1010s

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	10th century – 11th century – 12th century
Decades:	980s 990s 1000s – 1010s – 1020s 1030s 1040s
Years:	1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1016 1017 1018 1019
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments

1010s: events by year

Contents: 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1016 1017 1018 1019

By place

Europe

• The city of Yaroslavl is said to have been founded.
• Hisham II the Nephast is restored as Umayyad caliph of Córdoba, succeeding Muhammad II al-Mahdi.
• Allied to Muslim rebels, the count of Barcelona sacks the Cordoba.

Asia

• The Lý Dynasty is established in Vietnam (or 1009) and moves the capital to Hanoi.
• Persian poet Ferdowsi finishes writing The Shahnameh (Book of Kings).
• The Goryeo king is unseated in a revolt, resulting in an invasion by the Liao Dynasty and the burning of the Korean capital Gaegyeong in the Second Goryeo-Khitan War.
• 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.

Americas

• Viking explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni attempts to found a settlement in North America (approximate date).

By topic

Art

• The construction of Brihadeeswarar temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, ends. Chola Dynasty, Early Medieval period.
• Rajaraja I and His Teacher, detail of a wall painting in the Brihadeeswarar temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, is made. Chola Dynasty. Early Medieval period (approximate date).

Literature

• Lady Murasaki writes The Tale of Genji in Japanese (approximate date).
• Beowulf is written anonymously (approximate date).

Technology

• Eilmer of Malmesbury attempts flight in a glider of his own construction.

By place

Europe

• Mael Morda starts a rebellion against Brian Boru in Ireland, which eventually ends in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf.
• King Máel Coluim mac Cináeda of Alba reputedly defeats a Danish army at Cruden Bay in Buchan.
• Suleiman II is restored as Umayyad caliph of Cordoba, succeeding Hisham II.
• King Aethelred of England pays tribute to Viking raiders (Danegeld).
• Oldrich succeeds Jaromir as duke of Bohemia.

By topic

Religion

• Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim orders the destruction of all Jewish and Christian places of worship.
• April 19 – Archbishop Alphege of Canterbury is murdered by his Danish captors.
• May 18 – Pope Benedict VIII succeeds Pope Sergius IV as the 143rd pope.
• Gregory VI becomes antipope.

By place

Europe

• December – King Sweyn I leads a Danish invasion of England. King Ethelred flees to Normandy, and Sweyn becomes King of England.
• The Poles withdraw from Pomerania (approximate date).
• The Jews are expelled from the caliphate of Córdoba.
• German King Henry II conducts his second Italian military campaign.

Asia

• Estimation: Kaifeng, capital of China becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Córdoba in Al-Andalus.
• The largest of the Four Great Books of Song, the Song Dynasty Chinese encyclopedia Prime Tortoise of the Record Bureau (which had been compiled since 1005), is completed in 1,000 volumes of 9.4 million written Chinese characters.

By topic

Religion

• Lyfing is appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
• Beauvais changes from a county to a bishopric (approximate date).
• The Al-Hakim Mosque is completed in Cairo.

By place

Europe

• February 14 – Pope Benedict VIII recognizes and crowns Henry of Bavaria (who has ruled since 1003) as King of Germany.
• April 23 – Battle of Clontarf: Gaelic Irish forces under Brian Boru defeat several allied Viking forces in Ireland, ending their power there but losing Brian in the battle.
• July – Battle of Salonica fought in Greece between First Bulgarian Empire and Byzantine Empire.
• July 29 – Battle of Kleidion: Basil II inflicts not only a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent blinding of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock, and earns Basil II the sobriquet 'Boulgaroktonos' (Bulgar-slayer).
• Following the death of Sweyn I, Ethelred II returns to England and reclaims the English crown.
• Cnut the Great returns to Denmark.
• Holmgang is declared illegal in Norway.

Asia

• In Kashmir, Abhinavagupta, the teacher of the poet Ksemendra, circulates his Greater commentary on the Pratyabhijna Darshana.

Africa

• Hammad ibn Buluggin recognises the Abbasid Caliphate, beginning the split of the Hammadids from the Zirids.

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 was not used at all during the liturgy.
• In England, Archbishop Wulfstan preaches his Latin homily, "Wulf's Address to the English".

