960s

The 960s was a decade that started on 1 January 960 and ended on 31 December 969.



960
 Mieszko I becomes ruler in Poland
 Richard I of Normandy marries Emma of Paris
 The Aksumite Empire is destroyed

Births 
 Emperor Constantine VIII of the Byzantine Empire (d. 1028)
 Theophanu, princess who became Empress (d. 991)
 Sweyn I of Denmark (d. 1014)
 Gershom ben Judah 
 Matsu, Taoist 'goddess' of the sea
 Olof of Sweden
 Arnulf II, Count of Flanders (d. 988)
 Bagrat III (d. 1014), king of Abkhazians and Georgians
 Seongjong of Goryeo (d. 997)

Deaths 
 Saint Eadburga of Winchester
 Časlav Klonimirović, ruler of Serbia

961
 Ani becomes the capital of Armenia
 The Huqiu Tower is built in China
 Battle of Fitje
 Harald II of Norway becomes ruler of the western part of Norway
 St Paul's Cathedral in London is destroyed by fire
 Al-Hakam II starts to rule

Births 
 Edith of Wilton
 Sigmundur Brestisson, chieftain in the Faroe Islands

Deaths 
 King Haakon I of Norway
 Abd-ar-rahman III, Caliph of Córdoba
 Emperor Yuanzong of Southern Tang

962
 February 2 – Pope John XII crowns Otto I the Great Holy Roman Emperor

Births 
 Edward the Martyr

Deaths 
 Dong Yuan
 Indulf, King of the Scots and Picts

963
 Sebük Tigin starts his empire in modern-day Afghanistan
 The Nanping State has to surrender when invaded by Song Dynasty armies
 The Song Dynasty Chinese government tries to ban the practice of cremation
 Holy Roman Emperor Otto I defeats Mieszko I of Poland
 Luxembourg is founded
 December 6 – Pope Leo VIII becomes the 131st pope

Births 
 Li Jiqian, Tangut jiedushi who ruled the new Western Xia Dynasty in northwestern China (d. 1004)

Deaths 
 March 15 – Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor (b. 939)
 April 3 – William III, Duke of Aquitaine
 April 18 – Stephen Lekapenos, co-emperor of Byzantium in 924–945

964
 Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas tries to recapture Cilicia
 Al-Sufi's Book of Fixed Stars is published
 May 22 – Pope Benedict V becomes the 132nd pope
 June 23 – Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor battles in Rome to make Leo VIII Pope

Deaths 
 May 14 – Pope John XII

965
 The Khazar fortress of Sarkel falls to the Kievan Rus
 Northern Song armies invade the Later Shu Kingdom

Births 
 Elvira of Castile (daughter of García I), Regent of Leon (d. 1017)
 Alhazen, scientist
 Sweyn I of Denmark

Deaths 
 February 22 – Otto, Duke of Burgundy
 July 4 – Pope Benedict V
 Meng Chang, Emperor of Later Shu

966
 Mieszko I, the first duke of Poland, is baptized a Christian

Births 
 Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese regent

Deaths 
 King Dub of Scotland

967
 Conchobar mac Tadg becomes King of Connacht
 Otto II is crowned co-emperor by Pope John XIII
 Olaf Tryggvason runs away from Norway with his mother
 Emperor Reizei ascends to the throne of Japan
 The Cambodian temple of Banteay Srei is consecrated
 'Izz al-Daula becomes the Buyid emir of Iraq
 Bisutun ascends to the Ziyarid throne

Births 
 Sigrid Storrada, queen of Sweden and Denmark
 Bolesław I, king of Poland
 Louis V, king of France
 Badi' al-Zamān al-Hamadhāni, Arab author
 Walter von Speyer, German poet and bishop
 Abusaeid Abolkheir, Persian Sufi
 Khottiga Amoghavarsha, Rashtrakuta warrior
 Vahram Pahlavouni, prince of Bjni and Nik
 Bertha, princess of Burgundy

Deaths 
 February 9 – Sayf al-Dawla, Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo
 Abu al-Faraj Ali, scholar
 Abu 'Ali Muhammad, Ilyasid ruler
 Bolesław I, prince of Bohemia
 Hugh II, lord of Lusignan
 Krishna III, Rashtrakuta ruler
 Mu'izz al-Daula, first Buyid emir
 Murakami, emperor of Japan
 Vushmgir, ruler of the Ziyarids
 Wichmann the Younger, Saxon count
 Matilda of Ringelheim, Holy Roman Empress
 Dub mac Maíl Coluim, king of Alba
 Li Cheng, Chinese painter

968
 The Pechenegs begin the Siege of Kiev
 The Archbishopric of Magdeburg is founded

Births 
 May 14 – Leofric, Earl of Mercia
 King Ethelred II of England
 Emperor Kazan, emperor of Japan
 Romanus III, Byzantine emperor (d. 1034)
 Emperor Zhenzong of Song

Deaths 
 August 25 – Edgiva of Kent, queen of Edward the Elder of England
 Abu al-Misk Kafur
 Aldred of Lindisfarne
 John III of Naples
 Landulf III of Benevento
 William, Archbishop of Mainz
 Matilda of Ringelheim

969
 December 11 – John I Tzimiskes becomes Byzantine Emperor after killing Nikephoros II Phokas
 The Fatimids conquer Egypt
 Emperor En'yū replaces Emperor Reizei on the throne of Japan
 Jing Zong begins to rule the Khitan Empire
 Uththama Chola becomes the Chola Emperor

Births 
 Olaf I of Norway

Deaths 
 July 11 – Olga of Kiev
 Harald II of Norway
 December 11 – Nikephoros II Phokas
 Emperor Muzong of Liao