text: Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, governor of Al-Andalus


section: Deaths

text: Sima Zhen, Chinese historian (b. 679)

source_section: Deaths


text: Nechtan mac Der-Ilei, king of the Picts


text: Romuald II, duke of Benevento (Italy)


text: Rupert of Bingen, patron saint (b. 712)


section: Conflict & Security

text: Arab-Byzantine Wars: Arab forces under Mu’awiya ibn Hisham penetrate deep into Anatolia and conquer the cities of Antalya, Doralyum and Afyonkarahisar. These conquests differ from previous ones, as Arab military settling occurs in them, making them a base to raid Byzantium.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Duke Audelais of Benevento and his minor son Gisulf are deposed by King Liutprand of the Lombards. He is succeeded by Gregory, who becomes ruler of Benevento.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Muslim forces under Abd al-Malik ibn Katan al-Fihri, governor (wali) of Al-Andalus, cross the Pyrenees and ravage both sides of the mountains. He establishes colonies along the Ebro Valley, and within Basque territory. The Moorish main military efforts are in Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre and Septimania (Southern France), strengthening the towns already in their hands.


section: Religion & Belief

text: Emperor Leo III confiscates the papal territories in Sicily and Calabria (Southern Italy), from which Pope Gregory III derives most of his income tax. He transfers ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the former Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum to Anastasius, patriarch of Constantinople. Gregory begins his support of a revolt in Italy against iconoclasm. By now the break between the papacy and the Byzantine Empire is almost complete.


text: Duke Eudes of Aquitaine, aged almost 80, abdicates and retires to a monastery. His lands are divided between his sons Hunald I and Hatton, who continue the conflict with Charles Martel, mayor of the palace of Neustria and Austrasia. In battles at Benest in Charente and La Rochefoucauld (near Angoulême), Charles probably defeats the Aquitainians. He also campaigns against the Burgundians.


section: Births

text: Junnin, emperor of Japan (d. 765)

source_section: Births


text: Lu Yu, Chinese author (d. 804)


text: Donnchad Midi, High King of Ireland (d. 797)


text: Yamanoue no Okura, Japanese poet (approximate date)


text: Eochaid mac Echdach, king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland)


text: Muhammad al-Baqir, fifth Shia imam and descendant of Muhammad


text: Li Yuanhong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Mildrith, Anglo-Saxon abbess (approximate date)


section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: During the Third Tikal–Calakmul War, Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat gives himself the title k’uhul ajaw, thus declaring Quiriguá's independence from Copán.

source_section: Events › By place › Mesoamerica


date: December

text: December – Khitan military chief Ketuyu and khagan Yaonian Qulie are assassinated by their subordinate Li Guozhe, ending the Ketuyu rebellion.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Muslim forces under Abd al-Malik ibn Qatn al-Fihri, governor (wali) of Al-Andalus (modern Spain), enter Provence and raid the Rhône Valley. The cities of Avignon, Arles, and probably Marseille are handed over by Count Maurontus, who is in rebellion against Charles Martel.


text: Battle of the Boarn: The Franks under Charles Martel, mayor of the palace of Neustria and Austrasia, defeat the Frisians near the mouth of the River Boarn (now the Dutch province of Friesland). During the battle, the Frisian army is beaten and King Poppo is killed. The Franks gain control of the Frisian lands west of the Lauwers (Netherlands), and begin plundering the pagan sanctuaries. The Frisians become Frankish vassals, apart from the tribes living in East Frisia in present-day Germany.


date: September 8

text: September 8 – Frithubeorht is consecrated Bishop of Hexham.


section: Crime & Justice

text: Bilge Qaghan, khagan of the Second Turkic Khaganate, is poisoned and killed by Buyruk Chor, an emissary once sent to Tang Emperor Xuanzong. He is succeeded by his son Yollıg.


date: March 23

section: Climate & Environment

text: March 23 – A large earthquake strikes the Tang dynasty city of Qinzhou (in the vicinity of modern-day Tianshui City), causing serious damage and killing around 4000 people.


text: Khurshid II, ruler (ispahbadh) of Tabaristan (d. 761)


text: Fujiwara no Kurajimaro, Japanese politician (d. 775)


date: June 3

text: June 3 – Simeon of the Olives, Syriac bishop of Harran (b. 624/5)


date: July 30

text: July 30 – Tatwine, Mercian archbishop of Canterbury (b. c.670?)


text: December – Ketuyu, Khitan military chief


text: Bilge Qaghan, ruler (khagan) of the Second Turkic Khaganate (b. 683/4)


text: Approximate date – Caintigern, Irish-born hermit


text: Bilihildis, Frankish noblewoman and abbess


text: Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil I, ruler (ajaw) of Tikal (Guatemala), dies after a 52-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil, who becomes one of Tikal's most successful and expansionary rulers during the Late Classic period.


text: Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil I, ruler (ajaw) of Tikal


text: Siege of al-Sakhra: Moors under Uqba ibn al-Hajjaj (governor of Al-Andalus) besiege Pelagius, king of Asturias, in the uppermost Northern mountain ranges in Iberia. The battle ends inconclusively, with Pelagius surviving, but 270 out of his 300 followers are killed (at least according to a Muslim chronicle from the 11th century).


text: Charles Martel, Merovingian mayor of the palace, invades Burgundy. Duke Hunald I of Aquitaine refuses to recognise the authority of the Franks, whereupon Charles marches south of the River Loire, seizing the cities of Bordeaux and Blaye. Within 4 years he will have subdued all the Burgundian chieftains, while continuing to fight off Moorish advances into Gaul.


text: The Khöshöö Tsaidam Monuments of Bilge Khan, ruler (khagan) of the Turkic Khaganate, and his brother Kul Tigin, are erected. (Bilge has already erected Kül Tigin's monument and Bilge's son erects Bilge's monument.)

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: The see of York receives the pallium from pope Gregory III, and is elevated to an archbishopric. Ecgbert becomes the first archbishop.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: During the Tang dynasty in China, by this year there is 149,685,400 kg (165,000 short tons) of grain shipped annually along the Grand Canal.


section: Health & Medicine

text: King Liutprand of the Lombards raises his nephew Hildeprand to co-kingship, after a serious illness (approximate date).


text: A major smallpox epidemic starts in Japan, which reduces the population by 30%.


text: 735 Vayots Dzor Province earthquake. It affects the Vayots Dzor Province.The earthquake reportedly destroys an entire valley. The reported casualties include at least 10,000 victims.

source_section: Events › By place › Armenia


text: Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon missionary (approximate date)


text: Plato of Sakkoudion, Byzantine abbot (approximate date)


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


text: Du You, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 812)


date: May 26

text: May 26 – Bede, Anglo-Saxon theologian and historian


text: May 26 – Bede, Anglo-Saxon monk-historian, dies at Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey. He will be remembered as "the Venerable", and is the author of books that are copied and studied later all over Europe. His greatest book is the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, a major source for the history of Britain, in the immediate post-Roman period.


date: December 6

text: December 6 – Toneri, Japanese prince (b. 676)


text: Cathal mac Muiredaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Eudes, duke of Aquitaine (approximate date)


text: Abi Ishaq, Arab grammarian (approximate date)


text: Cellach mac Fáelchair, king of Osraige (Ireland)


text: Adela of Pfalzel, Frankish noblewoman, abbess, and Catholic saint (approximate date)


date: June 15

text: June 15 – Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil ("Eighteen Rabbit"), ruler of the Mayan city state of Copán in Honduras is defeated in battle by Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat, the ruler of Quiriguá (in Guatemala), and is beheaded. K'ak' ("Smoke Monkey") rules until his death in 749.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


text: Third Tikal-Calakmul War: A diplomatic team from Calakmul, led by Wamaw K'awiil, meets with Quiriguá leader K’ak Tiliw Chan Yopaa, in an attempt to negotiate an end to the city's rebellion.


text: Charles Martel, Merovingian mayor of the palace, forms local alliances with the Burgundians, and imposes Frankish domination on Provence. He defeats Muslim forces at Sernhac and Beaucaire in Septimania (Southern France).


text: The Mayan city state of Tikal defeats Calakmul in what is now Guatemala, ending a centuries-long rivalry, but ushering in another century of warfare that ultimately leads to both cities' abandonment in the 9th century.


text: King Óengus I of the Picts invades the neighbouring kingdom of Dál Riata, which is subjugated. He takes the fortress of Dunadd, and establishes his rule in Scotland for over two decades.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Yik'in Chan K'awiil, ruler (ajaw) of the leading Maya city state of Tikal (modern-day Guatemala), conquers rival Calakmul, within the northern Petén region of the Yucatán region (Southern Mexico).


text: Battle of Nîmes: The Franks under Charles Martel fail to capture Narbonne but devastate most of the other settlements, including Nîmes, Agde, Béziers and Maguelonne, which Martel views as potential strongholds of the Umayyads.


text: King Æthelbald of Mercia is described in the Ismere Diploma as ruler (bretwalda) of the Mercians, and all the provinces in southern England. He is also named "Rex Britanniae" (king of Britain).


text: Rōben, scholar-Buddhist monk, invites Shinshō to give lectures on the Avatamsaka Sutra at Kinshōsen-ji (later Tōdai-ji); this event is considered to be the roots of the Kegon school of Buddhism founded in Japan.


text: Muiredach mac Ainbcellaig, king of Dál Riata


text: Yamabe no Akahito, Japanese poet


text: Kʼinich Ahkal Moʼ Nahb III, Maya ruler of Palenque


text: King Ceolwulf of Northumbria abdicates in favour of his cousin, Eadberht, and becomes a monk at Lindisfarne Priory.


text: King Ongendus of the Danes reinforces the Danevirke fortifications in Schleswig-Holstein. He orders a palisade rampart built on the frontier of Saxony.


date: September 30

text: September 30 – Battle of the Baggage: The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, pursue them south of the River Oxus (northern Afghanistan), and capture their baggage train. In the winter, the Turgesh and their Transoxianan allies launch a major counter-invasion but are halted and their army is destroyed. Khuttal is then conquered by the Arabs.


text: Battle of Narbonne: Frankish forces under Charles Martel besiege Narbonne, occupied by a Umayyad garrison, but are unable to retake the fortress city. A Lombard army under King Liutprand crosses the Alps, to aid Charles in expelling the Muslims from Septimania. Meanwhile Maurontus, duke or count of Provence, raises a revolt from his unconquered city of Marseille, and threatens the rear of the Franks.


text: Emperor Xuan Zong discards the policy of conscripting men into the Chinese army to be replaced every three years, replacing them with long-service soldiers who are more battle-hardened and efficient (approximate date).


text: Second Arab–Khazar War: The Khazars led by Hazer Tarkhan are defeated by a Muslim force, sent by Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan near the Volga River, which destroy what remains of the Khazar forces. The Umayyad Caliphate now has full control of the Caucasus after completely destroying the Khazar Empire. After its destruction the Arab-Khazar wars are stopped, Muslim sources indicate the Khazar Khan paid tribute to Marwan and converted to Islam.


text: Egypt: Christians invade from the south, with the aim of protecting the patriarch of Alexandria (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Battle of Avignon: Frankish forces under Charles Martel, Merovingian Mayor of the Palace, retake Avignon from the Muslim forces, and destroy the Umayyad stronghold. Charles sends his brother Childebrand I, duke of Burgundy, to besiege the city. After his arrival, Charles leads the Frankish troops by using rope ladders and battering rams to attack the fortified walls, which are burned to the ground following its capture.


