962

Otto I had consolidated royal power in East Francia, defeated a major Hungarian invasion at Lechfeld, and intervened repeatedly in the politics of Italy. After answering an appeal from Pope John XII and campaigning against King Berengar II, Otto entered Rome with his wife Adelaide. On February 2, 962, John crowned Otto emperor at Saint Peter's, while Adelaide was crowned empress. The ceremony revived an imperial title in western Europe under a German ruler and joined authority in Germany and northern Italy to a Roman coronation. Tensions between Otto and the pope soon revealed that the alliance did not eliminate disputes over control in Rome.

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962

Military 10th Century Middle East & North Africa

Byzantine Forces Sack Aleppo in Arab-Byzantine Wars

In the mid-10th century, the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Romanos II pursued aggressive campaigns to reclaim territories lost to Arab forces in the eastern Mediterranean. Nikephoros Phokas, a leading general later crowned emperor, led a large army into northern Syria targeting the Hamdanid emirate ruled by Sayf al-Dawla, whose capital at Aleppo served as a key base for raids into Byzantine lands. After earlier successes including the reconquest of Crete, Phokas advanced on Aleppo in late 962. Byzantine troops stormed the city walls amid chaos on the night of December 23-24, plundering palaces, markets, and fortifications while the citadel held out briefly. The sack lasted about eight days, yielding vast spoils including gold, silver, and livestock, and significantly weakened Hamdanid...

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962 Timeline

Pope Crowns Otto I Emperor in Rome

Byzantine Forces Sack Aleppo in Arab-Byzantine Wars