1014 CE
King Sweyn Forkbeard dies at Gainsborough after a reign of five weeks. He is succeeded by Harald II who becomes king of Denmark, while Cnut is elected by the Vikings of the Danelaw as king of England. King Henry II arrives at Rome and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor together with his wife Cunigunde by Pope Benedict VIII in St. Peter's Basilica. Henry establishes the Diocese of Bobbio (Northern Italy) and returns to Germany. Battle of Clontarf: Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, defeats a Norse-Irish alliance, although himself killed.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- March – King Æthelred the Unready sends ambassadors to England, including his own son Edward to negotiate to reclaim of the throne at the invitation of the English nobles.source
Conflict & Security
- April 23 – Battle of Clontarf: Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, defeats a Norse-Irish alliance, although himself killed.source
- Summer – Battle of Thessalonica: Emperor Basil II launches a raiding expedition against Bulgaria. From Western Thrace via Serres he reaches the valley of the Strymon River, near Thessaloniki (modern Greece); the local Byzantine governor Theophylact Botaneiates defeats the Bulgarians.source
Religion & Belief
- February 14 – King Henry II arrives at Rome and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor together with his wife Cunigunde by Pope Benedict VIII in St. Peter's Basilica. Henry establishes the Diocese of Bobbio (Northern Italy) and returns to Germany.source
- Wulfstan, archbishop of York in England, preaches his Latin homily Sermo Lupi ad Anglos ("Wulf's Address to the English"), describing the Danes as "God's judgement on England".source
- The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Symbol of the Faith is used for the first time during the Roman Mass, after Henry II, the newly crowned Holy Roman Emperor, asks the Pope to add it – together with the filioque clause. Prior to this date, the Creed has not been used at all during the liturgy.source
- Hammad ibn Buluggin adopts Sunni Islam and declares his independence from the Zirid dynasty (modern Algeria). He recognizes the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad as being the rightful caliphs and becomes the first ruler of the Hammadid dynasty (until 1028).source
Health & Medicine
- Emperor Sanjō of Japan has an eye illness. Influential statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga schemes to place his 6-year-old grandson Prince Atsuhira on the throne rather than the Emperor's son.source
Culture & Society
- Rajendra Chola I, king of the Chola dynasty begins his reign. (India)source
Births
Deaths
- February 3 – Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark and England (b. 960)source
- February 3 – King Sweyn Forkbeard dies at Gainsborough after a reign of five weeks. He is succeeded by Harald II who becomes king of Denmark, while Cnut is elected by the Vikings of the Danelaw as king of England.source
- February 9 – Yang Yanzhao, general of the Song dynastysource
- May 7 – Bagrat III, king of Abkhazia (Georgia)source
- June 25 – Æthelstan Ætheling, son of Æthelred the Unreadysource
- July 29 – Battle of Kleidion: Basil II defeats the Bulgarian forces, between the mountains of Belasitsa and Ograzhden, near the town of Kleidon. By order of Basil, almost 15,000 prisoners are blinded; Tsar Samuel survives the battle, but dies of shock. Basil earns the nickname "Bulgar-Slayer".source
- August – Pandulf II ("the Old"), prince of Benevento and Capuasource
- October 6 – Samuel, emperor (tsar) of the Bulgarian Empiresource
- November 11 – Werner, margrave of the North Marchsource
- November 26 – Swanehilde, German noblewomansource
- Al-Hakim Nishapuri, Persian Sunni scholar (b. 933)source
- Giselbert I, count of Roussillon (Spain) (or 1013)source
- Raja Raja Chola I, king of the Chola dynasty. (India)source
- Sigurd the Stout, Viking nobleman (earl)source