text: The Franks, under King Pepin III ("the Short"), destroy resistance in central Aquitaine. They conquer the capital of Bordeaux, and devastate the whole region.


section: Conflict & Security

text: The Kharijite Berbers of Tlemcen and Tiaret try to conquer Ifriqiya from the Abbasid Caliphate, but fail to capture the capital of Kairouan (modern Tunisia).

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: The Bashmurian revolts continues in Egypt. A general revolt of the Delta takes place. The Egyptians joined with Arab settlers against the Abbasid government. Local officials were killed, and the governor Yazīd ibn Ḥātim sent a force against them, but it was defeated and forced to retreat to al-Fusṭāṭ.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


section: Culture & Society

text: Pepin III receives a Byzantine delegation at his court in Gentilly (southern suburbs of Paris). They discuss foreign policy regarding Italy, and Byzantine Iconoclasm.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: September 15

section: Births

text: September 15 – Saichō, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 822)

source_section: Births


text: Pepin the Hunchback, son of Charlemagne (approximate date)


text: Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi`i, Muslim imam (d. 820)


text: Bishr al-Hafi, Muslim theologian (approximate date)


text: Ja'far ibn Yahya, Persian vizier (d. 803)


date: April 20

section: Deaths

text: April 20 – Taichō, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 682)

source_section: Deaths


date: June 28

text: June 28 – Paul I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 700)


text: June 28 – Pope Paul I dies at Rome after a 10-year reign, in which he has protested against Constantine V's revival of Iconoclasm at Constantinople. He gives refuge to Greek monks who were expelled from the Byzantine Empire, and moves the relics of many saints from the catacombs to Roman churches. Duke Toto of Nepi has his layman brother elected to succeed Paul, under the name Constantine II.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Muqatil ibn Sulayman, Muslim mufassir and theologian


text: Abū Hanīfa, Muslim imam and scholar (b. 699)


text: Constantine II, patriarch of Constantinople


text: Murchad mac Flaithbertaig, chief of the Cenél Conaill


text: Toktu, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire


text: Ibn Ishaq, Muslim historian and hagiographer (or 761)


text: Ibn Jurayj, Muslim scholar (approximate date)


text: Aedh Ailghin, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: In al-Andalus, the Berber tribal chieftain Saqiya ibn Abd al Wahid al-Miknasi leads a rebellion against the Emirate of Córdoba, in the present-day Spanish province of Extremadura.

source_section: Events › By place › Iberian Peninsula


text: Waiofar, duke of Aquitaine, and his family are captured and executed by the Franks in the forest of Périgord. Waiofar's kinsman Hunald II succeeds to his claims and continues to fight against Charlemagne.

source_section: Events › By place › Frankish Kingdom


date: August 7

section: Religion & Belief

text: August 7 – Pope Stephen III succeeds Paul I as the 94th pope of the Catholic Church. The antipope Constantine II is overthrown at Rome, through intervention by King Desiderius of the Lombards, after a brief reign (see 767).


text: Archbishop Elfodd of Gwynedd persuades the Welsh Church to accept the Roman dating of Easter, as agreed by the British Church at the Synod of Whitby (see 664).


text: Lebuinus, Anglo-Saxon missionary, founds the city of Deventer (modern-day Netherlands), and builds a wooden church on the bank of the River IJssel (approximate date).


text: The Kasuga Shrine is erected at Nara (Japan), by the Fujiwara family. The interior is famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the stone lanterns that lead up to the Shinto shrine

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


section: Crime & Justice

text: Fruela I (the Cruel), the King of Asturias, is assassinated in Cangas, his capital, after he murders his brother Vimerano. Fruela is succeeded by his cousin Aurelius, who is chosen by the nobility.


text: King Alhred of Northumbria marries Princess Osgifu, possibly daughter of the late king Oswulf (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Xue Tao, Chinese poet (d. 831)


text: Han Yu, Chinese philosopher and poet (d. 824)


text: Song Ruoxin, Chinese scholar, poet and lady-in-waiting (d. 820)


text: Konstanti Kakhi, Georgian nobleman (d. 853)


date: August 20

text: August 20 – Eadberht, king of Northumbria


date: September 24

text: September 24 – King Pepin III (the Short) dies at Saint-Denis, Neustria. The Frankish Kingdom is divided between his two sons: Charlemagne and Carloman I. According to Salic law Charlemagne receives the outer parts of the kingdom bordering on the sea, namely Neustria, western Aquitaine, and the northern parts of Austrasia; while Carloman is awarded his uncle's former share, the inner parts: southern Austrasia, Septimania, eastern Aquitaine, Burgundy, Provence, Swabia, and the lands bordering Italy.


text: September 24 – Pepin the Short, king of the Franks (b. 714)


text: Pagan, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire


text: Li Huaixian, general of the Tang Dynasty


text: Dub-Indrecht mac Cathail, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Yaxun B'alam IV, ruler (ajaw) of Yaxchilan (b. 709)


date: April 12

text: April 12–15 – Pope Stephen III holds a Lateran Council: the papal election procedure (abuse of which has led to the election of antipopes) is changed, and the iconoclasm of the Council of Hieria is anathematized.


text: Hersfeld Abbey (modern-day Hesse-Nassau), Germany, is founded by Lullus, archbishop of Mainz (approximate date).


text: Tallaght Monastery is founded in Ireland by Máel Ruain; it becomes a centre of learning and piety, particularly associated with the Culdees' (Céli Dé) spiritual reform movement.


text: King Charlemagne (Charles "the Great") begins a military campaign against the Duchy of Aquitaine and the Duchy of Gascony. He leads a Frankish army to the city of Bordeaux, where he sets up a fort at Fronsac. His younger brother Carloman I refuses to help his brother fight the rebels, and returns to Burgundy. Hunald, duke of Aquitaine, is forced to flee to the court of Gascony. Lupus II, fearing Charlemagne, turns Hunald over in exchange for peace, and is put in a monastery. Aquitaine and Gascony are subdued into the Frankish Kingdom.


text: Pepin the Hunchback, the first child of Charlemagne


text: Egbert, king of Wessex (or 771)


text: Du Yuanying, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 833)


date: January 14

text: January 14 – Cui Huan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


date: March 9

text: March 9 – Alan of Farfa, Aquitanian scholar and hermit


date: December 13

text: December 13 – Du Hongjian, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 709)


text: Conchubhar mac Cumasgach, king of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne (Ireland)


text: Ma'n ibn Za'ida al-Shaybani, Arab general and governor (or 770)


text: Cuthfrith, bishop of Lichfield (approximate date)


text: Gülnar Hatun, legendary Turkish heroine


text: Dub Calgaid mac Laidcnén, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)


year_label: 77 CE

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: Gnaeus Julius Agricola is named governor of Britannia, a post he occupies until AD 84. He extends the Roman influence to the mouth of the River Clyde (Scotland), and builds fortifications.

source_title: AD 77

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Agricola subdues the Ordovices in Wales, and pursues the remnants of the tribe to Anglesey, the holy island of the Druids.


text: King Giru of Baekje succeeds to the throne of Baekje in the Korean Peninsula.


text: Winter – Agricola conquers Anglesey, and disperses his army to their winter quarters.


text: The Caledonian tribes in Scotland form a confederacy of 30,000 warriors, under the leadership of Calgacus.


section: Science & Discovery

text: Pliny the Elder publishes the first ten books of Naturalis Historia.

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts and sciences


text: The Romans develop a simple method of distillation.


section: Exploration & Expansion

text: King Alhred of Northumbria takes an interest in continental missionary activities, and sends Willehad to Frisia in modern-day Netherlands (approximate date).


text: Hedeby, an important trading settlement, in the Danish-northern German borderland is founded (approximate date).


text: King Charlemagne signs a peace treaty with Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria, and marries the Lombard princess Desiderata (daughter of King Desiderius). He travels to the Lombard court at Pavia to conclude arrangements. Pope Stephen III opposes the marriage, and protests about a Frankish-Lombard alliance.


section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: Caliph al-Mansur orders the closing of the Canal of the Pharaohs (Egypt). The only remaining land routes to transship camel caravans' goods are from Alexandria to ports on the Red Sea, or the northern Byzantine termini of the Silk Road.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate


text: Jayavarman II, founder of the Khmer Empire (d. 835)


text: Stephen IV, pope of the Catholic Church (approximate date)


text: Sugawara no Kiyotomo, Japanese nobleman (d. 842)


text: Ansegisus, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: Prokopia, empress of the Byzantine Empire (approximate date)


text: Michael II, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 829)


text: Pepin of Italy, son of Charlemagne (or 773)


text: Michael I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 844)


date: August 28

text: August 28 – Kōken, empress of Japan (b. 718)


text: August 28 – Empress Kōken (also Shōtoku) of Japan dies.


text: Tóim Snáma mac Flainn, king of Osraige (Ireland)


text: Opportuna of Montreuil, Frankish abbess


text: Modestus, Irish missionary (approximate date)


text: Ma'n ibn Za'ida al-Shaybani, Arab general (or 769)


text: Cennselach mac Brain, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)


text: Charlemagne repudiates his Lombard wife Desiderata, daughter of Desiderius, after one year of marriage. He marries the 13-year-old Swabian girl Hildegard, who will bear him nine children. Desiderius, furious at Charlemagne, plans a punitive campaign against the Franks and Rome.


text: King Offa of Mercia defeats the Haestingas, and joins their little region to his sub-kingdom of Sussex.


date: January 24

text: January 24 – Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat dedicates a 65-ton stele, the largest stone known to be quarried by the Maya civilization, at his city of Quiriguá.

source_section: Events › By place › Americas


text: Ubaydallah ibn al-Mahdi, Abbasid prince and politician (d. 810)


text: Al-Hakam I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 822)


text: Constantine VI, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 797)


date: December 4

text: December 4 – Carloman I, king of the Franks (b. 751)


text: December 4 – King Carloman I, youngest son of Pepin III ("the Short"), dies (of a severe nosebleed, according to one source) at the Villa of Samoussy, leaving his brother Charlemagne sole ruler of the now reunified Frankish Kingdom. Gerberga, the widow of Carloman, flees with her two sons to the court of King Desiderius of the Lombards, at Pavia.


text: Fujiwara no Nagate, Japanese nobleman (b. 714)


text: Coirpre mac Fogartaig, king of Brega (Ireland)


text: Approximate date – Amir Kror Suri, also known as Jahan Pahlawan, legendary character in Pashtun history


text: King Desiderius of the Lombards, enraged by the repudiation by Charlemagne of his daughter Desiderata, proclaims Gerberga's sons lawful heirs to the Frankish throne. He attacks Pope Adrian I for refusing to crown them, and invades the Duchy of the Pentapolis. Desiderius marches on Rome, and Adrian turns to the Franks for military support.


text: In England, King Offa of Mercia attempts to rule Kent directly, possibly to depose his rival Egbert II (approximate date).


text: Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne leads a Frankish expedition from the Middle Rhine into disputed territory lost by the Franks in 695. He starts a campaign against the Saxons and seizes Eresburg, destroying the Irminsul (Saxon sacred tree) near Paderborn. Charlemagne devastates several major Saxon strongholds, and forces them to retreat beyond the Weser River. After negotiating with some Saxon nobles and obtaining hostages, he installs a number of garrisons.


text: Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur completes construction of the garrison city of al-Rāfiqah adjacent to Raqqa.


