June – The Pax Ecclesiae, an edict by the
Catholic Church, is promulgated. Held at three synods in different parts of southern and central
France (at
Charroux,
Narbonne and
Puy), it attempts to outlaw acts of war against non-combatants and the
clergy.
April 5:
991 Damascus earthquake in
Syria: According to historian
George Elmacin (13th century), the earthquake caused the fall of 1,000 houses in Damascus itself, and many people were trapped in their
ruins and died. The village of Beglabec was reportedly engulfed, due to the earthquake.[1]
Spring: Byzantine Emperor
Basil II begins a campaign against the
Bulgarians.
June 17 –
18: The royal council of Saint-Basle de Verzy is marked by opposition between the bishops and the monks.
Gerbert d'Aurillac is elected as the deposed Arnulf's successor as the Archbishop of Reims, to the anger of Pope John XV, who had no involvement in the decision.
Count Odo I of Blois, who captured
Melun, is driven out of the city by the coalition of King Hugh Capet,
Count Fulk III of Anjou and Richard I of Normandy; Odo is defeated in
Orsay by Bouchard I of Vendôme, a faithful vassal of Capet charged with guarding Melun.
Stavoren is sacked in Viking raids on the ports of
Frisia and the mouths of the
Rhine.
The Dagome iudex, a document which enumerates the possessions of
Mieszko I, is written and entrusted to Pope John XV, who places the
Polish territories under papal protection.
Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an
Aurora Borealis, with visibility as far south as Germany and Korea. [3]
Europe
Spring –
Pietro II Orseolo, doge of
Venice, concludes a treaty with Emperor
Basil II to transport
Byzantine troops, in exchange for
commercial privileges in
Constantinople. Venetian ships are exempted from customs duties at
Abydos (mostly foreign goods are carried on Venetian ships). Venetian
merchants in Constantinople are placed directly under the
Grand Logothetes (Minister of Finance).[4]
Charles, duke of
Lower Lorraine, dies in prison in
Orléans (see
991). He is succeeded by his son
Otto II, who inherits the full dukedom and pledges his allegiance to Otto III.
Olaf Tryggvason, already a
baptised Christian, is
confirmed as Christian in a ceremony at
Andover. After receiving gifts from Æthelred II, Olaf leaves for
Norway.
Goryeo-Khitan War: Negotiations led by the Korean diplomat
Seo Hui prevents a fullscale invasion of the
Khitan-led
Liao Dynasty. King
Seongjong accepts Liao's demands – and agrees to end the
alliance with the Chinese
Song Dynasty.
Goryeo becomes a Liao tributary state, the Khitan army (60,000 men) withdraws while Seongjong orders the Korean border defenses strengthened.[12]
Armenia
995 Balu earthquake. It reportedly affected the Armenian areas of Balu, Cop'k (or Covk'), Palnatun (or Palin), and the districts of Hasteank and Xorjean. The areas affected were districts in what is currently the border area between
Armenia and
Turkey.[13]
2 March:
Emperor Ichijo orders the imperial police to raid Korechika's residence;
Empress Teishi (sister of Korechika) cuts her hair because of the humiliation; Takaie is arrested, Korechika is absent.
5 March: Korechika returns with his head shaven and attired as a monk.
October 24 – King
Hugh I Capet dies in
Paris after a 9-year reign and is interred in the
Basilica of St. Denis. He is succeeded by his 24-year-old son
Robert II (the Pious) as king of
France. Robert tries (during his reign) to increase his power, by pressing his claim of
feudal lands that become vacant. This results in many
territorial disputes.
Revolt of Tyre: The citizens of
Tyre (modern
Lebanon) revolt against the Fatimid Caliphate. Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah sends a expeditionary army and navy to
blockade the city by land and sea.[15]
April 1 – Pope
John XV dies of fever after an 11-year reign. Meeting a Roman embassy at
Ravenna, Otto appoints his cousin Bruno of
Carinthia (a grandson of the late Emperor
Otto I), who duly ascends as
Gregory V. He becomes the 138th
pope – and the first German pope of the
Catholic Church.
