text: Arab–Byzantine wars: Caliph Harun al-Rashid leads a huge military expedition, assembling men from Syria, Palestine, Persia, and Egypt. The invasion army (reportedly 135,000 men) departs from Raqqa, residence of Harun, and enters Cappadocia through the Cilician Gates, sacking several Byzantine fortresses and cities. Heraclea is captured after a month-long siege (August/September). The city is plundered and razed; its inhabitants are enslaved and deported to the Abbasid Caliphate.


date: April 12

section: Religion & Belief

text: April 12 – Nikephoros I is elected patriarch of Constantinople, succeeding Tarasios.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


date: July 26

text: July 26 – Wulfred is elected Archbishop of Canterbury.


text: The church (oratory) in Germigny-des-Prés is built by Bishop Theodulf of Orléans.


text: King Eardwulf of Northumbria is expelled from his kingdom by his rival Ælfwald II, who takes the throne. Eardwulf flees to the Frankish court of Charlemagne, and later visits Pope Leo III in Rome.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Harun al-Rashid appoints Ashot Msaker ("the Carnivorous") as the new presiding prince of Armenia. The Bagratids emerge as one of the country's two most powerful noble families. Harun recognizes another Bagratid branch, under Ashot I Curopalates, as princes of Caucasian Iberia.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate


text: Hōzen-ji Temple is founded in Wakakusa, Nakakoma District, Japan (now Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture). The temple follows the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


section: Births

text: Leuthard II, Frankish count (approximate date)

source_section: Births


text: Ralpacan, king of Tibet (approximate date)


text: Hincmar, archbishop of Reims (d. 882)


date: February 5

section: Deaths

text: February 5 – Kanmu, emperor of Japan (b. 737)

source_section: Deaths


text: February 5 – Emperor Kanmu dies after a 25-year reign, that has seen Korean culture and technology introduced to Japan. He is succeeded by his son Heizei, as the 51st emperor of Japan.


date: February 11

text: February 11 – Shun Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 761)


date: February 25

text: February 25 – Tarasios, patriarch of Constantinople


date: July 19

text: July 19 – Li Shigu, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 778)


text: Grimoald III, Lombard prince of Benevento


text: Yahya ibn Khalid, Persian vizier of Bagdad


text: Miliduch, prince (knyaz) of the Sorbs (approximate date)


text: Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Fazari, Muslim philosopher (or 796)


text: Grimoald III, Lombard duke of Benevento, dies without heirs. He is succeeded by Grimoald IV, who is forced to pay tribute to King Charles the Younger.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: The Vikings land on the Cornish coast, and form an alliance with the Cornish to fight against Wessex.


text: Dappula II becomes king of Sri Lanka, and makes Anuradhapura the capital city.


section: Conflict & Security

text: Al-Andalus (modern Spain): An uprising occurs in the city of Mérida against the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Siege of Patras: This marks the end of independent rule by the South Slavs in the Peloponnese (or 805).


section: Exploration & Expansion

text: An Abbasid fleet under Humayd ibn Ma'yuf al-Hajuri raids the Peloponnese, Rhodes and Myra.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Empire and Byzantine Empire


text: The Jame' Atiq Mosque of Qazvin is constructed in Qazvin (modern Iran), by the orders of Harun al-Rashid.


text: The Temple of Motoyama-ji in Mitoyo (Japan), of the Kōyasan Shingon-shū sect, is constructed by the orders of Emperor Heizei.


text: The Book of Armagh is written by the Irish illuminator Ferdomnach, a scribe at the School of Armagh.


text: Emperor Nikephoros I is forced to sue for peace, on condition of paying 50,000 nomismata to Caliph Harun al-Rashid, and agrees to a yearly tribute. Nikephoros promises not to rebuild the dismantled forts. Rashid recalls his forces from various sieges, and evacuates Byzantine territory.


section: Culture & Society

text: Li Jifu is appointed chancellor, during the reign of Emperor Xian Zong in China.


text: Dongshan Liangjie, Chinese Buddhist teacher (d. 869)


date: October 13

text: October 13 – Simpert, bishop of Augsburg


text: Conall mac Taidg, king of the Picts (approximate date)


text: Widukind, duke of Saxony (approximate date)


text: Robert II, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Stephen the Hymnographer, Syrian monk (b. 725)


text: King Cuthred of Kent dies. His brother, King Coenwulf of Mercia, takes control over Kent himself.


text: King Godfred of the Danes forms an alliance with the Wiltzi and other Wendic tribes, against the pagan but pro-Frankish Abodrites. Godfred builds earthworks (Danevirke) across the isthmus of Schleswig-Holstein, separating Jutland from the northern extent of the Frankish Empire.


text: In Gharb al-Andalus (modern Portugal), Hazim ibn Wahb leads a rebellion against the Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Emperor Charlemagne gives orders to construct two new forts on the Elbe River, garrisoning them against future Slav incursions.


text: Viking Age: First Viking raid, by Danes against the Baltic coast. Godfred destroys the Slav settlement of Reric (near present-day Wismar), used as a strategic trade route. The population is displaced or abducted, to Hedeby (Denmark).


text: Jewish merchants in Lombardy open the first bank (or money repository) in Italy (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Finance


text: Exiled king Eardwulf of Northumbria is able to return to his kingdom, with the support of Charlemagne and Pope Leo III. He ousts the usurper, King Ælfwald II.


date: September 27

text: September 27 – Ninmyō, emperor of Japan (d. 850)


text: Walafrid Strabo, Frankish theological writer (approximate date)


text: Emma of Altdorf, Frankish queen (or 803)


text: Gottschalk of Orbais, German monk and theologian (approximate date)


text: Kang Chengxun, general of the Tang Dynasty (approximate date)


text: Kim Yang, viceroy of Silla (Korea) (d. 857)


text: Ælfwald II, king of Northumbria (approximate date)


text: Layman Pang, Chinese (Zen) Buddhist (b. 740)


text: Cadell ap Brochfael, king of Powys (modern Wales), dies after a 35-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Cyngen ap Cadell.


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


text: Al-Fadl ibn Yahya al-Barmaki, Muslim governor (b. 766)


text: Du Huangchang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Eanbald II, archbishop of York


text: Elipando, Spanish archbishop and theologian (approximate date)


text: Aznar Galíndez I succeeds Aureolus, as count of Aragon (modern Spain). He is installed by King Louis the Pious (a son of emperor Charlemagne), and remains a Frankish vassal.


text: Emperor Heizei becomes ill, and abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Saga, who is installed as the 52nd emperor of Japan.


text: Spring – Siege of Serdica: Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, captures the fortress of Serdica (modern Sofia), after a long siege. According to Byzantine sources, he massacres the garrison (supposedly 6,000 men), sacks the city, and razes the city walls, before returning with much loot to Bulgaria. In the following years (and centuries), Serdica will serve as a base for the expansion of the Bulgars to the south of the Balkans.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: A rebellion in Gharb al-Andalus (modern Portugal) is crushed by the Emirate of Córdoba.


text: A Byzantine fleet lands in the Venetian Lagoon, and attacks a Frankish flotilla at Comacchio, but is defeated. Doge Obelerio degli Antenori marries a Frankish bride, Carola; she becomes the first dogaressa of Venice.


text: Emperor Govinda III defeats his rival Nagabhata II, and obtains the submission of the Pala Empire (India).


text: Council of Aachen (809): Frankish bishops adopt the filioque addition in the Creed. Pope Leo III intervenes, and refuses to recognize it as valid.


text: Hunayn ibn Ishaq, Muslim scholar and physician (d. 873)


text: Wen Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 840)


text: Jing Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 827)


date: March 24

text: March 24 – Harun al-Rashid, Muslim caliph (b. 763)


text: March 24 – Caliph Harun al-Rashid dies at Tus, on an expedition to put down an uprising in Khorasan (modern Iran). He is succeeded by his son Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin.


date: March 26

text: March 26 – Ludger, Frisian missionary


date: July 14

text: July 14 – Ōtomo no Otomaro, Japanese general and Shōgun (b. 731)


text: Aejang, king of Silla (b. 788)


text: Cellach Tosach mac Donngaile, Irish king


text: Wang Shizhen, Chinese general (b. 759)


text: Aureolus of Aragon, Frankish nobleman


text: Abbas ibn al-Ahnaf, Muslim poet (b. 750)


text: Elfodd, Welsh bishop (approximate date)


year_label: 81 CE

date: September 14

text: September 14 – Domitian succeeds his brother Titus as emperor. Domitian is not a soldier like his two predecessors, and his administration is directed towards the reinforcement of a monarchy. By taking the title of Dominus ("lord"), he scandalizes the senatorial aristocracy. Romanisation progresses in the provinces, and life in the cities is greatly improved. Many provincials – Spanish, Gallic, and African – become Senators.

source_title: AD 81

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Possible date of the First Epistle of Peter.


text: Pliny the Younger is flamen Divi Augusti (priest in the cult of the Emperor).


text: The silver content of the Roman denarius rises to 92% under emperor Domitian, up from 81% in the reign of Vitellius.

source_section: Events › By topic › Commerce


section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: The Arch of Titus is constructed.


text: Deng Sui, Chinese empress of the Han Dynasty (d. 121)


date: September 13

text: September 13 – Titus, Roman emperor (b. AD 39)


text: Artabanus III, king of the Parthian Empire


text: King Godfred of the Danes leads 200 Viking ships to plunder the Frisian coast, and forces the merchants to pay 100 pounds of silver. He claims Northern Frisia as Danish territory.


text: Al-Andalus (modern Spain): The city of Mérida rises up against the Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Spring – The Venetian dukes change sides again, submitting to King Pepin, under the authority of his father Charlemagne, who then proceeds to take Venice. Emperor Nikephoros I sends a Byzantine fleet to Dalmatia, prompting Pepin to withdraw to the mainland. A legate is dispatched to Venice, where he deposes the turncoat dukes, before continuing on to Aachen, to negotiate a peace with Charlemagne. Charlemagne recognises Byzantine dominance over Venice and Dalmatia in the Adriatic Sea.


text: The Book of Kells (also known as the Book of Colomba), an illuminated manuscript, is completed by Celtic monks (approximate date).


text: Tikal Temple III, also known as the Temple of the Jaguar Priest, is constructed in Tikal National Park (modern Guatemala).


section: Crime & Justice

text: Godfred is killed by one of his housecarls, and is succeeded by Hemming. According to Notker of Saint Gall, the bodyguard who murdered Godfred is possibly one of his sons.


text: July 19 – Muhammad al-Bukhari, Persian Islamic scholar (d. 870)


date: July 27

text: July 27 – Xuān Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 859)


text: Seishi, empress of Japan (d. 879)


text: Kenneth MacAlpin, king of Scotland (d. 858)


text: Louis the German, king of East Francia (approximate date)


text: Kassia, Byzantine abbess and hymnographer (approximate date)


text: Engelram, Frankish chamberlain (approximate date)


text: Halfdan the Black, Norwegian nobleman (approximate date)


text: Bertharius, Benedictine abbot and poet (approximate date)


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


text: Anastasius, antipope of Rome (approximate date)


text: Gérard II, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Minamoto no Makoto, Japanese prince (d. 868)


text: Abbas ibn Firnas, Muslim physician and inventor (d. 887)


date: July 8

text: July 8 – Pippin of Italy, son of Charlemagne


text: Rotrude, Frankish princess, daughter of Charlemagne


text: Abul-Abbas, Asian elephant given to Charlemagne


text: Eochaid mac Fiachnai, king of Ulaid (Ireland)


text: Wu Shaocheng, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 750)


text: Ismail ibn Ibrahim, Muslim scholar (b. 756)


text: Gisela, Frankish abbess (b. 757)


text: Bello of Carcassonne, Frankish nobleman


text: Vojnomir, duke of Lower Pannonia (approximate date)


text: Liu Ji, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 757)


text: Fujiwara no Nakanari, Japanese nobleman (b. 764)


text: Owain ap Maredudd, king of Dyfed (Wales)


text: Eardwulf, king of Northumbria (approximate date)


text: Treaty of Heiligen: King Hemming of Denmark concludes a peace treaty with Emperor Charlemagne in present-day Rendsburg. The southern boundary of Denmark is established at the Eider River.


