King
Æthelred I returns to
Northumbria, and is restored to the
throne after living in exile for 11 years. His rival
Osred II is deposed, forcibly
tonsured, and exiled to the
Isle of Man. Æthelred then faces a rebellion by another rival, named
Eardwulf. The latter is captured, and hanged outside the gates to
Ripon Abbey. The body is taken into the
abbey, where Eardwulf recovers and escapes to exile.
Cambodia begins to break away from the
Sumatra-based kingdom
Srivijaya, as a 20-year-old Cambodian prince, who claims descent from the rulers of
Funan, is consecrated in eastern Cambodia with the title
Jayavarman II. In the next 10 years he will extend his powers north into the
Mekong Valley (modern
Vietnam).
By topic
Religion
Irish monks (known as the
Papar), possibly members of a
Hiberno-Scottish mission, supposedly reach
Iceland in
hide-covered
coracles, and begin settlements (approximate date). However, the evidence for this is scant.
The
Avars, a pagan
Asian nomadic horde that has settled down in what is today
Hungary, invade
Friuli and
Bavaria. King
Charlemagne assembles a
Frankish army, and marches down the
Danube River to ravage Avar territory. A Frankish-Lombard expeditionary force, under his son
Pepin, (king of the
Lombards) invades the
Drava Valley and devastates
Pannonia.
Summer – Charlemagne loses most of his riding and
baggage horses during an equine
epidemic; many
Saxons take advantage of Charlemagne's Avar setback and rebel once more.[1]
Spring – Emperor
Constantine VI suppresses a rebellion, and restores his mother
Irene to her former position as co-empress of the
Byzantine Empire. The rival factions in
Constantinople continue their intrigues against Constantine.
The
Westphalians rise up against the
Saxons, in response to a forcible recruitment for wars against the
Avars. However,
Pepin, sub-king of
Northern Italy and son of King
Charlemagne, continues the war, and wins considerable
booty from the Avars.[4]
Charlemagne's son
Pepin the Hunchback attempts to rebel against him with the aid of some
Frankish nobles. The plot is discovered and Pepin is banished to a
monastery at
Prüm.[5]
June 8 –
Viking raiders attack the
Northumbrian coast, arriving in
longships from either
Denmark or
Norway, and sacking the
monastery of
Lindisfarne. Many of the
monks are killed or enslaved. It is the first Viking attack on a monastery in the British Isles, although it is not the first known Viking attack in the British Isles. The first attack came in 789, when Vikings raided the settlement of Portland in Dorset.
Arabian Empire
Emir
Hisham I of
Córdoba calls for a jihad ("Holy War") against the Christian
Franks. He assembles an army of 70,000 men, half of which attacks the
Kingdom of Asturias, destroying its capital, Oviedo, while the other half invades
Languedoc, penetrating as far as
Narbonne. After capturing the city, the contingent moved towards Carcassonne and conquered it too.[8][9] Both armies return to Córdoba enriched with the spoils of war.
By topic
Commerce
Arab
traders make
Baghdad a financial center of the
Silk Road between
China and
Europe. Caravans carry little or no
money on their long journeys; Chinese
traders use what they call fei qian (
zh) ("flying money") to avoid
robbery. The
Arabs have adopted a similar
banking system known as hawala to transmit funds (approximate date).
A
paper mill begins production at
Baghdad during the
Abbasid era, as the
Arabs spread the techniques developed by Chinese
papermakers.[citation needed] Baghdad becomes a great seat of learning, with
Christian and
Jewish scholars as well as Muslims, while
Europe remains largely unlettered. The Arabs will become the world's most proficient papermakers.
