Century Overview: The 12Th Century Ce In Gregorian Calendar

The 12th century, from 1101 to 1200 CE, is considered the High Middle Ages in European culture. During this time, Europe underwent a cultural and intellectual transformation known as the Renaissance of the 12th century. The Gregorian calendar, instituted in 1582, was not adopted by all countries until the 20th century. As a result, dates during the 12th century may be recorded differently depending on the country and calendar in use at the time.

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The 12th century is 1101 to 1200 CE

The 12th century, lasting from 1101 to 1200 CE, is a period of great significance in world history, marking the transition between the Early and High Middle Ages in Europe. This period is often referred to as the "Golden Age" of the Cistercians, a Catholic monastic order that flourished during this time.

During this century, Europe experienced a cultural and intellectual renaissance. The blast furnace for smelting cast iron was introduced from China, revolutionising metalworking. The first medieval universities were founded, and literacy began to spread beyond the confines of the Church. Christian humanism emerged as a philosophical movement, and churchmen increasingly took on secular roles, with some acting as royal judges. The Ars antiqua period of medieval music also began during this time.

In terms of religious developments, Christianity expanded its reach, being introduced to Estonia, Finland, and Karelia. The mariner's compass, first documented by Shen Kuo in the previous century, was introduced to Europe by Alexander Neckam.

The 12th century also witnessed significant events in other parts of the world. The Golden Age of Islam saw considerable advancements, particularly in Islamic Spain. In China, the Song Dynasty faced an invasion by the Jurchens, leading to a political schism between the north and south. The Khmer Empire of Cambodia thrived, while the Fatimids of Egypt were overtaken by the Ayyubid dynasty. The Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent commenced towards the end of the century.

It is worth noting that the concept of a "century" as a unit of time is not universal and has evolved over the centuries. The Gregorian calendar, which is the most widely used calendar today, was not introduced until 1582, replacing the Julian calendar. As a result, the start and end years of the 12th century may vary depending on the calendar system being used.

The Gregorian calendar was a reform of the Julian calendar

The 12th century, per the Julian calendar, refers to the period from 1101 to 1200. This period is considered part of the High Middle Ages in European culture and overlaps with what is often called the "Golden Age" of the Cistercians.

Now, the Gregorian calendar, which we use today, is a reform of the Julian calendar. It was first introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar is named. The reform was initially adopted by Catholic countries in Europe and their overseas possessions, while Protestant and Eastern Orthodox countries gradually moved to the "Improved calendar" over the next three centuries. The Gregorian calendar was instituted by the papal bull "Inter gravissimas", which became the law of the Catholic Church in 1582 but held no authority over Protestant churches, Eastern Orthodox churches, and a few other groups.

The Julian calendar was based on the assumption that the average solar year is exactly 365.25 days long, leading to an overestimate of about one day per century. As a result, it included a leap year every four years without exception. The Gregorian reform aimed to address this issue by shortening the average calendar year to 365.2425 days, reducing the drift against the solar year. The new calendar omitted a leap day in three out of every four centurial years and only retained it in years divisible by 400.

The second reason for the Gregorian reform was to address the drift of the March equinox, which was occurring before its nominal date of March 21. This date was significant for Christian churches as it is fundamental to calculating the date of Easter. The reform advanced the date by ten days, so Thursday, October 4, 1582, was followed by Friday, October 15, 1582, thus reinstating the association with the equinox.

The Gregorian calendar was not universally adopted until much later. For instance, Great Britain adopted the reformed calendar in 1752, while Russia did not switch until 1918. The calendar reform resulted in the loss of ten days, leading to discrepancies in dates during the transition period, which were addressed through dual dating or the use of "'Old Style'" and "'New Style'" notations.

The calendar was proclaimed in 1582

The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar. Now, onto the Gregorian calendar and its proclamation in 1582.