date: July 23

text: July 23 – Nikephoros I reaches Pliska, and destroys a Bulgarian army of 12,000 elite soldiers who guard the stronghold. Another hastily assembled relief force of 50,000 soldiers suffers a similar fate. The Byzantines capture the defenseless capital. Nikephoros plunders the city and captures Krum's treasury. He burns the countryside, slaughters sheep and pigs, as he pursues the retreating Bulgars southwest towards Serdica (modern-day Sofia).


text: July 26 – Battle of Vărbitsa Pass: Nikephoros I is trapped (probably in the Vărbitsa Pass) and defeated by the Bulgars, who use the tactics of ambush and surprise night attacks to immobilize the Byzantine forces. Nikephoros himself is killed; Krum has the emperor's head carried back in triumph on a pole, where it is cleaned out, lined with silver and made into a jeweled skull cup, which he allows his Slavic princes (archons) to drink from with him.


text: Stauracius is installed as emperor at Adrianople (the first time a Byzantine emperor is crowned outside Constantinople). Because of a sword wound near his neck (during the Battle of Pliska), Stauracius is paralyzed. The imperial court is split between the noble factions of his wife Theophano and his sister Prokopia.


text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Nikephoros I organises a new campaign against the Bulgarian Empire, gathering an expeditionary force (most of the Roman army) from all parts of the empire. He is accompanied by high-ranking officials and aristocrats, including his son Stauracius and brother-in-law Michael I Rangabe (both later emperors temporarily). Krum, ruler (khan) of Bulgaria, sends envoys to sue for peace. Nikephoros refuses to accept the terms and marches through the Balkan passes towards Pliska, the Bulgarian capital.


date: October 2

text: October 2 – Michael I is declared emperor of the Byzantine Empire; Stauracius is forced by senior officials to retire to a monastery.


text: Fourth Fitna: Abbasid caliph al-Amin appoints Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan as governor of Khurasan, in northeast Persia, and sends an army of 40,000 men with him against his half-brother al-Ma'mun. Ibn Mahan's army is defeated by a smaller army under Tahir ibn Husayn, at Rayy. During the fighting Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan is killed.


text: Basil I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 886)


text: Abu Hatim al-Razi, Muslim hadith scholar (d. 890)


text: Ōe no Otondo, Japanese scholar (d. 877)


text: Muhammad al-Jawad, ninth Twelver Shī'ah Imām (d. 835)


date: June 17

text: June 17 – Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Japanese shōgun (b. 758)


date: July 24

text: July 24 – Gao Ying, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 740)


date: July 26

text: July 26 – Nikephoros I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire


text: Li Fan, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 754)


text: Pei Ji, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan, Muslim military leader


text: Charles the Younger, son of Charlemagne


text: Pepin the Hunchback, son of Charlemagne


text: The Chinese government takes over the issuing of paper bank drafts, the ancestor of paper money.


text: Charlemagne conquers Catalonia, as far south as the River Ebro and the Balearic Islands. The counties come under the rule of Bera, count of Barcelona. He signs a three-year peace treaty with the Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Emperor Michael I re-opens peace negotiations with the Franks, and recognizes Charlemagne as emperor (basileus) of the Frankish Empire. In exchange for this recognition, Venice is returned to the Byzantine Empire.


text: Byzantine–Bulgarian War: The Bulgars, led by Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, launch an invasion against the Byzantines. They capture the fortress cities of Develt and Mesembria, near the Black Sea.


text: The Republic of Amalfi sends galleys to support the Byzantine general (strategos) of Sicily, Gregorio, against the Aghlabid invaders. It is one of the earliest evidences of the independence of the city.


text: King Sigered of Essex is reduced to the rank of duke, by his Mercian overlords.

source_section: Events › By place › England


text: Fourth Fitna: Forces loyal to al-Ma'mun, led by Tahir ibn Husayn, blockade Baghdad, which is loyal to al-Ma'mun's brother, Caliph al-Amin, and begin the year-long Siege of Baghdad.


section: Science & Discovery

text: Charlemagne issues the Capitulare de villis, concerning the rights of a feudal landholder and the services owed by his dependents. It also contains the names of some 89 plants, of which most are used medically.


section: Disasters & Accidents

text: Deganwy, Wales is burned by lightning.


text: Earliest record of cherry blossom at the Imperial Court in Kyoto.


text: Domnall mac Ailpín, king of Scotland (d. 862)


text: Theodora of Thessaloniki, Byzantine nun and saint (d. 892)


text: Wen Tingyun, Chinese poet and lyricist (d. 870)


text: Wang Yuankui, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 854)


text: Li Rong, prince of the Tang Dynasty (or 813)


text: Sugawara no Koreyoshi, Japanese nobleman (d. 880)


date: January 11

text: January 11 – Staurakios, Byzantine emperor


text: January 11 – Ex-emperor Staurakios, a son of Nikephoros I, dies of putrefaction in his wounds (see 811) in a monastery. He has reigned only two months and eight days, before being exiled by senior officials in Constantinople.


text: Tian Ji'an, general of the Tang Dynasty


text: Ibrahim I, Muslim emir of the Aghlabids (b. 756)


text: At the death of king Hemming of Denmark two claimants to the throne, Sigfred and Anulo, meet in battle but are both killed. Harald and Reginfrid, brothers of Anulo, becomes joint kings of Denmark.


text: Li Ning, prince of the Tang Dynasty (b. 793)


text: Du You, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 735)


text: Jeong, king of Balhae (Korea) (approximate date)


text: Abd al-Malik ibn Salih, Abbasid general (b. 750)


text: Flann mac Congalaig, king of Brega (Ireland)


text: Fujiwara no Uchimaro, Japanese nobleman (b. 756)


text: Nikephoros, son of Constantine V (approximate date)


text: Candidus of Fulda, Benedictine scholar


text: William of Gellone, Frankish nobleman (or 814)


date: September 11

text: September 11 — Louis the Pious, king of Aquitaine (and only surviving legitimate son), is crowned co-emperor of the Franks, with his father Charlemagne.


text: Ashot I ("the Great") becomes the first Georgian Bagratid prince of Iberia, under Byzantine protection.


date: June 22

text: June 22 – Battle of Versinikia: The Bulgars, led by Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, defeat Emperor Michael I near Edirne (modern Turkey). The Byzantine army (26,000 men) is destroyed by a counter-attack of Bulgarian heavy cavalry, while trapped in the valley. Krum captures the Byzantine camp and a rich prize, including gold and weaponry.


text: Danish Viking raiders, led by King Horik I, attack Vestfold (modern Norway), due to its insubordination (approximate date).


text: Autumn – Siege of Baghdad: Caliph al-Amin surrenders Baghdad, after al-Ma'mun's General Tahir accepts his peace terms, but he is captured and executed. His brother al-Ma'mun becomes undisputed ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate.


text: Autumn – Siege of Adrianople: Krum captures Adrianople—one of the most important Byzantine fortresses in Thrace—after being attacked with siege engines. The garrison is forced to surrender, due to starvation. On the orders of Krum, the population of the surrounding area (numbering about 10,000) is transferred to Bulgarian territory, north of the Danube.


date: July 11

text: July 11 – Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and becomes a monk (under the name Athanasius). His sons are castrated to prevent them succeeding the Byzantine throne, and relegated into monasteries. One of them, Niketas (renamed Ignatius), eventually becomes a patriarch of Constantinople.


text: Caliph al Ma’mun founds a school in Baghdad called the House of Wisdom. In this school scholars translated Greek philosophy classics into Arabic.


text: Third Council of Tours: Priests are ordered to preach in the vernacular language (either Vulgar Latin or German).


text: The Baghdad School of Astronomy is opened by al-Ma'mun.


date: July 17

text: July 17 – Krum reaches Constantinople, and sets his camp outside the walls. He is given an invitation, and a promise of safe conduct, to meet Leo V. Krum sets out unarmed for the capital with only a small escort, but is ambushed and manages to escape. After this unsuccessful Byzantine murder attempt, the Bulgars ravage much of Eastern Thrace.


text: Moses Bar-Kepha, Syriac bishop (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Yoshisuke, Japanese statesman (d. 867)


text: Fujiwara no Yoshimi, Japanese nobleman (d. 867)


text: Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim ninth Ismā'īlī imam (or 814)


text: Li Shangyin, Chinese official and poet (d. 858)


text: Li Rong, prince of the Tang Dynasty (or 812)


text: Theophilus, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 842)


text: Wandelbert, Benedictine monk (approximate date)


text: Eanberht, bishop of Hexham (approximate date)


text: Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin, Muslim caliph (b. 787)


text: ’Abd Allah ibn Wahb, Muslim jurist (b. 743)


text: Louis I establishes himself at the imperial court of Aachen. He appoints Benedict of Aniane as his chief advisor on religious matters, and makes him abbot of Kornelimünster Abbey, which is founded by him.


text: Byzantine Iconoclasm: Conflict erupts between Emperor Leo V and Patriarch Nikephoros, on the subject of iconoclasm. The latter is excommunicated.


text: Shinsen Shōjiroku, a record of the genealogy of the ancient Japanese noble families, is completed during the reign of Emperor Saga.

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


text: Wu Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 846)


text: Zhou Bao, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 888)


text: Bodo, Frankish deacon (approximate date)


text: Enchin, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 891)


text: Han Yunzhong, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 874)


date: January 28

text: January 28 – Charlemagne dies of pleurisy in Aachen, after an almost 14-year reign (since 800) as the first Roman Emperor of Frankish origin (the precursor of the Holy Roman Emperor). He is embalmed and buried in Aachen Cathedral. Charlemagne is succeeded by his son Louis the Pious, as king of the Frankish Empire.


date: February 18

text: February 18 – Angilbert, Frankish diplomat and abbot


date: April 4

text: April 4 – Plato of Sakkoudion, Byzantine abbot


date: April 13

text: April 13 – Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire


text: April 13 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Over the winter Krum, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, had assembled a huge army (including Slavs and Avars), for a campaign against the Byzantine Empire. But before he sets out for a major attack on Constantinople, he dies of a stroke. Krum is succeeded by his son Omurtag.


text: Abu Nuwas, Muslim poet (b. 756)


text: Meng Jiao, Chinese poet (b. 751)


text: Odo of Metz, Frankish architect (b. 742)


text: Abd-Allah ibn Numayr, Muslim narrator of hadith


text: Sugano no Mamichi, Japanese nobleman (b. 741)


text: Waldo of Reichenau, Frankish abbot and bishop


text: William of Gellone, Frankish nobleman (or 812)


text: Baizhang Huaihai, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (b. 720)


text: Li Jifu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 758)


text: Emperor Saga of Japan is the first sovereign to drink tea (according to legend), imported from China by monks. The upper classes adopt this beverage for medicinal use.


text: Byzantine–Bulgarian Treaty: Emperor Leo V the Armenian signs a 30-year peace agreement in Constantinople with Omurtag, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire. The Rhodope Mountains become the Byzantine border again, and Leo regains its lost Black Sea cities, after the Bulgars have them demolished.


text: King Egbert of Wessex ravages the territories of the remaining British kingdom Dumnonia, known as the West Welsh (Cornwall).


text: Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson sets out from the Faroe Islands and discovers Iceland (documented later in the Landnámabók) (approximate date).


text: Synod of Constantinople: A council led by patriarch Theodotus I, in the Hagia Sophia, reinstitutes iconoclasm.


date: July 13

text: July 13 – Wu Yuanheng, Chinese chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, is murdered by assassins of warlord Wu Yuanji, in Chang'an.


