By place Europe • Spring –
Otto III retakes
Rome and restores power in the papal city.
Crescentius II (
the Younger) and his followers barricade themselves in
Castel Sant'Angelo. Otto's former tutor John Philagathos (Antipope
John XVI), who tries to escape into
Campania, is pursued by German troops and captured. He is horribly mutilated – his ears, nose and tongue cut off and his eyes are gouged out. Crescentius surrenders at his stronghold and is beheaded. Otto reinstates his cousin,
Gregory V, as pope of the
Catholic Church. •
Croatian–Bulgarian War: Emperor
Samuel launches a military campaign against the
Kingdom of Croatia to prevent an
alliance between the
Serbian principality and the
Byzantines. He seizes Dyrrachium (modern-day
Durrës in
Albania) and advances along the
Dalmatian coast. The Bulgarian army is forced to withdraw into Croatian hinterlands (now part of
Bosnia and Herzegovina), after the
Siege of Zadar. • Fall – Otto III makes Rome the administrative capital of the
Holy Roman Empire and begins the construction of his imperial palace on the
Palatine Hill. He restores the ancient
Roman Senate to its position of prominence and adopts the title of "Emperor of the Romans". To this Otto adds the apostolic devotion formula
servus Jesu Christi ('Servant of
Jesus Christ'). • Winter – King
Robert II (
the Pious) is
excommunicated by Gregory V. For reasons of
consanguinity, his second marriage to
Bertha of Burgundy is not accepted by the Catholic Church.
Persia •
Battle of Ghazni: The Afghan prince
Mahmud defeats his younger brother
Ismail (the ruling
emir of the
Ghaznavid Dynasty) in battle. He places Ismail in comfortable captivity for the rest of his life and expands the realm of his late father,
Sebuktigin, into the
Punjab in northwestern
India.
Arabian Empire • Summer –
Revolt of Tyre: The city of
Tyre (modern
Lebanon) is stormed by forces of the
Fatimid Caliphate. A Byzantine squadron attempts to reinforce but is repulsed by the Fatimid navy. The defenders are massacred or taken captive to
Egypt. The Byzantine captives are executed. •
July 19 –
Battle of Apamea: Byzantine forces under governor (
doux)
Damian Dalassenos besiege the fortress city of
Apamea for control over northern
Syria. The Fatimids send a relief army from
Damascus – and defeat the Byzantines, Dalassenos is killed by a
Kurdish officer in battle.
Japan •
Byōdō-in Temple (located in
Yamashiro Province) is built during the
Heian Period on orders of
Fujiwara no Michinaga, who uses the
Buddhist temple as a countryside retreat villa (modern-day
Kyoto Prefecture).
By topic Religion • Winter – Otto III makes a
pilgrimage through middle
Italy from
Gargano to
Benevento. Stopping by
Monte Cassino, where he meets the
hermit monk
Romuald. • Bishop
Wulfsige III establishes a
Benedictine abbey at
Sherborne (
Dorsetshire). == Births ==