960s

The **960s** was a decade that started on 1 January 960 and ended on 31 December 969. It is distinct from the decade known as the ***97th decade*** which began on January 1, 961 and ended on December 31, 970.

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## 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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor (b. 939)
* April 3 &ndash; William III, Duke of Aquitaine
* April 18 &ndash; 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 &ndash; Pope Benedict V becomes the 132nd pope
* June 23 &ndash; Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor battles in Rome to make Leo VIII Pope

### Deaths 
* May 14 &ndash; 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 &ndash; Otto, Duke of Burgundy
* July 4 &ndash; 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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; Olga of Kiev
* Harald II of Norway
* December 11 &ndash; Nikephoros II Phokas
* Emperor Muzong of Liao