1010s

The 1010s was a decade of the Julian Calendar which began on January 1, 1010, and ended on December 31, 1019.

Events

1010

By place

Africa
  • The Nile river in Egypt freezes over.[1]
Asia
  • The Lý dynasty is established in Vietnam (or 1009), and moves the capital to Thăng Long (modern-day Hanoi).
  • Second conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War: The Goryeo king is unseated in a revolt, resulting in an invasion by the Liao dynasty, and the burning of the Korean capital Gaegyeong.
  • Song Zhun of Song dynasty China completes the work of the earlier geographer Lu Duosun, an enormous atlas of China that is written and illustrated in 1,556 chapters, showing maps of each region, city, town, and village (the atlas took 39 years to complete).
  • In the Chola dynasty of southern India, the first votes are celebrated by adding a ballot in an urn.
Japan
  • January – Fujiwara no Kenshi (daughter of Michinaga) is married to the imperial heir Crown Prince Okisada.
  • February 14 – On the death of Fujiwara no Korechika his daughter, the poet Fujiwara no Chikako, becomes a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi.
  • Emperor Ichijō wants to retire – the influential statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga supports Crown Prince Okisada (now his son-in-law), who will be the successor, but the emperor prefers his eldest son by the late Empress Teishi, Prince Atsuyasu, who has been raised by Empress Shōshi, who also supports her stepson, leading to conflict at court.
American
  • Viking explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni attempts to found a settlement in North America (approximate date).
Europe
  • June 2 – Fitna of al-Andalus – Battle of Aqbat al-Bakr: The Caliphate of Córdoba is defeated. Allied to Muslim rebels, Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona sacks Córdoba,[2] and Hisham II the Nephast is restored as Umayyad caliph of Córdoba, succeeding Muhammad II al-Mahdi.
  • The Russian city of Yaroslavl is founded, as an outpost of the principality of Rostov Veliky.
  • The fortified city of Fiesole in Italy is captured and destroyed by the people of nearby Florence.[3]
  • Swedish king Olof Skötkonung gives city rights to Sigtuna.[4]

By topic

Architecture
  • The construction of 217 ft (66 m) tall Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur (a city now in Tamil Nadu, India) is completed during the Chola dynasty, and at about this time the wall painting Rajaraja I and His Teacher
Literature
  • March 8 – Persian poet Ferdowsi finishes writing the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), which will be regarded as the national epic of the greater Iranian culture.
  • Lady Murasaki writes The Tale of Genji in Japanese (approximate date).
  • Beowulf is written anonymously in Old English (approximate date).
Technology
  • Eilmer of Malmesbury in England attempts flight in a glider of his own construction.

1011

By place

Europe
England
Middle East
Asia
  • Emperor Ichijō abdicates the throne and dies later after a 25-year reign. He is succeeded by his cousin Sanjō as the 67th emperor of Japan.

1012

By place

Europe
England
Ireland
Scotland
Arabian Empire
  • Summer – The climax of the Bedouin anti-Fatimid rebellion in Palestine is reached. Abu'l-Futuh al-Hasan ibn Ja'far is acclaimed as anti-Caliph with the title of al-Rashid bi-llah ("Righteous with God").[8]
Mexico
  • The Tepanec tribe settles on the western region of Lake Texcoco. The lineage starts when the Chichimeca chieftain Acolhua marries Cuetlaxochitzin, daughter of Xolotl, another Chichimeca chieftain.
Japan
  • February – Fujiwara no Kenshi, daughter of the powerful court official Fujiwara no Michinaga, is elevated to Empress Consort (Chūgū). The Emperor's first wife, Fujiwara no Seishi, is also elevated to Empress (Kōgō) at the same time but Michinaga ensures that court officials do not attend her ceremony.
  • August 12 – Death of Ōe no Masahira, husband of poet and former palace lady-in-waiting Akazome Emon, who writes a number of mourning poems to him.
  • Fujiwara no Yorimichi, second son of Fujiwara no Michinaga, marries the daughter of Michinaga's enemy Fujiwara no Kintō, eventually reconciling the families. Another son of Michinaga, Fujiwara no Akinobu, causes scandal by becoming a priest without telling his parents, but they eventually accept his decision.

