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'Years:' 1249 1250 1251 - 1252 - 1253 1254 1255

'Decades:' 1220s 1230s 1240s - '1250s' - 1260s 1270s 1280s

'Centuries:' 12th century - '13th century' - 14th century

Contents

Events

Europe

Asia

Births

Deaths

Events

Europe

★ May 15 - Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ''Ad exstirpanda'', which authorizes the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition. Torture quickly gains widespread usage across Catholic Europe.

★ The first European gold coins are minted in the Italian city of Florence, and are known as florins.

★ The Polish land of Lebus is incorporated into German state of Brandenburg, marking the start of Brandenburg's expansion into previously Polish areas (Neumark).

★ The Swedish city of Stockholm is founded by Birger Jarl.

★ The Lithuanian city of Klaipėda (''Memel'') is founded by the Teutonic Knights.

★ The town and monastery of Orval in Belgium burn to the ground; rebuilding takes 100 years.

★ Thomas Aquinas travels to the University of Paris to begin his studies there for a masters degree.

★ In astronomy, work begins on the recording of the Alfonsine tables.

Asia

★ The classic Japanese text ''Jikkunsho'' is completed.

★ The Chinese era ''Chunyou'' ends.

Births

★ March 25 - Conradin, Duke of Swabia (d. 1268)

★ Safi Al-Din, Persian Sufi leader

★ Amadeus V of Savoy (died 1323)

★ Eleanor de Montfort, princess of Wales (died 1282)

Deaths

★ March 6 - Saint Rose of Viterbo, Italian saint (born 1235)

★ May 30 - King Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon

★ June 29 - King Abel of Denmark (born 1218)

★ November 26 - Blanche of Castile, queen of Louis VIII of France and regent of France (born 1188)

★ Queen Isabella of Armenia

★ Sorghaghtani Beki, Mongolian empress and regent

★ Giovanni da Pian del Carpini, Italian chronicler of the Mongol Empire

★ Theobald IV of Champagne (born 1201)