1038

Events

August 15 – On the death of his uncle, Stephen I, Peter Orseolo becomes the second ruler of Hungary.
August – A battle occurs near the town of Alfuente, Andalucia, between the Taifa of Granada and the Taifa of Almeria, as described by the Jewish poet Samuel ibn Naghrela.
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor ("the Elder") travels to Southern Italy and holds court in Troia. He orders Pandulf IV of Capua to restore the territories of Monte Cassino. Pandulf holes himself up in the fortress of Sant'Agata de' Goti, and dispatches tribute (300 lb of gold) and his son as hostage to Troia as a token of peace. Conrad accepts his offer, but the son escapes. Conrad goes on the offensive and seizes Capua, and gives it to Guaimar IV of Salerno.
Duke John II drives his brother Manso II and his mother Maria out of Amalfi. He has Manso blinded and exiled to the island of Sirenuse. John reconciles with Maria, and allows her to remain as co-ruler of Amalfi.
Duke Bretislav I of Bohemia invades Poland. He captures and destroys the cities of Gniezno and Poznań.
The name of Versailles, at this time a small village, appears for the first time in a medieval charter in France.

January 9 – An earthquake in Dingxiang, China kills an estimated 32,300.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
November 10 – Li Yuanhao proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Xia, declaring independence from the Song dynasty in China.<ref name="mcgrath 2008 157">McGrath (2008), 157.</ref>

McGrath, Michael (2008). "Frustrated Empires: The Song-Tangut Xia War of 1038–1044", in Battlefronts Real and Imagined: War, Border, and Identity in the Chinese Middle Period, 151–190. Edited by Don J. Wyatt. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan. Template:ISBN.