The Shin Kokinshu of 1205 is among the most celebrated of the imperially commissioned anthologies of Japanese waka poetry.

It is the eighth in a series of twenty-one imperial anthologies of waka poetry compiled by the Japanese court, beginning with the Kokin Wakashū circa 905 CE; the series will end with the Shinshokukokin Wakashū circa 1439.

The name can be literally translated as “New Collection of Ancient and Modern Poems” and bears an intentional resemblance to that of the first anthology.

Together with the Man'yōshū and the Kokinshū, the Shin Kokinshū is widely considered to be one of the three most influential poetic anthologies in Japanese literary history.

It had been commissioned in 1201 by the retired emperor Go-Toba (r. 1183-1198), who has established a new Bureau of Poetry at his Nijō palace with eleven Fellows, headed by Fujiwara no Yoshitsune, for the purpose of conducting poetry contests and compiling the anthology.

Despite its emphasis on contemporary poets, the Shin Kokinshū covers a broader range of poetic ages than the Kokinshū, including ancient poems that the editors of the first anthology had deliberately excluded.

It is officially presented in 1205, on the three hundredth anniversary of the completion of the Kokinshū.

Temujin, using his rival Nilga Senggum's temporary refuge in Western Xia as a pretext, launches a raid against the state in 1205 in the Edsin region.

The Mongols plunder border settlements and one local Western Xia noble accepts Mongol supremacy.

During a raid on Ganzhou (present-day Zhangye), the Mongols capture the son of the city's commander.

This young boy joins Mongol service and takes a Mongol name, Chagaan, and will eventually rise through the ranks to become commander of Temujin's personal guard.

Folquet de Marselha, initially famed as a troubadour, is elected Bishop of Toulouse in 1205, after two Cistercian Papal legates had been sent to the region to reform it.

Pope Innocent III is particularly concerned by the prevalence of both heresy and episcopal corruption in the Languedoc and uses the Cistercians to combat both.

The legates had deposed the previous Bishop, Raimon de Rabastens, and were probably instrumental in arranging Folquet's nomination for the position.

Nicholas of Verdun: The Master Goldsmith Bridging Romanesque and Gothic Art (12th–13th Century)

Nicholas of Verdun was one of the greatest goldsmiths and enamelists of the Middle Ages, renowned for his mastery of Mosan art and his pioneering naturalism in medieval metalwork. His works, commissioned across Western Europe, reflect a deep knowledge of classical art, evident in his lifelike human figures, expressive emotions, and dynamic drapery. He played a crucial role in the transition from Romanesque to Gothic art, influencing later medieval goldsmithing and decorative arts.

Key Characteristics of Nicholas of Verdun’s Art

• Increased Naturalism – His figures convey emotion and movement, a departure from the stiff, formal poses of earlier Romanesque art.
• Classical Influence – His work is informed by Greco-Roman models, visible in his fluid drapery and anatomically detailed human figures.
• Innovative Use of Drapery – He uses flowing lines of fabric to suggest motion, a technique that foreshadows Gothic sculpture.
• Mastery of Enamelwork – His pieces feature vivid champlevé enamel, characteristic of Mosan craftsmanship.

Major Works of Nicholas of Verdun

1. Klosterneuburg Altarpiece (1181, Austria)

   • His most famous signed work, this triptych altarpiece is covered with gilded copper panels and rich enamel decorations.
   • The panels illustrate biblical history with figures full of vitality and movement.
   • An early example of his classical influence and naturalism, making it a transitional piece between Romanesque and Gothic styles.

2. Shrine of the Three Kings (Cologne Cathedral, c. 1180–1215)

   • Designed as a reliquary for the supposed remains of the Magi, this is one of the largest and most elaborate medieval shrines.
   • Though Nicholas began the work, it was completed after his death.
   • It features sculptural reliefs, classical details, and intricate metalwork, reflecting his signature blend of realism and elegance.

3. Shrine of the Virgin (Tournai Cathedral, 1205)

   • Completed in early Gothic style, this work represents Nicholas’s later artistic development.
   • Features detailed figurative reliefs and a heightened sense of movement, reinforcing his role in shaping the Gothic aesthetic.

Nicholas of Verdun’s Legacy

• His stylistic innovations laid the foundation for Gothic sculpture and metalwork, inspiring later goldsmiths and cathedral artisans.
• He expanded the artistic vocabulary of medieval religious art, moving beyond static symbolism to expressive and naturalistic figures.
• His work continues to be highly regarded as some of the greatest achievements in medieval craftsmanship, bridging two major artistic periods—Romanesque and Gothic.

Nicholas of Verdun remains a defining figure in medieval European art, his technical brilliance and artistic vision securing his place as one of history’s greatest goldsmiths and enamelists.

Philip restores Normandy, seized by England’s Henry I in 1106, to French control, but the English retain the Channel Islands when Guernsey and Jersey decide, after a plebiscite of wealthy land owners, to remain with the English crown.

Neither of the islands’ two separate bailiwicks, Guernsey and Jersey, are today part of the United Kingdom; rather they are considered the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy.

John of England, fearing a French invasion of England itself following the conquest of Anjou by Philip of France, requires every English male over twelve to enter an association "for the general defense of the realm and the preservation of peace".

William of Wrotham, Lord Warden of the Stannaries of England, oversees a reform of English currency.

In keeping with other high-ranking bureaucrats of his time and place, this is just one of Wrotham's many offices: he is also Keeper of the King's Ports & Galleys, supervisor of the mints of Canterbury and London, ward of the vacant Diocese of Bath and Wells, an archdeacon of Taunton, a canon of Wells, and will serve the following year as a circuit judge.

John, hopeful of avoiding trouble in England and Wales while he is away fighting to recover his French lands, forms an alliance in 1205 by marrying off his illegitimate daughter, Joan, to the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great, who had previously been negotiating with Pope Innocent III for leave to marry his uncle Rhodri's widow, daughter of Ragnald, King of Mann and the Isles.

This proposal had been dropped, however.

Worcestershire priest Layamon retells Wace's account of the Arthurian legend in English in his sixteen-thousand-line poem “The Brut,” written in about 1205 as the first truly English version of the tale of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. (“Brut,” a shortened name for Brutus, is the mythical founder of Britain.)

His poem will provide inspiration for numerous later writers, including Sir Thomas Malory and Jorge Luis Borges, and have an impact on medieval history writing in England.

The election of Otto of Brunswick, the son of Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, and Matilda Plantagenet of England, as King of the Germans in 1198 had pulled the empire into the conflict between England and France, since the rival king, Philip, Duke of Swabia, elected earlier in the same year and irregularly, had allied himself with France, and Otto was being supported by England.

Pope Innocent had announced in 1200-01 that he recognized Otto as the only legitimate king.

Otto had promised in return to support the pope's interests in Italy.

Otto's situation has worsened in the ensuing years, because he loses England's financial support after England's defeat by France.

Many of his allies change sides to Philip, including his brother Henry.

Adolph, archbishop of Cologne, reverses his loyalties and in January 1205 crowns Philip King of Germany at Aachen.

Henry is on the point of crushing Theodore Laskaris when an anti-Latin revolt in Thrace provides Kaloyan with a pretext for invasion, necessitating Henry's return to Europe.