text:
779

Year 779 (DCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 779 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

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

Britain

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

Asia

 * June 12 - In China, De Zong (personal name Li Kuo) succeeds his father Dai Zong, as emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
 * March, days unknown - An earthquake in Silla with a magnitude of 6.7–7.0 on the Richter scale kills more than 100 people.

Births

 * Agobard, archbishop of Lyon (approximate date)
 * Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, was an Arab prince, singer, composer and poet (d. 839)
 * Jia Dao, Chinese poet and Buddhist monk (d. 843)
 * Yuan Zhen, politician of the Tang Dynasty (d. 831)

Deaths

 * June 10 – Dai Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 727)
 * December 17 – Sturm, abbot of Fulda
 * Æthelred I, king of East Anglia (approximate date)
 * Fujiwara no Momokawa, Japanese statesman (b. 732)
 * Gerard I, Frankish count
 * Walpurga, Anglo-Saxon abbess (or 777)

title: 779


text:
780

Year 780 (DCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 780th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 780th year of the 1st millennium, the 80th year of the 8th century, and the 1st year of the 780s decade. The denomination 780 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

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

Europe

 * Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne decrees the death penalty for any subdued Saxon refusing Christian baptism. Meanwhile Widukind builds up rebel strength in northern Saxony.
 * The city of Osnabrück, developed as a marketplace, is founded by Charlemagne (approximate date).

Britain

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

Asia

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

Religion

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

Births

 * Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Muslim scholar and theologian (d. 855)
 * Frederick of Utrecht, Frisian bishop (approximate date)
 * Guifeng Zongmi, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 841)
 * Hugh of Tours, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)
 * Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Ḵwārizmī, Persian mathematician (approximate date)
 * Rabanus Maurus, archbishop of Mainz (approximate date)
 * Yunyan Tansheng, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 841)

Deaths

 * c. June 24 – Kume no Wakame, Japanese noblewoman
 * August 19 – Credan, English abbot and saint
 * September 8 – Leo IV, Byzantine emperor (b. 750)
 * Dunchadh ua Daimhine, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)
 * Hyegong, king of Silla (Korea) (b. 758)
 * Khun Lo, founder of Luang Prabang (Laos)
 * Approximate date – Himiltrude, queen consort of Charlemagne (b. c.742)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: 780


text:
781

Year 781 (DCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 781 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * King Charlemagne has his son Carloman (renamed Pepin) anointed "King of Italy", and he is crowned by Pope Adrian I with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. His younger brother Charles I is anointed king of Aquitaine, and Louis the Pious (only 3-years old) is appointed sub-king of Italy and Aquitaine, following the conversion of Aquitaine from a Duchy to a sub-kingdom.
 * Charlemagne meets Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon missionary, in Italy, and invites him to Aachen, where he becomes Charlemagne's chief adviser on religious and educational matters (approximate date).
 * The Frankish currency called the livre carolingienne is minted for the first time (approximate date).

Asia

 * Yang Yan, Chinese statesman, commits suicide after being accused of bribery and corruption. He is credited with reforming the tax system for peasants, reducing the power of the aristocratic classes, and eliminating their tax-free estates.
 * April 30 – Emperor Kōnin of Japan abdicates the throne after an 11-year reign, in favour of his half-Korean son, Kanmu.
 * July 31 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji occurs (Traditional Japanese date: July 6, 781).
 * New city of Bian (汴) is constructed on the site of Kaifeng during the Tang dynasty (China).
 * Marriage of Abbasid prince Harun ibn al-Mahdi (future caliph Harun al-Rashid) and Zubaidah bint Ja'far.

Religion

 * Charlemagne defines the Papal territory (see Papal States). He codifies the regions over which the pope would be temporal sovereign: the Duchy of Rome is expanded by Ravenna, the Duchy of the Pentapolis, parts of the Duchy of Benevento, Tuscany, Corsica and Lombardy.
 * Nestorians in China build Christian monasteries, and erect the Nestorian Stele (approximate date).