text: Liu Yuxi, Chinese poet and philosopher (d. 842)


text: Bai Juyi, Chinese poet and official (d. 846)


text: probable – Charles the Younger, son of Charlemagne (d. 811)


text: Cui Zhi, Chinese Chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 829)


text: Li Ao, Chinese philosopher and prose writer (d. 841)


text: Cui Qun, Chinese Chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 832)


text: January 24 – Pope Stephen III dies after a 3½-year reign, in which he has approved the acceptable reverence of icons in the Eastern Church. On February 1 he is succeeded by Adrian I (also referred to as Hadrian) as the 95th pope of Rome.


date: May 13

text: May 13 – Dōkyō, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 700)


date: July 10

text: July 10 – Amalberga of Temse, Lotharingian nun and saint (b. 741)


text: Dúngal mac Cellaig, king of Osraige (Ireland)


text: Zhu Xicai, Chinese general of the Tang dynasty


text: Remigius of Rouen, archbishop, illegitimate son of Charles Martel


text: King Alhred of Northumbria makes overtures of friendship toward Charlemagne (approximate date).


text: Siege of Pavia: Charlemagne besieges Pavia, which is poorly stocked with food. King Desiderius remains in the capital, and orders his son Adalgis to defend Verona to guard Gerberga, and the children of Carloman I. After a short siege, Adalgis flees to Constantinople, where he is received by Emperor Constantine V. Meanwhile, the Franks capture the cities of Verona and Mortara.


text: Saxon Wars: Saxon forces seize upon Charlemagne's preoccupation with Italy to retake Eresburg and Syburg (near Dortmund). They unsuccessfully attack the episcopal centre of Büraburg, which had been established by St. Boniface (see 723).


text: The number 0 is introduced to the city of Baghdad, which will be developed in the Middle East by Arabian mathematicians, who will base their numbers on the Indian system (long after the Maya culture developed the concept, cf. Maya numerals).


text: Summer – King Charlemagne and his uncle Bernard, son of Charles Martel, cross the Alps with a Frankish expeditionary force at the request of Pope Adrian I. At the foot of the mountains in the Susa Valley (Northern Italy), the Franks are hindered by Lombard fortifications. After scouting, Charlemagne attacks the defenders from the flank, and forces the Lombards to flee to the fortified capital Pavia.


text: A large and sudden increase in radiocarbon ( 14 C) occurs around 773, in coral skeletons from the South China Sea (see 774-775 carbon-14 spike).

source_section: Events › By topic › Ecology


text: Duan Wenchang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 835)


text: Liu Zongyuan, Chinese poet and official (d. 819)


text: Heizei, emperor of Japan (d. 824)


text: Wei Chuhou, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 829)


text: Fujiwara no Otsugu, Japanese statesman (d. 843)


text: Peter of Atroa, Byzantine abbot and saint (d. 837)


text: Li Su, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 821)


text: Pepin of Italy, son of Charlemagne (d. 810)


date: June 11

text: June 11 – Li Miao, Tang dynasty Chinese prince


text: Brochfael ap Elisedd, king of Powys (Wales)


text: Xue Song, general of the Yan and Tang Dynasties


text: Donn Cothaid mac Cathail, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Rōben, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 689)


text: Khongtekcha, king of Manipur (India)


text: King Khongtekcha of Manipur (modern India) dies after a 10-year reign; during his rule the Meitei language script first appears.


date: June

text: June – King Desiderius surrenders the independence of the Lombards to the Franks, and is exiled to Corbie Abbey (Picardy). Charlemagne annexes northern Italy as a sub-kingdom, and takes the title of Rex Langobardorum. Some Lombards flee south to Benevento, which remains independent; Duke Arechis II retitles himself "Prince of Benevento".


text: Battle of Berzitia: The Bulgarian ruler (khagan) Telerig sends a small raiding army (12,000 men) to strike into the southwest of Macedonia, and capture Berzitia. Emperor Constantine V is informed about this raid by his spies in Pliska, and assembles an enormous force (80,000 men). He surprises the Bulgarians, who did not expect to find a Byzantine army there, and defeats them decisively. The Bulgars suffer heavy losses.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Telerig sends a message to Constantine V, stating that he is going to flee in exile to Constantinople. In exchange, he asks the emperor to reveal the spies to his associates in Pliska for their own safety. Constantine sends the Bulgarian government a list of the spies; however, Telerig executes them all, and eliminates the Byzantine spy network within his government.


text: King Offa of Mercia subdues the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Kent and Wessex (approximate date).


text: King Charlemagne conquers the Lombard Kingdom, and establishes Frankish rule in Pavia, Venetia, Istria, Emilia, Tuscany, and Corsica. Charlemagne visits Rome; he confirms the Donation of Pepin (see 756) while insisting on his own sovereignty. Pope Adrian I grants him the title of patrician. Charlemagne puts down immediate insurrections in Friuli.


text: Saxon Wars: Saxon raiders ravage much of northern Hesse (modern Germany), and burn the abbey at Fritzlar, putting the abbot and monks to the sword. Charlemagne hurriedly returns to Austrasia, assembles local troops, and recaptures Eresburg, before the approach of winter halts further operations.


section: Health & Medicine

text: Unrest in the Northumbrian Church appears to lead to the expulsion of King Alhred, who is driven from his capital York. He sails from Bamburgh into exile amongst the Picts, where he is received by King Ciniod I. He is replaced by Æthelred I, the 11-year-old son of the late king Æthelwald Moll.


section: Climate & Environment

text: A 1.2% growth of concentration recorded in tree rings, along with corresponding spikes of and recorded in ice cores, suggests that a very strong solar storm may have hit Earth in either 774 or 775.

source_section: Events › By topic › Astronomy


text: Kūkai, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 835)


text: Kim Daeseong, Korean minister (b. 700)


text: King Aurelius dies after a 6-year reign, and is succeeded by his cousin-in-law Silo, as ruler of Asturias (Northern Spain).


text: Abd al-Rahman al-Awza'i, Muslim scholar (b. 707)


text: Amoghavajra, Chinese translator (b. 705)


text: Aurelius, king of Asturias (Spain)


text: Gummarus, Frankish nobleman and saint (b. 717)


text: Krishna I, ruler of the Rashtrakuta Empire


text: Lady K'awiil Yopaat, queen regnant of the Maya city of Toniná between 762 and 774.


text: Abu Mikhnaf, Muslim historian (approximate date)


text: King Dharmapala begins his reign of Bengal (South Asia).


text: Tibet subdues her Himalayan neighbors, and concludes a boundary agreement with the Chinese Tang dynasty (approximate date).


date: April 25

text: April 25 – Battle of Bagrevand: The Abbasids put an end to an Armenian rebellion. Muslim control over Transcaucasia is solidified, while several major Armenian nakharar families, notably the Mamikonian, lose power and flee to the Byzantine Empire.

source_section: Events › By place › Arab Caliphate


text: Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne holds a major assembly at Quierzy (Northern France). He leads a Frankish army into Saxony to retake the castrum of Syburg (near Dortmund), then rebuilds and garrisons fortified Eresburg. He reaches the Weser at a place called Braunsberg, where the Saxons stand for battle, but are defeated when Frankish troops cross the river.


text: At around this time, Baghdad becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Chang'an, capital of China.


text: Westphalian Saxons, probably commanded by Widukind, cross the Weser and fight an inconclusive battle at Hlidbeck (modern-day Lübbecke). Charlemagne claims victory, but perhaps in reality suffers a setback. He reunites his forces and inflicts a real defeat upon the Saxons, seizing considerable booty and taking hostages, though Widukind escapes.


text: The German city of Giessen (Hesse) is founded.


text: Autumn – Charlemagne retakes the Hellweg (main corridor) along the Lippe Valley, establishing communications between Austrasia, Hesse and Thuringia. It is used as a trade route under Frankish supervision.


text: Andalusian merchants set up an emporium (trade settlement) on the Maghreb coast at Ténès (modern Algeria). It is early evidence of the revival of the maritime trade in the Western Mediterranean, after the chaos of the early 8th century.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: A 1.2% growth of carbon-14 concentration recorded in tree rings suggests that a very strong solar storm may have hit Earth, in either 774 or 775. Known as the 774–775 carbon-14 spike, corresponds to the first Miyake event.


text: Theophanes the Branded, Byzantine monk (d. 845)


text: Tahir ibn Husayn, 9th-century Persian Abbasid governor (or 776)


text: Amalarius, archbishop of Trier (approximate date)


text: Rotrude, Frankish princess, daughter of Charlemagne (or 778)


text: Leo V, Byzantine emperor (d. 820)


text: Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, Japanese general (d. 826)


text: Ebbo, archbishop of Reims (d. 851)


text: Einhard, Frankish scholar (d. 840)


text: Theodosia, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Hilduin, bishop of Paris (d. 840)


text: Wetti of Reichenau, German scholar (approximate date)


text: April 25 – Mushegh VI Mamikonian, Armenian noble


date: September 14

text: September 14 – Constantine V, Byzantine emperor (b. 718)


text: September 14 – Emperor Constantine V dies while on a campaign in Bulgaria. In his 34-year reign he has suppressed monasticism and image worship, restored aqueducts, revived commerce, and repopulated Constantinople. He is succeeded by his 25-year-old son Leo IV ("the Khazar"), who continues Constantine's campaigns against the Bulgars and Muslim Arabs.


date: October 6

text: October 6 – Al-Mansur, Muslim caliph (b. 714)


text: Isma'il ibn Jafar, Shī‘ah Imām (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Kurajimaro, Japanese politician (b. 734)


text: Kibi no Makibi, Japanese scholar (b. 695)


text: Caliph al-Mansur (r. 754–775) dies after a 21-year reign, in which he has made Baghdad the residence of the Abbasid Caliphate. He is succeeded by his son al-Mahdi.


text: Princess Inoe of Japan (b. 717)


text: Ruyuan, Chinese Buddhist abbess and master


date: April 24

text: April 24 – Emperor Leo IV ("the Khazar") appoints his 5-year-old son Constantine VI co-ruler of the Byzantine Empire. This leads to an uprising, led by one of Leo's half-brothers, Caesar Nikephoros, the second son of former emperor Constantine V. The revolt is quickly suppressed. Fortunately for Nikephoros, his only punishment is to be stripped of his titles, while the rest of the conspirators are blinded, tonsured, and exiled to Cherson (southern Crimea) under guard.


text: Saxon Wars: The Saxons again revolt against Christianity and Frankish rule. Eresburg falls, but a Saxon assault upon the castle of Syburg fails. Charlemagne hurriedly returns from Italy, launching a counter-offensive which defeats the Saxons. Most of their leaders are summoned to the Lippe at the town of Bad Lippspringe (North Rhine-Westphalia), to submit formally to Charlemagne.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: King Charlemagne spends Easter in Treviso (northern Italy), after putting down a rebellion in Friuli and Spoleto. He removes Hrodgaud of Friuli from power, and reforms the duchy as the March of Friuli (military frontier district). Co-conspirators who support the revolt are Arechis II, duke of Benevento, and Adalgis, son of former Lombard king Desiderius. Frankish counts are placed in the cities of Friuli.


text: Battle of Otford: King Egbert II of Kent defeats the Mercians under King Offa (near Otford), and re-asserts himself as ruler of Kent.


