Battle of Arcadiopolis: John I dispatches an elite force (10–12,000 men) to delay the
Kievan Rus'. The Byzantines under Bardas Skleros successfully
ambush the Kievan-Bulgarian invaders at
Arcadiopolis (modern
Turkey). The battle turns into a complete rout, killing thousands. Grand Prince
Sviatoslav I is driven out of Thrace and withdraws his forces to the fortress city of
Silistra.[2]
Summer –
Bardas Phokas (the Younger) and his family rebel against their own cousin, John I. Bardas is proclaimed 'emperor' by his troops at
Caesarea, but the rebellion is extinguished by Bardas Skleros. Phokas and his relatives are captured and
exiled to the island of
Chios (
Aegean Sea).
Europe
Summer – Byzantine-Imperial truce: Emperor
Otto I (the Great) meets with John I at
Bari and accepts a permanent peace agreement.
Pandulf I (Ironhead) is released from captivity in
Constantinople (see
969).
The oldest preserved document (by Otto I) mentions
Leibnitz in
Styria (modern
Austria).
Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) attacks the Bulgarian frontier, personally led by Emperor
John I. He lays
siege to the fortress city of
Dorostolon (located on the
Lower Danube), and is reinforced by a fleet of 300 ships equipped with Greek fire.[3] The
Kievan Rus' and their Bulgarian allies are reduced to extremities by
famine. After a 3-month siege, Grand Prince
Sviatoslav I agrees to sign a
peace treaty with the Byzantines, whereby he renounces his interests towards Bulgarian lands and the city of
Chersonesos in
Crimea. Sviatoslav is allowed to evacuate his army to
Berezan Island, while the Byzantines enter Dorostolon. John renames the city Theodoropolis (named after the reigning Empress
Theodora).[4]
King
Cuilén (or Cuilean) is killed by
Britons after a 6-year reign. He is succeeded by his nephew
Kenneth II, as ruler of
Alba (
Scotland). He will not be sole king until
977.
Africa
Battle of Alexandretta: The Byzantines defeat a
Fatimid force (4,000 men) near
Alexandretta (modern
Turkey), while the main Fatimid army is besieging the fortress city of
Antioch. Coupled with news of an advance against
Damascus of the
Qarmatians, the Fatimids are forced to lift the siege and withdraw to
Egypt.
January 23 – A
war elephant corps of the
Southern Han is defeated at Shao, by
crossbow fire from
Song dynasty troops. The Southern Han Kingdom is forced to submit to the Song dynasty. Ending Southern Han rule, but also the first regular war elephant corps employed in a Chinese army, that had gained the Southern Han victories throughout the 10th century.
By topic
Religion
The grave of
Swithun, Anglo-Saxon bishop of
Winchester, is moved into an indoor
shrine (he was previously buried outside) in the
Old Minster. The ceremony is said to have been marred by 40 days of torrential
rain.
John I removes various Bulgarian
boyars from their homes, and settles them in
Constantinople and
Anatolia (modern
Turkey), where they are given high titles and lands.[6]
Spring – Grand Prince
Sviatoslav I is
ambushed by the
Pechenegs (possibly in the service of the Byzantines) and killed during his attempt to cross the
Dnieper rapids (modern
Ukraine). His skull is made into a
drinking cup. Sviatoslav is succeeded by his eldest son
Yaropolk I as ruler of
Kiev, which leads to a civil war with his brother
Oleg.[7]
July: Melias moves against
Amida (modern
Turkey). He defeats the
Arabs outside the walls, and begins to lay
siege to the city. After a few days, a violent wind and a thick dust spreads over the Byzantine camp. Covered by the dust, the Arabs attack and route the Byzantines. Many of them are slaughtered and some, including Melias, are taken prisoner. Previous Byzantine gains in the area are lost. The wounded Melias dies later in captivity.
Edgar I marches with his army north to
Chester. His navy meets him there via the
Irish Sea. This show of strength persuades the 'Northern Kings' to submit to his
overlordship (approximate date).
Cloves,
ginger,
black pepper, and other Eastern spices are available for purchase in the marketplace at
Mainz. The spices are brought to the city by
Jewish traveling
merchants, known as the
Radhanites, who have contacts in the international
trade between the
Christian and
Islamic world (approximate date).
