text: 12th of Artemisios (12th of Iyar, about May 11) – Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. The Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans start building a circumvallation; all trees within 90 stadia (ca. fifteen kilometres) of the city are cut down.


year_label: 70 CE

section: Conflict & Security

text: 14th of Xanthikos (14th of Nisan, about April 14) – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus surrounds the Jewish capital, with three legions (V Macedonica, XII Fulminata and XV Apollinaris) on the western side and a fourth (X Fretensis) on the Mount of Olives to the east. He puts pressure on the food and water supplies of the inhabitants by allowing pilgrims to enter the city to celebrate Passover and then refusing them egress.

source_title: AD 70

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Vespasian disbands four Rhine legions (I Germanica, IV Macedonica, XV Primigenia and XVI Gallica), disgraced for having surrendered or lost their eagles during the revolt of Julius Civilis.


text: 7th of Artemisios (7th of Iyar, about May 6) – The Third Wall of Jerusalem collapses and the Jews withdraw from Bezetha to the Second Wall, where the defences are unorganized.


text: Sextus Julius Frontinus is praetor of Rome. Legio II Adiutrix is created from marines of Classis Ravennatis.


text: About April 21 – Titus opens a full-scale assault on Jerusalem, concentrating his attack on the city's Third Wall (HaHoma HaShlishit) to the northwest. The Roman army begins trying to breach the wall using testudos, mantlets, siege towers, and battering rams.


section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Pliny the Elder serves as procurator in Gallia Narbonensis.


text: Romans make a punitive expedition against the Garamantes – they are forced to have an official relationship with the Roman Empire.


text: Expedition by the Roman Septimius Flaccus to southern Egypt. He probably reaches Sudan.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


text: Neapolis (present-day Nablus) is founded in Iudaea Province.


section: Religion & Belief

text: Members of the Oneida Community, a now non-existent religious group formed in the 19th century, believed this was the year Jesus Christ returned.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Following the destruction of Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin moved to Jamnia.


text: Pentecost (Shavuot, 6th of Sivan, about June 4) – Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem feel a quaking and hear "a sound as of a great multitude saying, Let us remove hence".


text: 17th of Panemos (17th of Tammuz), about July 14) – Sacrifices cease in the temple.


section: Health & Medicine

text: Annexation of the island of Samothrace by the Roman Empire under Vespasian.


section: Disasters & Accidents

text: 8th of Gorpiaios (8th of Elul, about September 2) – Romans gain control of all of Jerusalem and proceed to burn it and kill its remaining residents, except for some who are taken captive to be killed later or enslaved.


text: 24th of Panemos (about July 20) – Romans set fire to a cloister after the capture of the Fortress of Antonia, north of the Temple Mount. The Romans are drawn into street fighting with the Zealots.


text: 10th of Loios (9th or 10th of Av, about August 4) – Titus destroys the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Roman troops are stationed in Jerusalem and abolish the Jewish high priesthood and Sanhedrin. This becomes known as the Fall of Jerusalem, a conclusive event in the First Jewish–Roman War (the Jewish Revolt), which began in 66 AD. Following this event, the Jewish religious leadership moves from Jerusalem to Jamnia (present-day Yavne), and this date is mourned annually as the Jewish fast of Tisha B'Av.


section: Climate & Environment

text: A flood in the yellow river returns the river north of Shandong, to essentially its present course

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Panic strikes Rome as adverse winds delay grain shipments from Africa and Egypt, producing a bread shortage. Ships laden with wheat from North Africa sail 300 miles to Rome's port of Ostia in 3 days, and the 1,000 mile voyage from Alexandria averages 13 days. The vessels often carry 1,000 tons each to provide the city with the 8,000 tons per week it normally consumes.


section: Culture & Society

text: Later Roman emperor Domitian marries Domitia Longina.


text: India sees the end of the Hellenistic dynasties.


section: Births

text: Gaius Julius Quadratus Bassus, Roman politician (d. AD 117)

source_section: Births


text: Marinus of Tyre, Greek geographer and writer (d. AD 130)


text: Menelaus of Alexandria, Greek mathematician (d. AD 140)


text: Demonax, Greek Cynic philosopher (approximate date)


section: Deaths

text: Phannias ben Samuel, high priest of Israel

source_section: Deaths


text: Gaius Dillius Vocula, Roman general (murdered)


text: Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, Roman writer


text: Simeon ben Gamliel, Jewish leader (nasi)


text: Emperor Suinin of Japan, according to legend.


text: Eleazar ben Simon, Jewish leader of the Zealots


text: Hero of Alexandria, Greek mathematician and engineer


text: Simon bar Giora, Jewish leader (executed)


text: Lucius Calpurnius Piso, Roman consul and governor


text: Malichus II, Roman client king of Nabatea


section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: The Eóganachta, an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel, begins to dominate southern Ireland (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: King Ine of Wessex begins to dispense with Wessex sub-kings and replace them with ealdormen (approximate date).


text: Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the palace, extends the Frankish Kingdom and annexes Thuringia. He turns the war towards the Alemanni (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: The Wariʼ people invade and occupy the Cuzco Valley (modern Peru) in the southern highlands (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › South America


text: Musa ibn Nusayr defeats the Berber forces in Algeria, ending resistance against the Arabs (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


text: Raginpert, duke of Turin, deposes King Liutpert after an eight months' reign. He usurps the Lombard throne and puts his son Aripert in line for the succession.


text: The Umayyad prince Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik captures the Byzantine stronghold of Theodosiopolis in Armenia.


text: Avar and Slavic tribes conquer Byzantine territories in the Balkans, occupying lands as far south as the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Hamwic emerges as a major Wessex trading town (approximate date).


text: Diquis culture (modern Costa Rica) starts in Central America (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Mesoamerica


text: Willibrord, Anglo-Saxon missionary, founds a mission post at Emmerich am Rhein (Germany), in the Utrecht Diocese.


text: The African slave trade through the Sahara is so extensive that the town of Zawila (Tunisia) is established.


text: The famous Catholic Eucharistic Miracle occurs in Lanciano (Italy).


text: The Amida Buddha, a fresco in the kon-dō (Hōryū-ji Temple), is made (Nara period) (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Art


text: Mohammad ibn al-Ash'ath revolts against Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in the Sistan and Balochistan regions (Iran).


text: Adomnán, Irish abbot, convinces 51 kings to adopt the Cáin Adomnáin, which defines the relationship between women and priests.


text: King Geraint of Dumnonia receives a letter from Aldhelm, bishop of Sherborne, who insists that the Celtic Church comply with the doctrines of Rome.


text: The Lindisfarne Gospels, an illuminated manuscript (Gospel Book), is produced in Northumbria.


text: The Beverley Grammar School (East Yorkshire) is founded by bishop John of Beverley (approximate date).


text: Maya civilization: Tikal Temple I, called the "Temple of the Giant Jaguar" (tomb of Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil I), Tikal, (Guatemala), is built.


text: The Moche culture in the northern part of modern day Peru collapses, largely due to environmental problems and/or political and social unrest (approximate date).


text: The Mount Edziza volcanic complex erupts in northern British Columbia, Canada.

source_section: Events › By place › North America


text: Queen Cuthburh of Northumbria enters religious life. The Anglo-Saxon religious community at St. Mary's Nunnery is re-founded.


text: Willibald, bishop of Eichstätt (approximate date)


text: Adrian I, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 795)


text: Gregory of Utrecht, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: Vergilius, bishop of Salzburg (approximate date)


text: Pirmin, Visigothic abbot (approximate date)


text: Paul I, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 767)


text: Kim Daeseong, Korean minister (d. 774)


text: Dōkyō, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 772)


text: Gaubald, bishop of Regensburg (approximate date)


text: Ja'far al-Sadiq, Shī‘ah Imām and scholar (or 702)


date: February 3

text: February 3 - Werburgh, Anglo-Saxon princess


date: November 11

text: November 11 - Di Renjie, official of the Tang dynasty (b. 630)


text: Hassan ibn al-Nu'man, Muslim emir (general)


text: Asparuh of Bulgaria, founder of the country of Bulgaria


text: King Cunipert dies after a 12-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Liutpert. He rules the Lombard Kingdom together with Ansprand, duke of Asti, as regent.


text: Cunipert, king of the Lombards


text: Fiannamail ua Dúnchado, king of Dál Riata


text: Osgyth, Anglo-Saxon abbess and saint


text: Dōshō, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 629)


text: The Gagakuryo (Bureau of Court Music) is formed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Numerous types of music and dance are performed.

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


text: Emperor Monmu becomes sole proprietor of all the nation's land, through a codification of political law (Code of Taihō).


text: Arab conquest of Armenia: Umayyad prince Muhammad ibn Marwan invades the Byzantine Armenian provinces east of the Euphrates; local commander Baanes surrenders before a large Arab army, and the population accepts a Muslim governor.


text: Battle of Dayr al-Jamajim: Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan sends Syrian troops to reinforce the Muslim army of Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. He faces a 200,000-man army under Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath near Kufa (modern Iraq). Al-Ash'ath is defeated, and his rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate fails.


text: Arab merchants introduce Oriental spices into Mediterranean markets. Muslim merchant vessels visit the Maluku Islands (South East Asia) for the first time (approximate date).


text: Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula destroy the then-Axum-controlled port of Adulis, thus causing the decline of Ethiopian Christianity on the African Red Sea coast (approximate date).


date: May 19

text: May 19 – Li Bai (or Li Po), Chinese poet (d. 762)


date: September 22

text: September 22 – Shōmu, emperor of Japan (d. 756)


text: Kōmyō, empress of Japan (d. 760)


text: Yazid III, Muslim caliph (d. 744)


date: September 8

text: September 8 – Pope Sergius I dies at Rome after a 14-year reign. He is succeeded by John VI as the 85th pope of the Catholic Church.


date: October 8

text: October 8 – Prince Yide (Li Chongrun), prince of the Tang dynasty, probable forced suicide (b. 682)


date: October 9

text: October 9 – Princess Yongtai (Li Xianhui), princess of the Tang dynasty, probable forced suicide (b. 685)


text: Raginpert dies, and King Liutpert (succeeded and deposed in 700) returns to the throne of the Lombards. Raginpert's son Aripert captures Liutpert at his capital in Pavia, and will have him strangled in his bath. Aripert becomes new ruler of the Lombard Kingdom in Italy.


text: Raginpert, usurping king of the Lombards


text: Asparuh, founder of the First Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 20-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Tervel, who becomes ruler (khan) of the Bulgarians.

source_section: Events › By place › Balkans


text: Asparuh, ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire


text: Egica, king of the Visigoths (or 703)


text: King Egica dies, possibly assassinated in a plot led by Roderic. He is succeeded by his son Wittiza as king of the Visigoths (approximate date).


text: Yŏn Namsan, military leader of Goguryeo (b. 639)


text: Arab conquest of Armenia: Large-scale Armenian rebellion against Muslim rule breaks out, with Byzantine support.


text: Muslim-Arabs under Musa ibn Nusayr conquer Tangier and Sous, taking control of all Morocco (approximate date).


text: Ethiopian (Axumite) raiders occupy the port of Jeddah (modern Saudi Arabia).


text: Hedan II, duke of Thuringia, completes the circular Marienkirche, in Fortress Marienberg near Würzburg (Germany).


text: Berhtwald, archbishop of Canterbury, calls the Council of Austerfield to decide the rights of Wilfrid, some-time bishop of York. He is offered Ripon Abbey if he will relinquish his claims as bishop. Wilfrid rejects this offer and appeals to Rome.