date: February

text: February – Al-Jahiz, Afro-Muslim scholar and writer (d. 868)

source_section: Births


text: Bai Xingjian, Chinese poet and writer (d. 826)


text: Saint George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop (d. 821)


text: Sahnun ibn Sa'id, Muslim jurist (or 777)


text: Tahir ibn Husayn, Muslim governor (or 775)


text: date unknown – Lu Sui, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 835)


text: Hrodgaud, duke of Friuli (Italy)

source_section: Deaths


text: Humayd ibn Qahtaba, Muslim military leader


text: Cináed Ciarrge mac Cathussaig, Dál nAraide king


text: Nuada ua Bolcain, abbot of Tuam (Ireland)


text: Flaithniadh mac Congal, abbot of Clonfert


text: Cellach mac Dúnchada, king of Leinster (Ireland)


text: Abbasid–Carolingian alliance: Charlemagne receives a request for support from pro-Abbasid rulers in the eastern thughur, or military frontier zone of the Emirate of Córdoba. Several powerful officials and noblemen in northeastern Iberia, such as the governors of Barcelona and Zaragoza, seek to rise up against the Umayyad emir Abd al-Rahman I.


text: Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne spends Easter in Nijmegen, and leads a large Frankish army to Paderborn, where a general assembly of Carolingian and Saxon leaders had been summoned. Saxon lands are integrated into the Frankish Kingdom, and divided into missionary parishes. Duke Widukind and his followers flee to King Sigfred of Denmark, seeking refuge and support.


text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Rustam is recognized as imam of the Ibadis, in Maghreb (western North Africa).


text: Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria founds Kremsmünster Abbey (modern Austria). During this period, the Tassilo Chalice is possibly donated by Luitpirga, wife of Tassilo (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Masawaiyh, Assyrian physician (d. 857)


text: Heungdeok, king of Silla (Korea) (d. 836)


text: Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, Muslim imam (or 778)


text: Ibrāhīm al-Fazārī, Muslim astronomer


text: Flaithrí mac Domnaill, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Feardomhnach, abbot of Tuam (Ireland)


text: Telerig, ruler (khagan) of Bulgaria


text: Walpurga, Anglo-Saxon missionary (or 779)


text: Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu, Japanese statesman (b. 716)


text: Fujiwara no Kiyonari, Japanese nobleman (b. 716)


date: August 15

text: August 15 – Battle of Roncevaux Pass (Pyrenees): Charlemagne is defeated by the Basques. Among those killed is Roland, governor of the Breton March, who will be immortalized in the 11th century epic The Song of Roland. This marks the beginning of medieval French literature.


text: A Frankish army (supported by Burgundians, Bavarians, Bretons, Lombards, and Visigoths) under King Charlemagne invades Al-Andalus (modern Spain), and conquers the cities of Pamplona and Barcelona. However, the Franks are halted at Zaragoza, in the thughur or frontier zone of the Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Leo IV ("the Khazar") repulses an Abbasid invasion in Anatolia. A Byzantine expeditionary force under Michael Lachanodrakon, military governor (strategos) of the Thracesian Theme, defeats the Muslim-Arabs at the fortress city of Germanikeia in Cilicia (modern Turkey). He plunders the region and takes many captives, mostly Jacobites, who are resettled in Thrace.

source_section: Events › By place › Arab Caliphate and Byzantine Empire


text: Saxon Wars: Widukind and his close followers return to Saxony from Denmark. He probably makes alliances with the Danes and the northwestern Slav tribes. Saxon rebels destroy the fortress of Karlsburg and sack Deutz (near Cologne), but are unable to cross the Rhine. They are driven back by the garrison of Koblenz, but then ambush and defeat the Frankish pursuers. Counter-attacking Frankish forces pursue the Saxons up the Lahn Valley, and defeat them near Leisa.


text: Unrest in Northumbria leads to King Æthelred I ordering the execution of three of his dukes. This considerably weakens his position (approximate date).


text: In Japan, the Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple is founded in Kyoto. Its main hall (Hondo) is built in 1633 without a single nail.


text: Saxon raiders destroy many churches deep in Frankish territory. The Benedictine monks of Fulda Abbey (modern-day Hesse) hurriedly carry the relics of Saint Boniface over the Rhön Mountains to safety.


text: Li Gongzuo, Chinese writer (d. 848)


text: Zhaozhou, Chinese Zen Buddhist master (d. 897)


text: Li Shigu, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 806)


text: Louis the Pious, king of the Franks (d. 840)


text: Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, Muslim scholar and imam (or 777)


text: Bernard, bishop of Vienne (d. 842)


text: Xian Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 820)


text: Rotrude, Frankish princess, daughter of Charlemagne (or 775)


text: Ali ibn al-Madini, Muslim scholar (d. 849)


text: Ermengarde of Hesbaye, queen of the Franks (d. 818)


text: Liu Gongquan, Chinese calligrapher (d. 865)


text: August 15 – Roland, Frankish military leader


text: Sufyan al-Thawri, Muslim scholar and jurist (b. 716)


text: Áed Find, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)


text: Niall Frossach, High King of Ireland


text: Congalach mac Conaing, king of South Brega (Ireland)


text: Berhthun, bishop of Lichfield (approximate date)


text: Eterscél mac Áeda, king of the Uí Cheinnselaig (Ireland)


text: Mac Flaithniadh, abbot of Clonfert (Ireland)


date: June 12

text: June 12 - In China, De Zong (personal name Li Kuo) succeeds his father Dai Zong, as emperor of the Tang Dynasty.


text: Battle of Bensington: King Offa of Mercia defeats his rival Cynewulf of Wessex at Bensington (modern-day Oxfordshire). He seizes control of Berkshire, and probably London as well. According to sources of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Offa becomes "King of All England". Charlemagne writes a letter to him as "his dearest brother", but when Offa refuses to let one of Charlemagne's sons marry one of his daughters, Charlemagne threatens to close the ports to English traders.


text: Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne assembles a Frankish army at Düren, crosses the Rhine at the modern town of Wesel, and defeats the Saxons in battle near Bocholt (North Rhine-Westphalia). All the main Westphalian leaders are captured, except Widukind. Charlemagne crosses the Weser, Oker and Ohre rivers into Eastphalian territory, where local leaders submit to Frankish rule and hand over hostages. Widukind remains in northern Saxony, and relies on guerrilla warfare.


date: March

text: March, days unknown - An earthquake in Silla with a magnitude of 6.7–7.0 on the Richter scale kills more than 100 people.


text: Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, was an Arab prince, singer, composer and poet (d. 839)


text: Agobard, archbishop of Lyon (approximate date)


text: Jia Dao, Chinese poet and Buddhist monk (d. 843)


text: Yuan Zhen, politician of the Tang Dynasty (d. 831)


date: June 10

text: June 10 – Dai Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 727)


date: December 17

text: December 17 – Sturm, abbot of Fulda


text: Walpurga, Anglo-Saxon abbess (or 777)


text: Æthelred I, king of East Anglia (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Momokawa, Japanese statesman (b. 732)


year_label: 78 CE

text: Gnaeus Julius Agricola replaces Sextus Julius Frontinus as governor of Roman Britain, which leads to the conquering of portions of Wales and northern England.

source_title: AD 78


text: Pacorus II becomes king of the Parthian Empire (r. 78–115).


text: Emperor Kadphises of the Kushan Empire sends a delegation to Rome, to seek support against the Parthians.


text: The Romans conquer the Ordovices, located in present-day northern Wales, as well as the Silures.


text: Indian Prince Aji Caka introduces the Sanskrit language and Pallawa script, used to inscribe Javanese words and phrases, to the Indonesian islands.


text: The Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (Wang-Ch'ung) claims all phenomena have material causes.

source_section: Events › By topic › Philosophy


text: This is the base year (year zero) of the Saka era used by some Hindu calendars, the Indian national calendar, and the Cambodian Buddhist calendar. It begins near the vernal equinox for the civil solar calendar, but begins opposite the star Spica for the traditional solar calendar.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Wang Fu, Chinese historian, poet and philosopher (approximate date)


text: Liu Qing, Chinese prince of the Han Dynasty (d. 106)


text: Zhang Heng, Chinese mathematician, astronomer, inventor, and statesman (d. 139)


text: Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus, Roman politician


text: Vologases I, king of the Parthian Empire


text: King Hyegong of Silla is killed in a revolt, terminating the kingly line of succession of former ruler Muyeol, the architect of Silla's unification of the Korean Peninsula (see 668).


text: Borobudur, a Buddhist temple complex in Magelang (modern Indonesia), is begun (approximate date).


text: Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne decrees the death penalty for any subdued Saxon refusing Christian baptism. Meanwhile Widukind builds up rebel strength in northern Saxony.


text: The city of Aldwych rises as an important trading centre in London, under Mercian control. King Offa of Mercia possibly establishes a royal palace at Aldermanbury, on the site of the old Roman Cripplegate fort and amphitheatre (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: The city of Osnabrück, developed as a marketplace, is founded by Charlemagne (approximate date).


text: Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Ḵwārizmī, Persian mathematician (approximate date)


text: Hugh of Tours, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Frederick of Utrecht, Frisian bishop (approximate date)


text: Yunyan Tansheng, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 841)


text: Guifeng Zongmi, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 841)


text: Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Muslim scholar and theologian (d. 855)


text: Rabanus Maurus, archbishop of Mainz (approximate date)


date: August 19

text: August 19 – Credan, English abbot and saint


date: September 8

text: September 8 - Emperor Leo IV ("the Khazar") dies after a 5-year reign, in which he has been dominated by his wife Irene of Athens, an iconodule. He is succeeded by his 9-year-old son Constantine VI; due to his minority, Irene and her chief minister Staurakios exercise a regency over him.


text: September 8 – Leo IV, Byzantine emperor (b. 750)


text: Dunchadh ua Daimhine, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: c. June 24 – Kume no Wakame, Japanese noblewoman


text: Approximate date – Himiltrude, queen consort of Charlemagne (b. c.742)


text: Khun Lo, founder of Luang Prabang (Laos)


text: Hyegong, king of Silla (Korea) (b. 758)


date: April 30

text: April 30 – Emperor Kōnin of Japan abdicates the throne after an 11-year reign, in favour of his half-Korean son, Kanmu.


text: Charlemagne defines the Papal territory (see Papal States). He codifies the regions over which the pope would be temporal sovereign: the Duchy of Rome is expanded by Ravenna, the Duchy of the Pentapolis, parts of the Duchy of Benevento, Tuscany, Corsica and Lombardy.


text: Nestorians in China build Christian monasteries, and erect the Nestorian Stele (approximate date).


text: Marriage of Abbasid prince Harun ibn al-Mahdi (future caliph Harun al-Rashid) and Zubaidah bint Ja'far.


text: King Charlemagne has his son Carloman (renamed Pepin) anointed "King of Italy", and he is crowned by Pope Adrian I with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. His younger brother Charles I is anointed king of Aquitaine, and Louis the Pious (only 3-years old) is appointed sub-king of Italy and Aquitaine, following the conversion of Aquitaine from a Duchy to a sub-kingdom.


text: Charlemagne meets Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon missionary, in Italy, and invites him to Aachen, where he becomes Charlemagne's chief adviser on religious and educational matters (approximate date).


section: Economy & Finance

text: The Frankish currency called the livre carolingienne is minted for the first time (approximate date).


text: New city of Bian (汴) is constructed on the site of Kaifeng during the Tang dynasty (China).


text: Yang Yan, Chinese statesman, commits suicide after being accused of bribery and corruption. He is credited with reforming the tax system for peasants, reducing the power of the aristocratic classes, and eliminating their tax-free estates.


date: July 31

text: July 31 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji occurs (Traditional Japanese date: July 6, 781).


text: Harith al-Muhasibi, founder of the Baghdad School of Islamic philosophy, and a teacher of the Sufi masters Junayd al-Baghdadi and Sari al-Saqti (d. 857)


text: Yang Yan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 727)


text: Alchmund, bishop of Hexham (approximate date)


text: Isonokami no Yakatsugu, Japanese nobleman (b. 723)


text: King Fergus mac Echdach of Dál Riata (Scotland)


text: Guo Ziyi, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 697)


text: Massacre of Verden: Charlemagne executes 4,500 rebel Saxons at Verden for practicing paganism. He issues the Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae and imposes Christianity on the Saxons, making Saxony a Frankish province.