In the Council of
Winchester, Edgar I accepts a 'Monastic Agreement' (called the Regularis Concordia). The document is compiled by Bishop
Æthelwold and serves as a rule for how
monastic life should be performed.
Battle of
Danevirke: Emperor
Otto II defeats the rebel forces of King
Harald I, who has invaded
Nordalbingia (modern-day
Holstein), to shake off imperial overlordship. Otto's armies swiftly subdue the
Danes, consolidating the frontier between
Scandinavia and Northern
Germany. Meanwhile,
Henry II begins a rebellion against his cousin Otto. He forges alliances with
Bavarian and
Saxon nobles.
England
King
Edgar I gives English help to Prince
Hywel in ousting his uncle, King
Iago of Gwynedd from his kingdom.
5 August – Caliph
al-Muti, ill and incapacitated, is deposed and succeeded by his son
al-Ta'i, dying shortly after.[14]
Africa
The
Qarmatians are defeated north of
Cairo by
Fatimid forces under General
Jawhar al-Siqilli. He consolidates Fatimid rule and sends a
legation to the Christian land of
Nubia to secure the southern border of
Egypt. Arab traders introduce
Islam to the population, which gradually supplants
Christianity.
Emperor
Otto II (the Red) leads a punitive expedition against
Boleslaus II, duke of
Bohemia (approximate date).
England
July 8 – King
Edgar I (the Peaceful) dies at
Winchester after a 16-year reign. He is succeeded by his 12-year-old son
Edward II (the Martyr) as ruler of
England.
June – Emir
Abu'l-Qasim launches a raiding expedition into
Byzantine Italy from
Sicily. He imposes a
tribute on the cities of
Cosenza and
Cellere. Meanwhile, a Fatimid fleet assaults the
Apulian coast and raids the surrounding countryside. Abu'l-Qasim sends an army to
Otranto and besieges
Gravina, before returning to Sicily – bringing home hundreds of captives and slaves.
Summer –
Pietro IV Candiano, doge of
Venice, demands Venetian assistance to put down a revolt in his personal fiefs around
Ferrara. The Venetians also revolt against Candiano and assault the doge's palace. Repelled by
mercenary forces, they burn the neighborhood – bringing the palace down with it. Candiano and his family escape, but are killed by the mob.
May –
Boris II, dethroned emperor (tsar) of
Bulgaria, and his brother
Roman manage to escape from captivity in
Constantinople. They reach the Bulgarian border, but Boris is killed by mistake by the border guards. Roman is crowned as new ruler, although leadership and the control of the army remain in the hands of General
Samuel (a member of the
Cometopuli Dynasty).[21]
November 30 – Otto II is unable to take Paris, he lifts the
siege of the capital and withdraws. A Frankish army under Lothair III pursues and defeats the imperial
rearguard while crossing the
Aisne River. Otto escapes and is forced to take refuge at Aachen with Charles, after his supplies are destroyed.[25]
Otto II has the three insurrectionists punished at
Magdeburg. Henry II is stripped of all his possessions and imprisoned in the custody of Bishop
Folcmar of
Utrecht. The other two:
Henry III (the Younger) loses his duchy to Otto I and
Henry I, bishop of
Augsburg, is arrested and imprisoned in
Werden Abbey (
Germany).[26]
Almanzor, a court official and
regent of
Córdoba, becomes a
chamberlain (hajib) and seizes power from the 13-year-old Caliph
Hisham II. During his reign, Almanzor will exercise strong influence over
Subh (the mother of Hisham) and wages successful campaigns against the
Christian kingdoms in Northern
Spain.
March 18 – King
Edward II (the Martyr) is murdered at
Corfe Castle (
Dorsetshire) upon the orders of his step-mother
Ælfthryth (or Elfrida). He is succeeded by his half-brother
Æthelred II (the Unready) who becomes king of
England. During his reign Æthelred tries to keep his realm from being overrun by
DanishViking invaders.
English troops are deployed on the
Llŷn Peninsula on behalf of King
Hywel of
Gwynedd in order to prevent his uncle, King
Iago, invading with Viking allies from
Dublin.
