Year 966 ( CMLXVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

By place

Byzantine Empire

23 June 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

- Byzantine-Arab War: A prisoner exchange occurs at the border between the Byzantine Empire and the Emirate of Aleppo at Samosata, headed by Emperor Nikephoros II and Sayf al-Dawla, the Emir of Aleppo. The Emirate receives 3,000 captured prisoners from the region of

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...

, after its conquest by the Byzantine Emperor, as well as the poet Abu Firas, who had been previously held prisoner by the Byzantines.

Europe

* Spring – King

Lothair III Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed List of rulers of Saxony, Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected List o ...

marries Princess

Emma of Italy Emma of Italy (c. 948 – after 987) was Queen of Western Francia as the wife of King Lothair, whom she married in 965. Their son, Louis V, was the last Carolingian king. Life Born around 948, Emma was the only child of Lothair II of Italy ...

(the only daughter of Adelaide of Burgundy — second wife of Emperor Otto I (the Great), from her first marriage with King

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder. Reign For political ...

, member of the

Bosonid Dynasty The Bosonids were a dynasty of Carolingian era dukes, counts, bishops and knights descended from Boso the Elder. Eventually they married into the Carolingian dynasty and produced kings and an emperor of the Frankish Empire. The first great scion o ...

). Lothair strengthens his ties with the Holy Roman Empire. He temporarily remains in control of the cities of

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

and Douai. The latter becomes a flourishing textile market centre during the Middle Ages. * April 14 –

Mieszko I Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and ...

, first duke and prince of Poland, is

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, which is usually considered the foundation of the Polish state. Mieszko's baptism, under the influence of his wife Dobrawa, brings his territories into the community of Christian countries. The lands ruled by Mieszko cover about 250,000 km², and are inhabited by about 1,2 million people around this time. *

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May ...

– Pietro IV Candiano, doge of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, remarries to Waldrada of Tuscany, a daughter of Hubert, Duke of Spoleto, and a relative of Otto I. Waldrada brings him a large dowry, including the possessions of

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

, Friuli and Treviso (Northern Italy). * Fall – Otto I departs for a third expedition in Italy and fights in

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

against the partisans under Adalbert II of Ivrea. In November an imperial counter-coup in Rome takes control of

Castel Sant'Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...

. * Winter – Otto I enters Rome and has the twelve principal militia leaders (the ''Decarcones'') hanged. Other plotters of the coup are either executed or blinded. Otto is declared 'liberator of the Church'. * The Hungarians invade the

Bulgarian Empire In the medieval history of Europe, Bulgaria's status as the Bulgarian Empire ( bg, Българско царство, ''Balgarsko tsarstvo'' ) occurred in two distinct periods: between the seventh and the eleventh centuries and again between the ...

and force Peter I, emperor (''

tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

'') of the Bulgarians, to conclude a

peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surr ...

with them. He lets them cross to attack the Byzantine Empire.

Asia

* February 9 – Ono no Michikaze (Ono no Tōfū), Japanese calligrapher, dies after having established the foundations of the 'Waystyle' of calligraphy while serving the imperial court at

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

(modern-day Kyoto).

By topic

Religion

* John VII, patriarch of Jerusalem, is burned at the stake by a Muslim mob after writing to Emperor Nikephoros II, pleading him to intervene in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and retake it from the

Fatimid Caliphate The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...

.Steven Runciman (1987). ''A History of the Crusades, Vol. 1. The First Crusade'', p. 30 (Cambridge University Press). * Re-foundation of Peterborough (also called

Medeshamstede Medeshamstede was the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period. It was the site of a monastery founded around the middle of the 7th century, which was an important feature in the kingdom of Mercia from the outset. Little is known of its ...

) Abbey as a Benedictine monastery by Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester (approximate date).

Births

* Æthelred II (the Unready), king of England (approximate date) * Ali al-Sulayhi, sultan of Yemen,

Tihamah Tihamah or Tihama ( ar, تِهَامَةُ ') refers to the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb. Etymology Tihāmat is the Proto-Semitic language's term for 'sea'. Tiamat (or Tehom, in mas ...

and Mecca (d.

1066 1066 (Roman numerals, MLXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events Worldwide * March 20 – Halley's Comet reaches perihelion. Its appearance is subsequently recorded in the Bayeux Tapestry. Asia * ''un ...

) * Ding Wei, grand chancellor of the Song Dynasty (d.

1037 Year 1037 ( MXXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – A revolt in northern Italy is started by Archbishop Aribert of Milan. K ...

) * Fujiwara no Kintō, Japanese poet and bureaucrat (d.

1041 Year 1041 ( MXLI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * December 10 – Emperor Michael IV (the Paphlagonian) dies after a 6-year re ...

) * Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese nobleman (d.

1028 Year 1028 ( MXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * November 11 – Emperor Constantine VIII dies at Constantinople after a 3-yea ...

