By place Europe • King
Berengar II of Italy seizes
Liguria, with help from the feudal lord
Oberto I. He reorganizes the territories south of the
Po River, dividing them into three new
marches (frontier districts), named after their respective
margraves: the
Marca Aleramica, the
Marca Arduinica, and the
Marca Obertenga. The last division consists of
Lombardy with the cities of
Genoa,
Luni,
Tortona,
Parma, and
Piacenza. Berengar forces
Adelaide, the widow of
Lothair II, to marry his son
Adalbert. However, she fiercely refuses and Berengar has her imprisoned at
Garda Castle. With the help of Count
Adalbert Atto of Canossa Adelaide manages to escape. • Fall – King
Otto I crosses the
Brenner Pass and takes his army into Italy. He is accompanied by his brothers,
Henry I (duke of
Bavaria),
Bruno I, and
Conrad the Red (duke of
Lotharingia). Otto faces no opposition and they arrive in Pavia. Berengar II has departed the day before and entrenched himself in
San Marino. Otto receives the homage of the Italian
nobility, marries Adelaide, and declares himself
King of the Lombards. • Otto I dispatches an embassy to
Rome to apply for an imperial coronation with Pope
Agapetus II – but Prince
Alberic II makes it clear that this is not possible (afraid of Otto's growing power), and opposes the request.
China •
February 9 – The
Northern Han Kingdom is founded by
Liu Chong (called
Shizu) in modern-day
Shanxi who restores the diplomatic relations with the
Khitans. Northern Han becomes a
protectorate of the
Liao dynasty. •
February 13 –
Guo Wei, a court official, leads a military coup and declares himself emperor of the new
Later Zhou. The 19-year-old Emperor
Liu Chengyou is killed after a 3-year reign, ending the short-lived
Later Han. • Emperor
Shi Zong successfully repels a Chinese advance from the south. In October he is killed by a rebellious nephew after a three year reign. Shi Zong is succeeded by his uncle
Mu Zong as ruler of the Liao dynasty. •
November 16 – Emperor
Li Jing sends a
Southern Tang expeditionary force (10,000 men) under
Bian Hao to conquer
Chu. Li Jing removes the ruling family to his own capital in
Nanjing, ending the Chu Kingdom.
Africa •
Abd ar-Rahman III consolidated his grip on North Africa by occupying
Tangier in 951. •
Abd ar-Rahman III signs a peace in 951 with the new king of León,
Ordoño III, in order to have a free hand against the
Fatimids, whose ships are harassing the caliphal fleet in the Mediterranean and had even launched an assault against
Almeria.
Abd ar-Rahman's force, led by prime minister Ahmad ibn Said, besieges the Fatimid port of Tunis, which purchases its safety through a huge sum. == Births ==