Year 912 (CMXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

By place

Byzantine Empire

• May 11 – Emperor Leo VI (the Wise) dies after a 26-year reign in which he has completed the Byzantine code of laws (Basilika). He is succeeded by his brother Alexander III as emperor (basileus) alongside Leo's 6-year-old son Constantine VII. Alexander becomes de facto ruler of the Byzantine Empire and expels Empress Zoe Karbonopsina, the mother of Constantine, from the palace and exiles her to a nunnery.^[1]

Europe

• German dukes Henry the Fowler of Saxony and Arnulf I (the Bad) of Bavaria claim themselves to be sovereign princes, not recognizing the authority of their overlord, King Conrad I of the East Frankish Kingdom, as he is not a Carolingian. Duke Erchanger II of Swabia and Conrad's brother, Duke Eberhard III of Franconia, support the Conradines.
• Orso II Participazio becomes the doge of Venice. He sends his son Pietro to Constantinople in order to re-establish the relationship with Alexander III.
• King Ordoño II of Galicia continues his expansion of the Christian polity. He sacks the cities of Mérida and Évora.^[2]

Britain

• Lady Æthelflæd expands her policy by building defensive burghs at Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. The fortifications are needed to protect Mercia against plundering Vikings from the Danelaw (Danish territory in England).^[3]

Arabian Empire

• October 16 – Abd al-Rahman III succeeds his grandfather Abdullah ibn Muhammad (after his execution) and becomes emir of Córdoba (Al-Andalus).^[4]
• The second rebellion in two years, of the Kutama tribesmen against the Fatimid Caliphate, occurs.^[5]

China

• July 18 – Emperor Taizu (Zhu Wen) is murdered in the imperial palace at Kaifeng by his eldest living son Zhu Yougui after a 5-year reign. He succeeds his father as the ruler of Later Liang.

By topic

Religion

• Euthymius I is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople, and Nicholas Mystikos is restored.

Births

• November 23 – Otto I, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 973)
• Alberic II, princeps and duke of Spoleto (d. 954)
• Frederick I, duke of Upper Lorraine (approximate date)
• Hyejong, king of Goryeo (Korea) (d. 945)
• Ma Xichong, governor and ruler of Chu (d. 951)
• Minamoto no Mitsunaka, Japanese nobleman and samurai (d. 997)
• Nakatsukasa, Japanese waka poet (d. 991)
• Nikephoros II, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 969)
• Pelagius of Córdoba, Christian martyr (d. 926)
• Ryōgen, Japanese monk and abbot (d. 985)
• Willa of Tuscany, queen consort of Italy (or 911)
• Xue Juzheng, Chinese scholar-official and historian (d. 981)

Deaths

• May 11 – Leo VI, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 866)
• May 25 – Xue Yiju, chancellor of Later Liang
• July 18 – Zhu Wen, emperor of Later Liang (b. 852)
• August 15 – Han Jian, Chinese warlord (b. 855)
• October 15 – Abdullah ibn Muhammad, Muslim emir (b. 844)
• October 25 – Rudolph I, king of Burgundy (b. 859)
• November 30 – Otto I, duke of Saxony
• Ahmad ibn Yusuf, Muslim mathematician (b. 835)
• Guanxiu, Chinese Buddhist monk and poet (b. 832)
• Hermenegildo Gutiérrez, Galician nobleman
• Hyogong, king of Silla (Korea) (b. 885)
• Ibn Khordadbeh, Persian geographer
• Notker the Stammerer, Benedictine monk
• Oleg of Novgorod, Varangian prince
• Pietro Tribuno, doge of Venice (approximate date)
• Qusta ibn Luqa, Syrian Melkite physician (b. 820)
• Rudalt, Breton nobleman (approximate date)
• Smbat I, king of Armenia (approximate date)
• Wilferth, bishop of Lichfield (approximate date)
• Zhang Ce, chancellor of Later Liang
• Zhu Youwen, prince of Later Liang