text: Battle of the River Berre: Frankish forces sent by Charles Martel intercept a large Muslim army sent from Al-Andalus, (modern Spain) sent by Uqba ibn al-Hajjaj to relieve the siege of Narbonne. Both sides suffer heavy losses at the battlefield near the mouth of the River Berre (a short distance south of Narbonne). Some of the Muslims rush back to their ships, and some penetrate through the Frankish forces and make it to the city, effectively saving it from the Franks.


text: A major Japanese smallpox epidemic that started in 735 finally runs its course, but only after causing an estimated 25% to 35% mortality among the adult population in the country.

source_section: Events › By topic › Catastrophe


text: Orso Ipato is murdered at the instigation of Eutychius, exarch of Ravenna. He is succeeded by Domenico Leoni, who is elected magister militum of Venice.


text: Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, Muslim historian (d. 819)


text: Huaisu, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 799)


text: Kanmu, emperor of Japan (d. 806)


text: Fujiwara no Tanetsugu, Japanese nobleman (d. 785)


text: Theuderic IV, king of the Franks


text: Ermin of Lobbes, Frankish abbot


text: Song Jing, Chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 663)


text: Following the death of Theuderic IV, king of the Franks, the throne is left vacant for seven years. Charles Martel has his son Childeric III exiled to a monastery, and becomes sole ruler of the Frankish Kingdom.


text: Forthhere, Anglo-Saxon bishop (approximate date)


text: King Pelagius of Asturias dies, and is succeeded by his son Favila. He founds the Church of Santa Cruz, in his capital Cangas de Onís (northwestern Spain).


text: Fujiwara no Maro, Japanese politician (b. 695)


text: Fujiwara no Muchimaro, Japanese minister (b. 680)


text: Fujiwara no Fusasaki, Japanese counselor (b. 681)


text: Mu'awiya ibn Hisham, Muslim general


text: Pelagius, king of Asturias (Spain) (b. 685)


text: Fujiwara no Umakai, Japanese statesman (b. 694)


text: The Mayan city-state Xukpi (Copán) is defeated by a rival city-state, Quiriguá. Xukpi leader Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil ("Eighteen Rabbit") is deposed thereafter.


text: Charles Martel, Merovingian mayor of the palace, begins a campaign against the Saxons (in modern-day Westphalia) on the northeast frontier. They are subdued and must pay him tribute.


text: Moors under Uqba ibn Al-Hajjaj cross the Pyrenees into France. Uqba fortifies Narbonne and reconquers Avignon, Arles, Nimes. He then advances into Provence, and penetrates as far as Piedmont; he then heads North, and conquers Dauphiné, destroying the city of Saint-Paul, taking Valence, Vienne and Lyon, which he uses as a base to attack Bourgogne.


text: Felice Cornicola is appointed hypatos (Byzantine consul) and magister militum of Venice.


text: Boniface visits Rome, and is made papal legate of the Frankish Kingdom. He establishes many bishoprics in Bavaria.


section: Culture & Society

text: Kormesiy, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, is deposed by the nobility. He is replaced on the throne by his son Sevar, who is a descendant of the royal Dulo clan.


text: Chengguan, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 839)


date: January 26

text: January 26 – John of Dailam, Syrian monk (b. 660)


date: May 3

text: May 3 – Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil, Mayan ruler (ajaw)


text: King Swæfberht of Essex dies after a 23-year reign. He is succeeded by Saelred, a minor member of the Essex royal family.


text: Fáelán mac Murchado, king of Leinster


text: Suluk, Turkic ruler (khagan) of the Turgesh


text: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, Arab general


text: Áed mac Colggen, king of the Uí Cheinnselaig (Ireland)


text: Asad ibn Abdallah al-Qasri, Arab governor


text: Dluthach mac Fithcheallach, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Charles Martel attacks Duke Maurontus of Provence and his Muslim allies. His brother Childebrand captures Marseille, one of the largest cities still in Umayyad hands. Maurontus is forced to go into hiding in the Alps.


text: The Great Berber Revolt: The Berbers break out in revolt against the Umayyad rulers at Maghreb, in response to the oppressive, (and, by Islamic law, illegal) tax-collection and slave-tribute. The rebellion is led by the chieftain (alleged water-carrier) Maysara al-Matghari. He successfully seizes Tangier, and rapidly captures much of western Morocco. The Berber rebellion which erupts not only undermines caliphal rule and fragments the wilayat or province of Ifriqiya (North Africa), but paves the way for the emergence of autonomous local Arab dynasties.


text: Boniface, Anglo-Saxon missionary who has been Christianizing Bavaria, founds the bishoprics of Salzburg, Regensburg, Freising, and Passau.


text: Theodatus Ursus is appointed hypatos (Byzantine consul) and magister militum of Venice.


text: The Lombards under King Liutprand sack the Exarchate of Ravenna, and threaten Rome. Pope Gregory III asks Charles Martel, Merovingian mayor of the palace, to help fight the Lombards (he also requests assistance in fighting the Byzantines and the Arabs). Liutprand signs a peace accord, and pulls back his forces to Pavia. After the pope's appeal to the Franks, a relationship begins that will continue as the Frankish Kingdom gains power.


text: Duke Pemmo of Friuli is deposed by Liutprand, and succeeded by his son Ratchis. He flees with his followers, but Ratchis secures his father's pardon.


text: Lu Mai, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 798)


text: Yuan Zi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 818)


text: Willibrord, Anglo-Saxon bishop


text: Favila, king of Asturias (Spain)


text: King Favila of Asturias dies after a 2-year reign (probably killed by a bear). He is succeeded by his brother-in-law Alfonso I, husband of his sister Ermesinda.


text: Engelmund, Anglo-Saxon missionary


text: Willibrord, the first bishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands, and Northumbrian missionary, dies at Echternach (modern Luxembourg).


year_label: 74 CE

text: Emperor Ming of Han appoints Chen Mu to the revived office of Protector of the Western Regions.

source_title: AD 74


text: Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus Caesar Vespasianus become Roman Consuls.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Chinese generals Dou Gu (Teou Kou) and Geng Bing (Keng Ping) take control of Turpan.


text: The Black Forest region is reattached to the Roman Empire.


date: December 27

text: December 27 – Vespasian grants generous privileges to doctors and teachers.


text: Mesopotamia: The last known cuneiform text is written.

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts and Science


date: March 18

text: March 18 – Hyginus, bishop of Rome


text: Caenis, Roman slave and secretary of Antonia Minor (mother of Emperor Claudius) and mistress of Emperor Vespasian


text: Polemon II, prince of the Bosporan Kingdom, Pontus, Cilicia and Cappadocia


text: The Berber tribes in the recently conquered region of Galicia (northwest Spain) rebel. This facilitates the establishment of an independent kingdom in the Cantabrian Mountains under King Alfonso I of Asturias.


text: The Khazars, a nation of the Black Sea steppe, though not ethnically Jewish, voluntarily convert to Judaism.


text: The Japanese imperial capital is moved from Heijō-kyō to Kuni-kyō.


text: Battle of the Nobles: The Berber rebels under chieftain Khalid ibn Hamid al-Zanati defeat and overwhelm the Umayyad forces of Khalid ibn Abi Habib al-Fihri, near Tangier (Northern Morocco), undermining Arab domination in Islamic North Africa. The rebellion spreads in Al-Andalus (Spain), causing governor Ubayd Allah ibn al-Habhab to withdraw Moorish troops from many garrisons north of the Pyrenees.


text: Fujiwara no Hirotsugu Rebellion: The Fujiwara clan led by Fujiwara no Hirotsugu, dissatisfied with the political powers in Japan, raise an army in Dazaifa (Kyushu) but are defeated by government forces.


text: Sicily, Sardinia, Provence, and Greece are raided by a fleet of Arab Muslim ships sent by the governor of Ifriqya, the ones raiding South Western Europe are led by Habīb Ibn Abi ‘Ubayda Al-Fihrī, while the fleet raiding Greece is led by Mu’awiya ibn Hishām. All of them are successful, submitting the Islands and returning with much wealth from the spoils of war.


text: Duke Thrasimund II recovers the duchy of Spoleto and kills Hilderic with Papal-Beneventian aid. He does not return the confiscated papal cities, and his alliance with Pope Gregory III ruptures.


text: December – King Liutprand of the Lombards attempts to counter the growing independence of the Lombard duchies in southern Italy.


text: King Eadberht of Northumbria marches his army north to attack the Picts. King Æthelbald of Mercia takes advantage of his absence, and ravages the city of York. Internal struggles re-emerge in Northumbria with the murder of Eardwine, probably the son of the late usurping king Eadwulf I.


date: October 26

text: October 26 – 740 Constantinople earthquake. An earthquake strikes Constantinople and the surrounding countryside, causing destruction to the city's land walls and buildings.


text: Much to the delight of the citizens of Chang'an, the Chinese government of the Tang dynasty orders fruit trees to be planted along every main avenue of the city, which enriches not only the diets of the people but also the surroundings (approximate date)


text: Waldo of Reichenau, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: Theoctista, politically influential Byzantine woman (d. 802)


text: Gao Ying, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 811)


text: Layman Pang, Chinese Chán (Zen) Buddhist (d. 808)


text: Aurelius, king of Asturias (approximate date)


text: Mashallah ibn Athari, Jewish-Arab astrologer (d. 815)


text: Uqba ibn al-Hajjaj, Arab governor


text: Maysara al-Matghari, Berber rebel leader


text: Abdallah al-Battal, Arab general


text: Cuthbert becomes archbishop of Canterbury after the death of Nothhelm (see 739).


text: Acca, bishop of Hexham (or 742)


text: Rhain ap Cadwgan, king of Dyfed and Brycheiniog


text: Æthelwold, bishop of Lindisfarne


text: Zhang Jiuling, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 673)


text: Zayd ibn Ali, Arab imam and grandson of Husayn ibn Ali (b. 695)


text: King Æthelheard of Wessex dies after a 14-year reign. He is succeeded by his brother (and probably distant relative) Cuthred. Æthelbald of Mercia takes control of Berkshire from Wessex.


text: Khalid ibn Abi Habib al-Fihri, Arab general


text: Anna, Byzantine princess and empress, wife of Artabasdos


text: The Great Berber Revolt: Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik appoints Kulthum ibn Iyad al-Qasi as governor (wali) of Ifriqiya (North Africa). A fourth expedition is sent from Syria by the Umayyad Caliphate to crush the rebellion in the Atlas region, but is defeated at the Battle of Bagdoura, in the plain of the Ghrab (modern Morocco). The counter-attack of the Kharijite rebels to the East is successful, but fails to conquer Kairouan from the loyalists. A more radical branch of the Tunisian Kharijites, (the Sufrists) however, manages to take the city soon after.


text: Artabasdos, Byzantine general (strategos) of the Armeniac theme, defeats Constantine V and advances on Constantinople, where he is crowned emperor. He secures the support of the themes of Thrace and Opsikion, and abandons Leo's religious policy of iconoclasm. Constantine seeks the support of the Anatolic theme.


text: Japanese authorities decree that Buddhist temples should be established throughout the country (approximate date).


text: A nunnery given by the Alamannic noblewoman Beata on Lützelau island is first mentioned. In 744, the nunnery is sold to Einsiedeln Abbey. (Unclear significance)

source_section: Events › By place › Switzerland


text: In 741 and 744, documents in the archives of St. Gallen Abbey describe the village of Kempraten as Centoprato, another document in 863 as Centiprata, inspired by the Latin name Centum Prata. (Unclear significance)


text: Ufenau island in Switzerland is first mentioned in 741 as "Hupinauia", and in 744 as "Ubinauvia" — island of Huppan of Huphan. (Unclear significance)


date: April 23

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: April 23 – A fire destroys the English city of York Minster, including its Church. The church is later rebuilt as a more impressive structure, containing thirty altars.