1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the emperor, but because of the power struggle between Michinaga and Korechika, the empress is not allowed to go to the palace.
18 May: The imperial court decides to pardon Korechika and Takaie, under the illness of Teishi.
Summer –
Roman of Bulgaria dies in captivity in Constantinople. He is succeeded by his brother Samuel (a member of the
Cometopuli Dynasty) who takes the Bulgarian title of tsar. He possibly receives his 'imperial crown' from
Gregory V (approximate date).
King
Stephen Držislav of Croatia dies after a 28-year reign. His three sons,
Svetoslav,
Krešimir III and
Gojslav, open a violent contest for the throne, weakening the kingdom and allowing Samuel to encroach on the Croatian possessions along the
Adriatic.
King
Constantine III dies after a 2-year reign, possibly murdered by a dynastic conflict between two rival lines of royalty. He is succeeded by
Kenneth III as sole ruler of
Alba (
Scotland).
Central Asia
Sabuktigin, founder of the
Ghaznavid Dynasty, dies after a 20-year reign. He is succeeded by his son
Ismail as emir of Ghazna. But many in the court favor his elder brother
Mahmud.
Spring – Pope
Gregory V is exiled during a rebellion led by
Crescentius II (the Younger), patrician (the de facto ruler) of
Rome. The Crescentii family appoints Giovanni Filagato (former tutor of Otto III) as an
antipope under the name
John XVI (or XVII), until
998.
Spring –
Otto III retakes
Rome and restores power in the papal city.
Crescentius II (the Younger) and his followers barricade themselves in
Castel Sant'Angelo. Otto's former tutor John Philagathos (Antipope
John XVI), who tries to escape into
Campania, is pursued by German troops and captured. He is horribly mutilated – his ears, nose and tongue cut off and his eyes are gouged out. Crescentius surrenders at his stronghold and is beheaded. Otto reinstates his cousin,
Gregory V, as pope of the
Catholic Church.[20]
Fall – Otto III makes Rome the administrative capital of the
Holy Roman Empire and begins the construction of his imperial palace on the
Palatine Hill. He restores the ancient
Roman Senate to its position of prominence and adopts the title of "Emperor of the Romans". To this Otto adds the apostolic devotion formula servus Jesu Christi ('Servant of
Jesus Christ').[22]
Battle of Ghazni: The Afghan prince
Mahmud defeats his younger brother
Ismail (the ruling
emir of the
Ghaznavid Dynasty) in battle. He places Ismail in comfortable captivity for the rest of his life and expands the realm of his late father,
Sebuktigin, into the
Punjab in northwestern
India.
Summer –
Revolt of Tyre: The city of
Tyre (modern
Lebanon) is stormed by forces of the
Fatimid Caliphate. A Byzantine squadron attempts to reinforce but is repulsed by the Fatimid navy. The defenders are massacred or taken captive to
Egypt. The Byzantine captives are executed.[24]
July 19 –
Battle of Apamea: Byzantine forces under governor (doux)
Damian Dalassenos besiege the fortress city of
Apamea for control over northern
Syria. The Fatimids send a relief army from
Damascus – and defeat the Byzantines, Dalassenos is killed by a
Kurdish officer in battle.
9 February: The Mogi Ceremony of Fujiwara no Shoshi is held (she later becomes empress).
December: Empress Teishi gives birth to Prince Atsuyasu (who becomes the imperial heir), but on the next day, her rival, Fujiwara no Shoshi, is promoted to Consort.
Europe
King
Bermudo II abdicates in favor of his 5-year-old son
Alfonso V as ruler of
León. Moorish invaders have forced Bermudo to recognize the suzerainty of their leader,
Umayyad vizier and the de facto ruler
Al-Mansur.