Births

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

Deaths

 * Alchmund, bishop of Hexham (approximate date)
 * King Fergus mac Echdach of Dál Riata (Scotland)
 * Guo Ziyi, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 697)
 * Isonokami no Yakatsugu, Japanese nobleman (b. 723)
 * Yang Yan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 727)

title: 781


text:
782

Year 782 (DCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 782nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 782nd year of the 1st millennium, the 82nd year of the 8th century, and the 3rd year of the 780s decade. The denomination 782 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Abbasid Empire

 * Arab–Byzantine War: Arab forces (95,000 men) under Harun al-Rashid, son of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi, cross the Taurus Mountains and capture the Byzantine border fortress of Magida. Harun leaves his lieutenant Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus to besiege the city of Nakoleia (Phrygia), while another force (30,000 men), probably under Yahya ibn Khalid, is sent to raid the western coastlands of Asia Minor. Harun himself, with the main army, advances to the Opsician Theme.
 * Summer – Harun al-Rashid reaches as far as Chrysopolis, across the Bosporus Straits from the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. After the defection of the Armenian general Tatzates, Empress Irene accepts a three-year truce, including the annual payment of a tribute of 70,000 or 90,000 gold dinars, and the handing over of 10,000 silk garments. Harun releases all his captives (5,600 men), including chief minister Staurakios and other hostages.

Byzantine Empire

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

Europe

 * Summer – Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne sends a punitive expedition (an elite force of Eastern Frankish troops) under the command of Adalgis the Chamberlain, Gallo, and Worad, supported by Saxon forces, to deal with the Saxons and Sorb raiders in Thuringia.
 * Battle of Süntel: The Franks under Charlemagne are defeated by Saxon rebels, led by Widukind. He succeeds in wiping out more than half of the occupying Frankish forces and again raises the banner of revolt.
 * Autumn – Charlemagne returns from his campaign in Italy, and musters a Frankish army of available troops in Bavaria. He then marches to Saxony, probably to Eresburg. Charlemagne marches north, down the Weser to the Aller River, making camp near Verden.
 * Massacre of Verden: Charlemagne executes 4,500 rebel Saxons at Verden for practicing paganism. He issues the Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae and imposes Christianity on the Saxons, making Saxony a Frankish province.
 * Charlemagne summons Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon missionary, to Aachen, and appoints him as chief adviser on religious and educational matters. He becomes the leading scholar and teacher at the Carolingian court.

Religion

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

Births

 * Tachibana no Hayanari, Japanese calligrapher (d. 844)

Deaths

 * January 11 – Kōnin, emperor of Japan (b. 709)
 * September 28 – Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun
 * Conall mac Fidhghal, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)
 * Thierry IV, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)

title: 782


text:
783

Year 783 (DCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 783 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

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

Europe

 * Mauregatus of Asturias, illegitimate son of the late king Alfonso I, usurps the throne after the death of his brother-in-law Silo. However, the nobility has elected Alfonso II at Adosinda's (wife of Silo) insistence, but Mauregatus assembles a large army of supporters, and forces Alfonso to flee to Álava (modern Spain). Adosinda is put in the monastery of San Juan de Pravia, where she lives out the rest of her life.
 * April 30 – Hildegard, wife of King Charlemagne, dies in childbirth after her ninth confinement in less than 12 years of marriage. His mother, Bertrada of Laon, dies in the summer and is buried with great ceremony beside her husband Pepin the Short, in the Abbey of St. Denis (modern-day Paris).
 * October – Charlemagne marries Fastrada, the 18-year-old daughter of a Frankish count named Rudolph, and makes her his queen at Worms. The probable reason behind the marriage is to solidify a Frankish alliance east of the Rhine, against the Saxons in Lower Saxony (modern Germany).
 * Winter – Saxon Wars: Charlemagne defeats the Saxon rebels in a three-day battle next to the Hase River, and perhaps overruns fortifications on the Wittekindsberg, before ravaging southern Saxony. A Frisian uprising against Carolingian rule is supported by Duke Widukind.

