The first octagonal baptistry in Florence, which…

The troops of various emirs gather before the unwalled city of Sebasteia in August of 1059.

Initially they hesitate to sack it, mistaking that the domes of the several Christian churches are tends of military camps.

As soon as they realize that the city is defenseless, they burn it for eight days, slaughter a large part of its population and take many prisoners.

Sebasteia is the first important city of the Empire to be plundered by Turkish tribes.

Brothers in earlier Turkic tradition usually participated in government affairs, unlike later Ottoman practice. (Notable examples are Bumin and İstemi in the sixth century, and Bilge Khan and Kultegin in the eighth century.)

Tughril and Chaghri, as well as some other members of the Seljuq family, have participated in the foundation of the empire.

Although Tughril has gained the title "sultan", it is Chaghri’s sons who will continue it afterwards.

Chaghri dies in Sarakhs, in northeastern Iran, a stopping point along the Silk Road, and in its eleventh century heyday boasting many libraries and a famous school of architects.

The historical sources do not agree on the exact date of Chaghri’s death: the years 1059, 1060, 1061 and 1062 had been proposed, but it is purported that numismatics can be used to determine the exact death date.

Coins were minted in the name of Chaghri up to 1059 and in the name of his son Kavurt after 1060, so Chaghri's death can be ascribed more probably to 1059.

Muhammad bin Dawud, later known as Alp Arslan, succeeds his father as governor of Khorasan.

Both the Fatimids and the Mazyadids withdraw their support of Basasiri, however, when Toghrïl Beg marches on Baghdad.

His rebellion collapses, and he is forced to flee Baghdad about one year after capturing it.

His flight is useless, however, as …

…Basasiri is killed in a skirmish at Saqy al-Furat, near Kufah, in late 1059.

The revolt in Baghdad by Basasiri against the Seljuqs receives support from Thimal.

Basasari, with the help of the Mazyadid Dubays I, quickly extends his control over Wasit and …

…Basra.

Construction of the Parma Cathedral commences in 1059 under bishop Cadalo, later antipope with the name of Honorius II.

Solomon ben Judah ibn Gabirol, a Jewish poet and philosopher who lives in Muslim Spain, produces an enormous body of secular and religious poems (over four hundred of which survive), including his celebrated philosophical poem “Keter Malkhut” (“The Kingly Crown”).

Gabirol combines Neoplatonism with traditional Jewish philosophy in his chief philosophic work, a metaphysical discussion entitled “Mekor Hayyim.” He attempts, in his ethical treatise “The Improvement of the Moral Qualities,” to separate ethics from a purely religious framework.

Little is known of Gabirol's life.

His parents died while he was a child.

At seventeen he became the friend and protégé of Jekuthiel Hassan.

Upon the assassination of the latter as the result of a political conspiracy, Gabirol composed an elegy of more than two hundred verses.

The death of Hai Gaon also called forth a similar poem.

When barely twenty, Gabirol wrote Anaḳ, a versified Hebrew grammar, alphabetical and acrostic, consisting of four hundred verses divided into ten parts.

Of this grammar, ninety-five lines have been preserved by Solomon Parḥon.

In these Gabirol reproaches his townsmen with their neglect of the Hebrew language.

Gabirol is one of the first teachers of Neoplatonism in Europe.

His role has been compared to that of Philo, who had served as the intermediary between Hellenic philosophy and the Oriental world; a thousand years later, Gabirol Occidentalizes Greco-Arabic philosophy and restores it to Europe.

Fons Vitæ ("Fountain of Life"), a philosophical dialogue between master and disciple, derives its name from the fact that it considers matter and form as the basis of existence and the source of life in every created thing.

It is translated from the Arabic into Latin in the year 1150.

There are no extant Arabic texts, but the Latin text has been translated into Hebrew.

(The manuscript in France’s Bibliothèque Mazarine is entitled "De Materia Universali.")

Gabirol's residence in Zaragoza had been embittered by strife.

He thought of leaving Spain, but remained and wandered about.

He had gained another friend and patron in the person of Samuel ibn Naghrela, whose praises he sang.

Later an estrangement arose between them, and Naghrela became for a time the butt of Gabirol's bitterest irony.

All testimonies agree that Gabirol was comparatively young at the time of his death, which followed years of wandering.

The year of his death is probably 1058 or 1059.

Lanfranc of Pavia: Scholar, Theologian, and Monastic Reformer

Lanfranc of Pavia, a renowned legal scholar, theologian, and monk, rose to prominence as one of the leading intellectuals and churchmen of the 11th century. His contributions to theological debate, monastic education, and church reform laid the groundwork for his later involvement in Norman ecclesiastical affairs, particularly under Duke William of Normandy.

Early Life and Education

• Lanfranc was originally trained in civil law in his native Pavia, a center of legal scholarship in Lombardy.
• He later traveled to Tours, where he studied theology under Berengar of Tours and by 1039 had established himself as a teacher of theology, gaining widespread recognition.

Monastic Life at Bec (1042)

• In 1042, Lanfranc abandoned his secular career and became a Benedictine monk at Bec Abbey in Normandy, under Abbot Herluin.
• He founded a monastic school at Bec, which soon became one of the leading centers of learning in medieval Europe, attracting students from across Christendom.
• His intellectual reputation led to his appointment as prior of Bec, giving him a prominent role in shaping Norman monastic life and education.

Lanfranc’s Defense of Eucharistic Doctrine

• Lanfranc became one of the most influential voices in the controversy over the Eucharist, particularly in opposition to Berengar of Tours.
• Berengar’s teachings on the nature of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist—which many viewed as a denial of transubstantiation—were condemned at multiple church councils.
• Lanfranc defended the orthodox position at:
  • The Councils of Rome and Vercelli.
  • The Council of Tours, where he directly opposed Berengar.
• His treatise on the Eucharist was widely praised and later became a classic theological text, reinforcing the doctrine of the Real Presence and influencing subsequent medieval theology.

Legacy and Influence

• Lanfranc’s success in theological debate secured his place as a leading intellectual of his time.
• His role in monastic reform and education helped shape Norman religious institutions, preparing him for greater responsibilities under Duke William.
• His connection with William of Normandy would eventually lead to his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury, where he would play a key role in the Norman Church’s transformation after the conquest of England in 1066.

Lanfranc’s scholarly rigor, theological insight, and administrative skill established him as one of the defining figures of 11th-century Christianity, influencing both monastic education and doctrinal development in medieval Europe.