June 9 – King
Qian Chu surrenders his territories and pledges
allegiance to the
Song Dynasty, saving his people from war and economic destruction. Qian Chu remains ruler and moves 3,000 members of his
household to Bianjing (modern-day
Kaifeng).
Wuyue is absorbed into the Song Dynasty, effectively ending the kingdom.
Vitale Candiano, doge of
Venice, abdicates for health reasons after a 14-month reign, and retires to a monastery. He is succeeded by
Tribuno Memmo, a son-in-law of the murdered
Pietro IV Candiano. Tribuno declares a general
amnesty for everyone complicit in the plot against Pietro.[27]
June 8 –
Louis V, nicknamed le Fainéant (the Do-Nothing), is crowned as the co-emperor of
West Francia at
Paris by his father, King
Lothair. Upon Lothair's death on
March 2,
986, Louis becomes the sole ruler.
Summer – Tai Zong invades the
Northern Han and besieges the capital of
Taiyuan. A relief force sent by the Liao Dynasty is defeated. The Kingdom is absorbed into the
Song Dynasty.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Richard Brzezinski (1998). History of Poland: Old Poland, King Mieszko I , p. 15.
ISBN83-7212-019-6.
^The most recent survey of the Anglo-Saxon history of Peterborough Abbey is in Kelly, S.E. (ed.), Charters of Peterborough Abbey, Anglo-Saxon Charters 14,
OUP, 2009.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Roger Collins (2009). Keepers of the keys of heaven: A History of the Papacy, p. 187 (Basic Books).
^Stratton, J.M. (1969). Agricultural Records. John Baker.
ISBN0-212-97022-4.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 388.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Pierre Riché (1993). The Carolingians: A Family Who Forced Europe, trans. Michael Idomir Allen (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press), pp. 276-77.
^Thérèse Charmasson, Anne-Marie le Lorrain, Martine Sonnet: Chronologie de l'histoire de France, 1994, p. 90.
^Jim Bradbury (2007). The Capetians: Kings of France, 987–1328, (London: Hambledon Continuum), p. 43.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Janet Sethre (2003). The Souls of Venice, p. 84 (McFarland & Co. Inc).
Battle of Arcadiopolis: John I dispatches an elite force (10–12,000 men) to delay the
Kievan Rus'. The Byzantines under Bardas Skleros successfully
ambush the Kievan-Bulgarian invaders at
Arcadiopolis (modern
Turkey). The battle turns into a complete rout, killing thousands. Grand Prince
Sviatoslav I is driven out of Thrace and withdraws his forces to the fortress city of
Silistra.[2]
Summer –
Bardas Phokas (the Younger) and his family rebel against their own cousin, John I. Bardas is proclaimed 'emperor' by his troops at
Caesarea, but the rebellion is extinguished by Bardas Skleros. Phokas and his relatives are captured and
exiled to the island of
Chios (
Aegean Sea).
Europe
Summer – Byzantine-Imperial truce: Emperor
Otto I (the Great) meets with John I at
Bari and accepts a permanent peace agreement.
Pandulf I (Ironhead) is released from captivity in
Constantinople (see
969).
The oldest preserved document (by Otto I) mentions
Leibnitz in
Styria (modern
Austria).
Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) attacks the Bulgarian frontier, personally led by Emperor
John I. He lays
siege to the fortress city of
Dorostolon (located on the
Lower Danube), and is reinforced by a fleet of 300 ships equipped with Greek fire.[3] The
Kievan Rus' and their Bulgarian allies are reduced to extremities by
famine. After a 3-month siege, Grand Prince
Sviatoslav I agrees to sign a
peace treaty with the Byzantines, whereby he renounces his interests towards Bulgarian lands and the city of
Chersonesos in
Crimea. Sviatoslav is allowed to evacuate his army to
Berezan Island, while the Byzantines enter Dorostolon. John renames the city Theodoropolis (named after the reigning Empress
Theodora).[4]
King
Cuilén (or Cuilean) is killed by
Britons after a 6-year reign. He is succeeded by his nephew
Kenneth II, as ruler of
Alba (
Scotland). He will not be sole king until
977.
Africa
Battle of Alexandretta: The Byzantines defeat a
Fatimid force (4,000 men) near
Alexandretta (modern
Turkey), while the main Fatimid army is besieging the fortress city of
Antioch. Coupled with news of an advance against
Damascus of the
Qarmatians, the Fatimids are forced to lift the siege and withdraw to
Egypt.
