As the communal leader of Egyptian Jewry,…

Jayavarman VII has constructed Rajavihara in honor of his family.

The temple's main image, representing Prajnaparamita, the personification of wisdom, is modeled on the king's mother.

The northern and southern satellite temples in the third enclosure are dedicated to the king's guru and his elder brother respectively.

As such, Ta Prohm forms a complementary pair with the temple monastery of Preah Khan, dedicated in 1191, the main image of which represents the Bodhisattva of compassion, Lokesvara, and is modeled on the king's father.

Yoritomo grows increasingly suspicious of his half-brother, the brilliant military strategist Yoshitsune, who had finally fled to the north and, in 1189, committed hara-kiri at the age of thirty.

In 1191, Yoritomo goes to Kyoto to visit the Japanese emperor, who, threatened by the emergent samurai class represented by the Minamotos and others, appoints him Sei-i-tai-Shogun (generalissimo) for life.

Yoritomo is the first to receive this title, an emergency post granting military command powers for the purpose of conquering barbarians.

Although the shogun is nominally under imperial command, the fact that he can make the unilateral decision to move armies renders the shogun the supreme entity.

Henry continues to quarrel with Frederick's son and successor, Henry VI, against whom he rebels, unsuccessfully, in 1191.

(In 1194, with his end approaching, he will make his peace with the Emperor, and return to his much diminished lands around Brunswick, where he will finish his days as duke of Braunschweig, peacefully sponsoring arts and architecture.)

The Rajput rulers organize a Hindu army, including remnants of the recently defunct Western Chalukyas, and defeat Muhammad of Ghur at Taraori near Thaneswar on the Sarsuti River in 1191.

Béla III, who again goes to war with Venice over Dalmatia in 1190-91, manages to retake Zara and other Venetian-held cities.

Berthold V, duke of Zahringen, had at the beginning of his reign in 118 reduced the power of the Burgundian nobles and settled the Bernese Oberland and the area of Lucerne.

As a result, he has enlarged Thun and ...

...founds Bern in 1191.

Located in northwestern Switzerland on the Aare River, about sixty miles (ninety-five kilometers) southwest of Zurich, Bern will become the focus of Berthold’s expansionism.

Italian Romanesque artist Bonannus of Pisa portrays several New Testament scenes on the bronze doors of the Pisa Cathedral.

Periodic raiding expeditions are sent from Al-Andalus to ravage the Iberian Christian kingdoms and return with booty and slaves.

The Almohads, after having failed in their endeavor the year before, reconquer the city of Silves when the governor of Córdoba attacks the city in 1191 and takes three thousand Christian slaves.

The city, again under Muslim rule, will soon prosper to the point of being called the Baghdad of the West.

In the same campaign, the Almohads take also Alcácer so Sal, while Palmela and Almada are sacked.

Philip II Recalls the Jews to France (1191 CE)

In 1191, Philip II of France, realizing that the expulsion of the Jews in 1182 had caused more economic harm than benefit, reversed his policy and allowed Jews to return to his kingdom. This decision was influenced by both political and financial considerations as well as his ongoing conflicts with the papacy and Richard I of England.

Reasons for Philip’s Change in Policy

1. Economic Necessity

   • The 1182 expulsion had led to the confiscation of Jewish property, but over time, Philip recognized the economic damage caused by removing a community essential to trade and finance.
   • The absence of Jewish moneylenders and merchants had weakened the royal treasury, forcing Philip to rely more heavily on Christian financiers and taxation.
   • By recalling the Jews, he ensured the return of financial expertise that could revitalize trade and commerce in northern France.

2. Political Frustration with Pope Innocent III

   • Philip was embroiled in a dispute with Pope Innocent III over his attempt to divorce his first wife, Ingeborg of Denmark, and marry Agnes of Merania.
   • The Pope refused to sanction Philip’s second marriage, creating a rift between the French king and the Papacy.
   • In a show of defiance, Philip welcomed back Jewish refugees, indirectly challenging Innocent III’s moral authority over his kingdom.

3. Tensions with Richard I of England

   • Philip’s rivalry with Richard the Lionheart intensified during the Third Crusade (1189–1192), particularly over the division of lands in France.
   • Jewish financiers had historically been key in funding royal campaigns, and recalling them allowed Philip to strengthen his financial position in preparation for future conflicts with England.

Terms of the Jews' Return

• While Philip allowed Jewish refugees from northern France to return, it is likely they were subject to strict conditions, such as special taxation or limitations on property ownership.
• Their re-admittance was not an act of religious tolerance, but a pragmatic decision based on financial and political strategy.

Impact of Philip’s Reversal

• The return of Jewish communities helped restore financial stability in France, reinforcing the importance of Jewish merchants and moneylenders in the medieval economy.
• Philip’s manipulative use of Jewish policies demonstrated his pragmatic approach to governance, using their status as a political bargaining tool in conflicts with the Pope and the English Crown.
• This episode highlighted the precarious existence of Jewish communities in medieval France, subject to arbitrary expulsions and recalls based on royal convenience.

Philip II’s 1191 recall of the Jews was less about tolerance and more about power and financial necessity, reinforcing the capricious nature of medieval rulers’ policies toward their Jewish subjects.