970

Calendar year

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	9th century 10th century 11th century
Decades:	950s 960s 970s 980s 990s
Years:	967 968 969 970 971 972 973

970 by topic
Leaders
Political entities State leaders Religious leaders
Categories
Births Deaths Establishments

970 in various calendars
Gregorian calendar	970 CMLXX
Ab urbe condita	1723
Armenian calendar	419 ԹՎ ՆԺԹ
Assyrian calendar	5720
Balinese saka calendar	891–892
Bengali calendar	377
Berber calendar	1920
Buddhist calendar	1514
Burmese calendar	332
Byzantine calendar	6478–6479
Chinese calendar	己巳年 (Earth Snake) 3667 or 3460 — to — 庚午年 (Metal Horse) 3668 or 3461
Coptic calendar	686–687
Discordian calendar	2136
Ethiopian calendar	962–963
Hebrew calendar	4730–4731
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	1026–1027
- Shaka Samvat	891–892
- Kali Yuga	4070–4071
Holocene calendar	10970
Iranian calendar	348–349
Islamic calendar	359–360
Japanese calendar	Anna 3 / Tenroku 1 (天禄元年)
Javanese calendar	871–872
Julian calendar	970 CMLXX
Korean calendar	3303
Minguo calendar	942 before ROC 民前942年
Nanakshahi calendar	−498
Seleucid era	1281/1282 AG
Thai solar calendar	1512–1513
Tibetan calendar	阴土蛇年 (female Earth-Snake) 1096 or 715 or −57 — to — 阳金马年 (male Iron-Horse) 1097 or 716 or −56

Year 970 (CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th year of the 10th century, and the 1st year of the 970s decade.

Events

Emperor John I delegates the war in the Balkans to his brother-in-law, the Domestic of the Schools Bardas Skleros, and to the eunuch general Peter Phokas, who begin to gather a Byzantine army in Thrace. At the news of this, a powerful Kievan expeditionary force (30,000 men), along with many Bulgarians and a Pecheneg contingent, is sent south over the Balkan Mountains. After sacking the Bulgarian stronghold of Philippolis (modern-day Plovdiv), they bypass the heavily defended city of Adrianople, and turn towards Constantinople.^[1]
Battle of Arcadiopolis: John I dispatches an elite force (10–12,000 men) to delay the Kievan Rus'. The Byzantines under Bardas Skleros successfully ambush the Kievan-Bulgarian invaders at Arcadiopolis (modern Turkey). The battle turns into a complete rout, killing thousands. Grand Prince Sviatoslav I is driven out of Thrace and withdraws his forces to the fortress city of Silistra.^[2]
Summer – Bardas Phokas (the Younger) and his family rebel against their own cousin, John I. Bardas is proclaimed 'emperor' by his troops at Caesarea, but the rebellion is extinguished by Bardas Skleros. Phokas and his relatives are captured and exiled to the island of Chios (Aegean Sea).

Summer – Byzantine-Imperial truce: Emperor Otto I (the Great) meets with John I at Bari and accepts a permanent peace agreement. Pandulf I (Ironhead) is released from captivity in Constantinople (see 969).
The oldest preserved document (by Otto I) mentions Leibnitz in Styria (modern Austria).
Eric the Victorious becomes the first (documented) king of Sweden in Uppland.
Skagul Toste leads a Viking expedition to England and demands Danegeld.

Al-Hasan ibn Ubayd Allah, Ikhshidid governor of Palestine, is defeated and taken prisoner by General Ja'far ibn Fallah in Syria. Ending the Ikhshidid Dynasty as a ruling power.
Construction is completed on Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt (the world's oldest Islamic university).

^ Brian Todd Carey (2012). Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare 527–1071, p. 86. ISBN 978-1-84884-215-1.
^ Brian Todd Carey (2012). Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare 527–1071, pp.86–87. ISBN 978-1-84884-215-1.