June – The Pax Ecclesiae, an edict by the
Catholic Church, is promulgated. Held at three synods in different parts of southern and central
France (at
Charroux,
Narbonne and
Puy), it attempts to outlaw acts of war against non-combatants and the
clergy.
April 5:
991 Damascus earthquake in
Syria: According to historian
George Elmacin (13th century), the earthquake caused the fall of 1,000 houses in Damascus itself, and many people were trapped in their
ruins and died. The village of Beglabec was reportedly engulfed, due to the earthquake.[1]
Spring: Byzantine Emperor
Basil II begins a campaign against the
Bulgarians.
June 17 –
18: The royal council of Saint-Basle de Verzy is marked by opposition between the bishops and the monks.
Gerbert d'Aurillac is elected as the deposed Arnulf's successor as the Archbishop of Reims, to the anger of Pope John XV, who had no involvement in the decision.
Count Odo I of Blois, who captured
Melun, is driven out of the city by the coalition of King Hugh Capet,
Count Fulk III of Anjou and Richard I of Normandy; Odo is defeated in
Orsay by Bouchard I of Vendôme, a faithful vassal of Capet charged with guarding Melun.
Stavoren is sacked in Viking raids on the ports of
Frisia and the mouths of the
Rhine.
The Dagome iudex, a document which enumerates the possessions of
Mieszko I, is written and entrusted to Pope John XV, who places the
Polish territories under papal protection.
Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an
Aurora Borealis, with visibility as far south as Germany and Korea. [3]
Europe
Spring –
Pietro II Orseolo, doge of
Venice, concludes a treaty with Emperor
Basil II to transport
Byzantine troops, in exchange for
commercial privileges in
Constantinople. Venetian ships are exempted from customs duties at
Abydos (mostly foreign goods are carried on Venetian ships). Venetian
merchants in Constantinople are placed directly under the
Grand Logothetes (Minister of Finance).[4]
Charles, duke of
Lower Lorraine, dies in prison in
Orléans (see
991). He is succeeded by his son
Otto II, who inherits the full dukedom and pledges his allegiance to Otto III.
Olaf Tryggvason, already a
baptised Christian, is
confirmed as Christian in a ceremony at
Andover. After receiving gifts from Æthelred II, Olaf leaves for
Norway.
Goryeo-Khitan War: Negotiations led by the Korean diplomat
Seo Hui prevents a fullscale invasion of the
Khitan-led
Liao Dynasty. King
Seongjong accepts Liao's demands – and agrees to end the
alliance with the Chinese
Song Dynasty.
Goryeo becomes a Liao tributary state, the Khitan army (60,000 men) withdraws while Seongjong orders the Korean border defenses strengthened.[12]
Armenia
995 Balu earthquake. It reportedly affected the Armenian areas of Balu, Cop'k (or Covk'), Palnatun (or Palin), and the districts of Hasteank and Xorjean. The areas affected were districts in what is currently the border area between
Armenia and
Turkey.[13]
2 March:
Emperor Ichijo orders the imperial police to raid Korechika's residence;
Empress Teishi (sister of Korechika) cuts her hair because of the humiliation; Takaie is arrested, Korechika is absent.
5 March: Korechika returns with his head shaven and attired as a monk.
October 24 – King
Hugh I Capet dies in
Paris after a 9-year reign and is interred in the
Basilica of St. Denis. He is succeeded by his 24-year-old son
Robert II (the Pious) as king of
France. Robert tries (during his reign) to increase his power, by pressing his claim of
feudal lands that become vacant. This results in many
territorial disputes.
Revolt of Tyre: The citizens of
Tyre (modern
Lebanon) revolt against the Fatimid Caliphate. Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah sends a expeditionary army and navy to
blockade the city by land and sea.[15]
April 1 – Pope
John XV dies of fever after an 11-year reign. Meeting a Roman embassy at
Ravenna, Otto appoints his cousin Bruno of
Carinthia (a grandson of the late Emperor
Otto I), who duly ascends as
Gregory V. He becomes the 138th
pope – and the first German pope of the
Catholic Church.
