11King James I
A religious debate between a friar and a rabbi was held in 1263 before King James I of Aragon, who ultimately awarded the rabbi 300 gold coins, saying he had never heard “an unjust cause so nobly defended.”
12Papal conclave
The papal conclave in 1241 lasted two months, during which the urine of the rooftop guards leaked through into the election chamber, and one of the candidates was allegedly poisoned. The pope who was finally elected died 17 days later, probably of dysentery contracted during the previous weeks.
13Cow war
In 1275, the theft of a cow by a peasant led to a war (Guerre de la Vache) that resulted in 15,000 deaths on the territory of present-day Belgium.
14Kakusan-ni
In 1285, a Buddhist nun named Kakusan-ni opened the Shōkozan Tōkei-Ji temple as a refuge for battered wives. Women were considered divorced after living there for 2 years. Temple records show that, during the Tokugawa period alone, an estimated 2,000 women sought shelter there. The temple lost its right to concede divorce in 1873 when a new law was approved and the Court of Justice started to handle the cases.
15Al-Jazari
In the 1200s, Arab inventor al-Jazari created several humanoid robots, including a drink-serving "waitress", a hand-washing automaton, and a programmable music-playing robot band.
16King Phillip
In 1204 A.D., King Phillip of France attempted to lay siege to Chateau Gaillard. After months of failed attempts, his army found a weakness in toilet chutes. They climbed up through tunnels of sewage and were able to breach the second wall which later led to the surrender of the castle.
17Pope Celestine V
During the Papal election of 1292-1294, a hermit named Pietro de Morrone wrote a letter to the cardinals stating they would be punished by God if there was any more delay. The cardinals, in turn, elected de Morrone as Pope Celestine V and sent for him. He initially refused and attempted to flee.
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18Henry III
In 1251, Henry III was given a polar bear by the king of Norway. He kept it in the Tower of London, on a long chain so that it could swim in the Thames.
19John Komnenos
On July 31st, 1200/1201, John Komnenos the Fat, a Byzantine noble attempted to usurp the imperial throne. When he sat on the throne, it broke under his weight, and he was captured and executed that same day.
20Henry III
In 1255, Henry III of England was given an elephant by Louis IX of France. It died in 1257 having been fed a consistent diet of prime beef and red wine.
