960s

The 960s was a decade that started on 1 January 960 and ended on 31 December 969.

960

• Mieszko I becomes ruler in Poland
• Richard I of Normandy marries Emma of Paris
• The Aksumite Empire is destroyed

Births

• Emperor Constantine VIII of the Byzantine Empire (d. 1028)
• Theophanu, princess who became Empress (d. 991)
• Sweyn I of Denmark (d. 1014)
• Gershom ben Judah
• Matsu, Taoist 'goddess' of the sea
• Olof of Sweden
• Arnulf II, Count of Flanders (d. 988)
• Bagrat III (d. 1014), king of Abkhazians and Georgians
• Seongjong of Goryeo (d. 997)

Deaths

• Saint Eadburga of Winchester
• Časlav Klonimirović, ruler of Serbia

961

• Ani becomes the capital of Armenia
• The Huqiu Tower is built in China
• Battle of Fitje
• Harald II of Norway becomes ruler of the western part of Norway
• St Paul's Cathedral in London is destroyed by fire
• Al-Hakam II starts to rule

Births

• Edith of Wilton
• Sigmundur Brestisson, chieftain in the Faroe Islands

Deaths

• King Haakon I of Norway
• Abd-ar-rahman III, Caliph of Córdoba
• Emperor Yuanzong of Southern Tang

962

• February 2 – Pope John XII crowns Otto I the Great Holy Roman Emperor

Births

• Edward the Martyr

Deaths

• Dong Yuan
• Indulf, King of the Scots and Picts

963

• Sebük Tigin starts his empire in modern-day Afghanistan
• The Nanping State has to surrender when invaded by Song Dynasty armies
• The Song Dynasty Chinese government tries to ban the practice of cremation
• Holy Roman Emperor Otto I defeats Mieszko I of Poland
• Luxembourg is founded
• December 6 – Pope Leo VIII becomes the 131st pope

Births

• Li Jiqian, Tangut jiedushi who ruled the new Western Xia Dynasty in northwestern China (d. 1004)

Deaths

• March 15 – Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor (b. 939)
• April 3 – William III, Duke of Aquitaine
• April 18 – Stephen Lekapenos, co-emperor of Byzantium in 924–945

964

• Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas tries to recapture Cilicia
• Al-Sufi's Book of Fixed Stars is published
• May 22 – Pope Benedict V becomes the 132nd pope
• June 23 – Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor battles in Rome to make Leo VIII Pope

Deaths

• May 14 – Pope John XII

965

• The Khazar fortress of Sarkel falls to the Kievan Rus
• Northern Song armies invade the Later Shu Kingdom

Births

• Elvira of Castile (daughter of García I), Regent of Leon (d. 1017)
• Alhazen, scientist
• Sweyn I of Denmark

Deaths

• February 22 – Otto, Duke of Burgundy
• July 4 – Pope Benedict V
• Meng Chang, Emperor of Later Shu

966

• Mieszko I, the first duke of Poland, is baptized a Christian

Births

• Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese regent

Deaths

• King Dub of Scotland

967

• Conchobar mac Tadg becomes King of Connacht
• Otto II is crowned co-emperor by Pope John XIII
• Olaf Tryggvason runs away from Norway with his mother
• Emperor Reizei ascends to the throne of Japan
• The Cambodian temple of Banteay Srei is consecrated
• 'Izz al-Daula becomes the Buyid emir of Iraq
• Bisutun ascends to the Ziyarid throne

Births

• Sigrid Storrada, queen of Sweden and Denmark
• Bolesław I, king of Poland
• Louis V, king of France
• Badi' al-Zamān al-Hamadhāni, Arab author
• Walter von Speyer, German poet and bishop
• Abusaeid Abolkheir, Persian Sufi
• Khottiga Amoghavarsha, Rashtrakuta warrior
• Vahram Pahlavouni, prince of Bjni and Nik
• Bertha, princess of Burgundy

Deaths

• February 9 – Sayf al-Dawla, Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo
• Abu al-Faraj Ali, scholar
• Abu 'Ali Muhammad, Ilyasid ruler
• Bolesław I, prince of Bohemia
• Hugh II, lord of Lusignan
• Krishna III, Rashtrakuta ruler
• Mu'izz al-Daula, first Buyid emir
• Murakami, emperor of Japan
• Vushmgir, ruler of the Ziyarids
• Wichmann the Younger, Saxon count
• Matilda of Ringelheim, Holy Roman Empress
• Dub mac Maíl Coluim, king of Alba
• Li Cheng, Chinese painter

968

• The Pechenegs begin the Siege of Kiev
• The Archbishopric of Magdeburg is founded

Births

• May 14 – Leofric, Earl of Mercia
• King Ethelred II of England
• Emperor Kazan, emperor of Japan
• Romanus III, Byzantine emperor (d. 1034)
• Emperor Zhenzong of Song

Deaths

• August 25 – Edgiva of Kent, queen of Edward the Elder of England
• Abu al-Misk Kafur
• Aldred of Lindisfarne
• John III of Naples
• Landulf III of Benevento
• William, Archbishop of Mainz
• Matilda of Ringelheim

969

• December 11 – John I Tzimiskes becomes Byzantine Emperor after killing Nikephoros II Phokas
• The Fatimids conquer Egypt
• Emperor En'yū replaces Emperor Reizei on the throne of Japan
• Jing Zong begins to rule the Khitan Empire
• Uththama Chola becomes the Chola Emperor

Births

• Olaf I of Norway

Deaths

• July 11 – Olga of Kiev
• Harald II of Norway
• December 11 – Nikephoros II Phokas
• Emperor Muzong of Liao