text: Pepin the Short marries Bertrada of Laon, daughter of Count Charibert of Laon.


text: Sugano no Mamichi, Japanese nobleman (d. 814)


text: Amalberga of Temse, Lotharingian nun and saint (d. 772)


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


date: February 10

text: February 10 or 11 - Lady Six Sky, Maya queen of Naranjo


date: February 11

text: February 11 – Wak Chanil Ajaw (Lady Six Sky), queen of the Mayan city state of Naranjo in Guatemala, dies after a reign of more than 47 years and is succeeded by her son, Yax Mayuy Chan Chaak, who reigns until his own death in 744.


date: March 28

text: March 28 – Hatsusebe, Japanese princess


date: June 18

text: June 18 – Emperor Leo III ("the Isaurian") dies of dropsy at Constantinople, after a 24-year reign that has saved the Byzantine Empire and delivered Eastern Europe from the threat of an Arab conquest. He is succeeded by his son Constantine V.


text: June 18 – Leo III, emperor of the Byzantine Empire


date: June 23

text: June 23 – Kʼawiil Chan Kʼinich becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state at Dos Pilas in Guatemala after the death of Ucha'an K'in B'alam and reigns until 761 when he is forced to flee during an uprising by rebels from Tamarindito.


date: October 22

text: October 22 – Charles Martel, Frankish statesman and founder of the Carolingian dynasty


date: November 28

text: November 28 – Pope Gregory III dies at Rome, after a 10-year reign. He is succeeded by Zachary, as the 91st pope of the Catholic Church.


text: November 28 – Gregory III, pope of the Catholic Church


text: Kulthum ibn Iyad al-Qasi, Arab governor


text: Theodoald, mayor of the palace of Austrasia


text: Hedan II, duke of Thuringia (approximate date)


text: Habib ibn Abi Obeida al-Fihri, Arab general


text: The Great Berber Revolt: Muslim forces under Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi, governor of Egypt, break out of besieged Kairouan (Tunisia). He scatters the Berbers, the western and central Maghreb remained under the control of the Berber Kharijites.


text: Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Arab forces under Abd al-Malik ibn Katan al-Fihri, governor (wali) of Al-Andalus, suppress the Berber rebellion in the region of Mértola (modern Portugal).


text: Arab-Byzantine Wars: Arab forces under Sulayman ibn Hisham invade Anatolia, reaching as far as Herakleia, and return with much wealth and livestock.


text: The Holy Face of Lucca is transferred to Lucca from Luni (approximate date).


text: Teodato Ipato succeeds his father Orso Ipato, as the fourth doge of Venice. He moves the capital from Heraclea to Malamocco.


text: Chrodegang, chancellor of Charles Martel, is appointed bishop of Metz and embarks on a reorganisation of the Frankish church.


text: King Liutprand of the Lombards meets Pope Zachary at Terni (Central Italy), who appeals to the king's religious faith. Liutprand is a pious Catholic and signs a 20-year peace treaty, restoring the cities of the Duchy of Rome which he has captured. The independent Lombard duchies of Spoleto and Benevento absorb into the Lombard Kingdom.


text: Emperor Xuan Zong begins to favor Taoism over Buddhism, adopting the new reign title Tianbao ("Heavenly Treasures"), to indicate his divine mandate. The total number of enlisted troops in the Tang armies has risen to about half a million, due to Xuan Zongs's earlier military reforms.


text: After a 40-year vacancy, Stephen IV becomes Orthodox patriarch of Antioch, at the suggestion of caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik.


text: Sturm, disciple of Boniface, establishes the Benedictine Abbey of Fulda (present-day Hesse) in Germany (or 744).


text: For the municipal census of the Chinese capital city Chang'an and its metropolitan area of Jingzhou (including small towns in the vicinity), the New Book of Tang records that in this year there are 362,921 registered families with 1,960,188 people.


text: Li Bai (also Li Po), Chinese poet, is summoned by Xuan Zong to attend the imperial court. He and his friend Du Fu become the two most prominent figures in the flourishing of Chinese poetry, during the mid-Tang dynasty.


text: Himiltrude, wife of Charlemagne (approximate date)


text: Charlemagne, king and emperor of the Franks (approximate date)


text: Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, Muslim caliph (or 745)


text: De Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 805)


text: Odo of Metz, Frankish architect (d. 814)


text: Ludger, Frisian missionary (approximate date)


text: Liu Congyi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 785)


text: Ibrahim al-Mawsili, musician and singer (d. 804)


text: Cathal mac Finguine, king of Munster (Ireland)


text: Áed Balb mac Indrechtaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri, Arab general and governor


text: Wang Zhihuan, Chinese poet (b. 688)


text: Itzamnaaj B'alam II, ruler of Yaxchilan (b. 647)


text: Abd al-Malik ibn Katan al-Fihri, Arab governor


text: Liutfrid, duke of Alsace (approximate date)


text: Acca, bishop of Hexham (or 740)


text: Ōno no Azumabito, Japanese samurai and official


text: Niu Xianke, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 675)


text: Emperor Shōmu changes the law of Perpetual Ownership of Cultivated Lands. This permits aristocrats and members of the clergy to cultivate land. The new farmland will be called shoin.

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


text: Constantine V reforms the old Imperial Guard of Constantinople into new elite cavalry and infantry units, called tagmata (Greek for 'the regiments'). He uses these troops against a rebellious theme in north-west Anatolia (modern Turkey), and later for offensive campaigns against Arab Muslim raiders and Bulgars.


text: King Æthelbald of Mercia joins forces with Wessex and attacks Gwent and Powys in Mid Wales (approximate date).


text: In one of the final battles of the Third Tikal-Calakmul War, the city of El Peru is taken by Tikal.

source_section: Events › By place › Americas


text: Duke Odilo of Bavaria comes to the aid of Boruth, prince (knyaz) of the Carantanians, against repeated Avar incursions in present-day Austria, and is able to vassalize the Slavic principality. In exchange for Bavarian assistance, Boruth accepts his overlordship and is converted to Christianity.


text: Summer – Emperor Constantine V defeats his brother-in-law Artabasdos, who has led a two-year insurrection in an attempt to usurp the Byzantine throne. He heads for Constantinople, and captures the capital three months later. Artabasdos and his son Niketas are publicly blinded, and relegated to the monastery of Chora. Constantine renews his policy of Iconoclasm.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: The Concilium Germanicum: First major Church synod held in the eastern parts of the Frankish Kingdom. Organized by Carloman, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, and presided over by Saint Boniface, who is solidified in his position as leader of the Frankish church.


text: 743 Caspian Gates earthquake. It took place in the Caspian Gates (Gates of Alexander). The location is identified with either Derbent, Russia or Talis, Iran.


text: ′Abd Allah ibn Wahb, Muslim jurist (d. 813)


date: February 6

text: February 6 – Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik dies after a 19-year reign, in which the Arab expansion in Europe has been stopped and the Umayyad Caliphate has come under pressure from the Turks in Central Asia and Berbers in North Africa. He is succeeded by his nephew Al-Walid II, who has Khalid al-Qasri, former governor of Iraq, imprisoned and tortured.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


text: February 6 – Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, Muslim caliph (b. 691)

source_section: Deaths


text: Khalid al-Qasri, Syrian Arab governor


text: Childeric III succeeds to the throne of the Frankish Kingdom as the last Merovingian king, (until his death in 754) following an interregnum of seven years after the throne was left vacant after the death of the previous king Theuderic IV. Power remains firmly in the hands of the major domus, currently Carloman and Pepin the Short.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Rigobert, Frankish abbot and bishop


text: Pei Yaoqing, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 681)


text: Theudimer (also known as Tudmir), Visigothic count


text: The Japanese imperial capital is moved from Kuni-kyō to Heijō-kyō.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


date: February 4

text: February 4 – In the Third Tikal-Calakmul War in what is now Guatemala, the Mayan city-state of Tikal conquers the state of Naranjo and captures its king, Yax Mayuy Chan Chaak, who is subsequently sacrificed. The conquest by Tikal destroys Calakmul's once powerful and extensive network of allies, vassal states and trade networks.


text: Pepin the Short, mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy, invades the Swabian Jura (southwestern Germany), and chases Theudebald, Duke of Alamannia, from his mountain redoubt in Alsace.


text: Turkic subjects like Uyghur, Karluk and Basmyl, who are not the members of the Ashina clan, stage a coup. This ends the Turkic Empire and Ashina clan (except in Khazaria).


text: Salih ibn Tarif proclaims himself a prophet among the Barghawata, a confederation of Berber tribes in modern-day western Morocco.


text: Autumn – Li Bai (also Li Po), Chinese poet and skilled calligrapher, meets Du Fu for the first time.


date: June

text: June – Pope Zachary gives his approval by sending Abel, Grimo and Hartbert their palliums for the metropolitan sees of Reims, Rouen and Sens.


date: October

text: October – Hildeprand is deposed by the council of nobles, for his incompetence as ruler. He is succeeded by Ratchis (formerly duke of Friuli) as king of the Lombards, who makes peace with Pope Zachary.


date: December

text: December – Marwan ibn Muhammad rebels against Yazid's designated successor Ibrahim ibn al-Walid, defeats the Umayyad forces under Sulayman ibn Hisham, and becomes caliph.


text: In 741 and 744, documents in the archives of St. Gallen Abbey describe the village of Kempraten as Centoprato, another document in 863 as Centiprata, inspired by the Latin name Centum Prata.


text: Sturm, disciple of Boniface, establishes the Benedictine Abbey of Fulda (Hesse), as part of Boniface's mission to bring Christianity to the pagan tribes in Germany (or 742).


text: A nunnery given by the Alamannic noblewoman Beata on Lützelau Island is first mentioned, and is in this year sold to Einsiedeln Abbey.


text: Synod of Soissons. Called at the instigation of Pepin the Short and Boniface, archbishop and metropolitan, it secures the condemnation of the Frankish bishop Adalbert.


text: Ufenau island in Switzerland is first mentioned in 741 as "Hupinauia", and in 744 as "Ubinauvia" — island of Huppan of Huphan.


text: Wat's Dyke, a 40 mile (64 km) earthwork in present-day Wales, is constructed. The border between Mercia and Powys is set here. The date that Wat's Dyke was constructed is very uncertain, with some estimates linking the construction of the dyke to the 5th century and others to the early 9th century (approximate date).


text: Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, Muslim caliph (or 745)

source_section: Births


date: February

text: February – King Liutprand of the Lombards dies of natural causes after a 32-year reign, in which he has defeated the dukes of Spoleto and Benevento, bringing the Lombard Kingdom to the height of her power. He is succeeded by Hildeprand, called "the Useless" (nephew or grandson of Liutprand), as ruler of the Lombards.


date: April 17

text: April 17 – Caliph Al-Walid II is besieged in his castle outside the city of Damascus. He is defeated and killed by Arab forces under Sulayman ibn Hisham. Al-Walid is succeeded by his cousin Yazid III, who dies shortly after of a brain tumor.


