View source for 953

=== By place ===

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* [[Battle of Marash (953)|Battle of Marash]]: Emir [[Sayf al-Dawla]] marches north into the [[Byzantine Empire]] and ravages the countryside of [[Malatya Province|Malatya]] (modern [[Turkey]]). On his way back, he crosses the [[Euphrates]] and intercepts a Byzantine army led by [[Bardas Phokas the Elder|Bardas Phokas]] ('''the Elder'''), near [[Kahramanmaraş|Marash]]. The Byzantines are defeated; Bardas himself barely escapes through the intervention of his attendants. His son [[Constantine Phokas]], governor of [[Seleucia (theme)|Seleucia]], is captured and held prisoner in [[Aleppo]], until his death from an illness some time later.<ref>Vasiliev, A.A. (1968). ''Byzance et les Arabes, Tome II, 1ére partie: Les relations politiques de Byzance et des Arabes à L'époque de la dynastie macédonienne (867–959)''. Brussels: Éditions de l'Institut de Philologie et d'Histoire Orientales.</ref>

==== Europe ====
* Summer &ndash; [[Liudolf, Duke of Swabia|Liudolf]], duke of [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabia]], and his brother-in-law [[Conrad the Red]] rebel against King [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]]. Otto and his army fail to capture the cities of [[Mainz]] and [[Augsburg]]. He declares Liudolf and Conrad as outlaws ''[[Trial in absentia|in absentia]]''. His brother [[Bruno the Great|Bruno I]], archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne|Cologne]], restores royal authority in [[Duchy of Lorraine|Lorraine]], but some of the rebellious dukes receive support from the [[Principality of Hungary|Hungarians]]. They seize the opportunity to invade [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavaria]]. 
* The town of [[Póvoa de Varzim]] is first mentioned during the rule of [[Mumadona Dias]], countess of [[County of Portugal|Portugal]], under the name [[Villa Euracini]].

==== Africa ====
* [[March 19]] &ndash; Caliph [[al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah]] dies after a severe illness. He is succeeded by his 21-year-old son [[al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah]] as ruler of the [[Fatimid Caliphate]]. His authority is recognized over most of what later will be [[Algeria]], [[Morocco]], and [[Tunisia]].
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