Charlemagne (742-814) appears in person with an armed force, enters into
Rome, and seizes the enemies of Pope Leo III and the Church. 800
Beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. 800 AD
Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 800.
Coronation of Charlemagne at Rome. Rules 800-814.
Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, is crowned as the first Holy Roman Emperor of the West
by Pope Leo III at Rome.
The Holy Roman (West Roman) Empire is the new empire of the West, as opposed to the
Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire.
It includes all of France, Germany, Spain to the Ebro, Italy to Benevento, several
isles of the Mediterranean, and the greater portion of Pannonia.
Irene, the Eastern Empress, refuses to recognize Charlemagne as Emperor of the Holy
Roman Empire. 800
Church of St. Boniface at Fulda, Germany. 800-822
Invasion of Bohemia by the Franks. 800
Harun-al-Rashid sends an embassy to the court of Charlemagne, Emperor of the Holy
Roman Empire. 800
Invasion of Germany by the Northmen (Vikings). 800
The city of Machu Picchu. Peru. c. 800 Will be rediscovered in 1911.
Temple of the Sun at Moche, Peru. c.800-900 A huge adobe brick temple, five stories high and crowned with a pyramid.
It is the largest ancient construction in South America and rises to 135 ft.
Aghlabid Dynasty. 800-909
Centered in North Africa and subject to the Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad.
Prohibition of prostitution throughout the Holy Roman Empire by Charlemagne ((742-814). 801
First historical encyclopedia. Chinese T’ang Dynasty. 801
France, Germany, and Italy are badly shaken by earthquakes. 801
Thousands are killed.
Death of Paul the Deacon. 801
Alcuin settles at St. Martin of Tours. 801
Louis I (the son of Charlemagne).
Leads armies from Provence, Languedoc, and Burgundy into Catalonia, and captures Barcelona
back from the Mohammedans after a siege of several months. 801
Charlemagne makes Barcelona the capital of the Spanish March. 801
Egbert, King of Wessex. 802
Becomes king of the West Saxons (Wessex) in southern England.
Egbert rules 802-839.
Charlemagne (742-814).
Orders the codification of Germanic tribal laws. 802
Nicephorus I dethrones Irene and becomes Byzantine Emperor.
Irene is exiled (she dies in 803). 802
Nicephorus I rules 802-811.
The Vikings raid the British Isles.
Domination of Ireland by the Viking barbarians. 802
By 880, the Vikings will have permanent settlements in England and Ireland.
St. Ludger (d.809).
Founding of Münster Monastery. 802
Becomes the first Bishop (to 809).
Harun al-Rashid suddenly ends the power of the Barmecide family in Baghdad. 803
Nicephorus I and Charlemagne settle a territorial dispute. 803
The Byzantine Empire keeps Southern Italy, Dalmatia, and Venice.
Mosaics in the Church of St. Germaine-des-Pres. 803
A most terrible famine strikes Scotland. Thousands perish. 803
Harde-Knud (Hardicanute) is Canute I, King of Denmark. 803-850
Arab Mohammedans defeat the forces of the Byzantine Empire. 803-806
They attack and ravage Asia Minor and Cyprus, and compel Nicephorus I to pay tribute.
Ex-empress Irene dies while she is in exile. 803
Final war of Charlemagne against the Saxons. 804
His domain now extends to the Elbe.
Battle of Mount Taurus. 804
Between the Byzantine forces under Nicephorus I, Byzantine Emperor, and the Moslems under
Haroun-al-Rashid.
The Byzantines are defeated with a loss of 40,000 men.
Completion and Consecration of the Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle). 805
Final destruction of the Avar Kingdom. 805
Conquest of Bohemia by the Franks. 805-806
Consecration of the Oratory at Germigny-des-Pres. France. 806
Built according to the plan of Aix-la-Chapelle at Aachen.
Charlemagne (742-814) publishes the “Divisio Regni”. 806
Provides for the equal division of the Holy Roman Empire among his sons after his death.
Sack of the Monastery of Iona by the Viking (Northmen) barbarians. 806
Battle of Heraclea Pontica. 806
Under the personal direction of Harun al-Rashid, the moslem forces strom into Heraclea Pontica,
on the Black Sea, and capture it.
Lex Frisionum for the Frisians. 806
Ambassadors from Harun al-Rashid are received at Aix-la-Chapelle. 807
War between the Franks and the Byzantine Empire. 807
Rhodes is pillaged by Arab Mohammedans. 807
Descent of the Vikings (Northmen) upon France. 808
War with the Danes (808-810).
Reign of Khan Krum, Bulgarian ruler. 808-814
During his reign, Krum will besiege Constantinople.
Bulgaria becomes an independent empire. 808
Bulgaria will return to the Byzantine Empire in 1018.
From 809, Krum (or Crunnus), Khan of the Bulgars, is at war with the Byzantine Empire. 809-813
The Mohammedans seize Sardinia and Corsica. 809-810
Death of Harun-al-Rashid (Caliph of Baghdad), age 46. 809
His son, Caliph al-Amin, succeeds Harun-al-Rashid.
Al-Amin is Caliph 809-813.
Outbreak of the Third Moslem Civil War (809-813). 809
Civil war between al-Amin, the son of Harun-al-Rashid, and another son, Abd Allah al-Ma’mun (786-833), who was proclaimed Caliph in Persia.
Council of Aix-la-Chapelle. 809
Decides on the controversy about the Procession of the Holy Ghost. Restores the Filioque clause
to the Credo.
Conquest of Sofia by the Bulgarians, under Khan Krum. 809
Abbey Church of St. Vicenzo. 809
Boundary treaty between Charlemagne (742-814) and Nicephorus I, Byzantine Emperor. 810
Nicephorus I, Byzantine Emperor, invades Bulgaria. 810
Murder of Godfrid, King of the Danes. 810
Begins a long period of struggles for power between rival contenders.
Eanred of Northumbria. 810-841
Bernard (Carolingian Dynasty). King of Italy. 810-818
Defeat of the Byzantines by Krum, the king of the Bulgarians. 811
Nicephorous I, Byzantine Emperor, is killed in a great battle fighting
against the Bulgars.
Michael I Rhangabe. Byzantine Emperor. 811-813
Michael I, Byzantine Emperor.
Finds himself compelled to give up his opposition and formally recognize the imperial status
of Charlemagne as Emperor of the West. 812
Michael I sends an embassy to the court of Charlemagne (742-814).
Church of St. Donato. In modern day Zadar, Yugoslavia. 812-876
Khan Krum of Bulgaria.
Takes the important Byzantine fortress of Mesembria. 812
Khan Krum of Bulgaria sacks Adrianople and burns the suburbs of the city of Constantinople. 813
Tahir, general of Mamun, offers peace terms to Caliph al-Amin. 813
Al-Amin surrenders Baghdad. Al-Amin is treacherously murdered.
Abd Allah al-Mamun (786-833), brother of al-Amin, is proclaimed Caliph (Abbasid) in Persia.
Mamun rules 813-833.
End of the third Moslem Civil War.
Constantinople is seriously threatened by Bulgarians under Khan Krum of Bulgaria. 813
Charlemagne (742-814) crowns his son, Louis the Pious, as co-Emperor at the diet of
Aix-la-Chapelle. 813
Versinicia. 813
Khan Krum of Bulgaria defeats the forces of the Byzantines Empire at Versinicia.
Arabs found a school of astronomy in Baghdad. 813
Flood. England. 813
Overthrow of the Severn. 2,000 deaths.
The Byzantine army led by general Leo deposes Michael I and replaces him with Leo V. 813
Reign of Leo V, the Armenian. A successful general, he becomes Byzantine Emperor. Leo V
rules 813-820.
Leo V will revive Iconoclasm (814). 813-820
Leo V defeats the Bulgars and concludes a 30 year truce (813).
Death of Charlemagne (742-814) at Aix-la-Chapelle. 814
Louis I, the Pious, becomes Emperor and King of the Franks.
Louis I is the son of Charlemagne. Louis I the Pious rules 814-840.
Leo V, the Armenian. Byzantine Emperor.
Revives Iconoclasm (the Iconoclastic Heresy) in the Byzantine Empire. 814
Doge’s Palace, Venice. Begun. 814
Death of Khan Krum of Bulgaria. 814
He is succeeded by Omurtag (rules 814-831).
Egbert, King of Wessex.
Defeats the Britons at Cornwall. 815
Council of St. Sophia (Byzantine). 815
Leo V, the Armenian, formally revives Iconoclasm.
Leo V orders the destruction of all images in the Byzantine Empire.
Beginning of a second period of violent persecution of all those that reject Iconoclasm (the
anti-iconoclasts).
St. Gall Abbey. Switzerland. Begun. 816
Founding of the library at St. Gallen by Abbot Gosbert. 816
Pope Stephen IV. 816-817
Louis I, the Pious, is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at Rheims by Pope Stephen IV. 816
The Emperor gives up his claim to control the election of popes. 816
Council of Aachen. 817
The Benedictine rule of the Benedictine Order is recognized as the rule for the monastic life in
the kingdom of the Franks.
Aachen was the capital of Charlemagne.
The Benedictine rule becomes a powerful factor in laying the foundation and fostering civilization, education, study, translation, and learning among the people of Europe.
St. Benedict of Aniane (c.750-821).
“Capitulare monasticum.” 817
A systemization of the rule of the Benedictine Order is approved by the Council of Aachen.
Saint Paschal I (or St. Pascal I). Pope. 817-824
Birthplace: Rome.
Louis I, the Pious (son of Charlemagne).
First partition of the Frankiish Empire. 817
Louis divides the Carolingian Empire between his three sons.
Lothar becomes coregent - given most of Burgundy and Francia.
Louis receives Bavaria.
Pepin receives Aquitaine.
Lothaire, a fourth son, will be associated in the empire at a later date.
Pepin. King of Aquitaine. 817-838
Byzantine forces crush the Bulgars at Mesembria and force the Bulgars to accept a peace treaty. 817
Bernard, King of Italy, and one of Charlemagne’s grandsons, rebels against Louis’ proposed
division of the Frankish Empire because he is excluded from it.
Bernard is captured and blinded. He dies three days later. 818
Louis I. Takes over the rule of Italy. 818-822
Rule of Samanids, Persian dynasty that rules after the conquest of what is now Iran by Arab Mohammedans. c.819-999
Leo V, Iconoclastic Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
Leo V, reviver of Iconoclasm (the Iconoclastic heresy), is murdered by conspirators. 820
He is succeeded by another general, Michael II Psellus (the Stammerer).
Rule of Michael II. Iconoclastic ruler of the Byzantine Empire. 820-829
Michael II continues the persecution of all of those who reject Iconoclasm (the anti-iconoclasts).
Death of Cenwulf of Mercia. End of Mercian supremacy. 821
Entry of the Varangi into Russia. c.820
Louis the Pious.
Does public penance for the death of Bernhard at Attigny. 822
Founding of New Corvey, the first monastery in what was once totally pagan Saxony. 822
Lothair I. Ruler of Italy. 822-855
Insurrection of the Byzantine general, Thomas, in Anatolia. 822-824
Instigated by the Arabs, Thomas attempts to take Constantinople twice.
He is finally defeated and executed in Thrace.
Famine. England. Thousands perish. 822-823
Famine. Scotland. Thousands perish. 822-823
Abd-al-Rahman II, Amir of Spain (Cordoba). Umayyad. 822-852
Hrabanus Maurus.
Becomes abbot of Fulda. 822
Founding of the Slav state of Moravia by Mojmir (rules 822-846). 822
Mojmir is baptized a Christian (822).
Birth of Charles, the Bald, son of Louis. 823
Amalarius of Metz.
“De ecclesiasticus officiis.” First edition. 823
Includes many errors concerning the Eucharist.
Ebbo mission to the Northmen (Vikings). 823
Ireland is struck by “a great dearth.” 824-825
Thousands perish.
Pope Eugenius II. 824-827
Aghalabids of Tunisia land in Sicily and begin to gradually conquer it. 827
Michael, the Stammerer, Byzantine Emperor.
Sends Louis the Pious, the Greek manuscript of a book, “The Celestial Hierarchy” that is believed
to have been written by Dionysius the Areopagite. 824
Battle of Ellandum. 825 Defeat of Mercia by Egbert of Wessex.
In England, Egbert of Wessex defeats the invasion of Beornwulf of Mercia at Ellandum (modern Wroughton, Wiltshire) destroying Mercian power.
End of the supremacy of Mercia over Wessex.
Pavia, Italy becomes a center of science, education, and learning. 825
Japan imports Buddhist paintings of the T’ang era from China. 825
Fall of Crete to the Moslems. 826
Mohammedans expelled from Omayyad ruled Spain capture Crete.
The Moslems use Crete as a base to plunder the Greek islands from there.
They will ravage the eastern Mediterranean Sea until 961.
Baptism of Harold, King of Denmark, together with his son and four hundred of his followers
(at Mainz). 826
Harold returns back to Denmark with the Christian monk Ansgar (801-865). St. Ansgar begins
preaching in Denmark.
Ansgar will spread Christianity throughout all of pagan Scandanavia.
Death of St. Theodore Studites (759-826).
Defended the anti-iconoclastic position. Nov. 11, 826
The body of Saint Mark the Evangelist is taken from Alexandria, Egypt and brought to Venice,
by a fleet of ten ships. 827
Gregory IV. Pope. 827-844
Invasion and conquest of Sicily (Palermo and Messina) and Sardinia by the moslems
(Aghalabid emirs from Tunisia). June 827
They have 1000 men.
The Mohammedans establish themselves in Sicily.
The process of the conquest will continue from 827 to 878.
The Mohammedan occupation of Sicily will last for 264 years until 1091.
The Bulgars raid Pannonia and Croatia. 827-829
Embassy from Michael the Stammerer, the Byzantine Emperor, to Louis the Pious, the King of
the Franks. 827
Egbert, King of Wessex. 828
Victorious over his neighbors, Egbert consolidates what is the first English Kingdom, becoming
the first ruler to unite the English.
Egbert, King of Wessex, is recognized as overlord or king over all of the other English kingdoms:
Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Essex, East Anglia, and Northumbria.
Egbert founds the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy (“Seven Kingdoms”) and becomes the first king of
all of England.
Egbert rules as King of England 828-839.
Founding of the first Church of Saint Mark’s, Venice, Italy. c.828
Founded to house the body of St. Mark the Evangelist.
“Astronomical System” of Ptolemy (d.c.178) is translated from ancient Greek into Arabic as the “Almagest.” 828
Nennius (Nynniaw). Welsh monk.
Writes his “Historia Britonum.” c.828
(“The History of the Britons”).
Death of Byzantine Emperor Michael II, the Stammerer. 829
He is succeeded by his son Theophilus I.
Theophilus I is an Iconoclast like his father. Rules 829-842.
Unsuccessful rebellion of the Copts in Egypt against Mohammedan (Abbasid) rule. 829-830
St. Donatus (d.c.876). Irish.
On his way back to Ireland from a pilgrimage to Rome, Donatus stops off at Fiesole, Italy where
he is elected Bishop. 829
Arrival of St. Ansgar, a German bishop, in Sweden.
St. Ansgar founds the first church of Scandinavia at Bjorko. 829
Egbert, King of Wessex, annexes Mercia. 829
Eanred of Northumbria does homage to Egbert, King of Wessex. 829
“Annales Regni Francorum.”
The official chronology of Frankish (French) history is concluded. 829
Milfred (Mercian) rebuilds in stone the small church containing the body of Ethelbert (d.616),
King of Kent. 830
This will be the site of the future Hereford Cathedral which will be built 1079-1250.
Al-Khowarizmi. Arabic.
Treatise on Algebra. c.830
Gives methods for the solution of equations of the first and second degree with positive roots.
Louis the Pious changes his inheritance settlement to provide for Charles, his son by his second marriage. 830
Rebellion of the three sons of Louis the Pious, and succession of quarrels between them until
the death of Louis. 830-833
Einhard (770-840).
“Vita Caroli Magni.” ca.830
(“The Life of Charlemagne”).
Fall of Palermo, Sicily to the Aghlabids (based in Tunis). 831
St. Ansgar is made Bishop of Hamburg by the Pope. 831
Ansgar’s assignment is the conversion of pagan Scandinavia. Hamburg will be raised to an archbishopric in 832.
Hamburg becomes a springboard for northern missions.
Malamir. Rules the Bulgars. 831-852
Founding of the Venetian Order of Saint Mark. c.831
This is the oldest order of chivalry.
“Utrecht Psalter” illustrated. c.832
Produced at Rheims.
Invasion of Egypt by the Caliph (Abbasid) Mamun. 832
Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Kintyre, King of the Scots (839).
Conquers the Picts (844) and unites most of Scotland. c.832
He will become the sole monarch of Scotland.
Theophilus I, Iconoclast Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
Promulgates a new Iconoclast edict against anti-iconoclasts and pushes their persecution to
the limit. 832
Al-Mamun, Arab (Abbasid) Caliph, dies. 833
After the reign of Al-Mamun, the power of the caliphs begins to decline, but only temporarily.
Al-Mamun is succeeded by Al-Mu’tasim, who forms a corps of Turkish troops.
Beginning of Turkish domination.
Reign of Al-Mu’tasim (Abbasid Caliph). 833-842
Second rebellion of his son and subjects of Louis I, the Pious. June 833
King Louis I is deserted by his army and imprisoned by his oldest son, Lothair, who acts as sole ruler.
Reconquest of Burgos (Spain) by the Christians from the Mohammedans. 834
Part of the Reconquista of Spain (711-1492).
Louis I, the Pious, is rescued by loyalists and reinstated at Metz. 834
Restoration of Louis I, the Pious, to the throne of the Frankish Empire.
Lothair, the oldest son, returns to his sub-kingdom in Italy.
The Vikings begin to raid the Continent. 835
Devastation of Frisia by the Vikings (Norsemen).
The Danish Vikings attack and ravage the Isle of Sheppey, in eastern England. 835
Famine. Wales. 836
Ground is covered with the bodies of men. Thousands perish.
The sack of London by the Danish Viking barbarians. 836
Beginning of new invasion of England by the Vikings.
St. Philibert-de Grandlieu, in France. 836-853
Built to contain the shrine of Saint Philibert.
New (fourth) division of the Frankish Empire between King Louis the Pious and his son Lothar I. 837
Battle of Hingston Down. 837
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
Battle between Wessex and the Danes (Vikings).
Ecgberht of Wessex defeats the Danes at Hengestesdun (Hingston Down).
Sack of Marseilles, France by the Arab Mohammedans. 837
The Mohammedans invade Southern Italy. 837-840
Naples fends off the Arab attack.
Arab Mohammedans settle in Southern Italy.
The Mohammedans crush a revolt at Toledo, Spain by Jews and Christians. 837
Byzantine Empire is forced to go to war against the invading Mohammedan forces. 837-838
Antwerp is ravaged by Viking barbarians. 837
Battle of Amorium (in Asia Minor). 838
Between the Mohammedans under the Caliph Al-Mutassem, and the Byzantines under Theophilus (iconoclastic Byzantine emperor).
Arab Mohammedans defeat the Byzantine army.
Al-Mutassem then lays siege to Amorium.