text: April 17 – Al-Walid II, Muslim caliph (b. 706)


date: September 25

text: September 25 – Yazid III, Muslim caliph (b. 701)


text: Hildeprand, king of the Lombards


text: Liutprand, king of the Lombards


text: Özmiş Qaghan, ruler of the Second Turkic Khaganate


text: Tunisian Coup: Following the death of the Umayyad caliph, Hisham, Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib assembles a small force in Tunis and declares himself emir of Ifriqiya. Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi, wali of Ifriqiya decides against fighting and returns to Damascus. Abd al-Rahman installs himself in Kairouan, and crushes multiple revolts around the country.


text: Stephen IV, patriarch of Antioch


text: Kül-chor, ruler (khagan) of the Turgesh


text: The newly founded Uyghur Empire controls most of the former Turkic Empire territory, creating an empire that extends from Lake Balkash (modern Kazakhstan) to Lake Baikal (Mongolia), and is subject to Chinese suzerainty (approximate date).


text: Hunald I, duke of Aquitaine, retires to a monastery, probably on Île de Ré. He is succeeded by his son Waifar, who struggles during his rule for independence against the Frankish Kingdom.


text: Genbō, Japanese scholar-monk, is exiled to Dazaifu on the island of Kyushu.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Bubonic plague in Asia Minor kills 1/3 of the population, and subsequently sweeps through the Peloponnese (Balkan Peninsula) (approximate date).


text: Carantania (modern Austria) loses its independence and becomes part of the Frankish Kingdom, due to the pressing danger posed by Avar tribes from the east (approximate date).


text: China has accomplishments in poetry, painting and printing, but its monarchical system tends toward failure. Emperor Xuan Zong has fallen under the spell of his son's wife Yang Guifei (one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China), a Taoist priestess. He is ignoring the economy and the Tang dynasty is declining.


text: Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, Muslim caliph (or 744)


text: Idris I, emir and founder of the Idrisid dynasty (d. 791)


text: Willehad, bishop of Bremen (approximate date)


text: Zhang Jianfeng, statesman of the Tang dynasty (d. 800)


text: Wei Gao, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 805)


text: Musa al-Kadhim, seventh Twelver Shī‘ah imām (d. 799)


text: Yaoshan Weiyan, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 827)


text: Kulun Beg, ruler (khagan) of the Turkish Empire


text: Cathal Maenmaighe, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: Herlindis of Maaseik, Frankish abbess (or 753)


text: Yusuf ibn Umar al-Thaqafi, Muslim governor


text: Thrasimund II, duke of Spoleto


date: August 15

text: August 15 – K'ak' Yipiiy Chan Chaak is installed as the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Naranjo in Guatemala and reigns until his death in 748.


date: August

text: August or September – Battle of Kafartuta: Caliph Marwan II defeats and kills Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani, leader of the Kharijites, in Upper Mesopotamia. The rebels withdraw across the River Tigris, escaping destruction.

source_section: Events › By place › Umayyad Caliphate


text: Arab–Byzantine Wars – Battle of Keramaia: The Byzantine navy scores a crushing victory over the Umayyad Egyptian fleet.


text: Arab–Byzantine Wars: Taking advantage of discontent among the Muslim Arabs, Emperor Constantine V invades Syria, and captures Germanikeia (modern Turkey). He organises the resettlement of part of the local Christian population in Thrace.


text: Guru Rinpoche, Indian Buddhist, travels to Bhutan (eastern end of the Himalayas), to cure the king of Bumthang (approximate date).


text: Jayshikhari Chavda establishes the Chavda dynasty in Gujarat (India).


text: The Hida-Kokubunji Temple in Japan is built to pray for peace and prosperity (approximate date).


text: Council of Cannstatt: Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, convenes an assembly of the Alemanni nobility at Cannstatt (modern Stuttgart), and has most of the magnates, numbering in the thousands, arrested and executed for high treason. This ends the independence of the tribal duchy of Alamannia, which is thereafter governed by counts or dukes appointed by their Frankish overlords.


text: King Ratchis codifies the Lombard laws, promulgated in Latin, and advised by his council and the Lombard army (approximate date).


text: Zheng Yuqing, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 821)


text: Kirtivarman II, ruler in the Chalukya dynasty (d. 753)


text: Hui-kuo, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 805)


text: Zhao Zongru, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 832)


text: Gao Chongwen, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 809)


text: Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani, leader of the Kharijites


text: King Saelred of Essex dies after a 37-year reign. He is succeeded by Swithred, grandson of the late king Sigeheard. Like his predecessors, he is not an independent ruler, but a sub-king of Mercia.


text: Maelimarchair, bishop of Aughrim (Ireland)


date: June 9

text: June 9 – Abbasid Revolution: Abu Muslim Khorasani, Persian military leader from Khorasan, begins an open revolt against Umayyad rule, which is carried out under the sign of the Black Standard. Close to 10,000 Muslims, primarily Khorasani Persians are under his command, when the hostilities officially begin in Merv (modern Turkmenistan).

source_section: Events › By place › Islamic Empire


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Constantine V destroys the Arab fleet off Cyprus, with the aid of ships from the Italian city-states, breaking the naval power of the Umayyad Caliphate.


text: Chinese forces under Gao Xianzhi (a Korean in Tang employ) defeat the Arabs and Tibetans, by rapid military expeditions over the Pamir Mountains and Hindu Kush. About 72 local Indian and Sogdian kingdoms become Tang vassals. Over the next two years he establishes complete control in East Asia.


text: August 15 – Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, renounces his position as majordomo, and withdraws from public life. He retires to a monastery near Rome, being tonsured by Pope Zachary, and leaves his brother Pepin the Short as sole ruler (de facto) of the Frankish Kingdom.


text: Empress Kōmyō founds the Shin-Yakushi-ji Buddhist temple in Nara (Japan).


text: Bubonic plague breaks out in Sicily, Calabria (Southern Italy), and Monemvasia (modern Greece).


text: Emperor Xuan Zong abolishes the death penalty in China, during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).


text: Charlemagne, king and emperor of the Franks (or 748)


text: Benedict of Aniane, Frankish monk (approximate date)


date: May 16

text: May 16 – Petronax, Italian monk and abbot (b. 675)


date: August 13

text: August 13 – Wigbert, Anglo-Saxon monk


date: October 26

text: October 26 – Witta of Büraburg, Anglo-Saxon missionary


text: Li Shizhi, chancellor and poet of the Tang dynasty


text: Sulayman ibn Hisham, Arab general


text: Fiachna ua Maicniadh, Irish abbot


date: February 14

text: February 14 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan (modern Iran), marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt. Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i takes the cities Nishapur and Rey, defeating an Umayyad army (10,000 men) at Gorgan.


text: King Æthelbert II of Kent sends a message to Boniface, archbishop of Mainz, requesting two well-trained goshawks for hunting. He had earlier made a gift of two falcons and a goshawk to King Æthelbald of Mercia (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: In Rome, Pope Zachary closes down a slave market, where Venetian merchants had been selling Christian captives to the Muslims in North Africa.


text: The city of Baalbek (modern Lebanon) is sacked with great slaughter.


text: An earthquake strikes the Middle East from northern Egypt to northwestern Mesopotamia, destroying many remnants of Byzantine culture (approximate date).


text: Charlemagne, king and emperor of the Franks (or 747)


text: Al-Waqidi, Muslim historian and biographer (approximate date)


date: January 18

text: January 18 – Odilo, duke of Bavaria


text: January 18 – Duke Odilo of Bavaria dies after a 12-year reign. Grifo, youngest son of Charles Martel, seeks to establish his own rule by seizing the duchy for himself, and abducts Odilo's infant son Tassilo III.


date: May 22

text: May 22 – Genshō, empress of Japan (b. 683)


date: December 9

text: December 9 – Nasr ibn Sayyar, Arab general (b. 663)


text: December 9 – Nasr ibn Sayyar, Arab governor of Khorasan, dies after a 10-year administration in which he has fought vigorously against dissident tribes, Turgesh neighbors, and the Abbasids. Nasr had imposed poll taxes (jizya) on non-Muslims, and introduced a system of land taxation for Muslim Arabs.


text: Indrechtach mac Dungalaig, king of Brega (Ireland)


text: Cellan of Clonfert, Irish abbot


text: Wasil ibn Ata, Muslim theologian and jurist (b. 700)


text: Eadbert I, king of Kent (approximate date)


date: August 19

text: August 19 – Emperor Shōmu abdicates the throne, after a 25-year reign that has been dominated by his wife (and aunt), Kōmyō, a commoner he married at age 16. He is succeeded by his daughter Kōken; Shōmu becomes the first retired emperor to become a Buddhist priest.


text: Abbasid Revolution: Muslim forces under Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i defeat a large Umayyad army (50,000 men) at Isfahan, and invade Iraq, taking the city of Kufa.


date: October 28

text: October 28 – Abdullah ibn Muhammad is proclaimed caliph at Kufa by his supporters and adopts the title of al-Saffah (the "Slaughterer of Blood").


text: King Æthelbald of Mercia calls the Synod of Gumley, at the instigation of Boniface, bishop of Mainz, and issues a charter that releases the Catholic Church from all public burdens.


text: King Ratchis of the Lombards besieges Perugia, but is convinced to lift the siege by Pope Zachary. His decision to lift the siege of Perugia undermines his authority among the Lombard nobility, and ultimately results in the nobility deposing him at a council in Milan. King Ratchis is forced to retire with his family to the monastery at Monte Cassino.


text: Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad prince, is executed by crucifixion on orders of the first Abbasid caliph, Abdullah ibn Muhammad, at Al-Hirah (or 750).


text: Ḥawthara ibn Suhayl takes the Coptic patriarch, Michael I, hostage to Rosetta, and threatenes to have him killed if the Egyptian rebels did not lay down their arms. The Egyptians attacked Rosetta and sacked it, massacring its Arab inhabitants. There was an offensive as far as Pelusium against an Umayyad army. In response, Marwān ordered the pillaging and razing of Egyptian villages and monasteries throughout the Delta. His campaign was a failure and in 750 he was overthrown in the Abbasid Revolution.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


text: January 18 – Galilee earthquake: Palestine and eastern Transjordan are devastated by an earthquake. The cities of Tiberias, Beit She'an, Hippos and Pella are largely destroyed.

source_section: Events › By topic › Catastrophe


date: June

text: June – Aistulf succeeds his brother, Ratchis, as king of the Lombards and marries Gisaltruda, sister of Anselm, Duke of Friuli.


text: Muhammad al-Shaybani, Muslim jurist (approximate date; d. 805)


date: February 18

text: February 18 – Kʼakʼ Yipyaj Chan Kʼawiil ("Smoke Squirrel") becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Copán in Honduras upon the death of Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat, who had reigned since 738. K'ak' Yipyaj reigns until 763.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


date: August 27

text: August 27 – Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i, Muslim general


date: December 4

text: December 4 – John of Damascus, Syrian monk and priest


text: Gyōki, Japanese Buddhist priest (b. 668)


text: Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad prince (or 750)


text: Ailello hui Daimine, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: King Ælfwald of East Anglia dies after a 36-year reign. He is succeeded by Beonna, Æthelberht I and possibly Hun (relationship unknown). Beonna emerges as the dominant monarch.


year_label: 75 CE

text: Frontinus begins his conquest of Wales; Legio II Augusta is moved to the border of the River Usk.

source_title: AD 75

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus Caesar Vespasianus become Roman Consuls.


text: Sextus Julius Frontinus becomes governor of Britannia and makes his headquarters in Isca Augusta (Wales).