text: Eberhard, duke of Friuli (approximate date)


text: Boniface VI, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 896)


text: Johannes Scotus Eriugena, Irish theologian (approximate date)


text: Dawud al-Zahiri, Muslim scholar (approximate date)


text: Methodius, Byzantine missionary and bishop (d. 885)


text: Theodora, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Abu Hanifa Dinawari, Muslim botanist and geographer (d. 896)


text: Leoluca, Sicilian abbot (approximate date)


date: February 15

text: February 15 – Ibn Tabataba, Zaydi anti-caliph


date: April 2

text: April 2 – Sihyaj K'in Ich’aak II becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Machaquila in Guatemala after the death of Ochk'in Kaloomte' Aj Ho' Baak, and reigns until early 824.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


text: July 13 – Wu Yuanheng, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 758)


date: October 18

text: October 18 – Abu'l-Saraya, Zaydi rebel leader


text: Sadnalegs, emperor of Tibet (approximate date)


text: Laylā bint Ṭarīf, Arab woman warrior poet


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


text: Mashallah ibn Athari, Jewish-Arab astrologer


text: Muirgius mac Tommaltaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Omar Tiberiades, Persian astrologer (approximate date)


text: Battle of Pancorbo: A Moorish army from the Emirate of Córdoba is sent by Emir Al-Hakam I, to take control of the pass at Pancorbo. They defeat the army of Asturian-Basque Frankish vassals.


text: Babak Khorramdin, Persian military leader, revolts against the Abbasid Caliphate in Azerbaijan (approximate date).


text: Vikings raid Ireland at the Kingdom of Munster, at Inish Cathaigh.


text: Winter – The Basques, supported by the Moors, cross the Garonne River and revolt against the Franks in Gascony (north of the Pyrenees).


text: King Hywel of Gwynedd is attacked by his brother Cynan on Anglesey (modern Wales), who is killed during the fighting (approximate date).


date: October 5

text: October 5 – King Louis the Pious (son of Charlemagne) is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, by Pope Stephen IV at Reims. He also crowns the emperor's wife Ermengarde as Holy Roman Empress. The ceremony in Reims re-establishes the principle of papal supremacy, by recognising the importance of the pope in imperial coronations. Louis gives the pope many gifts, including the estate tax Vendeuvre, near Troyes (Northern France).


text: Synod of Aachen: Louis the Pious calls for a council about the regulations (Institutio canonicorum Aquisgranensis) for monastic life in the Frankish Empire.


text: Synod of Chelsea: King Coenwulf of Mercia calls for a council about his right to appoint abbots and monasteries in England.


text: Henjō, Japanese waka poet (d. 890)


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


date: June 12

text: June 12 – Pope Leo III dies after a 20-year reign, and is succeeded by Pope Stephen IV as the 97th pope of Rome.


text: June 12 – Leo III, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 750)


date: October 28

text: October 28 – Beggo, count of Toulouse and Paris


text: Fātimah bint Mūsā, Muslim saint (b. 790)


text: Harthama ibn A'yan, Muslim governor


text: Hildoard, archbishop of Cambrai


text: Cynan Dindaethwy, king of Gwynedd (Wales)


text: Empress Dowager Wang (Xianzong), Chinese empress


text: Summer – Emperor Louis I issues an Ordinatio Imperii, an imperial decree that lays out plans for an orderly succession. He divides the Frankish Empire among his three sons: Lothair, the eldest, is proclaimed co-emperor in Aachen, and becomes the overlord of his brothers. He receives the dominion of Burgundy (including German and Gallic parts). Pepin, the second son, is proclaimed king of Aquitaine, and receives Gascony (including the marche around Toulouse and parts of Septimania); Louis (the youngest son) is proclaimed king of Bavaria, and receives the dominions of East Francia.


text: Prince Grimoald IV is assassinated by a complot of Lombard nobles vying for his throne. He is succeeded by Sico as ruler of Benevento (Southern Italy), who is forced to pay an annual tribute of 7,000 solidi to Louis I.


text: Ziyadat Allah I becomes the third Aghlabid emir of Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia). During his rule, the relationship between the Aghlabid Dynasty and the Arab troops remains strained.

source_section: Events › By place › North Africa


text: Synod of Aachen: The council adopts a capitulare monasticum, containing the Benedictine rules of monastic life in the Frankish realm.


text: Pepin, count of Vermandois (approximate date)


text: Al-Fath ibn Khaqan, Muslim governor (or 818)


text: Pyinbya, king of Burma (d. 876)


text: Abu Dawud, Muslim hadith compiler (or 818)


date: January 24

text: January 24 – Stephen IV, pope of the Catholic Church


text: January 24 – Pope Stephen IV dies at Rome after a 7-month reign, and is succeeded by Paschal I as the 98th pope of the Catholic Church.


text: Quriaqos of Tagrit, patriarch of Antioch


text: Grimoald IV, Lombard prince of Benevento


text: Tibraide mac Cethernach, abbot of Clonfert


text: Theophanes the Confessor, Byzantine monk (or 818)


text: Wu Yuanji, general of the Tang Dynasty


text: Beginning of the Lemro period: The Sambawa and Pyinsa Kingdoms are founded in present-day Myanmar.


text: Al-Andalus: A grave rebellion breaks out in the suburbs of Cordoba, against the Emirate of Córdoba. Andalucian Arab refugees arrive in Fez (modern Morocco).


text: The Anglo-Saxons, led by King Coenwulf of Mercia, raid Dyfed in Wales (approximate date).


date: April 17

text: April 17 – King Bernard of Italy, illegitimate son of Pepin of Italy, is tried and condemned to death by Emperor Louis I. The Kingdom of Italy is reabsorbed into the Frankish Empire.


text: Theodulf, bishop of Orléans, is deposed and imprisoned, after becoming involved in a conspiracy with Bernard of Italy.


text: Ariwara no Yukihira, Japanese governor (d. 893)


text: Abu Dawud, Muslim hadith compiler (or 817)


text: Sahl al-Tustari, Persian scholar (approximate date)


text: Al-Fath ibn Khaqan, Muslim governor (or 817)


text: April 17 – Bernard of Italy, king of the Lombards (b. 797)


date: October 3

text: October 3 – Ermengarde, queen of the Franks


text: Al-Fadl ibn Sahl, Persian vizier


text: Clement, Irish scholar and saint


text: Ali al-Ridha, 8th Shia Imam (b. 766)


text: Hildebold, archbishop of Cologne


text: Quan Deyu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 759)


text: Felix, bishop of Urgell (Spain)


text: Michael the Confessor, bishop of Synnada


text: Yuan Zi, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 739)


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


text: Morman, chieftain and king of Brittany


text: Yahya ibn Adam, Islamic scholar


text: Cernach mac Congalaig, king of Brega (Ireland)


text: Battle of Kupa: Ljudevit defeats the Frankish forces led by Borna, a vassal of Louis I. He escapes with the help of his elite bodyguard. Ljudevit uses the momentum and invades the Duchy of Croatia.


text: Ghassan ibn Abbad, the Abbasid governor of Khorasan rewards the Samanid brothers, Nuh, Ahmad, Yahya and ilyas for their aid against the rebel Rafi ibn al-Layth, rewarding them each important cities and territories, respectively Samarkand, Farghana, Tashkent and Herat, to govern under Abbasid suzerainty. This becomes the basis for the formation of the Samanid dynasty which will rule Khorasan for a century.


text: Ljudevit, duke of the Slavs in Lower Pannonia, raises a rebellion against the Frankish Empire. Louis I sends an army led by Cadolah of Friuli, but is defeated by the Pannonian Slavs.


date: August 11

text: August 11 – Caliph Al-Ma'mun returns to Baghdad, securing the city's place as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.


text: Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun dismisses Al-Hasan ibn Sahl as governor of al-Iraq.


text: Nominoe, a noble Briton, is appointed by Louis I as count of Vannes in Brittany (approximate date).


text: Spring – Emperor Louis I marries Judith of Bavaria in Aachen. She becomes his second wife and Empress of the Franks. Like many of the royal marriages of the time, Judith is selected through a bridal show.


text: Martianus Hiberniensis, Irish monk and calligrapher (d. 875)


date: March 8

text: March 8 – Li Shidao, Chinese warlord


text: Cairell mac Fiachnai, king of Ulaid (Ireland)


text: Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, Arab historian (b. 737)


text: Cheng Yi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Áed Oirdnide, king of Ailech (Ireland)


text: Liu Zongyuan, Chinese poet and official (b. 773)


text: Cadolah, duke of Friuli (Italy)


year_label: 82 CE

text: Calgacus unites the Picts (30,000 men) in Scotland, and is made chieftain of the Caledonian Confederacy.

source_title: AD 82


text: Emperor Domitian becomes Roman Consul.


text: Domitian levies Legio I Minervia.


text: Gnaeus Julius Agricola raises a fleet, and encircles the Celtic tribes beyond the Forth; the Caledonians rise in great numbers against the Romans. They attack the camp of Legio IX Hispana at night, but Agricola sends his cavalry in, and puts them to flight.


text: Dio Chrysostom is banished from Rome, Italy, and Bithynia, after advising one of the Emperor's conspiring relatives.


text: Wang Fu, Chinese historian and philosopher (d. 167)


text: Anianus, Patriarch of Alexandria


text: Fedelmid mac Crimthainn assumes the kingship as ruler of Munster (modern Ireland).

source_section: Events › By place › Ireland


text: Caliph Al-Ma'mun appoints Ibrahim al-Ifriqi as Abbasid governor of Yemen. He remains in office until 821.


text: Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun appoints Isa ibn Yazid al-Juludi as Abbasid governor of Yemen, for a few months.


text: Caliph Al-Ma'mun appoints Hisn ibn al-Minhal as Abbasid governor of Yemen, for a few months.


text: Caliph al-Ma'mun appoints Abu Nasr ibn al-Sari as Abbasid governor of Egypt.


text: Godfrid Haraldsson, Danish Viking king (approximate date)


text: Ibn Khordadbeh, Persian geographer (approximate date)


text: Ashot I ("the Great"), king of Armenia (approximate date)


text: Álmos, military leader (gyula) of the Hungarians (approximate date)


text: Rhodri the Great, king of Gwynedd (Wales) (approximate date)


text: Grimbald, Frankish Benedictine monk (d. 901)


text: Qusta ibn Luqa, Syrian Melkite physician (d. 912)


text: Anandavardhana, Indian philosopher (d. 890)


text: Hucbert, Frankish nobleman (d. 864)


text: Ranulf I of Aquitaine, Frankish nobleman (d. 866)


text: Adelaide of Tours, Frankish noblewoman (approximate date)


text: Adalbert I, Frankish margrave (approximate date)


date: September 14

text: September 14, Li Yong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


date: December 25

text: December 25 – Emperor Leo V (the Armenian) is assassinated by conspirators in the Hagia Sophia, at Constantinople. Though unarmed, he fights back fiercely but dies of his wounds. He is succeeded by Michael II, the commander of the palace guard (excubitores). Leo's family (including his mother and his wife Theodosia) are exiled to monasteries in Princes' Islands.


text: December 25, Leo V, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 775)


text: Tutu Chengcui, eunuch and advisor of the Tang dynasty


text: Huangfu Bo, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Emperor Xian Zong dies from poisoning (due to medicines), after a 14-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Mu Zong, as ruler of the Tang dynasty.

