The earldom of Northumbria is the successor…

The rivalry between the Sumatran Srivijaya and Javanese Medang had become more hostile in 1005.

The animosity was probably caused by the Srivijayan effort to reclaim Sailendra lands in Java, as Balaputra and his offspring—a new dynasty of Srivijaya maharajas—belong to the Sailendra dynasty, or by Medang aspirations to challenge Srivijaya dominance as the regional power.

Dharmawangsa had launched a naval invasion of Srivijaya in 990 and unsuccessfully attempted to capture Palembang.

Dharmawangsa's invasion had caused the Maharaja of Srivijaya, Chulamaniwarmadewa to request protection from Song dynasty China.

Srivijaya manages to repel the Medang invaders in 1006.

In 1006 also, a major eruption of Mount Merapi, the most active volcano in Indonesia, supposedly covers all of central Java with volcanic ash, causing devastation throughout central Java that is claimed to have led to the collapse of the Hindu Kingdom of Mataram; however, there is insufficient evidence from this era for this claim to be substantiated.

Srivijaya forces assist Haji (king) Wurawari of Lwaram to revolt against the Medang kingdom in retaliation for the attack on the capital, and attack and destroy the royal palace, killing Dharmawangsa and most of the royal family.

With the death of Dharmawangsa and the fall of the capital, the kingdom finally collapses under military pressure from Srivijaya.

There will be further unrest and violence for several years after the kingdom's demise.

Baldwin IV’s Seizure of Valenciennes and the Failed German Response (1006)

Following his capture of Ghent in 1005, Baldwin IV ("the Bearded"), Count of Flanders, continued his expansionist policy, seizing Valenciennes in 1006. This marked a significant escalation in Flanders’ territorial ambitions, as Valenciennes lay east of the Scheldt River, violating the borders of the Holy Roman Empire and bringing Baldwin into direct conflict with King Henry II of Germany.

Baldwin IV’s Expansion into Imperial Territory

• Valenciennes, a key fortified city on the Scheldt, was a strategic imperial stronghold, controlling access to the County of Hainaut and the Low Countries.
• Baldwin’s capture of the city directly challenged imperial authority, provoking King Henry II, who viewed the act as an infringement on German lands.

Henry II’s Alliance with Rudolph III of Burgundy

• In response, King Henry II sought to punish Baldwin IV, forming an alliance with Baldwin’s own suzerain, Rudolph III of Burgundy, to mount a joint expedition against Flanders.
• The expedition, however, failed to achieve its objectives, instead alienating both Rudolph and Baldwin.
• Baldwin IV, rather than being subdued, emerged stronger, as the campaign weakened ties between Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire while failing to dislodge Flemish control over Valenciennes.

Consequences of the Campaign

• Henry II’s attempt to discipline Baldwin backfired, as Flanders remained defiant, solidifying its role as a semi-independent power in the region.
• The failure of the Burgundian-German alliance further strained relations between Henry II and Rudolph III, ultimately contributing to Burgundy’s eventual absorption into the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century.
• Baldwin IV retained Valenciennes, strengthening Flanders’ position as a major political and military force in northern Europe.

Legacy

Baldwin IV’s bold territorial expansion in 1005–1006 and his successful defiance of imperial authority set a precedent for Flemish resistance against both the German emperors and the French kings. His actions expanded Flanders’ influence into the Scheldt valley, reinforcing its commercial and strategic dominance in the Low Countries for generations to come.

Æthelred is forced in 1006 to make a permanent peace with the hostile force, and gives them a tribute of thirty thousand pounds.

...Æthelred appoints Uhtred earl of York as well, reuniting the area of Northumbria still under English control into a single earldom.

The German Bishop Bruno of Querfurt, following his diplomatic failure in the Banat, goes to Kiev, where Vladimir I authorizes him to make Christian converts among the Pechenegs, semi-nomadic Turkic peoples living between the Danube and the Don rivers.

Bruno spends five months there and baptizes some thirty adults.

He helps to bring about a peace treaty between them and the ruler of Kiev.

Before leaving for Poland, Bruno consecrates a bishop for the Pechenegs.

Henry’s denunciation of the Peace of Poznań in 1007 causes Boleslaw's attack on the Archbishopric of Magdeburg as well as …

…the reoccupation of marches of Lusatia and …

…Meissen, including …