Directory

1002 CE

Henry II, a cousin of Otto III, is elected and crowned as King of Germany by Archbishop Willigis at Mainz. Henry does not recognise the coronation of Arduin. Otto of Worms withdraws his nomination for the title of Holy Roman Emperor and receives the Duchy of Carinthia (modern Austria) - Henry is the first King to be elected away from the Cathedral of Aachen since the tradition was begun by Otto I in 936. Al-Mansur dies after a 24-year reign and is succeeded by his son Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar as ruler (hajib) of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba (modern Spain). St. Brice's Day massacre: King Æthelred the Unready orders all Danes in England killed. Æthelred marries (as his second wife) Emma, daughter of Duke Richard I of Normandy.

Conflict & Security

  • July – Battle of Calatañazor: Christian armies led by Alfonso V of León, Sancho III of Pamplona and Sancho García of Castile, defeat the invading Saracens under Al-Mansur, the de facto ruler of Al-Andalus.source
  • November 13 – St. Brice's Day massacre: King Æthelred the Unready orders all Danes in England killed. Æthelred marries (as his second wife) Emma, daughter of Duke Richard I of Normandy.source
  • Winter – Khalaf ibn Ahmad, Saffarid emir of Sistan (modern Iran), is deposed and surrenders to the Ghaznavid dynasty after a 39-year reign (approximate date).source
  • Fall – A revolt organized by Bohemian nobles of the rivalling Vršovci clan, forces Duke Boleslaus III ("the Red") to flee to Germany. He is succeeded by Vladivoj (until 1003).source
  • Winter – Æthelred pays tribute (or Danegeld) to Sweyn Forkbeard, buying him off with a massive payment of 24,000 lbs of silver to hold off further Viking raids against England.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • Brian Boru, king of Leinster and Munster, becomes High King of Ireland. After the submission of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, Brian Boru makes an expedition to the North.source

Religion & Belief

  • February 15 – At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles and secondi milites (the minor nobles), Arduin of Ivrea (grandson of former King Berengar II) is restored to his domains and crowned as King of Italy in the Basilica of San Michele Maggiore. Arduin is supported by Arnulf II, archbishop of Milan.source
  • June 7 – Henry II, a cousin of Otto III, is elected and crowned as King of Germany by Archbishop Willigis at Mainz. Henry does not recognise the coronation of Arduin. Otto of Worms withdraws his nomination for the title of Holy Roman Emperor and receives the Duchy of Carinthia (modern Austria) - Henry is the first King to be elected away from the Cathedral of Aachen since the tradition was begun by Otto I in 936.source
  • June – Frederick, archbishop of Ravenna, is sent as an imperial legate to the Synod of Pöhlde, to mediate between the claims of Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim and Willigis, concerning the control of Gandersheim Abbey.source

Culture & Society

  • In Japan, court lady Sei Shōnagon completes writing The Pillow Book.source

Births

  • May 10 – Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Muslim scholar (d. 1071)source
  • June 21 – Leo IX, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1054)source
  • George I, king of Georgia (approximate date)source
  • Nikephoros III, Byzantine emperor (d. 1081)source
  • Mei Yaochen, poet of the Song dynasty (d. 1060)source
  • Airlangga, ruler (rajah) of Kahuripan (Indonesia) (d. 1049)source
  • Alice of Normandy, countess of Burgundy (d. 1038)source
  • Adolf II of Lotharingia, German nobleman (d. 1041)source
  • Aristakes Lastivertsi, Armenian historian (d. 1080)source

Deaths

  • January 8 – Wulfsige III, bishop of Sherbornesource
  • January 23 – Emperor Otto III dies, at the age of 22, of smallpox at Castle of Paterno (near Rome) after a 19-year reign. He leaves no son, nor a surviving brother who can succeed by hereditary right to the throne. Otto is buried in Aachen Cathedral alongside the body of Charlemagne.source
  • April 23 – Æscwig, bishop of Dorchestersource
  • April 30 – Eckard I, margrave of Meissensource
  • May 6 – Ealdwulf, archbishop of Yorksource
  • August 8 – Al-Mansur dies after a 24-year reign and is succeeded by his son Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar as ruler (hajib) of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba (modern Spain).source
  • August 8 – Al-Mansur, Umayyad vizier and de facto ruler (b. 938)source
  • October 15 – Henry I, duke of Burgundy, dies and is succeeded by his stepson, Otto-William. He inherits the duchy; this is disputed by King Robert II of France ("the Pious").source
  • October 15 – Henry I, duke of Burgundy (b. 946)source
  • November 13 – Gunhilde, Danish princess and noblewomansource
  • November 13 – Pallig, Danish chieftain (jarl) of Devonshiresource
  • Rogneda of Polotsk, Grand Princess of Kiev (b. 962)source
  • Sa'id al-Dawla, Hamdanid emir of Aleppo (Syria)source
  • Athanasius IV, Syrian patriarch of Antiochsource