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Causantín mac Fergusa, king of the Picts


text: Olcobhar mac Cummuscach, abbot of Clonfert


text: Song Ruoxin, Chinese scholar and poet (b. 768)


text: Xian Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 778)


text: Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i, Muslim imam (b. 767)


text: Lupo III, duke of Gascony (approximate date)


text: Wang Chengzong, general of the Tang dynasty


text: Adi Shankara, Indian philosopher and theologian (b. 788)


text: Byzantine general Thomas the Slav leads a revolt, and secures control over most of the Byzantine themes (provinces) in Anatolia. He gets recognition from the Abbasid Caliphate, and concludes a peace treaty with Caliph al-Ma'mun. Thomas crosses with his fleet from Abydos to Thrace, and blockades Emperor Michael II in Constantinople; but Thomas' first attack on the capital fails.


text: Caliph Al-Ma'mun appoints Nu'aym ibn al-Waddah al-Azdi as the governor of Yemen.


text: Tahir ibn Husayn, an Iranian general, is appointed as governor of Khurasan, as a reward for supporting the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun in the Fourth Fitna.


text: By the time Al-Ma'mun becomes caliph, the Arabs and the Byzantines have settled down into border skirmishing, with Arab raids deep into Anatolia to capture booty.


date: October

text: October – Lothair I, co-emperor and eldest son of Louis I, marries Ermengarde in Thionville (northeastern France). She is the daughter of Count Hugh of Tours.


text: Gisela, Frankish princess, daughter of Louis the Pious


text: Ibn Abi Asim, Muslim Sunni scholar (or 822)


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


text: Gao Pian, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 887)


date: February

text: February – Duke Borna of Croatia dies after an 11-year reign, as vassal of the Frankish Empire. He is succeeded by his nephew, Vladislav. Emperor Louis I recognizes him as prince of Dalmatia and Liburnia, at the Council of Aachen.


date: April 7

text: April 7 – George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop of Mytilene (b. c. 776)


date: May 2

text: May 2 – Liu Zong, general of the Tang dynasty


date: December 18

text: December 18 – Theodulf, bishop of Orléans


text: Zheng Yuqing, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 746)


text: Benedict of Aniane, Frankish monk


text: Artrí mac Cathail, king of Munster (Ireland)


text: Li Su, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 773)


text: Guisclafred, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: King Coenwulf of Mercia dies in Basingwerk near Holywell (Wales), while preparing for another assault on Powys, and is buried in Winchcombe Abbey. He is briefly succeeded by his son Cynehelm, but he is killed, probably fighting the Welsh, though supposedly through the treachery of his sister Cwenthryth. The Mercian throne passes to Coenwulf's brother, Ceolwulf I.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Wei Guanzhi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 760)


text: Tian Hongzheng, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 764)


text: Battle of Kedouktos (near Heraclea): Khan Omurtag of Bulgaria sends a relief army, and defeats the Byzantine rebels.


text: Kim Hŏn-ch'ang launches a short-lived rebellion in Silla, which gains control over much of the southern and western Korean Peninsula.


text: King Ceolwulf I of Mercia invades Powys (Wales), but is beaten back by King Cyngen. However, Ceolwulf does destroy the fortress of Deganwy, and later takes the kingdom under his control (approximate date).


text: Byzantine general and usurper Thomas the Slav continues his revolt against Emperor Michael II. He unsuccessfully besieges Constantinople, while his fleet is destroyed by Michael's fleet, using Greek fire.


text: Emperor Louis I performs public penance for causing his nephew Bernard's death 4 years earlier, at his palace of Attigny (Ardennes), before Pope Paschal I, and the Frankish nobles (this to restore harmony and re-establish his authority).


text: The earliest known mention of the Serbs, in Einhard's Royal Frankish Annals.


date: February 6

section: Health & Medicine

text: February 6 – Ukit Took becomes the last ruler (ajaw) of the Mayan city-state Copán (modern Guatemala). After his death in 830, the kingdom is wiped out, most likely from an epidemic.


text: Minamoto no Tōru, Japanese poet (d. 895)


text: Al-Mutawakkil, Muslim caliph (d. 861)


text: Xuefeng Yicun, Chinese Chan master (d. 908)


text: Ibn Abi Asim, Muslim Sunni scholar (or 821)


date: June 26

text: June 26 – Saichō, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 767)


text: Eigil of Fulda, Bavarian abbot


text: Denebeorht, bishop of Worcester


text: Kim Hŏn-ch'ang, Silla aristocrat and rebel leader


text: Al-Waqidi, Muslim historian and biographer


text: Li Yijian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 756)


text: Winiges, duke of Spoleto (Italy)


text: Gregory Pterotos, Byzantine general (strategos)


text: Al-Hakam I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (b. 771)


text: Tian Bu, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 785)


text: Rabanus Maurus, a Frankish Benedictine monk, becomes abbot of Fulda, after the death of Eigil.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Al-Hakam I, Umayyad emir of Córdoba, dies after a 26-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Abd al-Rahman II, who begins a military campaign against King Alfonso II of Asturias in Al-Andalus (modern Spain).

source_section: Events › By place › Al-Andalus


text: Tahir ibn Husayn, founder of the Tahirid Dynasty


date: May 30

text: May 30 – Emperor Saga abdicates the throne, after a 10-year reign. He is succeeded by his brother Junna, as the 53rd emperor of Japan.


text: Emperor Michael II defeats the rebel forces under Thomas the Slav in Thrace. He and his supporters are forced to seek refuge in Arkadiopolis (modern Turkey). After five months of blockade, Thomas surrenders and is delivered to Michael, seated on a donkey and bound in chains. He pleads for clemency and prostrates before Michael, but is executed.


date: April 5

text: April 5 – Lothair I, eldest son of Emperor Louis I, is crowned co-emperor again by Pope Paschal I at Rome (initiating the papal practice of handing the imperial sword over, as a symbol of temporal power in the Holy Roman Empire).


text: King Ceolwulf I of Mercia is deposed by Beornwulf, who takes the throne of Mercia. During his rule he rebuilds the Abbey of St. Peter, and presides over two synods at Clofesho.


date: June 13

text: June 13 – Charles the Bald, king of the Franks (d. 877)

source_section: Births


text: Ermentrude of Orléans, queen of the Franks (d. 869)


text: Pepin II (the Younger), king of Aquitaine


text: Muhammad I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 886)


text: Thomas the Slav, Byzantine general and usurper

source_section: Deaths


text: Wulfheard, bishop of Hereford (approximate date)


text: Ljudevit, duke of the Slavs in Lower Pannonia


text: Han Hong, general of the Tang Dynasty b. 765)


text: Boniface I, margrave of Tuscany


text: Thekla, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Ceolwulf I, king of Mercia (approximate date)


text: Adelochus, archbishop of Strasbourg (b. 786)


text: Iñigo Arista revolts against the Frankish Empire, and establishes the Kingdom of Pamplona, with the support of the Caliphate of Córdoba.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: February 8

text: February 8 – The Tenchō era begins in Japan at the beginning of the reign of the Emperor Junna, bringing an end to the Kōnin era after 15 years.

source_section: Events › By date


date: September

text: September – Rebellious Arab troops in North Africa, led by Mansur ibn Nasr al-Tunbudhi in a battle against the Aghlabids, led by the Emir Ziyadat Allah, invade and occupy the city of Tunis.


text: Vikings raid Ireland, on the Kingdom of Munster at Skellig Michael


text: Battle of Roncevaux Pass: The Basques and Banu Qasi defeat a Frankish expedition, led by Counts Aznar and Ebles, in the Pyrenees.


date: June 4

text: June 4 – Pope Eugene II is selected by church leaders and the local nobility of the Papal States as the 99th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, succeeding Pope Paschal I, receiving a majority after the more conservative Zinzinnus is rejected.


date: November 11

text: November 11 – The Constitutio Romana, drawn up between King Lothair I of Italy, Louis the Pious, since 817, and Pope Eugene II, establishes the authority of the Holy Roman Emperors over the papacy of Rome.


text: Zenpuku-ji, one of the oldest Tokyo temples, is founded by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kūkai.


text: Vikings raid Bangor (modern Wales) for the second time, and plunder the bishopric (approximate date).


section: Climate & Environment

text: February – A major earthquake strikes Byzantium in Asia Minor (now part of western Turkey) and part of Greece, damaging the city walls of Theodosiopolis (now Barbaros in Turkey) and Heraclea Perinthus at the same time that the forces of Byzantine Emperor Michael II the Amorian are suppressing the rebellion by Thomas the Slav. Both cities surrender after the natural event.


date: May

text: May – In Constantinople and throughout the Byzantine Empire, Michael II celebrates the festival of Triumph to mark his return to the capital after defeating the rebellion of Thomas the Slav


text: Li Pu, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 828)


text: Al-Tirmidhi, Persian scholar and hadith compiler (d. 892)


text: Chen Tao, Chinese poet (d. 882)


text: Zhao Chou, Chinese warlord (d. 889)


text: Ibn Majah, Persian scholar and hadith compiler


text: Muhammad ibn Abdallah, Muslim governor (or 825)


date: February 11

text: February 11 – Pope Paschal I dies after a 7-year reign, and is succeeded by Eugene II, as the 99th pope of the Catholic Church.


text: February 11 – Pope Paschal I, leader of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States, dies after a reign of seven years. The Roman Curia refuses to bury him in St. Peter's Basilica because of his harsh treatment of the people of Rome, and inters him instead in the Basilica of Santa Prassede. The office remains vacant for four months before a new conclave is assembled.


text: February 11 – Paschal I, pope of the Catholic Church


date: February 29

text: February 29 – Prince Li Zhan, 14 years old, is enthroned as the Emperor Jingzong of China, four days after the death of his father, Emperor Muzong.


date: March 3

text: March 3 – (9.19.13.15.19) (9th B'ak'tun, 19th K'atun, 13th year (Tun) 15th month (Winal) 19th day (K'in)) Juun Tsak-Took becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state of Machaquila (in what is now Guatemala), along with co-ruler and Ti-Chaak become the after the death of Sihyaj K'in Ich’aak II. Juun Tsak-Tookwill until his 840.


date: March 5

text: March 5 – Adelard becomes the new Duke of Spoleto upon the death of his father, Suppo I, who ruled much of Italy including Brescia, Parma, Piacenza, Modena, and Bergamo. Adelard reigns for only five months before dying in August.


text: March 5 – Suppo I, Frankish nobleman


date: August 5

text: August 5 – Heizei, emperor of Japan (b. 773)


text: Han Yu, Chinese philosopher and poet (b. 768)


text: Sayyida Nafisa, Arab female scholar (b. 762)


text: Zhang Hongjing, Chinese chancellor (b. 760)


text: Adelard, duke of Spoleto (Italy)


text: Wetti of Reichenau, German scholar


text: Óengus of Tallaght, Irish bishop


text: Battle of Gafulford: The men of Cornish Dumnonia clash with the West Saxons at modern-day Camelford (approximate date).


text: Emperor Louis the Pious begins a military campaign against the Wends and Sorbs. Duke Tunglo surrenders his son as hostage, and submits to Frankish rule (approximate date).


text: Battle of Ellandun: King Egbert of Wessex defeats Beornwulf of Mercia near Swindon. The battle marks the end of the Mercian domination of southern England. The kingdoms of Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Essex submit to Wessex, and East Anglia acknowledges Egbert as overlord (bretwalda).


text: Grímur Kamban becomes the first man to set foot in the Faroe Islands, and settles down in Funningur, on the northwest coast of Eysturoy (beginning the Norwegian Viking era on the islands).


text: Murcia is founded by the emir of Cordoba Abd ar-Rahman II.


text: A group of Persio-Assyrian adherents of the Church of the East, under the leadership of two Persian bishops Prod (or Proth, also known as Aphroth) and Sappor (also known as Sabrisho), reach Kerala, India and reside in Quilon.

source_section: Events › By place › India


text: Borobudur, a Mahayana Buddhist Temple, is completed in Central Java (modern Indonesia).


date: August

text: August - This year, on the first day of Chingam month, Kerala’s Kollam Era ( Malayalam Era/Calendar, also known as Kollavarsham) commences.