January 23 – A
war elephant corps of the
Southern Han is defeated at Shao, by
crossbow fire from
Song dynasty troops. The Southern Han Kingdom is forced to submit to the Song dynasty. Ending Southern Han rule, but also the first regular war elephant corps employed in a Chinese army, that had gained the Southern Han victories throughout the 10th century.
By topic
Religion
The grave of
Swithun, Anglo-Saxon bishop of
Winchester, is moved into an indoor
shrine (he was previously buried outside) in the
Old Minster. The ceremony is said to have been marred by 40 days of torrential
rain.
John I removes various Bulgarian
boyars from their homes, and settles them in
Constantinople and
Anatolia (modern
Turkey), where they are given high titles and lands.[6]
Spring – Grand Prince
Sviatoslav I is
ambushed by the
Pechenegs (possibly in the service of the Byzantines) and killed during his attempt to cross the
Dnieper rapids (modern
Ukraine). His skull is made into a
drinking cup. Sviatoslav is succeeded by his eldest son
Yaropolk I as ruler of
Kiev, which leads to a civil war with his brother
Oleg.[7]
July: Melias moves against
Amida (modern
Turkey). He defeats the
Arabs outside the walls, and begins to lay
siege to the city. After a few days, a violent wind and a thick dust spreads over the Byzantine camp. Covered by the dust, the Arabs attack and route the Byzantines. Many of them are slaughtered and some, including Melias, are taken prisoner. Previous Byzantine gains in the area are lost. The wounded Melias dies later in captivity.
Edgar I marches with his army north to
Chester. His navy meets him there via the
Irish Sea. This show of strength persuades the 'Northern Kings' to submit to his
overlordship (approximate date).
Cloves,
ginger,
black pepper, and other Eastern spices are available for purchase in the marketplace at
Mainz. The spices are brought to the city by
Jewish traveling
merchants, known as the
Radhanites, who have contacts in the international
trade between the
Christian and
Islamic world (approximate date).
In the Council of
Winchester, Edgar I accepts a 'Monastic Agreement' (called the Regularis Concordia). The document is compiled by Bishop
Æthelwold and serves as a rule for how
monastic life should be performed.
Battle of
Danevirke: Emperor
Otto II defeats the rebel forces of King
Harald I, who has invaded
Nordalbingia (modern-day
Holstein), to shake off imperial overlordship. Otto's armies swiftly subdue the
Danes, consolidating the frontier between
Scandinavia and Northern
Germany. Meanwhile,
Henry II begins a rebellion against his cousin Otto. He forges alliances with
Bavarian and
Saxon nobles.
England
King
Edgar I gives English help to Prince
Hywel in ousting his uncle, King
Iago of Gwynedd from his kingdom.
5 August – Caliph
al-Muti, ill and incapacitated, is deposed and succeeded by his son
al-Ta'i, dying shortly after.[14]
Africa
The
Qarmatians are defeated north of
Cairo by
Fatimid forces under General
Jawhar al-Siqilli. He consolidates Fatimid rule and sends a
legation to the Christian land of
Nubia to secure the southern border of
Egypt. Arab traders introduce
Islam to the population, which gradually supplants
Christianity.
Emperor
Otto II (the Red) leads a punitive expedition against
Boleslaus II, duke of
Bohemia (approximate date).
England
July 8 – King
Edgar I (the Peaceful) dies at
Winchester after a 16-year reign. He is succeeded by his 12-year-old son
Edward II (the Martyr) as ruler of
England.
June – Emir
Abu'l-Qasim launches a raiding expedition into
Byzantine Italy from
Sicily. He imposes a
tribute on the cities of
Cosenza and
Cellere. Meanwhile, a Fatimid fleet assaults the
Apulian coast and raids the surrounding countryside. Abu'l-Qasim sends an army to
Otranto and besieges
Gravina, before returning to Sicily – bringing home hundreds of captives and slaves.
