1050

By place

Europe

• Hedeby is sacked by King Harald III of Norway, during the course of a conflict with Sweyn II of Denmark.
• King Anund Jacob dies after a 28-year reign. He is succeeded by his brother Emund the Old as king of Sweden.
• Macbeth of Scotland makes a pilgrimage to Rome.

  Africa

• Aoudaghost, an important Berber trading center and rival of Koumbi Saleh, is captured by the Ghana Empire.

  By topic

Religion

• King Edward the Confessor unites the dioceses of Devon and Cornwall located at Crediton. He moves the see to Exeter and gives the order to build a cathedral. Leofric becomes the first bishop of Exeter.
• The brewery of Weltenburg Abbey is first mentioned, thus making it one of the oldest still operating breweries in the world.