text: Battle of Süntel: The Franks under Charlemagne are defeated by Saxon rebels, led by Widukind. He succeeds in wiping out more than half of the occupying Frankish forces and again raises the banner of revolt.


text: Summer – Harun al-Rashid reaches as far as Chrysopolis, across the Bosporus Straits from the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. After the defection of the Armenian general Tatzates, Empress Irene accepts a three-year truce, including the annual payment of a tribute of 70,000 or 90,000 gold dinars, and the handing over of 10,000 silk garments. Harun releases all his captives (5,600 men), including chief minister Staurakios and other hostages.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Empire


text: Summer – Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne sends a punitive expedition (an elite force of Eastern Frankish troops) under the command of Adalgis the Chamberlain, Gallo, and Worad, supported by Saxon forces, to deal with the Saxons and Sorb raiders in Thuringia.


text: Autumn – Charlemagne returns from his campaign in Italy, and musters a Frankish army of available troops in Bavaria. He then marches to Saxony, probably to Eresburg. Charlemagne marches north, down the Weser to the Aller River, making camp near Verden.


text: Charlemagne summons Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon missionary, to Aachen, and appoints him as chief adviser on religious and educational matters. He becomes the leading scholar and teacher at the Carolingian court.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Arab forces (95,000 men) under Harun al-Rashid, son of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi, cross the Taurus Mountains and capture the Byzantine border fortress of Magida. Harun leaves his lieutenant Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus to besiege the city of Nakoleia (Phrygia), while another force (30,000 men), probably under Yahya ibn Khalid, is sent to raid the western coastlands of Asia Minor. Harun himself, with the main army, advances to the Opsician Theme.


text: Emperor Constantine VI is betrothed to the 6-year-old Rotrude, daughter of Charlemagne; Irene sends a scholar monk called Elisaeus to educate her in Greek language and manners.


text: Nanchan Temple on Wutaishan, Shanxi, is built during the Tang Dynasty (China).


text: Tachibana no Hayanari, Japanese calligrapher (d. 844)


date: January 11

text: January 11 – Kōnin, emperor of Japan (b. 709)


date: September 28

text: September 28 – Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun


text: Thierry IV, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Conall mac Fidhghal, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: Winter – Saxon Wars: Charlemagne defeats the Saxon rebels in a three-day battle next to the Hase River, and perhaps overruns fortifications on the Wittekindsberg, before ravaging southern Saxony. A Frisian uprising against Carolingian rule is supported by Duke Widukind.


text: A Byzantine expeditionary force under Staurakios, chief minister (logothete), begins a campaign against the communities (Sclaviniae) of Greece. Setting out from Constantinople, the imperial army follows the Thracian coast into Macedonia, and then south into Thessaly, Central Greece and the Peloponnese. Staurakios restores a measure of Byzantine authority over these areas, and collects booty and tribute from the locals.


date: October

text: October – Charlemagne marries Fastrada, the 18-year-old daughter of a Frankish count named Rudolph, and makes her his queen at Worms. The probable reason behind the marriage is to solidify a Frankish alliance east of the Rhine, against the Saxons in Lower Saxony (modern Germany).


text: Wu Yuanji, general of the Tang Dynasty (or 793)


text: April 30 – Hildegard, wife of King Charlemagne, dies in childbirth after her ninth confinement in less than 12 years of marriage. His mother, Bertrada of Laon, dies in the summer and is buried with great ceremony beside her husband Pepin the Short, in the Abbey of St. Denis (modern-day Paris).


text: April 30 – Hildegard, queen consort of Charlemagne (b. 758)


date: July 12

text: July 12 – Bertrada of Laon, queen consort of Pepin the Short


text: Silo, king of Asturias (Spain)


text: Cynewulf, bishop of Lindisfarne (approximate date)


text: Isa ibn Musa, Muslim governor (or 784)


text: Mauregatus of Asturias, illegitimate son of the late king Alfonso I, usurps the throne after the death of his brother-in-law Silo. However, the nobility has elected Alfonso II at Adosinda's (wife of Silo) insistence, but Mauregatus assembles a large army of supporters, and forces Alfonso to flee to Álava (modern Spain). Adosinda is put in the monastery of San Juan de Pravia, where she lives out the rest of her life.


text: Han Gan, Chinese painter of the Tang Dynasty


text: Fujiwara no Uona, Japanese minister (b. 721)


text: Nagaoka-kyō becomes the Japanese imperial capital.


text: Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne begins a campaign in northern Saxony. He ravages Eastphalian territory as far as the Elbe River, while his son, Charles the Younger, defeats a Saxon force in the Lippe Valley. Bad weather hinders Charlemagne's winter campaign in southern Saxony.


text: Winter – Charlemagne returns to Eresburg and builds a church, probably on the site of the Irminsul (a pagan religious site). Frankish forces based at Eresburg attack rebel Saxon settlements, and take control of the roads. Charlemagne himself takes part in some of these raids.


date: February 4

text: February 4 – Itzamnaaj K'awiil, brother of Bat K'awiil (who reigned between 780 and 784) and the son of K'ahk' Ukalaw Chan Chaak (who ruled 755 to 780) becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Naranjo in Guatemala and reigns until his death in 810.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


date: August 30

text: August 30 – Paul IV abdicates as patriarch of Constantinople.


date: December 25

text: December 25 – Tarasios is elected patriarch of Constantinople.


text: The Japanese begin a war against the Ainu, in the north, on the main island of Honshu. Emperor Kanmu wishes to be free from the influence of the Buddhist monasteries around Nara (then called Heijō), and moves the capital to Nagaoka, ending the Nara period.


text: Abd al-Rahman I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (Al-Andalus), begins the construction of the Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque of Córdoba. He uses the mosque (originally called Aljama Mosque) as an adjunct to his palace, and names it in honour of his wife.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


text: Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi, Muslim historian (d. 845)


text: Theodrada, Frankish princess and abbess, daughter of Charlemagne (approximate date)


text: Li Jue, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (approximate date)


date: May 4

text: May 4 – Arbeo, bishop of Freising


date: July 16

text: July 16 – Fulrad, Frankish abbot (b. 710)


date: August 21

text: August 21 – Alberic, archbishop of Utrecht


text: Paul IV, patriarch of Constantinople


text: Autpert Ambrose, Frankish abbot


text: Isa ibn Musa, Muslim governor (or 783)


text: Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne summons a major assembly of Saxon and Frankish lords at Paderborn, then leads his army across Saxony as far as the Lower Elbe, without significant resistance. Duke Widukind retreats with his 'rebel' forces beyond the Elbe, but then negotiates and exchanges hostages. Charlemagne returns to his palace at Attigny (Ardennes), followed by Widukind; here the Saxon leaders are baptized as Christians on Christmas Day. Widukind and the Saxon nobility swear fealty to Charlemagne.


text: The Frankish Kingdom conquers Girona and Urgell (modern Spain) from the Moors. The Franks divide Catalonia into 14 countships. Charlemagne suppresses a rebellion by count Hardrad of Thuringia.


text: King Offa of Mercia re-asserts his control of Kent, deposes his rival Egbert II, and establishes direct Mercian rule. Egbert's brother, Eadberht Præn, flees to the court of Charlemagne.


text: Ludger, Frisian missionary, visits Heligoland (Fossitesland), and destroys the remains of paganism. On his return he meets the blind bard Bernlef, last of the Frisian skalds, and cures his blindness (approximate date).


text: Caliph Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi is poisoned by one of his concubines. He is succeeded by his son Al-Hadi, who becomes the fourth ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate.


text: Prince (or duke) Višeslav, with the support of Pope Adrian I and the Byzantine Empire, becomes ruler of Dalmatian Croatia (approximate date).


text: Fujiwara no Tanetsugu, Japanese nobleman (chūnagon), has his daughter Azumako married to the 12-year-old crown prince Heizei (son of Emperor Kanmu). While supervising construction of the buildings in the capital of Nagaoka, he is killed by an arrow.


text: Zhang Yunshen, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 872)


text: Tian Bu, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 822)


text: Junna, emperor of Japan (approximate date)


text: Harald Klak, king of Denmark (approximate date)


text: Antony the Younger, Byzantine saint (d. 865)


text: Paschasius Radbertus, Frankish abbot (d. 865)


date: October 5

text: October 5- Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Japanese statesman and poet, Shōgun


date: November 8

text: November 8 – Sawara, Japanese prince


text: Liu Peng, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 727)


text: K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat, king of Quiriguá (Guatemala)


text: Liu Changqing, Chinese poet (b. 709)


text: Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, Muslim Caliph


text: Li Huaiguang, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 729)


text: Liu Congyi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 742)


text: Seondeok, king of Silla (Korea)


text: Zhu Tao, general of the Tang dynasty


text: Theophilus of Edessa, Greek astrologer (b. 695)


text: Fujiwara no Tanetsugu, Japanese nobleman (b. 737)


text: Yan Zhenqing, Chinese calligrapher (b. 709)


text: Council of Paderborn: The clergy debates the matter of the Christianization of the Saxons. They make laws against idolatry, and order the death penalty for self-appointed witch-hunters, who have caused the death of people accused of witchcraft.


text: Egbert settles at the court of Charlemagne, and learns the arts of government during his time in Gaul. During his stay he meets Eadberht, a priest, who later becomes king of Kent.


date: June 11

text: June 11 – Battle of Fakhkh: An Alid uprising in Medina is crushed by the Abbasids. One of the Alids, Idris ibn Abdallah, flees to the Maghreb in western North Africa, where he later founds the Idrisid dynasty in 788/789.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate


text: King Charles the Younger, son of Charlemagne and ruler of Aquitaine, visits Monte Cassino and Capua, both in Beneventan territory. Prince Arechis II, feeling threatened by the Franks, decides that he needs to stop quarrelling with the Byzantine Duchy of Naples so he can focus on the Frankish foe. Prince Arechis II therefore signs a peace agreement, or 'pactum', with the Duchy of Naples.


text: Cyneheard, brother of the late king Sigeberht, ambushes and kills his rival Cynewulf of Wessex, while he is at Meretun (now called Marten) with his mistress. The Wessex nobles refuse to recognise Cyneheard as king.


text: Cyneheard is executed and succeeded by Beorhtric, through the support of King Offa of Mercia. His rival claimant to the Wessex throne, a distant nephew of the late king Ine, named Egbert, is driven across the Channel.


text: Beatus of Liébana, monk and theologian, publishes his Commentary on the Apocalypse.


date: October 10

text: October 10 – Saga, emperor of Japan (d. 842)


text: Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn Maṭar, Muslim mathematician (d. 833)


text: Al-Ma'mun, Muslim caliph (d. 833)


text: Sahl ibn Bishr, Muslim astrologer (approximate date)


text: Adelochus, archbishop of Strasbourg (d. 823)


text: Tachibana no Kachiko, empress of Japan (d. 850)


text: June 11 – Al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Abid, anti-Abbasid rebel leader


date: September 14

text: September 14 – Al-Hadi, Muslim caliph (b. 764)


text: September 14 – Harun al-Rashid becomes the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad, upon the death of his brother Al-Hadi. He appoints Salim Yunisi as governor of Sindh and the Indus Valley.


date: September

text: September – Marajil, mother of caliph al-Ma'mun.


