1142

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Spring - Emperor John II and his sons lead a Byzantine expeditionary force across Anatolia to Antalya. He drives back the Seljuks and Turcomans – who again are trying to invade Phrygia. John strengthens the frontier defences in northern Syria and sends an embassy to Germany – to seek an alliance against King Roger II of Sicily. To seal the alliance, the emissaries request that King Conrad III send a princess of his family to be married to the emperor's son, Manuel. Instead, Conrad selects his sister-in-law, Bertha of Sulzbach, and sends her to the Byzantine Empire escorted by Emicho of Leiningen, bishop of Würzburg.
• Late Summer - John II establishes a supply base for his further campaigns at Antalya. While waiting for reinforcements, his eldest son Alexios and appointed heir, falls ill and dies. His other two sons, Andronikos and Isaac are tasked to escort the body, but during the voyage Andronikos also dies. John continues his campaign against the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia – to re-conquer the fortresses that the Danishmends has taken. He appears by forced marches at Turbessel in mid-September. Meanwhile, Isaac brings the corpses of his two brothers back to Constantinople, where they are entombed in the Pantokrator Monastery.

  Europe

• King Louis VII becomes involved in a civil war with Theobald II, count of Champagne, by permitting his cousin Ralph I of Vermandois to repudiate his wife, Theobald's sister Eleanor of Champagne, and to marry Petronilla of Aquitaine, his wife's sister, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.
• Sigurd II, a Norwegian pretender, is joined in his efforts to overthrow the 7-year-old King Inge I by Inge's older half-brother Eystein II, who becomes co-ruler. He receives one third of the late Harald's kingdom.
• May - Conrad III makes a peace agreement with the 13-year-old Henry the Lion at Frankfurt. He is appointed as duke of Saxony, which territories are deprived from his father, the late Duke Henry X.
• Duke Władysław II attempts to subject his younger -brothers to re-unite Poland. He is supported by the alliances with the Kievan Rus' and the Holy Roman Empire.
• Summer - Conrad III enters Bohemia to reinstate his brother-in-law Vladislaus II as duke, whose half-sister Gertrude of Babenberg he is married.

  England

• Autumn - The 9-year-old Henry of Anjou, a son of Queen Matilda, lands on the south coast of England with his uncle, Earl Robert of Gloucester and several knights. Henry travels to Bristol, centre of Angevin opposition to King Stephen, where he is educated by Master Matthew. Meanwhile, Robert captures Lulworth Castle, Rufus Castle on the Isle of Portland and Wareham Castle.
• December - Stephen lays siege to Oxford Castle, trapping Matilda and her supporters inside the city. Just before Christmas she manages to escape across the snow and ice of the frozen Thames River – dressed in white, and safely reaches Abingdon. The next day Oxford Castle surrenders to Stephen, Matilda rides with an escort to Wallingford Castle, where she seeks refuge.

  Levant

• Autumn - Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk governor of Mosul, continues his campaign against the Kurds in southeastern Anatolia. Byzantine forces under John II fail to take Antioch.
• Raymond II, count of Tripoli, grants property in the county to the Knights Hospitaller. After acquiring the site, they begin building new fortifications.

  Africa

• Abd al-Mu'min, ruler of the Almohad Caliphate, is unable to feed his population during a famine. He recognize the de facto protectorate of Roger II to support the commercial center of Mahdia.
• A Norman raid against the city of Tripoli fails.

  Asia

• January 5 - Emperor Sutoku abdicates the throne after a 19-year reign and becomes a monk. He is succeeded by his 3-year-old brother Konoe, who accedes as the 76th emperor of Japan.
• October 11 - Treaty of Shaoxing: The Jin Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty sign a peace treaty, this ending the Jurchen campaigns against the Song Dynasty in China.