975
Year 975 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
- Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using the Byzantine base at Antioch to press southwards to Tripoli. He conquers the cities of Baalbek, Damascus, Sidon, Tiberias and Caesarea, but fails to take Jerusalem.
Europe
- October 15 - Oberto I, an Italian count palatine, dies. The Marca Obertenga is divided among the Obertenghi family.
- Emperor Otto II leads a punitive expedition against Boleslaus II, duke of Bohemia.
England
- July 8 - King Edgar I dies at Winchester after a 16-year reign. He is succeeded by his 12-year-old son Edward the Martyr as ruler of England.
Africa
- December 21 - Caliph Al-Mu'izz dies in Egypt after a 22-year reign in which he has extended his realm from Sicily to the Atlantic. He is succeeded by his son Al-Aziz Billah as ruler of the Fatimid Caliphate.
China
- Emperor Taizu conquers Hunan Province and brings the power of the military under Song control. Ending the era of the warlords.
By topic
Religion
- March - Otto II appoints his archchancellor Willigis as archbishop of Mainz. He receives the pallium from Pope Benedict VII.
Births
- July 25 - Thietmar, bishop of Merseburg
- Adalbold II, bishop of Utrecht
- Amadeus I, count of Savoy
- Bouchard II, French nobleman
- Conrad I, German nobleman
- Cunigunde, Holy Roman Empress
- Elijah, bishop of Beth Nuhadra
- Gerard I, bishop of Cambrai
- Gero II, German nobleman
- Guo, empress of the Song Dynasty
- Hugh of Chalon, French bishop
- Izumi Shikibu, Japanese poet
- Oldřich, duke of Bohemia
- Sophia I, German princess and abbess
- Stephen I, king of Hungary
Deaths
- June 28
- * Cyneweard, bishop of Wells
- * Thurcytel, abbot of Crowland
- July 4 - Gwangjong, Korean king
- July 8 - Edgar I, king of England
- July 31 - Fu Yanqing, Chinese general
- October 15 - Oberto I, Italian count palatine
- November 12 - Notker Physicus, Swiss painter
- November 26 - Conrad, bishop of Constance
- December 21 - Al-Mu'izz, Fatimid caliph
- December 27 - Balderic, bishop of Utrecht
- Bilgetegin, Samanid officer and governor
- Cináed ua hArtacáin, Irish Gaelic poet
- Dyfnwal ab Owain, king of Strathclyde
- Gu Hongzhong, Chinese painter
- Master Geng, Chinese alchemist
- Olof II, king of Sweden
- Theobald I, Frankish nobleman
- Wynsige, bishop of Lichfield
- Yongming Yanshou, Chinese Zen master