By place Byzantine Empire •
June 29 –
Romanos IV Diogenes, deposed ruler of the
Byzantine Empire, is
blinded and sent into
exile to the island of
Proti (in the
Sea of Marmara) at the
Monastery of Transfiguration. A few days before his death, he receives a letter from
Michael Psellos (his political advisor), congratulating him on the loss of his eyes. •
Byzantine–Hungarian War (1071–1072): the Hungarians plunders the
Balkans on their route to
Niš. The war ends with the emerging internal conflict between
Solomon, King of Hungary and his cousin, Duke
Géza.
Europe •
January 10 – The
Normans under
Robert Guiscard and his brother
Roger I ("Boso") conquer
Palermo (after a one year
siege). Roger receives the keys of the city, and Robert invests him with the title of
Count of Sicily. The
Emirate of Sicily rules only the southern part of the island, with
Syracuse as the capital (until
1091). •
January –
Battle of Golpejera: King
Sancho II ("the Strong") defeats the Castilian forces of his brother
Alfonso VI ("the Brave") near
Carrión de los Condes. Alfonso is captured, but released into exile, where he seeks refuge in the
Taifa of Toledo (under the protection of his vassal, Emir
Al-Mamun). •
October 7 – Alfonso VI becomes king of
León and
Castile, following the assassination of Sancho II. He is bestowed with the title of "Emperor of Spain", and is forced by
El Cid (Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar), the
standard-bearer of Sancho, to take an oath denying any involvement in his brother's death.
Britain •
May 27 – The
Accord of Winchester establishes the primacy of the
Archbishop of Canterbury over the
Archbishop of York, in the
Church of England. •
William the Conqueror, King of England, invades
Scotland and receives the submission of King
Malcolm III. He agrees to sign the
Treaty of Abernethy.
Seljuk Empire •
December 15 – Sultan
Alp Arslan ("Heroic Lion") dies after a 9-year reign, during his campaign in
Transoxiana. He is succeeded by his 17-year-old son
Malik-Shah I, who is declared new ruler of the
Seljuk Empire.
Qavurt, a brother of Alp Arslan, claims the Seljuk throne for himself and occupies the capital of
Isfahan.
China •
Shen Kuo, Chinese
polymathic scientist and statesman, is appointed as the head official for the
Bureau of Astronomy – where he begins his work with the colleague
Wei Pu on accurately plotting the orbital paths of the stars, planets, and moon three times a night for a continuum of five years. • Fall – Shen Kuo is sent to supervise
Wang Anshi's program of surveying the buildup of
silt deposits in the
Grand Canal, outside the capital city of
Kaifeng. Using an original technique, Shen successfully dredges the canal and demonstrates the formidable value of the silt gathered as a
fertilizer.
By topic Literature •
Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, an informative book written by
Mahmud al-Kashgari about the
Turks, is presented to the ruler of the
Kara-Khanid Khanate. == Births ==