By topic

Religion

1013

By place

Europe
  • King Henry II of Germany signs a peace treaty at Merseburg with Duke Bolesław I the Brave) of Poland. As part of the treaty, Bolesław pays homage and recognizes Henry as his overlord in exchange for receiving the March of Lusatia (including the town of Bautzen) and the March of Meissen as fiefs. To seal their peace, Bolesław's son Mieszko II marries Richeza of Lotharingia (granddaughter of the late Emperor Otto II).
  • Sulayman ibn al-Hakam reconquers the Caliphate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and deposes Hisham II. Sulayman becomes the fifth Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (until 1016).
  • Winter – Henry II (anxious to be crowned as Holy Roman Emperor) mobilises a German expeditionary army at Augsburg, to begin his second Italian military campaign.
England
  • Summer – Danish Viking raiders led by Sweyn Forkbeard (accompanied by his son Cnut) sail from Denmark to attack England. Again London defends itself and the Vikings move elsewhere, plundering Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria. King Æthelred the Unready sends his sons Edward and Alfred to Normandy. Æthelred retreats to the Isle of Wight and follows them later into exile.[6]
  • December 25 – Sweyn Forkbeard takes control of the Danelaw and is proclaimed king of England in London. Some of the English provinces refuse to pay homage to Sweyn, who has no dynastic right to claim the throne.[6][9]
Asia
  • September – Emperor Sanjō of Japan visits the home of influential statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga.[10]
  • December – Fujiwara no Masanobu, an officer of the guard of empress consort Kenshi of Japan, is killed by Fujiwara no Korekane and Michinaga orders the assassin imprisoned.[10]
  • The Four Great Books of Song, the Song dynasty Chinese encyclopedia Prime Tortoise of the Record Bureau which has been compiled since 1005, is completed in 1,000 volumes of 9.4 million written Chinese characters.
  • Kaifeng, capital of China, becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Córdoba in Al-Andalus (modern Spain).[11][12]

By topic

Religion
  • Æthelred II appoints Lyfing as archbishop of Canterbury in England. He restores Canterbury Cathedral, adding porticus towers and a massive westwork.[13]
  • Beauvais changes from a county to a bishopric (approximate date).

1014

By place

Byzantine Empire
  • Summer – Battle of Thessalonica: Emperor Basil II launches a raiding expedition against Bulgaria. From Western Thrace via Serres he reaches the valley of the Strymon River, near Thessaloniki (modern Greece); the local Byzantine governor Theophylact Botaneiates defeats the Bulgarians.
  • July 29 – Battle of Kleidion: Basil II defeats the Bulgarian forces, between the mountains of Belasitsa and Ograzhden, near the town of Kleidon. By order of Basil, almost 15,000 prisoners are blinded; Tsar Samuel survives the battle, but dies of shock. Basil earns the nickname "Bulgar-Slayer".
Europe
  • February 14 – King Henry II arrives at Rome and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor together with his wife Cunigunde by Pope Benedict VIII in St. Peter's Basilica. Henry establishes the Diocese of Bobbio (Northern Italy) and returns to Germany.
England
  • February 3 – King Sweyn Forkbeard dies at Gainsborough after a reign of five weeks. He is succeeded by Harald II who becomes king of Denmark, while Cnut is elected by the Vikings of the Danelaw as king of England.[9]
  • March – King Æthelred the Unready sends ambassadors to England, including his own son Edward to negotiate to reclaim of the throne at the invitation of the English nobles.[14]
Ireland
Africa
  • Hammad ibn Buluggin adopts Sunni Islam and declares his independence from the Zirid dynasty (modern Algeria). He recognizes the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad as being the rightful caliphs and becomes the first ruler of the Hammadid dynasty (until 1028).
Asia
  • Emperor Sanjō of Japan has an eye illness. Influential statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga schemes to place his 6-year-old grandson Prince Atsuhira on the throne rather than the Emperor's son.
  • Rajendra Chola I, king of the Chola dynasty begins his reign. (India)

By topic

Religion
  • The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Symbol of the Faith is used for the first time during the Roman Mass, after Henry II, the newly crowned Holy Roman Emperor, asks the Pope to add it – together with the filioque clause. Prior to this date, the Creed has not been used at all during the liturgy.
  • Wulfstan, archbishop of York in England, preaches his Latin homily Sermo Lupi ad Anglos ("Wulf's Address to the English"), describing the Danes as "God's judgement on England".[6]