After a defense of 55 days, which cost the besiegers 70,000 men, the gates are opened by treachery.
The Mohammedans massacre 30,000 Christian defenders.
Amalarius of Metz is condemned for heresy and dismissed from Lyons. 838
Fifth partition of the Frankish Empire. 838
Louis I, the Pious (d.840) divides his empire among his sons Lothair, Louis the German, and
Charles the Bald.
Charles the Bald, son of Louis the Pious, receives Neustria and Aquitania - roughly the area of
medieval France.
Bodo-Eleazar.
Converts to Judaism. 838
Teaches that the Messiah would come in the year 867 and that Jesus was not the Messiah but
a regular man created by God.
The Bulgars take Serbia. 839
Death of Egbert of Wessex, King of England. 839
His son Ethelwulf is made King of England.
Ethelwulf rules as King of England 839-858.
Reconciliation between Louis I, the Pious, and his son Lothair (Lothar). 839
Sixth partition of the Frankish Empire. 839
Kenneth MacAlpin becomes King of the Scots. 839
Louis I the Pious suppresses a revolt by his son Louis the German. 840
Moimir.
Forms a confederation of Slavic tribes in Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Transylvania. 840
Death of Louis I, the Pious, Frankish Emperor. 840
He is succeeded by his son Lothaire (Lothar) I.
Lothaire I rules 840-855.
His brothers Louis, the German, and Charles II, the Bald, are allied together against him.
Piast Dynasty (c.840-1370) rules in Poland, after gaining control over the Slavs in the region. c.840
Kingdom of Navarre. 840-1512
Battle of Southampton. 840
English, under Ealdorman Wulfheard, repel a Viking attack on Southampton.
Danish Vikings found the cities of Dublin and Limerick in Ireland. 841
Battle of Fontenoy (Frontenai). June 25, 841
Lothaire I is defeated by his two brothers Louis, the German, and Charles, the Bald, but remains
emperor until his death.
Wu Tsung. Emperor of China. 841-846
Persecution of Christians in China under the Taoist emperor Wu Tsung.
Vikings (Norsemen) invade northern France. 841
The Northmen plunder Rouen and advance on to Paris. 841
Vikings (Norsemen) slowly begin to settle in what will be Normandy. 841
Oaths of Strasbourg. 842
First record of the final separation of the French and German languages.
Church of St. Maria de Naranco, near Oviedo, Spain. Begun. 842-848
Turkish mercenaries join the Arab Mohammedan armies. 842
Death of Theophilus I , iconoclast Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 842
Theodora, his widow and regent, repeals all of the iconoclastic decrees
against images proclaimed by the iconoclastic emperor.
Methodius is named Patriarch of Constantinople.
Michael III, “the Drunkard.” Byzantine Emperor. 842-867
Theodora is regent 842-857.
Michael III is three years old at this time.
Ethelwulf is defeated by the Danish Vikings at Charmouth. 842
Fall of Messina, Sicily to the Mohammedans. 842
Ramiro I. King of Asturias, Spain. 842-850
Al Wathiq is Arab Caliph (Abbasid). 842-847
Arab caliphate is temporarily in decline under his rule.
Al Wathiq attempts to return to the Sunni version of Mohammedanism.
Walafried Strabo (808-849).
Restored as Abbot of Reichenau. 842
Writes his “Glossa Ordinaria” to the Holy Scriptures.
Saint Methodius. Constantinople.
Finally restores the icon as an object of veneration after a long period of Byzantine iconoclasm. 843
Christian art is allowed once again in the Byzantine Empire.
End of Iconoclasm. The Iconoclastic Heresy is formally condemned throughout the Church and empire.
The Iconoclastic Controversy is finally resolved in favor of the admittance of images, paintings, etc.
Treaty of Verdun. 843
Seventh partition of the Frankish Empire.
Division of the Frankish (Carolingian) Empire (the dominions of Charlemagne).
The Carolingian kingdom is divided into three separate states among the three sons and heirs
of Louis I (d.840).
Ludwig II (Louis), the German, receives the East Frankish kingdom (territory east of the Rhine
River, which roughly forms the basis of modern Germany).
Charles I, the Bald, receives the West Frankish Kingdom (roughly modern France). Rules 843-877.
Lothar I remains emperor.
Lothar I receives much of Italy, Alsace-Lorraine, Burgundy, and the Low Countries.
This narrow middle part of the empire was called Lotharingia (or Francia Media).
The Partition of the Carolingian Empire at Verdun begins the history of Italy, France, and Germany
as actually separate states.
Emperor Lothaire I. Rules 843-855.
Charles, the Bald. Rules 843-877.
Louis II, the German. Rules 843-876.
Carolingian Kings of France. 843-987
Carolingians in Germany. 843-911
Carolingians in Italy. 843-875
Nithard.
“History of the Sons of Louis the Pious.” 843-845
Emperor Lothair I has his son Louis crowned King of Italy by Pope Leo IV in Rome. 844
Pope Sergius II. 844-847
Viking raid on Seville, Spain is repulsed. 844
Kenneth MacAlpine, King of the Scots.
Conquers the Picts. Founds a unified Scotland. 844
New kingdom is known as Alban.
First attack of Norsemen (Vikings) on Paris. 845
The Danish Vikings, who have been scouring the shores of the North Sea, the English Channel,
and the Atlantic since 830, advance up the Seine River as far as Paris. The Vikings have 120 ships
with them.
King Charles the Bald realizes he has no chance against the horde of Northmen and pays them
7,000 pounds of silver to withdraw.
The Vikings pillage Paris.
Treaty of St. Benoît-sur-Loire.
Between Charles the Bald and Pepin. 845
Vivian Bible. 845
One of the earliest illustrated manuscripts, written in Tours.
Hincmar of Reims (b.c. 806-882). 845-882
Consecrated archbishop of Reims.
Destruction of Hamburg by the Northmen (Danish Vikings). 845
Penetration of the Northmen into Germany.
St. Anskar leaves Hamburg and sets up new base at Bremen.
Bremen replaces Hamburg as a center for the evangelization of Germany.
Caused by the destruction of Hamburg by the Viking barbarians. 845
Great famine throughout Bulgaria. 845
Thousands perish.
Wu Tsung. Taoist (Taoism) Emperor of China (841-846).
All foreign religions, including Buddhism, are outlawed in China. 845
4,600 Buddhist temples are destroyed throughout China.
250,000 Buddhists are driven out of the monasteries.
Introduction of paper currency in China. 845
Leads to inflation and state bankruptcy.
Battle of Clavijo. 845
Ramiro I, King of the Asturias, defends his domains against a Mohammedan attack at Clavijo.
The Mohammedans sack and pillage the city of Rome. 846
The Mohammedans from Kairouan invade Italy from Sicily.
They land at Ostia and sail up the Tiber River to Rome.
They attack and pillage Rome.
They damage and plunder the Basilica of St. Peter, St. Paul’s, and many of the other Roman churches. They violate the Tomb of Saint Peter the Apostle.
They occupy one quarter of the city.
This event will lead to the construction of defensive walls around the Basilica of St. Peter by
Pope Leo IV (the Leonine Walls).
Destruction of the Venetian fleet by the Arab Mohammedans. 846
Louis, the German.
Campaigns in Bohemia. Defeats Moimir of Moravia. 846
Death of Moimir I, Prince of Moravia. He is succeeded by Rastislav. 846
Battle of Licosa. 846
Sergius, Duke of Naples, defeats the Moslems at sea.
St. Ignatius (d.877). Anti-Iconoclast.
Appointed Patriarch of Constantinople. 846
Mutawakkil. Caliph (Abbasid). 847-860
Lothar, Frankish emperor.
Sends his son, Louis II, with a force of Franks to drive the Mohammedans out of Italy. 847
Louis II drives the Mohammedans out of Benevento, Italy.
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877). Irish born.
Appointed head of the court school at Paris for the Frankish King Charles the Bald.
Writes translations and philosophical works. 847-877
Saint Leo IV. Pope. 847-855
Birthplace: Rome.
Construction of the Leonine Wall around the Vatican hill by Pope Leo IV.
Built to defend St. Peter’s from Mohammedan attacks. 847-848
Church of St. Maria de Naranco, near Oviedo, Spain.
Completed and consecrated. 848
St. Miguel de Lino. Spanish church. 848
Gottschalk of Orbais begins to spread his false doctrines pertaining to predestination and Free Will. 848
Council of Mainz. 848
Condemns Gottschalk of Orbais for his heretical teachings involving Free Will and predestination.
He will also be condemned by the Council of Quierzy in 853.
Birth of Aelfred the Great (b.849-d.899). 849
Replacement of Buddhism by Hinduism and Jainism in India. c.850
Founding of the University of Salerno (Italy). 850
Swedish tribe, the Rus (Varangians) move down Russian rivers toward the Black Sea. c.850
Development of feudalism in Western Europe. c.850
Photius (820-893). Greek iconoclast.
“Bibliotheca”. Extracts from ancient lost books. c.850
Bulgarian Empire on the Volga River, with the capital at Bolgary. 850
Lothar shares the Imperial throne with Louis II. 850
Norsemen settle at the mouth of the Loire and Seine. 850
Rurik, a Northman, makes himself ruler of Novgorod and Kieff (Kiev). 850
Ordono I. Christian King of Asturias. 850-866
Collapse of Tibetan power. 850
Eric I (Haarik). King of Denmark. 850-854
Beginning of the settlement of Jews in Germany. c.850
Development of their own language: Yiddish.
Paris is crippled by famine. Thousands perish. 850
Western polyphonic music (polyphony) is evolving in Europe. c.850
St. Eulogius (d.859).
“Exhortation to Martyrdom.” 850
Written during the attacks on Christians in Spain by the Mohammedans.
The Mohammedans conquered Spain in 711.
Battle of Aclea (Oakley). 851
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
Appearance of 350 Viking ships at the mouth of the Thames River.
Entry of Danish forces into the Thames estuary.
They land, march, and sack Canterbury Cathedral. Vikings burn London.
Ethelwulf, King of Essex, crushes the Danish barbarian invasion force with great slaughter at Aclea (Oakley) in Surrey.
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877). Irish.
“De Divina Praedestinatione.” Written. 851
Earthquake in Rome. 851
Famine in Germany. Thousands perish. 851
Famine in Italy. Thousands perish. 851
St. Swithin.
Named Bishop of Winchester. 852
Mohammed I (Mahomet). Umayyad Amir of Cordoba (Spain). 852-886
Mohammedans under Mohammed I (Mahomet) attack Galicia, Léon, and Navarre in Spain. 852
Boris I (Michael Simeon). Bulgarian khan. 852-889
Boris I is the first Christian King of Bulgaria.
He will convert from heathenism in 864.
The Germans defeat the Bulgarians led by Boris I. 853
Council of Quierzy. 853
Condemns Gottshalk of Orbais once again (see 848) for his heretical teaching regarding Free
Will and predestination.
War between Charles the Bald and Louis of Germany. 853
The Vikings set up a kingdom in Ireland, with its capital in Dublin. 853
Aelfred (b.849-d.899) is sent to Rome. 853
Founding of Gandersheim Abbey and Essen Minster. 853
Eric II (Haarik). King of Denmark. 854-883
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877). Irish.
Makes Irish translations of Latin texts written by Pope Gregory. 855-860
Lothar I (emperor since 840). 855
Divides his empire among his three sons. Lothar I dies.
Lothar I is succeeded by Louis II who continues as King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor (until 875).
Charles (to 863) receives Provence and southern Burgundy.
Lothar II receives part of Austrasia (Lorraine-Lotharingia -- renamed after him).
Louis II (son of Lothaire I) ruler of Italy.
Declares that all Jews must leave the kingdom. No Jew is to show his face after Oct. 1, 855. 855
Aethelwulf, King of England (reign: 839-858).
Takes his son Alfred (849-899) on a pilgrimage to Rome. 855
Alfred is only six years old.
Pope Benedict III. 855-858
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877).
Condemned by church council for his false teachings on Free Will. 855
“The Ascension of Christ.” 855
Fresco at the lower Church of St. Clement, Rome.
Famine. Scotland. 856-860
Mass starvation for four years. Thousands perish.
End of Lombard reign in Taranto, Italy. 856
Rebellion of Ethelbald against his father Ethelwulf, King of England. 856
Ethelbald rules 856-860.
The destruction of Corinth, Greece by a massive earthquake. Dec. 856
46,000 are killed.
Continued Viking invasions of England. 856-878
Wessex leads English resistance to full scale attacks by Danish Vikings.
First report of ergotism epidemics in western Europe. 857
Caused by poisoned grain.
Controversy between St. Ignatius and Photius at Constantinople over Iconoclasm (the
Iconoclastic heresy). 857
Photius challenges the right of popes to rule in the Byzantine Empire.
Deepens the breach between Rome and Constantinople.
The Greek Church will finally separate from the Roman Catholic Church at Rome in 1054.
Michael III. Byzantine Emperor.
Deposes and exiles the aged St. Ignatius, the rightful Patriarch of Constantinople, and makes
Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople. 858
Photius, a layman, is made Patriarch of Constantinople (858-867 and then again 877-886).
Deepening of the schism between the Western Church and the Byzantine Empire during his
reign (the Photian Schism). 858
Patriarchate of Photius (858-867 and 877-886). 858-886
In Constantinople. Photius is a bitter enemy of the Catholic Church at Rome.
Saint Nicholas I, the Great. Pope. 858-867
Birthplace: Rome.
Nicholas I is a powerful arbiter of Roman Christendom.
Sack of Algeciras by the Vikings. 858
The Vikings will be expelled by the Moslems in 859.
Ethelwulf is made to share his throne with his son Ethelbald. 858
Death of Ethelwulf, King of England. 858
Ethelbald of Wessex becomes King of England.
Ethelbald rules 858-860.
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877).
Translates Dionysius the Areopagite from Greek into Latin. 858
Entry of the Norse barbarians into the Mediterranean Sea after rounding the Strait of Gibraltar. 859
The Vikings sack the coast up to Asia Minor.
Viking ships winter on the Rhône River delta.
Mohammedans capture Castrogiovanni, Sicily (present day Enna). 859
They massacre over 8,000 Christians.
Expulsion of the Vikings from Algeciras by the Arab moslems that are ruling Spain at the time. 859
The Vikings (Swedes) are in the Ukraine. 859
Ashot I founds the Bagratide dynasty in Armenia. Rules 859-890. 859
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877).
Is condemned once again by church council for his false writings pertaining to Free Will. 859
Martyrdom of Saint Eulogius of Córdoba. 859
He is beheaded by the Mohammedans.
Death of Ethelbald, King of Wessex.
Ethelbert (son of Ethelwulf) becomes king. 860
Reign of Ethelbert as King of England. 860-866
First expedition of the Varangians (Rus were Vikings from Russia) against Constantinople. 860
On June 18, 860, a force of 200 Viking ships descend on the Black Sea coast, and enter the Bosphorus. The Nordic soldiers surround the city.
The Byzantine Emperor Michael III is with his army in the east on an expedition against the Mohammedans.
The Vikings pillage Constantinople.
Serbians check a Bulgarian force led by Boris I of Bulgaria. 860
Donald, brother of Kenneth MacAlpin. King of Scotland. 860-863
Gorm the Elder.
Unites Jutland and the Danish isles and becomes the King of Denmark. 860
Vikings (Danes) sack Winchester, England. 860
The Vikings discover Iceland. 860
Michael III, Byzantine Emperor.
Sends St. Cyril and his brother St. Methodius to convert the pagan Khazars in the Dnieper-Volga
regions of Russia. 860
St. Cyril (825-869) and St. Methodius (815-884).
They learn the Khazar language and work towards the conversion of the Khazars (Bohemian Slavs)
from paganism to Christianity, linking them with the Eastern Church. 860-861
Sack of Paris, Toulouse, Cologne, Aix-la-Chapelle, and Worms by the Viking barbarians. 861
The Mohammedans continue their advance against the Christians in Spain.
The Mohammedans had conquered Spain in 711. 861
“Codex Aureus” at St. Emmeram, Ratisbon. 861
Meeting of Boris, Khan of Bulgaria, and King Louis the German on the Danube River near Vienna. 862
Boris, Khan of the Bulgars, asks King Louis (known as “the German”) to send Christian teachers
to his country to convert the Bulgars from paganism to Christianity.
Ratislav, Prince and ruler of Moravia. 862
Asks Michael III, Byzantine Emperor, to send Christian teachers to his country in order to convert
the Moravians from paganism to Christianity.
St. Cyril and St. Methodius are appointed to lead the mission to the Moravian Slavs and the
Bulgars in Bulgaria. 862
Death of Saint Swithun (Swithin). July 2, 862
Originally born in Wessex, England.
The Vikings (Norsemen) are in Russia. 862
Rurik, with the Viking tribe of Russ (the Varangians), seizes power in northern Russia. 862
Rurik is the first grand prince of Russia (867-879).
Founding of the Russian nation by Vikings under Prince Rurik.
The Russians under Rurik, a Varangian (Scandinavian Viking) found Novgorod (near Baltic in
western Russia) and make it their capital.
The house of Rurik rules the Grand Duchy of Moscow and later all of Russia.
The Rurik dynasty will rule in Russia from 862 until 1598.
Baldwin I, the Iron Hand.
Count of Flanders. 862-878
Al-Musta’in. Caliph (Abbasid). 862-866
The Magyars, a nomadic people from the area of Ukraine, move west and attack the kingdom
of Louis the German. 862
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877). Irish.
“De divisionae naturae.” Begins. 862-867
Arrival of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, “the Apostles of the Slavs”, in Moravia (the land of the
Chazars or Khazars). 863
The two brothers are sent to the court of Ratislav of Moravia.
Pope Nicholas I excommunicates the Byzantine Emperor Michael III. 863
St. Cyril (825-869) and St. Methodius (c.815-884).
Present the Christian doctrine to the Bohemian and later the Moravian Slavs, linking them with
the Eastern Church. 863-872
Constantine II, son of Kenneth MacAlpin. King of Scotland. 863-877
St. Cyril and St. Methodius.
Develop the so called Glagolithic script (Old Slavonic alphabet - later will be called the Cyrillic
alphabet) in order to translate scriptural and liturgical texts into the Slavonic language.
They invent an alphabet called the glagolithic alphabet which marks the beginning of Slavonic
literature (“St. Cyril’s Gospel”). c.863
Death of St. Nicholas Studites (793-863). Feb. 4, 863
Scotland. Plague accompanied by famine. Thousands perish. 863
Pope St. Nicholas the Great.
Summons a synod at Rome concerning the controversy over St. Ignatius and Photius and the Patriarchate of Constantinople. 864
The Council deposes Photius and all of the bishops he had consecrated.
St. Nicholas declares that St. Ignatius was and still is the rightful Patriarch of Constantinople.
Louis II of France. Opposes the Pope. Invades Rome. 864
Kingdom of Barcelona in Spain. 864-1131
Boris I, Khan of Bulgaria. Converts from paganism to Christianity. 864
Invasion and occupation of Northumbria, England by the Danish Viking barbarians. 865
Introduction of Christianity (the Greek rite) into Bulgaria by Boris I the ruler of Bulgaria. 865
Death of St. Ansgar (c.801-865). Apostle of Scandinavia. Feb. 3, 865
Scandinavia lapses back into paganism after his death.
