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The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple of Ying County, Shanxi province, China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda built in 1056, during the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty.

The pagoda is built by Emperor Daozong of Liao (Hongji) at the site of his grandmother's family home, located eighty-five kilometers (fifty-three miles) south of the Liao Dynasty capital at Datong.

The pagoda, which will survive several large earthquakes throughout the centuries, is to attain such a level of fame within China that it will be given the generic nickname of the "Muta" (literally "Timber Pagoda").

The pagoda stands on a four meter (thirteen feet) tall stone platform, has a ten meter (thirty-three feet) tall steeple, and reaches a total height of 67.31 m (220.83 ft); it is the oldest existent fully wooden pagoda still standing in China.

(The oldest existent pagoda is the sixth century Songyue Pagoda (made of brick); the oldest existent wooden buildings in China are the Buddhist temple halls found at Mount Wutai, which date back to the mid Tang Dynasty (618–907)).

The pagoda features fifty-four different kinds of bracket arms in its construction, the greatest amount for any Liao Dynasty structure.

Between each outer story of the pagoda is a mezzanine layer where the bracket arms are located on the exterior.

From the exterior, the pagoda seems to have only five stories and two sets of rooftop eaves for the first story, yet the pagoda's interior reveals that it has nine stories in all.

The four hidden stories can be indicated from the exterior by the pagoda's pingzuo (terrace balconies).

A ring of columns support the lowest outstretching eaved roof on the base floor, while the pagoda also features interior support columns.

A statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni sits prominently in the center of the first floor of the pagoda, with an ornate zaojing (caisson) above its head (the pagoda is named Sakyamuni Pagoda due to this statue).

A zaojing is also carved into the ceiling of every story of the pagoda.

The windows on the eight sides of the pagoda provide views of the countryside, including Mount Heng and the Songgan River.

On a clear day, the pagoda can be seen from a distance of thirty kilometers (nineteen miles).

Dromtön, born in Tolung at the beginning of the period of the second propagation of Buddhism in Tibet, had in 1042 begun preaching in the Tibetan region.

The initiator of the Tibetan Tantric School known as Kadampa, Dromtön is considered to be the forty-fifth incarnation of Chenresig or Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and, thus, part of the early lineage of the Dalai Lamas (the First Dalai Lama is said to have been the fifty-first t incarnation).

Dromtön founds Reting Monastery in 1056 in the Reting Tsampo Valley north of Lhasa, which becomes the seat of the Kadampa lineage, and brings some relics of Atisha here.

Ottokar I, Count of Steyr, is the founder of the dynasty of the Otakars.

From 1056, he is margrave of the Carantanian March, later to be known as Styria (named Steiermark in German after the town of Steyr, where Ottokar is count).

The future margraves Adalbero and Ottokar II are his sons.

He ends the war against Hungary.

Chaghri conquers the Sistan region (southeast Iran) in 1056.

Chaghri marries his daughter, Arslan Khatun Khadija, to the caliph Al-Qa'im in 1056 after the Seljuqs gain more influence over the Abbasid caliphate.

Edward the Confessor, on hearing the news of Edward the Exile being alive, recalls him to England in 1056 and makes him his heir.

Edward offers the last chance of an undisputed succession within the Saxon royal house.

News of Edward's existence had come at a time when the old Anglo-Saxon Monarchy, restored after a long period of Danish domination, is heading for catastrophe.

The Confessor, personally devout but politically weak and without children, is unable to make an effective stand against the steady advance of the powerful and ambitious sons of Godwin, Earl of Wessex.

From across the Channel, William, Duke of Normandy, also has an eye on the succession.

Edward the Exile appears at just the right time.

Approved by both king and by the Witan, the Council of the Realm, he offers a way out of the impasse, a counter both to the Godwinsons and to William, and one with a legitimacy that cannot be readily challenged.

The Confrontation Between Emperor Henry III and King Henry I of France at Ivois (May 1056)

By May 1056, King Henry I of France had long harbored ambitions over Lorraine, seeking to expand Capetian influence into the imperial frontier. However, Emperor Henry III, whose authority in Lotharingia had been repeatedly challenged, remained unwavering in his defense of imperial territory. Their third meeting at Ivois ended in dramatic fashion, with the French king, in a fit of frustration, allegedly challenging the emperor to single combat, only to flee the meeting under cover of darkness.

