1242

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	12th century 13th century 14th century
Decades:	1220s 1230s 1240s 1250s 1260s
Years:	1239 1240 1241 1242 1243 1244 1245

1242 in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	1242 MCCXLII
Ab urbe condita	1995
Armenian calendar	691 ԹՎ ՈՂԱ
Assyrian calendar	5992
Balinese saka calendar	1163–1164
Bengali calendar	649
Berber calendar	2192
English Regnal year	26 Hen. 3 – 27 Hen. 3
Buddhist calendar	1786
Burmese calendar	604
Byzantine calendar	6750–6751
Chinese calendar	辛丑年 (Metal Ox) 3939 or 3732     — to — 壬寅年 (Water Tiger) 3940 or 3733
Coptic calendar	958–959
Discordian calendar	2408
Ethiopian calendar	1234–1235
Hebrew calendar	5002–5003
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	1298–1299
- Shaka Samvat	1163–1164
- Kali Yuga	4342–4343
Holocene calendar	11242
Igbo calendar	242–243
Iranian calendar	620–621
Islamic calendar	639–640
Japanese calendar	Ninji 3 (仁治３年)
Javanese calendar	1151–1152
Julian calendar	1242 MCCXLII
Korean calendar	3575
Minguo calendar	670 before ROC 民前670年
Nanakshahi calendar	−226
Thai solar calendar	1784–1785
Tibetan calendar	阴金牛年 (female Iron-Ox) 1368 or 987 or 215     — to — 阳水虎年 (male Water-Tiger) 1369 or 988 or 216

Year 1242 (MCCXLII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

By place

Europe

• Spring – Prince Alexander Nevsky is joined by his brother Andrey II (Yaroslavich) at Novgorod, supported with his elite druzhina (or 'household') from Suzdal. They head southwest across the frozen marshes, which cover much of the land between Novgorod and Pskov. On March 5, Alexander retakes the city almost without a struggle, before the larger Crusader garrison nearby Izborsk can intervene.
• April – A Russian force led by Alexander Nevsky crosses the frontier between Novgorod and Livonian Crusader territory, to raid into Catholic Estonia. After that, Alexander breaks his army off into contingents to ravage the countryside. He is forced to turn back, when a local Crusader force under Bishop Hermann von Buxhövden defeats Alexander's advance guard at Mooste bridge south of Tartu.
• April 5 – During a battle on the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.
• July 21–22 – Battle of Taillebourg: French forces (some 25,000 men) under King Louis IX (the Saint) defeat King Henry III at the bridge over the Charente River near Taillebourg. After the battle, Louis continues to pursue the English troops, capturing many prisoners. Henry retreats with the remnants of his army to Bordeaux, where he spends the winter.
• Siegfried III, archbishop of Mainz, conquers Wiesbaden (a free imperial city) and orders the city's destruction, during the war of Emperor Frederick II against the Papal States.
• King Sancho II (the Pious) conquers the cities of Tavira, Alvor and Paderne, in his continuing expansion against the Muslims, known as the Reconquista.

Mongol Empire

• Spring – Siege of Esztergom: The Mongols under Batu Khan assault and destroy most of the Hungarian city of Esztergom. Batu Khan sends a reconnaissance party against the Holy Roman Empire.
• The Mongols of the Golden Horde devastate Volga Bulgaria, and force the nation to pay tribute.
• The Golden Bull is issued by King Béla IV to inhabitants of Gradec (today's Zagreb) and Samobor in Croatia, during the Mongol invasion of Europe. By this golden bull King Bela IV proclaims a free royal city.
• Battle of Grobnicko Polje: Croats stop the Mongolian invasion.
• Batu Khan establishes the Golden Horde at Sarai.

England

• May – Isabella of Angoulême, mother of Henry III, persuades him to mount an expedition to retake Poitou. On May 20, Henry arrives at Royan and joins the rebelling French nobles – forming an army (some 30,000 men). Louis IX exchange letters with Henry to resolve the conflict, but the dispute escalated further.