text: Revolt against the Chinese in Tarim: Cachera and Turpan are besieged. Luoyang orders the evacuation of Tarim. Ban Chao makes the rebels retreat towards Khotan. At the same time, the Chinese army of Ganzhou reconquers Turpan in Northern Xiongnu. Ban Chao convinces the emperor of the need to control Central Asia in the fight against Xiongnu.


text: Accession of Han Zhangdi of the Han dynasty (until AD 88).


text: Vespasian fortifies Armazi (Georgia) for the Iberian king Mithridates I. The Alans raid the Roman frontier in Armenia.


text: The Temple of Peace, also known as the Forum of Vespasian, is built in Rome. The temple celebrates the conquest of Jerusalem (in AD 70) and houses the Menorah from Herod's Temple.


text: Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus, Cilician prince (d. 150)


text: Suetonius, Roman historian (approximate date) (d. c. 122)


text: Han Mingdi, Chinese emperor of the Han dynasty (b. AD 28)


text: Chen Mu, Chinese governor and general


text: King Alfonso I of Asturias establishes the Kingdom of Galicia, in roughly the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The exact time this happened is contested.

source_section: Events › Europe


text: Native Americans, in the area now known as the Four Corners, begin constructing and occupying pueblos.

source_section: Events › America


text: The Ghana Empire begins (approximate date).

source_section: Events › Africa


text: Gopala I is proclaimed as the first ruler and founder of the Pala Empire.

source_section: Events › India


date: January 25

text: January 25 – Battle of the Zab: Abbasid forces under Abdallah ibn Ali defeat the Umayyads near the Great Zab River. Members of the Umayyad house are hunted down and killed. Defeated by his rivals, Caliph Marwan II flees westward to Egypt, perhaps attempting to reach Al-Andalus (Iberian Peninsula), where there are still significant Umayyad armies.

source_section: Events › Arab Caliphate


date: August 6

text: August 6 – Marwan II is caught and killed at Faiyum by supporters of the Abbasid caliph As-Saffah. Almost the entire Umayyad Dynasty is assassinated; Prince Abd al-Rahman I escapes to Al-Andalus. The Abbasids assume control of the Islamic world and establish their first capital at Kufa.


text: Battle of Mugdock: The Strathclyde Britons under King Teudebur defeat Prince Talorgan of the Picts. This leads to the decline of the power of King Óengus I.

source_section: Events › Britain


text: Military action continues in the Bashmurian war. Egyptians granted tax breaks in the Nile Delta.

source_section: Events › Egypt


text: The town Slaný in the Central Bohemian Region (Czech Republic) is founded at the site of a salt spring, according to one chronicle written in the sixteenth century (approximate date).


text: King Eadberht of Northumbria imprisons Cynewulf, bishop of Lindisfarne, at Bamburgh Castle. King Eadberht does this in order to punish the bishop for sheltering one of his enemies, Prince Offa. He then besieges Prince Offa, son of the late King Aldfrith, in Lindisfarne Priory. Almost dead from hunger, he is dragged from his sanctuary and put to death.


text: Borobudur, or Barabudur (a Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, as well as the world's largest Buddhist temple, and also one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world) is built (approximate date).

source_section: Events › Indonesia


text: In China during the Tang Dynasty, a barge load of tea (a medicinal herb) comes up the Grand Canal to Luoyang, from Zhejiang (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Food and drink


text: The "Western Paradise" of Amitābha Buddha, detail of a wall painting in Cave 217, Dunhuang (China), is made during the Tang Dynasty (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Art


text: The city of Teotihuacan (modern Mexico) is destroyed and left in ruins, its palaces burned to the ground.


text: January 25 – Leo IV, Byzantine emperor (d. 780)

source_section: Births


text: Leo III, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 816)


text: Wu Shaocheng, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 810)


text: Abbas ibn al-Ahnaf, Abbasid poet (d. 809)


text: Sawara, Japanese prince (approximate date)


text: Abd al-Malik ibn Salih, Abbasid general (d. 812)


text: Hildegrim, bishop of Châlons (approximate date)


text: Eigil of Fulda, Bavarian abbot (approximate date)


text: Clement, Irish scholar and saint (approximate date)


text: Arno, archbishop of Salzburg (approximate date)


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


text: Theodulf, bishop of Orléans (or 760)


text: January 25 – Ibrahim ibn al-Walid, Umayyad caliph

source_section: Deaths


text: August 6 – Marwan II, ruling Umayyad caliph (b. 688)


text: Bressal mac Áedo Róin, Dál Fiatach king of Ulaid


text: Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad prince (or 749)


text: Basil the Confessor, Eastern Orthodox saint


text: Isonokami no Otomaro, Japanese nobleman


text: Al-Abbas ibn al-Walid, Umayyad prince and general


text: Irene of Khazaria, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Veborg, Scandinavian shieldmaiden (approximate date)


text: Agilulfus, bishop of Cologne (approximate date)


text: Boruth, prince (knyaz) of Carantania (approximate date)


text: Himelin, Scottish priest (approximate date)


text: Burchard, bishop of Würzburg (approximate date)


text: Inreachtach mac Dluthach, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: Muslim introduction of papermaking: The first paper mill in the Islamic world begins production at Samarkand. Captured craftsmen, taken at the Battle of Talas River, have by some accounts revealed the technique of papermaking (although paper may have arrived from China much earlier via the Silk Road). Arab scholars will use paper to produce translations of Ancient Greek and Roman writings.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate


date: November

text: November – Pepin the Short, youngest son of Charles Martel, forces the last Merovingian king Childeric III to retire to the monastery of Saint-Bertin. He proclaims himself as king of the Franks with the support of Pope Zachary, and is crowned at Soissons by Boniface, bishop of Mainz, becoming, as Pepin III, the first Carolingian monarch of the Frankish Kingdom.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: The oldest surviving printed document, a Buddhist scripture, is printed in Korea.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Theodore succeeds Theophylact as Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.


text: Kim Daeseong, chief minister of Silla, orders the construction of the Bulguksa and Seokguram temples at Gyeongju (South Korea).


text: King Aistulf of the Lombards captures Ravenna and the Romagna, ending the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna. The last exarch Eutychius is killed by the Lombards. Aistulf threatens Rome, claiming a capitation tax. Pope Zachary, alarmed, appeals for aid from the Byzantine Empire, but his request is declined.


text: Like the storm of 721, the storm of this year at the southern Chinese seaport of Yangzhou reportedly destroys over 1,000 ships engaged in canal and river traffic (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: The Japanese poetry anthology Kaifūsō is assembled.


text: The Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji in Nara (Japan) is completed.


date: June 28

text: June 28 – Carloman I, king of the Franks (d. 771)


text: Meng Jiao, Chinese poet (d. 814)


text: Adalard of Corbie, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: June – Maria, Byzantine empress


text: June – Leo IV, son of Emperor Constantine V, is crowned co-emperor at Constantinople. Only a year or so after his mother Irene died, Constantine's second wife Maria dies, at approximately the same time as Leo's coronation.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Gisulf II, duke of Benevento (approximate date)


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


text: Childebrand I, duke of Burgundy (b. 678)


text: Eutychius, Byzantine exarch of Ravenna


text: Mansur ibn Jumhur al-Kalbi, Arab governor of Sindh


text: Taki, Japanese princess and Saiō


text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri, ruler of Ifriqiya (North Africa), dispatches a Muslim army and reconquers Tripolitania from the Ibadites (a puritanical Khaijite sect), driving their remnants south into the Nafusa Mountains (northwestern Libya).

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Yaxun B'alam IV becomes king (ajaw) of the Maya city of Yaxchilan (modern Mexico), after a 10-year struggle for the throne.

source_section: Events › By place › Mesoamerica


text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri launches an assault on the island of Sardinia, perhaps the beginning of the occupation of the island by the Muslim Arabs that lasts until 1005. He also attempts to invade Sicily, but finds the defenses too strong.


text: Battle of Burford: King Cuthred of Wessex clashes with King Æthelbald of Mercia, and takes the standard (a golden dragon). He manages to throw off his claim to Mercian overlordship.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Siege of Narbonne: Pepin III lays siege to the fortress city of Narbonne, occupied by Gothic-Muslim forces. The garrison and residents are able to withstand the attacks, thanks to the supplies provided by sea by the Arab fleet.


text: King Pepin III ("the Short") begins a Frankish military expedition down the Rhône Valley, and receives the submission of eastern Septimania (i.e. Nîmes, Melguelh, Agde and Béziers), after securing Count Ansemund's allegiance.


date: March 26

text: March 26 – Pope Stephen II (sometimes referred to as Stephen III) succeeds Zachary as the 92nd pope of the Catholic Church. He marks the end of the Byzantine Papacy.


text: Emperor Shōmu (retired since 749) takes part in the dedication ceremony of the Great Buddha, (15 metres) at Tōdai-ji in Nara (Japan), and declares himself a Buddhist.


text: June – Stephen II recognizes the Carolingian dynasty as legitimate rulers of the Frankish Kingdom. He travels to Paris and appeals for Frankish support against the Lombards.


text: Joannicius the Great, Byzantine theologian (d. 846)


text: Irene of Athens, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Al-Mada'ini, Muslim scholar and historian (d. 843)


text: Zheng Yin, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 829)


date: March 15

text: March 15 – Zachary, pope of the Catholic Church


date: March 22

text: March 22 – Pope Zachary dies at Rome after an 11-year reign. He is succeeded by Stephen, but he dies four days after, and is not considered legitimate because he was not consecrated.


text: March 26 – Stephen, pope of the Catholic Church


text: King Teudebur of Alt Clut dies. His son, Dumnagual III, succeeds to the throne and loses Kyle to a joint invasion, by kings Óengus I of the Picts and Eadberht of Northumbria. (Most records show Dumnagual III succeeds Rotri in 754 AD. Erroneous statement suspected)


text: Teudebur, king of Alt Clut (Scotland)


text: Lupus, duke of Spoleto (Italy)


text: November – Stephen II crosses the passes of the Alps to Gaul. He leaves Rome unprotected, under threat of a siege from the Lombards.


text: Grifo, Frankish duke and illegitimate son of Charles Martel, rebels against King Pepin III ("the Short") (his half-brother), in alliance with the Bretons. He flees to Italy to join King Aistulf of the Lombards, but is caught and killed while passing the Alps.


text: The town of Staraja Ladoga (Northern Russia) is founded by Scandinavians. The settlement becomes a prosperous trading outpost for jewelry, casual items, craft tools and dress adornments (approximate date).


text: Eoban is appointed bishop of Utrecht (modern Netherlands), by the missionary bishop Boniface.


text: Fall – Pope Stephen II travels to the Lombard capital of Pavia, for negotiations with Aistulf. His terms for returning the Exarchate of Ravenna are declined.


text: Xue Ping, general of the Tang Dynasty (approximate date)


date: August 8

text: August 8 – Hildegar, bishop of Cologne


date: November 3

text: November 3 – Pirmin, Visigothic abbot (b. c. 700), founder of many monasteries in the historical region of Alemannia


text: Sevar, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire (approximate date)


text: Grifo, Frankish duke and son of Charles Martel (b. 726)


text: Sevar, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 15-year reign. He is succeeded by Kormisosh, who belongs to the Vokil clan (approximate date).


text: Li Linfu, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Herlindis of Maaseik, Frankish abbess (or 745)


text: November – Abdallah ibn Ali, governor of Syria and uncle of as-Saffah, launches a claim for the caliphate, but is defeated by forces loyal to al-Mansur, under Abu Muslim, at Nisibis (modern Turkey).


