1003

1003 is a year in the 11th century of the Gregorian/Julian calendar. During this period, the Julian calendar system was in use across Europe and parts of the Middle East, before the Gregorian reform of 1582.

The year falls within the period of major world powers including the Abbasid Caliphate (with real power largely held by the Buyids), the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt, the Byzantine Empire centred on Constantinople, and various smaller kingdoms scattered across Europe. In Islamic reckoning, 1003 corresponds approximately to the years 393–394 AH.

Numbering and calendar

1003 is a regular year (not a leap year) with 365 days. Under the Julian calendar, leap years are those divisible by four; 1003 is not divisible by four, so February had 28 days. The AD numbering system was developed by Dionysius Exiguus in later centuries and came into widespread use in Europe around this time.

General political situation

Western Europe was organized under a feudal system with land divided into small holdings, while the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire maintained strong central authority in the middle of the continent. To the east, the Byzantine Empire fought continuous wars in the Balkans. In the Middle East and North Africa, the Fatimids and Abbasids competed for religious and political power. In the Horn of Africa, trade on the Red Sea and Indian Ocean coasts linked coastal cities and markets to Arab and Indian traders.

Use of the number

Apart from the year itself, the number 1003 is also a regular mathematical integer (a composite number that can be factored as 17 × 59). Most encyclopedias index the entry '1003' under the year, with other meanings noted separately.