text: Ōnakatomi no Kiyomaro, Japanese nobleman (d. 788)


text: Ja'far al-Sadiq, sixth Shī‘ah Imām and Muslim scholar (d. 765)


date: February 20

text: February 20 – Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II, ruler (ajaw) of Palenque, dies after an 18-year reign. He is succeeded by his brother Kʼinich Kʼan Joy Chitam II.


text: Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II, ruler of Palenque (b. 635)


text: Liutpert, king of the Lombards


text: Berlinda of Meerbeke, Frankish nun and saint (approximate date)


text: Muiredach Muillethan, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra, Arab general and governor of Basra


text: Chen Zi'ang, Chinese poet and official of the Tang dynasty (b. 661)


text: Ōku, Japanese princess (b. 661)


text: Arab–Byzantine War: The Umayyad army under Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik captures Mopsuestia in Cilicia from the Byzantines, and refortifies it, making it the first major Muslim stronghold in the area that will later become the Thughur.


text: High King Loingsech mac Óengusso and his forces are routed during an invasion of Connacht (Ireland). He is killed by the men of King Cellach mac Rogallaig (approximate date).


text: Musa ibn Nusayr, governor of Ifriqiya (western Libya), builds a Muslim fleet to harass the Byzantine navy and conquer the islands of Ibiza, Mallorca, and Menorca (approximate date).


text: Wilfrid, Anglo-Saxon bishop, travels to Rome again, and is supported in his struggle to retain his see of York by the pope. On his way Wilfrid stops in Frisia (modern Netherlands), to visit Willibrord.


text: Elias I becomes Catholicos of All Armenians.


text: An Lushan, Chinese rebel leader (approximate date)


text: Shi Siming, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 761)


date: January 13

text: January 13 – Jitō, empress of Japan (b. 645)


date: March 20

text: March 20 – Wulfram, archbishop of Sens


text: Ergica, king of the Visigoths (or 701)


text: Faroald II, duke of Spoleto, attacks the Exarchate of Ravenna in Italy, after the death of his father Thrasimund I. King Aripert II of the Lombards, desiring good relations with the Byzantine Empire and papacy, refuses to assist him.


text: Ermenilda of Ely, Anglo-Saxon abbess (approximate date)


text: Loingsech mac Óengusso, high king of Ireland


text: Thrasimund I, duke (dux) of Spoleto


text: King Æthelred I abdicates the throne after a 30-year reign and becomes an abbot at Bardney (Lincolnshire). He is succeeded by his nephew Cenred (Coenred), a son of the late king Wulfhere, who becomes ruler of Mercia.


text: Arab conquest of Armenia: The Muslim Arabs under Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik (a son of caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan) invade Armenia and subdue the anti-Arab revolt along with his uncle Muhammad ibn Marwan.


text: Emperor Tridu Songtsen dies in battle, and is succeeded by his mother Khri ma lod, who becomes de facto ruler of the Tibetan Empire. She begins a massive expansion into the Tarim Basin and Northern China.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: A Byzantine expeditionary force under Heraclius (brother of Tiberios III) defeats and destroys an Umayyad army (10,000 men) at Sisium (modern Turkey) under Yazid ibn Hunayn, killing most and leading the others off in chains to Constantinople.


text: Autumn – Emperor Tiberios III tries to bribe Busir and dispatches two Khazar officials, Papatzys and Balgitzin, to kill Justinian. Warned by his wife, he flees to the Bulgar Khanate, securing the assistance of the Bulgarian ruler Tervel, in exchange for financial considerations.


text: After spending nearly a decade with the Khazars (a Turkic tribe which controls a Steppe empire), the deposed emperor Justinian II flees from his exile at Cherson (Crimea). He escapes with help from Busir, ruler (khagan) of the Khazars, who marries him to his sister Theodora.


text: Winter – Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik is recalled from Armenia to serve as governor of Egypt. He requires that government business be done in Arabic instead of Coptic. His tenure is marred by famine and corruption.


text: Hyecho, Korean Buddhist monk (d. 787)


text: Ibn Ishaq, Arab historian and hagiographer


text: Gao Shi, Chinese poet (approximate date)


text: Me Agtsom, emperor of Tibet (d. 755)


text: Li Fuguo, Chinese official (d. 762)


text: Fujiwara no Toyonari, Japanese statesman (d. 765)


text: Cui Hao, Chinese poet (d. 754)


date: December 14

text: December 14 – Aldfrith, king of Northumbria (or 705)


text: December 14 – King Aldfrith of Northumbria dies after a 20-year reign. His throne is seized by Eadwulf I, of unknown descent. Wilfrid travels to Driffield to support Eadwulf, but his advances are rejected (approximate date).


text: Tridu Songtsen, emperor of Tibet (b. 670)


text: Adomnán, Irish abbot and hagiographer (b. c.624)


text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath, Arab rebel leader


text: Justinian II ascends to the throne again and rewards his ally Tervel, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, for his assistance with the title of kaisar (Caesar), which makes him second only to Justinian and the first foreign ruler in Byzantine history to receive such a title, and a territorial concession in northeastern Thrace, a region called Zagora in modern-day Bulgaria.


date: February 22

text: February 22 – Empress Wu Zetian is deposed in a coup d'état organized by her chancellor Zhang Jianzhi, after a 15-year reign. His chief ministers gain support from some generals to seize the imperial palace and execute the Zhang brothers. They reinstall her son Zhong Zong, whom she deposed 15 years ago, restoring the Tang dynasty. This marks the end of the short-lived Zhou dynasty in China.


text: Arab general Musa ibn Nusayr conquers the city of Tlemcen in Algeria; once and for all solidifying Al-Maghreb Al-Awsat (Modern-day Algeria), which makes way for the stabilization of the entirety of North Africa a couple years later.


text: Spring – An army of 15,000 Bulgar and Slav horsemen under Justinian II appear before the walls of Constantinople. After three days, his troops discover an unused water conduit under the walls of the city, and enter through the Valens Aqueduct. Hearing that Justinian has taken control of the Blachernae Palace, Emperor Tiberios III flees to Bithynia (modern Turkey), where he evades capture for several months.


text: Arab conquest of Armenia: Large-scale Armenian rebellion is suppressed by Muhammad ibn Marwan. He captures and deports Smbat VI Bagratuni and other leading princes. Many of the captured nakharar are gathered into churches and burned alive at Nakhchevan (modern Azerbaijan).


text: King Ine of Wessex becomes estranged from the kings Sigeheard and Swæfred of Essex, who are sheltering exiled rivals to the Wessex throne. At a council at Brentford, the latter agree to banish the exiles in return for Ine not attacking their kingdom.


text: Arab forces gain power in Central Asia, as Qutayba ibn Muslim becomes governor of Khorasan. The region has grown rich from trade with China and Eastern Europe, its merchants dealing in silk, furs, amber, honey, and walrus ivory. During his rule, Qutayba subjugates the mercantile cities of Bukhara and Samarkand (modern Uzbekistan), as well as the Oxus delta area of Khwarezm, south of the Aral Sea.


text: Duke Gisulf I of Benevento captures the cities of Sora, Arpino, and Arce (Central Italy). He marches as far as Horrea, plundering and burning, before he is confronted with gifts by the ambassadors of Pope John VI, who ransom many of his captives.


text: King Geraint of Dumnonia grants land at Maker (Cornwall) to Sherborne Abbey, in an attempt to strengthen his position in the disputed regions of Dorset (approximate date).


text: Al-Walid I commissions the construction of Al-Aqsa Mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem (approximate date).


text: Prince Osred of Northumbria, assisted by ealdorman, defeats the usurper Eadwulf I. He becomes king at the age of nine; the government is controlled by the powerful bishop Wilfrid.


text: Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, a hot spring hotel, is founded in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. It is the oldest hotel in the world and has been operated by the same family for 52 generations.


text: Amoghavajra, Chinese translator (d. 774)


text: Tiberius, son of Justinian II (d. 711)


text: Sturm, abbot of Fulda (approximate date)


text: Thingfrith, Earl of Mercia (approximate date)


date: January 11

text: January 11 – Pope John VI dies at Rome, after a reign of little more than 3 years. During his rule, he protected the Byzantine exarch Theophylactus, when he invaded the Italian mainland from Sicily. He also induced Gisulf I, Lombard duke of Benevento, to withdraw from Byzantine territory, ransomed captives and ordered the restoration of Wilfrid, as deposed bishop of York. He is succeeded by John VII as the 86th pope of the Catholic Church.


text: October 8 – Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Muslim caliph (b. 646)


text: October 8 – Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan dies in his winter resort at Al-Sinnabra (Palestine), after a 20-year reign. During his rule, the financial administration of the Umayyad Caliphate has been reorganized. Arab coins have replaced former Byzantine and Sassanian coins, and regular postal service has been established between Damascus and the provincial capitals. Abd al-Malik is succeeded by his son Al-Walid I.


date: December 16

text: December 16 – Wu Zetian, Empress of the Zhou Dynasty (b. 624)


text: Heraclius, Byzantine general (monostrategos)


text: Azza al-Mayla, Arabian qiyan-courtesan singer (approximate date)


text: Bosa, bishop of York (approximate date)


text: Cellach mac Rogallaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Hædde, bishop of Winchester (approximate date)


text: Varaz Trdat I, king of Caucasian Albania


text: Kallinikos I, patriarch of Constantinople (or 706)


text: Aldfrith, king of Northumbria (or 704)


text: Lambert of Maastricht, bishop (approximate date)


date: February 15

text: February 15 – Emperor Justinian II presides over the public humiliation of his predecessors, Leontios and Tiberios III, and their chief associates in the Hippodrome of Constantinople, after which they are executed. Patriarch Kallinikos I is also deposed, blinded and exiled to Rome, and succeeded by Kyros.


text: Berhtwald, archbishop of Canterbury, is obliged by the pope's insistence to call the Synod of Nidd (Northumbria).


text: Caliph Al-Walid I commissions the construction of the Great Mosque of Damascus (Syria).


section: Crime & Justice

text: Duke Corvulus of Friuli is arrested by King Aripert II of the Lombards, and has his eyes gouged out. He is replaced by Pemmo, who begins a war against the Slavs of Carinthia (modern Austria).


date: July 2

text: July 2 – Emperor Zhong Zong has the remains of his mother and recently deceased ruling empress Wu Zetian, her son Li Xian, her grandson Li Chongrun, and granddaughter Li Xianhui, all interred in the same tomb complex as his father and Wu Zetian's husband Gao Zong, outside Chang'an, known as the Qianling Mausoleum, located on Mount Liang, which will then remain unopened until 1960.