St. Nicholas the Great. Pope (858-867).
Reaffirms the primacy of Rome and apostolic succession. 865
Southern Italy is ravaged by the Mohammedans. 865
Photius (iconoclast). 865
Summons bishops of his own party.
Declares that the Roman Catholic Church is advocating heresy.
Proclaims the pope anathematized.
Constantinople is sacked by the Vikings (Norsemen). 865
First naval expedition against Constantinople by a fleet of Russian
Northmen (Vikings).
Major Danish (Viking) invasions of eastern England start. 865
They conquer Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia.
Death of Ethelbert. 866
He is succeeded by his brother, Ethelred, the third son of Ethelwulf.
Ethelred I (King of Wessex). King of England. 866-871
Revolt of pagan boyars against Boris of Bulgaria. 866
Boris suppresses the pagan revolt.
Boris of Bulgaria once again appeals to King Louis the German and Pope Nicholas I, the Great.
“Responsa Nícolai Papae ad Consulta Bulgarorum.” 866
(“The Replies of the Pope Nicholas to the Questions of the Bulgars”).
Pope Nicholas I responds to 106 questions of the envoys of Boris, Khan of Bulgaria.
Robert the Strong is killed at Brissarth while fighting against the Viking barbarian invasion of
France. 866
Danish Vikings occupy Northumbria. 866
Louis II drives the moslems out of Italy.
The moslems are left in occupation of Bari alone. 866-867
Alfonso III (b.848-d.912), the Great. King of the Asturias. 866-910
Recaptures domains for Christendom in wars with the Mohammedans.
Part of the Reconquista of Spain which began in 711.
St. Cyril and St. Methodius.
After approximately 40 months, they leave Moravia and enter Pannonia (modern day western
Hungary). 866
The brothers are welcomed by Prince Kocel.
They remain there for about one year, teaching in Old Church Slavonic.
Battle of York.
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England). 867
The Danish Vikings, under Ivarr the Boneless, besiege, and capture York. They establish a
Viking stronghold in York, England.
Al-Mu’tazz. Caliph (Abbasid). 866-869
Arrival of a Roman delegation in Bulgaria. 867
Pope Nicholas I the Great.
Summons Cyril and Methodius to Rome. 867
The brothers first travel to Venice and then on to Rome.
They will arrive in Rome in the autumn of 867.
Death of Pope Nicholas I, the Great. November 13, 867
Pope Hadrian (Adrian) II. 867-872
St. Cyril and St. Methodius arrive in Rome. 867
Pope Nicholas I has recently died, so they are received by his successor, Pope Hadrian II.
Hadrian II approves the Slavonic liturgy.
Photian Schism (867-920) formally begins. 867
Michael III, Byzantine Emperor, presides over a synod which declares the practices of the Roman
Church heretical.
Declares Pope excommunicated on the day that Pope Nicholas I died.
The Byzantine Church, led by Photius, the unlawful Patriarch of Constantinople, denies the
supremacy of Rome, deepening the West-East schism. The final break will take place in 1054.
Photius the Iconoclast disputes the use in the Western Church of the “filioque” clause in the
Nicene Creed (the phrase “and from the Son” added to the statement that the Holy Ghost proceeds
from the Father). 867
Photius, the unlawful Patriarch of Constantinople, is deposed. 867
Photius however will be reinstated once again in 877 (to 886).
Death of Michael III, the iconoclast Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 867
Kingdom of Northumbria is finally destroyed by the Danish Vikings. 867
Basil I (Basil the Macedonian). Byzantine Emperor. 867-886
Basil I begins the line of Byzantine Emperors of the Macedonian Dynasty (867-1059).
Begins the Basilian code.
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877).
“De divisione natura.” Completed. 867
Erigena attempts to reconcile Christianity with ancient Greek philosophy.
They cannot be reconciled.
Peace of Nottingham with the Danish Vikings. 868
Paris is again crippled by famine. Thousands perish. 868
St. Cyril (d.869) and St. Methodius (d.885) are consecrated bishops. 868
Tulun, makes himself independent of Egypt and later Syria.
Tulunid independent dynasty in Egypt and Syria. 868-905
Eighth General Church Council. 869-870
The fourth Council of Constantinople.
Hadrian II is Pope at this time.
Condemns Iconoclasm. Anathematizes, condemns (869) and deposes Photius as usurper in Constantinople.
Condemns the Iconoclasm of Photius.
Confirms the decree of Pope Nicholas I against Photius.
Death of Saint Cyril (825-869) in Rome. Feb. 14, 869
Earthquake followed by tsunamis on Sanriku Coast, Japan. 869
Thousands are killed.
Caliph al-Mu’tazz (Abbasid) is murdered by his own troops. 869
He is succeeded by al-Muqtadi (869-870).
Fall of the island Malta to the Arab Mohammedans. 869
Revolt of Negro slaves that are under Moslem slave masters in what is now southern Iraq. 869-883
The Eighth Ecumenical Council is re-convened on March 4, 870.
Church in Bulgaria comes under Constantinople. March 4, 870
Expulsion of Latin clergy from Bulgaria.
Treaty of Mersen. 870
Redivision of the Empire of Charlemagne (742-814).
Partition of Lotharingia, the Middle Frankish Kingdom (except for Italy), between Charles the
Bald (West Frankish kingdom) and Louis II, the German (East Frankish kingdom).
St. Methodius (c.815-884).
He is deposed by King Louis the German, as archbishop, and imprisoned. 870
He remains a prisoner for two and a half years.
Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877).
Compiles his encyclopedia. 870
Muattemed (al-Mu’tamid). Caliph (Abbasid). 870-892
Re-establishes the capital at Baghdad.
Danish Vikings invade England, conquering East Anglia and Mercia. 870
Battle of Hoxne. 870
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
Conquest and occupation of East Anglia by the Danish Vikings.
The Vikings kill St. Edmund, the last English king of East Anglia, and destroy Peterborough Monastery.
By 871, only the Kingdom of Wessex is free from Viking control. 871
Louis II retakes Bari, Italy, the stronghold of the Mohammedans. 871
The Vikings (Danish barbarians) invade Wessex, England. 871
Battle of Ashdown. January 8, 871
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
Between the West Saxons under King Aethelred and his brother Aelfred, and the Danish Vikings
under Bag Secg and Halfdene.
Due to the brilliant leadership of Alfred the Great, the Danish Vikings are defeated at Ashdown.
A Viking victory would have led to the end of Christianity in England.
Alfred the Great (849-899), the youngest son of Ethelwulf of Wessex, becomes King of England
(Wessex). 871
This is a time when the Danish Vikings are destroying the East Anglian, Mercian, and Northumbrian kingdoms and founding Danish colonies.
Alfred the Great leads the resistance against the Danish barbarians.
Reign of Alfred the Great (b.849-d.899), King of England. 871-899
During his reign he makes a treaty establishing Danish territory in England. Alfred is the only English king ever anointed by a pope at Rome.
Pope John VIII. 872-882
Locusts destroy crops in England. 872
Famine follows. Thousands perish.
Harold I Haarfager (Fairhair).
Also known as Harold Halfdansson (son of Halfdan the Black).
Defeats jarls at the Battle of Hafurstfjord.
Harold Haarfager unifies most of Norway.
Becomes Harold I, first king and sole ruler of Norway. 872
Harold I rules 872-930.
Harold I (Haarfager or “Fair-haired”).
King of Norway, son of Halfdan the Black. 872-930
The moslems attack Dalmatia. 872
Battle of Samosata. 873
Directed by Emperor Basil I, the Imperial cavalry drives eastward to take Samosata (Samsat)
on the upper Euphrates River.
First church built on the site of Cologne Cathedral. 873
Corvey Abbey, Germany. Built.
Surviving Carolingian Church. 873-885
St. Methodius is released from prison at the insistence of the new pope, John VIII. May 873
He returns to Moravia.
Paris is crippled again by famine. 873
Thousands perish.
On their return from Salerno, Italy, the Mohammedans pour into Calabria, in southern Italy. 873
Disappearance of the twelfth Imam Mohammed ibn Hassan, a boy of ten years of age, whom the
Khalif al Mutamid sought to kill. 873
Vikings (Danish barbarians) move north into Mercia. 874
After little resistance King Burgred abdicates. Danes take Mercia.
Vikings from Norway begin to settle in Iceland. 874
Samanid Dynasty in Persia. 874-999
The moslems besiege Grado. 875
Árpád is chieftain of the Magyars. 875-907
Death of Louis II, king of Italy and Emperor in the West. 875
He is without issue.
Charles II, the Bald, invades Italy and defeats the army of his brother Louis, the rightful heir of
Louis II. 875
Charles II (the Bald) is crowned Holy Roman Emperor in the West (to 877) at the request of, and
crowned by Pope John VIII. 875
Rebellion in France in the realm of Charles, the Bald. 875
Church of St. Pietro at Agliote, Italy. 875
This is the earliest known Italian Church to incorporate distinctive features of Romanesque architecture.
The Byzantines begin the recapturing of Southern Italy from the Arab Mohammedans. 875 Byzantine forces recapture Bari in Southern Italy.
Charles II, the Bald, invades the Lotharingian territory of Louis and is defeated at the Battle of Andernach. 876
Jews are banished from the City of Sens in France. 876
Danish Vikings settle in Northumbria, England. 876
Viking attacks on Wessex. 876
Second Roman expedition of Charles II the Bald. 877
Charles II the Bald leaves once again for Italy, in order to help Pope John VIII against the invading moslems.
Death of Charles II the Bald, Holy Roman Emperor. 877
Further rebellion follows.
Louis II, the Stammerer, (the son of Charles II the Bald).
King of France. 877-879
Carloman, the son of Louis the German.
Receives the kingdom of Italy. Rules 877-880. 877
Aelfred (Alfred the Great) defeats the Danish Vikings at Exeter. 877
Mercia is partitioned between the English and the Danish Vikings. 877
Egypt annexes Damascus. 877
Death of Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-877). 877
Battle of Chippenham. Jan. 878
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
A large force of Danish Vikings from Gloucester, under their new leader Guthrum, overrun and
ravage Wessex, England.
Vikings defeat West Saxon army that is under Aelfred.
Photius the Iconoclast.
Reinstated as Patriarch of Constantinople. 877-886
After his defeat, Alfred (Aelfred) himself is forced to flee to the isle of Athelney where he rebuilds
his military forces. 878
A decisive counter offensive is in the making.
After seven weeks of harassing the Danish Vikings, Alfred the Great finally decides to lead his
army against them.
Battle of Edington. 878
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, decisively defeats the Danish Viking invaders at the Battle of
Edington (then Ethandun).
Alfred the Great captures Guthrum, the Viking leader.
Alfred the Great prevents the Danish Vikings from conquering all of England.
The Battle of Edington is one of the most decisive battles in English history. This battle ensured the survival of Wessex, the last remaining kingdom of the Saxon heptarchy (heptarchia).
Peace of Wedmore. 878
England is divided between Wessex in the south and the Danish Vikings in the north, the Danelaw,
as it was called.
The Danish Vikings keep East Anglia, Essex, and part of Mercia.
Guthrum, the Danish Viking chieftain, receives baptism.
Fall of the city of Syracuse (Siracusa), Sicily to the Mohammedans. 878
Fall of Sicily to the Moslems. 878
Conquest of all of Sicily from the Byzantine Empire by the Arab Mohammedans (begun in 827).
The moslems make Palermo, Sicily their capital.
Taoarmina will fall in 902.
Pope John VIII calls the Council at Troyes. 878
Pope John VIII.
Excommunicates Photius the Iconoclast Patriarch of Constantinople. 879
Death of Rurik of Novgorod (in western Russia). 879
Rurik is succeeded by his nephew Oleg (rules 879-912).
Oleg becomes prince of Kiev.
Death of Louis the Stammerer.
Partition of France. France is partitioned by Louis II’s sons. 879
Louis III is King of the North of France (rules 879-882).
Carloman (his brother) is King of the South of France (rules 879-884).
All of the nations of the known world are gripped in a terrible famine. 879
Thousands perish.
Nepal gains independence from Tibet. 879
Beginning of the conversion of Russia from paganism to Christianity. 880
The conversion of Russia will take over one thousand years.
With the communist revolution, Russia will fall to Marxist atheism.
Second attack on the Byzantine Empire by the Vikings. 880
The Vikings are repulsed.
Reconquest of Italy from the Arab Mohammedans by the Byzantine Emperor Basil I, the Macedonian. 880
Forces of the Byzantine Empire seize Tarentum in Southern Italy. 880
Founding of Benedictine Monastery at Monserrat in Catalonia, Spain. 880
Treaty between Alfred the Great and Guthrum, the Viking leader. 880
England is partitioned.
Charles the Fat, the third son of Louis the German, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor (from 881
to 887) at Rome by Pope John VIII. 881
Defeat of Constantine II (son of Kenneth I), the King of Scotland, by the Danish Vikings. 881
Constantine II of Scotland is killed.
Constantine II is succeeded by Eocha (881-889) as King of Scotland.
Battle of Saucourt. August 3, 881
Louis III, of the West Franks (France), leads the Neustrians in a brilliant victory over a large
force of invading Norsemen.
The Carolingian king successfully repulses the Norse barbarians.
Defeat of a large force of Northmen at Saucourt by Louis III, king of the North of France.
Pope Marinus I. 882-884
Norsemen sack Cologne, Aix-la-Chapelle, and Prüm. 882
Charles the Fat is the sole King of Germany. 882
Death of Louis III, King of France. 882
Oleg (Rurik’s nephew). Varangian (Viking). 882
Expands his realm of Novgorod, inherited from Rurik, to include Kiev.
Oleg makes Kiev the capital of Kievan-Novogodrian state (Russia), replacing Novgorod.
Abdallah, Emir of Cordoba. 882-912
Eric the Red discovers Greenland. 882
Notker Balbulus (840-912).
“Gesta Caroli.” A biography of Charlemagne. c.883
Epic poem on the life and deeds of Charlemagne the Great.
Devastation of Italy by a terrible famine. 883
Thousands perish.
Aelfred (Alfred) the Great (849-899).
Sends envoys to Rome and India. 883
Gorm the Elder. King of Denmark. 883-941
The monastery of Monte Casino is attacked by the Mohammedans. 883
The monks flee to Teano near Capua.
Death of Carloman, King of France. 884
Charles III, the Fat.
Crowned Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany. 884
Charles III becomes King of France (the Franks). Rules 884-887.
The Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne is briefly reunited.
Saint Adrian (Hadrian) III. Pope. 884-885
Birthplace: Rome.
Death of St. Methodius (c.815-885). April 6, 885
Pope Stephen V. 885-891
Byzantines complete the recapture of Calabria in Southern Italy from the moslem forces. 885
Viking Siege of Paris. 885
Hundreds of Viking ships row up the Seine River with 40,000 men and lay siege to Paris.
The Vikings are at the gates of Paris.
The Viking siege of Paris will last for more than one year until 886.
Charles the Fat refuses to take the field against the Vikings.
Harold Fairhair unites Norway. 885
Ashot I of Armenia assumes title of king. 885
“Cantilène de Sainte Eulalie” (The Life of Saint Eulalie). France.
First extant French poem. c.885
Battle of Montfaucon. 886
Count Odo (Eudes) of Paris repulses the Viking attack on the city.
The Viking barbarians are forced to retire before the gates of Paris which they were besieging.
The Vikings are totally defeated, losing 19,000 men in this terrible battle.
End of the Viking siege of Paris that was begun the previous year in 885.
Alfred the Great (849-899), King of Wessex, England.
Recaptures London from the Danish Vikings. 886
Alfred also rebuilds and refortifies London.
Treaty of Alfred the Great of England and Guthram the Dane. 886
Establishes the Danes in the Danelaw. England is split in two.
Death of Basil I, Byzantine Emperor. 886
Leo VI, “the Philosopher”. Byzantine Emperor. 886-912
Leo VI, Byzantine Emperor (anti-iconoclast).
Forces the iconoclast Photius to resign his position as Patriarch of Constantinople. 886
Al-Mundhir. Amir of Cordova, Spain. Umayyad. 886-888
Charles III, the Fat, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany, is deposed by an assembly led 887
by Arnulf of Carinthia at Tribur.
Charles the Fat is deposed because of his refusal to defend the kingdom from the Viking barbarians.
There will be no Emperor for four years until 891.
Arnulf of Carinthia reigns as king of the East Franks (Germany). 887-899
Arnulf repulses invasions of the Slavs and the Vikings (Norsemen).
Famine. England. Thousands perish. 887-888
Eudes (Odo), Count of Paris, is elected the King of West France. 888
Odo rules 888-898.
Death of Charles III, the Fat, while he is in exile after his deposition. 888
End of the Carolingian Empire that was founded by Charlemagne. 888
Final breakup of the Carolingian Empire.
Final separation of Germany and France.
Occupation of Garde-Freinet on the coast of Provence France, by the Arab Mohammedans. 888
Berengarius (Berengar) I of Friuli.
Becomes King of Italy (rival). 888-924
Abdallah. Caliph (Amir) of Córdoba. Umayyad. 888-912
The Mohammedans raid Lombardy in Italy. 889
Donald I. King of Scotland. 889-900
Regino. Abbot of Prum. 889
“De harmonica institutione.”
A treatise on church music.
Boris I of Bulgaria.
Retires to a Christian monastery, which he had previously founded at Preslav. 889
Boris I of Bulgaria hands over power to Vladimir, his oldest son.
Vladimir will attempt to restore the rites of paganism.
Vladimir receives support of the pagan boyars who had revolted in 886.
Peak of the Khmer civilization which ruled what is modern day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and
South Vietnam, from the capital at Angkor Wat. 889
The temple complex constructed at Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious centers in the world.
This civilization will decline after 1434.
Alfred the Great (849-899). Orders the writing of the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” (891-1154). 890
Provides a primary source of early English history up until 1154.
The first entry to the Chronicle will be made in 891.
Alfred, King of Wessex.
In an effort to protect England from the Viking barbarians, founds a regular army and navy. 890
Reliquary of the tooth of John, Carolingian jewel. 890
Scotland, “A great dearth”.
Thousands perish. 890
Battle of Louvain. Sept. 1, 891
Arnulf of Carinthia, Emperor of East Frankland, defeats the Viking barbarians in a battle on the
River Dyle (Louvain).
Arnulf drives the Viking barbarians out of his kingdom.
Pope Formosus. 891-896
Wido (Guido) of Spoleto, King of Italy, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Wido of the Widonid dynasty, rules 891-894. 891
The first entry is made in the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” (overseen by Alfred the Great) which
provides a main source for English history until 1154. 891
Albategnius (b.858). Arabic astronomer.
Introduces the use of Trigonometry to Arabic astronomy. c.891
Lambert of Spoleto is crowned Emperor. Widonid dynasty. 892-898
Lambert is co-emperor with his father Guido (Wido).
The Viking barbarians invade England with a fleet of 330 ships. 892
Al-Mu’tadid. Caliph (Abbasid). 892-902
Edward, the son of Alfred the Great, defeats the naval invasion of England by the Danish Vikings
at Farnham. 893
Asser. Welsh Bishop of Sherborne.
