1090
Year 1090 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
- A third Almoravid expedition is launched in Al-Andalus, designed to finally subdue the Taifa's Kingdoms. The cities of Córdoba, Seville, Granada, Málaga, Almería and Ronda fall to the troops of Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin.
- King Stephen II of Croatia becomes involved in an open conflict between factions of the Croatian nobility, who reassert their traditional rights in their own counties.
- November 3 – King William Rufus of England tries to take advantage of the unrest in Normandy and take it from his brother Robert Curthose. Though he wins over several Norman nobles to his side, his plot to capture the capital city of Rouen fails.
Middle East
- Hassan-i Sabbah founds the Nizari Ismaili state after taking control of the Alamut Castle and organising the military group called the Order of Assassins.
Africa
- Béjaïa becomes the capital of the Hammadid dynasty in modern-day Algeria. It becomes an important port and centre of culture.
By topic
Arts and Culture
- Troubadours begin playing in western Aquitaine and Gascony.
Science and Technology
- Qin Guan, Chinese poet of the Song dynasty, writes the Can Shu, which describes a silk-reeling machine that has the world's oldest known mechanical belt drive.