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Han Gan, Chinese painter (d. 783)


text: Eoppa, king of Wessex (d. 781)


text: Al-Walid II, Muslim caliph (d. 744)


text: Theudoald, nephew of the Frankish ruler Charles Martel (d. 741)


text: Fujiwara no Nakamaro, Japanese statesman (d. 764)


text: February 15 – Tiberios III, Byzantine emperor


text: February 15 – Leontios, Byzantine emperor


text: Zhang Jianzhi, official of the Tang dynasty (b. 625)


text: Shenxiu, Chinese Zen Buddhist patriarch


text: Kallinikos I, patriarch of Constantinople (or 705)


text: Arab–Byzantine War: An Umayyad army under Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik invades Asia Minor, and lays siege to Tyana (Cappadocia). The fortress city resists, dragging the siege through the winter and into 708.


text: The Muslim-Arabs conquer the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea (approximate date).


text: The first Islamic hospital (bimaristan) is founded in Damascus (approximate date).


text: Theudoald, mayor of the palace of Austrasia (or 708)


text: Abd al-Rahman al-Awza'i, Muslim scholar (d. 774)


date: July 18

text: July 18 – Emperor Monmu dies after a 10-year reign. He is succeeded by his aunt Genmei, who becomes the 43rd empress of Japan. She is the sister of former empress Jitō, and the niece and wife of late emperor Tenmu.


date: August 7

text: August 7 – Li Chongjun, crown prince of the Tang dynasty


date: October 18

text: October 18 – Pope John VII dies at Rome after a 19-month reign. A prolonged sede vacante exists, until the ratification of the election of Sisinnius by the Exarch of Ravenna, in early 708.


text: Abbo II, bishop of Metz (approximate date)


text: Li Duozuo, general of the Tang dynasty


text: Wu Sansi, official of the Tang dynasty


text: John Maron, Syriac monk and patriarch (b. 628)


text: Hidulf, bishop of Trier (approximate date)


text: Nazaktar Khan, a Turk Shahi prince in alliance with the Tibetan Empire, captures Bactria from the Umayyads.


text: Battle of Anchialus: A Byzantine expeditionary force under Emperor Justinian II is defeated near the seaside city of Anchialus, on the Black Sea Coast. The Byzantines are overwhelmed by a surprise attack of Bulgarian cavalry, led by Tervel. Justinian manages to reach the fortress, and escapes to Constantinople on a ship.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: The Umayyads under Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik capture and sack the Byzantine city of Tyana (Cappadocia) after a prolonged siege, and following a victory over a Byzantine relief army. Maslamah also leads another expedition in the summer, raiding and conquering Amorium (modern Turkey).


date: January 15

text: January 15 – Pope Sisinnius succeeds Pope John VII as the 87th pope.


date: March 25

text: March 25 – Pope Constantine I succeeds Pope Sisinnius as the 88th pope.


text: Island Mont Tombe is dedicated to Michael and renamed Mont Saint-Michel.


text: Tea drinking gains popularity among the Chinese. It is also valued for its alleged medicinal values (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Medicine


date: August 29

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: August 29 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708).


text: Yuthog Yontan Gonpo, Tibetan high priest (lama) (d. 833)


text: Theudoald, mayor of the palace of Austrasia (or 707)


date: February 4

text: February 4 – Sisinnius, pope of the Catholic Church


date: June 5

text: June 5 – Jacob of Edessa, Syriac writer


text: Drogo, duke of Champagne (b. 670)


text: Julian II the Roman, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.


text: Abd-Allah ibn Ibadh, Muslim jurist and imam


text: Ceolred becomes king of Mercia, after his cousin Coenred abdicates the throne. Dynastic rivalries lead to the banishment of his second cousin, prince Æthelbald, who flees to the East Anglian controlled Crowland Fens.


text: Kings Swæfred and Sigeheard of Essex share power with Offa. He abdicates the throne in order to become a monk in Rome, along with Coenred. Saelred rules jointly with Swæfberht the sub-kingdom of Middlesex.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: An Umayyad army under Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik raids Isauria (modern Turkey). He is appointed military governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan, succeeding his uncle Muhammad ibn Marwan.


text: After two years of failed efforts, Qutayba ibn Muslim captures Bukhara (Uzbekistan) for the Umayyad Caliphate. The Hephthalite princes of Tokharistan rebel against the Arabs, but are swiftly subdued by Qutayba.


date: June

text: June – Emperor Justinian II sends a punitive expedition to Italy under the patrikios Theodore, to intervene in the dispute between Pope Constantine I and Archbishop Felix of Ravenna, who claims to be independent of the pope's authority. Theodore captures Ravenna, and arrests Felix and other Italian leaders. He deports them to Constantinople, from whence they are exiled to Cherson (Crimea).


text: Mont Saint-Michel, built by Aubert, bishop of Avranches, has its beginnings in an oratory on Mont Tombe, on the coast of Normandy (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Architecture, real estate


text: A storm separates the Channel Islands of Jethou and Herm.

source_section: Events › By topic › Environmental change


date: November 18

text: November 18 – Kōnin, emperor of Japan (d. 782)


text: Du Hongjian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 769)


text: Yaxun B'alam IV, king of Yaxchilan (Mexico) (d. 768)


text: Yan Zhenqing, Chinese calligrapher (d. 785)


text: Zhang Xun, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 757)


text: Mazu Daoyi, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (d. 788)


text: Liu Zhangqing, Chinese poet (d. 785)


date: May 25

text: May 25 – Aldhelm, bishop of Sherborne


text: Wilfrid, Anglo-Saxon bishop (or 710)


text: Æthelred, king of Mercia (approximate date)


text: Gotfrid, duke of Alemannia (approximate date)


text: Bertin, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: Swæfred, king of Essex (approximate date)


year_label: 71 CE

text: Titus is made praetorian prefect of the Praetorian Guard and receives pro-consular command and also tribunician power, all of which indicates that Vespasian will follow the hereditary tradition of succession.

source_title: AD 71

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Herodium, a Jewish fortress south of Jerusalem, is conquered and destroyed by Legio X Fretensis on their way to Masada.


text: Battle of Treves: Cerialis defeats Claudius Civilis, thus quelling the Batavian rebellion.


text: Titus is awarded with a triumph, accompanied by Vespasian and his brother Titus Flavius Domitian. In the parade are Jewish prisoners and treasures of the Temple of Jerusalem, including the Menorah and the Pentateuch. The leader of the Zealots, Simon Bar Giora, is lashed and strangled in the Forum.


text: Reign of Rabel II, king of Nabataea. He makes Bostra, Syria, his second capital.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Battle of Stanwick: Quintus Petillius Cerialis, governor of Britain, puts down a revolt by the Brigantes.


text: Doncaster is founded by Roman settlers. The area was originally known as Danum.


text: The Romans establish a fortress at York (Eboracum), as a base for their northern forces. Initially established solely for Legio IX Hispana, it expands later to include public housing, baths and temples.


text: Emperors Vespasian and Marcus Cocceius Nerva are Roman Consuls.


text: Mithraism begins to spread throughout the Roman Empire.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Chadae, Korean king of Goguryeo (d. 165)

source_section: Births


text: Liu Ying, Chinese prince of the Han Dynasty who converted to Buddhism

source_section: Deaths


text: The Byzantine general Leo (future emperor Leo III) recovers the Abkhazia (Caucasus) for the Byzantine Empire, from the Arabs.


date: July 3

text: July 3 – Zhong Zong is assassinated, allegedly poisoned by Empress Wei, who fails to install her daughter Li Guo'er as heir to the throne. Princess Taiping and her nephew Li Longji launch a coup, and restore Rui Zong as emperor.


text: The Byzantine outpost of Cherson (Crimea) rebels (with Khazar assistance) against Emperor Justinian II. He sends a fleet under the patrikios Stephen, which retakes the city and restores Byzantine control. The fleet, however, is struck by a storm on its way back and loses many ships, while the Chersonites, again with the aid of the Khazars, rebel anew.


text: Kings Ine of Wessex and Nothhelm of Sussex fight against King Geraint of Dumnonia, who dies in battle. Ine's advance brings him control of what is now Devon; he establishes a fortress at Taunton.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Lupus I, duke of Gascony, is assassinated in his attempt to seize Limoges (France). Eudes becomes ruler over both Gascony and Aquitaine.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: The Asuka period, the second and last part of the Yamato period, ends, and the Nara period begins; Heijō-kyō (Nara) becomes the capital of Japan.


text: Beorhtfrith fights against the Picts between Haefe and Caere (assumed to be between the rivers Avon and Carron, which flow into the Firth of Forth in Scotland).


text: An Arab army is invited into Ceuta by its governor, Julian, who is an opponent of Roderick. He encourages them to invade the Iberian Peninsula. Tariq ibn Ziyad is appointed governor of Tangier (Morocco), and establishes a Moorish garrison of 1,700 men.


text: Roderick becomes king of the Visigoths, but the Visigothic nobles in Septimania rebel, and proclaim the previous ruler's son Akhila king. The Visigothic Kingdom is divided into two sub-kingdoms, suffering the first Muslim raid expedition against the southern Iberian Peninsula.


text: The Madara Rider, an early medieval rock relief, is carved on the Madara Plateau east of Shumen in Bulgaria (approximate date).


date: October 5

text: October 5 – Pope Constantine departs for a year-long visit to Constantinople. He will be the last pontiff to visit the capital for more than a thousand years.


text: Salih I ibn Mansur founds the Muslim Kingdom of Nekor (Morocco). He converts the local Berber tribes to Islam.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


date: April 5

text: April 5 – Emperor Zhong Zong of the Tang dynasty has his chief ministers of court, sons-in-law, and high-ranking military officers engage (during the Cold Food Festival) in the festive game of tug of war, within a palace of Chang'an.


text: The first (wooden) Al-Aqsa Mosque is finished.


text: Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun (approximate date)


text: Lullus, archbishop of Mainz (approximate date)


text: Fulrad, Frankish abbot (d. 784)


text: Walpurga, Anglo-Saxon missionary (d. 779)


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


date: January 9

text: January 9 – Adrian of Canterbury, abbot and scholar


date: March 27

text: March 27 – Rupert, bishop of Salzburg


date: June 30

text: June 30 – Erentrude, Frankish abbess


text: July 3 – Zhong Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 656)


date: July 21

text: July 21 – Li Guo'er, princess of the Tang dynasty


text: July 21 – Shangguan Wan'er, Chinese poet (b. 664)


text: July 21 – Empress Wei, empress of the Tang dynasty


date: September 10

text: September 10 – Li Chongfu, imperial prince of the Chinese Tang dynasty (b. c. 680)


text: Geraint, king of Dumnonia (England)


text: Arikesari Maravarman, king of the Pandyan Empire (India)


text: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Japanese poet


text: Wittiza, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)


text: Congal Cennmagair, High King of Ireland


text: Giles, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


date: April 27

text: April 27 – Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Muslim troops (7,000 men) led by Tariq ibn Ziyad land at Gibraltar, and begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal). Tariq begins his Islamic conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom, which during the decade he occupies and brings under Umayyad sovereignty.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


date: July 19

text: July 19 – Battle of Guadalete: The Muslim Arabs defeat the Visigothic army (33,000 men) under King Roderick, who dies in battle. The Visigoth capital of Toledo opens its city gates; Tariq ibn Ziyad sends Moorish detachments to capture the cities of Córdoba and Seville (Andalusia).


text: Ansprand, duke of Asti, returns from exile to Italy with a large Bavarian army. Many Austrians (with troops of Venetia) join him in support. King Aripert II, who usurped the throne in 701, is defeated and tries to escape from Pavia to Gaul with his treasury, but drowns in the Ticino River. He is the last Bavarian to wear the Iron Crown (approximate date).


text: Palenque is conquered by Tonina.

source_section: Events › By place › Mesoamerica


text: Philippicus incites the inhabitants of Cherson to revolt, with the help of the Khazars. Emperor Justinian II sallies forth from Constantinople to oppose the rebels in the Crimea. Philippicus defeats the Byzantine forces in northern Anatolia, and seizes the capital. He is proclaimed emperor and Justinian is executed, ending the house of Heraclius, that has ruled since 610.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Muhammad ibn Qasim captures the fortress city of Multan after a long siege, and raids with his forces the Punjab region, with only light Muslim casualties.