King
Charlemagne organizes an invasion of the Avar Khaganate, with one army under his son
Pepin of Italy and another army under one of his vassals, the Croat Duke Vojnomir. The two armies launch a successful two-pronged invasion of the
Avar Khaganate (modern
Hungary). They seize the Avar "ring" (the
nomadic tent capital), destroying Avar power before returning with so much
booty in
gold and
jewels that 15
wagons, each drawn by four
oxen, are needed to bring it back to
Frankish territory.[15] Charlemagne wins a major victory (in which the
Lower Pannonian duke
Vojnomir aids him), and the
Franks make themselves overlords over the
Croatians of northern
Dalmatia,
Slavonia, and
Pannonia. Frankish
missionaries are sent to the area to convert the
pagan population to
Christianity.[16]
Britain
April 18 – King
Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered, probably at
Corbridge, by his
ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. Another rival, Torhtmund, slays Ealdred in revenge. Northumbria is plunged into chaos. The patricianOsbald is placed on the
throne, but is deserted by his supporters after only 27 days. He flees from
Lindisfarne to
Pictland. Another faction brings back Æthelred I's old back-from-the-dead rival,
Eardwulf, as the new king. He dismisses his wife and publicly takes a
concubine. Eardwulf is alienated from Archbishop
Eanbald of
York.
The Kingdom of Sussex again becomes independent from the Kingdom of Mercia following the death of King Offa.
Prince
Eadberht Præn leaves the Church, returns to Kent and claims his throne. Eadwald proclaims himself king of East Anglia, but is later ousted by Coenwulf. Direct rule from Mercia is re-established.
April 19 – Empress
Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son
Constantine VI. He is captured and
blinded; Irene
exiles him to Principo, where he dies shortly thereafter of his wounds. Irene begins a 5-year reign, and calls herself basileus ("emperor") of the
Byzantine Empire.
^Einhard (1880).
The Life of Charlemagne (in Latin). Translated by Turner, Samuel Epes. New York: Harper & Brothers.
Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
^Witakowski, Witold (2011).
"Quryaqos". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts;
George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
^The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, manuscript E, year 796 (798). Translation by
Michael Swanton, 1996.
^Picard, Christophe (2000). Le Portugal musulman (VIIIe-XIIIe siècle0. L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. p. 109.
ISBN2-7068-1398-9.
^Sawyer, Peter. "The Viking Expansion." The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, Volume 1: Prehistory to 1520. 105.
^Meynier, Gilbert (2010). L'Algérie cœur du Maghreb classique. De l'ouverture islamo-arabe au repli (658–1518). Paris: La Découverte. p. 28.
King
Æthelred I returns to
Northumbria, and is restored to the
throne after living in exile for 11 years. His rival
Osred II is deposed, forcibly
tonsured, and exiled to the
Isle of Man. Æthelred then faces a rebellion by another rival, named
Eardwulf. The latter is captured, and hanged outside the gates to
Ripon Abbey. The body is taken into the
abbey, where Eardwulf recovers and escapes to exile.
Cambodia begins to break away from the
Sumatra-based kingdom
Srivijaya, as a 20-year-old Cambodian prince, who claims descent from the rulers of
Funan, is consecrated in eastern Cambodia with the title
Jayavarman II. In the next 10 years he will extend his powers north into the
Mekong Valley (modern
Vietnam).
By topic
Religion
Irish monks (known as the
Papar), possibly members of a
Hiberno-Scottish mission, supposedly reach
Iceland in
hide-covered
coracles, and begin settlements (approximate date). However, the evidence for this is scant.
The
Avars, a pagan
Asian nomadic horde that has settled down in what is today
Hungary, invade
Friuli and
Bavaria. King
Charlemagne assembles a
Frankish army, and marches down the
Danube River to ravage Avar territory. A Frankish-Lombard expeditionary force, under his son
Pepin, (king of the
Lombards) invades the
Drava Valley and devastates
Pannonia.
Summer – Charlemagne loses most of his riding and
baggage horses during an equine
epidemic; many
Saxons take advantage of Charlemagne's Avar setback and rebel once more.[1]
Spring – Emperor
Constantine VI suppresses a rebellion, and restores his mother
Irene to her former position as co-empress of the
Byzantine Empire. The rival factions in
Constantinople continue their intrigues against Constantine.
