1189

1189 was a year in the late 12th century marked by dynastic change in England and major military campaigns in the Levant. On 6 July, Henry II, King of England and ruler of an Angevin empire, died at Chinon. His death ended a decades-long rule that had bound England to continental positions. His son Richard, also Count of Aquitaine, succeeded him as King of England and was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 3 September 1189.

Richard's accession set the stage for renewed English involvement in France and in the Crusades. In the Levant, the Third Crusade was already under way following Jerusalem's fall to Saladin in 1187. In 1189 the Crusaders began the siege of Acre, a major campaign that would last into the next two years and involve leaders such as Richard I of England and Philip II of France.

Meanwhile, in France, King Philip II Augustus pressed to reduce English possessions on the continent, consolidating his royal authority and expanding royal administration. The year thus stood at a crossroads of English dynastic succession, Franco-English territorial policy, and the ongoing Crusader effort in the Holy Land.