text: Dux Berhtfrith leads a Northumbrian campaign against the Picts, and defeats them in Manaw Gododdin (modern Scotland) (approximate date).


text: After pirates plunder an Arab ship near the mouth of the Indus River (Pakistan), Umayyad Arabs under Muhammad ibn Qasim invade India with 10,000 men and 6,000 horses, establishing a sultanate in Sindh. Qasim sends expeditions to Surashtra, where he makes peaceful treaty settlements with the Rashtrakuta.


text: Reconstruction of the Hōryū-ji Temple in Japan is completed (approximate date).


date: December

text: December – Upon hearing the news of Justinian's death, Anastasia, Justinian's mother, escapes with Justinian's 6-year-old son Tiberius to the sanctuary at the St. Mary's Church (Constantinople). She is pursued by Philippicus' henchmen, who drag the child from the altar and murder him outside the church. It is unknown what became of Justinian's wife, Theodora.


text: Peaceful relations between Franks and Frisians are consolidated by the marriage of Pepin of Herstal's son Grimoald to Theudesinda, daughter of King Radbod.


text: Malik ibn Anas, Arab scholar (approximate date)


text: Su Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 762)


date: April 23

text: April 23 – Childebert III, king of the Franks


text: April 23 – King Childebert III dies after a 16-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Dagobert III as ruler of Austrasia. Pepin of Herstal becomes his regent.


date: November 4

text: November 4 – Justinian II, Byzantine emperor (b. 669)


text: December – Tiberius, son of Justinian II (b. 705)


text: Roderic, king of the Visigoths (or 712)


text: Aripert II, king of the Lombards (or 712)


text: Seachnasach, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: Kʼinich Kʼan Joy Chitam II, ruler of Palenque (or c. 721)


date: September 8

text: September 8 – Emperor Rui Zong abdicates after a brief reign, in favor of his 27-year-old son Xuan Zong, who ascends the imperial throne of the Tang dynasty (China).


text: King Dae Jo-yeong of Balhae (Korea) resumes tributary payments to the Tang dynasty. The Tai peoples are forced to accept Chinese sovereignty (approximate date).


text: Umayyad conquest of Hispania: From North Africa, Musa ibn Nusayr lands in Iberia (Al-Andalus), with an army of 18,000 Arabs and Berbers. He joins the Islamic conquest and captures the city of Seville (Andalusia), where he meets stiff resistance after 3-months of siege.


text: Xuan Zong reestablishes control over the Oxus and Jaxartes valleys. During his reign he defeats the invading Arab armies, in a series of campaigns in Fergana.


text: Arab forces under Qutayba ibn Muslim conquer Khwarezm and Samarkand (modern Uzbekistan).


text: The Bulgars under Tervel, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, raid Thrace and reach the city walls of Constantinople. Skirmishes continue until 716; Emperor Philippicus transfers a Byzantine army from the Opsikion Theme in Asia Minor, to police the Balkan Peninsula.


text: The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Times), a history of Japan, is completed.

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: Rupert of Bingen, patron saint (d. 732)


text: Abdallah ibn Ali, Muslim general (approximate date)


date: February

text: February – King Ansprand dies, and is succeeded by his son Liutprand as ruler of the Lombards. During his reign, Liutprand becomes the greatest of the Lombard Kings. Coins and documents from his court at Pavia confirm the impression of a strong and effective monarch.


text: Fazang, Chinese Buddhist patriarch (b. 643)


text: Aripert II, king of the Lombards (or 711)


text: Vindicianus, bishop of Cambrai (approximate date)


text: Anas ibn Malik, well known sahaba. (b. 611 or 612)


text: Idwal Iwrch, king of Gwynedd (Wales)


text: Ansprand, king of the Lombards


text: Khri ma lod, empress of the Tibetan Empire


text: Cú Cherca mac Fáeláin, king of Osraige (Ireland)


text: Bran ua Máele Dúin, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)


text: Ali ibn Husayn, fourth Shia Imam


date: June 3

text: June 3 – Emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed, and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace, after a reign of 1 year and 6 months. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, a bureaucrat and imperial secretary, who restores internal order and begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army. He executes the officers who have been directly involved in the conspiracy against Philippicus.


text: Umayyad conquest of Hispania: The Visigothic Kingdom is finally defeated at the Battle of Segoyuela (Castile and León). Prince Theudimer signs the Treaty of Orihuela with Abd al-Aziz, governor of Al-Andalus, and is permitted to retain his authority in the area subsequently known as Tudmir. He keeps the citadel of Orihuela and several other settlements, including Alicante and Lorca on the Mediterranean Sea.


text: Arab forces under Musa ibn Nusayr conquer the fortress city of Mérida, located on the borders of Andalusia. It becomes part of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Xuan Zong wins a power struggle with his sister, Princess Taiping. He executes a large number of her allies and forces her to commit suicide.


text: Arab–Byzantine wars: The Umayyad Arabs under al-Abbas ibn al-Walid, son of caliph al-Walid I, sack Antioch in Pisidia (modern Turkey), which never recovers.


text: Xuan Zong allots the money of 20 million copper coins, and assigns about 1,000 craftsmen to construct a hall at a Buddhist monastery with tons of painted portraits of himself, and of deities, ghosts, etc.


text: Construction begins on the Leshan Giant Buddha near Leshan, Sichuan Province (China). Upon its completion in 803, it will become the largest stone carved Buddha in the world.


text: In Chang'an, for the annual Lantern Festival of this year, recently abdicated emperor Rui Zong erects an enormous lantern wheel at a city gate, with a recorded height of 200 ft. The frame is draped in brocades and silk gauze, adorned with gold and jade jewelry, and when its total of some 50,000 oil cups is lit, the radiance of it can be seen for miles.


text: During the Tang dynasty, Kaiyuan Za Bao ("Bulletin of the Court"), the first newspaper, hand printed on silk, is published (approximate date).


text: Stephen the Younger, Byzantine theologian (or 715)


text: Carloman, mayor of the palace (approximate date)


text: Zhang Xuan, Chinese painter (d. 755)


text: Ali ibn Husayn, fourth Shia Imam and great-grandson of Muhammad


text: Yijing, Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler (b. 635)


text: King Ealdwulf of East Anglia dies, and is succeeded by his son Ælfwald. Queen Cuthburh of Northumbria travels south to found a monastery at Wimborne (Dorset).


text: Suitbert, Anglo-Saxon missionary bishop


text: Huineng, Chinese Zen Buddhist patriarch (b. 638)


text: Li Jiao, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 644)


text: Taiping, princess of the Tang dynasty


text: Philippicus, Byzantine emperor


text: Ursmar, Frankish abbot and missionary bishop


text: Duke Eudes proclaims himself the independent prince of Aquitaine (located north-east of the Garonne River), thereby asserting legal as well as practical independence from the Frankish Kingdom.


text: Grimoald the Younger, mayor of the palace of Neustria, is assassinated while on pilgrimage to visit the tomb of Saint Lambert at Liège, on orders of his father-in-law King Radbod.


text: Tariq ibn Ziyad conquers the cities of Barcelona and Narbonne, where Visigothic nobles accept Umayyad overlordship, in return for autonomy in Septimania (Southern France). Muslims also raid Avignon and Lyon (approximate date).


text: Summer – Xuan Zong makes his general Xue Ne de facto chancellor and commissions him, with a Chinese army (60,000 men), to attack the Khitans (Mongolia). Xue falls into a Khitan trap and the Tang forces are crushed, at an 80-90% casualty rate.


text: Fall – Xue Ne repels a Tibetan invasion of the Lan Prefecture (modern Lanzhou). Xuan Zong creates Li Ying, his second son, crown prince of the Tang dynasty.


text: Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Continuing campaigns of Muslim domination of the Iberian Peninsula. Arab forces raid the valley of the Ebro River, and capture the fortress city of Zaragoza. Musa ibn Nusayr is made protector (wali) of Al-Andalus, with his capital at Seville (approximate date).


text: Rupert, bishop of Salzburg, founds Nonnberg Abbey in modern-day Austria.


text: Emperor Xuan Zong forbids all commercial vendors and shops in the Chinese capital city of Chang'an to copy and sell Buddhist sutras, so that the emperor can give the clergy of the Buddhist monasteries the sole right to distribute written sutras to the laity.


text: Musa ibn Nusayr and Tariq ibn Ziyad are summoned back to Damascus by caliph Al-Walid I. They are ordered to deliver all the spoils of war. Musa complains and is stripped of his rank. Abd al-Aziz, son of Musa, becomes governor of Al-Andalus (modern Spain).


text: Civil War within the Pepinid clan: A revolt erupts between the Neustrian Franks and Frisians. King Radbod forces bishop Willibrord and his Benedictine monks to flee, and advances as far as Cologne (Germany). Frisia (modern-day Netherlands) once again becomes independent.


text: In Septimania, local Visigothic nobles of the anti-Roderick party are offered peace terms similar to those of Prince Theodemir (see 713), and accept Muslim overlordship. Other Visigoths revolt and proclaim Ardo as king. Visigothic refugees gather in the Picos de Europa in the mountains of Asturias.


text: Al-Mansur, Muslim caliph (d. 775)


text: Fujiwara no Nagate, Japanese nobleman (d. 771)


text: Pepin the Short, king of the Franks (d. 768)


date: September 5

text: September 5 – Shang, emperor of the Tang dynasty


date: December 16

text: December 16 – Pepin of Herstal, Mayor of the Palace


text: December 16 – Pepin II (of Herstal), mayor of the Merovingian palace, dies at Jupille (modern Belgium). His grandson Theudoald (who at age eight was still well into early childhood) becomes the nominal mayor of the palace, while his wife Plectrude holds actual power and imprisons Pepin's illegitimate son Charles Martel.


text: Achila II, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)


text: Guthlac of Crowland, Anglo-Saxon hermit


text: Grimoald the Younger, Mayor of the Palace


text: Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, governor of Mesopotamia, dies at Wasit (Iraq) after a 20-year administration. He is credited for improving agricultural production and introducing the diacritic points to the Arabic script. Al-Hajjaj convinces Al-Walid I to adopt an Arab currency.


text: Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Muslim scholar (b. 665)


text: Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Arab governor (b. 661)


text: Empress Genmei abdicates the throne after an 8-year reign, in which she has built a replica of the Chinese imperial palace at Japan's new capital, Nara. Genmei is succeeded by her daughter Genshō.