Births

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

Deaths

 * April 30 – Hildegard, queen consort of Charlemagne (b. 758)
 * July 12 – Bertrada of Laon, queen consort of Pepin the Short
 * Cynewulf, bishop of Lindisfarne (approximate date)
 * Fujiwara no Uona, Japanese minister (b. 721)
 * Han Gan, Chinese painter of the Tang Dynasty
 * Isa ibn Musa, Muslim governor (or 784)
 * Silo, king of Asturias (Spain)

title: 783


text:
784

Year 784 (DCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 784th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 784th year of the 1st millennium, the 84th year of the 8th century, and the 5th year of the 780s decade. The denomination 784 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne begins a campaign in northern Saxony. He ravages Eastphalian territory as far as the Elbe River, while his son, Charles the Younger, defeats a Saxon force in the Lippe Valley. Bad weather hinders Charlemagne's winter campaign in southern Saxony.
 * Winter – Charlemagne returns to Eresburg and builds a church, probably on the site of the Irminsul (a pagan religious site). Frankish forces based at Eresburg attack rebel Saxon settlements, and take control of the roads. Charlemagne himself takes part in some of these raids.

Arabian Empire

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

Asia

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

Central America

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

Religion

 * August 30 – Paul IV abdicates as patriarch of Constantinople.
 * December 25 – Tarasios is elected patriarch of Constantinople.

Births

 * Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi, Muslim historian (d. 845)
 * Li Jue, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (approximate date)
 * Theodrada, Frankish princess and abbess, daughter of Charlemagne (approximate date)

Deaths

 * May 4 – Arbeo, bishop of Freising
 * July 16 – Fulrad, Frankish abbot (b. 710)
 * August 21 – Alberic, archbishop of Utrecht
 * Autpert Ambrose, Frankish abbot
 * Isa ibn Musa, Muslim governor (or 783)
 * Paul IV, patriarch of Constantinople
 * Vergilius, bishop of Salzburg

title: 784


text:
785

Year 785 (DCCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The article denomination 785 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. It is still used today in this manner.

Europe

 * Saxon Wars: King Charlemagne summons a major assembly of Saxon and Frankish lords at Paderborn, then leads his army across Saxony as far as the Lower Elbe, without significant resistance. Duke Widukind retreats with his 'rebel' forces beyond the Elbe, but then negotiates and exchanges hostages. Charlemagne returns to his palace at Attigny (Ardennes), followed by Widukind; here the Saxon leaders are baptized as Christians on Christmas Day. Widukind and the Saxon nobility swear fealty to Charlemagne.
 * The Frankish Kingdom conquers Girona and Urgell (modern Spain) from the Moors. The Franks divide Catalonia into 14 countships. Charlemagne suppresses a rebellion by count Hardrad of Thuringia.
 * Prince (or duke) Višeslav, with the support of Pope Adrian I and the Byzantine Empire, becomes ruler of Dalmatian Croatia (approximate date).

Britain

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

Arabian Empire

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

Asia

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

Religion

 * Council of Paderborn: The clergy debates the matter of the Christianization of the Saxons. They make laws against idolatry, and order the death penalty for self-appointed witch-hunters, who have caused the death of people accused of witchcraft.
 * Ludger, Frisian missionary, visits Heligoland (Fossitesland), and destroys the remains of paganism. On his return he meets the blind bard Bernlef, last of the Frisian skalds, and cures his blindness (approximate date).

Births

 * Antony the Younger, Byzantine saint (d. 865)
 * Harald Klak, king of Denmark (approximate date)
 * Junna, emperor of Japan (approximate date)
 * Paschasius Radbertus, Frankish abbot (d. 865)
 * Tian Bu, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 822)
 * Zhang Yunshen, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 872)

Deaths

 * October 5- Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Japanese statesman and poet, Shōgun
 * November 8 – Sawara, Japanese prince
 * Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus, Muslim minister (or 786)
 * Fujiwara no Tanetsugu, Japanese nobleman (b. 737)
 * K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat, king of Quiriguá (Guatemala)
 * Li Huaiguang, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 729)
 * Liu Changqing, Chinese poet (b. 709)
 * Liu Congyi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 742)
 * Liu Peng, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 727)
 * Máel Dúin mac Fergusa, king of Brega (Ireland)
 * Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, Muslim Caliph
 * Ruaidrí mac Fáeláin, king of Leinster (Ireland)
 * Seondeok, king of Silla (Korea)
 * Talorgan II, king of the Picts
 * Tatzates, Byzantine general
 * Theophilus of Edessa, Greek astrologer (b. 695)
 * Yan Zhenqing, Chinese calligrapher (b. 709)
 * Zhu Tao, general of the Tang dynasty

title: 785


text:
786

Year 786 (DCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar, the 786th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 786th year of the 1st millennium, the 86th year of the 8th century, and the 7th year of the 780s decade. The denomination 786 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