Africa

• Summer – In the Maghreb, after a string of successes agianst the Almohad Caliphate, Hafsid forces under Sultan Abu Zakariya Yahya, conquer the city of Tlemcen (modern Algeria). The Kingdom of Tlemcen becomes a vassal of Abu Zakariya, and is formed in a series of small states between his rule and the states of the Western Maghreb.

Asia

• February 10 – The 10-year-old Emperor Shijō (or Mitsuhito) dies suddenly, despite a dispute over who should follow him as sovereign, Go-Saga (son of former ruler Tsuchimikado) ascends to the throne of Japan.

By topic

Religion

• William of Modena, Italian bishop and papal diplomat, sets up four dioceses in Poland, including the Archdiocese of Warmia.

Science

• Ibn al-Nafis, Arab polymath and writer, suggests that the right and left ventricles of the heart are separate, and describes the lesser circulation of blood.

Births

• January 27 – Margaret of Hungary, Hungarian nun (d. 1270)
• March 17 – Maud de Prendergast, Irish noblewoman (d. 1272)
• June 25 – Beatrice of England, English princess (d. 1275)
• July 24 – Christina von Stommeln, German mystic (d. 1312)
• December 15 – Munetaka, Japanese shogun (d. 1274)
• Al-Ashraf Umar II, Arab ruler and astronomer (d. 1296)
• Beatrice of Castile, queen consort of Portugal (d. 1303)
• Beatrice of Navarre, duchess of Burgundy (d. 1295)
• George Pachymeres, Byzantine historian (d. 1310)
• Hōjō Tokimura, Japanese nobleman (rensho) (d. 1305)
• Patrick IV (de Dunbar), Scottish nobleman (d. 1308)
• Stephen I Kotromanić, Bosnian nobleman (d. 1314)
• Theobald Butler, Norman chief governor (d. 1285)
• Theodoric of Landsberg, German nobleman (d. 1285)
• William I, German nobleman and archbishop (d. 1308)
• William de Leybourne, English nobleman (d. 1310)

Deaths

• February 10
  • Shijō (or Mitsuhito), emperor of Japan (b. 1231)
  • Verdiana, Italian noblewoman and saint (b. 1182)
• February 12 – Henry VII, king of Germany (b. 1211)
• March 26 – William de Forz, English nobleman (b. 1190)
• March 28 – Theoderich von Wied, German archbishop
• April 22 – Abubakar ibn Gussom, Arab poet (b. 1168)
• May 13 – Gerard of Villamagna, Italian hermit (b. 1174)
• May 15 – Muiz ud-Din Bahram, Indian ruler (b. 1212)
• June 26 – Thomas de Beaumont, English nobleman
• July 1 – Chagatai Khan, son of Genghis Khan (b. 1183)
• July 14 – Hōjō Yasutoki, Japanese regent (b. 1183)
• October 7 – Juntoku, emperor of Japan (b. 1197)
• November 12 – Jocelin of Wells, English bishop
• December 2 – Al-Mustansir, Abbasid caliph (b. 1192)
• December 9 – Richard le Gras, English abbot and bishop
• December 26 – Hugh de Lacy, Norman nobleman (b. 1176)
• Aimeric de Belenoi, French cleric, troubadour and writer
• Archambaud VIII (the Great), French nobleman (b. 1189)
• Ceslaus, Polish nobleman, jurist and missionary (b. 1184)
• Da'ud Abu al-Fadl, Ayyubid Jewish physician (b. 1161)
• Enguerrand III, French nobleman and knight (b. 1182)
• Muhammad Aufi, Persian historian and writer (b. 1171)
• Nuño Sánchez, Spanish nobleman and knight (b. 1185)
• Ogasawara Nagakiyo, Japanese samurai (b. 1162)
• Richard de Morins, English archdeacon and jurist
• Richard Mór de Burgh, Norman nobleman (b. 1194)
• Sasaki Yoshikiyo, Japanese nobleman (b. 1161)