Year 961 ( CMLXI) was a

common year starting on Tuesday A common year starting on Tuesday is any non-leap year (i.e. a year with 365 days) that begins on Tuesday, 1 January, and ends on Tuesday, 31 December. Its dominical letter hence is F. The most recent year of such kind was 2019 and the next one wi ...

(link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

By place

Byzantine Empire

* March 6 – Siege of Chandax: Byzantine forces under Nikephoros II Phokas capture and pillage

Chandax Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Gree ...

after an 8-month siege. Nikephoros massacres the population without mercy and carries them off into slavery, returning to Constantinople with Emir Abd al-Aziz ibn Shu'ayb and his family as prisoners. The island Emirate of Crete is converted into a

Byzantine theme The themes or ( el, θέματα, , singular: , ) were the main military/administrative divisions of the middle Byzantine Empire. They were established in the mid-7th century in the aftermath of the Slavic invasion of the Balkans and Muslim con ...

and the remaining Muslims are converted to Christianity.

Europe

May 26 Events Pre-1600 * 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe. * 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire take ...

–

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

elects his 6-year-old son Otto II as heir apparent and co-ruler at the Imperial Diet in Worms. He is crowned at

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

, and placed under the tutelage of his grandmother

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

and his half-brother William of Mainz. Otto's own brother Bruno I is charged with the provisional government of Lorraine again. * Summer – Otto I leads an expeditionary force into northern Italy through the

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...

at Trento, to assist the beleaguered young Pope John XII. He proceeds towards Pavia – King

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 ...

sends his son and co-ruler Adalbert II from Rome at the head of a large army to seize control of the Upper Adige and contest Otto's entry. *

October 15 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – Following the death of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, Edgar the Ætheling is proclaimed King of England by the Witan; he is never crowned, and concedes power to William the Conqueror two months later. * 1211 ...

– Caliph

Abd-al-Rahman III ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil () or ʿAbd al-Rahmān III (890 - 961), was the Umayyad Emir of Córdoba from 912 to 92 ...

dies after a 32-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Al-Hakam II as ruler of the Caliphate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus (modern Spain). *

Battle of Fitjar The Battle of Fitjar (''Slaget ved Fitjar på Stord'') took place in 961 in Fitjar at Stord in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Battle and aftermath The Battle of Fitjar at Stord was the last battle in a war between the sons of Eric Bloodaxe and ...

– A Viking force under the sons of Eric Bloodaxe lands on Hordaland. King Haakon the Good defeats the rebelling force, but is killed. Harald Greycloak becomes ruler of the western part of Norway. * The Lombards, Lombard army under Adalbert II refuses to fight Otto I unless Berengar II abdicates in favor of Adalbert. Berengar refuses, and the armies retreat to their strongholds. Berengar and his family take whatever loyal soldiers remain and disperse themselves – Berengar retreats to the fortress at Montefeltro (in the Pentapolis).

Armenia

* King Ashot III of Armenia (the Merciful) moves his capital from Kars eastward to Ani (modern Turkey). Located on a major east-west Caravan (travellers), caravan route, Ani will become larger than any European city, with a population of about 100,000 that will rival Baghdad, Cairo, and Constantinople. Ani also becomes the site of the royal mausoleum of the Bagratuni dynasty, Bagratuni kings.

By topic

Art

* The "Shroud of Suaire de Saint-Josse, Saint Josse", a rich silk Samite camel cloth from Greater Khorasan, Khurasan, is made. It is preserved in the Saint-Josse, Abbey of Saint-Josse-sur-Mer, near Caen (Normandy) (approximate date).

Religion

* The Tiger Hill Pagoda (or Huqui Tower) is built in the city of Suzhou, located in Jiangsu, Jiangsu Province (East China, Eastern China). * Tavistock Abbey is founded by Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon, in Kingdom of England, England.Chisholm, Hugh (1911). "Tavistock". ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Encyclopædia Britannica'' (Eleventh Edition). Cambridge University Press, pp. 457–458.

Births

* January 15 – Seongjong of Goryeo, Seongjong, ruler of Goryeo (Korea) (d. 997) * Al-Tha'alibi, Persian historian and writer (d. 1038) * Arnulf II, Count of Flanders (the Younger), Frankish Nobility, nobleman (or 960) * Edith of Wilton, English princess and nun (approximate date) * Fujiwara no Michikane, Japanese nobleman (d. 995) * Kou Zhun, Chinese Grand chancellor (China), Grand chancellor (approximate date) * Mahendradatta, queen of Bali (Indonesia) (d. 1011) * Pietro II Orseolo, Doge of Venice (d. 1009) * Ramiro III of León, Ramiro III, king of Kingdom of León, León ( Spain) (d. 985) * Sigmundur Brestisson, Viking chieftain (d. 1005)

Deaths

* July 17 – Empress Dowager Du, Du, empress dowager of the Song dynasty * August 12 – Li Jing (Southern Tang), Li Jing, emperor of Southern Tang (b. 916) * September 19 – Helena Lekapene, Byzantine empress * October 1 – Artald of Reims, Artald, archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Reims *

– Abd al-Rahman III, caliph of Caliphate of Córdoba, Córdoba * Abd al-Malik I (Samanid emir), Abd al-Malik I, Samanid emir (b. 944) * Abu'l-Qasim Unujur ibn al-Ikhshid, Ikhshidid ruler * Adarnase V of Tao, Adarnase V, prince of Principality of Tao-Klarjeti, Tao-Klarjeti (Georgia (country), Georgia) * Atto of Vercelli, Lombard bishop (b. 885) * Ava of Cerdanya, countess regent of County of Cerdanya, Cerdanya and County of Besalú, Besalú * Butuga II, ruler of the Western Ganga dynasty, Western Ganga Dynasty (India) * Fujiwara no Masatada, Japanese Japanese poetry, poet * Haakon the Good, king of Kingdom of Norway (872–1397), Norway * Landulf II of Benevento (the Red), Lombard prince * Li Tao (Five Dynasties), Li Tao, Chinese chancellor (approximate date) * Minamoto no Tsunemoto, Japanese samurai (b. 894) * Raymond II of Rouergue, Frankish nobleman (approximate date) * William II, Marquess of Montferrat, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:961 961,