1015

By place

Asia
  • October – Influential Japanese statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga is appointed to be Associate Regent.
  • November – The newly constructed Japanese imperial residence burns down.
  • Peacocks arrive from the Chinese Song Empire to Fujiwara's mansion in Japan.
Europe

1016

By place

Europe
Arabian Empire
  • January 7 – Fath al-Qal'i, governor of the Citadel of Aleppo, revolts against Emir Mansur ibn Lu'lu', forcing him to flee. Fath accepts an agreement with Salih ibn Mirdas and takes control of Aleppo.
Asia
  • March 10 – Emperor Sanjō of Japan abdicates the throne after a 5-year reign. He is succeeded by his 7-year-old cousin Go-Ichijō as the 68th emperor of Japan. Fujiwara no Michinaga is appointed regent.
  • Japanese poet Koshikibu no Naishi (lady-in-waiting to Dowager Empress Shōshi) and her husband Fujiwara no Kiminari (son of Michinaga) have a son, but the couple is not accepted because of the social gap between them.[18]

1017

Europe

England

Arabian Empire

  • Summer – Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad publicly declares the founding of the Druze religion, during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.

Africa

  • The Sunnis of Kairouan (modern Tunisia) revolt against the Shi'ite Zirid dynasty. The city is quickly retaken and sacked.[20]

Asia

  • March – Fujiwara no Michinaga passes the title of regent of Japan (Sesshō) to his eldest son Fujiwara no Yorimichi.
  • September
    • Prince Atsuakira of Japan, eldest son of ex-Emperor Sanjō, having been struck by a skin disease and under intense pressure from Michinaga, resigns the title of Crown Prince in favour of his younger brother, Prince Atsunaga[21] who marries Fujiwara no Kanshi, daughter of Michinaga.
    • Michinaga makes a pilgrimage to the Iwashimizu Shrine in Japan accompanied by many courtiers. The travelers divide themselves amongst 15 boats for a floating trip down the Yotogawa River. One of the vessels overturns and more than 30 people lose their lives.[21]
  • December 24 – Michinaga is granted the honorary title Daijō-daijin of Japan.
  • Rajendra I, ruler of the Chola dynasty (in modern India), conquers Sri Lanka and annexes the island.[22]

By topic

Religion

1018

By place

Europe
Asia
  • January 22 – Emperor Go-Ichijō of Japan celebrates his coming-of-age ceremony; he is aged 9 at this time.
  • November 26 – 19-year-old Fujiwara no Ishi marries her nephew Go-Ichijō, becoming Empress of Japan (Chugu), the third in succession of the daughters of influential court official Fujiwara no Michinaga to become Empress. Michinaga, who sent her to court in March, holds a banquet in celebration.
  • December – Goryeo–Khitan War: Khitan forces of the Liao dynasty invade Goryeo (North Korea). Goryeo forces led by General Kang Kam-ch'an annihilates the Khitan army at Kusong.

By topic

Religion
  • Buckfast Abbey (located near Buckfastleigh) is founded as a Benedictine monastery in England.[25]

1019

By place

Europe
  • Sviatopolk I dies, and is succeeded by his brother Yaroslav I (the Wise). He becomes the Grand Prince of Kiev with the support of the Novgorodians and the help of Varangian (Viking) mercenaries. Yaroslav consolidates the Kievan state, through both cultural and administrative improvements, and military campaigns.[26]
Africa
Asia
  • March 10 – Battle of Gwiju: Korean forces, led by General Kang Kam-ch'an, gain a decisive victory over the Khitan Liao Dynasty at modern-day Kusong, ending the Third Goryeo-Khitan War.
  • Toi invasion: Jurchen pirates, from the Khitan Liao Dynasty in modern-day Manchuria, sail with about 50 ships to invade Kyūshū in Japan. They assault the islands Tsushima and Iki. In April the pirates raid Matsuura but are defeated by the Japanese army.
  • Japanese statesman and regent Fujiwara no Michinaga retires from public life, installing his son Yorimichi as regent. Michinaga, however, continues to direct affairs of state from his retirement, and remains the de facto ruler of Japan, until his death in 1028.

