970s

The **970s** was a decade that began on 1 January 970, and ended on 31 December 979. It is distinct from the decade known as the ***98th decade*** which began on January 1, 971 and ended on December 31, 980.

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## 970

- A major volcano erupts in Mashu, Japan.
- A terrible famine begins in France.
- Eric the Victorious becomes the first king of Sweden.

### Births

- Leif Ericson, Norse explorer
- Seyyed Razi, important Muslim scholar and writer
- Sitt al-Mulk
- Xu Daoning, Chinese artist

### Deaths

- 30 January – Peter I of Bulgaria
- Magyar leader, Taksány
- Ferdinand II of Castile
- Fujiwara no Saneyori
- García III of Pamplona
- Hatto II, Archbishop of Mainz
- Menahem ben Saruq
- Patriarch Polyeuctus of Constantinople
- Taksony of Hungary

## 971

- Kenneth II of Scotland succeeds Culen as King

### Births

- Kushyar ibn Labban
- Mahmud of Ghazni
- Emperor Shengzong of Liao
- Prince Shaif

### Deaths

- Abu Jafar Khazeni
- Culen of Scotland
- Ziri ibn Manad

## 972

- Otto II marries Theophanu, Byzantine princess
- Battle of Cedynia – Polish duke Mieszko I defeats Germans
- Pope Benedict VI succeeds Pope John XIII as pope
- Boleslaus II the Pious succeeds Boleslav I of Bohemia in Bohemia
- Yaropolk of Kiev succeeds Sviatoslav I in Kiev
- Fatimids enter Egypt, establish the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo
- Buluggin ibn Ziri appointed viceroy in Ifriqiya, start of the Zirid dynasty
- The monastery at the site of Peterborough Cathedral is rebuilt
- Saint Eadburga is canonized
- Emperor John Tzoimisces makes eastern Bulgaria a Byzantine subject
- The city of Satu Mare, Romania is founded

### Births

- March 27 – King Robert II of France (d. 1031)
- Al-Mawardi
- Ermesinde of Carcassonne, countess and regent of Barcelona (d. 1057)
- Fujiwara no Yukinari
- Fulk III of Anjou
- Pope Gregory V
- Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
- Renauld I, Count of Nevers

### Deaths

- July 15 – Boleslav I of Bohemia
- September 6 – Pope John XIII
- Liutprand, bishop of Cremona and historian
- Sviatoslav I, Prince of Kiev
- Kuya, Japanese monk of Pure Land Buddhism (b. 903)

## 973

- The Fatimids move their capital to Cairo
- Edgar of England is crowned king by Saint Dunstan
- Otto II becomes Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany
- January 19 – Pope Benedict VI succeeds Pope John XIII as the 134th pope

### Births

- September 15 – Al-Biruni, mathematician (d. 1048)
- December 26 – Abu al-Ala al-Ma'ar;ri, poet

### Deaths

- May 7 – Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 912)
- July 4 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg (b. 890)

## 974

- A great earthquake in England.
- The Carmathians are defeated in Egypt by Jawhar as-Siqilli
- The Byzantine Empire retakes Syria
- Fuzhou builds new city walls
- October – Pope Benedict VII succeeds Pope Benedict VI as the 135th pope
- Antipope Boniface VII is declared pope

### Deaths

- Pope Benedict VI
- Ratherius of Verona
- Shi Chonggui

## 975

- Coronation of King Edward the Martyr
- Emperor Taizu of Song China conquers Hunan province
- Al-Aziz becomes Fatimid Caliph

### Births

- Stephen I of Hungary (d.1038)
- Thietmar of Merseburg
- Andre Bertelli Araujo

### Deaths

- Alp Tigin, Turkic general
- July 8 – King Edgar of England
- al-Muizz, Fatimid Caliph
- Gwangjong of Goryeo
- Turketel, abbot of Crowland
- Gu Hongzhong

## 976

- January 10 – Basil II becomes Eastern Roman Emperor
- Brian Boru is inaugurated as King of Munster
- Samuil of Bulgaria becomes Tsar
- Yuelu Academy is founded in China

### Births

- Emperor Sanjō of Japan

### Deaths

- January 10 – John I Tzimiskes, Byzantine Emperor
- October 8 – Jelena of Zadar, Queen of Croatia
- November 14 – Emperor Taizu of Song
- Harald Greyhide, King of Norway
- Al-Hakam II, Caliph of Cordoba

## 977

- Imam Ali Mosque is built at Najaf

### Births

- Kōkei, Japanese Buddhist monk
- Saint Poppo of Deinze

### Deaths

- Hunain ibn Ishaq, Egyptian physician
- Dubrawka, daughter of Duke Boleslav I of Bohemia

## 978

- The revolt of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria against Otto II ends
- England's royal mint is located at Guildford

### Births

- Princess Zoe of Byzantium, later Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire
- Yaroslav I the Wise, prince of Novgorod and Kiev

### Deaths

- March 18 – King Edward the Martyr of England
- Abraham of Alexandria, Coptic pope
- Li Houzhu, last Chinese emperor of the Southern Tang

## 979

- March 24 – The Battle of Pankalia

### Births

- August 29 – Abu Taghlib, Emir of Mosul
- Estrid of the Obotrites, future wife of king Olof Skötkonung of Sweden
- Otto, Count of Vermandois

### Deaths

- Iago ab Idwal, King of Gwynedd
- 'Imran