“The Life of Alfred the Great.” 893
During his life Asser helped Alfred the Great revive Christianity, learning, and education in England.
Charles, the Simple, son of Louis the Stammerer, is King of France.
He is the last Carolingian with real power in the country. 893-929
Rules from Laon.
Arnulf, East Frankish (German) king.
Repulses the Moravians with the help of the Magyars. 893
Boris I of Bulgaria (ruled 852-889) emerges from his retirement in order to put down a pagan
revolt that is led by his son in Bulgaria. 893
Boris of Bulgaria deposes his pagan son Vladimir and installs his other son Symeon as Khan
of Bulgaria.
Vladimir is blinded and his name is omitted from the lists of rulers of Bulgaria which pass
straight from Boris I to his son Symeon.
Boris then returns back to his monastery where he spends the remainder of his long life.
Reign of Simeon I, Czar (emperor) of the Bulgars, son of Boris I, and autocrat of the Greeks. 893-927
Simeon I drove the Magyars into Hungary and conquered most of Serbia. Simeon I founds the
First Bulgarian Empire.
The First Bulgarian Empire flourished during his reign, which is considered to be the Golden
Age of Church Slavonic Literature.
Simeon I replaced Greek with Old Church Slavonic as the official language of Bulgaria.
Bulgarian monks translate literature available in the Byzantium Empire.
Simeon I is Bulgarian prince 893-927 and the first Czar of Bulgaria 925-927.
Earthquake. India.
180,000 dead. 893
Alfred the Great (b.849-d.899), King of Wessex.
King Alfred produces with his scholars a translation of Pope Gregory’s “Cura Pastoralis” into
English. 894
King Alfred was himself a scholar and an historian.
Aelfred the Great.
Drives Hasting, Danish Viking leader, from Wessex. 894
The Danish invasion force in England withdraws to Essex. 894
Wido (Guido) of Spoleto, Holy Roman Emperor, dies and is succeeded by his co-emperor and
son Lambert. 894
Arnulf. Marches to Italy. 894
Svatopluk, King of Moravia.
Dies after uniting Moravia, Slovakia, and Bohemia. 894
Expulsion of the Magyars from southern Russia. 894
Symeon I, the new Czar of Bulgaria, invades Thrace. 894
The Byzantines appeal to the Magyars for help.
The Magyars have been expelled from southern Russia and are led into Hungary by Árpád.
Bulgarians under Symeon I are at war with the Byzantine Empire. 894-897
Defeat and capture of the Danish Viking invasion fleet on the Lea River by Alfred the Great, King
of Wessex. 895
Schola Medica Salernitana. c.895
Medical School at Salerno, Italy, is established by Christian monks.
The curriculum merges Latin, Greek, Arabic, and Jewish influences.
Ireland.
Famine brings great dearth. Thousands perish. 895-897
Árpád, chief of the barbarian Magyars.
Leads his people from Asia into Hungary where they settle. 896
Establishes the Árpád Dynasty (896-1301).
Arnulf, the German King, claims the throne of Emperor (reigns 896-899). 896
Last of the Carolingian line of kings.
Arnulf is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Formosus.
Arnulf sets off to establish his authority in Spoleto but is seized by paralysis on the way.
Pope Formosus dies. 896
Pope Boniface VI. April 896
Pope Stephen VI (May 896-August 897). 896-897
By 896, the nomadic Magyar barbarians, that were displaced from southern Russia and led by
Árpád the Magyar chieftain, settle in the Middle Danube River valley. 896
Death of Photius, the iconoclast Patriarch of Constantinople. 896
Alfred, King of Wessex, and Edward, his son, end the Danish Viking threat to England. 896 Fighting will continue however until 921.
Romanus. Pope. 897-898
Hasting, Danish Viking leader, leaves England. 897
Treaty between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria. 897
Concludes the war between them.
War between the Bulgarians and the moslems. 897
Famine throughout France. Thousands perish. 898
John of Tivoli, becomes Pope John IX. 898-900
Charles III, the Simple. King of France. 898-922
The barbarian Magyar hordes arrive in northern Italy. 899-900
Invasion of Germany by the barbarian Magyars. 899
Death of Alfred the Great (b.849-d.899). 899
Eadward (Edward) the Elder, of Wessex, aged 29, (son of Alfred the Great) is King of England. 899-924
Conquest of the Danelaw by descendants of Alfred the Great. 899-921
Arnulf dies. 899
Louis III, the Child, reigns as king of the East Frankish kingdom (Germany).
Louis III rules 899-911.
Louis III is the last Carolingian king of Germany.
Eastern Europe is ravaged by the Magyar barbarians. 899-943
Tenth Century
Continuation of the Christian reconquest of Spain from the moslems, under Alfonso III, the Great,
of Castile. 900
The Reconquista of Spain began in 711. The Reconquista will end in 1492.
Constantinople is still the commercial and cultural center of the world.
The religious center is Rome. c.900
The Byzantium Empire temporarily renews union with the Roman Catholic Church. 900
The Bulgars begin their conversion from paganism to Christianity (Eastern Orthodox rite). 900
Pope Benedict IV. 900-903
The Czechs gain the ascendancy over all Bohemian tribes. 900
Famine throughout England. 900
Constantine III. King of Scotland. 900-942
Vikings have developed the art of shipbuilding. c.900
Gunbjorn (Norseman), is blown off course while sailing from Norway to Iceland and discovers Greenland. 900
Sack of Palerno, Sicily by the Mohammedans. 900
Destruction of Reggio, Italy by the Mohammedans. 900
Entry of the Toltecs into the Valley of Mexico. c.900
The Toltecs extend their empire over central Mexico.
Collapse of the Mayan civilization. 900
The Mayans relinquish their settlements in the lowlands of Mexico and emigrate to the Yucatan Peninsula.
Paper manufacturing at Cairo, Egypt. 900
Moslem ornamentation (arabesques) develops out from late Greek and Byzantine art. 900
The Buddhist temples of Nara.
These structures become the focal points of Japanese art. 900
The pyramid of E Vii Sub at Uaxactun, Guatemala. 900
Edward the Elder (son of Alfred the Great) takes the title “King of the Angles and the Saxons.” 901
Fall of Taormina (Byzantine) to the Tunisian Mohammedans. 902
The Mohammedan takeover of Sicily is now complete.
The sack and takeover of Thessalonica (Salonika) by Mohammedans is led by the Saracen Leo
of Tripoli. 904
They carry off 20,000 of the inhabitants as slaves.
The Russian (Norsemen) fleet appears at Constantinople once again. 904
Pope Sergius III. 904-911
Alfonso III, of Leon and the Asturias.
Continues the Christian reconquest of Spain. 905
The Reconquista began in 711. It will end in 1492.
Kingdom of Navarre is founded in the north of Spain. 905
Sancho I Garcés rules 905-925.
Destruction of the great library of the monastery at Novalesa by the Mohammedans. 905
The library contained more than six thousand five hundred volumes.
Magyar barbarian invasion of Central Europe. 906
First Magyar invasion of Germany. 906
The Mohammedans attack the Abbey near Susa, west of Turin, Italy. 906
Destruction of the newly formed Moravian Empire by the Magyar barbarians that are advancing
westward from Asia. 906-907
The Magyars undertake further raids into Italy and Germany. 907
Death of Boris, ruler of Bulgaria (ruled 852-889) in the monastery he has been in since 889. 907
Death of Árpád, founder of Hungarian monarchy. 907
Oleg, ruler of Russia. 907
Expedition against Constantinople.
The Russians under Prince Oleg appear once again at Constantinople.
The Russians secure rights of trade.
End of the T’ang Dynasty in China. 907
Northern invaders of China end the T'ang Dynasty.
Civil war and chaos exist in China (until 960).
“Epoch of the Five Dynasties” follows.
Khitan Mongols begin their conquest of Inner Mongolia and northern China. Completed 1123. 907
Death of St. Cormac, King of Munster, Ireland. 908
He is killed in battle.
Establishment of the independent Caliphate of the Fatimid Dynasty (Shi’ite) in Tunisia (Kairouan),
N. Africa. 909
Fatimid Dynasty: 909-1171.
Al-Mahdi is the first Fatimid Caliph. 909-934
Cluniac monastic order is founded. 910
At the suggestion of, and with the help of William the Pious,
Duke of Aquitaine, St. Berno (d.927) withdraws from the world and
founds the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny in Burgundy.
St. Berno is the first abbot of Cluny (from 910-927).
Leo VI, Byzantine Emperor, is forced to pay tributes to the Magyar barbarians. 910
The Danish Vikings break the peace with Edward the Elder. 910
Battle of Tettenhall. Aug. 910
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
Edward the Elder (son of Alfred the Great), King of Wessex (and England), defeats Northumbrian
Danish army at Tettenhall in Staffordshire.
The Kingdom of Asturias is renamed León. 910
Alfonso III, the Great, is its king.
Garcia. King of León. 910-914
The Magyar barbarian s attack and crush Augsburg. 910
Founding of Normandy. 911
Treaty of St. Clair-sur-Epte.
Rollo (Hrolf the Granger), Danish Viking chieftan, receives Normandy, France from the Franks
(King Charles III) who are unable to dislodge him from France; capital is Rouen.
King Charles III makes Rollo duke of all of that country that will be known
as Normandy.
One of Rollo’s descendants, the Normans, will later include William the Conqueror.
Hrolf the Granger (Rollo). Duke of Normandy. 911-927
Death of Louis III, the Child (b.893-d.911). 911
Last Carolingian monarch. Extinction of the Carolingian line in Germany.
End of the rule of Carolingian kings in Germany.
Conrad I, Duke of Franconia.
Reigns as the elected king of east (Germany). 911-918
Pope Anastasius III. 911-913
Treaty between the Byzantine Empire and Oleg of Russia. 911
Baptism of Rollo (Hrolf the Granger), the Viking. 912
His baptismal name is Robert.
Rolf the Granger establishes himself in Normandy.
The Northmen settle in Normandy. 912
Beginning of the conversion of the Vikings (Northmen) in France from paganism to Christianity. 912
Igor. Grand Duke of Kiev. 912-945
Succeeds Oleg.
Moslem Spain is under the rule of Abd al-Rahman III, of Córdoba (Omayyad). 912-961
Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great.
Erects the great earthen mound of Warwick Castle. 913
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos. Byzantine Emperor. 913-919
Arnulf, a Bavarian prince, defeats the Magyar barbarian invaders on the banks of the River Inn. 913
Edward the Elder recaptures Essex from the Danish Vikings. 913
St. Miguel de la Escalada at León, Spain. Built. 913
Symeon of Bulgaria, the son of Boris, invades Thrace and Macedonia. 913
Bulgarians threaten but fail to take Constantinople. 913
Pope John X. 914-928
Fourth and last Viking expedition against the Byzantine Empire. 914
They are repulsed.
Ordono II. Christian King of León (previously the Asturias). 914-924
Death of St. Tutilo of St. Gallen. Benedictine Order. 915
Catholic monk, sculptor, painter, and scholar.
Church of Achtomar at Lake Van, Asia Minor. 915-921
Attacks by the Arab moslems in Italy on Reggio, Oria, and Tarentum. 915
Byzantine forces defeat the Mohammedans at Garigliano, Italy. 915
Berengar of Friuli (Lombard), of Italy is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 915
Invasion of Egypt by Fatimid armies from Tunisia. 915
Consecration of the Benedictine Abbey church of Cluny. 915
The Danish Vikings renew their attacks on Ireland. 915
Death of St. Clement of Okhrida at Okhrida. July 17, 916
Expulsion of the Arab moslems from Central and Southern Italy. 916
Pope John X plays a crucial role in the expulsion of the moslems from central and southern Italy.
Saxon leader, Edward the Elder, King of Wessex.
Recaptures much of central and eastern England from the Danes. 917
He subdues the Danish Vikings of East Anglia and annexes Mercia.
Plague and famine strike Kashmir, India. 917-918
The area becomes a vast burial ground.
Unknown number of thousands die.
The Jhelum River overflows with dead rotting bodies.
Separation of the Bulgarian Church from both the Catholic Church at Rome and the Byzantine
Church at Constantinople. 917
Symeon I of Bulgaria.
Assumes the title “Czar of the Bulgarians and Greeks.” 917
Siege of Constantinople by the Bulgarians. 917
The Bulgarians defeat the Byzantine army at Anchialus (Achelous). 917
Battle of Tempsford. 918
Edward the Elder (son of Alfred the Great) defeats the Danish Viking leader Guthrum II.
Guthrum II is killed.
The Bulgarians defeat the Serbs. 918
St. Gerard de Brogne (d.959).
Withdraws from the world and founds an ascetic monastery on his estate at Brogne, in what is
now modern day Belgium. 919
The Danish Vikings defeat the Irish at Dublin. 919
Extension of the Byzantine Empire to the Euphrates and Tigris. 919
Heinrich I, Duke of Saxony. Elected Heinrich I (Henry), “the Fowler,” King of Germany. 919 Heinrich I founds Germany’s Saxon line or Ottonian Dynasty.
Heinrich I reigns 919-936.
Ottonian Dynasty.
Saxon line rules the Holy Roman Empire. 919-1024
“Ottonian Renaissance” or “Ottonian Age.” 919-1024
Romanus I Lecapenus. Byzantine Emperor. 919-944
Co-regent with Constantine VII, Porphyrogenitos.
Beginning of the conversion of the Bohemians (Bohemia) from paganism to Christianity. 920
Temporary reunion of the Byzantine Empire with the Roman Church. 920
By 921 all of the rulers in Britain and Scotland acknowledge Edward the Elder (the son of Alfred
the Great) as their overlord. 921
Completion of the conquest of the Danelaw from the Danish Vikings. 921
Robert I. King of the Franks. 922-923
His grandson is Hugh Capet.
Seizure of Morocco by the Fatimid Dynasty. 922
Battle of Firenzuola. July 29, 923
Rudolf, Duke of Burgundy, defeats Berengarius I, rival King of Italy, in this decisive battle.
Symeon of Bulgaria devastates Greece and again threatens the city of Constantinople but
without success. 924
Death of Edward the Elder of England. 924
Aethelstan, son of Edward the Elder, becomes king of Wessex
and the effective ruler of most of England.
Aethelstan rules 924-939.
Assassination of Berengarius I. 924
Fruela II. Christian King of León. 924-925
Rollo (Hrolf the Granger) of Normandy. 924
Expands his territories.
The Magyar barbarians cross the Alps and ravage Provence, France. 924
Byzantines forces defeat fleets of Leo of Tripoli off Lemnos. 924
The Magyar barbarians approach Saxony, but Henry the Fowler, rallies his forces against them.
The Saxons capture a Magyar prince, and the Magyars sue for peace (a nine year truce). 924
Henry the Fowler.
Develops a powerful system of castles and a strong army. 924-933
Henry I (Henry the Fowler) of Germany conquers Lotharingia (Lorraine) and adds it to the kingdom
of Germany. 925
Alfonso IV, “the Monk”. Christian King of León. 925-930
Garcia Sanchez I. King of Navarre. 925-970
Martyrdom of St. Pelagius. 925
He is tortured to death by the Mohammedans for refusing to reject Jesus Christ and accept
Mohammed.
Beginnings of the Easter play. 925
Aethelstan of England.
Drives Guthfrith out of Northumbria and annexes his realm. 926
Aethelstan forces the kings of Wales, of Strathclyde, of the Picts and Scots
to submit to him.
Hugh of Vienne. King of Italy. 926-945
Bulgarians under Simeon I attack Croat forces. 926
The Bulgarians are decisively defeated by Tomislav, the King of Croatia.
Symeon I of Bulgaria, again marches toward Constantinople. 927
However, he dies in May 927.
Upon his death Serbia breaks away from Bulgaria.
Symeon I is succeeded by his son Peter.
Peter I, Czar of Bulgaria, succeeds his father Symeon I. 927
Peter I rules 927 to 969.
William Longsword. Duke of Normandy. 927-942
St. Odo. French.
Succeeds St. Berno and becomes the second Abbot of Cluny (to 942).
Odo establishes famous code of discipline for Benedictines. 927
The Magyars are in eastern Switzerland at St. Gall’s. 927
The Byzantine Empire is in the grip of a terrible famine. 927
Battle of Erzurum (Erzerum). 928
Byzantines campaigning in the east take the strategic moslem fortress at Erzerum in northeast
Asia Minor.
They are led by the brilliant Byzantine general John Kurkuas.
Marozia seizes and imprisons Pope John X. 928
Wenceslaus (“the Holy”), Duke of Bohemia. 926-929
Henry I, King of Germany.
Conquers the Slav province of Brennabor (Brandenburg). 928
St. Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia, is killed in Prague while he is on his way to Mass by his
own brother Boleslav. September 20, 929
He is succeeded by Boleslav I, his brother and his murderer.
Henry I subdues Bohemia and the Slavs east of the Elbe River. 929
Death of Charles the Simple. 929
Rudolph becomes the sole ruler of France.
Abd-ar-Raman III, Emir of Cordoba, and Omayyad ruler of Spain.
Takes advantage of the weakened Abbasid caliphate and declares himself caliph (first caliph
of moslem Spain), in opposition to the Abbasid caliph that is based at Baghdad.
Establishes autonomous caliphate at Cordoba, Spain. 929
He rules as caliph of Cordoba from 929-961.
Marriage of Otto, the son of Henry the Fowler of Germany, to Edith, the daughter of Edward the
Elder, the Anglo-Saxon King of Wessex. 929
Ekkehard of St Gallen (900-973). Benedictine Order.
“Walter of Aquitaine.” Epic poetry. 930
(“Waltharius”).
The Carmathians (Mohammedan) break into Mecca and carry off the Ka’aba (the Black Stone). 930
Ramiro II. King of León (previously the Asturias). 930-950
Famine throughout Wales. 931
Founding of Castile (Spain) as an independent kingdom. 932
Eric I Bloodaxe (Erik I Haraldson). King of Norway. 932-934
Famine throughout France. 932
Heinrich I. King of Germany.
Withholds tribute payments demanded by the Magyar barbarians. 932
The Magyars resume their attack on Germany.
Hugh, King of Italy marries Marozia. 932
St. John of Gorze (d.974).
Enters the Benedictine monastery of Gorze. 933
Hrolf (now called Robert) of Normandy.
Gains western Normandy, completing the Duchy of Normandy. 933
Battle of Merseburg (also called the Battle of Riade). 933
Henry (Heinrich I), German king, crushes the Magyars at the Battle of Riade on the Thuringian-
Saxon border.
This is the first severe defeat of the Magyar barbarians.
36,000 Magyars are killed. This ends the payment of tribute.
Stops further Magyar invasions for the next 20 years.
Eric I Blodöxe (English: Bloodaxe), King of Norway. 933-934
His cruelty leads to revolts. Norway is divided.
Heinrich I, King of Germany, dominates Denmark (Danish Vikings). 934
Aethelstan, King of England, raids Scotland by land and by sea. 934
The Magyar barbarians begin a series of raids on Bulgaria. 934
Battle of Melitene. 934
Byzantines take Melitene, near the Euphrates River.
Led by Byzantine General John Kurkuas.
Abd al-Rahman III.
