The seated wooden statue of Dainichi Nyorai at the Shingon temple of Enjō-ji in Nara is the earliest and best-substantiated work by Japanese master sculptor Unkei.

An inscription on the pedestal records that he began work on the piece in 1175 and brought it to completion the following year.

The sculpture has been designated a National Treasure.

Unkei's next documented works, from the early 1180s, commissioned by military leaders prominent in the ensuing Kamakura shogunate, for temples in eastern Japan, will be are physically more massive and powerful, as will be his giant Niō at Tōdai-ji.

By contrast, in this early work Unkei employs a more "gentle" or "tranquil" style.

Bishop Absalon founds Copenhagen (Danish: Kobenhavn; or the "merchants' harbor") in 1176 with the fortified Slotsholmen, or Castle Isle, as the city’s nucleus.

Recent archaeological finds indicate that by the eleventh century, Copenhagen had already grown into a small town with a large estate, a church, a market, at least two wells and many smaller habitations spread over a fairly wide area.

Many historians believe that the town dates to the late Viking age, and was possibly founded by Sweyn I Forkbeard, King of Denmark from 986 to 1014.

Mieszko III protects the Jews of Poland and permits them to mint coins bearing Hebrew inscriptions.

Kilij's victory may also have won him the recognition of the 'Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad, for he has begun to mint coins bearing the name of al-Mustadi' (1170-80).

Another major confrontation occurs between the Zengids and the Ayyubids in the spring of 1176, his time at the Sultan's Mound, fifteen kilometers (9.3 miles) from Aleppo.

Saladin again emerges victorious, but Saif al-Din manages to narrowly escape.

The Ayyubids proceed to take other Syrian cities in the north, namely Ma'arat al-Numan, A'zaz, Buza'a, and Manbij, but fail to capture Aleppo after a second siege.

An agreement is laid out, however, whereby Gumushtigin, the governor of Aleppo, and his Muslim allies at Hisn Kayfa and Mardin will recognize Saladin as the sovereign of his dominions in Syria while Saladin allows for Gumushtigin and as-Salih al-Malik to continue their rule of Aleppo.

The Syrian grand master, the legendary Rashid ad-Din as-Sinan, rules from the fortress of Masyaf, virtually independently of Assassin headquarters at Alamut.

Rashid and his successor chiefs are known as the shaykh al-jabal (Arabic: “mountain chief”), which is mistranslated by the crusaders as the “Old Man of the Mountain.” Feared for his practice of sending his followers to murder his enemies, Rashid ad-Din makes several attempts on the life of Saladin, who opposes the Isma'ili Shi'i sect.

Saladin invades Assassin territory in 1176, and gains a truce.

Christians in Egypt under Muslim rule are second-class citizens, who pay special taxes and have no access to political power.

The Copts are cut off from the main stream of Christianity, but they are allowed to practice their religion unmolested.

Under the Muslim caliphs and the sultans, Qift has remained one of the chief cities of Upper Egypt.

Al-Adil in 1176 suppresses a revolt by the Christian Copts of Qift, hanging nearly three thousand of them on the trees around the city.

An uprising by Abbas ibn Shadi, who overruns Qus along the Nile River in central Egypt, is coincidental or possibly in coordination with the disturbance at Aswan.

Al-Adil crushes both rebellions.

Saladin's palace administrator, Armenian Mamluk Sharaf al-Din Qara-Qush, continues his raids in western North Africa for the rest of 1175 and throughout early 1176, bringing the Ayyubids into conflict with the Almohad rulers of the Maghreb.

John of Salisbury: Philosopher, Churchman, and Defender of Learning (c. 1115–1180 CE)

John of Salisbury, an English scholastic philosopher and humanist, was one of the most influential thinkers of the 12th century. A student of Peter Abelard in Paris, he became deeply involved in both intellectual and ecclesiastical affairs, serving as secretary to successive Archbishops of Canterbury—Theobald and later Thomas Becket.

At the age of 61, in 1176, John was appointed Bishop of Chartres, solidifying his role as both a political thinker and church leader. His writings, particularly the Policraticus and Metalogicon, became cornerstones of medieval political and educational philosophy.

John of Salisbury’s Key Works

1. Policraticus (c. 1159): A Defense of Church Supremacy

• Often considered the first medieval work of political philosophy, Policraticus explores the relationship between church and state.
• John argues for the supremacy of the church over secular rulers, maintaining that kings must be subject to divine and moral law.
• He introduces the "tyrannicide doctrine," suggesting that a ruler who fails to uphold justice may be lawfully deposed or even killed—a radical idea that influenced later medieval political thought.

2. Metalogicon (c. 1159): A Defense of the Liberal Arts and Philosophy

• Written as a defense of reason and education, Metalogicon advocates for the study of philosophy, rhetoric, and the liberal arts.
• John criticizes those who reject intellectual inquiry and defends the importance of logic and dialectical reasoning, aligning himself with the scholastic tradition.
• He emphasizes the role of education in shaping wise rulers and moral citizens, linking intellectual and ethical development.

John’s Legacy and Influence

• His political ideas in Policraticus influenced later medieval and Renaissance thinkers, including Thomas Aquinas and John of Salisbury’s contemporary, William of Malmesbury.
• His defense of education and logic in Metalogicon contributed to the rise of scholasticism in European universities.
• As Bishop of Chartres, he upheld the city's intellectual traditions, reinforcing its role as a center of learning and humanism.

John of Salisbury’s blend of political philosophy, theology, and humanism ensured his lasting impact on medieval thought, making him a key figure in the 12th-century intellectual revival.