text: Muhammad ibn Abdallah, Muslim governor (or 824)


text: Louis II, king of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor (d. 875)


text: Ono no Komachi, Japanese poet (approximate date)


text: Tsunesada, Japanese prince (d. 884)


text: Landulf II, bishop and count of Capua (approximate date)


text: Ariwara no Narihira, Japanese waka poet (d. 880)


text: Fujiwara no Yasunori, Japanese nobleman (d. 895)


text: Charles, Frankish bishop and archchancellor (or 830)


text: Ida of Herzfeld, Frankish noblewoman (approximate date)


text: Song Ruozhao, Chinese scholar, lady-in-waiting and poet (b. 770)


text: Hywel ap Rhodri, king of Gwynedd (Wales)


text: Welf, father of Judith of Bavaria


text: Abu Ubaidah, Muslim scholar (b. 728)


text: Máel Bressail mac Ailillo, king of Ulaid (Ireland)


text: Liu Wu, general of the Tang Dynasty


text: King Hywel ap Rhodri of Gwynedd dies after an 11-year reign. The kingdom is seized by his grand-nephew, Merfyn Frych of Man.


text: King Harald Klak of Denmark receives the Frisian county of Rüstringen, as a gift from Emperor Louis the Pious.


text: May – Euphemius, Byzantine admiral, organises an uprising in Sicily against Emperor Michael II. He proclaims himself Emperor (with the title of basileus) in Syracuse, independent from Constantinople. In turn, Euphemius is defeated by Byzantine troops (reinforcements from the East), and is driven out to North Africa.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: King Beornwulf of Mercia invades East Anglia, but is killed in battle. He is succeeded by Ludeca, as ruler of Mercia.


text: Prince Aethelwulf, a son of King Egbert of Wessex, invades Kent, and drives out its pro-Mercian king Baldred.


text: Harald Klak accepts Christianity, and is baptized with his wife and son Godfrid at Mainz.


date: January 22

text: January 22 – Montuku, emperor of Japan (d. 858)


date: November 29

text: November 29 – William of Septimania, Frankish nobleman (d. 850)


text: Thābit ibn Qurra, Muslim astronomer and physician (d. 901)


text: Cyril, Byzantine missionary and bishop (d. 885)


text: Doseon, Korean Buddhist monk (d. 898)


text: Al-Mubarrad, Muslim grammarian (d. 898)


text: Ansgarde of Burgundy, Frankish queen (approximate date)


text: Li Guangyan, Chinese general (b. 761)


text: Bai Xingjian, Chinese poet and writer (b. 776)


text: Ashot Msaker, prince of Armenia


text: Li Wu, prince of the Tang Dynasty


text: Zhu Kerong, Chinese governor (jiedushi)


text: Theodore the Studite, Byzantine abbot (b. 759)


text: Wu Yantong, Chinese Buddhist monk


text: Ashot I, prince of Iberia (or 830)


text: Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, Japanese general (b. 775)


text: Heondeok, king of Silla (Korea)


text: Giustiniano Participazio deposes his younger brother Giovanni I, and is appointed doge of Venice. Giovanni, who is part of a pro-Frankish faction, is exiled to Zara (modern Croatia).


text: Fall – Siege of Syracuse: Muslim forces under Asad ibn al-Furat, in support of the rebel Byzantine army, besiege Syracuse, Sicily.


text: Emperor Jing Zong is assassinated by a group of conspirators. He is succeeded by his brother Wen Zong, as ruler of the Tang Dynasty.


text: Summer – Omurtag, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, launches an attack to the West, and penetrates into Pannonia. He expels the local chiefs, and installs Bulgar governors over the Slavic tribes to control them. Omurtag conquers the cities of Beograd, Braničevo, Sirmium, and most of eastern Slavonia.


text: Æthelstan establishes himself as king of East Anglia, after killing King Ludeca of Mercia in battle. Ludeca is succeeded by Wiglaf, father-in-law (and probably distant cousin) of the late king Ceolwulf I's daughter.


date: June 14

text: June 14 – Euphemius, exiled Byzantine admiral, asks for the help of North African Arabs, to retake Sicily and Malta from the Byzantines. Emir Ziyadat Allah I of Ifriqiya promises to return the islands to Euphemius, in exchange for a yearly tribute, and sends an Arab Muslim expeditionary force of 10,000 men under the 70-year-old Asad ibn al-Furat, which lands at Mazara del Vallo in Sicily.


text: The Saracens, who found spinach originally in Persia (modern Iran), introduce the plant to Sicily.

source_section: Events › By topic › Agriculture


text: Khalid ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwarrudhi and Ali ibn Isa al-Asturlabi travel to the Plain of Sinjar (modern Iraq), under orders of Caliph Al-Ma'mun, to measure the size of the Earth.

source_section: Events › By topic › Science


text: Cyril, Byzantine missionary and bishop (d. 869)


text: Ibn al-Rawandi, Muslim scholar and writer (d. 911)


text: Maura of Troyes, Frankish noblewoman and saint (d. 850)


date: January 1

text: January 1 – Adalard of Corbie, Frankish abbot


date: August 27

text: August 27 – Pope Eugene II dies after a 3-year reign, and is succeeded by Valentine as the 100th pope of the Catholic Church.


text: August 27 – Eugene II, pope of the Catholic Church


date: October 10

text: October 10 – Valentine, pope of the Catholic Church


text: October 10 – Pope Valentine dies just after a two-month reign, and is succeeded by Gregory IV as the 101st pope of Rome.


text: Jing Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 809)


text: Grigol of Kakheti, Georgian prince


text: Agnello Participazio, doge of Venice


text: Guillemundus, Frankish nobleman


text: Wu Chongyin, Chinese general (b. 761)


text: Yaoshan Weiyan, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 745)


text: The occupation of Pueblo Bonito (present-day New Mexico) begins.

source_section: Events › By place › North America


text: A Coptic revolt breaks out in Egypt (approximate date).


text: Al-Andalus: The city of Merida (modern Spain) rises twice in one year against the Umayyad Emirate.


text: In the capital of Chang'an, a powerful court eunuch orders 50 wrestlers to arrest 300 commoners over a land property dispute in Northwest Chang'an, whereupon a riot breaks out in the streets.


text: Alcamo in Sicily is founded by the Muslim commander al-Kamuk (approximate date).


text: At the instigation of Adalram, archbishop of Salzburg, the first Christian church in Central and Eastern Europe is built in Nitra, Pannonia.


text: Kydonia, on the northwest coast of Crete, is destroyed by Saracen pirates (approximate date).


text: Relics of Mark the Evangelist are stolen from Alexandria (controlled by the Abbasid Caliphate) by two Venetian merchants, and brought to Venice.


text: Summer – Euphemius, Byzantine admiral, is murdered by emissaries from the Byzantine garrison at Castrogiovanni, which is besieged by the Muslims. Threatened by Byzantine reinforcements arriving from Constantinople, the survivors burn their ships and retreat overland westward to Mazara del Vallo.


text: Yantou Quanhuo, Chinese Chan master (d. 887)


text: Al-Dinawari, astronomer and grammarian (d. 889)


text: Ibn Qutaybah, Muslim scholar (d. 889)


text: Carloman of Bavaria, Frankish king (or 830)


text: Nikephoros I, patriarch of Constantinople


text: Siege of Syracuse: The Muslims under Asad ibn al-Furat defeat a Byzantine relief army sent from Palermo, and backed by a Venetian fleet led by Giustiniano Participazio. Al-Furat decides to break off the siege at Syracuse, as his forces suffer greatly from lack of food. Later he dies during an outbreak of an epidemic.


text: Idriss II, Muslim emir of Morocco (b. 791)


text: Euphemius, Byzantine admiral and usuper


text: Asad ibn al-Furat, Muslim jurist and theologian (b. 759)


text: Ibn Hisham, Muslim historian (or 833)


text: Talha ibn Tahir, Muslim governor


text: Emperor Louis the Pious appoints his 6-year-old son Charles (by his second wife Judith) as ruler of the Frankish subkingdom Alamannia, enraging his eldest son and co-emperor Lothair I, who begins an insurrection.


text: Viking chieftain Halfdan the Black becomes king of Agder (modern Norway). He expands his realm through military conquest and political negotiations, dividing the kingdom of Vestfold with his half-brother Olaf.


date: October

text: October – Battle of Thasos: Saracens from the newly founded Emirate of Crete almost annihilate the Byzantine fleet at Thasos, close to the coast of Thrace. The Cyclades and other islands in the Aegean Sea are pillaged.


text: The Bai kingdom of Nanzhao captures the city of Chengdu, in Sichuan Province.


text: Winter – Battle of the River Dore: Egbert of Wessex leads his army against the Northumbrians as far as Dore, where he clashes with King Eanred of Northumbria.


text: King Egbert of Wessex invades Mercia, ousts his rival Wiglaf, and attempts to rule directly from Wessex. He is recognized as overlord (bretwalda) of other English kingdoms.


text: Ansgar, Frankish abbot of Corvey (modern Westphalia), is appointed missionary to Sweden by Louis the Pious, at the request of the Swedish king Björn at Haugi.


text: The city of Wiesbaden (Germany) is first mentioned by Einhard, biographer of former emperor Charlemagne (approximate date).


date: September 8

text: September 8 – Ali al-Hadi, 10th Shia Imam (approximate date)


text: Lu Yan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 874)


text: Al-Nasa'i, Muslim scholar and hadith compiler (approximate date)


text: Yahya I, Muslim sultan (d. 864)


date: June 1

text: June 1 – Li Tongjie, general of the Tang dynasty


date: July 30

text: July 30 – Shi Xiancheng, general of the Tang dynasty


date: October 2

text: October 2 – Michael II, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 770)


text: October 2 – Emperor Michael II dies after an 8-year reign in Constantinople, and is succeeded by his 16-year-old son Theophilos, as sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire. He continues his father's ideology of iconoclasm.


text: Abu al-Razi Muhammad, Muslim governor


text: Wei Chuhou, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 773)


text: Giustiniano Participazio, doge of Venice, dies after a 2-year reign, and is succeeded by his younger brother Giovanni Participazio. He continues the work of Giustiniano, in construction of St. Mark's Basilica.


text: Leibulf of Provence, Frankish nobleman


text: Zheng Yin, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 752)


text: Cináed mac Mugróin, king of Uí Failghe


text: Giustiniano Participazio, doge of Venice


text: Muiredach mac Ruadrach, king of Leinster


text: Cui Zhi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 772)


text: Li You, general of the Tang dynasty


year_label: 83 CE

text: Emperor Domitian fights the Chatti, a Germanic tribe. His victory allows the construction of fortifications (Limes) along the Rhine-frontier.

source_title: AD 83

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Domitian is, again, also a Roman Consul.


text: Possible date of the Battle of Mons Graupius (AD 83 or 84): According to Tacitus, 10,000 Britons and 360 Romans are killed.


text: Possible date that Demetrius of Tarsus visits an island in the Hebrides populated by holy men, possibly druids.


text: The Roman fort Inchtuthil is built in Scotland.


text: In Rome, the castration of slaves is prohibited.


text: Vibia Sabina, Roman empress (d. c. 136)


text: Marcus Pompeius Silvanus, Roman politician


text: Pomponia Graecina, Roman noblewoman


text: King Wiglaf of Mercia regains control from Wessex, and returns to the throne.


text: Nennius, Welsh abbot of Bangor Fawr, compiles the Historia Brittonum. He is also known for the Historia's list of the 12 battles of King Arthur (approximate date).


text: Emperor Louis the Pious returns from a campaign in Brittany, and is captured by his son Pepin I, king of Aquitaine. He is put under house arrest at Compiegne, and his wife Judith is incarcerated at Poitiers.


text: Ansgar, a Frankish missionary, visits the trade city Birka, located at Lake Mälaren in Sweden (approximate date).


text: Hirsau Abbey (modern Germany) is founded by the Rhenish Franconian count Erlafried of Calw (approximate date).


text: Byzantine–Arab War: Muslim reinforcements from Ifriqiya and Al-Andalus (modern Spain) defeat Byzantine forces under Theodotus in Sicily, but a plague once again compels them to retreat to Mazara del Vallo, and evacuate to North Africa.


