966

The year 966 was a leap year, beginning on a Saturday according to the Julian calendar. In the Byzantine Empire, the reign of Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas continued. His military campaigns in the East saw continued success against the Abbasid Caliphate, including the recapture of Antioch in 969. In the Holy Roman Empire, Otto I remained on the throne. His consolidation of power and efforts to strengthen imperial authority were ongoing. In Poland, Mieszko I was the Duke of Poland, and this period is significant for the gradual Christianization of the Polish lands. This process would lead to the formal establishment of the Polish state in the following centuries. Across Europe, various smaller kingdoms and duchies continued their political developments, often marked by local conflicts and alliances. The year 966 falls within the High Middle Ages, a period of significant societal, political, and religious transformation across the continent. Knowledge of specific events in other regions is less documented for this precise year, but the general trends of feudal development, the influence of the Church, and the ongoing process of state formation were prevalent themes.