View source for 973

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{About year|973}}
{{Year nav|973}}
{{M1 year in topic}}
[[File:Otton2.JPG|upright=1.35|thumb|[[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]] is crowned as [[Holy Roman Emperor]].]]
Year '''973''' ('''[[Roman numerals|CMLXXIII]]''') was a [[common year starting on Wednesday]] of the [[Julian calendar]].

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== By place ===

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* Spring &ndash; The [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] army, led by General [[Melias (Domestic of the Schools)|Melias]] ([[Domestic of the Schools]] in the East), continues the operations in [[Upper Mesopotamia]]. 
* [[July]]: Melias moves against [[Amida (Mesopotamia)|Amida]] (modern [[Turkey]]). He defeats the [[Arabs]] outside the walls, and begins to lay [[siege]] to the city. After a few days, a violent wind and a thick dust spreads over the Byzantine camp. Covered by the dust, the Arabs attack and route the Byzantines. Many of them are slaughtered and some, including Melias, are taken prisoner. Previous Byzantine gains in the area are lost. The wounded Melias dies later in captivity.

==== Europe ====
* [[May 7]] &ndash; Emperor [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]] ('''the Great''') dies at [[Memleben]] in [[Thuringia]] (modern [[Germany]]) after a 37-year reign. He is succeeded by his 18-year-old son [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]] ('''the Red'''), who becomes [[Autocracy|absolute ruler]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. His mother [[Adelaide of Italy|Adelaide]] will exert great influence on Otto, although her lavish [[Philanthropy|philanthropies]] will be a source of contention. Otto's succession leads to conflicts in the south German duchies and in [[Lotharingia]].<ref>Reuter, Timothy (1999). ''The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III'', p. 254. {{ISBN|978-0-521-36447-8}}.</ref>

==== Britain ====
* [[Edgar the Peaceful|Edgar I]] ('''the Peaceful''') is crowned king during a royal [[ceremony]] at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] by Archbishop [[Dunstan]]. In a [[King Edgar's council at Chester|council at Chester]], [[Lothian]] (a region of the [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]]) is ceded to [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], in return for [[fealty]] from King [[Kenneth II of Scotland|Kenneth II]].
* Edgar I marches with his army north to [[Chester]]. His navy meets him there via the [[Irish Sea]]. This show of strength persuades the 'Northern Kings' to submit to his [[overlord]]ship (approximate date).

==== Africa ====
* Caliph [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|Al-Mu'izz]] transfers the royal residence of the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] from [[Mansouria, Tunisia|El-Mansuriya]] (modern [[Tunisia]]) to the newly founded city of [[Cairo]] in [[Egypt in the Middle Ages|Egypt]]. He leaves general [[Buluggin ibn Ziri]] to govern the Western [[North Africa]]n territories, which will become the province of [[Maghreb|Al-Maghreb]] (meaning '''the West''').

=== By topic ===

==== Commerce ====
* [[Clove]]s, [[ginger]], [[black pepper]], and other Eastern spices are available for purchase in the marketplace at [[Mainz]]. The spices are brought to the city by [[Jews|Jewish]] traveling [[merchant]]s, known as the [[Radhanite]]s, who have contacts in the international [[trade]] between the [[Christianity|Christian]] and [[Islam]]ic world (approximate date).

==== Religion ====
* [[January 19]] &ndash; [[Pope Benedict VI]] is consecrated as the 134th [[pope]] of the [[Catholic Church]]. He is installed at [[Rome]] with the approval of Otto I and becomes a [[puppet ruler]] of the Holy Roman Empire. The Roman aristocracy resents Otto's dominance in Roman civil and [[Ecclesiology|ecclesiastical]] affairs.<ref>Roger Collins (2009). ''Keepers of the keys of heaven: A History of the Papacy'', p. 187 (Basic Books).</ref>
* In the Council of [[Winchester]], Edgar I accepts a 'Monastic Agreement' (called the ''[[Regularis Concordia (Winchester)|Regularis Concordia]]''). The document is compiled by Bishop [[Æthelwold of Winchester|Æthelwold]] and serves as a rule for how [[Christian monasticism|monastic life]] should be performed.
</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[May 6]] &ndash; [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]], emperor of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (d. [[1024]])
* [[September 4]] &ndash; [[Al-Biruni]], Persian physician and [[polymath]] (d. [[1048]])
* [[Adelaide I, Abbess of Quedlinburg|Adelaide I]], German princess and [[abbess]] (approximate date)
* [[Al-Ma'arri|Abul 'Ala Al-Ma'arri]], Syrian [[philosopher]] and poet (d. [[1057]])
* [[Hisham III of Córdoba|Hisham III]], Umayyad caliph of [[Caliphate of Córdoba|Córdoba]] (d. [[1036]])
* [[Murasaki Shikibu]], Japanese [[Japanese poetry|poet]] and [[lady-in-waiting]] (or [[978]])
* [[Qadi 'Abd al-Wahhab]], Abbasid scholar and jurist (d. [[1031]])

== Deaths ==
* [[January 14]] &ndash; [[Ekkehard I]], Frankish monk and poet
* [[March 26]] &ndash; [[Guntram the Rich|Guntram]] ('''the Rich'''), Frankish [[Nobility|nobleman]]
* [[March 27]] &ndash; [[Hermann Billung]], Frankish nobleman
* [[May 7]] &ndash; [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]], emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (b. [[912]])
* [[May 15]] &ndash; [[Byrhthelm (bishop of Wells)|Byrhthelm]], bishop of [[Diocese of Bath and Wells|Wells]] ([[Somerset]])
* [[July 4]] &ndash; [[Ulrich of Augsburg|Ulrich]] (or '''Oldarici'''), bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg|Augsburg]] (b. [[893]])
* [[July 19]] &ndash; [[Kyunyeo]], Korean monk and [[Korean poetry|poet]] (b. [[917]])
* [[September 12]] &ndash; [[Nefingus]], bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Angers|Angers]]
* [[November 12]] &ndash; [[Burchard III, Duke of Swabia|Burchard III]], Frankish nobleman
* [[December 18]] (or [[972]]) &ndash; [[Eberhard IV of Nordgau|Eberhard IV]], Frankish nobleman (or [[972]])
* [[Abu'l-Abbas Ismail]], Abbasid official and statesman
* [[Cathal mac Tadg]], king of [[Connacht]] ([[Ireland]])
* [[Conchobar mac Tadg]], king of Connacht
* [[Geibennach mac Aedha]], king of [[Uí Maine]] (Ireland)
* [[Guo Zongxun]], emperor of [[Later Zhou]] (d. [[953]])
* [[Hrotsvitha]], German [[canoness]] and poet (approximate date)
* [[Jawdhar]], Fatimid general and chief minister
* [[Karka II]], ruler of the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta Empire]] ([[India]])
* [[Melias (Domestic of the Schools)|Melias]], Byzantine general (approximate date)
* [[Reginar III, Count of Hainaut|Reginar III]], Frankish nobleman (approximate date)
* [[Richar, Duke of Lower Lorraine|Richar]] (or '''Richer'''), Frankish nobleman
* [[Werner, Count of Valenciennes|Werner]] (or '''Warin'''), Frankish nobleman

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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