text: The Ad-dimnah Hospital (bimaristan) is created in Kairouan (modern Tunisia), by the Aghlabid emir Ziyadat Allah I.


text: About 830 an Arabian dhow sinks on its journey from China to Arabia near the Indonesian island of Belitung, carrying some 60,000 trade items, the largest collection of Tang dynasty artifacts outside of China (Belitung shipwreck).

source_section: Events › By place › South Asia


date: June 5

text: June 5 – Emperor Theophilos, 16, marries the Armenian noblewoman Theodora, in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople. He chooses her during a representation of a bride-show; she becomes empress (Augusta) of the Byzantine Empire.


text: Yahya ibn Mu'adh al-Razi, Muslim Sufi (d. 871)


text: Ishaq ibn Hunayn, Muslim physician (approximate date)


text: Junayd of Baghdad, Muslim Sufi (d. 910)


text: Adalard, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Wulgrin I, Frankish count (approximate date)


text: Charles, Frankish bishop (or 825)


text: Athanasius I, bishop of Naples (d. 872)


text: Kōkō, emperor of Japan (d. 887)


text: Naum of Preslav, Bulgarian writer (approximate date)


text: Irmgard, Frankish abbess (or 833)


text: Yunju Daoying, Chinese Buddhist teacher (d. 902)


text: Engelberga, Frankish empress (approximate date)


text: Rurik, prince of Novgorod (approximate date)


text: Rimbert, Frankish archbishop (d. 888)


text: Li Jiang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 764)


text: Ashot I, prince of Iberia (or 826)


text: Wang Jian, Chinese poet (approximate date)


text: Sa'id ibn Aws al-Ansari, Muslim linguist


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


text: Eardwulf, king of Northumbria (approximate date)


text: Æthelwold, bishop of Lichfield


text: Emperor Louis the Pious is reinstated as sole ruler of the Frankish Empire. He promises his sons Pepin I and Louis the German a greater share of the inheritance. His eldest son Lothair I is pardoned, but disgraced and banished to Italy.


text: Summer – Muslim Arabs under Caliph Al-Ma'mun launch an invasion into Anatolia (modern Turkey), and capture a number of Byzantine forts. Heraclea Cybistra and Tyana fall to the Arabs.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Empire and Byzantine Empire


text: Fall – Muslim Arabs reinvade Sicily, and lay siege to Palermo. Symeon, Byzantine commander of the imperial bodyguard (spatharios), surrenders the city in exchange for a safe departure.


text: Byzantine–Arab War: Emperor Theophilos invades the Abbasid dominions, and reaches the Euphrates River in north-eastern Syria. He captures and sacks the city of Tarsus, but is defeated in Cappadocia.


text: Ansgar is consecrated; he travels to Rome to receive the pallium from Pope Gregory IV.


text: Nominoe, duke of Brittany, is designated missus imperatoris (imperial emissary) by Louis the Pious, at Ingelheim (modern Germany).


text: Summer – Ansgar, Frankish missionary, founds the first church at Birka (modern Sweden).


section: Economy & Finance

text: An Uyghur Turk sues the son of a Chinese general, who had failed to repay a debt of 11 million government-issued copper coins. Emperor Wenzong hears the news, and is so upset that he not only banishes the general, but attempts to ban all trade between Chinese and foreigners except for goods and livestock. This ban is unsuccessful, and trade with foreigners resumes, especially in maritime affairs overseas.


text: Wang Chucun, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 895)


date: July 10

text: July 10 – Zubaidah bint Ja`far, Abbasid princess, wife of caliph Harun al-Rashid, mother of al-Amin.


date: December 26

text: December 26 – Euthymius of Sardis, Byzantine monk and bishop


text: Sadyrnfyw, Welsh bishop (approximate date)


text: Yuan Zhen, politician of the Tang Dynasty (b. 779)


text: Omurtag, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 17-year reign. He is succeeded by his youngest son Malamir, because his older brother Enravota favours Christianity.


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


text: Berengar the Wise, count (or duke) of Toulouse, attacks the Frankish domains of Bernard of Septimania, taking Roussillon (along with Vallespir, Razès, and Conflent).


text: The Flag of Scotland: According to legend, King Óengus II of Fortriu leads an army of Picts and Scots, against the invading Angles from Northumbria, near Athelstaneford.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain and Ireland


text: King Pepin I of Aquitaine, and his brother Louis the German, revolt against their father, Emperor Louis the Pious. They gather an army of Slav allies and conquer Swabia.


text: Byzantine–Arab War: The Byzantine fortress of Loulon (modern Turkey) is captured by the Abbasids. Its garrison surrenders to Caliph Al-Ma'mun, after a lengthy siege.


text: The second St. Mark's Basilica in Venice (replacing an older church at a different location) is built, and becomes one of the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture.


text: Emperor Theophilos promulgates a new edict against the usage of icons in the Byzantine Empire. He establishes strict punishments against idolators, and persecutes violators.


text: The town of Clondalkin (modern Ireland) is sacked by Vikings from Denmark, and the monastery is burnt to the ground.


text: Guanxiu, Chinese Buddhist monk and poet (d. 912)


text: Isaac Judaeus, Arab Jewish physician (approximate date)


date: March 24

text: March 24 – Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury


date: August 30

text: August 30 – Cui Qun, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 772)


text: Sico of Benevento, Lombard prince


text: Zhao Zongru, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 746)


text: Xue Ping, general of the Tang dynasty


text: Xue Tao, Chinese poet (b. 768)


text: Feologild, archbishop of Canterbury


text: Mojmir I, Moravian duke, expels Prince Pribina from his homeland (western part of modern Slovakia). He unifies Great Moravia and becomes the first known ruler of the Moravian Slavs, who founds the House of Mojmir (approximate date).


text: Emperor Junna abdicates the throne, after a 10-year reign. He is succeeded by his nephew Nimmyō, as the 54th emperor of Japan.

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


date: June

text: June – Lothair I, eldest son of Emperor Louis the Pious, joins the rebellion of his brothers Pepin I and Louis the German, with the assistance of Archbishop Ebbo. Louis is forced to abdicate, on the plains of Rothfield (near Colmar).


text: Byzantine-Arab War: Emperor Theophilos signs an armistice for peace with the Abbasid Caliphate. He offers Caliph Al-Ma'mun 100,000 gold dinars, in return for 7,000 Byzantine prisoners.


text: Galindo Aznárez I, Frankish count, usurps the Catalan counties (pagi) of Pallars and Ribagorza, in the Spanish March (modern Spain), a buffer zone between the Pyrenees and the Ebro River.


text: Ibn Hisham, Muslim historian, collects oral traditions that form the basis for the biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

source_section: Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate


text: Yi Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 873)


text: Luo Yin, Chinese statesman and poet (d. 910)


text: Kocel, Slavic prince (approximate date)


text: Irmgard, Frankish abbess (or 830)


date: May 7

text: May 7 – Ibn Hisham, Muslim historian


date: July 20

text: July 20 or 834 – Ansegisus, Frankish abbot


date: August 7

text: August 7 – Caliph Al-Ma'mun dies after a 20-year reign. He is succeeded two days later by his half-brother al-Mu'tasim, as ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate.


date: August 9

text: August 9 – Al-Ma'mun, Muslim caliph (b. 786)


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


text: Yuthog Yontan Gonpo, Tibetan high priest (b. 708)


text: Dou Yizhi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Song Shenxi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


text: Conchobar mac Donnchada, High King of Ireland


text: García Galíndez (the Bad), count of Aragon


text: Nagabhata II, ruler of the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty


text: Diarmait mac Tommaltaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Du Yuanying, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 769)


date: March 1

text: March 1 – Emperor Louis the Pious is restored as sole ruler of the Frankish Empire. After his re-accession to the throne, his eldest son Lothair I flees to Burgundy.


text: Danish Vikings raid the trading settlement of Dorestad (present-day Wijk bij Duurstede), located in the southeast of the province of Utrecht (modern Netherlands).


text: Summer – The Viking ship of Oseberg near Tønsberg (modern Norway) is buried in a mound, during the Viking Age (approximate date).


text: The first mention is made of the Jona River ('the cold one') in Switzerland (approximate date).


text: Tan Quanbo, Chinese warlord (d. 918)


text: Euthymius I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 917)


text: Aud the Deep-Minded, Icelandic queen


text: Pi Rixiu, Chinese poet (approximate date)


text: Robert, Frankish nobleman (d. 866)


text: Lady Shuiqiu, wife of Qian Kuan (d. 901)


text: July 20 or 833 – Ansegisus, Frankish abbot


text: July 20 – Ansegisus, Frankish abbot and advisor of former emperor Charlemagne, dies at Fontenelle Abbey in Normandy (or 833).

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Robert III, Frankish nobleman (b. 800)


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


text: Nasr ibn 'Abdallah, Muslim governor


text: Adelchis I, duke of Spoleto (Italy)


text: Wang Chengyuan, Chinese general (b. 801)


text: King Óengus II dies after a 14-year reign. He is succeeded by his nephew Drest IX, as ruler of the Picts.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Wang Tingcou, general of the Tang dynasty


text: Fridugisus, Anglo-Saxon abbot (approximate date)


text: Ragnar Lodbrok, a Norse Viking ruler, rises to power. He becomes the scourge of France and England (approximate date).


text: The Isle of Sheppey (off the northern coast of Kent) is attacked by Vikings.


text: Vikings raid Ireland on the Kingdom of Munster, at Inis Cathaigh.


text: Danish Viking raiders ally with the Cornish, against the rule of Ecgberht, King of Wessex (approximate date).


date: November 1

text: November 1 – Pope Gregory IV promotes the celebration of the feast of All Saints on this day throughout the Frankish Empire.


date: December 14

text: December 14 – Sweet Dew Incident: Emperor Wenzong of Tang plots to free the court from the influence of his palace eunuchs. In the northeast sector of the capital, Chang'an, after the failure of the emperor's chancellor Li Zhongyan to subdue the eunuchs' influence, troops under the eunuchs' command slaughter many officials and other associates.

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Louis the Younger, king of East Francia (or 830)

source_section: Births


text: Qian Kuan, Chinese warlord (approximate date)


text: Lothair II, king of Lotharingia (d. 869)


text: Ahmad ibn Yusuf, Muslim mathematician (d. 912)


text: Ahmad ibn Tulun, Muslim governor (d. 884)


text: Guaifer of Salerno, Lombard prince (approximate date)


text: Duan Wenchang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 773)

source_section: Deaths


text: Li Fengji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 758)


text: Lu Tong, Chinese poet (b. 790)


text: Wang Ya, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Wang Shoucheng, Chinese eunuch and official


text: Li Zhongyan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Kūkai, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 774)


text: Berengar the Wise, Frankish nobleman


text: Jia Su, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Shu Yuanyu, Chinese official and chancellor


text: Muhammad al-Jawad, 9th Twelver Shī'ah Imām (b. 811)


text: Zheng Zhu, Chinese general and official


text: Lu Sui, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 776)


text: Yang Zhicheng, Chinese governor (jiedushi)


date: July 4

text: July 4 – Pactum Sicardi: Prince Sicard of Benevento signs a 5-year armistice with the duchies of Sorrento, Naples and Amalfi. He recognizes the trade of merchants among the three cities in Southern Italy.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Battle of Carhampton: Danish Vikings arrive in the Wessex areas of Somerset and North Devon. Ecgberht, King of Wessex fights them but is forced to withdraw.


text: The oldest known mention is made of the city of Soest (modern Germany).


text: Egyptian military commander Abdel Wahid bin Yazid el-Iskandarani is appointed vizier of the Emirate of Córdoba in the Iberian Peninsula, rules until 851.

source_section: Events › By place › Egypt


text: Driven by tensions between his favoured Turkish guard and the populace of Baghdad, Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim moves his residence to the new city of Samarra, 130 km north of Baghdad. With brief interruptions, the city will remain the seat of the Abbasid caliphs until 892.


