•
January 20 –
Pope Sylvester III becomes the 146th pope, succeeding
Benedict IX, who abdicated during the previous year. •
January 23 –
Edward the Confessor, King of England, marries
Edith of Wessex (daughter of
Earl Godwin) and she is crowned queen consort at Winchester. This year also in
England, Edward begins construction of
Westminster Abbey. •
February –
Pope Sylvester III is deposed (election deemed invalid);
Pope Benedict IX is elected once more, becoming the 147th pope. •
May 5 –
Pope Gregory VI becomes the 148th pope, following the resignation of
Pope Benedict IX in exchange for money. There are growing allegations that
simony is taking place during Gregory VI's reign. •
Movable type printing is invented by
Bi Sheng in
China. • The
Qingli Reforms, put forth by the Chinese statesman
Fan Zhongyan in
1043, are halted by their conservative ministerial peers, but will later influence reform efforts under
Wang Anshi. • The
Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia is surrendered to the
Eastern Roman Empire, ending the Kingdom. •
Harald Hardrada returns to Scandinavia through
Sigtuna in Sweden, after escaping from the
Byzantine Empire with a fortune. == Births ==