French Ambitions in Lorraine

• King Henry I of France had, for decades, sought to assert control over Lorraine, a region historically tied to the Holy Roman Empire.
• Despite his previous military failures in 1053 and 1054, he remained determined to contest Henry III’s authority.
• Lorraine, situated between the Empire and France, was a valuable strategic prize, and its control could greatly expand Capetian influence beyond the Seine.

The Meeting at Ivois (May 1056)

• Henry III and Henry I met for the third time at Ivois, attempting to negotiate their territorial disputes.
• The discussion reportedly became heated, with King Henry I, frustrated by his inability to claim Lorraine, challenging Emperor Henry III to single combat.
• While King Henry I was known for his personal bravery, his tactical and strategic abilities were often lacking, making such a reckless challenge unlikely to be taken seriously.
• That night, Henry I of France quietly fled the meeting, a move that suggested he had realized the impossibility of forcing Henry III’s hand and feared imperial retaliation.

Consequences and Legacy

• Henry III emerged from Ivois with his authority reinforced, as the French king’s ambitions in Lorraine had been decisively blocked once again.
• Henry I’s departure without action confirmed his weak position against the emperor, and his dream of annexing Lorraine was permanently dashed.
• The meeting highlighted the contrast between the two rulers:
  • Henry III—a seasoned statesman and emperor, firm in his defense of imperial borders.
  • Henry I of France—bold but politically and militarily outmatched, unable to realize his expansionist ambitions.
• Shortly after, Henry III’s attention shifted away from France, as he turned his focus to Italian affairs, dealing with the Tuscan challenge posed by Duke Godfrey the Bearded.

Henry I’s final attempt to challenge the empire in Lorraine ended in humiliation, reinforcing the dominance of the Holy Roman Empire over its western rival and ensuring that Lorraine remained firmly under imperial control.

Leofgar, Consecrated Bishop of Hereford in March 1056, had previously been the chaplain to Harold Godwineson, and it is probably Harold who had persuaded King Edward the Confessor to appoint him to the bishopric.

The appointment is disapproved of by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, mainly for the warlike character of Leofgar.

However, because of the Welsh raids, and the damage the diocese had taken in the previous year, it is felt that a more martial man is needed to help protect the area.

Significantly, while a bishop he retains his mustache, a symbol of a warrior.

Leofgar is killed by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn on June 16, 1056, at Glasbury-on-Wye during a battle with the Welsh.

Along with Leofgar, a large number of English are killed, which sets back the English efforts to pacify the Welsh frontier.

After Leofgar's death, the diocese of Hereford will be administered by Ealdred, who is Bishop of Worcester, until Walter of Lorraine is elected in 1060.

The king again employs Ealdred as a diplomat in 1056, when he assists earls Harold and Leofgar in negotiations with the Welsh.

Edward sends Ealdred after the death in battle of Bishop Leofgar of Hereford, who had attacked Gruffydd ap Llywelyn after encouragement from the king.

However, had Leofgar lost the battle and his life, and Edward had had to sue for peace.

Although details of the negotiations are lacking, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn swears loyalty to King Edward, but the oath may not have had any obligations on Gruffydd's part to Edward.

The exact terms of the submission are not known in total, but Gruffydd is not required to assist Edward in war nor attend Edward's court.

Ealdred is rewarded with the administration of the see of Hereford, which he will hold until 1061.

The diocese had suffered a serious raid from the Welsh in 1055, and during his administration, Ealdred will continue the rebuilding of the cathedral church as well as securing the cathedral chapter's rights.

Ealdred has been granted the administration in order that the area might have someone with experience with the Welsh in charge.

Michael Bringas, apparently a relative of the powerful courtier Joseph Bringas (influential during the reign of Romanos II), is an elderly patrician and a member of the court bureaucracy who had served as military finance minister (and hence the epithet Stratiotikos).

Michael Bringas is chosen by the empress Theodora as her successor shortly before her death in early September, 1056.

The appointment had been secured through the influence of Leo Paraspondylos, Theodora's most trusted adviser.

Michael ascends the throne as Michael VI.