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


date: May

text: May – Emperor Anastasios II is deposed in an army mutiny, and succeeded by Theodosius III, a tax-collector from the theme of Opsikion (modern Turkey). After a six-month siege, Theodosius and his troops take Constantinople; Anastasios is forced to abdicate the throne, and retires to a monastery in Thessaloniki (Macedonia).


text: Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Arabs led by Tariq ibn Ziyad advance from the area La Rioja (modern-day Spain), and conquer the fortress city of León.


text: Battle of Woden's Burg: Kings Ine of Wessex and Ceolred of Mercia clash at Woden's Burg (Wiltshire).


text: Winning, an Irish monk, lands at the mouth of the River Garnock in Scotland, and establishes a community or cell of monks (termed cella or "Kil" in Gaelic).


text: The newly-appointed Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople organises a council propagating Dyothelitism, and attempts to improve relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church.


text: King Nechtan mac Der-Ilei invites the Northumbrian clergy to establish Christianity amongst the Picts.


text: Egyptian military commander Abd al-Malik ibn Rifa'a al-Fahmi is appointed governor of Egypt for the Umayyad Caliphate.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


text: Stephen the Younger, Byzantine theologian (or 713)


text: Fujiwara no Matate, Japanese nobleman (d. 766)


text: Stephen II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 757)


date: February 23

text: February 23 – Caliph Al-Walid I dies at Damascus after a 10-year reign, and is succeeded by his brother Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik. During his rule the Umayyad Caliphate reaches its greatest height, with successful campaigns undertaken in Transoxiana (Central Asia), Sindh (Pakistan), Hispania and against the Byzantine Empire.


text: February 23 – Al-Walid I, Muslim caliph (b. 668)


date: April 9

text: April 9 – Constantine I, Pope of Rome (b. 664)


text: April 9 – Pope Constantine I dies at Rome after a 7-year reign. He is succeeded by Gregory II as the 89th pope of the Catholic Church.


date: July 9

text: July 9 – Naga, Japanese prince


date: September 26

text: September 26 – Battle of Compiègne: Ragenfrid, mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy (appointed by King Dagobert III), defeats Theudoald in the first battle of the Frankish civil war, following the death of Pepin II (of Herstal).


text: Dagobert III dies of an illness and is succeeded by Chilperic II, son of Childeric II, as king of Neustria. Charles Martel is freed from prison at Cologne, and is proclaimed Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia at the capital Metz.


text: Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi, Arab governor


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


text: Qutayba ibn Muslim, Arab general (b. 669)


text: Dagobert III, king of the Franks (b. 699)


text: Muhammad ibn Qasim, Arab general (b. 695)


text: Emperor Theodosios III concludes a peace treaty with Kormesiy, son of Tervel of Bulgaria, in an effort to secure support against the Arab invasion in Anatolia (modern Turkey). The treaty recognizes the Bulgarian borders, including the newly gained lands of Zagore (see 705). Theodosios agrees to pay annual tribute, and exchange refugees charged with conspiracy against the legal ruler. Goods can only be imported or exported with a state seal. Bulgarian merchants gain official access to the trade market in Constantinople.

source_section: Events › Byzantine Empire


text: King Osred I of Northumbria is killed in battle, possibly by the Picts in Manau Gododdin (Scotland). He is succeeded by his distant cousin, Coenred.

source_section: Events › Byzantine Empire › Britain


text: Battle of Amblève: Charles Martel defeats his Neustrian and Frisian rivals near Amel (modern-day Belgium). His forces attack the army of Chilperic II and his allies, as they return triumphantly from Cologne. According to the Annals of Metz, Charles uses a feigned retreat to destroy his foes while they are resting, and recovers much of the ransom paid by Plectrude to Chilperic. He will remain undefeated until his death 25 years later.

source_section: Events › Byzantine Empire › Europe


text: Battle of Cologne: Charles Martel, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, is defeated by the Neustrians under King Chilperic II and his mayor Ragenfrid near Cologne (now part of Germany), who have invaded Austrasia to impose their will on the competing Frankish factions of Theudoald and Plectrude, the child grandson (and designated heir) and widow respectively of Pepin of Herstal. Simultaneously, Radbod, king (or duke) of the Frisians, attacks Austrasia and allies with the Neustrians. Charles is forced to flee into the mountains of the Eifel (Ardennes).


text: Qapaghan Khan, ruler (khagan) of the Second Turkic Khaganate (Central Asia), is killed during a campaign against his rival Toquz Oghuz. His severed head is sent to Chang'an, capital of the Tang dynasty. Qapaghan is succeeded by his son Inel Khagan.

source_section: Events › Byzantine Empire › Asia


text: Boniface, Anglo-Saxon missionary, leaves England and travels to Frisia (the western parts of the modern-day Netherlands) to assist Willibrord, bishop of Utrecht, in his work to convert the pagan Frisians.


text: Arab-Byzantine Wars: Umayyad Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd Al-Malik begins the preparations for his campaign on Constantinople; he orders new ships be built in the port-cities in Palestine, Egypt & Ifriqiya. General Umar ibn Hubayra raids southern Anatolia by sea and conquers Lycia, where another Arab fleet joins him, and they spend winter. As the navy advances, Sulayman sends land armies into Anatolia, which settle at Caesarea.


text: Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, governor of Al-Andalus (modern Spain), is assassinated on order of Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik. He is succeeded by his cousin Ayyub ibn Habib al-Lakhmi, who becomes interim "protector" (wali) for 6 months, and moves the capital to Córdoba, until replaced by Al-Hurr ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Thaqafi.

source_section: Events › Byzantine Empire › Arabian Empire


text: Carloman, Frankish mayor of the palace (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu, Japanese statesman (d. 777)


text: Hiltrud, duchess regent of Bavaria (approximate date; d. 754)


text: Sufyan al-Thawri, Muslim scholar and jurist (d. 778)


text: Fujiwara no Kiyonari, Japanese nobleman (d. 777)


date: July 13

text: July 13 – Rui Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 662)


text: Theodo II, duke of Bavaria (approximate date)


text: Musa ibn Nusayr, Arab general (b. 640)


text: Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, Arab general (or 718)


text: Prince Æthelbald returns from Crowland Fens to Mercia, and seizes the throne after the death of his cousin King Ceolred, who had driven him into exile (see 709). He gains hegemony over London, Essex, and all of the English Midlands. By 731, Æthelbald will have subjugated all provinces south of the Humber River under his overlordship.


text: Qapaghan Khan, ruler (khagan) of the Turkic Khaganate


text: Nechtan mac Der-Ilei, king of the Picts, expels the monks from the island of Iona (Scotland).

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


date: March 21

text: March 21 – Battle of Vincy: Charles Martel invades Neustria and defeats the forces of King Chilperic II at Vincy, near Cambrai. He pursues him and his mayor of the palace Ragenfrid to Paris, before turning back to deal with his stepmother Plectrude at Cologne, to turn over half the wealth of his late father Pepin of Herstal. Charles allows both Plectrude and his nephew Theudoald (who at eleven was still a little child) to live (a gesture uncommon for the time), and obliges her to accept his sovereignty.

source_section: Events › By place › Western Europe


date: August 15

text: August 15 – Siege of Constantinople: Maslama begins a combined land and sea effort to capture Constantinople. The capital controls the Bosporus, access between the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and is defended by a garrison of roughly 25,000 men. Leo III orders the granaries be restocked and siege engines installed. The Arab besiegers are suffering immense losses due to disease, and from attrition of siege warfare.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Muslim general Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik leads his army of 80,000 men from Pergamum to Abydos, where he crosses the Hellespont. To prevent interference by the Bulgars, or by any Byzantine forces in Thrace, he sends part of his army to a covering position near Adrianople; with his main body, Maslama builds siege lines to blockade Constantinople, which is protected by the massive Theodosian Walls.


text: A Muslim expedition under Al-Hurr ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Thaqafi cross the Pyrenees into Aquitanian territory, leading a small raiding party into Septimania (Southern France).


date: March 25

text: March 25 – Emperor Theodosios III is deposed after a reign of 1 year and 10 months. He is succeeded by the 32-year-old Leo III the Isaurian, a general (strategos) of the Anatolic Theme (modern Turkey). Theodosios and his son enter the clergy, and he probably becomes bishop of Ephesus. Leo brings an end to the Twenty Years' Anarchy in the Byzantine Empire, which marks the beginning of the so-called Isaurian Dynasty.


text: Charles Martel consolidates his power, proclaims Clotaire IV king of Austrasia in opposition to Chilperic, and deposes Rigobert, bishop of Reims, replacing him with Milo. He marches against Radbod, king (or duke) of the Frisians, and pushes him back into his territory (later part of the Netherlands). Charles sends the Saxons back over the Weser River, and secures the Rhine border—in the name of Clotaire.


text: Fall – Basil Onomagoulos, Byzantine official, declares himself rival emperor in Sicily after the news arrives that Constantinople has fallen to an Arab siege. Leo III dispatches a chartoularios named Paul, with imperial instructions for the Byzantine army on the island. Basil is arrested and executed; his head is sent to Leo, while the other rebels are mutilated and exiled.


date: September 1

text: September 1 – A Muslim armada, consisting of 1,800 ships commanded by Admiral Suleiman, sails into the Sea of Marmara and drops anchor below the sea walls of Constantinople, to supply their forces ashore. Leo III orders the Byzantine fleet to sally forth from their protected harbors with Greek fire, setting alight the thickly-packed Muslim ships. Many vessels burst into flames, while others collide with each other before sinking.


date: December 24

text: December 24 – A destructive earthquake, with six months of aftershocks, affects Syria and Mesopotamia.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Hoshi Ryokan, the world's second-longest surviving hotel, is established in Japan (approximate date).


text: Princess Inoe of Japan (d. 775)

source_section: Births


text: Gummarus, Frankish noblemen (d. 774)


text: Elipando, Spanish archbishop and theologian


text: Rabia Basri, Muslim Sufi mystic and saint (d. 801)


text: Childeric III, king of the Franks (d. 754)


date: December 30

text: December 30 – Egwin of Evesham, bishop of Worcester

source_section: Deaths


text: Paolo Lucio Anafesto, doge of Venice


text: Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, Muslim caliph (b. 674)


text: Theobald, duke of Bavaria (or 719)


text: Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik dies after a 2-year reign, and is succeeded by his cousin Umar II. During his rule he grants tax exemption, and tries to reorganize the Umayyad finances.


text: Paolo Lucio Anafesto dies after a 20-year reign, and is succeeded by Marcello Tegalliano as the second doge of the Republic of Venice.


text: Eadwulf I, king of Northumbria


text: Plectrude, consort of Pepin of Herstal


text: Basil Onomagoulos, Byzantine usurper


text: Isonokami no Maro, Japanese statesman (b. 640)


text: August 15 – Siege of Constantinople: A Bulgar relief force attacks the siege lines at Constantinople, on the west side of the Bosporus. Contemporary chroniclers report that at least 22,000–32,000 Arabs are killed during the Bulgarian attacks. Caliph Umar II is forced to lift the siege after 13 months; the Muslim army attempts to withdraw back through Anatolia, while the rest escapes by sea in the remaining vessels. The Arab fleet suffers further casualties to storms, and an eruption of the volcano of Thera. According to Arab sources 150,000 Muslims perish during the campaign.


text: King Liutprand of the Lombards builds a close alliance with Charles Martel, and attacks the Bavarian castles on the River Adige, maintaining strategic control of the Alpine passes in the Italian Alps (approximate date).


text: Summer – Battle of Covadonga: Pelagius (Don Pelayo) is proclaimed king (caudillo), and defeats the Umayyad forces under Munuza, provincial governor of Asturias, at Picos de Europa (near Covadonga). This marks the beginning of the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. He founds the Kingdom of Asturias, and establishes a military base at Cangas de Onís (northwest of Spain) (or 722).


text: Battle of Soissons: King Chilperic II of Neustria and his mayor of the palace Ragenfrid, allied with Eudes, independent duke of Aquitaine, march on Soissons in Picardy (northern France) but an army of Frankish veterans under Charles Martel defeat the Neustrian allies, who sue for peace. Chilperic flees to the land south of the River Loire and Ragenfrid escapes to Angers. Charles diplomatically chooses not to execute the enemy leaders, and becomes undisputed dux Francorum, ending the Frankish civil war.


text: Hugh of Champagne, cousin of Charles Martel, enters the monastery of Jumièges (Normandy), and embraces the religious life as abbot.


text: The Wessex-born missionary Boniface sets out for Frisia a second time. He travels to Rome, where Pope Gregory II sends him on a mission to convert the Saxons in Lower Saxony (modern-day Germany).


text: Niall Frossach, High King of Ireland (d. 778)


text: Kōken, empress of Japan (d. 770)


text: Constantine V, Byzantine emperor (d. 775)


text: Abu Muslim Khorasani, Muslim general (earliest estimated date; d. 755)


text: Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Japanese statesman and poet, Shōgun (d. 785)


text: Former queen Cuthburh of Northumbria, abbess of Wimborne, dies at her abbey and is buried there (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: King Coenred of Northumbria dies after a 2-year reign. The throne is seized by Osric, probably a younger brother, or half-brother, of the late king Osred I.