text: The Basilica of St. Castor in Koblenz (Rhineland-Pfalz) is constructed.


text: Pietro Tradonico is appointed doge of Venice (until 864).


text: Al-Musta'in, Muslim caliph (d. 866)


text: Mihira Bhoja, king of the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty (d. 885)


text: Æthelberht, king of Wessex (approximate date)


text: Luo Hongxin, Chinese warlord (d. 898)


text: Fujiwara no Mototsune, Japanese regent (d. 891)


text: Wei Zhuang, Chinese poet (approximate date)


text: Ibn al-Rumi, Muslim poet (d. 896)


date: March 17

text: March 17 – Haito, bishop of Basel


text: Muhammad ibn Idris, Idrisid emir of Morocco


text: Herefrith, bishop of Winchester


text: Nicetas the Patrician, Byzantine official


text: Prosigoj, Serbian prince (approximate date)


text: Malamir, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, dies after a 4-year reign and is succeeded by his nephew Presian I. Because of his young age and inexperience, the Bulgarian state affairs are dominated by his minister and commander-in-chief Isbul.


text: Adalram, archbishop of Salzburg


text: Aznar Sánchez, duke of Gascony


text: Malamir, ruler of the Bulgarian Empire


text: Ralpacan, emperor of Tibet (b. 802)


text: Wang Zhixing, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 758)


text: Heungdeok, king of Silla (b. 777)


text: Wala of Corbie, Frankish nobleman


text: The city of Naples (modern Italy) is attacked by Saracens from Egypt demanding an annual payment (approximate date).


text: The Slavs in the vicinity of Thessaloniki revolt against the Byzantine Empire. Theophilos undertakes an evacuation of some Byzantine captives, who are settled in trans-Danubian Bulgaria.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Presian I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, sends his prime-minister Isbul against the Smolyani (a Slavic tribe in Byzantine territory near the Struma River). The Bulgarian army campaigns along the Aegean coasts, and conquers most of Thrace and Macedonia, including the fortress city of Philippi, as recorded in the Presian Inscription.


text: Byzantine–Arab War: Emperor Theophilos leads a massive Byzantine expeditionary force into Mesopotamia. He sacks the cities Arsamosata and Sozopetra — which some sources claim as the birthplace of Abbasid caliph Al-Mu'tasim — and forces Melitene to pay tribute.


date: April 10

text: April 10 – Halley's Comet passes approximately 5 million km from Earth, its closest ever approach.

source_section: Events › By topic › Astronomy


text: Ibn Duraid, Muslim poet and philologist (d. 933)


text: Al-Muntasir, Muslim caliph (d. 862)


text: Baldwin I, margrave of Flanders (approximate date)


text: Ibn Khuzaymah, Muslim hadith and scholar (d. 923)


text: Hugh of Tours, Frankish nobleman


text: Li Zaiyi, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 788)


text: Peter of Atroa, Byzantine abbot (b. 773)


text: Maxentius, patriarch of Aquileia


text: King Drest IX dies after a 3-year reign. He is succeeded as ruler of the Picts by his cousin Eóganan mac Óengusa.


text: Antony I, patriarch of Constantinople


text: Battle of Hingston Down: Ecgberht, King of Wessex, leads his men to defeat a combined force of Cornish and Danish Vikings at Hingston Down in Cornwall.

source_section: Events › By place › British Isles


text: The Yazidis rise up against the Abbasids (approximate date).


text: The oldest known mention is made of the city of Rheine, on the Ems River (modern Germany).


date: January

text: January – Babak Khorramdin, an Iranian military leader, is brutally executed by order of al-Mu'tasim.


text: Possible conversion of some Khazars to Judaism (approximate date).


text: Approximate date – The Stone of Destiny, an oblong block of red sandstone, is placed at Scone Palace for the coronation of the first monarchs of Scotland.


text: King Fedelmid mac Crimthainn of Munster calls for a great royal meeting at Kildare (Cluain-Conaire-Tommain) between himself and King Niall Caille of Uí Néill.


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


text: Æthelswith, Anglo-Saxon princess and queen consort (approximate date)


text: Fujiwara no Takafuji, Japanese nobleman (d. 900)


text: January – Babak Khorramdin, Iranian leader of the Khurramite uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate, executed


date: May 4

text: May 4 ? – Willerich, bishop of Bremen


date: June 10

text: June 10 – Ziyadat Allah I of Ifriqiya, Muslim emir


date: November 6

text: November 6 – Li Yong, prince of the Tang dynasty


date: December 13

text: December 13 – King Pepin I of Aquitaine dies after a 21-year reign. Emperor Louis the Pious appoints his youngest son Charles the Bald as his successor. The Aquitainian nobility, however, elects Pepin's son Pepin II as the new Frankish ruler.


text: December 13 – Pepin I of Aquitaine, king of Aquitaine (b. 797)


text: Ralpacan, king of Tibet, murdered (approximate date)


text: Ujayf ibn Anbasa, Muslim general, executed


text: Boniface II, margrave of Tuscany (approximate date)


text: Bran mac Fáeláin, king of Leinster (Ireland)


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


text: Ratimir, duke of Lower Pannonia


text: Al-Abbas ibn al-Ma'mun, Muslim prince and general


text: A conspiracy is discovered, led by General Ujayf ibn Anbasa, to assassinate al-Mu'tasim while he is campaigning, and place his nephew Al-Abbas ibn al-Ma'mun on the throne. A widespread purge of the army follows, which cements the leading role of the Turkish slave-soldiers (ghilman) in the Abbasid military establishment. Ujayf is executed and Al-Abbas put in prison, where he dies.


text: Prince Sicard of Benevento is assassinated by a conspiracy among the nobility. He is succeeded by Radelchis I, chief army officer and treasurer of Sicard, who proclaims himself ruler of Benevento. He imprisons Siconulf, heir and brother of Sicard, in Taranto. But Amalfitan merchants, led by Landulf I, the gastald of Capua, and with the support of Guaifer, rescue him from prison. Siconulf is proclaimed prince of Salerno, and a civil war erupts, which splits the Lombard principality in Southern Italy.


text: Third Civil War: King Louis the German, grandson of Charlemagne, invades Swabia. His nephew, Pepin II of Aquitaine, and his Gascon subjects, conquer territory all the way to the Loire.


text: The Hungarians (also known as Magyars) who until this time have lived east of the Carpathians, raid the Lower Danube at the request of the Bulgarian Empire against the Byzantine insurgents.


text: Battle of 839: Eóganan mac Óengusa, King of the Picts, his brother Bran, Áed mac Boanta, King of Dál Riata, "and others almost innumerable" are killed in a battle fought by the men of Fortriu in Scotland against Vikings. Alpín mac Echdach (Alpín II) apparently succeeds Áed.


text: Approximate date – Danish Vikings return to ravage the Frisian coast (sacking Dorestad for the second time).


date: May 20

text: May 20 — Thirteen months before his death, Louis the Pious, successor to his father Charlemagne, consents to the division of Charlemagne's empire among his sons in a declaration at Worms. Upon Louis I's death in 840, Lothair (age 45) is devised Middle Francia that includes Switzerland and northern Italy; Louis the German (Louis II), age 36, receives Eastern Francia that includes much of Germany; and Charles the Bald (17) gets West Francia that incorporates most of France.


text: The first official mention of Andorra is recorded, in the manuscripts of the cathedral at La Seu d'Urgell (modern Spain).


text: Charles the Fat, Frankish emperor (d. 888)


text: He Quanhao, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 870)


text: Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Persian scholar (d. 923)


text: Liu Chongwang, Chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 900)


date: April 21

text: April 21 – Pei Du, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 765)


date: June 16

text: June 16 – Rorgon I, count of Maine (or 840)


text: Muiredach mac Eochada, king of Ulaid


text: Chengguan, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 738)


text: Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim ninth Ismā'īlī imam (or 840)


text: Áed mac Boanta, king of Dál Riata


text: Cummascach mac Congalaig, king of Brega


text: Eóganan mac Óengusa, king of the Picts


text: Aznar Galíndez I, king of Aragon


text: Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, Muslim prince (b. 779)


text: Ecgberht, King of Wessex, dies after a 37-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Æthelwulf ("Noble Wolf") as ruler of Wessex. Æthelwulf's eldest son, Æthelstan, is made sub-king of Kent, Essex, Surrey and Sussex, under his father.


text: Cathal mac Muirgiussa, king of Connacht


year_label: 84 CE

text: Emperor Domitian recalls Agricola back to Rome, where he is rewarded with a triumph and the governorship of the Roman province of Africa, but he declines it.

source_title: AD 84


text: Through his election as consul for ten years and censor for life, Domitian openly subordinates the republican aspect of the state to the monarchical.


text: Possible date of the Battle of Mons Graupius (AD 83 or 84), in which Gnaeus Julius Agricola defeats the Caledonians.


text: Domitian increases the troops' pay by one third, thus securing their loyalty.


text: Pliny the Younger is sevir equitum Romanorum (commander of a cavalry squadron).


text: Change from Jianchu to Yuanhe era of the Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: The construction of the limes, a line of Roman fortifications from the Rhine to the Danube, has begun.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Titus Flavius Sabinus, Roman consul married Julia Flavia (executed)


text: Luke the Evangelist, Greek physician and martyr


text: The Yenisei Kirghiz settle along the Yenisei River, and sack with a force of around 80,000 horsemen the Uyghur capital, Ordu-Baliq (driving the Uyghurs out of Mongolia). This ends the Uyghur Khaganate.


text: Vikings from Norway capture Dublin and establish a Norse kingdom in Ireland, and also at about this date make their first overwintering at Lough Neagh in the north of Ireland.


text: Nobis becomes bishop of St. David's, in the Welsh Kingdom of Dyfed (approximate date).


text: King Wigstan of Mercia in England, grandson of former ruler Wiglaf (d. 839), declines his kingship in preference of the religious life. He asks his widowed mother, Princess Ælfflæd, to act as regent. A nobleman of the line of the late king Beornred, named Berhtric, wishes to marry her but, as he is a relative, Wigstan refuses the match, and is murdered by followers of Berhtric at Wistow, Leicestershire. He is buried at Repton Abbey, and later revered as a saint. The Mercian throne is seized by Berhtric's father, Beorhtwulf.


date: June

text: June – The 840 Erzurum earthquake takes place in the city of Qaliqala (modern-day Erzurum in Turkey) (probable date).


text: Completion in Japan of the Nihon Kōki, third book of the Rikkokushi. This includes the earliest record of cherry blossom at the Imperial Court in Kyoto (in 812) and of tea brought from China and served to the Emperor (in 815).

source_section: Events › By topic › Historiography


text: January – Michael III, Byzantine emperor (d. 867) (most probable date: 839 is also possible)


date: October 25

text: October 25 – Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar, founder of the Saffarid dynasty (d. 879)


text: Hucbald, Frankish music theorist (or 850)


text: Notker the Stammerer, Swiss Benedictine monk and scholar (approximate date)


text: Theodard, archbishop of Narbonne (approximate date)


text: Eudokia Ingerina, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Abu al-Hassan al-Nuri, Muslim Sufi (approximate date)


text: Clement of Ohrid, Bulgarian scholar (approximate date)


text: Theodore II, Roman pope of the Catholic Church for 20 days (d. 897)


text: Berengaudus, Benedictine monk (d. 892)


text: Sunyer II, Count of Empúries, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Adalhard of Metz, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Richardis, Frankish empress (approximate date)


text: Unruoch III, margrave of Friuli (approximate date)


date: February 10

text: February 10 – Emperor Wenzong of Tang, Chinese ruler (b. 809)


text: February 10 – Chinese Tang dynasty Emperor Wenzong (Li Ang) dies after a 13-year reign. Through the intervention of his powerful palace eunuchs, he is succeeded by his brother Wuzong.


