Directory

963 CE

Emperor Romanos II dies at age 39, probably of poison administered by his wife, Empress Theophano. He is succeeded by his infant son Basil II. Theophano becomes regent and de facto ruler, naming her other son Constantine VIII (only 3 years old) as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Nikephoros II Phokas is proclaimed emperor by his troops in Caesarea. He sends a fleet to secure the Bosphorus Strait against his enemies. Chief minister Joseph Bringas gathers support and closes the gates of Constantinople. General Marianos Argyros is killed in a riot, forcing Bringas to flee. Synod of Rome: Otto I calls a council at St. Peter's Basilica. John XII is deposed on charges that he has conducted himself dishonorably and instigated an armed rebellion against Otto.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • Gero I, margrave of Merseburg, campaigns against the Slavs. He forces Prince Mieszko I of the Polans in Poland to pay tribute to Emperor Otto I ( the Great). He expands his territory, the Marca Geronis (March of Gero), to the mouth of the Oder River.source

Conflict & Security

  • July 2 – Nikephoros II Phokas is proclaimed emperor by his troops in Caesarea. He sends a fleet to secure the Bosphorus Strait against his enemies. Chief minister Joseph Bringas gathers support and closes the gates of Constantinople. General Marianos Argyros is killed in a riot, forcing Bringas to flee.source
  • December – King Berengar II (the father of Adalbert II) surrenders at the fortress of Montefeltro to German forces. He and his wife Willa are taken prisoner and dispatched to Bamberg.source
  • Sviatoslav I, Grand Prince of Kyiv, begins a 2-year campaign in which he will defeat Khazar forces along the Don River – vanquish the Ossetes and the Circassians in the northern Caucasus. He also successfully attacks the Bulgars on the Volga River.source
  • The Nanping State, one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China, is forced to surrender, when invaded by armies of the Song Dynasty.source

Religion & Belief

  • August 16 – Nikephoros II makes a triumphal entry in Constantinople and is hailed as 'the conqueror'. He is crowned emperor in Hagia Sophia.source
  • November 6 – Synod of Rome: Otto I calls a council at St. Peter's Basilica. John XII is deposed on charges that he has conducted himself dishonorably and instigated an armed rebellion against Otto.source
  • November – Otto arrives at Rome; Pope John XII and Adalbert II (co-ruler of Italy) flee to Campania, taking with them most of the Papal treasury. The Roman citizens warmly receive Otto as a 'liberator'.source
  • December 6 – Pope Leo VIII is appointed to the office of Protonotary and begins his papacy as antipope of Rome – a reign with the concurrently deposed John XII.source
  • The Monastery of Great Lavra at Mount Athos (northeastern Greece) is founded by the Byzantine monk Athanasius the Athonite.source

Health & Medicine

  • The Chinese government of the Song Dynasty attempted to ban the practice of cremation; despite this decree, the lower and middle classes continued to cremate their dead until the government resolved the problem in the 12th century, establishing public graveyards for paupers.source

Culture & Society

  • September 20 – Nikephoros II marries the former Byzantine consort Theophano, the widow of Emperor Romanos II, bolstering his legitimacy.source
  • Luxembourg has her beginnings at Luxembourg Castle (located on the Bock), founded by Sigfried, count of the Ardennes.source

Births

  • March 13 – Anna Porphyrogenita, Grand Princess of Kiev (d. 1011)source
  • April 17 – Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark and Norway (d. 1014)source
  • Li Jiqian, Chinese governor and rebel leader (d. 1004)source
  • Edith of Wilton, English princess and abbess (approximate date)source
  • Samsam al-Dawla, Buyid emir (approximate date)source
  • Snorri Goði, Icelandic Viking chieftain (d. 1031)source
  • Nuh II, emir of the Samanid Dynasty (Iran) (d. 997)source

Deaths

  • March 15 – Romanos II, Byzantine emperor (b. 938)source
  • March 15 – Emperor Romanos II dies at age 39, probably of poison administered by his wife, Empress Theophano. He is succeeded by his infant son Basil II. Theophano becomes regent and de facto ruler, naming her other son Constantine VIII (only 3 years old) as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.source
  • March 31 – Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Saffarid emir (b. 906)source
  • April 3 – William III, duke of Aquitaine (b. 915)source
  • April 10 – Oda of Metz, German noblewomansource
  • April 16 – William I, German noblemansource
  • April 18 – Stephen Lekapenos, Byzantine co-emperorsource
  • August 16 – Marianos Argyros, Byzantine generalsource
  • Goltregoda, Frankish countess and regent (b. 920)source
  • Abu Muhammad al-Hasan, Buyid viziersource
  • Ordoño IV (the Bad), king of León (or 962)source
  • Fothad I, bishop of St. Andrews (approximate date)source
  • Michael Maleinos, Byzantine monk (approximate date)source
  • Wang, empress of the Song Dynasty (b. 942)source