1108

Year 1108 (MCVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * Spring – King Sigurd I sails from England, on the Norwegian Crusade to Palestine. He repels a Muslim fleet near the Tagus River, then attacks Sintra, Lisbon and Alcácer do Sal, and finally defeats a second Muslim fleet further south.
 * May 29 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid forces defeat the armies of Castile and León. The advance of the Reconquista is halted, and the Berbers re-capture the towns of Uclés, Cuenca, Huete and Ocaña. The Christians, many of nobility, are beheaded.
 * July 29 – King Philip I dies at Melun, after a 48-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Louis VI, who, at the start of his rule, faces insurrections from feudal brigands and rebellious robber barons.
 * September – Siege of Dyrrhachium: Italo-Norman forces under Bohemond I lift the siege due to illness and lack of supplies. Bohemond becomes a vassal of the Byzantine Empire by signing the Treaty of Devol.
 * Autumn – The Principality of Nitra ceases to exist, after King Coloman of Hungary, deposes its last ruler, Álmos, duke of Croatia.
 * The consuls of Bergamo are first mentioned, indicating that the city has become an independent commune in Lombardy (Northern Italy).

Levant

 * Summer – Jawali Saqawa, Turkish ruler of Mosul, accepts a ransom of 30,000 dinar by Count Joscelin I and releases his cousin Baldwin II, count of Edessa, who is held as prisoner (see 1104).
 * Baldwin I marches out against Sidon, with the support of a squadron of sailor-adventurers from various Italian cities. A Fatimid fleet from Egypt defeats the Italians in a sea-battle outside the harbour.

Asia

 * The Taira and Minamoto clans join forces to rule Japan, after defeating the warrior monks of the Enryaku-ji temple near Kyoto. The Taira replace many Fujiwara nobles in important offices – while the Minamoto gain more military experience by bringing parts of Northern Honshu under Japanese control (approximate date).

Religion

 * Chichester Cathedral is consecrated under Ralph de Luffa, bishop of Chichester, in England.
 * Construction begins on the tower of Winchester Cathedral, building continues until 1120.
 * Pistoia Cathedral in Italy is damaged by a severe fire.
 * June 13 – Restored Ferentino Cathedral in Italy is consecrated.

Births

 * Andronikos Komnenos, Byzantine prince (d. 1142)
 * Baldwin IV, count of Hainaut (d. 1171)
 * Bohemond II, Italo-Norman prince of Antioch (d. 1130)
 * Derbforgaill, Irish princess (d. 1193)
 * Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud, Seljuk sultan (d. 1152)
 * Henry X, duke of Bavaria (d. 1139)
 * Leopold IV, duke of Bavaria (d. 1141)

Deaths

 * January 4 – Gertrude, Grand Princess of Kiev
 * March 18 – Abe no Munetō, Japanese samurai (b. 1032)
 * May 21 – Gerard, Norman archbishop of York
 * May 29
 * García Ordóñez, Castilian nobleman
 * Sancho Alfónsez, Castilian nobleman
 * July 5 – Guy of Hauteville, Italo-Norman diplomat
 * July 29 – Philip I, king of France
 * November 15 – Enrico Contarini, bishop of Castello
 * García Álvarez, Castilian official and military leader
 * Gonzalo, bishop of Mondoñedo (approximate date)
 * Gregory III, count of Tusculum (approximate date)
 * Gundulf, bishop of Rochester (approximate date)
 * Guy II, French nobleman and crusader
 * Mafalda of Pulla-Calabria, Norman noblewoman (b. 1060)
 * Urse d'Abetot, Norman sheriff of Worcestershire
 * Veera Ballala I, Indian ruler of the Hoysala Empire
 * Wang, Chinese empress of the Song Dynasty (b. 1084)