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

Britain

 * Cyneheard, brother of the late king Sigeberht, ambushes and kills his rival Cynewulf of Wessex, while he is at Meretun (now called Marten) with his mistress. The Wessex nobles refuse to recognise Cyneheard as king.
 * Cyneheard is executed and succeeded by Beorhtric, through the support of King Offa of Mercia. His rival claimant to the Wessex throne, a distant nephew of the late king Ine, named Egbert, is driven across the Channel.
 * Egbert settles at the court of Charlemagne, and learns the arts of government during his time in Gaul. During his stay he meets Eadberht, a priest, who later becomes king of Kent.

Abbasid Caliphate

 * June 11 – Battle of Fakhkh: An Alid uprising in Medina is crushed by the Abbasids. One of the Alids, Idris ibn Abdallah, flees to the Maghreb in western North Africa, where he later founds the Idrisid dynasty in 788/789.
 * September 14 – Harun al-Rashid becomes the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad, upon the death of his brother Al-Hadi. He appoints Salim Yunisi as governor of Sindh and the Indus Valley.

Religion

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

Births

 * October 10 – Saga, emperor of Japan (d. 842)
 * Adelochus, archbishop of Strasbourg (d. 823)
 * Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn Maṭar, Muslim mathematician (d. 833)
 * Al-Ma'mun, Muslim caliph (d. 833)
 * Sahl ibn Bishr, Muslim astrologer (approximate date)
 * Tachibana no Kachiko, empress of Japan (d. 850)

Deaths

 * June 11 – Al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Abid, anti-Abbasid rebel leader
 * September 14 – Al-Hadi, Muslim caliph (b. 764)
 * September – Marajil, mother of caliph al-Ma'mun.
 * October 16 – Lullus, archbishop of Mainz
 * Abo of Tiflis, Christian martyr
 * Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus, Muslim minister (or 785)
 * Cyneheard the Ætheling, nobleman of Wessex
 * Cynewulf, king of Wessex
 * Desiderius, king of the Lombards (approximate date)
 * Diarmait mac Conaing, king of South Brega (Ireland)
 * Sakanoue no Karitamaro, Japanese general (b. 727)
 * Tipraiti mac Taidg, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Empress Wang (Dezong) of China

title: 786


text:
788

Year 788 (DCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 788th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 788th year of the 1st millennium, the 88th year of the 8th century, and the 9th year of the 780s decade. The denomination 788 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * September – Battle of Kopidnadon: An Abbasid expeditionary force crosses the Cilician Gates into the Anatolic Theme (modern Turkey). It is confronted by two Byzantine armies at Podandos in Cappadocia, who are defeated.
 * Byzantine troops led by Adalgis, son of former Lombard king Desiderius, invade southern Italy. His attempts are thwarted by the Franks, who attack territories in Benevento, obtaining notably the annexion of Chieti (Spoleto).

Europe

 * King Charlemagne conquers Bavaria, and incorporates it into the Frankish Kingdom. Duke Tassilo III is deposed, and banished to a monastery.
 * Grimoald III, Lombard duke of Benevento, is installed as semi-client by King Charles the Younger (son of Charlemagne) at Benevento (Italy).
 * The Avars, who are allied with Tassilo III, invade East Francia (modern Germany). This begins the Frankish-Avar conflict.
 * King Mauregatus of Asturias dies after a 5-year reign, and is succeeded by Bermudo I as ruler of Asturias (modern Spain).
 * Abd al-Rahman I, emir of Córdoba, dies after a 32-year reign and is succeeded by his son Hisham I.
 * The earliest recorded tornado in Europe struck Freising in 788.