text: Summer – The Franks under Pepin III invade Italy, and defeat the Lombards under King Aistulf, in the Susa Valley (Piedmont). He enforces the terms, including cession of the Exarchate of Ravenna to Rome.


date: February

text: February – Council of Hieria: Emperor Constantine V summons a Christian council in the palace of Hieria in Constantinople. The council, under the presidency of Bishop Theodosius of Ephesus, supports the policy of Iconoclasm and condemning the use of religious images (icons) in the Byzantine Empire. Constantine increases the persecution of the monasteries; hundreds of monks and nuns are mutilated or put to death.


date: June 5

text: June 5 – Boniface, Anglo-Saxon missionary, is killed by a band of pagans at Dokkum in Frisia, while reading the Scriptures to Christian converts. He is later buried in the Abbey of Fulda, entrusted to his Bavarian disciple Sturm.


date: July 28

text: July 28 – Pope Stephen II re-consecrates Pepin III (the Short) as king of the Franks, at the Basilica of Saint-Denis outside Paris, bestowing upon him the additional title of Patricius of the Romans. This marks the first recorded crowning of a civil ruler by a pope. Pepin assumes the role of ordained protector of the Catholic Church.


date: July

text: July – Stephen II anoints Pepin's sons, Charles (later known as Charlemagne) and Carloman, consecrating them as patricians. At Quierzy he proclaims the Carolingian dynasty holy, and appeals for help against the Lombards. Finally, the Frankish nobles give their consent to a campaign in Lombardy.


text: The oldest document mentioning the city of Ferrara (Northern Italy) is from this year (approximate date).


text: Jianzhen, Chinese Buddhist monk, arrives in Nara, where he is welcomed by former emperor Shōmu and empress Kōmyō. During his visit Jianzhen introduces sugar to the Japanese court, using it to mask the flavors of foul-tasting herbal tea.


text: A Tang census shows that 75% of the Chinese live north of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River. The capital of Chang'an has a population of 2 million and more than 25 other cities have well over 500,000 citizens (approximate date).


text: Li Fan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 811)


text: June 5 – Eoban, bishop of Utrecht


text: June 5 – Boniface, Anglo-Saxon missionary


date: June 10

text: June 10 – Caliph as-Saffah dies of smallpox after a 4-year reign. He is succeeded by his nominated heir and brother al-Mansur, as ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate.


text: June 10 – Abul Abbas al-Saffah, Muslim caliph


date: August 17

text: August 17 – Carloman mayor of the palace of Austrasia and brother of Pepin III (The Short)


text: Li Linfu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Rhodri Molwynog, king of Gwynedd (Wales)


text: Burchard, bishop of Würzburg (approximate date)


text: Hiltrud, duchess regent of Bavaria (b. 716)


text: Childeric III, king of the Franks (approximate date)


date: November 8

text: November 8 – K'ahk' Ukalaw Chan Chaak is installed as the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Naranjo in Guatemala and reigns until his death in 780.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


text: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles description under this date (now dated 757), of King Sigeberht of Wessex being deposed by Cynewulf, is notably fuller than earlier entries.


text: Teodato Ipato is deposed and blinded, after a 13-year reign. He is succeeded by Galla Gaulo, who usurps the ducal throne of Venice.


date: December 16

text: December 16 – General An Lushan begins the Anshi Rebellion against Emperor Xuan Zong of the Tang Dynasty (China). His army surges down from Fanyang (near modern Beijing), and moves rapidly along the Grand Canal. Meanwhile, Xuan Zong sends Feng Changqing, governor of Fanyang, to build up defenses at the eastern capital of Luoyang.


date: September

text: September – Abd al-Rahman I, a member of the Umayyad Dynasty, lands at Almuñécar in al-Andalus (modern Spain), where over the next years he will establish the Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Trisong Detsen becomes emperor of Tibet. During his reign he plays a pivotal role in the introduction of Buddhism, and the establishment of the Nyingma or "Ancient" school of Tibetan Buddhism.


section: Economy & Finance

text: Alliances and trade between Mayan city-states have begun to break down. Malnutrition is on the rise. A diminishing of the food supply creates social upheaval and war (approximate date).


text: Empress Kōken introduces the Tanabata festival to Japan.


text: William of Gellone, Frankish noble (approximate date)


text: Wala of Corbie, Frankish noble (approximate date)


text: Bello of Carcassonne, Frankish noble (approximate date)


text: Zhang Xuan, Chinese painter (b. 713)


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


text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri, Arab noble


text: Abu Muslim Khorasani, Persian general


date: August 12

text: August 12 – Xuan Zong abdicates the throne after a 44-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Su Zong, as emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He hires 22,000 Muslim mercenaries to reinforce his decimated army at Lingzhou.

source_section: Events › By place › Chinese Empire


date: January 18

text: January 18 – An Lushan Rebellion: The eastern capital of Luoyang falls to the 200,000-strong army of the rebel general An Lushan, who defeats loyalist forces under Feng Changqing. The rebels cross the Yellow River, and march on to capture the cities Chenliu and Yingyang (modern Zhengzhou, Henan).


date: February 5

text: February 5 – An Lushan declares himself emperor at Luoyang, establishing a new empire, called the Great Yan. He pushes on towards the primary Tang capital at Chang'an (now Xi'an). An decides to seize southern China, to cut off loyalist reinforcements. Meanwhile, numerous soldiers join the rebellion.


date: May

text: May – Emperor Xuan Zong hires 4,000 Muslim mercenaries to help defend Chang'an against the rebels. Loyalist forces take defensible positions in the mountain passes, but chancellor Yang Guozhong gives orders for them to leave their posts.


text: May – Prince Abd al-Rahman I and his followers capture the city of Seville without violence. He defeats Yusuf ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri in a battle for control of the Muslim-ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula (al-Andalus). Abd al-Rahman establishes the Emirate of Córdoba. During his reign trade and culture flourish, along with the construction of Islamic architecture (including the Great Mosque of Córdoba).


date: July 15

text: July 15 – Xuan Zong is ordered by his Imperial Guards to execute Yang Guozhong, by forcing him to commit suicide or face a mutiny. He permits his consort Yang Guifei to be strangled by his chief eunuch. An Lushan also has other members of the emperor's family killed.


date: November 19

text: November 19 – Tang General Fang Guan is defeated at Xianyang. The imperial forces consisted of two thousand oxcarts with cavalry and foot soldiers on two fronts, but the rebels took advantage of their upwind position and attacked with fire. Imperial forces killed or wounded numbered more than 40,000 men.


text: Battle of Newanbirig: Kings Óengus I of the Picts and Eadberht of Northumbria attack King Dumnagual III of Strathclyde, at Dumbarton Castle (modern Scotland). However, Eadberht's entire force is subsequently wiped out, probably by the Britons.


text: Battle of Marcellae: Constantine V sends a Byzantine expeditionary force (500 ships and 6,000 cavalry) to Thrace, and defeats the Bulgars around the Danube Delta and near the fortress city of Markeli (modern Bulgaria). Kormisosh is forced to accept a peace treaty, and confirms the existing frontier. Due to the constant political crisis, the Bulgarian Empire is on the verge of destruction. Kormisosh is deposed during a palace coup and succeeded by Vinekh, a member of the Vokil clan.


text: Battle of Yongqiu: A Tang garrison (2,000 men), under Zhang Xun, successfully defend their fortress against the rebel army at Yongqiu. Zhang achieves a victory after a 4-month siege, and prevents the rebels from capturing the fertile Tang territory south of the Huai River.


text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Constantine V builds a series of fortifications along the Byzantine frontier on the Danube, and starts settling Christian Armenians and Syrians in the Thracesian Theme. In response, Kormisosh, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, demands the payment of tribute. Constantine refuses, and the Bulgars raid into Thrace, reaching the Anastasian Wall stretching between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara (near the outskirts of Constantinople).


text: King Aistulf of the Lombards again threatens Rome with a view to making it his capital, but the Franks under Pepin III ("the Short") arrives with his sons Charles and Carloman, defeats Aistulf, and confers the Donation of Pepin, which establishes the Papal States (including the lands of Ravenna and the Pentapolis). Pepin has taken territory that legally belongs to the Byzantine Empire; he gives it to Pope Stephen II.


text: Ibn al-Muqaffa', Muslim writer and thinker, is tortured at Basra (modern Iraq), on orders from Caliph al-Mansur. His limbs are severed and he is thrown, still alive, into a burning oven (approximate date).


date: July 14

text: July 14 – Xuan Zong flees the capital of Chang'an (along with the imperial court) for Sichuan, as rebel forces advance through the Tongguan Pass toward the city. Meanwhile, An Lushan is ailing, perhaps with diabetes. He is nearly blind and suffers from extreme irascibility.


text: Galla Gaulo is deposed, blinded and exiled. He is succeeded by Domenico Monegario as the sixth doge of Venice. During his reign Venetian maritime traders become increasingly active.


text: Abo of Tiflis, Christian martyr (approximate date)


text: Abu Nuwas, Muslim poet (d. 814)


text: Li Yijian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 822)


text: Ismail ibn Ibrahim, Muslim scholar (d. 810)


text: Fujiwara no Uchimaro, Japanese nobleman (d. 812)


text: Hisham I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 796)


text: Ibrahim I, Muslim emir of the Aghlabids (d. 812)


text: Nikephoros, son of Constantine V (or 758)


date: June 4

text: June 4 – Emperor Shōmu (retired since 749) dies at Nara. His wife Kōmyō dedicates over 600 items to the Great Buddha, and donates large sums of money to the Shōsō-in treasure (storehouse) in Tōdai-ji.

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


text: June 4 – Shōmu, emperor of Japan (b. 701)


text: July 15 – Yang Guifei, consort of Xuan Zong (b. 719)


text: Dantidurga, founder of the Rashtrakuta Empire (b. 735)


text: Isaac I of Antioch, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.


text: Ibn al-Muqaffa', Muslim writer (approximate date)


text: Wang Changling, Chinese poet and official (b. 698)


text: Forggus mac Cellaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Aistulf, duke of Friuli and king of the Lombards


text: Cuthred, king of Wessex (approximate date)


text: Gao Xianzhi, general of the Tang Dynasty


text: Feng Changqing, general of the Tang Dynasty


text: Yang Guozhong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: King Cuthred of Wessex dies after a 16-year reign. He is succeeded by his distant kinsman Sigeberht.


date: December 8

text: December 8 – Du Fu, Chinese poet, returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuan Zong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion.

