People

Explore the White Tower

Explore all four floors of the White Tower at the Tower of London using the Unity 3d game engine.

A Medieval Mystery

There appear to be some strange connections between the fourteenth century Old Wardour Castle and ancient stone circle Stonehenge.

1: Location

Old Wardour Castle appears to be aligned to ancient sites in the Stonehenge landscape.

2: Alignment

Stonehenge is aligned to the Summer Solstice. Old Wardour has a very similar alignment.

3: Size

Could the builders of Old Wardour used mesaurements from Stonehenge to layout the geometrical keep?

Learn More

3D/VR

Virtual Buildings

Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past.

976 .. 1000
Please note that the TimeRef website is currently being redesigned.

Timeline Navigation

 

34 Historical events occurring between 976 and 1000

Years: 976 977 978 979 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000

978

English Regnal years: -
 
Deaths

EDWARD (The Martyr, King of the English 975-978) (b.962 - m.978)

...
Siege of Paris
Otto II, the Holy Roman Emporer, laid siege to Paris. Lothair, the King of West Francia, had taken refuge in the city after Otto had invaded his lands in retaliation for Lothair's invasion into Lorraine. The siege was lifted when Otto's men became sick and a relief army led by Hugh Capet arrived to free the city.
...
Edward the Martyr was assassinated
Corfe Castle was built on a steep hill in a gap in a long line of chalk hills, created by two streams eroding the rock on either side. The name Corfe derives from the Old English ceorfan, meaning 'a cutting', referring to the gap. The construction of the medieval castle means that little is known about previous activity on the hill. We know from contemporary writing that Anglo-Saxon nobility treated it as a residence, such as Queen Aelfthryth, wife of Edgar, and there are postholes belonging to a Saxon hall on the site. This hall may be where the boy-king Edward the Martyr was assassinated in 978; contemporaries tell us that he went to the castle at Corfe to visit Aelfthryth and his brother.
Mar
Aethelred becomes king
Mar
Aethelred became king after the assassination of his elder brother Edward the Martyr.
Mar 18
Murder of Edward the Martyr
Mar 18
Edward, the King of the English was assassinated under orders from his step-mother, who wanted her son Aethelred to become king. His body was buried at Warham.
See Also

979

English Regnal years: -
...
Dunstan survives
The collapse of a building at Calne caused the deaths and injuries of many of the senior witan of England who were on the first floor. Archbishop Dunstan survived as he remained standing on a beam. [1]
Mar
Edward the Martyr reinterred
Mar
The body of Edward the Martyr may have been moved and reinterred at Shaftesbury.
See Also

980

English Regnal years: -
...
First Viking attacks
With Aethelred on the throne for a short time and possibly showing some weakness in his ability to rule, the Vikings started their attacks. Concentrating on the south coast the raids were limited and the affect to the country as a whole was small. [2]
Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
See Also

982

English Regnal years: -
 
Births

Emma (of Normandy, Wife of Aethelred) (b.982 - d.1052)

...
Vikings colonise Greenland
Vikings from Iceland discovered the island and called it Greenland.
Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
...
London ravaged by fire
A large part of London, including the King's palace, were destroyed by fire. [3]
See Also

    983

    English Regnal years: -
    ...
    Monastery at Worcester
    Oswald founded a Benedictine monastery at Worcester dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. Oswald became bishop of Worcester upon the recommendation of Dunstan.
    See Also

    985

    English Regnal years: -
    ...
    Sigeric becomes Bishop of Ramsbury
    Sigeric, the future Archbishop of Canterbury, was consecrated to the see of Ramsbury by Archbishop Dunstan.
    See Also

    987

    English Regnal years: -
     
    Deaths

    Geoffrey (I, Greymantle, count of Anjou) ( - d.987)

    Jul 3
    Hugh Capet becomes King of France
    Jul 3
    Hugh Capet, elected by his peers became King of France, and was crowned at Noyon. [4]
    Winter
    Severe frosts
    Winter
    A severe frost hit England that lasted for 120 days. The weather turned so cold that the Thames froze over. [3]
    More Natural World Events
    See Also

    988

    English Regnal years: -
     
    Deaths

    Dunstan, (Archbishop of Canterbury) (b.925 - d.988)

    ...
    Athelgar becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
    Athelgar became the Archbishop of Canterbury after the death of Dunstan.
    ...
    Battle at Wachet
    In Somerset Viking raiders attacked and burnt the village at Wachet. Streonwold, the local English leader, called for help from the surrounding population and a battle was fought. The Vikings won the battle and Streonwold was killed.
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    ...
    Swein becomes King of Denmark
    Swein Fork-Beard overthrew this father King Harold Blue-Tooth Gormsson, King of Denmark.
    See Also

    990

    English Regnal years: -
     
    Births

    Aelfgifu (of Northampton) (b.990 - d.1040)

    ...
    Sigeric Serio becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
    Sigeric Serio becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.
    See Also

