Henry IV of HRE vs Yelu Dashi

Henry IV defeated Saxon rebels at Langensalza in Thuringia. The victory temporarily ended the Saxon Rebellion, but the conflict resumed later. The battle demonstrated Henry's military capability early in his reign.

Pope Gregory VII excommunicated Henry IV after Henry attempted to depose the Pope. The excommunication freed Henry's subjects from their oaths of loyalty, leading to a rebellion by German princes. This forced Henry to seek reconciliation at Canossa.

Henry IV traveled to Canossa Castle in northern Italy to seek absolution from Pope Gregory VII. He stood barefoot in the snow for three days before the Pope lifted his excommunication. This event symbolized the power struggle between secular and religious authority.

Henry IV besieged Rome and captured the city. He was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Antipope Clement III. Pope Gregory VII took refuge in the Castel Sant'Angelo and was rescued by Norman forces under Robert Guiscard, who sacked Rome.

After the fall of the Liao dynasty, Yelu Dashi led a remnant of Khitan nobles and soldiers westward into Central Asia. He established the Western Liao (Kara Khitai) dynasty, claiming continuity of Liao rule.

Yelu Dashi defeated the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate, incorporating their territory into the Western Liao. This expansion gave him control over the Tarim Basin and key Silk Road cities like Kashgar.

Yelu Dashi's Kara Khitai army defeated a Seljuk coalition led by Sultan Ahmad Sanjar at Qatwan near Samarkand. This victory established Kara Khitai as the dominant power in Central Asia and halted Seljuk expansion eastward.