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Tassilo III, duke of Bavaria, recognizes the supremacy of King Pepin III ("the Short") at an assembly held at Compiègne (Northern France), and becomes a vassal of the Frankish Kingdom. He swears an oath (commendatio) to Pepin, and promises his allegiance.


text: The Warfajuma Berbers and their Sufrite allies sweep up from southern Tunisia and capture Kairouan, killing Emir Habib Al-Fihri and putting an end to the Fihrid dynasty. In the meantime, the Ibadites that Ibn Habib had driven out of Tripoli return, rallied by their imam Abu al-Khattab al-Ma'afiri in Jebel Nefusa, the Ibadites recapture Tripoli.


text: Battle of Suiyang: A Tang garrison (7,000 men) under Zhang Xun defend their fortress against the rebel army at Suiyang. Zhang makes multiple attempts to get food from nearby fortresses, but this is refused. After a desperate 10-month siege, Suiyang is overrun by rebel forces who take the city. Because of famine an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 citizens are cannibalized, only 400 people are left.


text: The city of Sijilmasa (modern Morocco) is founded by the Miknasa, a Zenata Berber tribe. They adopt Kharijism-Islam, and establish the Emirate of Sijilmasa in the northern Sahara. It becomes a wealthy trading center as the western end-point of the Trans-Saharan trade.


date: January 29

text: January 29 – An Lushan, leader of a revolt and emperor of Yan, is murdered by his own son An Qingxu at Luoyang. He succeeds his father, and appoints Shi Siming as his deputy. The military leaders of the Tang Dynasty are able to retake both of the capitals at Chang'an and at Luoyang. The rebel army is forced to retreat east.


text: King Sigeberht of Wessex acts unjustly and is removed from power by a council of nobles, in favor of Cynewulf. Sigeberht is given control of Hampshire, probably as ealdorman, but he murders one of his own men and is driven out.


text: King Æthelbald of Mercia is murdered by his own household in a palace coup. He is succeeded briefly by Beornred, but he is, in turn, ousted by Æthelbald's distant cousin, Offa. In the meantime, Mercian supremacy over Southern England is lost.


date: March 9

text: March 9 – A major earthquake strikes Palestine and Syria.

source_section: Events › By topic › Catastrophe


date: April 26

text: April 26 – Hisham I, Muslim emir (d. 796)


text: Gisela, Frankish abbess (d. 810)


text: Liu Ji, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 810)


text: Hildegard of the Vinzgau, Frankish queen and wife of Charlemagne (approximate date; d. 783)


text: Yeshe Tsogyal, consort of Trisong Detsen (d. 817)


date: March 14

text: March 14 – Li Lin, prince of the Tang Dynasty


text: April 26 – Stephen II, pope of the Catholic Church


text: April 26 – Pope Stephen II dies at Rome after a 5-year reign, in which he has freed the papacy from Byzantine rule. Stephen allies with Pepin III against the Lombards, and becomes the first temporal sovereign of the Papal States. He is succeeded by his brother Paul I, as the 93rd pope of the Catholic Church.


text: Tachibana no Naramaro, Japanese statesman (b. 721)


text: Cummascach mac Flainn, king of Uí Failghe (Ireland)


text: Li Tan, prince of the Tang Dynasty


text: King Alfonso I ("the Catholic") dies at Cangas (modern Spain), after an 18-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Fruela I as ruler of Asturias.


text: Bertha of Bingen, German saint


text: Baldred of Tyninghame, Anglo-Saxon abbot


text: Geshu Han, general of the Tang Dynasty


text: An Lushan, Chinese rebel leader


text: Habib ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri, Arab noble


text: Zhang Xun, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 709)


text: Tachibana no Moroe, Japanese prince (b. 684)


text: Empress Kōken abdicates the throne, after a 9-year reign. She is succeeded by her adopted son Junnin, grandson of the late emperor Tenmu. He becomes the 47th emperor (tennō) of Japan.


text: Desiderius deposes Alboin, duke of Spoleto (Central Italy), and exercises ducal authority himself, tying the duchy more closely to the Lombard capital of Pavia.


date: June

text: June – Abbasid Arabs and Uyghur Turks arrive simultaneously at the Tang capital of Chang'an, in order to offer tribute to the imperial court. The Arabs and Turks bicker and fight over diplomatic prominence at the gate, to present tribute before the other. A settlement is reached when both are allowed to enter at the same time, but through different gates to the palace.


text: An Lushan Rebellion: The Chinese seaport of Guangzhou is sacked by Muslim and Persian raiders. The port is shut down for the next 5 decades, while foreign vessels dock at Hanoi (modern Vietnam) instead. Guangzhou thrives again, once it is reopened to foreign trade in the early 9th century.


text: A group of four Basra-educated missionaries, including 'Abd al-Rahman Iban Rustam, proclaim the Ibadi imamate. Followers conquer the city of Kairouan (modern Tunisia), and massacre the Kharijites.


text: Summer – Duke Liutprand of Benevento attains majority, and rebels against Lombard rule. King Desiderius defeats him, and grants his duchy to Arechis II (son of Liutprand). He marries Adelperga, daughter of Desiderius, and establishes friendly (but largely independent) relations with the Lombard Kingdom.


text: King Cynewulf of Wessex retakes Berkshire from the Mercians, and begins a war with the Welsh (approximate date).


text: King Eadberht of Northumbria abdicates the throne in favour of his son, Oswulf. He enters the monastery attached to the cathedral of York.


text: Nikephoros, son of Constantine V (or 756)


text: Li Jifu, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 814)


text: Sico of Benevento, Lombard prince (approximate date)


text: Li Fengji, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 835)


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


text: Theophanes the Confessor, Byzantine monk (or 760)


text: Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Japanese shōgun (d. 811)


text: Hyegong, king of Silla (Korea) (d. 780)


text: Adrian, Count of Orléans, brother in law of Charlemagne and uncle of Louis the Pious (d. c. 821)


text: Wang Zhixing, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 836)


text: Wu Yuanheng, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 815)


text: Beorna, king of East Anglia (approximate date)


text: King Beorna of East Anglia dies. Prince Æthelred, descendant of the late king Rædwald, apparently succeeds as king (approximate date).


text: Chen Xilie, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: King Swithred of Essex dies after a 12-year reign. He is succeeded by Sigeric, son of the late king Saelred (see 709).


text: An Lushan Rebellion: Tang forces under Guo Ziyi lay siege to the city of Yanjing (Northern China) as they increase their efforts to end the rebellion. The fighting creates such a shortage of food within its walls that rats sell at enormous prices.


text: Siege of Narbonne: The Franks under King Pepin III ("the Short") retake Narbonne from the Muslims, after a 7-year siege. He pushes them back across the Pyrenees, and the Muslims retreat to the Andalusian heartland after 40 years of occupation. The government of the city is assigned to the Visigothic count Miló.


text: Battle of the Rishki Pass: Emperor Constantine V invades Bulgaria again, but his forces are ambushed and defeated while crossing the Rishki Pass, near Stara Planina (modern Bulgaria). The Bulgarian ruler (khagan) Vinekh does not exploit his success, and begins peace negotiations.


date: December 24

text: December 24 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.


text: The Tōshōdai-ji Buddhist Temple is founded in Nara, Japan.


text: Caliph al-Mansur of the Abbasid Caliphate launches the conquest of Tabaristan (on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea). Its ruler, Khurshid II, flees into the mountainous region of Daylam.


date: July 24

text: July 24 – King Oswulf of Northumbria is murdered by members of his own household (his servants or bodyguards), at Market Weighton. The Deiran patrician, Æthelwald Moll, who probably conspired in the regicide, is crowned king of Northumbria. He may have been a descendant of the late king Oswine of Deira.


text: Exceptional winter in England: Frost begins October 1, and ends February 26, 760.


text: Otomo no Yakamochi, Japanese general, compiles the first Japanese poetry anthology, Man'yōshū. It contains some 500 poems by Japanese poets who include the emperor, noblemen and commoners.


text: Gregory of Khandzta, Georgian archimandrite (d. 861)


text: Theodore the Studite, Byzantine abbot (d. 826)


text: Wu Yantong, Chinese Buddhist monk (approximate date)


text: Alfonso II, king of Asturias (d. 842)


text: Asad ibn al-Furat, Muslim jurist and theologian (d. 828)


text: Wang Shizhen, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 809)


text: Quan Deyu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 818)


text: July 24 – Oswulf, king of Northumbria


text: Othmar, Swiss abbot (approximate date)


text: Dúngal mac Amalgado, king of Brega (Ireland)


text: Wang Wei, Chinese poet (b. 699)


year_label: 76 CE

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

source_title: AD 76

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Governor Sextus Julius Frontinus subdues the Silures and other hostile tribes of Wales, establishing a fortress at Caerleon or Isca Augusta for Legio II Augusta, and makes a network of smaller forts for his auxiliary forces.


text: Pope Anacletus I succeeds Pope Linus as the third pope of the Catholic Church (according to the official Vatican list).


section: Science & Discovery

text: Chinese historian Ban Gu develops a theory of the origins of the universe.

source_section: Events › By topic › Art and Science


text: First year of Jianchu era of the Chinese Han dynasty. (Clarification needed as to the meaning of this)


date: January 24

text: January 24 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (d. 138)

source_section: Births


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

source_section: Deaths


text: Marcus Vettius Bolanus, Roman politician and governor (b. 33 AD)


text: Quintus Asconius Pedianus, Roman historian (b. 9 BC)


text: Nicanor the Deacon, Greek missionary and martyr


text: The Maya city of Dos Pilas (modern Guatemala) is abandoned, after the Tamarindito and Petexbatún centres revolt against their Dos Pilas overlord.


text: Battle of Hereford: The Welsh kingdoms of Brycheiniog, Gwent and Powys defeat the Mercians under King Offa at Hereford. They free themselves from the influence of the Anglo-Saxons.


text: Frankish King Pepin III ("the Short") begins his expedition to Septimania and Aquitaine. He conquers the cities of Carcassonne, Toulouse, Rodez and Albi. Duke Waifer of Aquitaine confiscates the Church lands, and plunders Burgundy. Pepin invades Aquitanian-held Berry and the Auvergne, capturing the fortresses of Bourbon and Clermont. Waifer's Basque troops are defeated by the Franks, and deported into northern France with their children and wives.


text: The Kingdom of Nanzhao (Nanchao) in modern-day southern China expands into the Irrawaddy River region, first into Burma, then down into northern Laos and Thailand (approximate date).


text: Offa's Dyke is constructed around this time, according to the traditional history of this defensive earthwork. This 150 mi km earthwork marks the current border with the Welsh kingdoms, between England and Wales (approximate date). However, modern analysis of Offa's Dyke suggests that it was built in the 5th century, well before the reign of King Offa.


text: The Kailasa Temple is built on the orders of King Krishna I, of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (modern India) (approximate date).


text: The Church of Santa Sophia is founded by the Lombard duke Arechis II in Benevento (approximate date).


text: Bregowine is appointed archbishop of Canterbury in England.


text: Lu Yu begins writing The Classic of Tea.


text: Former emperor Xuanzong is placed under house arrest by the eunuch official Li Fuguo, with the support of Xuanzong's son, Suzong. Li Fuguo is appointed commander of the Imperial Guards, possessing nearly absolute power during Suzong's reign.


text: Theodulf, bishop of Orléans (approximate date)


text: Theophanes the Confessor, Byzantine monk (or 758)


text: Sibawayh, Persian linguist and grammarian (approximate date)


text: Zhang Hongjing, Chinese chancellor (d. 824)


text: Angilbert, Frankish diplomat and abbot (approximate date)


text: Jonas, bishop of Orléans (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Otomuro, Japanese empress consort (d. 790)


text: Wei Guanzhi, Chinese chancellor (d. 821)


text: Thomas the Slav, Byzantine general (approximate date)


date: October 26

text: October 26 – Cuthbert, archbishop of Canterbury


text: Liutprand, duke of Benevento (approximate date)


text: Dumnagual III, king of Alt Clut (Scotland)


text: Kōmyō, empress of Japan (b. 701)


text: Wu Daozi, Chinese painter (approximate date)


text: Muiredach mac Murchado, king of Leinster (Ireland)


text: Gangulphus, Burgundian courtier


date: August 6

text: August 6 – Battle of Eildon: King Æthelwald Moll of Northumbria faces a rebellion, under a rival claimant to the throne named Oswine, brother of the murdered King Oswulf of Northumbria. Oswine is killed after a three-day battle against the forces of Æthelwald in Scotland.


text: Bridei V succeeds his brother Óengus I as king of the Picts (modern Scotland).


text: An Abbasid Caliphate army reconquers the city of Kairouan (in modern-day Tunisia), from 'Abd al-Rahmān ibn Rustam of the Rustamid dynasty. The latter is forced to flee west, where he creates an autonomous state around Tihert (Tiaret).

