959

By place

Byzantine Empire

• April - May - The Byzantines refuse to pay the yearly tribute. A Hungarian army, led by Apor, invades Macedonia and Thrace. He plunders its territories until reaching Constantinople. On his way back, Apor is defeated during a night attack by Byzantine forces.
• November 9 - Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos dies at Constantinople after a 46-year reign. He is succeeded by his 21-year-old son Romanos II as ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
• Winter - Romanos II appoints Leo Phokas to be commander of the Byzantine field army in the West. The Phokas clan becomes one of the leading families in Constantinople.

  Europe

• Bruno I, archbishop and duke of Lotharingia resigns. His brother, King Otto I divides the duchy in two parts – Upper Lorraine and Lower Lorraine. He appoints Frederick I and Godfrey I as margraves.
• Pietro III Candiano, doge of Venice, dies after a 17-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Pietro IV Candiano, who breaks off his campaign in Spoleto on behalf of King Berengar II of Italy and returns to Venice.
• Pietro IV Candiano divorces his wife Joanna for political reasons and banishes her as a nun to the monastery of San Zaccaria.

  England

• October 1 - King Eadwig dies after a 4-year reign. He is succeeded by his 16-year-old brother Edgar I, who effectively completes the unification of England, when Northumbria submits to his rule.

  By topic

Religion

• Dunstan, bishop of Worcester and London, is appointed by Edgar I as archbishop of Canterbury and becomes his chief adviser.