The
Westphalians rise up against the
Saxons, in response to a forcible recruitment for wars against the
Avars. However,
Pepin, sub-king of
Northern Italy and son of King
Charlemagne, continues the war, and wins considerable
booty from the Avars.[4]
Charlemagne's son
Pepin the Hunchback attempts to rebel against him with the aid of some
Frankish nobles. The plot is discovered and Pepin is banished to a
monastery at
Prüm.[5]
June 8 –
Viking raiders attack the
Northumbrian coast, arriving in
longships from either
Denmark or
Norway, and sacking the
monastery of
Lindisfarne. Many of the
monks are killed or enslaved. It is the first Viking attack on a monastery in the British Isles, although it is not the first known Viking attack in the British Isles. The first attack came in 789, when Vikings raided the settlement of Portland in Dorset.
Arabian Empire
Emir
Hisham I of
Córdoba calls for a jihad ("Holy War") against the Christian
Franks. He assembles an army of 70,000 men, half of which attacks the
Kingdom of Asturias, destroying its capital, Oviedo, while the other half invades
Languedoc, penetrating as far as
Narbonne. After capturing the city, the contingent moved towards Carcassonne and conquered it too.[8][9] Both armies return to Córdoba enriched with the spoils of war.
By topic
Commerce
Arab
traders make
Baghdad a financial center of the
Silk Road between
China and
Europe. Caravans carry little or no
money on their long journeys; Chinese
traders use what they call fei qian (
zh) ("flying money") to avoid
robbery. The
Arabs have adopted a similar
banking system known as hawala to transmit funds (approximate date).
A
paper mill begins production at
Baghdad during the
Abbasid era, as the
Arabs spread the techniques developed by Chinese
papermakers.[citation needed] Baghdad becomes a great seat of learning, with
Christian and
Jewish scholars as well as Muslims, while
Europe remains largely unlettered. The Arabs will become the world's most proficient papermakers.
King
Charlemagne organizes an invasion of the Avar Khaganate, with one army under his son
Pepin of Italy and another army under one of his vassals, the Croat Duke Vojnomir. The two armies launch a successful two-pronged invasion of the
Avar Khaganate (modern
Hungary). They seize the Avar "ring" (the
nomadic tent capital), destroying Avar power before returning with so much
booty in
gold and
jewels that 15
wagons, each drawn by four
oxen, are needed to bring it back to
Frankish territory.[15] Charlemagne wins a major victory (in which the
Lower Pannonian duke
Vojnomir aids him), and the
Franks make themselves overlords over the
Croatians of northern
Dalmatia,
Slavonia, and
Pannonia. Frankish
missionaries are sent to the area to convert the
pagan population to
Christianity.[16]
Britain
April 18 – King
Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered, probably at
Corbridge, by his
ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. Another rival, Torhtmund, slays Ealdred in revenge. Northumbria is plunged into chaos. The patricianOsbald is placed on the
throne, but is deserted by his supporters after only 27 days. He flees from
Lindisfarne to
Pictland. Another faction brings back Æthelred I's old back-from-the-dead rival,
Eardwulf, as the new king. He dismisses his wife and publicly takes a
concubine. Eardwulf is alienated from Archbishop
Eanbald of
York.
The Kingdom of Sussex again becomes independent from the Kingdom of Mercia following the death of King Offa.
Prince
Eadberht Præn leaves the Church, returns to Kent and claims his throne. Eadwald proclaims himself king of East Anglia, but is later ousted by Coenwulf. Direct rule from Mercia is re-established.
April 19 – Empress
Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son
Constantine VI. He is captured and
blinded; Irene
exiles him to Principo, where he dies shortly thereafter of his wounds. Irene begins a 5-year reign, and calls herself basileus ("emperor") of the
Byzantine Empire.
^Einhard (1880).
The Life of Charlemagne (in Latin). Translated by Turner, Samuel Epes. New York: Harper & Brothers.
Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
^Witakowski, Witold (2011).
"Quryaqos". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts;
George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
^The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, manuscript E, year 796 (798). Translation by
Michael Swanton, 1996.
^Picard, Christophe (2000). Le Portugal musulman (VIIIe-XIIIe siècle0. L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. p. 109.
ISBN2-7068-1398-9.
^Sawyer, Peter. "The Viking Expansion." The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, Volume 1: Prehistory to 1520. 105.
^Meynier, Gilbert (2010). L'Algérie cœur du Maghreb classique. De l'ouverture islamo-arabe au repli (658–1518). Paris: La Découverte. p. 28.