Significant people

Births

1010

  • May 30 – Zhao Zhen, Emperor Renzong of the Song dynasty (d. 1063)
  • Adalbero, bishop of Würzburg (approximate date)
  • Adalbero III of Luxembourg, German nobleman (d. 1072)
  • Akkadevi, princess of the Chalukya dynasty (d. 1064)
  • Anno II, archbishop of Cologne (approximate date)
  • Arialdo, Italian nobleman and deacon (approximate date)
  • Benno, bishop of Meissen (approximate date)
  • Eberhard, archbishop of Trier (approximate date)
  • Eleanor of Normandy, countess of Flanders (d. 1077)
  • Gebhard, archbishop of Salzburg (approximate date)
  • Gomes Echigues, Portuguese knight and governor (d. 1065)
  • Honorius II, antipope of the Catholic Church (approximate date)
  • John V of Gaeta, Italian nobleman (approximate date)
  • Michael IV the Paphlagonian, Byzantine emperor (d. 1041)
  • Odo (or Eudes), Gascon nobleman (approximate date)
  • Otloh of Sankt Emmeram, German monk (approximate date)
  • Siegfried I, German nobleman (approximate date)
  • Tunka Manin, ruler of the Ghana Empire (d. 1078)

1011

1012

1013

  • July 18 – Hermann of Reichenau, German music theorist (d. 1054)
  • August 15 – Teishi (Yōmeimon-in), Japanese empress consort (d. 1094)
  • September 22 – Richeza (or Adelaide), queen of Hungary (d. 1075)
  • Abu al-Walid al-Baji, Moorish scholar and poet (d. 1081)
  • Guaimar IV of Salerno, Italian nobleman (approximate date)
  • Isaac Alfasi, Algerian Talmudist and posek (d. 1103)

1014

1015

1016

1017

1018

1019

  • November 17 – Sima Guang, Chinese politician and writer (d. 1086)
  • December 29 – Munjong, ruler of Goryeo (Korea) (d. 1083)
  • Abe no Sadato, Japanese nobleman and samurai (d. 1062)
  • Dominic de la Calzada, Spanish priest and saint (d. 1109)
  • Gundekar II (or Gunzo), bishop of Eichstätt (d. 1075)
  • Mauger (or Malger), archbishop of Rouen (d. 1055)
  • Śrīpati, Indian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1066)
  • Sweyn II (Estridsson), king of Denmark (approximate date)
  • Wang Gui, Chinese official and chancellor (d. 1085)
  • Wen Tong, Chinese painter and calligrapher (d. 1079)
  • Yūsuf Balasaguni, Karakhanid statesman (d. 1085)
  • Zeng Gong, Chinese scholar and historian (d. 1083)

Deaths

1010

  • February 14 – Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (b. 974)
  • Ælfric of Eynsham, English abbot and scholar (approximate date)
  • Abu'l-Nasr Muhammad, Farighunid ruler (approximate date)
  • Aimoin, French monk and chronicler (approximate date)
  • Aisha, Andalusian poet and writer (approximate date)
  • Cathal mac Conchobar mac Taidg, king of Connacht
  • Ermengol I (or Armengol), count of Urgell (b. 974)
  • John Kourkouas, Byzantine catepan (approximate date)
  • Maelsuthan Ua Cerbhail, Irish advisor and chronicler
  • Vijayanandi, Indian mathematician (approximate date)

1011

  • February 9 – Bernard I, German nobleman
  • February 23 – Willigis, archbishop of Mainz
  • July 25 – Ichijō, emperor of Japan (b. 980)
  • November 5 – Mathilde, German abbess (b. 949)
  • November 21 – Reizei, emperor of Japan (b. 950)
  • Abu Ali Hasan ibn Ustadh-Hurmuz, Buyid general
  • Albert I, count of Namur (approximate date)
  • Anna Porphyrogenita, Grand Princess of Kiev
  • Boniface, Italian nobleman (approximate date)
  • Conrad I, duke of Carinthia (approximate date)
  • Mahendradatta, queen of Bali (b. 961)
  • Muhammad ibn Suri, Ghurid ruler (malik)
  • Sumbat III, Georgian prince of Tao-Klarjeti
  • Uma no Naishi, Japanese waka poet (b. 949)