date: October 16

text: October 16 – Lullus, archbishop of Mainz


text: Diarmait mac Conaing, king of South Brega (Ireland)


text: Empress Wang (Dezong) of China


text: Cyneheard the Ætheling, nobleman of Wessex


text: Sakanoue no Karitamaro, Japanese general (b. 727)


text: Abo of Tiflis, Christian martyr


text: Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus, Muslim minister (or 785)


text: Tipraiti mac Taidg, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Desiderius, king of the Lombards (approximate date)


text: Empress Irene sends a Byzantine expeditionary army to invade southern Italy, but it is defeated and driven out (at Pope Adrian I's urging) by the Frankish army, allied with the forces of Benevento. She breaks off the engagement (see 782) between her son Constantine VI and the Frankish princess Rotrude, daughter of King Charlemagne.


text: Second Council of Nicaea: Empress Irene restores the veneration of icons (images of Christ and saints). This is a major victory of the monks, who will advance extensive claims to complete freedom for the Eastern Orthodox Church in religious matters. This ends the iconoclastic period in the Byzantine Empire.


text: Kings Offa of Mercia and Beorhtric of Wessex call the Synod of Chelsea in Kent, which is attended by the Papal legates. There, Offa persuades the Papacy to grant Archepiscopal status to the Mercian See of Lichfield. In order to secure the royal succession, he has Hygeberht crown his son Ecgfrith king of Mercia at Brixworth.


text: Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi, Muslim scholar and astrologer (approximate date)


text: Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin, Muslim caliph (d. 813)


text: Li Deyu, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 850)


date: August 26

text: August 26 – Arechis II, autonomous prince (or duke) of Benevento, dies. Grimoald III, taken hostage by the Franks, succeeds his father as ruler of Benevento.


text: August 26 – Arechis II, duke of Benevento


date: December 13

text: December 13 – Agilfride, bishop of Liège


text: Willibald, bishop of Eichstätt (approximate date)


text: Maurizio Galbaio, doge of Venice


text: Hyecho, Korean Buddhist monk (b. 704)


text: Maurizio Galbaio, doge of Venice, dies after a 22-year reign and is succeeded by his son Giovanni. He begins a vendetta against the patriarch of Grado (Italy).


text: September – Battle of Kopidnadon: An Abbasid expeditionary force crosses the Cilician Gates into the Anatolic Theme (modern Turkey). It is confronted by two Byzantine armies at Podandos in Cappadocia, who are defeated.


text: September – Battle of Kopidnadon: An Abbasid expeditionary force against the Byzantine Empire crosses the Cilician Gates into the Anatolic Theme. The Abbasid army launches an invasion of Byzantine Asia Minor, and is confronted by a Byzantine force at Kopidnadon. The battle results in an Abbasid victory.


text: The Avars, who are allied with Tassilo III, invade East Francia (modern Germany). This begins the Frankish-Avar conflict.


text: Byzantine troops led by Adalgis, son of former Lombard king Desiderius, invade southern Italy. His attempts are thwarted by the Franks, who attack territories in Benevento, obtaining notably the annexion of Chieti (Spoleto).


text: Idris ibn Abdallah, known as the "founder of Morocco", settles in Volubilis, beginning the reign of the Idrisid Dynasty (Morocco had effectively been independent from the Arab caliphates since the Great Berber Revolt).


text: The Enryaku-ji temple complex is founded by Saichō, a Buddhist monk, on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu (Japan).


text: King Charlemagne conquers Bavaria, and incorporates it into the Frankish Kingdom. Duke Tassilo III is deposed, and banished to a monastery.


text: The period covered in Adam of Bremen's historical treatise of the Archbishopric of Hamburg begins.


text: King Ælfwald I of Northumbria is murdered, probably at Chesters, by the patricius (ealdorman) Sicga. He is succeeded by his cousin Osred II.


text: The earliest recorded tornado in Europe struck Freising in 788.


text: Grimoald III, Lombard duke of Benevento, is installed as semi-client by King Charles the Younger (son of Charlemagne) at Benevento (Italy).


text: Aejang, king of Silla (Korea) (d. 809)


text: Li Zaiyi, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 837)


text: Ida of Herzfeld, Frankish duchess and saint (approximate date)


text: Abu Tammam, Muslim poet (d. 845)


text: Adi Shankara, Indian philosopher and theologian (d. 832)


text: Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, Muslim historian (d. 870)


text: Methodios I, patriarch of Constantinople (or 800)


date: September 23

text: September 23 – Ælfwald I, king of Northumbria


text: King Mauregatus of Asturias dies after a 5-year reign, and is succeeded by Bermudo I as ruler of Asturias (modern Spain).


text: Abd al-Rahman I, emir of Córdoba, dies after a 32-year reign and is succeeded by his son Hisham I.


text: Ōnakatomi no Kiyomaro, Japanese nobleman (b. 702)


text: Adalgis, king and co-regent of the Lombards


text: Mauregatus, king of Asturias (or 789)


text: Mazu Daoyi, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (b. 709)


text: Abd al-Rahman I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (b. 731)


text: Hnabi, duke of the Alemanni (approximate date)


text: Constantine I is installed as king of the Picts. He becomes one of the greatest Scottish monarchs in the Viking period.


text: Idris I reaches Volubilis and founds the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.

source_section: Events › By place › Islamic Caliphate


text: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the first appearance of Vikings in England. The Viking raid on Portland in Dorset is the first of its kind recorded in the British Isles, including Ireland. The reeve of Dorchester (a local high-ranking official) goes to greet them after they land, perhaps accustomed to welcoming Scandinavian merchants. He is killed. Viking attacks increase in intensity over the coming decades.


text: King Charlemagne crosses the Elbe River with a Frankish-Saxon army into Obotrite territory. He subdues the Wiltzes, and reaches the Baltic.


text: Charlemagne founds the town of Herford (modern Germany), in order to guard a ford crossing the narrow Werre River.


text: King Pepin of Italy conquers Istria on the Adriatic, ignoring Byzantine protests. He establishes a tributary march, and sends missionaries.


text: Charlemagne issues the Admonitio generalis, which covers educational and ecclesiastical reforms within the Frankish Kingdom.


text: An uprising in Japan leads to a major defeat for Emperor Kanmu, along with a severe drought and famine; the streets of the capital Nagaoka-kyō are clogged with the sick.


text: King Beorhtric of Wessex marries Princess Eadburh, daughter of King Offa of Mercia, and accepts Mercian overlordship.


text: Lu Shang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 859)


text: Ziryab, Muslim poet and musician (d. 857)


date: February 20

text: February 20 – Leo of Catania, saint and bishop of Catania (b. 709)


text: November 8 – Willehad, bishop of Bremen


text: Mauregatus, king of Asturias (or 788)


text: Al-Khayzuran, widow of former Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi, dies, leaving more of the effective and real power in the hands of Harun al-Rashid.


text: Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Ali, Abbasid prince and provincial governor


text: Al-Khayzuran, powerful wife and adviser of Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi and the excellent mother of Al-Hadi and Harun Al-Rashid, the Abbasid caliphs, de facto co-ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate


text: Amat al-Aziz Ghadir, was the mother of Abbasid prince; Ali ibn Harun al-Rashid.


text: Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin, king of Ulaid (Ireland)


text: Torson, Frankish count of Toulouse (or 790)


year_label: 79 CE

text: Agricola enters Caledonia (modern-day Scotland) but is resisted by the natives.

source_title: AD 79

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Vespasianus Augustus and Titus Caesar Vespasianus become Roman Consuls.


text: Roman conquest of Britain: Gnaeus Julius Agricola campaigns in Britain:


text: Mamucium (the first Manchester) is founded as a frontier fort and settlement in the North West of England, a distance to the north of Chester.


text: Chester is founded as a castrum or Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix. The fortress is built by Legio II Adiutrix and contains barracks, granaries, military baths and headquarters.


text: A commission of scholars canonizes the text of works of Confucius and his school.

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Ma Rong, Chinese poet and politician (d. 166)


text: He of Han, Chinese emperor (d. 106)


date: June 23

text: June 23 – Emperor Vespasian dies of fever from diarrhea; his last words on his deathbed are: "I think I'm turning into a god." Titus succeeds his father as Roman emperor. Titus' Jewish mistress, Berenice, comes to join him in Rome, but he exiles her to please the Senate.


date: June 24

text: June 24 – Vespasian, Roman emperor (b. AD 9)


date: August 16

text: August 16 – Ma, Chinese empress of the Han Dynasty (b. AD 40)


date: August 24

text: August 24 or c. October 24 – Eruption of Mount Vesuvius: Mount Vesuvius erupts, destroying Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Oplontis. The Roman navy (based at Misenum), commanded by Pliny the Elder, evacuates refugees. Pliny dies after inhaling volcanic fumes.


date: August 25

text: August 25 – Pliny the Elder, Roman writer and scientist (b. AD 23)


text: August 25 – Caesius Bassus, Roman poet (died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius)


text: August 25 – Drusilla, daughter of Herod (died in the eruption of Vesuvius)


text: Titus Clodius Eprius Marcellus, Roman politician (committed suicide)


text: Aulus Caecina Alienus, Roman general and politician (executed)


text: Tiberius Claudius Balbilus, Roman politician and astrologer (b. AD 3)


text: Apollinaris of Ravenna, Syrian bishop and martyr (approximate date)


text: King Offa of Mercia takes control of East Anglia. King Æthelberht II mints his own coins, in defiance of his overlord (approximate date).


text: Cambodia begins to break away from the Sumatra-based kingdom Srivijaya, as a 20-year-old Cambodian prince, who claims descent from the rulers of Funan, is consecrated in eastern Cambodia with the title Jayavarman II. In the next 10 years he will extend his powers north into the Mekong Valley (modern Vietnam).


text: September – The Armeniac Theme, located in northeastern Asia Minor (modern Turkey), revolts against Empress Irene, and declares the 19-year-old Constantine VI sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire. Other themes follow its example, and imprison their strategoi. Constantine sends his iconoclast general Michael Lachanodrakon, to ensure that the Armeniacs (his closest supporters) take an oath. Irene is confined and imprisoned in her palace at Constantinople; all her eunuchs are exiled.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: King Æthelred I returns to Northumbria, and is restored to the throne after living in exile for 11 years. His rival Osred II is deposed, forcibly tonsured, and exiled to the Isle of Man. Æthelred then faces a rebellion by another rival, named Eardwulf. The latter is captured, and hanged outside the gates to Ripon Abbey. The body is taken into the abbey, where Eardwulf recovers and escapes to exile.


text: Irish monks (known as the Papar), possibly members of a Hiberno-Scottish mission, supposedly reach Iceland in hide-covered coracles, and begin settlements (approximate date). However, the evidence for this is scant.


text: Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon missionary, returns (after an 8-year absence) to England. During his stay at the Carolingian court of King Charlemagne in Aachen, he has educated his sons Charles, Pepin and Louis. Alcuin revises the church liturgy and the Bible, and is responsible for an intellectual movement within the Frankish Kingdom.


text: Angilbert, Frankish diplomat (primicerius palatii) of King Charlemagne, is made abbot of Saint-Riquier (Northern France).


text: Joseph is consecrated Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch


text: Athanasia of Aegina, Byzantine noblewoman, adviser and saint (approximate date)


text: Cyngen ap Cadell, king of Powys (Wales)


text: Leo IV, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 855)


text: Ramiro I, king of Asturias (approximate date)


text: Íñigo Arista, king of Pamplona (approximate date)


text: Fātimah bint Mūsā, Muslim saint (d. 816)


text: Lu Tong, Chinese poet (d. 835)


text: Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi, Muslim military leader (d. 862)


text: Fujiwara no Otomuro, Japanese empress consort (b. 760)


text: Thecla of Kitzingen, saint and abbess


text: Torson, Frankish count of Toulouse (or 789)


date: April

text: April – Tang forces retake the protectorate of Annan from rebelling Annamese chieftains Đỗ Anh Hàn, Phùng Hưng and Phùng An.


