Browse Historical Events by Month: What Happened in March?

King Æthelred I of Wessex dies, and his brother Alfred the Great becomes King of Wessex.

Solomon's son Rehoboam ascends to the throne of the Kingdom of Judah after Solomon's death, leading to the division of the United Monarchy.

Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem is completed.

King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway is killed in the Battle of Svolder.

Emperor Otto III issues a document establishing the Bishopric of Gniezno, Poland, as an archbishopric. during the Congress of Gniezno which was an amicable meeting between the Polish Duke Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III. Scholars disagree over the details of others decisions made at the convention, especially whether the ruler of Poland was pledged the king's crown or not.

Emperor Otto III of the Holy Roman Empire dies unexpectedly at the age of 22.

First known mention of Lithuania in historical chronicles.

Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, wins the Battle of Clontarf against the Vikings but dies in the battle.

Æthelred the Unready, King of England, dies and is succeeded by his son Edmund Ironside.

Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.

King Mieszko II Lambert of Poland dies, leading to a period of instability.

Harald Hardrada becomes King of Norway after the death of Magnus I.

Edward the Confessor becomes the King of England.

Pope Leo IX issues a papal bull excommunicating Michael I Cerularius, leading to the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian churches.

Battle at the Tigris: Seljuk Turks defeat the Abbasids near Baghdad.

The Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Empire, opening the door for Turkish conquest of Asia Minor.

King Harald III of Denmark dies at the Battle of St. Alban's Priory.

Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, from the Moors after a siege.

Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, tries to take England but is repelled by King William II.

Bertha of Savoy, wife of Emperor Henry IV, is crowned Holy Roman Empress.