981

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	9th century 10th century 11th century
Decades:	960s 970s 980s 990s 1000s
Years:	978 979 980 981 982 983 984

981 in variouscalendars

Gregorian calendar	981 CMLXXXI
Ab urbe condita	1734
Armenian calendar	430 ԹՎ ՆԼ
Assyrian calendar	5731
Balinese saka calendar	902–903
Bengali calendar	388
Berber calendar	1931
Buddhist calendar	1525
Burmese calendar	343
Byzantine calendar	6489–6490
Chinese calendar	Canh ThìnNăm (MetalDragon) 3678 or 3471 — to — Tân tị năm (MetalSnake) 3679 or 3472
Coptic calendar	697–698
Discordian calendar	2147
Ethiopian calendar	973–974
Hebrew calendar	4741–4742
Hindu calendars
-Vikram Samvat	1037–1038
-Shaka Samvat	902–903
-Kali Yuga	4081–4082
Holocene calendar	10981
Iranian calendar	359–360
Islamic calendar	370–371
Japanese calendar	Tengen4 ( thiên nguyên ４ năm )
Javanese calendar	882–883
Julian calendar	981 CMLXXXI
Korean calendar	3314
Minguo calendar	931 beforeROC Dân trước 931 năm
Nanakshahi calendar	−487
Seleucid era	1292/1293AG
Thai solar calendar	1523–1524
Tibetan calendar	Dương kim long năm (male Iron-Dragon) 1107 or 726 or −46 — to — Âm kim xà năm (female Iron-Snake) 1108 or 727 or −45

Al-Mansur's campaigns inAl-Andalus.

Year981(CMLXXXI) was acommon year starting on Saturday(link will display the full calendar) of theJulian calendar.

Events

By place

Europe

• Spring – EmperorOtto II(the Red) leads the imperial court toRome,making the city his imperial capital, and receivesnoblesfrom all parts ofWestern Europe.Otto makes plans to conquerByzantine Italy.
• Fall – Otto II departs with an expeditionary force from Rome, and invadesApulia(SouthernItaly) to punish theSaracens.He demands a fleet fromPisa,and imposes atrade embargoagainstVenice.
• Al-Mansur,thede factoruler ofAl-Andalus,conquers and razes the city ofZamora,as part of his effort to seize theChristian-dominated north of theIberian Peninsula.

Asia

• Summer –Seongjongascends the throne ofGoryeo(Korea) after the death of his brother-in-law (and cousin), kingGyeongjong.
• The first recordedMahamastakabhishekaceremony, of the sacred 57 foot (17 m) highmonolithicstatue ofBahubali,is performed.
• TheGommateshwara statueis built byChavundaraya,minister and commander of theGanga Dynasty,inIndia(approximate date).

By topic

Exploration

• Erik the RedleavesNorway,to survey west ofIcelandinVikinglongships,that carry nearly 700 people with cattle, horses, and other necessities for starting acolonyon the island. Erik finds land and calls itGreenland.

Religion

• Spring – PopeBenedict VIIdissolves theSlavicbishopric of Merseburg,after conferring with Otto II. He issues anencyclical,forbidding the exaction of money for the conferral of anyHoly Order(known assimony).

Commerce

• The first commercially madeshaving soapsells for 3dirhams(0.3dinars).

Births

• Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi,Arab statesman (d.1027)
• Giovanni Orseolo,Venetiannobleman(d.1006)
• Li Deming,Chinese general and rebel leader (d.1032)
• Theodora,Empress of theEastern Roman Empire(d.1056)
• Torstein Knarresmed,NorseVikingwarrior (approximate date)
• Vladivoj,duke ofBohemia(approximate date)

Deaths

• February 12–Ælfstan,bishop of Ramsbury
• June 20–Adalbert,archbishop ofMagdeburg
• July 9–Ramiro Garcés,king ofViguera(Spain)
• July 12–Xue Juzheng,Chinesescholar-officialand historian
• August 13–Gyeongjong,king ofGoryeo(Korea) (b.955)
• Abu'l-Faraj Muhammad,Buyidnoblemanand statesman
• Amlaíb Cuarán,Viking king ofScandinavian York
• Ibn Khalawayh,Persian scholar andgrammar(or980)
• Pandulf Ironhead,prince ofBeneventoandCapua
• Slavník,founder of theSlavník Dynasty(Bohemia)
• Wigger I,German nobleman (approximate date)
• Zhao Defang,prince of theSong Dynasty(b.959)