text: Princes Ælf and Ælfwine of Northumbria, the sons of former king Ælfwald I, are persuaded to leave their sanctuary in York Minster, and are immediately forcibly drowned in Wonwaldremere, at the instigation of King Æthelred I.


text: The Avars, a pagan Asian nomadic horde that has settled down in what is today Hungary, invade Friuli and Bavaria. King Charlemagne assembles a Frankish army, and marches down the Danube River to ravage Avar territory. A Frankish-Lombard expeditionary force, under his son Pepin, (king of the Lombards) invades the Drava Valley and devastates Pannonia.


text: September 14 – Alfonso II, the son of former king Fruela I, becomes ruler of Asturias (Northern Spain). He moves the capital to Oviedo, the commercial centre of the region.


text: Emir Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty and kingdom of Morocco, is poisoned on orders of Caliph Harun al-Rashid. He is succeeded by his son Idris II (only just two months old), who is raised by his mother Kenza among the Berbers of Volubilis.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Summer – Charlemagne loses most of his riding and baggage horses during an equine epidemic; many Saxons take advantage of Charlemagne's Avar setback and rebel once more.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Idris II, Muslim emir of Morocco (d. 828)

source_section: Births


text: Pei Xiu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 864)


text: Zhang Xiaozhong, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 730)

source_section: Deaths


text: Idris I, emir and founder of the Idrisid dynasty (b. 745)


text: Artgal mac Cathail, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Battle of Marcellae: Constantine VI leads a Byzantine expeditionary force into northern Thrace. At the border castle of Marcellae, near the modern town of Karnobat (Bulgaria), the Bulgarians under Kardam defeat the Byzantines.


text: Spring – Emperor Constantine VI suppresses a rebellion, and restores his mother Irene to her former position as co-empress of the Byzantine Empire. The rival factions in Constantinople continue their intrigues against Constantine.


text: The Westphalians rise up against the Saxons, in response to a forcible recruitment for wars against the Avars. However, Pepin, sub-king of Northern Italy and son of King Charlemagne, continues the war, and wins considerable booty from the Avars.


text: Offa arranges coastal defences to fend off Viking attacks. He forms an alliance with Essex, Kent and Sussex, in an attempt to unify England (approximate date).


text: Charlemagne's son Pepin the Hunchback attempts to rebel against him with the aid of some Frankish nobles. The plot is discovered and Pepin is banished to a monastery at Prüm.


text: September – King Æthelred I of Northumbria marries Princess Ælfflæd, daughter of King Offa of Mercia, at Catterick. Unrest in Northumbria tempts the exiled king Osred II back to his kingdom from the Isle of Man. His supporters desert him, and Osred II is killed by Æthelred's men at Aynburg. He is buried at Tynemouth Priory.


text: Adrian II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 872)


text: Virasena, Indian mathematician (d. 853)


text: Abd al-Rahman II, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 852)


text: Bai Minzhong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 861)


date: August 12

text: August 12 – Jænberht, archbishop of Canterbury


text: Cináed mac Artgail, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Máel Ruain, Irish abbot and founder of Tallaght Abbey


text: Michael Lachanodrakon, Byzantine general (strategos)


text: Emir Hisham I of Córdoba calls for a jihad ("Holy War") against the Christian Franks. He assembles an army of 70,000 men, half of which attacks the Kingdom of Asturias, destroying its capital, Oviedo, while the other half invades Languedoc, penetrating as far as Narbonne. After capturing the city, the contingent moves towards Carcassonne and conquers it too. Both armies return to Córdoba enriched with the spoils of war.


text: King Charlemagne orders a 3 kilometre long channel dug from Treuchtlingen to Weißenburg (the Rhine and Danube river basins), to improve the transportation of goods between the Rhineland and Bavaria. Charlemagne's son, Pepin of Italy, campaigns against the Lombards in Benevento (Southern Italy).


date: June 8

text: June 8 – Viking raiders attack the Northumbrian coast, arriving in longships from either Denmark or Norway, and sacking the monastery of Lindisfarne. Many of the monks are killed or enslaved. It is the first Viking attack on a monastery in the British Isles, although it is not the first known Viking attack in the British Isles. The first attack came in 789, when Vikings raided the settlement of Portland in Dorset.


date: August 17

text: August 17 – Quriaqos of Tagrit is consecrated Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch at Harran.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: King Offa of Mercia founds an abbey at St Albans.


text: Frisian–Frankish War: Count Theoderic is sent to Frisia, to muster troops for another offensive against the Avar Khaganate. He is attacked and probably killed by Saxon rebels, near the mouth of the Weser River. The Frisians revolt, and Charlemagne deports Saxon families from north of the river Elbe.


text: Arab traders make Baghdad a financial center of the Silk Road between China and Europe. Caravans carry little or no money on their long journeys; Chinese traders use what they call fei qian (zh) ("flying money") to avoid robbery. The Arabs have adopted a similar banking system known as hawala to transmit funds (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Commerce


text: Li Ning, prince of the Tang Dynasty (d. 812)


text: Wu Yuanji, general of the Tang Dynasty (or 783)


text: Arnulf of Sens, Frankish nobleman (or 794)


text: Wei Mo, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 858)


text: Theophylact, Byzantine co-emperor (approximate date)


text: Zhou Chi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 851)


date: February 22

text: February 22 – Sicga, Anglo-Saxon nobleman


text: Idriss I, Muslim emir and founder of the Idrisid Dynasty (or 791)


text: Kyoto becomes the Japanese capital, ending the Nara period, and beginning the Heian period; a Golden Age of Japanese culture begins that will endure under the domination of the Fujiwara, Minamoto, Tachibana and Taira families, until 1185.


text: King Charlemagne abandons his channel project (see 793), and attacks the Saxon rebels from the north, supported by a second Frankish army under his son Charles the Younger, which crosses the Rhine at Cologne from the west; threatened from two directions, the Saxons surrender near Paderborn (Westphalia).


text: Council of Frankfurt: King Charlemagne calls for a church meeting of the Frankish realm. Bishops and priests from Francia, Aquitaine, Italy, and Provence are gathered in Franconofurd (modern-day Frankfurt am Main).


text: Vikings sack the Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey in Northumbria (the second monastery target in England of the Vikings, after the raids on Lindisfarne in 793).


text: A paper mill begins production at Baghdad during the Abbasid era, as the Arabs spread the techniques developed by Chinese papermakers. Baghdad becomes a great seat of learning, with Christian and Jewish scholars as well as Muslims, while Europe remains largely unlettered. The Arabs will become the world's most proficient papermakers.

source_section: Events › By topic › Communication


date: May 20

text: May 20 – King Æthelberht II of East Anglia visits the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls (Herefordshire), with a view to marrying Princess Ælfthryth. He is taken captive and beheaded, on the orders of King Offa.


text: King Louis I (son of Charlemagne), age 16, marries Ermengarde of Hesbaye. She is a Frankish noblewoman and the daughter of Ingerman, count of Hesbaye (modern Belgium).


text: Arnulf of Sens, Frankish nobleman (or 793)


text: Du Cong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: May 20 – Æthelberht II, king of East Anglia


date: August 10

text: August 10 – Fastrada, Frankish queen consort (b. 765)


text: August 10 – Queen Fastrada, third wife of Charlemagne, dies in Frankfurt after 11 years of marriage. Charlemagne consoles himself with Luitgard, an Alemannian noblewoman, whom he marries and moves into his new palace at Aachen (Germany). Luitgard shares Charlemagne's interest in the liberal arts.


text: Solus, Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint (approximate date)


text: Quarrels between the kings Cynan Dindaethwy and Hywel leave the way open for Caradog ap Meirion (the House of Rhos) to usurp the throne of Gwynedd (modern Wales).


text: Saxon War: The Slav Obodrites, under their ruler Witzan, attack the northern Saxons in Liuni. He is killed in an ambush and succeeded by his son Drożko (Thrasco), who becomes a Carolingian dux. King Charlemagne leads a Frankish expeditionary force north from Mainz, and marches to the Elbe, where eastern Saxon rebels again surrender.


text: Charlemagne creates the Hispanic Marches, a buffer zone beyond the former province of Septimania. A group of Iberian lordships form a defensive barrier between the Umayyad Moors of Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and the Frankish Kingdom.


date: December 26

text: December 26 – Leo III is elected to serve as Pope on the day his predecessor Adrian I is buried, and is consecrated the following day.


text: In the earliest recorded Viking raid on Ireland, they attack the monasteries at Iona (Inner Hebrides), Inishbofin and Inishmurray (approximate date).


text: King Offa of Mercia receives diplomatic gifts from Charlemagne. He re-founds St. Albans Abbey, supposedly in thanks for overrunning East Anglia (approximate date).


text: Paul the Deacon, a Benedictine monk at Monte Cassino, completes the History of the Lombards (approximate date).


text: Æthelwulf, king of Wessex (approximate date)


text: Babak Khorramdin, Persian military leader (or 798)


text: Judith of Bavaria, Frankish queen (or 797/805)


text: Gregory IV, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 844)


text: Lothair I, king and emperor of the Franks (d. 855)


text: Renaud d'Herbauges, Frankish nobleman (d. 843)


text: Nithard, Frankish historian (d. 844)


text: Mu Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 824)


text: Landulf I, gastald (or count) of Capua (approximate date)


text: Bernard of Septimania, Frankish duke (d. 844)


date: December 25

text: December 25 – Adrian I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 700)


text: December 25 – Pope Adrian I, age 95, dies after a 23-year reign, and is succeeded by Leo III as the 96th pope of Rome.


text: Malik ibn Anas, founder of the Maliki School (b. 711)


text: Bran Ardchenn, king of Leinster (Ireland)


text: Ælfthryth of Crowland, Anglo-Saxon princess


text: Prince Eadberht Præn leaves the Church, returns to Kent and claims his throne. Eadwald proclaims himself king of East Anglia, but is later ousted by Coenwulf. Direct rule from Mercia is re-established.


text: The Three Fires Confederacy is formed at Michilimackinac.

source_section: Events › By place › North America


text: Tō-ji, a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect, is established in Kyoto, Japan.


text: Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar, is appointed as abbot by Charlemagne, who puts him in charge of leading Marmoutier Abbey in Tours.


date: April 18

text: April 18 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered, probably at Corbridge, by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. Another rival, Torhtmund, slays Ealdred in revenge. Northumbria is plunged into chaos. The patrician Osbald is placed on the throne, but is deserted by his supporters after only 27 days. He flees from Lindisfarne to Pictland. Another faction brings back Æthelred I's old back-from-the-dead rival, Eardwulf, as the new king. He dismisses his wife and publicly takes a concubine. Eardwulf is alienated from Archbishop Eanbald of York.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Liu Zhuan, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 858)


text: Dhul-Nun al-Misri, Egyptian scholar and Sufi (d. 859)


text: Xiao Fang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 875)


text: Al-Mu'tasim, Muslim caliph (d. 842)


text: Lü Dongbin, Chinese scholar and poet


text: Ibrahim ibn Ya'qub al-Juzajani, Muslim hadith scholar


text: April 18 – Æthelred I, king of Northumbria


date: June 12

text: June 12 – Hisham I, Muslim emir (b. 757)


date: July 29

text: July 29 – Offa, king of Mercia (b. 730)


text: August 10 – Eanbald, archbishop of York


text: Sibawayh, Persian linguist and grammarian (b. 760)


text: The Kingdom of Sussex again becomes independent from the Kingdom of Mercia following the death of King Offa.