Summer –
Pietro IV Candiano, doge of
Venice, demands Venetian assistance to put down a revolt in his personal fiefs around
Ferrara. The Venetians also revolt against Candiano and assault the doge's palace. Repelled by
mercenary forces, they burn the neighborhood – bringing the palace down with it. Candiano and his family escape, but are killed by the mob.
May –
Boris II, dethroned emperor (tsar) of
Bulgaria, and his brother
Roman manage to escape from captivity in
Constantinople. They reach the Bulgarian border, but Boris is killed by mistake by the border guards. Roman is crowned as new ruler, although leadership and the control of the army remain in the hands of General
Samuel (a member of the
Cometopuli Dynasty).[21]
November 30 – Otto II is unable to take Paris, he lifts the
siege of the capital and withdraws. A Frankish army under Lothair III pursues and defeats the imperial
rearguard while crossing the
Aisne River. Otto escapes and is forced to take refuge at Aachen with Charles, after his supplies are destroyed.[25]
Otto II has the three insurrectionists punished at
Magdeburg. Henry II is stripped of all his possessions and imprisoned in the custody of Bishop
Folcmar of
Utrecht. The other two:
Henry III (the Younger) loses his duchy to Otto I and
Henry I, bishop of
Augsburg, is arrested and imprisoned in
Werden Abbey (
Germany).[26]
Almanzor, a court official and
regent of
Córdoba, becomes a
chamberlain (hajib) and seizes power from the 13-year-old Caliph
Hisham II. During his reign, Almanzor will exercise strong influence over
Subh (the mother of Hisham) and wages successful campaigns against the
Christian kingdoms in Northern
Spain.
March 18 – King
Edward II (the Martyr) is murdered at
Corfe Castle (
Dorsetshire) upon the orders of his step-mother
Ælfthryth (or Elfrida). He is succeeded by his half-brother
Æthelred II (the Unready) who becomes king of
England. During his reign Æthelred tries to keep his realm from being overrun by
DanishViking invaders.
English troops are deployed on the
Llŷn Peninsula on behalf of King
Hywel of
Gwynedd in order to prevent his uncle, King
Iago, invading with Viking allies from
Dublin.
June 9 – King
Qian Chu surrenders his territories and pledges
allegiance to the
Song Dynasty, saving his people from war and economic destruction. Qian Chu remains ruler and moves 3,000 members of his
household to Bianjing (modern-day
Kaifeng).
Wuyue is absorbed into the Song Dynasty, effectively ending the kingdom.
Vitale Candiano, doge of
Venice, abdicates for health reasons after a 14-month reign, and retires to a monastery. He is succeeded by
Tribuno Memmo, a son-in-law of the murdered
Pietro IV Candiano. Tribuno declares a general
amnesty for everyone complicit in the plot against Pietro.[27]
June 8 –
Louis V, nicknamed le Fainéant (the Do-Nothing), is crowned as the co-emperor of
West Francia at
Paris by his father, King
Lothair. Upon Lothair's death on
March 2,
986, Louis becomes the sole ruler.
Summer – Tai Zong invades the
Northern Han and besieges the capital of
Taiyuan. A relief force sent by the Liao Dynasty is defeated. The Kingdom is absorbed into the
Song Dynasty.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Richard Brzezinski (1998). History of Poland: Old Poland, King Mieszko I , p. 15.
ISBN83-7212-019-6.
^The most recent survey of the Anglo-Saxon history of Peterborough Abbey is in Kelly, S.E. (ed.), Charters of Peterborough Abbey, Anglo-Saxon Charters 14,
OUP, 2009.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Roger Collins (2009). Keepers of the keys of heaven: A History of the Papacy, p. 187 (Basic Books).
^Stratton, J.M. (1969). Agricultural Records. John Baker.
ISBN0-212-97022-4.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 388.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Pierre Riché (1993). The Carolingians: A Family Who Forced Europe, trans. Michael Idomir Allen (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press), pp. 276-77.
^Thérèse Charmasson, Anne-Marie le Lorrain, Martine Sonnet: Chronologie de l'histoire de France, 1994, p. 90.
^Jim Bradbury (2007). The Capetians: Kings of France, 987–1328, (London: Hambledon Continuum), p. 43.
^Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254.
ISBN978-0-521-36447-8.
^Janet Sethre (2003). The Souls of Venice, p. 84 (McFarland & Co. Inc).