Gathers a large army of moslems and moves toward the northern territories in Spain. 934
See Battle of Simancas (939).
Haakon I Haraldsson. King of Norway. 934-961
Haakon I attempts to convert Norway from heathenism to Christianity.
He briefly reunites the kingdom that has been divided since 933 because of Erik Bloodaxe.
Invasion of China by Khitans from what is modern day Siberia. 935
Odo of Cluny (c.879-942). 935
“Dialogus de Musica.”
Establishment of the Koryo kingdom of central Korea. 935
Koryo controls the whole of Korea.
Confucianism replaces Buddhism.
Marks the beginning of a distinct Korean culture.
The Koryo kingdom will end in 1392.
Death of Heinrich I (the Fowler) King of Germany. 936
Otto I (his son) becomes the new King of Germany.
Otto I, is crowned King of the Franks at Aachen, the city of Charlemagne.
Otto I reigns: 936-973.
Constantinople is struck by a terrible earthquake. 936
Thousands are killed.
Louis IV, d’Outremer. King of France. 936-954
“Grievous famine” in Scotland. 936
Thousands perish.
Irish recapture Limerick from the Viking invaders. 936
Battle of Brunanburh. 937
Aethelstan, King of England, defeats an alliance of Scots, Celts, Danish Vikings, Norwegian
Vikings, Britons, and Picts at the Battle of Brunanburh.
Takes the title of “King of all Britain.”
Final submission of the Vikings as a result of this great two day battle.
Otto I, son of Heinrich I, dominates Arles (Burgundy and Provence) as protector of its young
king Conrad. 937
Athelstan, King of England, founds Milton Abbey, Dorset. 938
Louis IV of France tries in vain to invade Lorraine. 938
Rebellions in Franconia, Bavaria, and Lorraine against Otto I. 938
Battle of Andernach. 939
Otto I of Germany defeats Eberhard of Franconia and other rebel dukes.
By 939, Otto I has crushed rebellions by Franconia, Bavaria, Lorraine, and Saxony.
Otto I confirms Saxon rule over all of Germany.
Death of Athelstan, King of England. 939
Edmund I, “the Magnificent”, (son of Athelstan), King of England. 939-946
Battle of Simancas (also called Alhandega). July 939
Part of the Spanish Reconquista (711-1492).
Ramiro II, King of León, defeats the moslems who are led by Caliph Abd al-Rahman III, in a
terrible battle near the walls of the Spanish city of Simancas.
The Christians of the Kingdom of León take back the city of Madrid from the Arab Mohammedans. 939
The Bogomils, followers of a Bulgarian sect, are denounced as heretics by the Byzantine Church. 940
The Mohammedans destroy the monastery of Saint Maurice d’Agaune in the Valais. 940
Harold Blaatand, “the Bluetooth”. King of Denmark. 941-991
“Bluetooth” is the first Christian King of Denmark.
Rus Vikings attack Constantinople. 941
Igor, Prince of Kiev, crosses the Black Sea and plunders Bithynia.
Reaches Constantinople with over 1000 ships, while the Byzantine fleet is in the Aegean Sea.
The Byzantine fleet returns in time to drive off the Rus Vikings.
The Byzantines almost completely destroy the Rus fleet by using “Greek fire.”
The Danish Vikings in England make war on Edmund I. 941
Eadmund (Edmund) I, King of England. 942
Recovers lands that were previously conquered by the Viking raiders.
Malcolm I. King of Scotland. 942-953
Richard I the Fearless. Duke of Normandy. 942-996
Building of Augsburg Cathedral. 942
Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury. 942-958
Saint Dunstan.
Becomes Bishop of Glastonbury, and proceeds to revive monasticism in England on Benedictine
lines. 943
Magyars attack the Bulgarians. 943
Byzantine troops penetrate deep into Arab moslem territory in order to recover the Mandylion,
a unique icon which is believed to be a relic pertaining to Jesus Christ. 943
The Magyars suffer a major raid by the Patzinaks. 944
The Bavarians defeat army led by Otto I of Germany at Wels. 944
Lothair (Lothar) III. King of Italy. 945-950
Malcolm I, King of the Scots.
Annexes Cumberland and Westmorland from the English. 945
Famine of long duration in France causes thousands of deaths. 945-946
In Russia, Igor is killed in battle with the Drevlinians. 945
Igor is succeeded by Sviatoslav (b.920-d.972).
Sviatoslav, Duke of Kiev (945-972).
Saint Olga is Regent however from 945 to 955.
Death of Edmund I (murdered). 946
Succeeded by Eadred, the younger brother of Edmund I.
Reign of Edred, King of England. 946-955
Saint Dunstan. Becomes the chief advisor of Edred, King of England (to 955). 946
Pope Agapetus II. 946-955
Famine. Italy. Thousands perish. 946
Otto I, of Germany.
Supports Louis IV and advances to Paris and Rouen. 948
Founding of the bishoprics of Brandenburg and Haveberg. 948
The Lapps enter Norway. 948
Erik Bloodaxe (Viking) retakes York, England. 948
He is not King of Norway at this time.
Northumbria declares Eric Bloodaxe of Norway, king of Northumbria. 948
Edred, King of England, ravages Northumbria. 948
Liutprand of Cremona. Lombard.
Travels to Constantinople, in the service of the King of Burgundy. 949
Ordono III. King of León. 950-956
Church of St. Philibert of Tournus, France. 950-1120
Otto I of Germany. Crushes Boleslav of Bohemia. 950
Otto I puts Bohemia under Bavarian control.
Berengarius II of Ivrea (grandson of Berengarius I of Friuli).
King of Italy. 950-961
The priest Bogomil (Bulgarian form of Theophilus).
Founds the Bulgarian based Bogomil heresy (Bogomilism). c.950
Toltecs make central Mexico the center of a Central American Toltec empire. c.950
Otto I of Germany. First campaign in Italy. 951
Otto I leads his armies into Italy against Berengar (Berengarius).
Assumes the title of “King of the Franks and Lombards”.
Otto I becomes King of the Franks and the Lombards. 951
Flood. Baghdad (Asiatic Turkey). 952
Overflow of the Euphrates River. Half of the city is submerged under water.
Uncounted hundreds perish.
The Mohammedans defeat the Byzantine Greeks in Calabria, Italy. 953
England, Scotland, and Wales. 954-958
Famine of four year duration. Plague. Thousands perish.
Maieul. Abbot of Cluny. 954-994
Battle of Stainmore. 954
The Vikings attack a Saxon army at Stainmore in Westmoreland.
The Saxons defeat the Norsemen. Erik Bloodaxe, the exiled king of Norway
is killed. End of the Viking kingdom of York.
End of the Danish Viking kingdom of York. 954
Eric Bloodöxe, the last Danish King of York, is killed.
Lothair (Lothar), son of Louis IV, and nephew of Emperor Otto I, becomes King of France. 954
Rules 954-986.
Otto I of Germany.
Crushes revolts by the dukes of Lorraine and Swabia. 955
Battle of Recknitz (Battle on the Raxa). Oct. 16, 955
Otto I of Germany crushes the Wends (Slavs) on the Recknitz River.
A Magyar force of 40,000 men puts Augsburg under siege, surrounding it completely.
The defenders of Augsburg are led by the bishop St. Ulric. Otto I the Great, hearsof the invasion
and moves his army south in order to rescue Augsburg from the Magyar barbarians. 955
Battle of the Lechfeld. August 10, 955
Otto I, the Great, King of Germany, and a 25,000 man Christian army defeats 40,000 invading
Magyar barbarians at the Lechfeld near Augsburg.
One of the Magyar leaders, Bulcsu the Bloody, is captured and hanged.
Seven Magyars are allowed to live, and are sent back to Hungary to tell the story of the battle.
End of the westward advance of the Magyar barbarians.
Otto I the Great defeats the Magyars so decisively that they will never again resume their invasions
in the West.
This battle ends the Magyar menace.
Pope John XII. 955-963
Church of St. Michel de Cuxa. France. 955-974
End of the Regency of Olga in Russia. 955
Sviatoslav is Grand Duke of Kiev (955-972).
Death of Edred. Succeeded by Edwy, son of Edmund.
Reign of Eadwig (Edwy). King of England. 955-959
Exile of Saint Dunstan. 955-959
Attempts to advise and correct King Edwy of England.
Edwy, King of England, banishes St. Dunstan from his kingdom.
St. Dunstan goes to Ghent in Flanders.
Hugh, the Great, of Burgundy dies. 956
He is succeeded by his son Hugh Capet.
Armenia and the provinces between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, are recovered from the Mohammedans by the Byzantine Empire. 956
The Seljuk Turks accept Mohammedanism. 956
Sancho I. King of León. 956-966
In England, Mercia, and Northumbria revolt against Edwy, King of England, and make his brother
Eadgar (Edgar) King (d.975). 957
Olga, the Russian Grand Duchess, travels to Constantinople. 957
Olga requests baptism.
Flood. Baghdad. 959
Overflow of the Euphrates River. ¾ city is submerged under water.
Unknown number of lives lost.
Death of Edwy.
Edgar, the Peaceful, younger brother of Edwy, is King of England. 959-975
Reign of Edgar, the Peaceful, King of England. Will be crowned in 973.
Edgar, the Peaceful, King of England.
Recalls St. Dunstan from exile in Flanders. 959
Saint Dunstan.
Made Archbishop of Canterbury (959-988) by King Edgar, the Peaceful. 959
Attempts to reform the Catholic Church in England.
Romanus II. Byzantine Emperor. 959-963
Mieczyslaw (Mieszko I) becomes the first ruler of Poland. 960
Beginning of the Polish Kingdom. Rules 960-992.
Otto I, the Great, subdues the Slavs. 960
Founding of the Sung Dynasty (960-1279) in China by Tai Tsoo. 960
Tai Tsoo defeats the Tartars.
Berengar II is raging through northern Italy. 960
Pope John XII asks Otto I the Great, for help against Berengar II. 960
Candia (Heraklion).
Reconquest of Crete from the Mohammedans by the Byzantines led by Nicephorus Phocas. 960-961
Crete had been seized by the Mohammedans back in 826.
St. Paul’s in London is rebuilt after a fire. 961
Otto I, the Great, King of Germany. 961
Undertakes his second expedition (ends in 964) to Italy in order
to protect the degenerate Pope John XII from Berengar II.
Berengarius (Bérenger) II submits to Otto I the Great as his suzerain. 961
Otto II (b.955-983), son of Otto I the Great. 961-983
German king.
Church of St. Cyriakus (Romanesque style). Germany. 961-1000
First Christian monastic foundation at Mt. Athos, Greece. c.961
Abd al-Rahman II dies. 961
Al Hakkam II, the Pederast, becomes Caliph of Córdoba. Omayyad.
Rules 15 years (961-976).
Luitprand. Bishop of Cremona (961-971). 961
“Antapodosis.”
Harold II Ericsson, surnamed Graafeld (“Gray skin” or “Graypelt”), King of Norway (son of Eric Blodöxe). 961-977
Otto I, the Great, arrives at Rome. January 31, 962
Emperor Otto I, the Great, is in Italy. 962
Otto I is accompanied by St. Conrad of Constance (d.975).
Otto, the Great, (Otto I), King of Saxony.
Dethrones Berengarius II of Ivrea. 962
Otto I conquers northern Italy.
Otto, the Great, (Otto I), King of Saxony.
Otto is crowned King and Holy Roman Emperor in the West by Pope John XII at Rome. February 2, 962
Otto I is the first Saxon to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Otto I rules as king and emperor 962-973.
Otto makes Rome the capital of his empire.
Second revival of the Holy Roman Empire.
Poppo of Slesvick.
Convinces and converts Harold Blaatand, “the bluetooth”, King of Denmark and the pagan
Danish Vikings by the ordeal by red hot iron. 962
Otto I (b.912-d.973).
Claims control over the Lombards in Southern Italy. 962
“Privilegium Ottonianum”. Feb. 962
An agreement concluded between Emperor Otto I and the Pope in order to regulate relations
between them.
Alptigin.
Founds Turkish principality at Ghazni, Afghanistan. 962
Frost causes famine in England. London is ravaged by plague. 962
Thousands perish.
Otto I, the Great, leaves Rome. 962
Pope John XII falls back in league with Berengar II.
In Rome, John XII foments a rebellion against Otto I.
Otto I.
At Pavia, hears of the pope’s doing, and rushes back to Rome.
A synod deposes Pope John XII and replaces him with Pope Leo VIII. 963
Establishes imperial power over papal elections.
Pope Leo VIII. 963-964
Otto I takes Berangarius prisoner. 963
St. Ethelwald. Bishop of Wincester, England. 963-984
Writes a translation of the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine Order.
Death of Byzantine Emperor Romanus II. 963
Nicephorus Phocas returns to Constantinople and takes the city. 963
Nicephorus II, Phocas. Byzantine Emperor. 963-969
Defeats the Bulgarians and Arab moslems.
Conquest of Eastern Bulgaria by the Byzantine Emperor. 963-969
Al Sûfi.
“The Book of Fixed Stars.” Astronomical work. 963
Famine in Ireland. 963-964
Thousands perish.
Revival of Christian monasticism in England after the wars with the Danish Vikings come to a
temporary stop. 964
The deposed (963) John XII finally dies. May 14, 964
Pope Leo VIII is expelled by the Romans. 964
Pope Leo VIII dies. Otto I removes the Anti-Pope Benedict V. 965
Otto I names John XIII Pope (965-973).
The Romans refuse to accept him. Romans revolt again against Otto I.
The Mohammedans are finally driven out of Grenoble. 965
Nicephorus II, Phocas, Byzantine Emperor.
Recaptures Cyprus from the Arab Moslems. 965
Sviatoslav, Russian ruler.
Crushes the Kazar empire on the Volga River. 965
Widukind of Corvey.
“Saxon History” (“Res Gestae Saxonicae”). 965
St. Dunstan enforces the celibacy of the priesthood in England. 965
Fatimid moslems conquer Sicily. 965
Conversion from paganism to Christianity, of Mieszko in Poland. 966
Mieszko requests baptism.
Under Mieszko (Mieczyslav I), the conversion of Poland from paganism to Christianity (Roman Catholicism) begins. 966
This event in 966 marks the founding of the nation of Poland.
Church of St. Pantaleon in Cologne, Germany. 966-980
Otto I. Holy Roman Emperor.
Third expedition (966-972) into Italy in order to war against the Byzantines in Apulia and to restore
the new Pope, John XIII who had been deposed
by the Romans (964). 966
Berengarius II of Italy.
He is finally dethroned for his many crimes and dies in prison. 966
St. Oswald. 966
Founds Worchester Cathedral.
Otto I attacks Bari in Apulia. 966
The emperor’s troops are repulsed by the Byzantines and are forced to retreat.
Ramiro III. King of León. 966-982
Liutprand, Bishop of Cremona. Lombard.
“The History of Otto I.” Written. c.966-971
Otto II. Son of Otto I, the Great.
Crowned future emperor in Rome. Dec. 25, 967
Cuilean. King of Scotland. 967-971
Boleslav II. Duke of Bohemia. 967-999
Nicephorus II, Phocas, Byzantine Emperor.
Requests that Svyatoslav, the ruler of Russia, send an army against the Bulgarians. 967
Sviatoslav of Russia invades Bulgaria and defeats the Bulgarians.
Eastern Bulgaria is ravaged by the Russians. 968
Byzantines take Antioch. 968
Founding of Córdoba University, Spain. 968
Earthquakes and floods. Persian Gulf. 968
Earthquakes are followed by floods.
Many Mohammedan cities are completely submerged under water.
New islands are formed. Thousands are killed.
Founding of the archbishopric of Magdeburg. 968
Great famine. Fustat, Egypt. 968
660,000 perish.
Conquest of Egypt by Fatimate Arabs of Tunisia. 968-969
Liutprand, Bishop of Cremona. Lombard. 968
Is sent by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, on a mission to Nicephorus II Phocas in Constantinople
in the hope that his son will marry a Byzantine princess.
Liutprand is humiliated and insulted by Nicephorus II Phocas and the Byzantines during his six
month mission.
Nicephorus II, Phocas, Byzantine Emperor, is killed by his nephew. 969
John I, Tzimisces, his murderer, becomes the new Byzantine emperor.
John I rules 969-976.
Sviatoslav, the Duke of Kiev, attempts to conquer Bulgaria and establish his capital south of the
Danube River. 969
Sviatoslav crosses the Balkan Mountains and takes Philippopolis (Plovdiv).
They continue south toward Constantinople.
Birth of Vajk, the future Stephen of Hungary (b.969-d.1038). 969
Peter I, of Bulgaria abdicates and enters into a monastery. 969
Boris II. Czar of Bulgaria. 969-972
Fatimates (Fatimids) from Morocco conquer Egypt. 969
The Fatimids were a Shi’ite sect vehemently opposed to the Abbasids (Umayyad).
A separate Fatimate caliphate is established in Egypt.
Fatimid Caliphs of Tunisia rule Egypt.
The Fatimates who captured Palestine, parts of Syria, and West
Arabia will rule until 1171.
The Fatimids (Shi’ite) actively attempt to overthrow the Abbasids(Umayyad) while they remain
in power.
Founding of Cairo, Egypt, as the capital of the Fatimates (Shi’ites). 969
Famine throughout the European continent. 969
Wind storms in England. 969
Grain crops are blown away. Famine follows.
Thousands perish.
Paulician heretics settle at Phillipopolis.
Paulicians are Iconoclasts and Adoptionists (Adoptionism). 970
Paulicianism is named after Paul of Samosata.
St. Lawrence Church of Bradford-on-Avon. 970
Saxon Church.
Sancho Abarca. King of Navarre. 970-994
Kenneth II. King of Scotland. 971-995
Otto I, the Great, dispatches the first bishop to Hungary, Pilgrim, the bishop of Passau. 972
Bishop Pilgrim establishes the first episcopal sea in Estergom.
Battle of Adrianople (Edirne). 972
Sviatoslav of Russia moves south toward Constantinople with an army
of 60,000 men.
John I Tzimisces, guardian of the young Emperor Basil II, marches out to meet the invading army
with 30,000 men.
John Zimisces defeats Sviatoslav near Adrianople, and with the aid of the Byzantine fleet on the
Danube, forces the Russians completely out of Bulgaria. Sviatoslav and his survivors, on their
way back to Kiev, are attacked by Patzinaks (Pechenegs).
Sviatoslav is killed.
Beginning of the conversion of the Magyar barbarians and all of Hungary from paganism to
Christianity by Pilgrim, the Bishop of Passau. 972
Gerbert of Aurillac (later will be Pope Sylvester II).
Master of the school of Rheims. c.972
Liberation of North Africa from Egypt. 972
Founding of Cairo University. c.972
Building of the second Church of Peterborough. 972
Otto II, son of German Emperor Otto I.
Marries the Byzantine princess Theophano, the daughter of Romanus II. This adds Byzantine
Italy (Apulia and Calabria) to the Holy Roman Empire. 972
John I Tzimisces, Byzantine Emperor.
Defeats the Russians at Presthlava and Dorystolum. 972
Completion of the reconquest of Bulgaria from the Russians by the Byzantine Empire. 972
Liutprand of Cremona. Italian Bishop.