text: Fujiwara no Tsuginawa, Japanese statesman (b. 727)


text: Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Fazari, Muslim philosopher (or 806)


text: King Offa of Mercia and Charlemagne seal a trading agreement, and a marriage alliance is proposed. However, Offa dies after a 39-year reign, that has incorporated Kent, Essex, Sussex, and East Anglia into the Mercian realm. Offa is buried at Bedford, and succeeded for a short time by his son Ecgfrith, and then a distant cousin, Coenwulf.


text: Colla mac Fergusso, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Tassilo III, duke of Bavaria (approximate date)


text: Battle of Rhuddlan: Welsh forces, including those of Powys and Dyfed, clash with Mercians. King Coenwulf tries to re-assert his domination of northeast Wales. King Caradog ap Meirion of Gwynedd is killed during the fighting (approximate date).


text: King Charlemagne issues the Capitulare Saxonicum, making Westphalian, Angrian and Eastphalian Saxons equal to other peoples in the Frankish Kingdom. The Nordalbian Saxons revolt; a Frankish fleet is sent to the North Sea coast of Germany. It lands in Hadeln, a marshy coastal region between the Weser and Elbe estuaries, near modern-day Cuxhaven. Charlemagne invades northern Saxony, and again accepts the submission of the Saxons.


text: Meinrad of Einsiedeln, German hermit (d. 861)


text: Pepin I of Aquitaine, king of Aquitaine (d. 838)


text: Ignatius I, patriarch of Constantinople (or 798)


text: Shinshō, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 873)


text: Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress (or 805)


text: Bernard of Italy, king of the Lombards (d. 818)


date: February 6

text: February 6 – Donnchad Midi, High King of Ireland


date: April 19

text: April 19 or August 19 – Empress Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son Constantine VI. He is captured and blinded; Irene exiles him to Principo, where he dies shortly thereafter of his wounds. Irene begins a 5-year reign, and calls herself basileus ("emperor") of the Byzantine Empire. (Sources and historians conflict on whether this was in April or August.)


text: Constantine VI, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 771)


text: Guan Bo, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 719)


text: Al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba, Muslim military leader


text: Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak, scholar and theologian


text: Caradog ap Meirion, king of Gwynedd (approximate date)


text: Cummascach mac Fogartaig, king of South Brega


text: Æthelberht of Whithorn, Anglo-Saxon bishop


text: Bermudo I, king of Asturias (approximate date)


text: Muireadhach mac Olcobhar, Irish abbot


text: King Charles the Younger, a son of Charlemagne, conquers Corsica and Sardinia (approximate date).


text: King Sigeric I of Essex abdicates and departs for a pilgrimage to Rome. He is succeeded by his son Sigered.


text: Bahlul ibn Marzuq, a Vascon-Muslim military leader, revolts in Zaragoza against the Arab-Muslim government of Al-Andalus.

source_section: Events › By place › Iberia


text: Battle of Bornhöved: King Charlemagne forms an alliance with the Obodrites. Together with Prince Drożko (Thrasco), he defeats the Nordalbian Saxons near the village of Bornhöved (modern-day Neumünster), obliging these 'northerners' to submit and give hostages against their future good behavior. In the coming years they are granted areas of present-day Hamburg.


text: King Alfonso II of Asturias campaigns against the Arab Muslims in Al-Andalus. With Frankish military support, he raids into Andalusia and sacks Lisbon (modern Portugal).


text: Battle of Billington: King Eardwulf of Northumbria defeats the nobleman Wada in battle, who has killed former King Æthelred I (see 796).


text: King Coenwulf of Mercia invades Gwynedd (modern Wales), and kills his rival Caradog ap Meirion during the fighting in Snowdonia. Kings Cynan and Hywel retake the throne. Coenwulf also defeats and captures King Eadberht Præn of Kent. He is blinded and his hands are cut off. He introduces his brother Cuthred as a sub-king of Kent (approximate date).


text: Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar, writes to his friend, the exiled king Osbald of Northumbria, in order to dissuade him.


text: Theodulf, Frankish poet, is appointed bishop of Orléans. He becomes one of Charlemagne's favoured theologians.


text: Ignatius I, patriarch of Constantinople (approximate date)


text: Abdallah ibn Tahir, Muslim governor (approximate date)


text: Babak Khorramdin, Persian military leader (approximate date)


text: Wonseong, king of Silla (Korea)


text: Caradog ap Meirion, king of Gwynedd (or 797)


text: Abu Yusuf, Muslim jurist and chief adviser


text: Lu Mai, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 739)


text: Autumn – Siege of Trsat: Višeslav, prince or duke of Dalmatian Croatia, decisively defeats an invading Frankish army under Eric of Friuli, during the siege at the fortress city of Trsat (Rijeka).


date: April 25

text: April 25 – Pope Leo III is physically attacked by a band of aristocratic conspirators, under the leadership of a public official who is a nephew of the late Pope Adrian I. After mistreatment and attempted disfigurement by the citizens of Rome, Leo flees to the court of King Charlemagne at Paderborn (modern Germany) to seek protection. He sends him back with Frankish agents, and restores him to the papal throne.


text: The Vikings raid the island of Noirmoutier, and attack the monastery of Saint Philibert of Jumièges.


text: Langdarma, emperor of Tibet (approximate date)


text: Zhang Yichao, Chinese general (approximate date)


text: Jiang Shen, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 881)


date: April 13

text: April 13 – Paul the Deacon, Lombard monk and historian


date: September 4

text: September 4 – Musa al-Kadhim, seventh Twelver Shī‘ah Imam (b. 745)


text: King Eardwulf of Northumbria, worried about further rivals, has ealdorman Moll killed. Former king Osbald dies as an abbot in exile. He is buried in an unmarked grave in York Minster.


text: Huaisu, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 737)


year_label: 8 CE

text: AD 8 – Vonones I becomes king (shah) of the Parthian Empire.

source_section: Events › Persia


text: AD 8 – Tincomarus, deposed king of the Atrebates, flees Britain for Rome; Eppillus becomes king.

source_section: Events › Europe


text: AD 8 – Wang Mang crushes a rebellion by Chai I, and on the winter solstice (which has been dated January 10 of the following year) officially assumes the title emperor, establishing the short-lived Xin dynasty.

source_section: Events › China


text: AD 8 – Roman poet Ovid is banished from Rome and exiled to the Black Sea near Tomis (modern-day Constanța).

source_section: Events › Roman Empire


text: AD 8 – After completing Metamorphoses, Ovid begins the Fasti (Festivals), 6 books that detail the first 6 months of the year and provide valuable insights into the Roman calendar.


text: AD 8 – Start of Chushi era of the Chinese Han dynasty.


text: AD 8 – Vipsania Julia is exiled. Lucius Aemilius Paullus and his family are disgraced. Augustus breaks off the engagement of Claudius to Paullus' daughter Aemilia Lepida. An effort is made to betroth Claudius to Livia Medullina Camilla.


text: AD 8 – Drusus Caesar, member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (d. AD 33)


text: AD 8 – Titus Flavius Sabinus, Roman consul and brother of Vespasian (d. AD 69)


text: AD 8 – Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, Roman general (b. 64 BC)


year_label: 80 CE

text: King Pasa becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

source_title: AD 80

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Martial publishes the Liber Spectaculorum.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Yin, Chinese empress of the Han Dynasty (d. 103)


text: Aspasius, Greek philosopher and writer (approximate date)


text: Aśvaghoṣa, Indian philosopher and poet (d. c. 150)


text: Kujula Kadphises, Kushan prince (approximate date)


text: Lucius Vipstanus Messalla, Roman politician


text: Vologases II, king of the Parthian Empire


text: Zhao Xi, Chinese politician (b. AD 4)


text: Talhae of Silla, Korean ruler of Silla


text: Philip the Apostle, Christian apostle and martyr


date: June 28

text: June 28 – Ochk'in Kaloomte' Aj Ho' Baak becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Machaquila in Guatemala and reigns until his death in 815.

source_section: Events › Africa › Central America


text: The Rus' Khaganate is created by people who are called Rus', after the 182-year dominance of the Khazars. This is the starting period of the rise of the Kievan Rus', and the later states of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine (approximate date).


text: The Abbasid Caliphate is forced to cede Ifriqiya (present-day north-eastern Algeria, Tunisia and western Libya) to the Aghlabid Dynasty.

source_section: Events › Africa


text: The Abbasid Caliphate is forced to cede their holdings in southern Italy to the Aghlabid Dynasty.


text: Sijilmasa (in present-day Morocco) is founded as the departure point for caravans between North Africa and the western Sudan (approximate date).


text: The first settlers of the Hawaiian Islands arrive (approximate date).

source_section: Events › Polynesia


text: December 25 – Charlemagne, king of the Franks, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III as Charles I, with the title "Emperor of the Romans". The coronation takes place during Mass at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, on Christmas Day. The Frankish Empire is formed in Western Europe, which is not recognized by Empress Irene at Constantinople. This triggers a series of disputes with the Byzantines around who is officially ruling the former Western Roman Empire.


text: Archbishop Hygeberht of Lichfield retires; he is succeeded by Ealdwulf. King Coenwulf of Mercia is on better terms with the archbishopric of Canterbury than his predecessor, and unsuccessfully attempts to have the Mercian archiepiscopal see transferred to London (approximate date).


text: The Book of Kells is written and illuminated in a Columban monastery, in Ireland (approximate date).


text: Itza culture starts in Mesoamerica (840).


text: Ife, in present-day Nigeria, becomes an important urban center (approximate date).


text: The ci, a new type of lyric poetry with irregular lines, is set to a melody during the Tang Dynasty (approximate date).

source_section: Events › Asia


text: King Eardwulf of Northumbria has his men seize Prince Ealhmund, son of the late King Alhred, and put him to death. He is buried at Derby in St. Alkmund's Church, and later revered as a saint (approximate date).


text: Valentine, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 827)

source_section: Births


text: Nicholas I, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 867)


text: Boso the Elder, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Robert III, Frankish nobleman (d. 834)


text: Methodios I, patriarch of Constantinople (or 788)


text: Álvaro of Córdoba, Mozarab scholar (approximate date)


text: Govindasvāmi, Indian astronomer (approximate date)


text: Louis, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: Swithin, bishop of Winchester (approximate date)


text: Fatima al-Fihri, Arab mosque founder (approximate date)


text: Al-Abbās ibn Said al-Jawharī, Muslim mathematician


text: Pribina, Slavic prince (approximate date)


text: Aldric, bishop of Le Mans (approximate date)


text: Amoghavarsha I, king of Rashtrakuta (India) (d. 878)


date: June 3

text: June 3 – Staurakios, Byzantine chief minister

source_section: Deaths


date: September 26

text: September 26 – Berowulf, bishop of Würzburg


text: Ealhmund, prince of Northumbria (approximate date)


text: Ailill mac Fergusa, king of South Brega (Ireland)


text: Beatus of Liébana, monk and theologian (approximate date)


text: Alkelda, Anglo-Saxon princess (approximate date)


text: Luitgard, Frankish queen and wife of Charlemagne


text: Vatsraja, king of the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty


date: April 3

text: April 3 – King Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, captures Barcelona after a siege of several months. Bera is appointed first count of Barcelona.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: King Eardwulf of Northumbria leads an army into Mercia against his rival, Coenwulf, in order to flush out other claimants to the Northumbrian throne.


text: Emperor Charlemagne formally cedes Nordalbian territory (modern-day Schleswig-Holstein) to the pagan Obotrites (allies of the Carolingian Empire).


