972

Otto II (left) and Theophanu are anointed by Pope John XIII as Emperor and Empress.

Events

Spring – Emperor John I Tzimiskes divides the Bulgarian territories, recently held by the Kievan Rus', into six new themes. He turns his attention to the East against the Abbasid Caliphate and its vassals, beginning with an invasion of Upper Mesopotamia. John transfers Byzantine troops to Macedonia, and the region of Philippopolis in Thrace, to dilute the Slavs.<ref>Brian Todd Carey (2012). Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare 527–1071, p. 95. Template:ISBN.</ref>
John I removes various Bulgarian boyars from their homes, and settles them in Constantinople and Anatolia (modern Turkey), where they are given high titles and lands.<ref>Template:The Early Medieval Balkans</ref>
John I grants a charter for the Monastic Republic of Holy Mount Athos, in Greece.

Spring – Grand Prince Sviatoslav I is ambushed by the Pechenegs (possibly in the service of the Byzantines) and killed during his attempt to cross the Dnieper rapids (modern Ukraine). His skull is made into a drinking cup. Sviatoslav is succeeded by his eldest son Yaropolk I as ruler of Kyiv, which leads to a civil war with his brother Oleg.<ref>Template:The Early Medieval Balkans</ref>
April 14 – Otto II (the Red), joint-ruler and son of Otto I (the Great), marries the Byzantine princess Theophanu (niece or granddaughter of John I). She is crowned empress by Pope John XIII at Rome. Creating an alliance between the Ottonian Dynasty and the Byzantine Empire (called the Tzimiscian Peace).<ref>Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254. Template:ISBN.</ref>
June 24 – Battle of Cedynia: The Polans under prince (or Duke) Mieszko I, defeat the German forces of the Saxon count Odo I at their stronghold in Cedynia (with the help of hidden reinforcements). The battle – one of the first in Polish history – strengthens Mieszko's hold over Western Pomerania.<ref>Richard Brzezinski (1998). History of Poland: Old Poland, King Mieszko I , p. 15. Template:ISBN.</ref>

Buluggin ibn Ziri is appointed viceroy in Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia) and becomes the first ruler (emir) of the Zirid Dynasty.

September 6 – John XIII dies at Rome after a 6-year reign. He is succeeded by Benedict VI as the 134th pope of the Catholic Church.
The monastery at the site of Peterborough Cathedral is rebuilt by Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury.<ref>The most recent survey of the Anglo-Saxon history of Peterborough Abbey is in Kelly, S.E. (ed.), Charters of Peterborough Abbey, Anglo-Saxon Charters 14, OUP, 2009.</ref>

September 6 – John XIII, pope of the Catholic Church<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
December 18 (or 973) – Eberhard IV, Frankish nobleman (or 973)
Ælfwold I (or Ælfweald), bishop of Crediton
Arnulf II, count of Boulogne (approximate date)
Boleslaus I (the Cruel), duke of Bohemia (or 967)
Feng Yanlu, Chinese official (approximate date)
Fujiwara no Koretada, Japanese statesman (b. 924)
Pope John XIII<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Khottiga Amoghavarsha, ruler of the Rashtrakuta Empire
Kūya, Japanese priest of Pure Land Buddhism (b. 903)
Liutprand, Lombard bishop and historian
Sviatoslav I (Igorevich), Grand Prince of Kiev