Year 1061: A Year of Turmoil and Change
Year 1061 was a significant year in history, marked by notable events across Europe and Africa. This common year commenced on a Monday, according to the Julian calendar.
Key Events
By Place
Europe
In the Spring, a group led by Robert de Grandmesnil, along with his nephew Berengar, half-sister Judith (who would later marry Roger I), and eleven monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul, faced banishment by Duke William II, known as “the Bastard,” of Normandy due to their violent behavior. This group traveled to Southern Italy.
In the Summer, Norman forces under the command of Duke Robert Guiscard and his brother Roger I launched an invasion of Sicily. They executed a surprise landing during the night, catching the Saracen army off guard. Guiscard successfully conquered Messina and advanced into central Sicily.
On June 28, Count Floris I met a tragic end, ambushed by German troops at Nederhemert while retreating from Zaltbommel. As a result, most of West Frisia, which would later become part of the County of Holland, was conquered and annexed by the Holy Roman Empire.
The Sosols, an Estonian tribe, destroyed the Kievan Rus’ fortification at Yuryev in Tartu and conducted a raid on Pskov.
Africa
The Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin ascended to the throne of Morocco, following the conquest by the Almoravids.
Religion
On July 27, the Pope Nicholas II passed away after a two-year pontificate in Florence. He was succeeded by Alexander II, becoming the 156th pope of the Catholic Church in Rome.
Additionally, the Speyer Cathedral was consecrated in Speyer, present-day Germany.
Notable Births
- Al-Maziri, a Zirid imam, jurist, and scholar (d. 1141)
- Al-Tughrai, a Persian poet and alchemist (d. 1121)
- Roger Borsa, duke of Apulia and Calabria (born around 1060)
- Wuyashu, chieftain of the Wanyan tribe (d. 1113)
Significant Deaths
- January 28 – Spytihněv II, duke of Bohemia (b. 1031)
- May 5 – Humbert of Moyenmoutier, French cardinal
- June 28 – Floris I, count of Friesland (west of the Vlie)
- July 13 – Beatrice I, German abbess of Quedlinburg (b. 1037)
- July 27 – Nicholas II, pope of the Catholic Church
Other notable figures who passed away include Adelmann, bishop of Brescia, Ali ibn Ridwan, an Arab physician and astronomer, and Burgheard, an English nobleman. The deaths of several German nobles such as Burkhard I, Conrad III, and Henry I also marked this tumultuous year.
Year 1061 remains a pivotal year filled with political upheaval, conquests, and changes in leadership that would shape the course of history in Europe and beyond.