Romanus I., surnamed Lecapenus, general of the fleet, usurps the throne, with his three sons, Christopher, Stephen, and Constantine VIII. 919 Fiefs established in France 923 Saracen empire divided by usurpation into seven kingdoms 936 Naples seized by the eastern emperors 942 The sons of Romanus conspire against their father, and the tumults this occasioned produced the restoration of Porphyrogenitus 945 Romanus II. son of Constantine VII., by Helena the daughter of Lecapenus, succeeds 959 Romanus, poisoned by his wife Theophana, is succeeded by Nicephorus Phocas II., whom the empress, unable to reign alone under the title of protectress of her young children, had married 963 Italy conquered by Otho, and united to the German empire 964 Nicephorus, at the instigation of Theophana, is murdered by John Zimisces, who assumes the purple 969 Basil II., and Constantine IX., the two sons of Romanus by ♦Theophana, succeed on the death of Zimisces 975 ♦ ‘Theopana’ replaced with ‘Theophana’ The third or Capetian race of kings in France begins July 3rd 987 Arithmetical figures brought into Europe from Arabia by the Saracens 991 The empire of Germany first made elective by Otho III. The learned men of this century were Eudes de Cluni, Azophi, Luitprand, Alfarabius, Rhazes, Geber, Abbo, Aimoin, Gerbert 996 A general massacre of the Danes in England, Nov. 13th 1002 All old churches about this time rebuilt in a new manner of architecture 1005 Flanders inundated in consequence of a violent storm 1014 Constantine becomes sole emperor on the death of his brother 1025 Romanus III., surnamed Argyrus, a patrician, succeeds by marrying Zoe the daughter of the late monarch 1028 Zoe, after prostituting herself to a Paphlagonian money-lender, causes her husband Romanus to be poisoned, and afterwards marries her favourite, who ascends the throne under the name of Michael IV. 1034 The kingdoms of Castile and Arragon begin 1035 Zoe adopts for her son Michael V., the trade of whose father (careening vessels) had procured him the surname of Calaphates 1041