Alexandr Nevsky convinces Tartars to reduce tributes and eliminate conscription. Chartres cathedral completed. 1258 Flagellants begin physically punishing themselves in the belief that this will prevent plagues. Ulrich von Lichtenstein writes Frauendienst . Sorbonne founded as Community of Poor Masters and Scholars.
Hanseatic merchants establish common rights at the Flemish harbor of Bruges.
Japanese sculptor Ono Goroemon casts Kamakura Daibutsu. 1252 Inquisition begins using torture. Louis IX of France expels Jews. Farmers and shepherds revolt in northern France and England. Roger Bacon invents the magnifying glass.