date: March 14

text: March 14 – Einhard, Frankish scholar


date: June 1

text: June 1 – Wigstan, king of Mercia, murdered (probable date)


date: June 11

text: June 11 – Emperor Junna, ruler of Japan (b. 785)


text: June 16 or 839 – Rorgon I, Frankish nobleman


date: June 20

text: June 20 – Louis the Pious, Emperor of the Romans and King of the Franks, falls ill and dies at his hunting lodge, on an island in the Rhine, near the Ingelheim Imperial Palace in Francia, while suppressing a revolt. He proclaims his eldest son Lothair I as his successor as Emperor. Lothair tries to seize all the territories of his late grandfather Charlemagne. Louis' son by his second wife, Charles, 17, becomes King of the Franks, and joins with his half-brother Louis the German in resisting Lothair.


text: June 20 – Louis the Pious, ruler of the Carolingian Empire (b. 778)


text: Yang, consort and concubine of Chinese Emperor Wenzong, forced suicide


text: He Jintao, Chinese general of the Tang dynasty


text: Agobard, archbishop of Lyon (b. 779)


text: Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim 9th Ismā'īlī imam (or 839)


text: Czimislav, king of the Sorbs (approximate date)


text: Ansovinus, archbishop of Camerino


date: June 25

text: June 25 – Battle of Fontenay: Frankish forces of Emperor Lothair I, and his nephew Pepin II of Aquitaine, are defeated by allied forces of King Louis the German, and his half-brother Charles the Bald, at Fontenoy (Eastern France), in a civil war among the three surviving sons of the former emperor Louis the Pious. A total of 40,000 men are killed, including the Frankish nobles Gerard of Auvergne and Ricwin of Nantes, fighting on the side of Charles.


text: Constantine Kontomytes, Byzantine general (strategos) of the Thracesian Theme, inflicts a severe defeat on the Cretan Saracens. He leads a Byzantine expeditionary force, to raid the monastic community near Mount Latros (modern Turkey).


text: A pro-Umayyad rebellion, led by al-Mubarqa in Palestine, breaks out against caliph al-Mu'tasim of the Abbasid Caliphate (ending in 842).


text: Venice sends a fleet of 60 galleys (each carrying 200 men) to assist the Byzantines in driving the Arabs from Crotone, but the attack fails. Muslim troops conquer the city of Brindisi (approximate date).


text: The town of Dyflin (meaning "Black Pool") or Dublin (modern Ireland) is founded by Norwegian Vikings, on the south bank of the River Liffey. The settlement is fortified with a ditch and an earth rampart, with a wooden palisade on top. The Norsemen establish a wool weaving industry, and there is also a slave trade. An artificial hill is erected, where the nobility meets to make laws and discuss policy.

source_section: Events › By place › Ireland


text: Summer – Vikings sail up the River Seine and devastate the city of Rouen in Normandy. They burn the Benedictine monastery of Jumièges Abbey; 68 captives are taken, and returned on payment of a ransom, by the monks of St. Denis.


date: December 17

text: December 17 – Comet X/841 Y1 is first sighted in Chang'an by the Japanese monk Ennin.


text: In the Chinese capital of Chang'an, the West Market (and East Market) are closed every night one hour and three quarters before dusk (by government order); the curfew is signaled by the sound of 300 beats to a loud gong. After the official markets have been closed for the night, small night markets in residential areas thrive with plenty of customers, despite government efforts to shut them down. With the decline of the government's authority (by mid 9th century), this edict (like many others) is largely ignored, as urban dwellers keep attending the night markets regardless.


text: Remigius of Auxerre, Frankish scholar (approximate date)


text: Boso of Provence, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)


text: Heiric of Auxerre, Frankish theologian and writer (d. 876)


text: Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish nobleman (d. 886)


text: Pei Shu, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 905)


text: Edmund the Martyr, king of East Anglia (approximate date)


text: Du Rangneng, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 893)


text: June 25 – Gerard of Auvergne, Frankish nobleman


text: June 25 – Ricwin of Nantes, Frankish nobleman


date: October 14

text: October 14 – Shi Yuanzhong, Chinese governor


text: Li Ao, Chinese philosopher and prose writer (b. 772)


text: Khaydhar ibn Kawus al-Afshin, Muslim general


text: Yunyan Tansheng, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 780)


text: Jonas of Orléans, Frankish bishop


text: Chang Pogo, Korean maritime hegemon (or 846)


text: Arnulf of Sens, illegitimate son of Louis the Pious


text: Langdarma, emperor of Tibet (b. 799)


text: Guifeng Zongmi, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 780)


date: February 14

text: February 14 – Oaths of Strasbourg: King Louis the German, ruler of East Francia, and his half-brother Charles the Bald, ruler of West Francia, meet with their armies at Strasbourg. They agree to swear allegiance (recorded in vernacular languages) to each other, and to support each other against their brother Lothair I (nominal emperor of all the Frankish kingdoms and the Holy Roman Empire).


date: February 19

text: February 19 – The Medieval Iconoclastic Controversy ends, as a council in Constantinople formally reinstates the veneration of icons in the churches.


text: Abbasid caliph Al-Wathiq appointed his brother, Jaʽfar ibn Muhammad al-Mutasim (future al-Mutawakkil) as Leader of Hajj in 842.


text: Vikings attack the Irish monastery at Clonmacnoise from bases in Ireland.


date: February 13

text: February 13 – Last reported sighting of the comet X/841 Y1 according to the Annals of Fontenelle.


text: Li Hanzhi, Chinese warlord (d. 899)


text: Yang Fuguang, Chinese general (d. 883)


text: Al-Mundhir, Muslim emir (approximate date)


text: Al-Muwaffaq, Muslim prince and regent (d. 891)


text: Pietro I Candiano, doge of Venice (approximate date)


date: January 5

text: January 5 – Caliph Al-Mu'tasim dies at Samarra (modern Iraq), after an eight year reign. He is succeeded by his son Al-Wathiq, as ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate.


text: January 5 – Al-Mu'tasim, Muslim caliph (b. 796)


date: January 20

text: January 20 – Theophilus, Byzantine emperor (b. 813)


text: January 20 – Emperor Theophilos dies of dysentery at Constantinople, after a 12-year reign in which he expended much effort defending the eastern frontier against the invading Muslim Arabs. Theophilos is succeeded by his 2-year-old son Michael III, with his mother Theodora as regent and the 'temporary' sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.


date: March 9

text: March 9 – Humbert, bishop of Würzburg


date: March 16

text: March 16 – Xiao Mian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty


date: March 20

text: March 20 – King Alfonso II of Asturias (Northern Spain) dies after a 50-year reign, in which he undertook numerous campaigns against the Muslim armies of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba, and allied himself with the late Charlemagne. The childless Alfonso chooses Ramiro I, son of former king Bermudo I, as his successor.


date: August 16

text: August 16 – Death of Qaratis also known as Umm Harun, was the mother of Abbasid caliph al-Wathiq (r. 842–847). She died during her Hajj pilgrimage journey.


date: August 24

text: August 24 – Saga, emperor of Japan (b. 786)


date: October 22

text: October 22 – Abo, Japanese prince (b. 792)


text: Sugawara no Kiyotomo, Japanese nobleman (b. 770)


text: Liu Yuxi, Chinese poet and philosopher (b. 772)


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


text: Uurad of the Picts dies after a 3-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Bridei VI, who contests his power with rival groups, led by Bruide son of Fokel and Kenneth MacAlpin.


text: King Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín) of the Scots also becomes king of the Picts; he is crowned (on the Stone of Destiny) as first monarch of the new nation of Scotland. The Alpin Dynasty of Scottish kings begins to reign.


date: May 24

text: May 24 – Battle of Blain: Breton forces under Erispoe, count of Vannes, defeat the Franks led by Renaud d'Herbauges, near the town of Messac, at the River Vilaine. This battle marks a Breton war between Charles the Bald and Nominoe, duke of Brittany.


text: Al-Andalus: The city of Zaragossa rises against the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba in modern-day Spain.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


text: Summer – A Byzantine expedition, led by Theoktistos, conquers Crete from the Saracens. After initial success, he is forced to abandon his army, due to political intrigues in Constantinople. The troops are left behind and slaughtered by the Arabs.


text: Theodora II orders a persecution against the Paulicians throughout Anatolia; about 100,000 followers in the Byzantine theme of Armenia are massacred.


text: Summer – Viking raiders attack Nantes, located on the River Loire; they kill the town's bishop along with many of the clergy, and murder men, women and children. They plunder the western parts of Aquitaine and reach an island north of the mouth of the River Garonne, near what later will be La Rochelle. There the Vikings bring materials from the mainland and build houses to spend the winter.


text: In the Chinese capital of Chang'an, a large fire consumes 4,000 homes, warehouses and other buildings in the East Market, yet the rest of the city is at a safe distance from the blaze which is largely quarantined in East Central Chang'an, thanks to the large width of roads in Chang'an that produce fire breaks.


date: March 11

text: March 11 – Feast of Orthodoxy – Official end of Iconoclasm: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire.


text: Judith of Flanders, queen of Wessex and countess of Flanders (approximate date)


date: April 19

text: April 19 – Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress


date: November 2

text: 2 November – Anthony the Confessor, Byzantine bishop of Thessalinike


text: Fujiwara no Otsugu, Japanese statesman (b. 773)


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


text: Fergus mac Fothaid, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Ardo Smaragdus, Frankish abbot and hagiographer


text: Bridei VI, king of the Picts (Scotland)


text: Renaud d'Herbauges, Frankish nobleman (b. 795)


text: Jia Dao, Chinese poet and Buddhist monk (b. 779)


text: Liu Congjian, Chinese governor (jiedushi) (b. 803)


text: Qiu Shiliang, Chinese eunuch official


text: Al-Mada'ini, Muslim scholar and historian (b. 752)


date: September 25

text: September 25–November 11 or 17 – Viking raid on Seville (844): Vikings arrive in Seville by the Guadalquivir, taking the city on October 1 or 3 and pillaging it; but are expelled by forces of the Emirate of Córdoba.


text: Summer – King Charles the Bald struggles against the repeated rebellions in Aquitaine, and against the Bretons in West Francia. He besieges Bernard I at the Battle of Toulouse, while Duke Nominoe raids into Maine, and plunders other Frankish territory.


text: King Æthelred II of Northumbria is expelled from his kingdom by Rædwulf, who takes the throne. Rædwulf is later killed in battle against the Vikings, along with many of his noblemen. Æthelred returns and claims his right to rule.


text: Spring – Battle of Mauropotamos: A Byzantine expedition under Theoktistos is sent to Anatolia (modern Turkey), against the Muslim Arabs of the Abbasid Caliphate, who have raided the Byzantine themes of Cappadocia, Anatolikon, Boukellarion, and Opsikion. The Byzantines are defeated, and many of the officers defect to the Arabs.


text: Viking raiders ascend the River Garonne as far as the city of Toulouse, and pillage the lands of Septimania. Part of the marauding Vikings invades Galicia (Northern Spain), where some perish in a storm at sea. After being defeated in Corunna, the Scandinavian raiders sack the Umayyad cities of Seville (see below), Niebla, Beja, and Lisbon.


date: June 15

text: June 15 – Louis II, eldest son of Emperor Lothair I, is crowned king at Rome by Pope Sergius II, and becomes co-ruler of Middle Francia, and over Lombardy, Friuli, and Tuscany in Italy.


text: Al-Mu'tamid, Muslim caliph (d. 892)


text: Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Umawi, Muslim emir (d. 912)


text: Sosei, Japanese waka poet (approximate date)


text: Yu Xuanji, Chinese poet (approximate date)


text: Hasan al-Utrush, Muslim emir (approximate date)


date: January 11

text: January 11 – Michael I, former Byzantine emperor


date: January 25

text: January 25 – Gregory IV, pope of the Catholic Church