Britain

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

Abbasid Caliphate

 * September – Battle of Kopidnadon: An Abbasid expeditionary force against the Byzantine Empire crosses the Cilician Gates into the Anatolic Theme. The Abbasid army launches an invasion of Byzantine Asia Minor, and is confronted by a Byzantine force at Kopidnadon. The battle results in an Abbasid victory.
 * Idris ibn Abdallah, known as the "founder of Morocco", settles in Volubilis, beginning the reign of the Idrisid Dynasty (Morocco had effectively been independent from the Arab caliphates since the Great Berber Revolt).

Religion

 * The period covered in Adam of Bremen's historical treatise of the Archbishopric of Hamburg begins.
 * The Enryaku-ji temple complex is founded by Saichō, a Buddhist monk, on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu (Japan).

Births

 * Abu Tammam, Muslim poet (d. 845)
 * Adi Shankara, Indian philosopher and theologian (d. 832)
 * Aejang, king of Silla (Korea) (d. 809)
 * Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, Muslim historian (d. 870)
 * Ida of Herzfeld, Frankish duchess and saint (approximate date)
 * Li Zaiyi, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 837)
 * Methodios I, patriarch of Constantinople (or 800)

Deaths

 * September 23 – Ælfwald I, king of Northumbria
 * Abd al-Rahman I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (b. 731)
 * Adalgis, king and co-regent of the Lombards
 * Hnabi, duke of the Alemanni (approximate date)
 * Mauregatus, king of Asturias (or 789)
 * Mazu Daoyi, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (b. 709)
 * Ōnakatomi no Kiyomaro, Japanese nobleman (b. 702)

title: 788


text:
789

Year 789 (DCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 789 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * King Charlemagne crosses the Elbe River with a Frankish-Saxon army into Obotrite territory. He subdues the Wiltzes, and reaches the Baltic.
 * King Pepin of Italy conquers Istria on the Adriatic, ignoring Byzantine protests. He establishes a tributary march, and sends missionaries.
 * Charlemagne issues the Admonitio generalis, which covers educational and ecclesiastical reforms within the Frankish Kingdom.
 * Charlemagne founds the town of Herford (modern Germany), in order to guard a ford crossing the narrow Werre River.

Britain

 * King Beorhtric of Wessex marries Princess Eadburh, daughter of King Offa of Mercia, and accepts Mercian overlordship.
 * Constantine I is installed as king of the Picts. He becomes one of the greatest Scottish monarchs in the Viking period.
 * The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the first appearance of Vikings in England. The Viking raid on Portland in Dorset is the first of its kind recorded in the British Isles, including Ireland. The reeve of Dorchester (a local high-ranking official) goes to greet them after they land, perhaps accustomed to welcoming Scandinavian merchants. He is killed. Viking attacks increase in intensity over the coming decades.

Islamic Caliphate

 * Al-Khayzuran, widow of former Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi, dies, leaving more of the effective and real power in the hands of Harun al-Rashid.
 * Idris I reaches Volubilis and founds the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.

Asia

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

Births

 * Lu Shang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 859)
 * Ziryab, Muslim poet and musician (d. 857)

Deaths

 * February 20 – Leo of Catania, saint and bishop of Catania (b. 709)
 * November 8 – Willehad, bishop of Bremen
 * Al-Khayzuran, powerful wife and adviser of Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi and the excellent mother of Al-Hadi and Harun Al-Rashid, the Abbasid caliphs, de facto co-ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate
 * Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin, king of Ulaid (Ireland)
 * Amat al-Aziz Ghadir, was the mother of Abbasid prince; Ali ibn Harun al-Rashid.
 * Hildeprand, duke of Spoleto
 * Mauregatus, king of Asturias (or 788)
 * Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Ali, Abbasid prince and provincial governor
 * Torson, Frankish count of Toulouse (or 790)

title: 789


text:
790

Year 790 (DCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 790th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 790th year of the 1st millennium, the 90th year of the 8th century, and the 1st year of the 790s decade. The denomination 790 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

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

Europe

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

Britain

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

Asia

 * 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).

