. But Louis rejects this offer and orders the Knights Templar to break off their negotiations with As-Salih.
Europe
By topic
Cities and Towns
Religion
Births
- July 21 – Bogo de Clare, English cleric and writer (d. 1294)
- December 22 – IchijÃ
 Ietsune, Japanese nobleman (d. 1293)
- Abu Said Faraj, Andalusian advisor and governor (d. 1320)
- Angela of Foligno, Italian nun, mystic and writer (d. 1309)
- Gao Kegong (or Fang Shan), Chinese painter (d. 1310)
- HÃ
ÂjÃ
 Akitoki, Japanese military leader and poet (d. 1301)
- KujÃ
 Tadanori, Japanese nobleman and regent (d. 1332)
- Peter John Olivi, French monk and theologian (d. 1298)
- Yeshe Rinchen, Tibetan Imperial Preceptor (d. 1294)
- Zaynab bint al-Kamal, Syrian female scholar (d. 1339)
- Approximate date – Blanche of Artois, queen and regent of Navarre (d. 1302)
Deaths
- January 4 – Sancho II ("the Pious"), king of Portugal (b. 1209)
- January 18 – Fujiwara no Ritsushi, Japanese empress (b. 1192)
- February 1 – Henry II, Dutch nobleman and knight (b. 1207)
- February 9 – Al-Adil II, Ayyubid ruler of Egypt and Damascus
- February 18 – Taddeo da Suessa, Italian jurist and diplomat
- February 25 – BolesÃ
Âaw I of Masovia, Polish prince (b. 1208)
- March 27 – Maud Marshal, English noblewoman (b. 1192)
- April 9 РHugh I of Ch̢tillon, French nobleman and knight
- April 20 – Güyük Khan (or Kuyuk), Mongol emperor (b. 1206)
- June 19 – Otto III of Merania, French nobleman and knight
- August 7 РGiordano Forzat̬, Italian religious leader (b. 1158)
- September 13 – Kunigunde, Bohemian queen consort (b. 1202)
- c. October 28 – Walter Mauclerk, English bishop, diplomat and Treasurer
- November/December – Richard Siward, English adventurer and knight banneret
- December 26 – Theobald Butler, Irish chief governor (b. 1224)
- Al-Qifti, Egyptian scholar, historian and biographer (b. 1172)
- Haraldr ÃÂláfsson, Scottish ruler of the Kingdom of the Isles, drowned (b. 1223/4)
- Hermann von Buxhövden, Livonian prince-bishop (b. 1163)
- Ibn al-Baitar, Andalusian physician and scientist (b. 1197)
- John Blund, English archbishop and philosopher (b. 1175)
- Koga Michiteru, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 1187)
- Richard Fishacre, English theologian and writer (b. 1200)
- Shams Tabrizi, Persian poet and philosopher (b. 1185)
- Subutai, Mongol general and military strategist (b. 1175)
- Yolande of Dreux, duchess consort of Burgundy (b. 1212)
- Probable date – John of Monmouth, Norman nobleman and knight (b. 1182)
References