    3D Virtual Reconstructions

    Click to explore

    991

    English Regnal years: -
    ...
    Vikings attack the wealthy south-east
    Under the leadership of Olaf Trygvasson the Vikings attacked the wealthy south-east coast of England and took as much riches as they could carry. [2]
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    ...
    Battle of Malden
    The raiding Vikings attacked the Ipswich area of England before sailing into the Blackwater river estuary near Malden. The English were waiting for them and trapped the Vikings in rising tidal waters. The English fought bravely and a poem was written about their exploits but in the end the Vikings were victorious and the English were defeated.
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    ...
    Vikings paid to leave England with land tax
    Aethelred was advised by Archbishop Sigeric to talk to Olaf and arrange a truce rather than trying to defeat the Vikings in battle. The Vikings accepted a large payoff and left. The sum of money was around 10,000 pounds and was raised by collecting a land tax known as Danegeld. [1]
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    See Also

    992

    English Regnal years: -
    ...
    Battle of Conquereuil
    Fulk Nerra defeated the count of Brittany at the battle of Conquereuil. [5]
    ...
    Ships gather in London
    King Aethelred decreed that all sea-worthy ships should gather in London and then put to sea and destroy the Viking army. But alderman Aelfric sent word to the Danes the night before the attack of the King's plan which allowed them to escape. Aelfric then fled.  [1]
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    See Also

    994

    English Regnal years: -
    ...
    Swein Fork-Beard invades Britain
    Swein Fork-Beard had overthrone this father King Harold Blue-Tooth Gormsson, King of Denmark in 988. With a huge fleet of 94 ships he arrived in the Thames estuary with Olaf Trygvasson by his side. London put up a good defence and drove the Vikings back so Fork-Beard moved his forces again to attack the south-east coast to plunder what he could find. [2]
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    Winter
    Trygvasson converted to Christianity
    Winter
    Through the Winter months Aethelred provided the Vikings with lodgings and £16,000 in cash to stop the raids on his land. Aethelred was also the sponsor at the baptism of Olaf Trygvasson. Olaf was given instruction from the Aelfheah Bishop of Winchester. [2]
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    See Also

    995

    English Regnal years: -
     
    Births

    Canute (King of England 1016-1035) (b.995 - d.1035)

    ...
    Aelfric becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
    Aelfric becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.
    ...
    Olaf Tryggvason becomes King of Norway
    Olaf was in England when he was approached by a messanger from Norway asking him to return amd overthrow Earl Hakon who was ruling the country as a tyrannt. Olaf returned and joined the rebels against the Earl who had gone into hiding. Hakon was killed and Olaf became King of Norway. [6]
    ...
    Constantine III becomes King of Scotland
    Kenneth II of Scotland was murdered by Fenella in revenge for the death of her son and Constantine III became King of Scotland
    See Also

    996

    English Regnal years: -
     
    Deaths

    Capet, Hugh (King of France 987-996) (b.939 - d.996)

    Aug
    Capet Dies and Robert II becomes King of France
    Aug
    Hugh Capet, King of France died of smallpox. [4]
    See Also

    997

    English Regnal years: -
    ...
    Peasant's Revolt in Normandy
    The peasants in Normandy rose up against their masters including the Count of Evreux, the uncle of Richard II, the Duke of Normandy. The revolt failed when the leaders were captured and executed.  [7]
    ...
    Death of Adalbert of Prague
    Adalbert was the Bishop of Prague and had spread Christianity to Hungarians, Poles, and Prussians. He was killed by a pagan mob while travelling in Prussia. [8]
    See Also

    999

    English Regnal years: -
    ...
    Durham Cathedral consecrated
    Bishop Aldhun, the first Bishop of Durham, consecrated a cathedral at the location where the remains of St. Cuthbert had been relocated to. The remains were at Lindisfarne and were moved because of the danger of Viking raids. [9]
    Episode: Viking Invasions [highlight all]
    ...
    Sylvester II was elected Pope
    See Also

    1000

    English Regnal years: -
     
    Births

    Godwin (Earl of Wessex) (b.1000 - d.1053)

     
    Deaths

    Elfthyrth (b.945 - d.1000)

    ...
    Leif Ericsson lands on North American coast
    Several hundred years before Columbus, An area of north east Ameria was being explored by Vikings. They called it Vinland or Winland. This is thought to be the area of Newfoundland.
    ...
    Aethelred attacked Strathclyde and Isle of Man.
    Aethelred the Unready attacked Strathclyde and Isle of Man. [10]
    See Also

    Timeline Navigation

     

    Selection of references used:

    • 1: R. W. Chambers, M.A., D.Lit., England Before the Norman Conquest, 1926, Longmans , Green and Co. Ltd (1926)
    • 2: Magnus Magnusson, Vikings!
    • 3: William Toone, The chronological historian: or, A record of public events
    • 4: Duc de Castries, The lives of the Kings and Queens of France, ISBN:0-297-77676-2, Erdington Library
    • 5: The Plantagenet Chronicles, ISBN:1-85501-685-0
    • 6: R. L. Storey, The Medieval World 800 - 1490, ISBN:0-09-178264-3
    • 7: Jasper Ridley, The History of England, 1981, ISBN:0-7100-0794-9, Routledge & Kegan Paul (1981)
    • 8: Arthur Hassell, A Handbook of European History 4761871
    • 9: T. Francis Bumpus, The Cathedrals of England and Wales, 1934
    • 10: Peter Potter, Data Donation