10th century

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	9th century 10th century 11th century
Decades:	900s 910s 920s 930s 940s 950s 960s 970s 980s 990s
Categories:	Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments

The 10th century is the period from 901 to 1000 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Common Era.

The 10th century is usually regarded as a low point in European history. In China it was also a period of political upheaval. In the Muslim World, however, it was a cultural zenith, especially in Spain under the Caliphate of Córdoba. Additionally, the 10th century was the zenith for the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires.

Medievalist and historian of technology Lynn White said that "to the modern eye, it is very nearly the darkest of the Dark Ages", but concluded that ". . . if it was dark, it was the darkness of the womb." Similarly, Helen Waddell wrote that the 10th century was that which "in the textbooks disputes with the seventh the bad eminence, the nadir of the human intellect." Even in the 15th century, Lorenzo Valla described it as the Century of Lead and Iron and later Cardinal Baronius as the Leaden Century or Iron Century.

Events

• The beginning of the Medieval Warm Period
• The Byzantine empire reaches the height of its military and economic strength

Africa

• c. 909: The Fatimid Caliphate arises in eastern Algeria.
• c. 948: The Nri Kingdom in what is now Southeastern Nigeria starts.
• c. 980: Al-Azhar University is established in Cairo by the Fatimid dynasty.
• The Christian Nubian kingdom reaches its peak of prosperity and military power ( Early history of Sudan)

Americas

• Collapse of the central lowland Maya civilization. End of Classic Maya period, begin Post-Classic Maya.
• Rise of the Toltecs in Mexico
• Golden age of the Ancestral Puebloans ( Pueblo II Era)
• The Mississippian culture begins in present day Southern United States

Eurasia

• Khazar kingdom is attacked and defeated by Kievan Rus ( 965)

Asia

• Buddhist temple construction commences at Bagan, Burma
• In 919, the first use of gunpowder in battle occurred with the Chinese Battle of Lang-shan Jiang (Wolf Mountain River), where the naval fleet of the Wen-Mu-King defeated Chien Yuan Kuan because Wen had used 'fire oil' (huo yóu, 火油) of gunpowder- fuse ignited flamethrowers to burn Chien's fleet.
• In 910, Parantaka I of the Chola Dynasty drove out the Pandyan from southern India into Lanka (now Sri Lanka), which he also eventually conquered.
• In 928, Ziyarid dynasty was established in northern Iran.
• In 930s, Persian Shia Buyid dynasty established and controlled central and western part of Iran as well as most of Iraq.
• In 936, Goryeo Dynasty unified Later Three Kingdoms of Korea.
• In 975, Ghaznavids dynasty, as the first Turk Sultanate, was established in Central Asia.
• Coastal cities on the Malay Peninsula are the seed for the first recorded Malay kingdoms
• 993: the Arab maritime captain Abu Himyarite from Yemen traveled to Guangzhou port, China.
• Seljuks convert to Islam.
• In 999, Samanid dynasty was defeated and conquered by Ghaznavids.

Europe

• Viking groups settle in northern France
• The Norse become Normans
• Foundation of Cluny, first federated monastic order
• In 917 the Bulgarians destroyed the Byzantine army in the Battle of Anchialus, one of the bloodiest battles in the Middle Ages
• 927: official recognition of the first independent national Church in Europe, the Bulgarian Patriarchate
• Incursions of Magyar (Hungarian) cavalry throughout Western Europe (47 expeditions in Germany, Italy and France, 899– 970)
• Mieszko I, first duke of Poland, baptised a Christian in 966
• Collapse of Great Moravia
• The medieval Croatian state becomes a unified kingdom under Tomislav
• Swedish influence extends to the Black Sea
• Vladimir I, Prince of Kievan Rus, baptised a Christian in 988
• Reindeer and Bears become extinct in Britain
• Lions become extinct in Europe by this date, with the last dying in Caucasus.
• Second half of the 10th century – Page with David the Psalmist, from the Paris Psalter, is made. It is now kept at Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris.
• Late 10th or early 11th century – Archangel Michail, icon, is made. It is now kept at Treasury of the Cathedral of Saint Mark, Venice.