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


text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul (first major Muslim attack upon Visigothic Septimania, in southern France): Governor Al-Samh takes or re-takes Narbonne (Arbouna for the Arabs), before raiding the Toulouse area. Many town defenders and inhabitants are killed in the aftermath by the Umayyad forces.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Ex-Emperor Anastasios II starts a revolt against Leo III with considerable support, including auxiliaries provided by Tervel, emperor (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire. His attack on Constantinople fails; Anastasios is captured and is put to death (by beheading), on the orders of Leo.


text: Frisian–Frankish War: Charles Martel defeats Redbad, King of the Frisians. He easily invades Frisia (modern Netherlands) and subjugates the territory. Charles also crosses the Rhine and annexes "farther" Frisia, to the banks of the River Vlie.


text: The Church of Nubia transfers its allegiance, from the Eastern Orthodox Church to the Coptic Church (approximate date).


text: Guan Bo, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 797)


text: Isma'il ibn Jafar, Shī‘ah Imām and scholar (or 722)


text: Yang Guifei, concubine of Xuan Zong (d. 756)


text: May – Chilperic II is raised on the shield after the death of Chlothar IV, and recognized by Charles Martel as king (roi fainéant) of the Franks. Charles, however, gains a monopoly on power and royal offices.


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


text: Duke Grimoald becomes sole ruler of Bavaria, after the deaths of his brothers Theodbert, Theobald, and Tassilo II. He reunites the duchy after a civil war, and makes his capital Salzburg (approximate date).


text: Chlothar IV, king of Austrasia (approximate date)


text: Theobald, duke of Bavaria (or 717)


text: Theodbert, duke of Bavaria (approximate date)


text: Muhammad ibn Marwan, Arab general (or 720)


text: Anastasios II, Byzantine emperor


year_label: 72 CE

text: Vespasian and Titus are Roman Consuls.

source_title: AD 72

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: The Romans lay siege to Masada, a desert fortress held by the Sicarii.


text: Antiochus IV of Syria is deposed by Emperor Vespasian.


text: First Jewish–Roman War: The Roman army (Legio X Fretensis) under Sextus Lucilius Bassus lays siege to the Jewish garrison of Machaerus at the Dead Sea. After they capitulate, the Zealots are allowed to leave the fortress before it is destroyed.


section: Economy & Finance

text: Flavia Neapolis (Nablus) is founded.


text: Vespasian starts the building of the Colosseum; the amphitheatre is used for gladiatorial games and public spectacles, such as sea battles, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas of Classical mythology.


text: Julia Balbilla, princess of Commagene


date: July 3

text: July 3 – Thomas the Apostle, Christian preacher and martyr (according to Roman Catholic tradition)


text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Governor Al-Samh continues his campaign; he makes Narbonne the capital city of Muslim Septimania (Southern France), and uses it as a base for razzias. King Ardo is killed, and becomes the last ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania. Some Visigoths refuse to adopt the Muslim faith, and flee north to Aquitaine. This marks the end of the Visigothic Kingdom.


text: The Umayyad Caliphate reaches its greatest extent in Spain, controlling all of it except a small region in the north controlled by the Kingdom of Asturias.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


text: The Third Tikal-Calakmul War begins.

source_section: Events › By place › Americas


text: Muslim forces under Al-Samh begin the prolonged siege of Carcassonne, a fortified Visigothic town located in the Languedoc-Roussillon.


text: Umayyad conquest of Transoxiana: The first Turgesh attack on Muslim-Arabs in Transoxiana leads to the siege and relief of the Umayyad garrison at the fortress of Qasr al-Bahili, near Samarkand (or 721).


text: Contact between the Welsh Church and Yvi of Brittany is the last known link between two Celtic countries. After this, each nation goes its own separate way (approximate date).


text: The Egyptians wage the Bashmurian revolts against the foreign Arab rulers. Egyptians establish a semi-independent region in the Nile Delta with Bashmur as the capital.


text: King Ine of Wessex builds a stone church at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset (approximate date).


text: In the Chinese capital of Chang'an, the walls of a gated city ward collapse during the night, which unexpectedly forms a large pool out in the open. This is most likely caused by a sinkhole created when ground water eroded the limestone bedrock beneath. As a consequence of this, more than 500 homes are destroyed (approximate date).


section: Science & Discovery

text: A second series of gravitational interactions with Saturn, the second since 1664 BC, once again force the Centaur (minor planet) Chiron into a new orbit, shifting it from orbiting in the edges of the Solar System to orbiting near the inner regions.

source_section: Events › By topic › Astronomy


text: Yazid ibn al-Muhallab, former governor of Iraq, revolts and is defeated at Basra, by Umayyad forces under Al-Abbas ibn al-Walid and Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik. He is arrested and later executed.


text: Summer – Emperor Leo III secures the Byzantine frontier, by inviting Slavic settlers into the depopulated districts of the Thracesian Theme (western Asia Minor). He undertakes a set of civil reforms, and reorganizes the theme structure in the Aegean region. Leo's 2-year-old son Constantine V is associated on the throne, and married to Tzitzak, daughter of the Khazar ruler (khagan) Bihar.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), one of the oldest history books in Japan, is completed under the editorial supervision of Prince Toneri, and with the assistance of Ō no Yasumaro.

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: Bernard, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Thierry IV, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Baizhang Huaihai, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (d. 814)


text: Modestus, Irish missionary (approximate date)


text: Bertrada of Laon, wife of Pippin the Short (d. 783)


date: February 10

text: February 10 – Caliph Umar II is poisoned by a servant, and dies in Aleppo (Syria) after a 3-year reign. He is succeeded by his cousin Yazid II.


text: Odile of Alsace, Frankish abbess (approximate date)


text: Aubert of Avranches, Frankish bishop


text: Xue Ne, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 649)


text: Umar II, Muslim caliph (b. 682)


text: Muhammad ibn Marwan, Muslim general (or 719)


text: Ardo, king of the Visigoths (or 721)


text: Yazid ibn al-Muhallab, Muslim governor (b. 672)


text: Fujiwara no Fuhito, Japanese statesman (b. 659)


text: Jamila, Arabian qiyan-courtesan singer


text: Tariq ibn Ziyad, Muslim general (b. 670)


text: Yeh Fa-shan, Daoist wonder-worker (b. 631)


date: June 9

text: June 9 – Battle of Toulouse: After besieging Toulouse for three months, Muslim forces under governor (wali) Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani are defeated by Eudes, duke of Aquitaine, preventing the extension of Umayyad control over Gaul.


text: King Ine of Wessex defeats Prince Cynewulf, an unknown relation making a push for the throne of Wessex.


text: Prüm Abbey is founded by Bertrada, daughter of former king Theuderic III, and her son Charibert, count of Laon (approximate date).


text: Summer – Charles Martel restores the authority of the Austrasian palace throughout the Frankish Kingdom, including against Frankish-claimed Aquitaine and Provence (Southern France). He exiles Rigobert, bishop of Reims, to Gascony.


text: Rains and heavy storms around the southern seaport of Yangzhou destroy over 1,000 ships and boats in the Grand Canal, during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Prague is founded (according to legend) by Princess Libuše and her husband Přemysl, founder of the Přemyslid dynasty (approximate date).


text: Tachibana no Naramaro, Japanese statesman (d. 757)


text: Abul Abbas al-Saffah, Muslim caliph (approximate date)


text: Jābir ibn Hayyān, Muslim alchemist (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Uona, Japanese minister (d. 783)


date: February 13

text: February 13 – Chilperic II, king of the Franks


text: February 13 – King Chilperic II dies at Attigny (Ardennes), after a five-year reign. He is succeeded by Theuderic IV, infant son of Dagobert III, as Merovingian ruler of the Franks, under the control of the mayor of the palace, Charles Martel.


date: May 7

text: May 7 – John of Beverley, bishop of York


date: May 31

text: May 31 – Wak Chanil Ajaw (Lady Six Sky), who had been the regent for her son Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Chaak from 693 until his attainment of majority, becomes the new queen of the Mayan city state of Naranjo in Guatemala when K'ak Tiliw dies from unknown causes. She reigns until her death in 741.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


date: December 29

text: December 29 – Genmei, empress of Japan (b. 660)


text: Ardo, king of the Visigoths (or 720)


text: Tervel, ruler (khagan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 21-year reign. He is succeeded by Kormesiy, possibly a son of Tervel, who is co-ruler and a descendant of the royal Dulo clan.


text: Headda, bishop of Lichfield (approximate date)


text: Anbasa ibn Suhaym Al-Kalbi is appointed governor of Al-Andalus, after the death of Al-Samh. The Muslims under Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiqi withdraw to Narbonne. The Visigothic duke Amrus of the Lerida area recognises Umayyad rule.


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


text: Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, Muslim general (approximate date)


text: Eadfrith, bishop of Lindisfarne


text: Yao Chong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 650)


text: Liu Zhiji, Chinese historian (b. 661)


text: Battle of Hehil: The West Saxons are defeated by a combined Viking and Cornish army, at Cornovii in Cornwall (approximate date).


text: The Battle of Allen is fought close by the Hill of Allen (Ireland) between the Laigin, led by King Murchad mac Brain Mut, and the forces of Fergal mac Máele Dúin (High King of Ireland).


text: King Ine of Wessex attempts a takeover of Dumnonia, but his armies are crushed, and he is forced to withdraw. Queen Æthelburg, wife of Ine, destroys the royal castle of Taunton, to prevent its seizure by rebels under Ealdbert.


text: Summer – Battle of Covadonga: Visigothic nobleman Pelagius (Don Pelayo) defeats the Umayyad forces under Munuza, provincial governor of Asturias, at Picos de Europa (near Covadonga). This marks the beginning of the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. He founds the Kingdom of Asturias, and establishes a military base at Cangas de Onís (northwest of Spain) (or 718).


date: November 30

text: November 30 – Wessex-born Boniface is ordained as bishop of Germany by Pope Gregory II. Under the protection of Charles Martel (mayor of the palace), he concentrates his religious work in Hessia and Thuringia.


text: Emperor Leo III enforces the baptism of all Jews and Montanists in the Byzantine Empire.


date: January 3

text: January 3 – King Kʼinich Ahkal Moʼ Nahb III takes the throne of the Maya city-state of Palenque (southern Mexico).