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.
 * Angilbert, Frankish diplomat (primicerius palatii) of King Charlemagne, is made abbot of Saint-Riquier (Northern France).
 * Joseph is consecrated Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch

Births

 * Athanasia of Aegina, Byzantine noblewoman, adviser and saint (approximate date)
 * Cyngen ap Cadell, king of Powys (Wales)
 * Fātimah bint Mūsā, Muslim saint (d. 816)
 * Íñigo Arista, king of Pamplona (approximate date)
 * Leo IV, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 855)
 * Li He, Chinese poet (d. 816)
 * Lu Tong, Chinese poet (d. 835)
 * Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi, Muslim military leader (d. 862)
 * Ramiro I, king of Asturias (approximate date)

Deaths

 * Fujiwara no Otomuro, Japanese empress consort (b. 760)
 * Thecla of Kitzingen, saint and abbess
 * Torson, Frankish count of Toulouse (or 789)

title: 790


text:
791

Year 791 (DCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 791 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

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

Britain

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

Africa

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

Asia

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

Births

 * Idris II, Muslim emir of Morocco (d. 828)
 * Pei Xiu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 864)

Deaths

 * Artgal mac Cathail, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Idris I, emir and founder of the Idrisid dynasty (b. 745)
 * Wermad, bishop of Trier
 * Zhang Xiaozhong, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 730)

title: 791


text:
792

Year 792 (DCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 792nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 792nd year of the 1st millennium, the 92nd year of the 8th century, and the 3rd year of the 790s decade. The denomination 792 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

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

Europe

 * 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.
 * 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.

Britain

 * September – King Æthelred I of Northumbria marries Princess Ælfflæd, daughter of King Offa of Mercia, at Catterick. Unrest in Northumbria tempts the exiled king Osred II back to his kingdom from the Isle of Man. His supporters desert him, and Osred II is killed by Æthelred's men at Aynburg. He is buried at Tynemouth Priory.
 * Offa arranges coastal defences to fend off Viking attacks. He forms an alliance with Essex, Kent and Sussex, in an attempt to unify England (approximate date).

Births

 * Abd al-Rahman II, Muslim emir of Córdoba (d. 852)
 * Abo, Japanese prince (d. 842)
 * Adrian II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 872)
 * Bai Minzhong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 861)
 * Virasena, Indian mathematician (d. 853)

Deaths

 * August 12 – Jænberht, archbishop of Canterbury
 * Cináed mac Artgail, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Máel Ruain, Irish abbot and founder of Tallaght Abbey
 * Michael Lachanodrakon, Byzantine general (strategos)
 * Osred II, king of Northumbria

title: 792


text:
793

Year 793 (DCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 793 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * King Charlemagne orders a 3 kilometre long channel dug from Treuchtlingen to Weißenburg (the Rhine and Danube river basins), to improve the transportation of goods between the Rhineland and Bavaria. Charlemagne's son, Pepin of Italy, campaigns against the Lombards in Benevento (Southern Italy).
 * Frisian–Frankish War: Count Theoderic is sent to Frisia, to muster troops for another offensive against the Avar Khaganate. He is attacked and probably killed by Saxon rebels, near the mouth of the Weser River. The Frisians revolt, and Charlemagne deports Saxon families from north of the river Elbe.

Britain

 * 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. Both armies return to Córdoba enriched with the spoils of war.

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).

Religion

 * August 17 – Quriaqos of Tagrit is consecrated Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch at Harran.
 * King Offa of Mercia founds an abbey at St Albans.

Births

 * Arnulf of Sens, Frankish nobleman (or 794)
 * Li Ning, prince of the Tang Dynasty (d. 812)
 * Theophylact, Byzantine co-emperor (approximate date)
 * Wei Mo, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 858)
 * Wu Yuanji, general of the Tang Dynasty (or 783)
 * Zhou Chi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 851)

Deaths

 * February 22 – Sicga, Anglo-Saxon nobleman
 * Idriss I, Muslim emir and founder of the Idrisid Dynasty (or 791)

title: 793


text:
794

Year 794 (DCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 794th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 794th year of the 1st millennium, the 94th year of the 8th century, and the 5th year of the 790s decade. The denomination 794 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * King Charlemagne abandons his channel project (see 793), and attacks the Saxon rebels from the north, supported by a second Frankish army under his son Charles the Younger, which crosses the Rhine at Cologne from the west; threatened from two directions, the Saxons surrender near Paderborn (Westphalia).
 * August 10 – Queen Fastrada, third wife of Charlemagne, dies in Frankfurt after 11 years of marriage. Charlemagne consoles himself with Luitgard, an Alemannian noblewoman, whom he marries and moves into his new palace at Aachen (Germany). Luitgard shares Charlemagne's interest in the liberal arts.
 * King Louis I (son of Charlemagne), age 16, marries Ermengarde of Hesbaye. She is a Frankish noblewoman and the daughter of Ingerman, count of Hesbaye (modern Belgium).