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate


text: The Japanese priest Dōkyō cures Empress Kōken by using prayers and potions. He may have become her lover and certainly becomes her court favorite, arousing the jealousy of Emperor Junnin.


text: The city of Oviedo (Northern Spain) is founded by the monks Nolan and John (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Construction is completed on the 108-room Castello di Lunghezza outside of Rome, Italy.


text: Khurshid II, the last ruler (spāhbed) of Tabaristan, poisons himself when he learns that his family has been captured by the Abbasids.


text: A great Chinese famine in the Huai-Yangtze area, late in the year, drives many people to cannibalism (approximate date).


text: Wu Chongyin, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 827)


text: Shun Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 806)


date: December 23

text: December 23 – Gaubald, bishop of Regensburg


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


text: Khurshid II, ruler (spāhbed) of Tabaristan (b. 734)


text: Ibn Ishaq, Arab historian and hagiographer (or 767)


text: Shi Siming, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 703)


text: Empress Xin of China (b. unknown date)


date: September 25

text: September 25 – The Alid Revolt begins: Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya raises the banner against the Abbasids at Medina, followed by his brother Ibrahim ibn Abdallah at Basra in early 763. Muhammad's rebellion is suppressed, and he is killed by Abbasid troops under Isa ibn Musa.


text: Al-Ala ibn Mugith, supporter of the Abbasid cause, is defeated by the Umayyad emir of al-Andalus, Abd al-Rahman I, at Beja (modern-day Portugal).


date: July 30

text: July 30 – Caliph al-Mansur moves the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate from Kufa to the new capital of Baghdad.


text: Schäftlarn Abbey (Bavaria) is founded by Waltrich, a Benedictine monk of noble family, south of modern-day Munich, Germany.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: King Æthelwald of Northumbria marries his queen, Æthelthryth, at Catterick (North Yorkshire).


text: Æthelred I, king of Northumbria (d. 796)


text: Sayyida Nafisa, Arab scholar (d. 824)


text: Li Bai, (also Li Po), Chinese poet (b. 701)


text: Milo, Frankish bishop (or 763)


text: Vinekh, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a six-year reign. He is succeeded by Telets, ending the rule of the Vokil clan, and beginning the reign of the Ugain clan.


text: Li Fuguo, Chinese official and eunuch (b. 704)


text: Xuan Zong, emperor of Tang dynasty (b. 685)


text: Su Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 711)


text: The Chinese official Li Fuguo murders Empress Zhang, wife of Emperor Su Zong. Shortly afterward Su Zong dies of a heart attack; he is succeeded by his son Dai Zong, who kills Li by sending assassins.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Gao Lishi, Chinese official and eunuch (b. 684)


text: Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, Arab rebel leader


text: Zhang, empress of the Tang dynasty


text: King Æthelbert II of Kent dies, and is succeeded by his nephew Eadberht II. He possibly rules all Kent for a time. Sigered, probably an East Saxon, succeeds in West Kent. Eadberht dies after a short reign, followed by Ealhmund as ruler of Kent.


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


date: January 21

text: January 21 – Battle of Bakhamra: The Abbasid army under Isa ibn Musa defeats the Alids, and puts an end to their rebellion. The power of the Abbasid dynasty is consolidated.


date: February 17

text: February 17 – An Lushan Rebellion: Emperor Shi Chaoyi hangs himself to avoid being captured by Tang troops sent by the renegade Li Huaixian, ending the 7-year rebellion against the Tang dynasty in China.


text: June – Battle of Anchialus: Emperor Constantine V sends a Byzantine expeditionary force (800 ships and 9,600 cavalry) to Thrace, to defend the fortress city of Anchialus on the Black Sea Coast. Meanwhile, Telets, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, blocks the mountain passes and takes positions on the heights near Anchialus. During a desperate cavalry charge, the Bulgars are defeated and many are captured; Telets manages to escape. Constantine enters Constantinople in triumph, and kills all the prisoners.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


date: August

text: August – Byzantine troops invade the Papal States, in alliance with King Desiderius of the Lombards. King Pepin III ("the Short") intervenes, and begins negotiations between the Lombards and Pope Paul I. Desiderius promises to end the hostilities, but on condition that Pepin sends back Lombard hostages held by the Franks.


date: November 18

text: November 18 – Forces of the Tibetan Empire, under Trisong Detsen, occupy the Tang capital of Chang'an (modern Xi'an) for 15 days, and install a puppet emperor. Tibetans take over the horse pastures.


text: In 763 Al-Mansur sent his troops to conquer Al-Andalus for the Abbasid empire. But the ruler Abd al-Rahman I successfully defended his territory. Al-Mansur withdrew and thereafter focused his troops on holding the eastern part of his empire on lands that were once part of Persia.


text: Ciniod I succeeds Bridei V, as king of the Picts (modern Scotland).


text: Wang, empress of the Tang dynasty (d. 816)


text: Harun al-Rashid, Muslim caliph (or 766)


date: July 2

text: July 2 – Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat ("Rising Sun") becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Copán in Honduras after the death of Kʼakʼ Yipyaj Chan Kʼawiil, who had reigned since 749. Yax Pasaj reigns until 810.


date: November 20

text: November 20 – Domnall Midi, High King of Ireland


text: Fang Guan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 697)


text: Wei Jiansu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 687)


text: Jianzhen, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 688)


text: Shi Chaoyi, emperor of the Yan (Anshi) state


date: October 14

text: October 14–21 – Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion: A short-lived revolt led by Fujiwara no Nakamaro is suppressed. Emperor Junnin is deposed after a 6-year reign, and forced into exile. Former empress Kōken reassumes the imperial throne of Japan, and takes the name Shōtoku. She appoints her close associate, the priest Dōkyō, prime minister (taishi), running the government with him. Nakamaro is captured and killed with his wife and children.


text: King Offa of Mercia conquers Kent, and brings an end to the rule of kings Ealhmund and Sigered in West Kent. He imposes Mercian overlordship on the kingdom, but allows a local king, Heaberht, to rule there.


text: According to the historian Theophanes the Confessor, icebergs float past Constantinople from the Black Sea (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Geography


text: Cancor, a Frankish count (possibly of Hesbaye), founds Lorsch Abbey (modern-day Germany).


text: Domenico Monegario is deposed, after Pope Paul I demanded donations from Venice. Monegario is blinded and exiled, and succeeded by Maurizio Galbaio as the 7th doge of Venice. During his reign, Venetian wealth is increased via trade.


text: Fujiwara no Nakanari, Japanese nobleman (d. 810)


text: Abu Thawr, Muslim scholar (d. 854)


text: Tian Hongzheng, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 821)


text: Al-Hadi, Muslim caliph (d. 786)


text: Li Jiang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 830)


date: January 17

text: January 17 – Joseph of Freising, German bishop


text: Stephen the Younger, Byzantine theologian (or 765)


text: Abdallah ibn Ali, Muslim general


text: Arwa bint Mansur al-Himyari, wife of caliph al-Mansur.


text: Fujiwara no Nakamaro, Japanese statesman (b. 706)


text: Bregowine, archbishop of Canterbury


text: The Zenata Berber tribe of Banu Ifran rebels against the Abbasid Caliphate, and creates an independent state centered around Tlemcen (modern Algeria). Their tribal chief Abu Qurra rebuilds the city (formerly, the Roman colonia Pomaria).


text: King Æthelwald of Northumbria is deposed at Pincanheale, possibly at a gathering of his own magnates. He is succeeded by Alhred, a distant cousin of the late king Oswulf.


text: King Pepin III ("the Short") restores the papal privileges (see Donation of Pepin) in Benevento and Tuscany territory (and partially in Spoleto).


text: European writings make the first known mention of a three-field system in use in medieval Europe. The crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. Under this system, the land of an estate or village is divided into three large fields, and makes a given section of land productive 2 years out of 3, instead of every other year (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Agriculture


text: The Annals of Tigernach tell of a shortage of bread in Ireland.


text: Han Hong, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 823)


text: Ali al-Ridha, Shī‘ah Imām and Muslim scholar (d. 818)


text: Pei Du, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 839)


text: Fastrada, Frankish queen consort (d. 794)


date: September 27

text: September 27 – Pugu Huai'en, Chinese general during the Tang dynasty


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


text: Ja'far al-Sadiq, sixth Shī‘ah Imām and Muslim scholar (b. 702)


text: Wang Changling, Chinese poet and official (b. 698)


text: Fujiwara no Toyonari, Japanese politician (b. 704)


text: Gyeongdeok, king of Silla (Korea)


text: Domnall Midi, High King of Ireland


text: Stephen the Younger, Byzantine theologian (or 764)


text: Flaithbertach mac Loingsig, High King of Ireland


text: Tello, bishop of Chur (approximate date)


text: Junnin, emperor of Japan (b. 733)


text: Miao Jinqing, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 685)


text: Autumn – Siege of Kamacha: Abbasid forces under al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba are defeated at the fortress city of Kamacha, in eastern Cappadocia (modern Turkey). A Byzantine relief army (12,000 men) forces the Abbasids to retreat into Armenia.


text: The Karluks defeat the Turgesh Khaganate in Central Asia. Most of Turkestan (former Onoq territory) falls under Karluk rule, except west of Lake Aral, where the loose confederation of the Oghuz Turks is about to emerge.


text: Sabin, ruler (khagan) of Bulgaria, flees to the Byzantine fortress city of Mesembria, from where he escapes to Constantinople. Constantine V arranges for the transfer of Sabin's family from Bulgaria.


date: August 25

text: August 25 – Emperor Constantine V publicly humiliates 19 high-ranking officials in the Hippodrome of Constantinople, after discovering a plot against him. He executes the leaders, Constantine Podopagouros and his brother Strategios, and blinds and exiles the rest.


text: Baghdad nears completion as up to 100,000 labourers create a circular city about 1 or 2 km in diameter (depending on the source). In the center of the "Round City" is a palace built for Caliph al-Mansur. The capital is ringed by three lines of walls (approximate date).


text: Summer – Patriarch Constantine II is deposed and jailed, after the discovery of Constantine Podopagouros' plot against Constantine V. Nicetas I is appointed patriarch of Constantinople.


text: Metten Abbey, near the town of Deggendorf (Bavaria), is founded by Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch.


text: Ali al-Ridha, 8th Shia Imam (d. 818)


text: Li Cheng, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Al-Fadl ibn Yahya al-Barmaki, Muslim governor (d. 808)


text: Zhang Ji, Chinese scholar and poet (approximate date)


text: Harun al-Rashid, Muslim caliph (or 763)


date: March 6

text: March 6 – Chrodegang, Frankish bishop


text: August 25 – Strategios Podopagouros, Byzantine general


text: August 25 – Constantine Podopagouros, Byzantine official


text: Fujiwara no Matate, Japanese nobleman (b. 715)


text: Fallomon mac Con Congalt, king of Mide (Ireland)


text: Abdullah al-Aftah, Shī‘ah Imam and Muslim scholar


text: Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath al-Khuza'i, Muslim governor


text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Constantine V invades Bulgaria across the Balkan Mountains, setting afire some settlements around the Bulgarian capital of Pliska. Constantine accepts a peace agreement with Pagan, the Bulgar ruler (khagan), whose land is in anarchy.