source_section: Events › By place › Mesoamerica


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


text: Isma'il ibn Ja'far, Shī‘ah Imām and scholar (or 719)


date: September 29

text: September 29 – Leudwinus, Frankish bishop


text: Mujahid ibn Jabr, Muslim scholar


text: Máel Ruba, Irish abbot (b. 642)


text: Beli II, king of Strathclyde (approximate date)


text: Fergal mac Máele Dúin, High King of Ireland


text: Gunakamadeva, Lichhavi ruler (rajah), founds the city of Kathmandu (modern Nepal). During his reign, he transforms the agrarian society to an industrial city trading between India and Tibet.


text: Boniface, Anglo-Saxon missionary, fells Thor's Oak (a sacred tree) near Fritzlar in Hesse, marking the decisive event in the Christianization of the northern Germanic tribes (approximate date).


text: Boniface makes Büraburg, a fortified Frankish settlement, his temporary religious base.


text: Arbeo, bishop of Freising (approximate date)


text: Isonokami no Yakatsugu, Japanese nobleman (d. 781)


date: October 3

text: October 3 – Elias I of Antioch, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.


text: Ō no Yasumaro, Japanese nobleman


text: Fachtna mac Folachtan, Irish abbot


date: March 3

text: March 3 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne, in favor of her 23-year-old nephew, Prince Obito, who becomes the 45th monarch of Japan as the Emperor Shōmu. He is the son of the late Emperor Monmu.

source_section: Events › By date


date: May 2

text: May 2 – Muhammand ibn Marwan resigns as Governor of Egypt after a difference of opinion on policy, and is replaced by Al-Hurr ibn Yusuf.


date: July 11

text: July 11 – Prince Æthelbert of the Kingdom of Kent issues a charter that is approved by his father, King Wihtred.


text: Cináed mac Írgalaig, also known as "the one-eyed", becomes High King of Ireland.


date: February

text: February – Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah of the Umayyad Caliphate inflicts a crushing defeat on the Khazars of what is now Russia in a battle fought between the Cyrus and Araxes Rivers.


date: August 15

text: August 15 – China's Emperor Xuanzong deposes his wife, the Empress consort Wang.


text: Ragenfrid, ex-mayor of the palace of Neustria, revolts against Charles Martel. He is easily defeated, and Ragenfrid gives up his sons as hostages, in return for being allowed to keep his lands in Anjou.


text: The Turgesh Khaganate scores a major victory over the Arabs, in the "Day of Thirst" near Khujand (modern Tajikistan).


text: A Muslim fleet raids the Byzantine-ruled Balearic Islands, as well as Byzantine Sardinia and Lombard Corsica.


date: March 6

text: March 6 – Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, the son of the Caliph Abd al-Malik, is appointed as the Umayyad Governor of Egypt after Hanzala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi resigns. He serves for only two months.


text: December 29 – K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat becomes king (ajaw) of the Maya city-state of Quiriguá, now in Guatemala), and serves for more than 60 years until his death in 785.


text: Pirmin, Visigothic monk, is appointed abbot of Mittelzell Abbey at Reichenau Island, which he has founded.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Hugh of Champagne, grandson of Pepin of Herstal, is appointed bishop of Bayeux.


text: Shōmu orders that houses of the Japanese nobility be roofed with green tiles, as in China, and have white walls with red roof poles (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Architecture


text: Fujiwara no Hamanari, Japanese noble and poet


text: Dong Jin, Chinese official and general


date: January 26

text: January 26 – Yazid II, Muslim caliph (b. 687)


text: January 26 – (24 Sha'ban 105 AH) Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, becomes the new Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, which covers most of the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, after his brother Yazid II dies of tuberculosis following a 4-year reign. Hisham reigns for 19 years, during which he appoints Khalid al-Qasri as of Governor of Iraq


date: April

text: April – Athanasius III becomes the new Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, six months after the death of Elias I.


text: Fogartach mac Néill, High King of Ireland


text: Rotrude of Treves, wife of Charles Martel


text: Tonyukuk, military leader of the Göktürks (approximate date)


text: Hababah, concubine singer of Caliph Yazid II.


text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Muslim forces under Anbasa ibn Suhaym al-Kalbi (governor of Al-Andalus) capture the fortified town of Carcassonne, which has been under siege (see 720), as well as Nîmes in Septimania (the latter without resistance).


text: King Liutprand puts Corsica, nominally under Byzantine authority, under Lombard government, defending it from Muslim raids (approximate date).


text: Duke Eudes of Aquitaine seeks an alliance with Munuza, governor of Cerdagne (eastern Pyrenees), currently in rebellion against the central Umayyad government at Córdoba in Andalusia (probably not cemented until 729).


text: In Egypt, resentment of the Copts against Umayyad taxation (called jizya) leads to a revolt (approximate date).


text: The exiled prince Ealdbert, possibly a nephew of King Ine of Wessex looking for recognition as his heir, seeks sanctuary in Sussex. Ine attacks the South Saxons and kills Ealdbert.


text: Charles Martel invades Bavaria, and kills Duke Grimoald in battle. His son Hugbert submits to Frankish suzerainty, and Charles brings back the Agilolfing princess Swanachild, who becomes his concubine (later his wife).


text: Summer – al-Samh's successor, Anbasa ibn Suhaym al-Kalbi, moves against Gothic nobles resisting surrender. The city of Carcassonne is besieged, and its Gothic ruler forced to cede half of his territory, pay tribute, and make an offensive and defensive alliance with Muslim forces. The Gothic rulers of Nîmes and the other resisting Septimanian cities also eventually fall under the sway of the Umayyads.


text: Yi Xing, Chinese Buddhist monk and astronomer, applies a clockwork escapement mechanism, to provide rotating motion to his astronomical armillary sphere.


text: Bede, Northumbrian monk-historian, writes The Reckoning of Time (De temporum ratione), explaining how to calculate medieval Easter.


text: Paul the Deacon, Lombard monk (approximate date)


text: Stephen the Hymnographer, Syrian monk (d. 807)


date: April 23

text: April 23 – Wihtred, king of Kent


text: April 23 – King Wihtred of Kent dies after a 35-year reign. The kingdom is divided between his three sons: Æthelbert II as overking, Eadbert I in West Kent and Alric.


text: Ruben of Dairinis, Irish scholar


text: Dúngal mac Selbaig is deposed as king of Dál Riata (Scotland). He is succeeded by Eochaid mac Echdach (a son of former king Eochaid mac Domangairt).


text: King Ine of Wessex resigns his crown, and travels on a pilgrimage to Rome. He is succeeded by his brother-in-law (and probably distant cousin) Æthelheard.


text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Muslim raiders under Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiqi, current governor of Septimania, devastate Avignon, Viviers, Valence, Vienne and Lyon (approximate date).


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Muslim forces under Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik resume their expedition against Anatolia (modern Turkey). In a large-scale raid they plunder the fortress city of Caesarea.


text: Council of Manzikert in Armenian and West Syriac churches


text: Benedictine abbey of Neuwiller founded by bishop Sigibald of Metz.


text: Abbo of Provence, Frankish nobleman, founds Novalesa Abbey in Piedmont (Northern Italy).


text: Emperor Leo III issues a series of edicts banning the veneration of images (726–729), and launching the iconoclastic controversies. Most of the clergy – particularly in Italy and Greece – are opposed to these edicts with uncompromising hostility, and in the western parts of the Byzantine Empire the people refuse to obey his religious reforms.


text: Seismic activity in the Mediterranean Sea: The volcanic island of Thera erupts, while the city of Jerash (in present-day Jordan) suffers a major earthquake.


text: The first annual Sumo tournament in Japan is held by Emperor Shōmu (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Paulinus II, patriarch of Aquileia (approximate date)

source_section: Births


text: Grifo, Frankish duke and son of Charles Martel (d. 753)


date: October 22

text: October 22 – Itzamnaaj K'awiil, a Maya ruler of Dos Pilas

source_section: Deaths


text: October 22 – Itzamnaaj K'awiil, the ruler of the Mayan city state at Dos Pilas in Guatemala since 698, dies after a 28-year reign.


text: Anbasa ibn Suhaym al-Kalbi, Muslim governor


text: Marcello Tegalliano, second Doge of Venice, dies after a 9-year reign.


text: Oda of Scotland, Christian saint (approximate date)


text: Marcello Tegalliano, doge of Venice


text: Egyptian military commander Abd al-Malik ibn Rifa'a al-Fahmi is appointed for a second term as the governor of Egypt for the Umayyad Caliphate.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


text: Arab–Khazar War: The Khazars drive back the Muslim invasion, led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, into Mesopotamia. Reinforced with Syrian troops, Maslama counterattacks and takes Georgia, establishing the northern frontier on the Caucasus.


text: A revolt breaks out in Greece against the religious policies of Emperor Leo III (see 726). A rebel fleet under Agallianos Kontoskeles sets out for Constantinople with Kosmas, an anti-emperor, but is destroyed by the Byzantine fleet through the use of Greek fire.


text: King Liutprand takes advantage of the anti-imperial turmoil. He conquers Bologna and other cities beyond the Po River (Northern Italy). The Lombards take "Classis", the strategic seaport of Ravenna, and overrun the Pentapolis.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: A revolt breaks out in Italy against Leo's Iconoclasm; this results in the independence of the Exarchate of Ravenna, after part of a Byzantine invasion force is lost in a storm in the Adriatic Sea, and the remainder of Byzantine troops are repulsed.


text: Siege of Nicaea: Muslim forces under Mu'awiya ibn Hisham (son of Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik) penetrate deep into Asia Minor, and sack the fortress city of Gangra, but unsuccessfully lay siege to Nicaea (northwestern Anatolia).


date: July

text: July – Pope Gregory II condemns iconoclasm at Rome, causing Italy to break with the Byzantine Empire. He becomes the virtual temporal ruler of most Byzantine possessions.


date: January 9

text: January 9 – Dai Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 779)


text: Abu Muslim Khorasani, Muslim general (latest estimated date; d. 755)


text: Liu Peng, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 785)


text: Fujiwara no Tsuginawa, Japanese statesman (d. 796)


text: Sakanoue no Karitamaro, Japanese general (d. 786)


text: Yang Yan, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 781)


date: January 6

text: January 6 – Ucha'an K'in B'alam becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state at Dos Pilas in Guatemala after the death of Itzamnaaj K'awiil and reigns until 741.


date: April 18

text: April 18 – Agallianos Kontoskeles, Byzantine commander and rebel leader


date: May 30

text: May 30 – Hubertus, bishop of Liège


date: October 19

text: October 19 – Frithuswith or Frideswide, Anglo-Saxon princess and abbess


text: Murchad mac Brain Mut, king of Leinster (Ireland)


text: Yi Xing, Chinese astronomer and mechanical engineer (b. 683)


text: King Liutprand of the Lombards occupies all of the Exarchate of Ravenna. He advances towards Rome along the Via Cassia, and is met at the city of Sutri by Pope Gregory II, near the borders of the Duchy of Rome. Liutprand signs the Donation of Sutri, by which parts of Latium are given to the papacy (the first extension of papal territory in Italy). This marks the historical foundation of the Papal States.


text: Du Huangchang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (or 729)


text: Abu Ubaidah, Muslim scholar of Arabic philology (d. 825)


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


text: Jarir ibn Atiyah, Arab poet and satirist


text: Hasan al-Basri, Arab theologian


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


text: An alliance between Duke Eudes of Aquitaine and Munuza, the Moorish governor of Cerdanya, is cemented by marriage to Eudes' illegitimate daughter Lampégia.