By place

Europe

• Canute the Great invades England.
• Berserkers are banned in Norway.
• Olav Haraldsson becomes king of Norway.
• Sviatopolk succeeds Vladimir as prince of Kiev.

Asia

• The Ghaznavid army invades Kashmir, but is defeated.

By place

Asia

• Emperor Go-Ichijō succeeds Emperor Sanjō on the throne of Japan.
• Earthquakes partly destroy the Dome of the Rock.

Europe

• October 18 – Battle of Ashingdon: The Danes under Canute the Great defeat the English under Edmund Ironside.
• November 30 – After Edmund's death, Canute is left as the sole ruler of England.
• George Tsul, ruler of Khazaria, is captured by a combined Byzantine–Rus' force, which effectively ends Khazaria's existence.
• Melus of Bari makes a second attempt against Byzantine-held Southern Italy. To support his cause, he hires Norman mercenaries. Unwillingly Melo triggers the rise of the Norman rule over Italy.
• The Pisan and the Genoese republics launch a naval offensive against the Muslim strongholds of Sardegna, in particular Porto Torres and defeat the fleet of the taifa king of Denia, Mujahid al-Amiri al-Muwaffaq.
• Edmund II is king of England after Ethelred's death.
• Battle of Brentford: Edmund II gains a temporary victory over Canute the Great.
• Canute of Denmark and Edmund II divide England.
• Battle of Nesjar (Norway): Olaf Haraldsson is victorious over Sveinn Hakonarson.

By place

Europe

• Canute the Great is acclaimed king of England.
• England is divided into the earldoms of Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria.
• Canute marries Emma of Normandy.
• Melus of Bari rebels, supported by Norman mercenaries. He is victorious in three pitched battles against the Byzantines.
• Kiev burns.
• The construction of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev is started (approximate date).

Asia

• Abd-ar-Rahman IV succeeds Suleiman II as Umayyad caliph.
• 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

• Sunni revolt of Kairouan against the Shi'ite Zirid dynasty. The city is quickly retaken and sacked.

By place

Asia

• The Liao Dynasty invades Goryeo.
• Largest Amphibious Invasion Force in History at the time. Chola army that invaded Lanka (Sri Lanka) with a massive manpower of 150,000 troops.
• Battle of Kwiju: Korean General Gang Gam-chan gains a decisive victory over Liao Dynasty forces during the Third Goryeo-Khitan War.

Europe

• In Southern Italy, at the second battle of Cannae, the Lombard adventurer Melus of Bari and his Norman mercenaries are defeated by the Byzantine army led by the kapetan Basil Boioannes.
• The last Bulgarian leader, Ibatzes, is captured. Bulgaria becomes part of the Byzantine Empire.
• The Peace of Bautzen is signed between Poland and Germany.
• Boleslaus I of Poland takes Kiev and conquers Red Ruthenia.
• Battle of Carham: The Scots conquer Lothian.
• Canute the Great becomes king of Denmark (or 1019), succeeding Harald II.
• Battle of Vlaardingen: Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II at Vlaardingen.

By topic

Religion

• Buckfast Abbey is founded.
• The city of Koblenz is given to the archbishop of Trier.

By place

Africa

• The Azdâji conquest puts an end to the Kingdom of Nekor in Morocco.

Asia

• Toi invasion: Jurchen pirates from the Khitan Liao Dynasty in Manchuria invade Kyūshū of Heian-era Japan.
• The last Goryeo-Khitan War ends.
• Japanese regent and statesman 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.
• Mahmud founds the Great Mosque at Ghazni, capital of the Ghaznavid Empire.

Europe

• Moravia becomes part of Bohemia.
• Yaroslav the Wise becomes prince of Kievan Rus', succeeding Sviatopolk I.
• A treaty between Sweden and Norway is conducted at Kungälv.
• Saracens attack the French port of Narbonne.

Significant people

• Abu al-Qasim (Abulcasis)
• Abu Nasr Mansur
• Abu Rayhan al-Biruni
• Alhacen (Ibn al-Haytham)
• Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
• Basil II
• Boleslaus I
• Canute
• Fujiwara no Michinaga
• Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
• Malcolm II of Scotland
• Sweyn I