Book “De Legatione Constantinopolitana.” c.972
Describes his mission to the Byzantine court at Constantinople.
Conversion from paganism to Christianity of Géza, the Grand Prince of Hungary. 972
Géza is great grandson of Arpad (Magyar).
Géza. Ruler of Hungary. 972-997
The Mohammedans capture St. Majoulus (Mayeul), the famous abbot of Cluny, as he is returning
from Rome through the Alpine route of the Great Saint Bernard. 972
They ransom him.
Liberation of the Sisteron district from the Mohammedans. 972
Liberation of Gap from the Mohammedans. 972
Edgar is formally crowned at Bath in the first coronation ceremony ever held for a king of a
united England. 973
Umayyad (Omayyad) moslems of Spain defeat the Fatimad (Shi’ite) moslems of Morocco. 973
Death of Otto I, the Great (b.912-d.973). 973
Succeeded as emperor by his son Otto II (b.954-d.983).
Otto II had been previously crowned in 967.
Otto II rules as emperor from 973-983.
Otto II (son of Otto the Great) sends word to Harold “Bluetooth”, the Danish Viking king, that he
must convert from heathenism to Christianity, and that Denmark must become a Christian nation,
or he will invade. 974
Harold Bluetooth sends word to his heathen brother Earl Haakon in Norway that he needs help.
Earl Haakon responds with a large army and deploys it along the Danevirk. At first, the Saxons
invade and are defeated.
Otto II retreats and reinforces his army with Polish forces.
Otto II renews his attack and finally prevails over Harold Bluetooth, King of Denmark.
Harold Bluetooth and his brother Earl Haakon convert to Christianity.
Otto II withdraws his army from Denmark.
Harold Bluetooth remains a Christian but his brother Earl Haakon immediately reverts back to heathenism as soon as Otto II withdraws his army from Denmark.
Pope Benedict VII. 974-983
Revolt of Bavaria led by Henry the Wrangler. 974-978
Otto II defeats Henry.
Vikings from Norway begin colonization of Greenland. 974
Major earthquake in Britain. 974
Death of Eadgar (Edgar), King of England. 975
St. Eadward (Edward) the Martyr, son of Edgar, is King of England. 975-979
Paris, France. Mass starvation. 975
Thousands perish.
Al-Aziz. Fatimid Caliph of Egypt. Shi’ite. 975-996
Battle of Damascus. 976
(Part of Byzantine-Moslem Wars).
John I Tzimisces, Byzantine Emperor, defeats the moslems and takes Damascus, Syria.
Otto II (son of Otto I, the Great).
Crushes Danish Viking invasion. 975
William, Count of Arles.
Recaptures Garde-Freinet from the Arab Mohammedans. 975
Founding of the bishoprics of Prague and Olomouc. 975
Byzantine forces capture Beirut. 976
Death of John I Tzimisces, Byzantine Emperor.
Basil II, Bulgaroktonos (“Slayer of the Bulgarians”) becomes sole Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 976-1025
Samuel. Czar of Bulgaria. 976-1014
Great famine in England. 976
Thousands perish.
Al Hakkam II, al Mustansir (the Pederast), dies.
Hisham II. Caliph of Córdoba. 976-1009
The Mohammedan Omayyad (Umayyad) Dynasty of Spain temporarily declines under his rule.
St. Mark’s Cathedral at Venice. Begun. 976
Built on the plan of a Greek cross (976-1094).
Stephen I (975-1038). 977
Becomes ruler of the Magyars on the death of his father.
Ghaznavid Dynasty (Mohammedan).
Rules vast areas in Afghanistan, Iran, and northern India. 977-1186
Mohammed Ibn Abi Amir (Al-Mansur). 977-1002
Regent of Cordoba under Caliph Hisham II.
Al-Mansur is the virtual ruler of moslem Spain.
Mohammed Ibn Abi Amir (also called Al-Mansur).
Reminds the people of Cordoba of the proclamation of the Jihad that was proclaimed by
Mohammed the founder of Mohammedanism. 977
Al-Mansur proclaims that the moslems must not cease until every Christian has been either
killed or driven from the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal).
Earl Haakon. King of Norway. 977-995
Continued invasions of Southern Italy by the Arab moslems. 977
Lothair of France.
Sack of Aix-la-Chapelle by Lothair. The Germans advance to Paris. 978
Chinese encyclopedia. 1,000 volumes. 978-984
Edward the Martyr, King of England, is murdered at Corfe Castle. March 14, 979
He is succeeded by Aethelred II, the Rediless (the Unready), the younger brother of Edward
the Martyr.
Ethelred II, the Unready. King of England. 979-1016
Louis V is co-regent of France. 979
Defeat of Norsemen in Ireland by Malachi at Tara. 979
Arab Mohammedans begin conquering and settling along the east coast of Africa. 980
Seljuk, a Turk officer of the khan of Tartary, becomes a Mohammedan, and settles in Samarcand. 980
Vladimir recaptures Novgorod. 980
Captures and kills his half brother Yaropolk at Rodno.
Vladimir becomes Grand Prince of Kiev. 980
Reign of Vladimir I (the future St. Vladimir), Prince of Kiev. 980-1015
When he is installed as the king of the Rus in Kiev, he sets up idols in the hills and has sacrifices
made to his false gods.
Harold “Bluetooth” renews Danish Viking attacks on England. 980
Vikings attack Chester, Southampton, and Thanet.
“Antiphonarium Codex Montpellier.” 980
Musical manuscript.
Mainz Cathedral. Begun. 980
Organ with 400 pipes at Winchester Monastery, England. 980
Avicenna (Ibn Sina). Arabian philosopher and physician. 980-1037
Abu’l Wefa. Arab.
Further develops the subject of spherical trigonometry. c.980
Battle of Sofia. 981
(Part of Bulgarian-Byzantine Wars).
Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria defeats army of Byzantine Emperor Basil II near Sofia (Bulgaria).
Basil II is forced to return to Constantinople.
Marks the beginning of the Bulgarian-Byzantine wars.
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor, marches from Germany to Rome. 981
Otto II restores Pope Benedict VII.
Otto II, German Emperor.
Launches a rash campaign to expel the Mohammedans from Southern Italy and Sicily. 981-982
Danish Vikings ravage the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, England. 981
Mohammed Ibn Abi Amir (also known as Al Mansur) defeats Ghâlib at Torrevicente. 981
Battle of Zamora. 981
Mohammed Ibn Abi Amir (also known as Al-Mansur).
Takes Zamora, slaughters over 4,000 Christian prisoners.
He destroys 1,000 villages in the area, and besieges Leon.
Eric the Red, Viking, is exiled from his native Norway. 981
He flees to Iceland.
Discovery of Greenland by the Vikings (Eric the Red). 981
Battle of Crotone (Cotrone). July 13, 982
Victory of the Arabs at Cotrone in Calabria on the Gulf of Taranto.
Otto II, son of Otto I, is defeated by an alliance of the Byzantine Empire and the Mohammedans
under the caliph of Egypt.
Danish Viking raids on English coasts of Dorset, Portland, and South Wales. 982
The Vikings destroy London, England by fire.
Harold Bluetooth’s Danish Vikings cross the “Danevirk” and attack cities in Northern Germany. 982
Great uprising of the Slavs east of the Elbe. 982
Slavs assault and destroy Saxon fortresses east of Magdeburg.
Eric the Red, Viking from Iceland.
Establishes the first Viking colonies in Greenland. 982
Otto II, son of Otto I.
Defeated by the Mohammedans near Squillace. 983
Death of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor. He is 29 years old. 983
His three year old son, Otto III (b.980-d.1002) reigns under
the regency of his mother, Theophano (d.991), who in turn is guided by
Gerbert of Aurillac, a French Christian monk.
Otto III rules 983-1002 as German king and emperor. 983-1002
Rebellion of the Wends east of Elbe River against German rule. 983
Sack of Hamburg by the Wends.
Al Mansur (Cordoba), on Jihad, lays siege to Barcelona for five days.
He orders the population massacred, and the survivors enslaved. July 985
He first plunders and then burns the city of Barcelona.
St. Alphege (954-1012).
Appointed bishop of Winchester in spite of his objections. 984
Baptism of St. Stephen of Hungary (975-1038). 985
He is ten years old.
Harold Bluetooth of Denmark.
Pursues his son Svein, the bastard prince, with fifty ships. 985
They fight a sea battle but break off at dusk.
Later that night Harold Bluetooth is shot with an arrow by one of Svein’s
men, and bleeds to death from the wound.
Svein becomes King of Denmark.
Sweyn I, the Splitbeard (or Forkbeard). King of Denmark. 985-1014
Sweyn (Sven) I, Forkbeard, becomes King of Denmark and of Sweden (from 995). 985
He strengthens the power of the Danish crown.
Sweyn I rules 985-1014.
Beginning of quarrel between Ethelred II of England and the Witan. 985
Pope John XV. 985-996
Death of Lothair. His son Louis V is King of France. 986-987
Louis V is the last of the Carolingian rulers of France.
Beginning of the rebuilding of Peking. 986
Eric the Red. 986
Sails from Iceland once again with a fleet of twenty five ships, to found a settlement in Greenland.
Sabuktagin. Moslem Amir of Ghazni invades Punjab, India. 986
Louis V, King of France, while hunting, is thrown from his horse against a rock. May 987
He dies from his injuries.
Louis V is the last of the Carolingian Dynasty of kings.
Vladimir, Prince of Kiev, leads a Russian embassy, and visits Constantinople, the capital of the
Byzantine Empire. 987
Hugh Capet. Elected King of France (rules 987-996). July 987
Marks the end of Carolingian Dynasty of kings.
Hugh Capet is the founder of the Capetian Dynasty of the Kings of France.
The Capetian line will rule 937-1328.
Great dearth throughout Albania. 987
Thousands perish.
Revolt of Bardas Phocas against Basil II, Byzantine Emperor. 987
Main period of Mayan Empire comes to an end. 987
Death of St. Dunstan at Canterbury. May 19, 988
Vikings attack Devon and Somerset, England. 988
Irish Danes attack Wales. 988
Conversion of Vladimir, the Saint (King of the Rus), Prince of Kiev, from paganism to Christianity. 988
Vladimir will request baptism (989).
Beginning of the conversion of Russia to the Byzantine (eastern) form of Christianity by Saint
Vladimir the Great, Prince of Kiev. 988
Vladimir orders the destruction of all pagan works of art.
Summons Byzantine artists to his court at Kiev.
Famine. France. 987-1059
During this period, one million die from starvation.
Vladimir, the Great, Prince of Kiev, conquers Kherson in the Crimea. 988
Vladimir the Great, the son of Svyatoslav, makes a treaty with Basil II, the Byzantine Emperor. 988
Vladimir, marries Anna, the daughter of Basil II.
Desyatinnaya or the “Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin” at Kiev, Russia. 989
The cathedral will collapse in 1240.
Famine. England. 989
“Grevious” famine caused by rains in the winter. Thousands perish.
Al Hakim. Sixth Fatimid (Shi’ite) Caliph in Egypt. 990-1021
A monster of cruelty, he proclaims his own divinity.
To this very day he is still worshipped by the Druse of Mount Lebanon as
the supreme manifestation of Divine Intelligence and the final
sum of all revelation. He will finally be murdered in 1021.
Musical notation is systematized in Europe. ca.990
Poland submits to the Holy See. 990
By 990, Bulgarian rule extends from the Black Sea to the Adriatic. 990
William V. Duke of Aquitaine. 990-1029
Fulbert of Chartres (student of Gerbert of Aurillac).
Opens a school at Chartres. 990
Battle of Maldon. August 11, 991
(Part of the Danish Invasions of England).
Danish Vikings land at Maldon in Essex and demand tribute.
The Alderman of Essex, Byrhtnoth refuses and is defeated by the Danish Viking invaders.
Byrhtnoth and most of his Anglo-Saxon force are killed in the battle.
The victorious Danes plunder the land at will.
Svein I, Forkbeard of Denmark and Olaf Trygvesson are present.
Ethelred II, the Unready, King of England.
Begins paying tribute, “Danegeld”, to pay off both Earl Haakon, King of Norway and Sweyn I,
Forkbeard, King of Denmark. 991
He pays 10,000 pounds of silver.
Death of Theophano, the widow of Emperor Otto II, and mother of the future Emperor Otto III. 991
Ethelred II, the Unready, King of England.
Makes a treaty with Richard I Duke of Normandy (the Normans). 992
Boleslav I Chrobry (Boleslaus I), the Brave of Poland. 992
Rules 992-1025.
Boleslav I, the son of Mieszko I, organizes the first Polish state.
Although he is a pagan at the time, he will later convert from his false religion and establish
Christianity in Poland.
Langeais Castle. France.
Built by Fulk Nerra, the great builder of castles. 992
Sudden conversion from Viking paganism to Christianity of Olaf Skötkonung, the King of Sweden.
Olaf is the first Christian King of Sweden. His mother is Sigrid, the Strong Minded (pagan). 993
Skötkonung rules Sweden 993-1024.
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. 993
Bernward, Bishop of Hildesheim (993-1022).
Protector of the arts and education. 993
Yorkshire is ravaged by the Viking barbarians. 993
Odilo (b.962-d.1049). Abbot of Cluny. 994-1049
First datable stone “donjon”, or “keep”, is built in France at Langeais Castle, overlooking the
Loire River. 994
Renewal of the invasion of England by the Danish Vikings (994-1012). 994
Danes are led by Sweyn, Forkbeard.
The Danes under Sweyn Forkbeard with the Norwegians under Olaf Tryggvesson sail up the
Thames River and besiege London.
The Viking invaders burn London. Danes are bought off by Ethelred the Unready, with 16,000
pounds of silver.
Sudden and unexpected conversion of Olaf Tryggvesson of Norway from Viking paganism to Christianity. 994
Destruction of the Christian monastery of Monte Cassino by Arab Mohammedans. 994
Boleslav I, Chrobry, King of Poland.
Has extended his kingdom to the Baltic Sea. 994
Garcia Sanchez II. Kingdom of Navarre. 994-1000
Olaf Tryggvesson. Returns to Norway and deposes Earl Haakon. 995
A national assembly is held, and Olaf Tryggvesson is proclaimed King of all Norway. 995
Olaf Tryggvesson (Olaf I). Christian King of Norway. 995-1000
Olaf I begins the conversion of Norway, Iceland, and Greenland from Viking paganism to
Christianity.
Boleslav I, King of Poland.
Conversion from paganism to Christianity. 996
Otto III of Germany. Campaigns against the Slavs. 995
Byzantines forces recapture Syria from the moslems. 995
Sweyn (Sven) I, Forkbeard. King of Denmark.
Now also becomes the King of Sweden. 995
Henry II (972-1024)
Succeeds his father, as Duke of Bavaria. 995
Durham Cathedral is begun. 995
Arrival of Icelandic settlers in Greenland. 996
Pope Gregory V, a Saxon. 996-999
Basil II, Byzantine Emperor. Retakes Greece. 996
Otto III (b.980-d.1002), son of Otto II, is crowned Emperor at Rome. 996
Receives consecration from Gregory V, the first German Pope.
Otto III is Emperor: 996-1002.
Beginning of the conversion of Norway from Viking paganism to Christianity. 996
Death of Hugh Capet, King of France. 996
Robert II, the Pious, son of Hugh Capet. King of France. 996-1031
Robert II of France marries the widow of Eudes. 996
Richard II, the Good. Duke of Normandy. 996-1027
St. Adalbert (956-997).
Arrives in Poland and takes over Boleslav's missionary effort. 996
Al-Hakim, sixth Fatimid caliph (Shi’ite). 996-1021
Continues the severe persecution of non-Mohamedans, that is Jews and Christians.
Church of St. Martin of Tours, France. Rebuilt. 997
Kenneth III, King of Scotland. 997-1005
St. Adalbert of Prague (956-997), Christian missionary to Prussia, is martyred by the heathen
Prussians along the Nogat River. Apr. 23, 997
Mahmud, son of Sabuktigan, Sultan of Ghazni. 997-1030
Rise of the Sunni Moslem Ghaznavid Empire in Afghanistan.
Ghazni is now in Afghanistan.
Stephen I (Saint Stephen), son of Geza, called the apostle of Hungary, becomes the first
Christian King of Hungary. 997
Reign of Stephen of Hungary (997-1038).
Stephen begins to establish Christianity in Hungary.
Christians recapture Oporto, the second largest city in Portugal, from the Mohammedans (lost 716). 997
This is part of the Portuguese Reconquista of Portugal.
Forces of Svein, Forkbeard, of Denmark are in Wales and Cornwall. 997
Viking barbarians renew attacks on Dorset, Hants, Sussex, and Kent. 997-999
Crescentius the Younger, the Roman Duke, removes Pope Gregory V and installs John XVI as
an anti-pope. 998
Battle of Sant Angelo. 998
Otto III, son of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor, takes an army to Rome.
Otto III removes the anti-pope, John XVI, and restores Gregory V, the first German pope.
Otto III executes Crescentius the Younger.
St. Heribert (d.1021). 998
Named archbishop of Cologne.
Al Mansur leads the moslems out of Cordoba, goes through Portugal, and raids Santiago de
Compostela. July-Aug 997
The city is empty so he orders his men to burn the city.
Gerbert of Aurillac. French monk, scholar, teacher, and inventor. 999
Becomes Pope Sylvester II, the first French Pope (until his death in 1003). He is 50 years old.
Gerbert was a master of theology, philosophy, logic, astronomy, biology, physics, mathematics,
and languages.
His contemporaries were astonished by his encyclopedic mind.
Pope Sylvester II. French. 999-1003
Armenia is reunited to the Byzantine Empire. 999
Once again, the Danish Vikings sail up the Thames River, meeting the men of Ethelred the
Unready outside Rochester. 999
Ethelred the Unready is totally unprepared for this attack.
Final expedition of Basil II, the Byzantine Emperor against the Fatimids in Syria. 999
Under Boleslav I, Poland gains Silesia, Moravia, and Cracow. 999
Alfonso V. King of Léon. 999-1027
The Eleventh Century
Olaf I Tryggvesson, King of Norway (995-1000). 1000
Commissions Leif Ericson to carry the Christian Doctrine to Greenland.
Battle of Svolder (Swold Island in the Baltic Sea). 1000
Olaf Skötkonung, King of Sweden, in a coalition with Sweyn I, Forkbeard, King of Denmark,
defeats Olaf Tryggvesson, King of Norway (995-1000) in a naval battle.
Olaf Tryggvesson manages to escape.
Olaf Skötkonung, King of Sweden, and Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, divide Norway
after the defeat of Olaf I King of Norway. 1000
Stephen I (b.969-1038) 1000
Formally crowned the first King of Hungary with a crown sent to him by Pope Sylvester II.
This is the famous crown of St. Stephen that was captured in World War II by the American army
and returned back to Hungary by the United States in 1978.
Stephen I establishes Christianity in the Kingdom.
St. Stephen of Hungary rules 1000-1038.
Coronation of Stephen of Hungary (b.969-1038). Aug. 15, 1000
Continuation of the conversion of Hungary from indigenous paganism to Christianity.
Stephen, King of Hungary. 1000
Founds the Monastery of Gran (Esztergom).
