1161

By place

Europe

• February 3 - Battle of Oslo: King Inge I is defeated and killed, while fighting the forces of Haakon II. He is succeeded by Haakon with the 5-year-old Magnus V as co-ruler, but not without challenges to his sovereignty.
• Magnus II, pretender to the Swedish throne, is murdered by Charles VII, who becomes king of Sweden.
• A Almoravid offensive against the Kingdom of Portugal reaches the city of Almada.

  Asia

• Jin–Song Wars: The Battle of Tangdao and Battle of Caishi on the Yangtze River, between the Jin Dynasty and the Song Dynasty in China, result in two pivotal Song naval victories.
• December 15 – Wanyan Liang, Chinese prince of Hailing, is assassinated while on campaign. He is succeeded by Emperor Shi Zong of the Jin Dynasty.

  England

• Spring - Theobald of Bec, archbishop of Canterbury dies after an illness. King Henry II is informed and he expresses the wish to have his friend Thomas Becket elected as his successor.
• Bartholomew Iscanus is elected and consecrated as bishop of Exeter.

  By topic

Religion

• The Cross of Euphrosyne, commissioned by Euphrosyne of Polotsk, is created by craftsman Lazar Bohsa.