1030

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Emperor Romanos III Argyros decides to retaliate upon the incursions of the Muslims on the eastern frontier. He leads a Byzantine expeditionary force to secure Antioch. The Mirdasid emir Shibl al-Dawla Nasr of Aleppo sues for peace, but Romanos refuses to negotiate and leads his army against Aleppo, against the advice of his generals. The Byzantine army encamped near Azaz, where they were encircled by the Mirdasids' Bedouin troops, who cut off the Byzantines from food and water.
• August 10 - Romanos orders a retreat to Antioch. As the army is exhausted from the heat and the lack of supplies, the retreat soon turns into a flight in panic. Romanos returns to Constantinople in humiliation, but his generals on the eastern frontier manage to salvage the situation: a Fatimid attack on Maraclea is repulsed, and Azaz itself is captured in December after a brief siege. In April/May 1031, Emir Nasr of Aleppo agreed to vassal and tributary status with Byzantium.

  Europe

• June - Emperor Conrad II leads an invasion into Hungary. He plunders the lands west of the River Rába but suffers from the consequences of the scorched earth tactics used by the Hungarians. Conrad, threatened by starvation, is forced to retreat to Germany. King Stephen I pursued his forces, which were defeated and captured by the Hungarians at Vienna.
• July 29 – Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II Haraldsson attempts to reconquer Norway with help from King Anund Jakob of Sweden. He is defeated by a superior Norwegian peasant and Danish army. Olaf is killed in the battle. He is later canonized and becomes the patron saint of Norway and Rex perpetuum Norvegiae.
• The first mention is made of Tartu, Estonia, as Grand Prince Yaroslav I of Novgorod and Kiev defeats the Estonians and finds a fort named Yuryev. The Rus' will hold the fortress for 30 or 31 years.
• The first mention is made of Thalwil, Switzerland, derived from Tellewilare and indicates the early medieval origins of Thalwil as an Alemannic farmstead.
• Henry I revolts against his father, King Robert II, in a civil war over power and property. Robert's army is defeated, and he retreats to Beaugency.

  Asia

• April 30 - Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni dies after a 28-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Mas'ud I, who seizes the throne of the Ghaznavid Empire, which includes much of Afghanistan, Iran, and India.
• Ouyang Xiu, a Chinese historian and scholar, obtained his jinshi degree at the age of 23, by passing the imperial examinations in the country, leading him to a distinguished path as a scholar-official.