Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	9th century – 10th century – 11th century
Decades:	910s 920s 930s – 940s – 950s 960s 970s
Years:	940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments

This is a list of events occurring in the 940s, ordered by year.

Contents 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949

  940

  By place

  Asia

• Saadia Gaon compiles his siddur (Jewish prayer book) in Iraq.
• Narita-san Temple is founded in Chiba, Japan.
• The Liao Dynasty abolishes the requirement that a younger sister replace an older sister who died in marriage.

  Europe

• Oldest known Danish King, Gorm the Old
• Beginning of construction of the main forts in Greater Poland: Giecz, Bnin, Lad, Gniezno, Poznan, Grzybowo. All the forts were constructed rapidly between 939 and 942.

  941

  By place

  Asia

• The Rus'-Byzantine War is fought.

  By topic

  Religion

• Oda the Severe becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.

  942

  By place

  Asia

• Kaminarimon, the eight-pillared gate to Japan's Kinryuzan Sensouji Temple, is erected.
• The Chavda Kingdom is overthrown in Gujarat, India.

  Europe

• Hywel Dda, king of Deheubarth, annexes Gwynedd and Powys to become ruler of most of Wales.

  By topic

  Religion

• October 30 – Pope Marinus II succeeds Pope Stephen VIII as the 128th pope.

  943

  By place

  Africa

• Rebellion of the Zenete Berber tribe of the Banû Ifrân under Abu Yazid against the Fatimid dynasty (lasts until 947).^[1]

  Europe

• King Constantin II of Scotland retires and becomes a monk, succeeded by his cousin Malcolm I of Scotland.
• Caspian expeditions of the Rus: The city of Barda, Azerbaijan is captured.
• Description of the triangular bridge at Croyland, in the Charter of Eadred.^[2]

  944

  By place

  Africa

• The city of Algiers is (re)founded by the Zirid king Buluggin ibn Ziri.
• Abu Yazid launches a rebellion against the Fatimids in the Aures Mountains.

  Asia

• The Al-Askari Mosque is built in Samarra (present-day Iraq).
• The Later Jìn Dynasty in China Sovereign Kaiyun ascends to power
• The Byzantines under Pantherios are defeated by Sayf al-Daula in northern Syria.^[3]
• Snow falls in the city of Baghdad.

  Europe

• Great storm sweeps England. Many houses destroyed, 1500 in London alone (a significant proportion of the town).^[4]
• King Edmund I of England takes Northumbria from the Vikings.
• Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos is deposed as Byzantine emperor by his own sons, Stephen Lekapenos and Constantine Lekapenos.^[3]

  945

  By Place

  Asia

• The Buwayhid Dynasty takes control of Baghdad (it does not supplant the local caliphate).
• The Min Kingdom is taken over by the Southern Tang Kingdom.

  Europe

• Edmund I of England conquers Strathclyde.
• Howell the Good convenes a conference at Whitland, which reforms the laws of Wales.
• Lothair II of Italy takes control of Italy (until 950).
• Romanos I is overthrown, and Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII reigns alone.
• Cumberland and Westmorland are annexed by the Scots.

  By topic

  Religion

• Saint Dunstan becomes the abbot at Glastonbury.

  946

  By place

  Europe

• Eadred I succeeds his brother as king of England.

  Asia

• Emperor Murakami succeeds Emperor Suzaku as Emperor of Japan.
• Battle of Baghdad (946).

  By topic

  Religion

• May 10 – Pope Agapitus II succeeds Pope Marinus II as the 129th pope.

  947

  By place

  Asia

• The Later Jin Dynasty falls to the Later Han Dynasty (founded by Gaozu of Later Han) in China.
• The Khitan Empire adopts the dynastic name "Great Liao".
• Masudi completes first version of The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems, an important history book.

  Europe

• Horsham in West Sussex gets its first mention in King Eadred's Charter.

  948

  By place

  Africa

• The Nri Kingdom in what is now Southeastern Nigeria is started by Eri.

  Asia

• The Nallur Kandaswamy temple, one of the most significant Hindu temples in the Jaffna district of Sri Lanka, is built.
• The Byzantines raid into Syria, but are defeated by Sayf al-Daula. Leo Phokas however sacks and razes Adata.^[5]

  Europe

• Otto I the Great founds the missionary dioceses of Brandenburg, Havelberg, Ribe, Aarhus, and Schleswig.
• St Albans School in St Albans, England is founded.

  949

  By place

  Asia

• Sayf al-Daula raids into the Byzantine theme of Lykandos but is defeated. The Byzantines counter-attack and seize Germanikeia, defeating an army from Tarsus, and the raiding as far south as Antioch. Theophilos Kourkouas captures Theodosiopolis for Byzantium.^[3]

  Europe

• The Byzantine Empire launches another expedition against the Emirate of Crete. The overconfident Byzantine troops, under Constantine Gongyles, are defeated in a surprise attack by the Arabs and flee.^[3]

  By topic

  Science

• February 1 – Belgian astronomer Jean Meeus (b. 1928) asserts that the orbits of all the planets of the Solar system were within the same 90° arc of the solar system on this date. The next time it is thought this will occur is on May 6, 2492.

  Significant people

  Births

  Deaths

  References