1012

  • April 1 – Herman III, duke of Swabia
  • April 19 – Ælfheah, archbishop of Canterbury
  • May 12 – Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 970)
  • May 26 – Erluin II, monk and abbot of Gembloux
  • June 9
    • Tagino, archbishop of Magdeburg
    • Unger, bishop of Poznań
  • August 12 – Walthard, archbishop of Magdeburg
  • September 12 – Ad-Da'i Yusuf, Zaidi imam and ruler
  • October 18 – Coloman of Stockerau, Irish pilgrim
  • December 22 – Baha' al-Dawla, Buyid emir of Iraq
  • Erluin, archdeacon and bishop of Cambrai
  • Gaston II Centule, viscount of Béarn
  • Gundemaro Pinióliz, Spanish nobleman
  • Guy of Anderlecht (or Guido), Christian saint
  • Ibn Faradi, Moorish scholar and historian (b. 962)
  • John II Crescentius, consul and patrician of Rome
  • John Morosini (the Blessed), Venetian abbot
  • Otto, duke of Lower Lorraine (approximate date)
  • Qabus, Ziyarid emir of Gorgan and Tabaristan
  • Roger I, count of Carcassonne (approximate date)
  • Tedald of Canossa, Italian nobleman

1013

  • April 19 – Hisham II, caliph of Córdoba (Spain) (b. 966)
  • June 5 – Al-Baqillani, Arab theologian, jurist and logician
  • c. August – Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn al-Jarrah, Jarrahid emir (b. c. 977)
  • Al-Mahdi al-Husayn, Zaidi imam of Yemen (b. 987)
  • Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, Arab physician, "father of surgery", author of Al-Tasrif (b. 936)
  • Giselbert I, count of Roussillon (Spain) (or 1004)
  • Reginar IV, French nobleman (approximate date)

1014

1015

1016

  • April 23 – Æthelred the Unready, king of England
  • May 22 – Jovan Vladimir, Serbian prince (b. 990)
  • September 6 – Fujiwara no Bokushi, great-grandmother of the Emperor of Japan
  • October 18
  • November 30 – Edmund II "Ironside", king of England
  • Badis ibn Mansur, Muslim emir of the Zirid dynasty
  • Henry II "the Good", count of Stade (b. 946)
  • Liu Chenggui, official of Song dynasty China (b. 951)
  • Simeon of Mantua, Armenian Benedictine monk
  • Sulayman ibn al-Hakam, caliph of Córdoba
  • Uhtred the Bold, English nobleman
  • Wulfgar of Abingdon, English abbot

1017

1018

1019

References

  1. ^ Lamb 2012.
  2. ^ Boissonade 1934.
  3. ^ Bokody, Péter (2022). "Images of Wartime Sexual Violence in the Chronicles of Giovanni Villani and Giovanni Sercambi*". Renaissance Studies. 36 (4): 573. doi:10.1111/rest.12768. ISSN 0269-1213.
  4. ^ Barbara Højlund & Frederik Schildt Nabe-Nielsen. "Sigtuna in Sweden". vikingeskibsmuseet.dk. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  5. ^ Norwich 1967.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Palmer & Palmer 1992.
  7. ^ Stenton, Frank. Anglo-Saxon England. pp. 381–384.
  8. ^ Gil, Moshe (1997). A History of Palestine, 634-1099. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 382–384. ISBN 0-521-59984-9.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Williams 2005.
  10. ^ a b Titsingh, Isaac (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran, ou Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society. p. 155. OCLC 5850691.
  11. ^ Chandler 1989.
  12. ^ Rosenberg 2001.
  13. ^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology, p. 214.
  14. ^ Needham 2008.
  15. ^ Bradbury 2004.
  16. ^ Benvenuti 1985.
  17. ^ Kleinhenz 2010.
  18. ^ "Koshikibu no Naishi", Mypaedia, Hitachi Systems & Services, 2007.
  19. ^ a b Palmer, Alan; Veronica (1992). Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd; Barrie & Jenkins. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-0712656160.
  20. ^ Meynier 2010.
  21. ^ a b Titsingh, Isaac (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran, ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. pp. 156–7. OCLC 5850691.
  22. ^ Agnihotri 2010.
  23. ^ Kleinhenz, Christopher, ed. (2010). Medieval Italy: an encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415939294.
  24. ^ Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0304357307.
  25. ^ Emery, Anthony (2006). Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500. Volume 3, Southern England. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-58132-5.
  26. ^ "Yaroslav I (prince of Kiev) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  27. ^ "Henry III – Holy Roman emperor". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved April 17, 2018.

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