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The 1200s: 1200–1209

Stories set in the 1200s — top stories

1200–1209 · worldwide, all places

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The Fourth Crusade never reached the Holy Land: its Venetian creditors redirected it against Constantinople, which the crusaders sacked in 1204. In the same years King John lost Normandy and quarreled with his barons, while Norway tore itself apart in civil war.

Constantinople's sack in 1204 shocked even the pope who had called the crusade. Umberto Eco's Baudolino wanders into that sack as a wide-eyed liar, and The Last King tracks a Norwegian infant smuggled to safety through the civil war of the same year. Open the 1200s on the StoryTerra map and explore its stories by place.

Sets 1200–1209 automatically — all places

8 famous stories set in the 1200s

Live snapshot of the top 8 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-05). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.

Browse 22 books and 1 movie set in the 1200s (1200–1209).

The Last King

The Last King

Nordisk Film Denmark-Paradox Produksjon-Newgrange Pictures-Proton Cinema
movie

Norway 1204. A civil war between the birkebeiners —the king's men— and the baglers —supporters of the Norwegian aristocracy and the Church— ravages the country. Two men must protect a baby the illegitimate son of King…

Setting: NorwayTime Period: 1204
Here Be Dragons

Here Be Dragons

by Sharon Kay Penman (Goodreads Author)
book

Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Then Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce with England by marrying the English king's…

Setting: ['Wales']Time Period: 1200; Thirteenth Century
Labyrinth

Labyrinth

by Kate Mosse
book

In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig, stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery-two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a…

Setting: ['France', 'Carcassonne (France)']Time Period: 1209; Alais and Carcassonne siege
Baudolino

Baudolino

by Umberto Eco, William Weaver (Translator)
book

It is April 1204, and Constantinople, the splendid capital of the Byzantine Empire, is being sacked and burned by the knights of the Fourth Crusade. Amid the carnage and confusion, one Baudolino saves a historian and…

Setting: ['Constantinople (Turkey)']Time Period: 1204; Fourth Crusade
The Warrior's Game

The Warrior's Game

by Denise Domning
book

Widowed Lady Amicia de la Beres has resisted taking sides in the rebellion forming against King John. But when England’s king gives her precious home to an upstart common knight, one of John’s greedy foreign…

Setting: England, UKTime Period: 1200
Lara and the Gray Mare

Lara and the Gray Mare

by Kathleen Duey
book

Nine-year-old Lara is the daughter of the ri-the leader of her cattle-raising clan. While she spends her days tending to the cattle, her heart lies with her beloved gray mare. When Lara goes to the highlands to set the…

Setting: Athenry, IrelandTime Period: 1200
Dreams of Stardust

Dreams of Stardust

by Lynn Kurland
book

In the 1200s, Amanda of Artane has one summer to choose from her suitors—and find love forever.JakeJake Kilchurn travels the world to unearth exquisite stones for this one-of-a-kind creations, but it is during an…

Setting: ['England', 'England']Time Period: 1200s
Wolfbreed

Wolfbreed

by S.A. Swann
book

In this captivating reinvention of the werewolf novel, S. A. Swann propels readers into the darkest days of the Middle Ages, weaving a rare blend of soaring romance, historical intrigue, paranormal thrills, and…

Setting: EuropeTime Period: 1200

The 8 stories above are just a sample of the 23 in the catalogue for this entry. For the live 1200–1209 catalogue, use the button above — or browse the whole 13th century. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.

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1190s · 13th century · Time hub · All places · 1300s