Oceania

• Formation of the Tu'i Tonga Empire and of the Tuʻi Tonga dynasty in Tonga

Significant people

Africa

• Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah, founder of the Fatamid dynasty of Egypt in 909

Americas

• Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl, semi-legendaric Toltec ruler, (exact years of his life are unknown)

Eurasia and Eastern Roman Empire

• Nicephorus II, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (lived 912– 969, reigned 963– 969)
• John I Tzimisces, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (lived 925– 976, reigned 969– 976)
• Basil II, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, (lived 958– 1025, reigned 976– 1025)

Asia

• Adikavi Pampa an early Kannada language poet (born in 902)
• Ranna, an early Kannada language poet from India, (born in 949)
• Huyan Zan, Chinese general (died in 1000)
• Li Cheng, Chinese landscape painter
• Tailapa II, re-established the Western Chalukya Empire of India (reigned 973– 997)
• Zhang Sixun, Chinese astronomer and mechanical engineer
• Ferdowsi, Persian poet
• Li Fang, Chinese scholar and encyclopedist ( 925– 996)
• Emperor Taizu of Song, founder of the Chinese Song Dynasty (lived March 21, 927–November 14, 976, reigned 960– 976)
• Parantaka I, ruler of the Chola Dynasty of India – Tamil King (reigned 907– 950)
• Raja Raja Chola I, ruler of the Chola Dynasty of India – Tamil King
• Avicenna, one of the foremost physician and philosopher of Medieval Era(c. 980 - 1037).
• Al-Farabi, a Muslim polymath and one of the greatest scientists and philosophers (c. 872 – between 14 December, 950 and 12 January, 951).
• Alhazen, a Muslim scientist and mathematician, (965 in Basra - c. 1039 in Cairo)
• Abu Rayhan Biruni, a Muslim Scientist, (born 5 September 973 in Kath, Khwarezm, died 13 December 1048 in Ghazni)
• Taejo of Goryeo, founder of the Korean Goryeo Dynasty (lived January 31, 877 – July 4, 943, reigned 918– 943)

Europe

• Harald Fairhair, king of Norway, united Norway in 872 and remained its ruler until 933. One of the most powerful lords of Europe at the time.
• Vladimir I, Prince of Kievan Rus (lived 958– 1015)
• Tomislav, king of Croatia, united the medieval Croatian state into the Kingdom of Croatia, crowned in 925
• Abd-ar-rahman III of Cordoba
• Simeon the Great, Emperor of Bulgaria (reigned 893– 927)
• Otto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor (lived 912– 973, reigned 936– 973)
• King Edmund I of England (lived 921– 946, reigned 939– 946)
• Hugh Capet (lived 938– 996), first Capetian King of France
• Géza of Hungary, ruler of the Magyars (lived 940– 997, reigned 970– 997)
• Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (lived 955– 983, reigned 973– 983)
• Theophanu, wife of Otto II, mother and Regent of Otto III, (lived 956– 991, reigned 983– 991)
• Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria (lived 958– 1014, reigned 976– 1014)
• Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (lived 980– 1002, reigned 983– 1002)
• Erik the Red, Norwegian explorer, founded Greenland
• Leif Eiriksson, Norwegian explorer, son of Erik the Red, made the first European attempt to settle in America.
• Olav Tryggvason becomes the first king to try to Christianize Norway, dies at the Battle of Svolder in 1000.

Oceania

• 'Aho'eitu (early 10th century), first king of the Tuʻi Tonga

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

• List of 9th-10th centuries inventions
• 10th century-12th century - Seated Guaryin Bodhisattva, is made. Liao dynasty. It is now kept at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.
• Construction begins on the Brihadeeswarar Temple of India, during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I
• The first pound lock is invented by the Chinese engineer Qiao Weiyo, improving the canal lock system.
• Fire Arrows are invented by the Chinese.
• Earliest known occurrence in Mexico of Lost-wax casting.
• Three of the Four Great Books of Song are published (the last one in 1013), which were enormous Chinese encyclopedias having millions of written Chinese characters each.
• Hops first mentioned in connection with beer brewing
• Zhang Sixun of China uses for the first time liquid mercury (element) instead of water to power the escapement mechanism rotating an armillary sphere, since liquid mercury does not freeze easily like water during winter, and does not rust metal parts

Decades and years

Decades and years 10th century 8th century←9th century← ↔ →11th century→12th century 890s 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900–909 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910s 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920s 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930s 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940s 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950s 950 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960s 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 967 968 969 970s 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980s 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990s 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000–1009 1000 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009

Centuries and millennia Millennium Century BC (BCE) 4th 40th 39th 38th 37th 36th 35th 34th 33rd 32nd 31st 3rd 30th 29th 28th 27th 26th 25th 24th 23rd 22nd 21st 2nd 20th 19th 18th 17th 16th 15th 14th 13th 12th 11th 1st 10th 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st AD (CE) 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 2nd 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 3rd 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th