Year 1004 (MIV) Overview
The year 1004 was a leap year that commenced on a Saturday in the Julian calendar.
Key Events
By Place
Byzantine Empire
The Battle of Skopje saw Emperor Basil II successfully defeat the Bulgarian forces near Skopje (modern-day North Macedonia). Although Samuel of Bulgaria managed to escape, Basil continued his campaign, besieging the fortress of Pernik. By the end of the year, Basil had successfully reconquered nearly half of the Bulgarian Empire.
Europe
In the spring, King Henry II led an expeditionary force through the Brenner Pass to Trento. Following initial military successes against Arduin of Ivrea, he received homage from Italian clergy and Lombard noble families.
On May 14, Henry II was crowned King of Italy by Archbishop Arnulf II in Pavia. A subsequent conflict broke out between the German troops and the citizens of Pavia, resulting in Henry ordering a massacre of the population and the destruction of the city.
During the fall, Venetian-Byzantine forces achieved a decisive victory over the Saracens at Bari. The citadel was on the brink of capitulation after a three-day siege. Giovanni, a son of Doge Pietro Orseolo II, married the Byzantine princess Maria Argyra.
In the German–Polish War, Duke Bolesław I of Poland lost Bohemia to German-supported Jaromír, who occupied Prague and declared himself the new duke.
Moorish forces led by vizier Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar sacked the Catalan city of Manresa (modern Spain), while Saracen pirates under the Balearic emir Mugahid attacked Pisa, wreaking havoc on a quarter of the city.
Sancho III ascended to the throne as king of Pamplona, Aragon, and Castile (until 1035).
England
A Danish Viking fleet under Sweyn Forkbeard landed in Norfolk. Ealdorman Ulfcytel commanded his Anglo-Saxon troops to burn the raiding ships, but the plan failed, leading to the defeat of Ulfcytel’s small army by the Vikings.
Africa
A significant episode of plague and famine emerged in North Africa.
China
In the summer, Emperor Sheng Zong of Liao launched a major offensive against the Song dynasty, invading Shanyang and posing a threat to the Song capital of Kaifeng.
This year also marked the beginning of a significant production period for Jingdezhen porcelain during the Song dynasty.
Japan
In December, Fujiwara no Kenshi, the future empress consort, entered the palace to serve as a lady-in-waiting to her sister, Empress Shōshi.
Religion
In the spring, Pope John XVIII began his reign as the 141st pope of the Catholic Church in Rome (until 1009).
Notable Births
- Abdallah ibn Al-Aftas, founder of the Aftasid Dynasty (d. 1060)
- Dedi I, margrave of Saxon Ostmark (d. 1075)
- Godgifu, daughter of Æthelred the Unready (approximate date)
- Guido of Acqui, Italian bishop (approximate date)
- Minamoto no Takakuni, Japanese nobleman (d. 1077)
- Nasir Khusraw, Persian poet and philosopher (d. 1088)
- William VI (“the Fat”), French nobleman (d. 1038)
Notable Deaths
- June – Frederick, archbishop of Ravenna
- July 11 – Theobald II, French nobleman
- November 4 – Otto I, duke of Carinthia
- November 13 – Abbo of Fleury, French abbot
- Adelaide of Aquitaine, French queen consort
- Aderald, French priest and archdeacon
- Eochaid ua Flannacáin, Irish cleric and poet (b. 935)
- Gisilher (or Giselmar), archbishop of Magdeburg
- Khusrau Shah, king of the Justanids (approximate date)
- Li, empress consort of the Song Dynasty (b. 960)
- Li Jiqian, Chinese governor and rebel leader (b. 963)
- Soběslav (or Soběbor), Bohemian nobleman
- Wulfric Spot, English nobleman (approximate date)