1161

Events

December 24 – The widowed Emperor Manuel I Komnenos marries Maria of Antioch, aged 16, at Hagia Sophia.{{cite book|authorlink=Steven Runciman|first=Steven|last=Runciman|year=1952|title=A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem|pages=291–293|isbn=978-0-241-29876-3}}

February 3 – Battle of Oslo: King Inge I of Norway ("the Hunchback") is defeated and killed while fighting the forces of Haakon II ("the Broadshouldered") who succeeds Inge, with 5-year-old Magnus V as co-ruler, but not without challenges to his sovereignty.
late summer/early autumn – Géza II of Hungary and the envoys of Pope Alexander III conclude the Concordat of 1161, by which Géza agrees to support the Pope in exchange for concessions.{{cite book|last=Makk|first=Ferenc (translated by György Novák)|year=1989|title=The Árpáds and the Comneni: Political Relations between Hungary and Byzantium in the 12th century|publisher=Akadémiai Kiadó|page=75|isbn=963-05-5268-X}}
Magnus Henriksson, pretender to the throne of Sweden, is murdered by Charles VII, who becomes king of Sweden until 1167.
An Almoravid offensive against the Kingdom of Portugal reaches the city of Almada, located on the Tagus river.{{cite book|last=Picard|first=Christophe|title=Le Portugal musulman, VIIIe-XIIIe Siècle: L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique|year=2000|publisher=Maisonneuve & Larose|location=Paris|isbn=2-7068-1398-9|page=110}}

Jin–Song Wars: The Battle of Tangdao (November 16) and Battle of Caishi (November 26–27) on the Yangtze River, between the Jin dynasty and the Song dynasty in China result in two pivotal Song naval victories.
December 15 – Wanyan Liang, Chinese prince of Hailing, is assassinated while on campaign. He is succeeded by Emperor Shizong of Jin (until 1189).

January 5 – Canonization of Edward the Confessor (d. 1066) in England.{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Alan|last2=Palmer|first2=Veronica|year=1992|title=The Chronology of British History|publisher=Century Ltd|location=London|pages=67–69|isbn=0-7126-5616-2}}
April 18 – Theobald of Bec, archbishop of Canterbury in England dies after an illness. King Henry II is informed and expresses the wish to have his friend Thomas Becket elected as the successor.
after April 18 – Bartholomew is consecrated as bishop of Exeter in England (until 1184).
The Cross of Saint Euphrosyne, commissioned by Euphrosyne of Polotsk in Belarus, is created by craftsman Lazar Bohsha. (It goes missing during World War II, and is not recovered subsequently).