Receives from the pope the title of “Apostolic Majesty”.
Venice rules over the Dalmatian coast and the Adriatic Sea. 1000
Bohemia and Moravia are united. 1000
Once again, the Norsemen raid the coasts of England. 1000
Beginning of the conversion of what we now call Scandinavia from paganism to Christianity. c.1000
Christianity reaches Iceland. 1000
Conversion of Thorgeir, the Lawspeaker, of Iceland from Viking paganism to Christianity.
Rule of Piasts in Poland. 1000
Christianity reaches Greenland. c.1000
Biarni Heriulfsson. Viking.
Blown off course, he sights the coast of North America. 1000
Conversion of the heathen Leif Eriksson (son of Eric the Red) from Viking paganism to Christianity. 1000
Music school of St. Martial at Limoges. c.1000
Develops the polyphonic style of music.
Leif Ericsson (son of Eric the Red). Norseman.
Discovers North America. Calls it Vineland, the land of grape vines. 1002
Variously identified as Labrador, New Foundland, the New England
Coast, and Martha's Vineyard
Ethelred II, King of England.
Ravages Cumberland and Anglesey (the Isle of Man). 1000
Avicenna. Arabian philosopher and physician.
Writes "Canon of Medicine". ca.1000
The Bamberg Apocalypse. Illustrated manuscript. Germany. 1000
Took three years to produce.
Invention of gunpowder by the Chinese. ca.1000
The Katholikon Church of the Lavra monastery in Mount Athos, Greece. Constructed. 1000-1050
Gandersheim Church. Germany. Built. 1000-1100
Church of St. Fedele in Como, Italy. Built. 1000-1100
Sancho III, the Great, of Navarre. King of Navarre. 1000
Gathers the rulers of Navarre, Leon, and Castille in an alliance
against Al Mansor of Cordoba. Sancho III rules 1000-1035.
Sancho III briefly unites northern Spain under his rule.
By his will his kingdom will be partitioned upon his death into four Christian kingdoms of
Navarre, Aragon, Castile, and Leon; divided among his four sons.
Emperor Otto III visits Boleslav of Poland. 1000
Foundation of archbishopric of Gnesen (Gniezno) in Poland by Otto III.
Contributes to the independent development of Poland.
This moment in 1000AD marks the birth of the Polish nation.
Otto III visits the tomb of Saint Adalbert.
Otto III. Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
Sets out on the journey south to Rome. 1000
Otto III desires to make Rome his permanent residence.
The city of Tivoli revolts against imperial rule. 1000
Otto III restores peace there.
The "Chanson de Roland" is written. ca.1000-1010
Poetic cycle celebrating Charlemagne and his court.
It is not transcribed, however, for many years.
Abbey of St. Hilaire, Poitiers. 1000
St. Pietro. Perugia, Italy. 1000
Earliest surviving translation of the Gospels into English. ca.1000
They were translated from the Latin Vulgate begun by St. Jerome in 382.
Trelleborg. Viking settlement in Denmark. ca.1000
The Vikings attack Normandy. 1000
St. Martin monastery in Canigou, France. ca.1000
The first Romanesque style group of monastic buildings in the Pyrenees.
Center of Judaism moves from Mesopotamia to Spain. 1000
Arabs and Jews become court physicians in Germany. 1000
Temple at Tanjore, India. ca.1000
Uxmol at Yucatan, Mexico. ca.1000
Mayan city covering an area of 250 acres.
Introduction of bronze in the Andes, Peru. 1000
Bronze is valued highly as a more useful metal than gold.
Western seven day week is introduced in China by the Persians. c.1000
Guido d'Arezzo (995-1050). Italian. c.1000
Improves the existing system of musical notation.
Mahmud, Sultan of Ghazni (now in Afghanistan).
Continues the Mohammedan invasion of India. 1001
Mahmud defeats Jaipal Roja of the Punjab, at Peshawar, and annexes his territory.
Mahmud suppresses Hinduism in India.
Otto III (b.980-d.1002).
Attempts to make Rome his capital. 1001
Roman's rebel against Holy Roman Emperor Otto III.
Otto III is driven out by the Romans.
Svein, Forkbeard, of Denmark.
Returns back to England at Hampshire and Devon, burns Teignton, and destroys the armies
of Devon and Somerset. 1001
St. Benigne in Dijon France. Built. 1001-1018
Eastern rotunda is based on the original plan of the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem.
Church of St. Michael, Hildesheim, Germany. 1001-1034
This church encouraged work that showed both humanity and a
strong sense of order and ritual.
Otto III (b.980-d.1002). Prepares to retake Rome. 1002
The Romans refuse to open the gates of Rome to him.
Not wanting to wreak havoc on Rome, Otto III remains outside the city of Rome in the fortress
of Paterno.
Death from illness of Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor at Paterno, Italy. 1002
He dies within a few days of his 22nd birthday.
He was never married and never had children.
Henry II, the Saint (b.972-d.1024), cousin of Otto III, and Duke of Bavaria, is chosen King of
Germany. Last of the Saxon kings. 1002
Henry II rules as King of Germany 1002-1024.
Henry II will be canonized in 1146.
Ethelred II, the Unready, gives the Danes 24,000 pounds of silver in exchange for a temporary truce.1002
Ethelred II the Unready, King of England, marries Emma, the sister of Richard II, Duke of Normandy.1002
Battle of Calatañazor. 1002
Part of the Spanish Reconquista of Spain (711-1492).
Sancho II the Great, moves his Christian forces south in an attempt to block Al Mansor's invasion
at the plain separating northern and southern
Spain. The Christian army deploys itself at Calatañazor and braces itself
for the Mohammedan attack. After a day of fighting, Al Mansor gives
the order to retreat. He later dies of an infected wound.
A monk from Burgos wrote "Al Mansor died in 1002. He was buried in Hell.”
Al Mansur dies (1002). Breakup of the caliphate of Cordoba. 1002
Beginning of the temporary decline of the caliphate of Cordoba in Spain.
Brian Boru of Munster. Rules as high King of Ireland. 1002-1014
Raoul Glaber.
"Concerning the Construction of Churches throughout the World." 1002-1003
Basil II Byzantine Emperor. Defeats the Bulgarians at Vidin. 1002
Byzantine forces take over Macedonia. 1002
Massacre of St. Brice's Day. Nov. 13, 1002
Danish Viking mercenaries in southern England are murdered by order of Ethelred II, the Unready.
In retaliation, the Danes will continue to raid England regularly from 1002 until 1014.
Aelfric of Eynsham (c.955-1020).
“Heptateuch”. 1002-1005
Translates the first seven books of the Old Testament into what is now called “Old English”.
Svein Forkbeard, King of Denmark, attacks England. 1002
War between Germany and Poland. 1003-1018
Poland seizes Bohemia (only to 1004). 1003
Bulgaria retakes Macedonia from the Byzantine Empire. 1003
Thorfinn Karlsefni founds a small settlement in North America. 1003
Settlement ends abruptly in 1006.
Henry II, the Saint, King of Germany.
Founds Bamberg Cathedral. 1003
Death of Gerbert of Aurillac (Pope Sylvester II). 1003
Sweyne (also Sven). King of Denmark and Sweden. Lands in England with an army of Norsemen
and wreaks a terrible vengeance. Sweyne harries Wessex. 1003
England is now under Danish rule. 1003-1014
Al-Hakim, ruler of Egypt and Palestine.
Begins his attack on Christians throughout his territories. 1003
Culminates in 1009.
Arduin of Ivres, has himself crowned King of Italy (anti-King). 1004
Henry II (972-1024)
First Italian campaign. Defeats Ardoin of Ivres in Lombardy. 1004
Crowned King of Lombardy at Pavia, Italy.
Sack of Pisa, Italy by Arab Mohammedans. 1004
Henry II (972-1024).
Drives Boleslaus I Chrobry of Poland out of Bohemia. 1004
Great famine. England. 1004-1005
A famine "such as no man could remember". Thousands perish.
Rule of the Samanides is overthrown in Persia. 1004
Byzantine forces seize Skoplje in Croatia. 1004
St. Nilus of Rossano (910-1005).
Founds the famous Monastery at Grottaferrata. 1004
China becomes tributary of the Tungusic Khitans. 1004
Death of St. Nilus of Rossano (910-1005). December 27, 1005
Death of St. Wulsin. 1005
Malcolm II. King of Scotland. 1005-1034
Fulbert of Chartres (student of Gerbert of Aurillac).
Bishop of Chartres. 1006-1028
Rudolph III of Burgundy appoints Henry II of Germany as his heir. 1006
Mohammedans settle in northwest India. 1006
St. Alphege (c.954-1012).
Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury (1006-1012). 1006
Ethelred II, the Unready, buys two years of freedom from attacks from the Danes under Svein
Forkbeard for 36,000 pounds of silver. 1007
Earthquake. Deinar, Asia Minor. 1007
Over 10,000 people are buried in ruins.
Basil II, Byzantine Emperor.
Once again recaptures Macedonia from the Bulgarians. 1007
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, founds the bishopric of Hamburg. 1007
Mahmud (Moslem), Sultan of Ghazni, defeats the Hindu League at Peshawar. 1008
Berno. Abbot of Reichenau.
Begins to write his books on music theory. c.1008
Famine with plague. Wales. Thousands perish. 1008
Fourth Moslem Civil War. 1008-1031
Fought in Spain. Leads to the elimination of the Umayyad caliphate in Spain.
Moslem domains break up into separate kingdoms.
Death of St. Bernard of Menthon (923-1008) at Novarra, Italy. 1008
St. Boniface (Bruno of Querfurt) and eighteen companions are massacred by pagan Prussians
on the Russian border near Poland. Feb. 14, 1009
Thietmar. Bishop of Merseburg. 1009-1018
"Chronicle". Written.
Continuation of the long build up to the permanent East-West schism in the church. 1009
Will end in final separation in 1054.
Destruction of the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem by the Mohammedans under
Caliph al-Hakim the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt. 1009
The Holy Sepulchre is profaned by the Mohammedans.
Fall of Cosenza, Italy to the Mohammedans. 1009
Danish Vikings attack London. 1009
St. Pedro de Casserres. Spain. Romanesque style church. c.1010
Baptism of Olaf (b.995-d.1030), son of Harold, King of Norway, at Rouen. 1010
Civil War continues to break up the Omayyad kingdom in Spain into smaller Mohammedan states. 1010
The Berbers plunder Cordoba, Spain and massacre the population. 1010
The "Handkerchief" of Saint Veronica is kept in a special altar at Rome, Italy. 1011
Battle of Mortlack. 1011
Between the Danish Vikings under Sweyn I, Forkbeard, and the Scots under King Malcolm II.
The Danish Vikings are totally defeated and forced to flee to their ships.
Ethelred II, King of England, invades South Wales. 1011
Danish Viking invasion of Canterbury. 1011
Danish Vikings invade Canterbury, England, plunder the city, kill the people, murder the religious,
rob the churches, and take the Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Aelfheah (Alphege), (954-1012)
captive in order to get a ransom.
St. Alphege is held prisoner by the Danish Vikings for several months. Alphege refuses to allow
the people to raise the ransom for his release.
St. Alphege is severely beaten by his Danish captors until one of them ends his life (1012) by a
blow with a Viking axe.
Svein Forkbeard of Denmark is bought off in Canterbury. 1011
Ethelred II, the Unready, pays an additional 48,000 pounds of silver.
Svein Forkbeard leaves England.
Slav rebellion in Northalbingia and Northern March. 1011-1013
Saint Romuald (c.950-1027).
Founds Christian monastery at Vallombrosa. 1012
Heinrich Cathedral. Bamberg. 1012
Construction is begun on the church of St. Martin in Angers, France. 1012
This church contains the oldest of French Romanesque style domes.
Famine. England. Thousands perish. 1012
Famine. Germany. Thousands perish. 1012
Greenstead-Juxta-Ongar Church in Essex, England. 1013
This is the only Anglo-Saxon church with wooden walls.
Church of Saint Miniato in Florence. 1013
This is an example of an early Christian basilica.
Svein I, Forkbeard, of Denmark.
Claims his right to the throne of England. 1013
Sweyn I, Forkbeard of Denmark (bastard son of Harold Bluetooth) and his son Canute invade
England with over 300 Viking ships. 1013
Sweyn I takes Northumbria, Wessex, and London.
Sweyn, Forkbeard, conquers and controls all of England.
Ethelred II, the Unready, his Norman wife Emma, and his son Edward, flee from England and
cross over to her home in Normandy (1013-14).
Sweyn I, Forkbeard, of Denmark rules England. 1013-1014
The Danish Vikings will rule England for 29 years. 1013-1042
The Bulgarian army defeats the Byzantine army by driving them 1014
into a narrow valley in Macedonia and smashing them with stones.
Henry II (b.972-d.1024). Holy Roman Emperor.
Second Italian campaign. Ardoin of Ivrea submits. 1014
Henry II is crowned Holy Roman Emperor at Rome by Pope Benedict VIII.
Henry II is Emperor 1014-1024.
Battle of Balathista. 1014
Defeat of the Bulgarians at Balathista in the valley of the Struma river by the Byzantine Emperor
Basil II. Basil II has the Bulgarian army of almost 15,000 prisoners blinded. He blinds ninety nine
out of every 100 captives.
Basil II leaves one out of every 100 men with one eye and has them lead the rest of the men back home.
When Samuel, the Bulgarian leader, sees his blinded army, he dies on the spot.
Basil II begins the conquest of the first Bulgarian Empire (to 1018).
Sudden death of Sweyn I, Forkbeard, King of Denmark. January 1014
He is succeeded by his son Canute as King of England.
Canute is king 1014-1035.
Incredibly, right before his death, Sweyn I Forkbeard and his son Canute convert from Viking
heathenism to Christianity.
Battle of Clontarf. April 23, 1014
Brian Borumha of Ireland defeats the Danish Viking invaders at
Clontarf (Dublin, Ireland).
Brian Borumha (also Boru) is killed in battle.
Brian kills 7,000 Northmen in a Good Friday battle finally ending the Viking era in Ireland.
End of Viking rule in Ireland.
The English recall Ethelred II, the Unready, as king. 1014
Ethelred II launches an invasion and successfully recaptures England from the Danish Vikings.
Canute, King of Denmark, is forced back to Denmark.
Wulfstan (d.1023).
Writes “Sermo Lupi ad Anglos,” his most famous sermon. 1014
Cnut (Canute) again invades England. 1015
War between the Danes and the Saxons.
Submission of Wessex, England to Canute, King of Denmark. 1015
Olaf II Haraldsson. Returns to Norway. 1015
Captures most of Norway back from the Danes and the Swedes.
Olaf II (Haraldsson), the Saint. King of Norway. 1015-1028
Olaf II Haraldsson. Restores the independence of Norway. 1015
Begins the conversion of Norway from Viking paganism to Christianity.
Robert II. King of France.
Brings Burgundy under control of the French kings. 1015
Strasbourg Cathedral, France. Begun. c.1015
Vladimir dies at Beresyx, Russia while leading an expedition against his rebellious son Yaroslav
in Novgorod. 1015
Beginning of the reign of Yaroslav (also written Jaroslav) the Wise. 1015
Prince of Kiev. Rules 1015-1054.
Yaroslav the Wise is the son of St. Vladimir.
Yaroslav the Great, Prince of Kiev. Rules Russia. 1015-1054
Builds churches, Christian schools, cities, and codifies Russian law.
Fall of Sardinia to the Arab Mohammedans. 1015
Will be recaptured by Christians the following year in 1016.
Introduction of sight singing at Pomposa monastery in Italy. 1015
Arrival of Norman knights in southern Italy. 1016
Forty Norman knights, returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land,
stop at Salerno. They are invited by the people of the city to join them in repelling a Mohammedan
attack.
The military prowess of these Norman knights is such that they are urged to stay.
Beginning of the re-conquest of Southern Italy from the moslems by Norman knights. 1016
Beginning of Norman infiltration of moslem ruled Sicily. 1016
The European continent is crippled by severe famine. 1016
Thousands perish.
Death of Ethelred II, the Unready, King of England. April 1016
Edmund II, Ironside, and Canute divide the kingdom among themselves.
Canute holds the north of England and Edmund II holds Wessex.
Edmund II, Ironside, is assassinated. Nov. 1016
St. Olaf (Olaf II) Haraldsson of Norway.
Reunites the divided Norway. 1016-1028
Canute (also Cnut), the Great, King of Denmark, is elected King of all of England by the English. 1016
Canute makes England the center of his North Sea empire.
England becomes part of the Danish Empire.
Reign of Canute the Great in Denmark and England. 1016-1035
Canute is a Christian (Roman Catholicism).
His descendants will rule England until 1042.
Battle of Nesje. 1016
Olaf Haraldsson of Norway defeats Earl Sweyn and becomes
King of Norway (rules 1016-1028).
Ends the rule of Sweden and Denmark since 1000.
Christianity begins to be established in what is still pagan Norway.
Sardinia is rescued from the Mohammedans under Mujahid of Denia, by the Pope, Pisa, and Genoa.1016
Second great Slav uprising in Germany. 1016
St. Paul’s, Worms. 1016
Canute the Great.
Divides England into four earldoms. 1017
Bernay Abbey, France. Earliest surviving Norman Church. 1017-1050
Battle of Carham. 1018
Malcolm II, King of Scotland, defeats Northumbria at the Battle of Carham.
Malcolm II extends his kingdom at the expense of Northumbria.
Union of southern and northern Scotland. 1018
Basil II. Byzantine Emperor.
Western Bulgaria is again reduced to a Byzantine province. 1018
Byzantine Empire regains Macedonia from the Bulgarians.
Submission of the Bulgarians to the Byzantine Empire.
The Byzantine Empire defeats and absorbs Bulgaria.
End of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria will remain under Byzantine rule from 1018 until 1185.
Peace of Bautzen. 1018
End of war between Poland (Boleslav) and Germany (Henry II). Poland keeps Lusatia.
Council of Oxford. 1018
King Canute confirms the laws of Edgar, King of England (959-975).
Danes and English are to live under English laws.
Mahmud of Ghazni pillages the city of Muttra, India. 1018
King Canute marries Emma of Normandy, the widow of Ethelred II. 1019
Her son Edward remains in Normandy.
Caliph al-Hakim proclaims that he is an incarnation of God. 1020
Al-Hakim, the sixth Fatimid Caliph, founds the Druse sect, a sect venerating al-Hakim, the
Fatimid caliph.
Consecration of Bamberg Cathedral by Pope Benedict VIII. 1020
Originally built by St. Henry II.
Ripoll Abbey, Spain. 1020-1032
Copied from the plan of the Old St. Peter’s Church at Rome.
Church of St. Vincente de Cardona in Spain. 1020-1040
Church of the Apostles, in Athens, Greece. ca.1020
The crypt of Chartres Cathedral. 1020
England. Great inundations followed by plague. 1020
Number of dead is unknown.
St. Vitus dance epidemics in Europe. 1021
Assassination of Al-Hakim. 1021
Beginning of the temporary decline of Fatimid (Shi’ite) power.
Az-Zahir. Fatimid Caliph of Egypt. 1021-1036
Basil II. Byzantine Emperor.