text: King Osric of Northumbria nominates Ceolwulf, a distant cousin and brother of Coenred, as his successor. After Osric's death, Ceolwulf takes the throne.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Battle of Ravenna: Byzantine troops under Eutychius, exarch of Ravenna, are defeated by an Italian force, raised by Gregory II, in opposition to iconoclasm.


text: Siege of Kamarja: A small Arab garrison defends the fortress of Kamarja against the Turgesh for 58 days, ending with a negotiated withdrawal to Samarkand.


text: Battle of Baykand: The Umayyad Arabs narrowly escape disaster when cut off from water by the Turgesh, and push through to reach Bukhara in Transoxiana.


text: In Denmark, construction of the Kanhave Canal across the island of Samsø is completed. Although the canal is only about 500 metres long, it is one of the largest engineering projects undertaken in Denmark during the Early Middle Ages.


text: Chinese eating sticks are introduced in the next 20 years in Japan, where people heretofore have used one-piece pincers. The Japanese call them hashi.

source_section: Events › By topic › Food and drink


text: Du Huangchang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (or 728)


text: Li Huaiguang, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 785)


text: Abu Yusuf, Arab jurist and chief adviser (approximate date; d. 798)


date: May 9

text: May 9 – Osric, king of Northumbria


text: Shen Quanqi, Chinese poet and official (b. 650)


text: Nagaya, Japanese prince and politician (b. 684)


text: Ecgberht of Ripon, bishop of Lindisfarne (b. 639)


year_label: 73 CE

text: Emperor Vespasian begins conquest of territory east of the upper Rhine and south of the Main. In addition, he reorganizes the defenses of the upper and lower Danube.

source_title: AD 73

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Titus Flavius Domitianus becomes Roman Consul.


text: February – The Chinese Han dynasty launches a major campaign against the Xiongnu, whom they confront in the Battle of Yiwulu in the Kumul oasis, an ultimate Han military victory led by General Dou Gu (d. AD 88).


text: Spring – The Roman governor Lucius Flavius Silva lays siege to Masada, the last outpost of the Jewish rebels following the end, in AD 70, of the First Jewish-Roman War (Jewish Revolt). The Roman army (Legio X Fretensis) surrounds the mountain fortress with a 7-mile long siege wall (circumvallation) and builds a rampart of stones and beaten earth against the western approach. After the citadel is conquered, 960 Zealots under the leadership of Eleazar ben Ya'ir commit mass suicide when defeat becomes imminent.


text: Martial writes a satire on "military cowardice".

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts and sciences


text: Pliny the Elder serves as procurator in Hispania Tarraconensis.


text: Ban Chao (Pan-Ch’ao), competing with the Xiongnu, imposes a Chinese protectorate on the kings of Lop Nor and Khotan in the Tarim Basin, with the aim of controlling the Silk Road.


text: Vespasian and Titus are appointed to be Roman censors.


text: Titus Flavius Hyrcanus, Roman aristocrat


date: September

text: September–October – Umayyad forces sack the Byzantine fortress of Charsianon in central Anatolia (modern Turkey), which remains a contested stronghold during the next century of Byzantine–Arab warfare.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


date: December 9

text: December 9 – Battle of Marj Ardabil: The Khazars under Barjik invade the provinces of Jibal and Adharybaydjian. He defeats an Umayyad army (25,000 men) at Ardabil (Iran), killing al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah.


text: Charles Martel defeats the last independent dukedom of Alamannia, and incorporates it into the Frankish Empire. He also launches raids on the Saxons beyond the Rhine.


text: King Liutprand contracts an alliance with Eutychius, exarch of Ravenna, and agrees to support him in his attack on Rome, while subjugating the independent southern Lombard duchies of Benevento and Spoleto.


text: In this decade hops are first cultivated in Germany, in the Hallertau region.

source_section: Events › By topic


text: Emperor Xuan Zong has four palace walls in the northeast sector of the capital city Chang'an dismantled and reassembled to construct a new Daoist abbey, the grounds of which are formally a large garden for the Bureau of Agriculture.

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Tiberius Petasius proclaims himself emperor in Tuscia. Eutychius defeats him with the support of Pope Gregory II, and Tiberius is killed in Monterano, with his head sent to the Byzantine emperor Leo III as a gift.


text: Leo III of the Byzantine Empire orders the destruction of all icons, beginning the First Iconoclastic Period. Many monks flee to Greece and Italy (taking smaller icons with them, hidden in their clothing); others flee to the caves of the Cappadocian desert.


text: Zhang Xiaozhong, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 791)


text: Autpert Ambrose, Frankish Benedictine monk (d. 784)


text: Jia Dan, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 805)


text: Offa of Mercia (approximate date)


text: Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus, Arab minister (approximate date)


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


text: Tarasios, patriarch of Constantinople (approximate date)


text: December 9 – Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah, Arab general


text: Hugh of Champagne, grandson of Pepin of Herstal


text: Selbach mac Ferchair, king of Dál Riata


text: Corbinian, Frankish bishop (approximate date)


text: Tiberius Petasius, Byzantine usurper


text: Yuwen Rong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (or 731)


text: King Æthelbald of Mercia overruns a large portion of Somerset, and wrests the county from Wessex control (approximate date).


text: Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Munuza, Moorish governor of Cerdagne (eastern Pyrenees), rebels against Umayyad authority. He is defeated and executed by Muslim forces under Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi at Urgell (Catalonia). Muslim garrisons in Septimania raid the cities Millau and Arles.


text: Charles Martel leads two raids across the Loire River into the Berry region. The Franks seize and plunder Bourges (central France), but the city is immediately recaptured by Eudes of Aquitaine.


text: 731 or 732 (traditional date) – Sack of Luxeuil (no evidence for event).


text: Battle of the Defile: An Umayyad relief army (28,000 men) is sent to Samarkand (modern Uzbekistan), which is besieged by the Turgesh. The Muslims are ambushed near the Zarafshan Range, at the Tashtakaracha Pass. The battle results in a Pyrrhic victory, with heavy casualties for the Umayyad army, halting Muslim expansion in Central Asia for almost two decades.


date: June 10

text: June 10 – The Mercian Tatwine is consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.


date: November 1

text: November 1 – Synod of Rome: Gregory III summons a council at the shrine of Saint Peter. All western bishops participate, including the Roman nobility. Gregory condemns Iconoclasm as a heresy.


text: Bede, Anglo-Saxon monk and historian, completes his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum at the monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth.

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: Autumn – King Ceolwulf of Northumbria is deposed by opponents, and forced to enter a monastery. His supporters subsequently restore him to the throne (or 732).


text: Ragenfrid, ex-mayor of the palace of Neustria, meets Duke Eudes of Aquitaine, to accept his rule and independence from the Frankish Kingdom. Fearing an alliance against him, Charles Martel exiles Ragenfrid's supporter Wandon of Fontenelle, and imprisons bishop Aimar of Auxerre.


text: Ōtomo no Otomaro, Japanese general and Shōgun (d. 809)


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


text: Abd al-Rahman I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 788)


date: February 9

text: February 9 – Zhang Yue, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 667)


date: February 11

text: February 11 – Pope Gregory II dies at Rome after a 16-year reign, in which he has fought Iconoclasm. He is succeeded by the Syrian-born cleric Gregory III, as the 90th pope of the Catholic Church.


text: February 11 – Gregory II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 669)


date: August 31

text: August 31 – Ōtomo no Tabito, Japanese poet (b. 665)


date: December 22

text: December 22 – Yuan Qianyao, official of the Chinese Tang dynasty


text: Ragenfrid, mayor of the palace of Neustria


text: Munuza, Moorish governor of Cerdagne


text: Barjik, prince of the Khazar Khaganate


text: Berhtwald, archbishop of Canterbury


text: Yuwen Rong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (or 730)


date: October 10

text: October 10 – Battle of Tours: The Frankish and Burgundian forces under Charles Martel defeat a large army of Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, near Poitiers, halting the Islamic advance into Western Europe; Rahman Al Ghafiqi is killed during the battle. Charles extends his authority in the south of France, which gives him the nickname Martellus ("The Hammer"). The outcome of the victory is a turning point, and establishes a balance of power between Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire.


date: October

text: October – The Frankish army crosses the Vienne River and establishes a camp at or around the partially abandoned Roman mansion or agricultural settlement, now known as 'Vieux-Poitiers' (near Châtellerault), perhaps using the Roman theatre with its substantial towers as a fortification. Charles Martel forms a defensive position across the Roman road, and fends off Muslim skirmishes during the 'seven days' stand-off, probably involving scouts, and perhaps raiders from both armies.


text: Battle of the River Garonne: A Umayyad Muslim army (40,000 men) under Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, governor of Al-Andalus, crosses the Pyrenees through the Roncesvalles Pass and raids widely, ravaging the cities of Oloron, Lescar and Bayonne, and burning the abbey of Saint-Sever. Umayyad forces destroy the monastery of Saint-Émilion, and defeat the 'Count of Libourne'. Abdul Rahman sacks and captures Bordeaux, and nearly wipes out the army of Duke Eudes of Aquitaine, at the Garonne River.


text: Summer – Eudes of Aquitaine heads for the Frankish city of Reims, to warn Charles Martel, Merovingian mayor of the palace, of the Umayyad invasion in Gaul, and ask for his support against the invaders. The two leaders meet near Paris; Charles issues a 'general ban' to raise an army, which includes large numbers of Austrasians, Neustrians, and Burgundians. Meanwhile, Arabians ravage the cities of Périgueux, Saintes, and Angoulême, then sack the basilica of Saint-Hilaire outside Poitiers.


text: September – Charles Martel leads his Frankish army (30,000 men) to Orléans and crosses the Loire River, probably accompanied by Eudes of Aquitaine, with his remaining troops. He makes camp near Tours, probably at Ballan-Miré south-west of the fortress city, in order to protect the abbey of Saint Martin. Charles defeats or forces back Umayyad scouts or an advance guard, between the rivers Indre and Creuse. Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi pulls back to establish a position at the Vienne River.


text: Autumn – King Ceolwulf of Northumbria is deposed by opponents, and forced to enter a monastery. His supporters subsequently restore him to the throne (or 731).


text: Ecgbert is appointed bishop of York, by his cousin Ceolwulf of Northumbria. He founds a library, and makes the city a renowned centre of learning (approximate date).


text: Muslim forces withdraw southwards to Septimania; a separate part probably pulls back along the road it originally came through, across the Pyrenees Mountains. Eudes of Aquitaine pursues the main Muslim army via La Marche, before returning to Bordeaux; Charles Martel withdraws to Frankish territory through Orléans and Auxerre, demoting those bishops whom he thought unreliable. Abd al-Malik ibn Katan al-Fihri becomes the new governor (wali) of Al-Andalus; a separate Muslim force raids the Rhône region.


text: Pope Gregory III confers on Boniface, Anglo-Saxon missionary, the pallium as archbishop, with jurisdiction over Bavaria (modern Germany). He orders him to forbid the consumption of horseflesh by his Christian converts.


date: June 26

text: June 26 – Venus occults Jupiter.

source_section: Events › By topic › Astronomy


text: Byzantine Emperor Leo III marries his 15 year old son Constantine to Tzitzak (later baptised as Irene), the daughter of the Khazar Khagan Bihar, as a sign of diplomatic unity between the Byzantine Empire and the Khazar Khaganate.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Fujiwara no Momokawa, Japanese statesman (d. 779)


date: March 13

text: March 13 – Gerald of Mayo, Anglo-Saxon abbot