The Gregorian calendar was instituted by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It replaced the Julian calendar, which was an improvement over the Roman republican calendar, but it was 11 minutes and 14 seconds longer than the tropical year. This resulted in the calendar drifting about one day every 314 years. The Julian calendar also assumed that there are exactly 365.25 days in a year, which led to the date of the equinox drifting from the observed reality. This caused an error in the calculation of the date of Easter.

The Gregorian calendar was first proclaimed by Pope Gregory XIII on February 24, 1582, through a papal bull, "Inter gravissimas". The reform was based on the suggestions of the Italian scientist Luigi Lilio, with some modifications by the Jesuit mathematician and astronomer Christopher Clavius. The new calendar was quickly adopted by much of Catholic Europe, including Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Poland. However, Protestant and Orthodox countries refused to adopt the new calendar initially, as they did not recognize the authority of the Pope.

The reform altered the Julian, or Old Style, system of leap years. It removed ten days from October 1582, adjusting the timing of the Easter observance to better coincide with the spring season. The formula for determining leap years was also revised so that only years divisible by 400, such as 1600 and 2000, would be leap years at the end of a century. This change ensured that the calendar remained aligned with the equinoxes and provided a more accurate way of calculating the date of Easter.

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It was adopted by Catholic countries in Europe

The Gregorian calendar was instituted by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, as a reform of the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar to the ancient Roman Republic in 46 BCE and was the dominant European dating system for over 1600 years. However, its measurement of the solar year at 365.25 days was slightly inaccurate, causing the calendar dates of the seasons to regress by almost one day per century.

The Gregorian calendar was adopted by Catholic countries in Europe in 1582, as directed by Pope Gregory XIII in the papal bull Inter gravissimas. The new calendar was also taken up by their overseas possessions. The reform was necessary to bring the date for the celebration of Easter back to the time of year in which it was celebrated when it was introduced by the early Church. The error in the Julian calendar had led to the date of the equinox according to the calendar drifting from the observed reality, thus introducing an error in the calculation of the date of Easter.

The Gregorian calendar modified the Julian calendar by shortening the average year by 0.0075 days to stop the drift of the calendar with respect to the equinoxes. The new calendar also omitted a leap day in three centurial years every 400 years. The month of October 1582 was shortened by 10 days, with Thursday 4 October 1582 being followed by Friday 15 October 1582. This was done to reinstate the association of the March equinox with 21 March, the date it occurred in 325 CE, and the time of the First Council of Nicaea.

Over the next three centuries, the Protestant and Eastern Orthodox countries also gradually adopted the Gregorian calendar, which they called the "Improved calendar". Great Britain and its colonies adopted the calendar in 1752, with the year 1751 being a short year of only 282 days. Greece was the last European country to adopt the calendar in 1923, for civil use only. Many Orthodox churches continue to use the Julian calendar for religious rites.

The calendar is now used globally

The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar and is used in most parts of the world. It is a solar dating system that was first adopted in 1582, replacing the Julian calendar, which was inaccurate. The Julian calendar was based on the assumption that the average solar year is exactly 365.25 days long, which is an overestimate of a little under one day per century. This caused the calendar to drift with respect to the equinoxes, and the March equinox, which was important to Christian churches, was occurring well before its nominal date of 21 March.

The Gregorian calendar was instituted by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar is named, through the papal bull "Inter gravissimas". The reform was first adopted by Catholic countries in Europe and their overseas possessions, and over the next three centuries, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox countries also gradually moved to the "Improved calendar". Greece was the last European country to adopt the calendar in 1923, and many Orthodox churches continue to use the Julian calendar for religious rites.

During the 20th century, most non-Western countries also adopted the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes. Britain and the British Empire, including the eastern part of what is now the United States, adopted the calendar in 1752, followed by Sweden in 1753. Other countries that adopted the calendar include Japan in 1873, China in 1912, the Soviet socialist republics in 1918, and Islamic countries for secular life. The Gregorian calendar is now used globally, except in some religious contexts.

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