Campaigns against Armenia. 1021-1022
Henry II. Holy Roman Emperor.
Third Italian campaign. 1021-1022
Unsuccessful expedition of Emperor Henry II against Byzantine forces in Apulia in Southern Italy.
Synod of Pavia. 1022
Insists on maintaining the celibacy of the priesthood both in the West and also in the Byzantine churches.
Robert, King of France, has thirteen Cathari (Catharism) heretics executed by burning, in his
presence at Orleans. 1022
Famine followed by drought. Hindustan. 1022
During the reign of Musaood I, entire countries are depopulated.
Number of thousands of deaths is unknown.
The Tale of Genji by Fujiwara no Nobutaka, called Murasaki Shikibu (978-c.1031), woman novelist
and poet. 1022
It is regarded by many to be Japan’s greatest novel.
Death of Eric, the Saint, King of Sweden. 1022
Abbadides (Abbadids), Arab Mohammedan dynasty. 1023-1091
Briefly rules Seville, Spain.
The Abbadides will rule until the occupation of Seville by the Almoravids.
Saint Romuald (c.950-1027).
Founds a Christian monastery at Camaldoli near Arezzo. 1023
Death of Holy Roman Emperor, St. Henry II (b.972-1024). July 13, 1024
St. Cunegundes (d.1033), the wife of Emperor Henry II (972-1024). 1024
Enters the Benedictine convent at Kaufungen, Hesse, after her husband’s death.
Henry II (972-1024), Holy Roman Emperor, is succeeded as German King by Conrad II, the Salic,
Duke of Franconia. 1024
End of the Saxon dynasty. Conrad rules 1024-1039.
Will be crowned emperor in 1027.
A Franconian family known as the Salian dynasty comes into power.
Salian line of emperors of the Holy Roman Empire are in power. 1024-1125
Olaf Skottkonung, King of Sweden (son of Eric the Conqueror).
Is murdered by rebellious followers at Stockholm when he refuses to sacrifice to the false gods
of the heathen Vikings. 1024
Pope John XIX. 1024-1032
Basil II, Byzantine Emperor.
Sends an embassy to Pope John XIX at Rome.
Asks for independent rights of the eastern patriarch (autocephalia). 1024
John XIX realizes that this would lead to a split between the East and West and therefore refuses.
Conquest of Somnath in Gujarat, India by Mahmud of Ghazni, Mohammedan ruler in India. 1024
Death of Byzantine Emperor Basil II, Bulgaroctonos. 1025
Basil II is succeeded by Constantine VIII. 1025-1028
Constantine VIII is the brother of Basil II.
Council of Arras. 1025
Condemns the Cathari (Neo-Manichaeans and Albigenses).
Indecisive battle between Canute and Olaf at Holy River, Sweden. 1025
Boleslav I (ruled 992-1025), ruler since 992.
Accepts the title of King of Poland. Dies in same year. 1025
Mieszko II Lambert. King of Poland. 1025-1034
Guido d’Arezzo. Italian. 1025
“Micrologus.”
Prepares a guide for the teaching of music, one of the seven Liberal Arts.
Rains and plague in England cause famine. 1025
Thousands perish.
Great famine. Egypt. Thousands perish. 1025-1026
During the Caliphate of Az-Zahir.
Limburg Abbey, Germany.
Massive basilican church. Now ruined. 1025-1041
Canute, King of England and Denmark.
Goes on pilgrimage to the city of Rome. 1026-1027
Conrad II. First expedition to Italy. 1026-1027
Council of Elne. 1026
Hisham III (Hixem). Umayyad Caliph in Spain (Cordoba). 1026-1031
With him will end the Caliphate of the West (1031).
Richard III. Duke of Normandy. 1026-1027
Malcolm II of Scotland does homage to Canute. 1026
Pope John XIX.
Crowns Conrad II Holy Roman Emperor at Rome. Mar. 1027
Conrad II is the first emperor of the House of Franconia.
Robert I the Devil (Robert le Diable) becomes Duke of Normandy. 1027
Robert I rules 1027-1035.
He is the father of the future William the Conqueror (b.1027-d.1087).
Death of Saint Romuald (c.950-1027). June 19, 1027
St. Stephen I of Hungary.
Wins Slovakia from Poland. 1027
Birth of William of Normandy (the future William the Conqueror). 1027
Lives 1027-1087.
New empire of the Mayas extends north to Mexico. 1027
Invasion and conquest of Norway by Canute the Great. 1028
Canute gains control of Norway.
Olaf is driven out of Norway by Canute and takes refuge in Russia.
Canute is made king of Norway (1028-1035).
Romanus III Argyropulos. Byzantine Emperor. 1028-1034
Sancho of Navarre acquires Castile. 1028
Settlement of Normans in Southern Italy. 1029
Begins at Aversa near Naples.
Bermudo III. King of Leon. 1028-1037
Destruction of half of the city of Damascus (Asiatic Turkey) by earthquake. 1029
Thousands are killed.
Romanus III, Byzantine Emperor, makes an assault on the Saracens in Syria. 1030
The Mohammedans however defeat the Byzantine army.
Olaf II Haraldsson returns back from Russia and attempts to regain the throne of the kingdom
of Norway. 1030
Battle of Stiklestad (in Norway). July 29. 1030
Canute defeats and kills Olaf II Haraldsson, the former King of Norway.
Guido of Arezzo. Italian Christian monk.
Devises modern system of music notation. c.1030
Jaroslav of Kiev.
Founds Dorpat. 1030
Speyer Cathedral. Germany. Begun. c.1030
Will be completed in 1853.
Prince Emeric, son of Stephen of Hungary. 1030
Assumes command of the royal army. The Hungarians defeat the forces of the German
Emperor Conrad II, pushing them back to Vienna.
The Seljuks advance in Asia Minor. 1030
Henry I (b.1004-d.1060). Capetian King of France. 1031-1060
End of Moslem Civil War (1008-1031). 1031
Collapse of the Omayyad Dynasty (Caliphate of Córdoba) in Spain, that was established in 755.
Hisham III (Hixem), the last of the Omayyads, is banished from Córdoba
and sent into exile.
The Omayyad dynasty of Abu Sufyan vanishes from history.
Death of Rudolph III of Burgundy.
Conrad II unites Burgundy with the Holy Roman Empire. 1032
Pope Benedict IX. 1032-1045
The Germans and Russians defeat Mieczyslav II of Poland. 1033
Poland becomes fief of the Holy Roman Empire.
Harold III, surnamed Hardrada, future king of Norway (1047), enters the military service at
Constantinople. 1033
Vikings help Byzantine fleets defeat the Mohammedan invaders. 1033-1035
Great famine in France. 1033
Murder of Romanus III, Byzantine Emperor. 1034
Michael IV, the Paphlagonian, becomes Byzantine Emperor.
Michael IV rules 1034-1041.
Pagan uprising (“Pagan reaction”) in Poland. 1034-1040
Murder of Malcolm II of Scotland. 1034
He is succeeded by his grandson Duncan I.
Duncan I rules Scotland 1034-1040.
Duncan I. King of Scotland. 1034-1040
Bratislav. Duke of Bohemia. 1034-1055
Würzberg Cathedral. Begun. 1034
Death of Sancho, the Great, of Navarre. 1035
Appearance of the Kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, and Navarre in Northern Spain.
Ferdinand I, the Great. King of Castile. 1035-1065
Garcia Sanchez III. King of Navarre. 1035-1054
Ramiro I. First King of Aragon. 1035-1065
Death of Robert I, the Duke of Normandy, at Nicaea, after returning from his pilgrimage to
Jerusalem. 1035
William (the future William the Conqueror) of Normandy inherits the rule of northwestern
France from his father Robert I, Duke of Normandy.
William will remain Duke of Normandy from 1035 until his death in 1087.
Death of Canute the Great. 1035
His kingdom is divided between his three sons.
Harold I Harefoot receives England (rules 1035-1040).
Magnus I receives Norway (rules 1035-1047).
Hardicanute rules Denmark (rules 1035-1042).
St. Peter Damian (1001-1072). Benedictine Order.
Joins the Benedictine Order at Fonte Avellana. 1035
He devotes himself to the study of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Beginning of the Norman conquest of southern Italy, from the Byzantine Empire. 1036
Conrad II subdues the Lyutitzi Slavs. 1036
By 1036, Yaroslav controls all of Russia. 1036
Conrad II. Second expedition to Italy. 1036
Union of León and Castile in Spain under Ferdinand I, the Great. 1037
Ferdinand I, the Great (d.1065)
King of León and Castile. 1037-1065
Ferdinand I of Castile (d.1065). 1037
Asserts supremacy over the few territories in Spain that are not under Mohammedan rule.
Continues with the Spanish Reconquista (711-1492).
Notre Dame in Jumiégè, France. Built. 1037-1067
Early Norman style Catholic Church.
Church of St. Sophia (Holy Wisdom), Kiev, Russia. Begun. 1037-1046
The most influential ecclesiastical structure in Russian architecture.
Seljuk Empire. 1037
Appearance of the Seljuk Turks in the Middle East.
The Seljuk Empire included what is now called Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
Tughrul Beg.
Grand Sultan (first) of the Seljuk Empire. 1037-1063
Death of Avicenna (ibn Sina) of Bokhara (980-1037). 1037
Death of St. Stephen of Hungary (b.969-d.1038). August 15, 1038
He dies 38 years to the day after his coronation in August 15, 1000.
Peter Orseolo. King of Hungary. 1038-1041
St. John Gualbert. Italian.
Founding of the Order of Vallombrosians at Vallombrosa (Vallis Umbrosa). 1038
A mixed force of Byzantines, Italians, and Norwegians recapture Rametta, Sicily from the
occupying Mohammedans. 1038
Casimir I, the Restorer. King of Poland. 1038-1058
Bratislav of Bohemia seizes Silesia. 1038
Eadsige (Easdin) d.1050. Archbishop of Canterbury. 1038-1050
Agreement between Hardacnut of Denmark and Magnus of Norway. 1038
Invasion and conquest of Persia by the Seljuk Turks. 1038
Destruction of the city of Shansi, China by an earthquake. 1038
23,000 dead.
Defeat of the English by Gruffydd ap Llywellyn, king of Gwynedd and Powys. 1039
Death of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor. 1039
Reign of Henry III (of the House of Franconia; Salian dynasty). 1039-1056
During his reign Henry III defeats the Bohemians and Hungarians, and makes them both tributary.
Church of St. Maria im Kapitol in Cologne, Germany. 1040-1069
Payern Priory, Switzerland. ca.1040-1100
This is the finest Swiss Romanesque style Catholic Church.
Destruction of the city of Tabriz, Persia by earthquake. 1040
Over 50,000 people are killed.
Death of Harold I Harefoot of England. 1040
He is succeeded by his half-brother Hardicanute.
Hardicanute is King of England. 1040-1042
Liberation of Dragina, Sicily from the moslems, by a Christian army. 1040
Macbeth kills Duncan in battle at Elgin. 1040
Macbeth becomes King of Scotland after killing his predecessor Duncan I, King of Scotland.
Macbeth. King of Scotland. 1040-1057
Seljuks defeat the Ghaznavids at Dandankan. 1040
Petrocellus.
“Practica.” 1040
Medical work of the school of medicine of Salerno, Italy.
Outbreak of Bulgarian Revolt against Byzantine rule. 1040
Revolt is led by the Slav leader Peter Delyan.
Proclamation of the “Truce of God” in Aquitaine. 1040
Theotokos Church at the Hosios Lucas monastery. c.1040
Battle of Montemaggiore. 1041
Defeat of the Byzantine Greeks by the Lombards and the Normans at Montemaggiore.
The Normans defeat Byzantine forces in Apulia, Italy.
Normans conquer Apulia, Italy. 1041
Michael V Kalaphates. Byzantine Emperor. 1041-1042
Bratislav I is forced to do homage to the German Emperor Heinrich III (the Black) and relinquish
Polish territory. 1041
Casimir I. Duke of Poland. 1041-1058
Abo Samuel usurps the throne of Hungary. 1041
Peter Orseolo, the legal heir, flees to Germany.
Abo Samuel rules Hungary 1041-1044.
Hardicanute, King of England, and son of Canute and Emma of Normandy, has a fit during an
orgy and dies of drink. 1042
End of the line of Canute the Great.
End of Danish rule in England (1013-1042).
The throne of England reverts back to the Wessex dynasty, with Edward, who will one day be
known as St. Edward the Confessor.
St. Edward the Confessor (b.1003-d.1066). 1042
At the age of forty, Edward the son of Ethelred II, King of Wessex and Emma of Normandy is
called from Normandy, France where he was raised.
Edward restores Anglo-Saxon rule in England.
Serves his country as the first Anglo-Saxon king to rule over a united England. He is crowned
in the famous Winchester
Cathedral by Archbishop Eadsige.
Edward will rule 1042 until his death in 1066.
Magnus, the Good, son of Olaf II, succeeds Hardicanute, thereby joining Norway and Denmark. 1042
Magnus, the Good, rules as king of Norway and Denmark: 1042-1047.
Proclamation of the “Truce of God” in Normandy. 1042
Giorgios Maniakas, Byzantine general.
Defeats the Normans at the battle of Monopoli near Naples. 1042
Michael V, Byzantine Emperor desires to be the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire. He exiles
Zoe to the island of Prinkipio. 1042
The people of Constantinople rebel against Michael V for exiling Zoe.
Zoe and Theodora. Empresses of Byzantium. 1042
Constantine IX, Monomachos. Byzantine Emperor. 1042-1055
The Byzantine Empire is ravaged by famine. 1042
Thousands of Byzantines perish.
Church of Nea Moni at Chios, Greece. 1042-1056
Michael Cerularius. Patriarch of Constantinople. 1043-1058
This is one of the key figures in the controversies that will soon divide Constantinople from
the Roman Catholic Church.
Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople (1043-1058).
Reproaches the Roman Catholic Church for using unleavened bread for communion (the Eucharist).1043
Church of Saint Mark, Venice. Begun. 1043
Completed 1094.
Fourth expedition of Russian fleet against Constantinople. 1043
The Russians are defeated.
Birth of Rodrigo Diaz, El Cid (1045-1099). 1045
Harold, son of Godwin, and brother-in-law of King Edward, is made Earl of East Anglia. 1045
Berengarius (or Bérenger). c.1045
Begins to attack the doctrine of Transubstantiation and the Real Presence.
Henry III restores Peter Orseolo to the throne of Hungary. 1045
King Peter Orseolo returns to Hungary and does homage to Henry III, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster, England. 1045-1065
Also called the second Westminster Abbey.
Built for King Edward the Confessor in London.
This is the first church in England that is built in the Norman style of architecture.
St. Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Cathedral, Novgorod, Russia. Begun. c.1045
Henry III (b.1017-d.1056). Dec. 25, 1046
Crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in Rome.
Emperor 1046-1056.
Synod of Sutri. 1046
Beginnings of Cluny Reform of the Papacy.
Andrew I. King of Hungary. 1046-1060
Church of St. Ambrogio (Ambrose). Milan, Italy. 1046-1150
Consecration of the Church of St. Gertrude, Nivelles, Belgium. 1046
William of Normandy (age 20). 1047
With the help of a cavalry force of Henry I, King of France, William
defeats rebellious nobles at the Battle of Val-des-Dunes, near Caen.
William of Normandy establishes his position as Duke of Normandy.
Snow and frost cause famine in Ireland. 1047
Thousands perish.
Famine. Scotland. 1047-1048
Thousands perish.
Harold III, surnamed Hardrada (“the Stern”), King of Norway. 1047-1066
Harold III defeated the Saracens in 18 battles in Africa.
Sweyn II, Estrithson. King of Denmark. 1047-1076
Saint Leo IX is elected Pope. Leo IX succeeds Pope Damasus II. 1048
Birthplace: Germany.
William of Normandy defeats Geoffrey of Anjou. 1048
William takes Domfront and Alençon.
Byzantine forces defeat invading Seljuk Turks at Sragna. 1048
Michael Constantine Psellus (1018-1096).
Byzantine author, philosopher, and astronomer (born at Constantinople).
“Opus in quatuor mathematicas disciplinas - arithmeticam, musicam, geometriam, et astronomiam.” c.1048
Leo IX (1002-1054) is consecrated Pope. February 12, 1049
Pope 1049-1054.
Death of Odilo (b.962-d.1049), Abbot of Cluny since 994. 1049
Hugh is Abbot of Cluny (1049-1109).
Saint Leo IX (Pope) consecrates the Cathedral of Rheims. 1049
Hildebrand (c.1020-1085) is called from the cloisters of a French monastery, to Rome, in order
to become the advisor of the Church. 1049
Condemnation of Berengarius at Vercelli. 1050
Beginning of the penetration of the Normans into England. 1050
Oldest Christian monasteries in Kiev, Russia. c.1050
Exeter Cathedral, England. Begun. 1050
“Vie de St. Alexis.” French biography. 1050
Continued development of polyphonic (many voiced) music in Europe.
Begins to replace Gregorian chant. c.1050
Jain temples (Jainism) at Mount Abu, India. c.1055
Palazzo Reale. Palermo, Sicily. 1050
Collapse of Egypt under military dictatorship. 1050
St. Augustine Rotunda, Canterbury, England. ca.1050
Anglo-Saxon Rotunda.
Cathedral of St. Sophia (Holy Wisdom), Novgorod, Russia.
Completed. c.1050
St. Saviour Church in the Chora, Constantinople. ca.1050
Also known as the Kariye Djami.
Rebuilt on fourth century foundations.
Barrenness of the land in England causes famine, disease, and mortality. 1050
Thousands perish.
Emergence of Romanesque style architecture in Europe. c.1050
William of Normandy (b.1027-d.1087).
Visits his childless kinsman, Edward the Confessor (1003-1066) in England. 1051
William of Normandy (b.1027-d.1087).
William receives the promise of succession to the English throne from his cousin Edward the
Confessor (1003-1066). 1051
Great famine forces migration of Toltecs in Mexico. 1051
Unknown thousands perish.
St. Edward the Confessor (1003-1066), King of England.
Founds and builds Westminster Abbey, near London. 1052
Seven years of drought at Ghor (Hindustan) burns the earth and causes mass death from famine,
heat, and disease. 1052-1060
Thousands perish.
William I, the Conqueror (b.1027-d.1087)
Marries Matilda of Flanders, a descendant of Alfred the Great (d.899). 1052
Stigand (a Saxon). Becomes Archbishop of Canterbury. 1052-1070
Pisa recaptures Sardinia from the Arabs Mohammedans. 1052
Robert Guiscard (c.1015-1085). Norman. 1053
Conquers Southern Italy and founds Norman empire there.
Vassalage of Normans in Italy to the Pope. 1053
Danegeld is abolished. 1053
Henry IV, son of Henry III.
Elected and crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. 1053
Godwin, Earl of Essex.
Leads a revolt and forces the exile of the Norman appointees of Edward the Confessor. 1053
Godwin will die before the end of the year.
Michael Cerularius.
Orders the closing of all churches of the Roman Catholic (Latin) rite in Constantinople. 1053
Pope Leo IX sends an embassy to Constantinople. 1053
They will arrive the following year in 1054.