text: Rabanus Maurus, Frankish Benedictine monk, takes his vows in the monastery of Fulda and receives ordination as a deacon.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: A synod appears to have been held at Chelsea, as an extant charter (Sawyer 158) records a confirmation of a land grant by Coenwulf, the king of Mercia that was part of the council's proceedings.


date: April 29

text: April 29 – Earthquake in Rome and Spoleto.


date: June 17

text: June 17 – Drogo of Metz, illegitimate son of Charlemagne


date: September 8

text: September 8 – Ansgar, Frankish monk and archbishop (d. 865)


text: Wang Chengyuan, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 834)


text: Al-Kindi, Muslim philosopher and polymath (approximate date)


text: Rabia Basri, Muslim Sufi mystic and saint (b. 717)


date: May 1

text: May 1 – Lachan Kʼawiil Ajaw Bot (born June 25, 760) becomes the ruler of the Mayan city state near Itzan in Guatemala.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


text: Prince Jayavarman declares the Khmer Empire (modern-day Cambodia) independent, and establishes the kingdom of Angkor. He is reconsecrated as a world ruler (chakravartin), or god-king (devaraja), under Hindu rites.


text: Krum becomes ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire (until 814). During his reign Bulgarian territory doubles in size, from the Danube to the Dniester.


text: Pagan Danes invade Obodrite-ruled Schleswig, to take over territory almost emptied by the forcible deportations of the Saxons by emperor Charlemagne.


text: Al-Andalus: Saragossa rises against the Emirate of Córdoba. Emir Al-Hakam I sends a Muslim army under General Amrus ibn Yusuf, and retakes the city.


text: Battle of Kempsford: Æthelmund, ealdorman of Hwicce, is killed during the battle by his rival Weohstan, who levies West Saxon Wiltshire.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


date: October 31

text: October 31 – Empress Irene is deposed after a 5-year reign, and banished to Lesbos. High-ranking patricians place Nikephoros, the minister of finance (logothetes tou genikou), on the throne. He is crowned in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople, by Patriarch Tarasios, as emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: The Mecca Protocol: Caliph Harun al-Rashid and the leading officials of the Abbasid Caliphate perform the hajj to Mecca, where the line of succession is finalized. Harun's eldest son al-Amin is named heir, but his second son al-Ma'mun is named as al-Amin's heir, and ruler of a broadly autonomous Khurasan. A third son, al-Qasim, is added as third heir, and receives responsibility over the frontier areas with the Byzantine Empire.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate


text: The Haeinsa Temple of the Jogye Order is built in Korea.


text: The Vikings plunder the treasures of Iona Abbey, on the west coast of Scotland (approximate date).


text: Fujiwara no Nagara, Japanese statesman (d. 856)


text: Ono no Takamura, Japanese scholar and poet (d. 853)


text: Hugh, illegitimate son of Charlemagne (d. 844)


text: Bi Xian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 864)


text: Ralpacan, emperor of Tibet (d. 836)


date: January 11

text: January 11 – Paulinus II, patriarch of Aquileia (or 804)


text: King Beorhtric of Wessex dies after drinking a chalice of poison intended for his wife, Eadburh. She flees to the court of Charlemagne, who accepts a portion of her wealth and makes her abbess. Prince Egbert returns to Wessex, and is accepted as the new king.


text: Theoctista, politically influential Byzantine woman (b. 740)


text: Domitian, duke of Carantania (approximate date)


text: Kardam, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire (or 803)


text: Višeslav, duke of Croatia (or 810)


text: Rashid, Muslim regent of Idris II


text: Bahlul ibn Marzuq, Muslim general


text: Wulfstan, Anglo-Saxon ealdorman


text: Æthelmund, Anglo-Saxon nobleman


text: Emperors Nikephoros I and Charlemagne settle their imperial boundaries in the Adriatic Sea, and sign the Pax Nicephori ("Peace of Nikephoros"). The Byzantines retain control of the coastal cities and islands in Dalmatian Croatia, while Frankish rule is accepted over Istria and the Dalmatian hinterland. Venice is recognized as independent by the Byzantine Empire.


date: May

text: May – Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, begins his territorial expansion and raids the Byzantine northern frontier. He leads his warriors — mostly Bulgars, Slavs, Thracians and Macedonians — across the Carpathian Mountains, over the Danube River, and throughout Transylvania, Thrace, and Macedonia.


text: Summer – Bardanes Tourkos, Byzantine general (strategos), is proclaimed emperor by the troops of the Anatolic, Opsikion, Thracian and Bucellarian themes. The 'rebel' army marches to Chrysopolis, a suburb of Constantinople. After the defection of two of his trusted aides, future emperors Leo the Armenian and Michael the Amorian, Bardanes negotiates peace.


date: October 12

text: October 12 – The Synod of Clofesho (possibly Brixworth) is held, at which the Archbishopric of Lichfield is demoted to an ordinary bishopric, with papal permission obtained by King Coenwulf of Mercia.


date: November

text: November - December: Caliph Harun al-Rashid marries Umm Muhammad, the daughter of Abbasid prince Salih al-Miskin and Umm Abdullah, the daughter of Isa ibn Ali, in Al-raqqah. She had formerly been married to Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, who had repudiated her.


text: Caliph Harun al-Rashid has his friend and vizier (secretary) Ja'far ibn Yahya beheaded, The surviving members of the influential Barmakid family (Jafar's family) are imprisoned on the orders of Harun, and their property is confiscated.


text: The 803 Mopsuestia earthquake takes place in the vicinity of Mopsuestia, and the Gulf of Alexandretta (İskenderun)


text: St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, possibly Central Europe's oldest restaurant, is founded in Salzburg, Austria.


text: Liu Congjian, Chinese governor (d. 843)


text: Du Mu, Chinese poet and official (d. 852)


text: Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, Muslim historian (d. 871)


text: Emma of Altdorf, Frankish queen and wife of King Louis the German of East Francia (died 876)


date: May 25

text: May 25 – Higbald, bishop of Lindisfarne


date: August 9

text: August 9 – Irene of Athens, Byzantine empress


text: Kardam, ruler (khan) of Bulgaria (or 802)


text: Ja'far ibn Yahya, Persian vizier (b. 767)


text: Summer – Emperor Charlemagne finishes the conquest of Saxony. The Carolingian administration in the north is restored and the diocese of Bremen is re-established. Venice, torn by infighting, switches allegiance from Constantinople to King Pepin of Italy, son of Charlemagne.


text: Battle of Krasos: Emperor Nikephoros I refuses to pay the tribute imposed by Caliph Harun al-Rashid of the Abbasid Caliphate. A Muslim-Arab expeditionary force invades Asia Minor. During a surprise attack, Nikephoros suffers a major defeat against the Saracens at Krasos in Phrygia. According to Arabian sources, the Byzantines lose 40,700 men and 4,000 pack animals, while Nikephoros himself is almost killed, but saved by the bravery of his officers.


text: Kūkai, Japanese Buddhist monk, travels in a government-sponsored expedition to China, in order to learn more about the Mahavairocana Sutra. He brings back texts of Shingon (Esoteric Buddhism).


text: Ludger, Frisian missionary, becomes the first bishop of Münster, and builds a monastery there.


text: The Inscription of Sukabumi from Eastern Java marks the beginning of the Javanese language.


text: Priest Saichō, patriarch of Tendai Buddhism, visits China and reportedly brings back tea seeds (or 805).


text: Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid marries Abbasa, the daughter of Abbasid prince and official Sulayman.


text: Obelerio degli Antenori becomes the ninth doge of Venice, after his predecessor Giovanni Galbaio flees to Mantua, where he is killed.


text: The Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnabrück is founded by Charlemagne (the oldest school in Germany).


text: Bayazid Bastami, Persian Sufi (d. 874)


text: Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, Japanese regent (d. 872)


date: May 19

text: May 19 – Alcuin, bishop and advisor to Charlemagne


date: October 1

text: October 1 – Richbod, archbishop of Trier


text: Lu Yu, Chinese author of The Classic of Tea (b. 733)


text: Giovanni Galbaio, doge of Venice (approximate date)


text: Ibrahim al-Mawsili, musician and singer (b. 742)


text: Ragnar Lothbrok Legendary Norse Viking hero and Scandinavian King.


text: Saint Abundantia, Christian saint


text: Siege of Patras: Local Slavic tribes of the Peloponnese lay siege to the city of Patras (modern Greece), with aid from an Arab fleet. A Byzantine relief army under Skleros, military governor (strategos) from Corinth, is sent and retakes the city. The captured Slavs in Patras are made slaves, and a church is dedicated to St. Andrew.


text: Siege of Canburg: The Franks under Charles the Younger, son of emperor Charlemagne, unsuccessfully besiege Bohemians near the modern-day town of Kadaň.


text: Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, conquers and destroys the Eastern part of the Avar Khaganate (approximate date).


text: The first known mention of Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt), founded by Charlemagne, is made.


text: Priest Saichō, patriarch of Tendai Buddhism, visits China and introduces tea to Japan on his return (or 804).


text: The Palatine Chapel in Aachen (modern Germany) is consecrated by Pope Leo III.


date: August 31

text: August 31 – Shunzong issues an edict to yield the throne to his son Xianzong (Li Chun), because of an illness, taking for himself the title of "Retired Emperor" (Taishang Huang). Xian is confronted with political disputes in Zi Prefecture (Shaanxi).


text: Lupus Servatus, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: Liudolf, duke of Saxony (approximate date)


text: Louis the German, grandson of Charlemagne and first East frankish king. (Approximate date) (d. 876)


text: García Íñiguez I, king of Pamplona (approximate date)


date: February 25

text: February 25 – De Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 742)


text: February 25 – Emperor Dezong of Tang dies after a 25-year reign, in which the fanzhen is controlled by military governors or jiedushi, who often ignore imperial decrees. He is succeeded by his son Shunzong, who becomes ruler of the Tang Dynasty.


date: May 12

text: May 12 – Æthelhard, archbishop of Canterbury


text: Jia Dan, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 730)


text: Cernach mac Fergusa, king of South Brega (Ireland)


text: Hui-kuo, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 746)


text: Wei Gao, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 745)


text: Urbicius, Frankish monk (approximate date)


text: Muhammad al-Shaybani, Muslim jurist


text: Anselm, duke of Friuli (approximate date)


text: Emperor Charlemagne divides the Frankish Empire under his three sons, called Divisio Regnorum. For Charles the Younger he designates the imperial title, Austrasia and Neustria, Saxony, Burgundy, and Thuringia. To Pepin he gives Italy, Bavaria, and Swabia. His youngest son Louis the Pious receives Aquitaine, the Spanish March, and Provence.


text: November – Al-Hakam I, Umayyad emir of Córdoba, reasserts his control over the city of Toledo, autonomous since 797. To this effect Al-Hakam has over 72 nobles (accounts talk of 5,000) massacred at a banquet, crucified and displayed along the banks of the Guadalquivir River (modern Spain), in what comes to be known as the "Day of the Trench".


text: Vikings massacre Columba's monks, and all the inhabitants on the island of Iona (Scotland). Other monks flee to safety in the monastery of Kells (Ireland). They take with them the Book of Kells.


text: Rafi ibn al-Layth, an Arab nobleman, leads a large-scale rebellion against oppressive taxation by the Abbasid governor Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan. He launches a revolt in Samarkand, which spreads quickly across Khorasan.


text: Arab–Byzantine wars: An Abbasid fleet under Humayd ibn Ma'yuf al-Hajuri raids Cyprus, carrying off 16,000 inhabitants as slaves.