Editing 986 (section)

== Events ==
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=== By place ===

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* [[August 17]] &ndash; [[Battle of the Gates of Trajan]]: Emperor [[Basil II]] leads a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] expeditionary force (30,000 men) against the Bulgarians to capture the fortress city of [[Sredets (medieval Bulgaria)|Sredets]]. After a [[siege]] of 20 days, Basil is forced to retreat from the [[Sofia Valley]] towards the town of [[Ihtiman]] (through a passage known as the [[Gate of Trajan]]). The Bulgarians under Tsar [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Samuel]] ambush and defeat the Byzantine forces. Only the elite [[Varangian Guard]] escapes with heavy casualties and leads Basil to safety through secondary routes.<ref>''Zlatarski'', History of the Bulgarian state, v. I, ch. 2, pp. 674–675.</ref>

==== Europe ====
* [[March 2]] &ndash; King [[Lothair of France|Lothair III]] (or '''Lothair IV''') dies after a 32-year reign at [[Laon]]. He is succeeded by his 19-year-old son [[Louis V of France|Louis V]] as ruler of the [[West Francia|West Frankish Kingdom]].
* Summer: [[Almanzor|Al-Mansur]], the ''[[de facto]]'' ruler of [[Al-Andalus]], continues his effort in the north of the [[Iberian Peninsula]] and plunders the city of [[Coimbra]] (modern [[Portugal]]). 
* Empress [[Theophanu]], accompanied by the 6-year-old King [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]] and [[Henry II, Duke of Bavaria|Henry II of Bavaria]], leads a campaign against [[Duchy of Bohemia|Bohemia]] and the [[Slavs]] on the [[Elbe]] frontier.
* [[Mieszko I of Poland|Mieszko I]], duke (''de facto'') ruler of [[Greater Poland|Poland]], pledges his allegiance to Otto III and the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. He promises assistance in Otto's war against the Slavs.
* [[Battle of Hjörungavágr]]: The [[Earls of Lade]] under [[Haakon Sigurdsson]] ('''the Powerful''') defeat a Danish invasion force led by the [[Jomsvikings]] in western [[Norway]].
* Winter &ndash; King [[Harald Bluetooth|Harald II]] ('''Bluetooth''') dies after a 28-year reign (driven into [[exile]]). He is succeeded by his son [[Sweyn Forkbeard]] as ruler of [[Denmark]] and Norway.

==== Arabian Empire ====
* Winter &ndash; [[Sabuktigin]], emir of the [[Ghaznavids|Ghaznavid Dynasty]], invades [[India]]. He expands the emirate between the [[Kabul|Kabul Valley]] and the [[Indus River]] after defeating King [[Jayapala]].

==== Asia ====
* Emperor [[Emperor Kazan|Kazan]] abdicates the throne after a political struggle from the [[Fujiwara clan|Fujiwara]] family. He is succeeded by his 6-year-old cousin [[Emperor Ichijō|Ichijō]]  as the 66th emperor (''[[Emperor of Japan|tennō]]'') of [[Japan]].
* Summer &ndash; Chi Go Pass Campaign: The [[Song dynasty|Song Dynasty]] sends armies on three fronts against the [[Liao dynasty|Liao Dynasty]] in the [[Sixteen Prefectures]], but they are defeated on all fronts.

=== By topic ===

==== Exploration ====
* [[Bjarni Herjólfsson]], a [[Norsemen|Norse]]-[[Iceland]]ic merchant captain and explorer, becomes the first inhabitant of the [[Old World]] to discover the mainland of the [[Americas]].

==== Literature ====
* One of the [[Four Great Books of Song]], the Chinese encyclopedia ''[[Finest Blossoms in the Garden of Literature]]'' is finished, with a total of 1,000 volumes.
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