1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the emperor, but because of the power struggle between Michinaga and Korechika, the empress is not allowed to go to the palace.
18 May: The imperial court decides to pardon Korechika and Takaie, under the illness of Teishi.
Summer –
Roman of Bulgaria dies in captivity in Constantinople. He is succeeded by his brother Samuel (a member of the
Cometopuli Dynasty) who takes the Bulgarian title of tsar. He possibly receives his 'imperial crown' from
Gregory V (approximate date).
King
Stephen Držislav of Croatia dies after a 28-year reign. His three sons,
Svetoslav,
Krešimir III and
Gojslav, open a violent contest for the throne, weakening the kingdom and allowing Samuel to encroach on the Croatian possessions along the
Adriatic.
King
Constantine III dies after a 2-year reign, possibly murdered by a dynastic conflict between two rival lines of royalty. He is succeeded by
Kenneth III as sole ruler of
Alba (
Scotland).
Central Asia
Sabuktigin, founder of the
Ghaznavid Dynasty, dies after a 20-year reign. He is succeeded by his son
Ismail as emir of Ghazna. But many in the court favor his elder brother
Mahmud.
Spring – Pope
Gregory V is exiled during a rebellion led by
Crescentius II (the Younger), patrician (the de facto ruler) of
Rome. The Crescentii family appoints Giovanni Filagato (former tutor of Otto III) as an
antipope under the name
John XVI (or XVII), until
998.
Spring –
Otto III retakes
Rome and restores power in the papal city.
Crescentius II (the Younger) and his followers barricade themselves in
Castel Sant'Angelo. Otto's former tutor John Philagathos (Antipope
John XVI), who tries to escape into
Campania, is pursued by German troops and captured. He is horribly mutilated – his ears, nose and tongue cut off and his eyes are gouged out. Crescentius surrenders at his stronghold and is beheaded. Otto reinstates his cousin,
Gregory V, as pope of the
Catholic Church.[20]
Fall – Otto III makes Rome the administrative capital of the
Holy Roman Empire and begins the construction of his imperial palace on the
Palatine Hill. He restores the ancient
Roman Senate to its position of prominence and adopts the title of "Emperor of the Romans". To this Otto adds the apostolic devotion formula servus Jesu Christi ('Servant of
Jesus Christ').[22]
Battle of Ghazni: The Afghan prince
Mahmud defeats his younger brother
Ismail (the ruling
emir of the
Ghaznavid Dynasty) in battle. He places Ismail in comfortable captivity for the rest of his life and expands the realm of his late father,
Sebuktigin, into the
Punjab in northwestern
India.
Summer –
Revolt of Tyre: The city of
Tyre (modern
Lebanon) is stormed by forces of the
Fatimid Caliphate. A Byzantine squadron attempts to reinforce but is repulsed by the Fatimid navy. The defenders are massacred or taken captive to
Egypt. The Byzantine captives are executed.[24]
July 19 –
Battle of Apamea: Byzantine forces under governor (doux)
Damian Dalassenos besiege the fortress city of
Apamea for control over northern
Syria. The Fatimids send a relief army from
Damascus – and defeat the Byzantines, Dalassenos is killed by a
Kurdish officer in battle.
9 February: The Mogi Ceremony of Fujiwara no Shoshi is held (she later becomes empress).
December: Empress Teishi gives birth to Prince Atsuyasu (who becomes the imperial heir), but on the next day, her rival, Fujiwara no Shoshi, is promoted to Consort.
Europe
King
Bermudo II abdicates in favor of his 5-year-old son
Alfonso V as ruler of
León. Moorish invaders have forced Bermudo to recognize the suzerainty of their leader,
Umayyad vizier and the de facto ruler
Al-Mansur.