) * Gerberga of Burgundy, duchess of

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

(or

965 Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tar ...

) * Heonjeong, queen of Goryeo ( Korea) (d. 992) *

Hisham II Hisham II or Abu'l-Walid Hisham II al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah (, Abū'l-Walīd Hishām al-Muʾayyad bi-ʾllāh) (son of Al-Hakam II and Subh of Cordoba) was the third Umayyad Caliph of Spain, in Al-Andalus from 976 to 1009, and 1010–13. Reign In 9 ...

, caliph of Córdoba ( Spain) (d.

1013 Year in topic Year 1013 ( MXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Henry II of Germany signs a peace treaty at Merseburg with Duke Boles ...

) *

Kenneth III Cináed mac Duib ( Modern Gaelic: ''Coinneach mac Dhuibh''; c. 966 – c. 25 March 1005), anglicised as Kenneth III, and nicknamed ''An Donn'' ("the Chief" or "the Brown"), was King of Scots from 997 to 1005. He was the son of Dub (Dub mac Maíl ...

, king of Scotland (approximate date) *

Louis V Louis V may refer to: * Louis V of France (967–987) * Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and V of Germany (1282–1347) * Louis V, Duke of Bavaria (1315–1361) * Louis V, Elector Palatine (ruled 1508–1544) * Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (ru ...

, king of the West Frankish Kingdom (d.

987 Year 987 ( CMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * February 7 – Bardas Phokas (the Younger) and Bardas Skleros, two membe ...

) *

Lu Zongdao Lu Zongdao ( 966 – 1029), courtesy name Guanzhi, was a high-ranking official of the Song dynasty. An honest and courageous minister, he played a key role in keeping Empress Liu (Zhenzong), Empress Dowager Liu's imperial ambitions in check. E ...

, Chinese official (approximate date) * Sei Shōnagon, Japanese poet and

court lady ''Court Lady'' () is a 2021 Chinese television series produced by Yu Zheng, starring Xu Kai and Li Yitong. Once renowned as Chang’an’s number one hedonist, Sheng Chumu could barely ride on a horse without falling off. Now, he has fallen head ...

(approximate date)

Deaths

* January 19 – Fujiwara no Asatada, Japanese nobleman (b.

910 Year 910 ( CMX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. __NOTOC__ Events By place Europe * June 12 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under ...

) * February 9 – Ono no Michikaze, Japanese calligrapher (b. 894) * March 28 –

Flodoard Flodoard of Reims (; 893/4 – 28 March 966) was a Frankish chronicler and priest of the cathedral church of Reims in the West Frankish kingdom during the decades following the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire. His historical writings are m ...

, Frankish canon and

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...

r * August 4 –

Berengar II Berengar II ( 900 – 4 August 966) was the King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of the Anscarid and Unruoching dynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Berengar I. He succeeded his father as Marg ...

, margrave and king of Italy * December 19 – Sancho I, king of León (Spain) * Abu Ishaq Ibrahim, Samanid governor * Abu'l-Hasan Ali, Ikhshidid governor * Bagrat II, prince of

Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: *Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: * Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli * Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008 {{set index article Kingdom of Iberia Historical regions of Ge ...

( Georgia) *

Bertha of Swabia Bertha of Swabia (french: Berthe; german: Berta; AD – after January 2, 966), a member of the Alemannic Hunfriding dynasty, was queen of Burgundy from 922 until 937 and queen of Italy from 922 until 926, by her marriage with King Rudolph II. She ...

, Frankish queen consort *

Cormac ua Cillín Cormac ua Cillín (died 966) was abbot of Tuamgraney. Cormac was the ancestor of the Ó Cillín family, who were coarbs of Tuamgraney. The Chronicon Scotorum, ''sub anno'' 966, states: * ''Cormac ua Cillín, of the Uí Fhiachrach of Aidne, succ ...

, abbot of Tuamgraney ( Ireland) * John VII, patriarch of Jerusalem ( Israel) *

Viśa' Saṃbhava Viśa' Saṃbhava (Khotanese language, in zh, t=尉遲僧烏波, s=尉迟僧乌波, first=t, p=Yùchí Sēngwūbō, w=Yü-ch῾ih Sêng-wu-p῾o; Chinese name: Li Shengtian, zh, t=李聖天, s=李圣天, first=t, p=Lǐ Shèngtiān, w=Li Shêng- ...

, king of Khotan (

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

) * Nako, Obotrite prince (approximate date) *

Rashiq al-Nasimi Rashiq al-Nasimi () was the governor of Tarsus for the Hamdanid emir Sayf al-Dawla from 962 until the city's surrender to the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas in 965. He then took over Antioch, and launched a failed attack on the Hamdanid cap ...

, Hamdanid governor * Sergius I, duke of Amalfi (Italy)

References

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