Britain

 * May 20 – King Æthelberht II of East Anglia visits the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls (Herefordshire), with a view to marrying Princess Ælfthryth. He is taken captive and beheaded, on the orders of King Offa.
 * Vikings sack the Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey in Northumbria (the second monastery target in England of the Vikings, after the raids on Lindisfarne in 793).

Asia

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

Communication

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

Religion

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

Births

 * Arnulf of Sens, Frankish nobleman (or 793)
 * Du Cong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty

Deaths

 * May 20 – Æthelberht II, king of East Anglia
 * August 10 – Fastrada, Frankish queen consort (b. 765)
 * Solus, Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint (approximate date)

title: 794


text:
796

Year 796 (DCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 796th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 796th year of the 1st millennium, the 96th year of the 8th century, and the 7th year of the 790s decade. The denomination 796 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

North America

 * The Three Fires Confederacy is formed at Michilimackinac.

Europe

 * 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. 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.

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 patrician Osbald is placed on the throne, but is deserted by his supporters after only 27 days. He flees from Lindisfarne to Pictland. Another faction brings back Æthelred I's old back-from-the-dead rival, Eardwulf, as the new king. He dismisses his wife and publicly takes a concubine. Eardwulf is alienated from Archbishop Eanbald of York.
 * King Offa of Mercia and Charlemagne seal a trading agreement, and a marriage alliance is proposed. However, Offa dies after a 39-year reign, that has incorporated Kent, Essex, Sussex, and East Anglia into the Mercian realm. Offa is buried at Bedford, and succeeded for a short time by his son Ecgfrith, and then a distant cousin, Coenwulf.
 * 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.

Religion

 * Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar, is appointed as abbot by Charlemagne, who puts him in charge of leading Marmoutier Abbey in Tours.
 * Tō-ji, a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect, is established in Kyoto, Japan.

Births

 * Al-Mu'tasim, Muslim caliph (d. 842)
 * Dhul-Nun al-Misri, Egyptian scholar and Sufi (d. 859)
 * Ibrahim ibn Ya'qub al-Juzajani, Muslim hadith scholar
 * Liu Zhuan, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 858)
 * Lü Dongbin, Chinese scholar and poet
 * Xiao Fang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 875)

Deaths

 * April 18 – Æthelred I, king of Northumbria
 * June 12 – Hisham I, Muslim emir (b. 757)
 * July 29 – Offa, king of Mercia (b. 730)
 * August 10 – Eanbald, archbishop of York
 * Colla mac Fergusso, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Ecgfrith, king of Mercia
 * Fujiwara no Tsuginawa, Japanese statesman (b. 727)
 * Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Fazari, Muslim philosopher (or 806)
 * Sibawayh, Persian linguist and grammarian (b. 760)
 * Tassilo III, duke of Bavaria (approximate date)

title: 796


text:
797

Year 797 (DCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 797 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * 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.

Europe

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

Britain

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

Births

 * Bernard of Italy, king of the Lombards (d. 818)
 * Ignatius I, patriarch of Constantinople (or 798)
 * Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress (or 805)
 * Meinrad of Einsiedeln, German hermit (d. 861)
 * Pepin I of Aquitaine, king of Aquitaine (d. 838)
 * Shinshō, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 873)

Deaths

 * February 6 – Donnchad Midi, High King of Ireland
 * Æthelberht of Whithorn, Anglo-Saxon bishop
 * Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak, scholar and theologian
 * Al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba, Muslim military leader
 * Bermudo I, king of Asturias (approximate date)
 * Caradog ap Meirion, king of Gwynedd (approximate date)
 * Constantine VI, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 771)
 * Cummascach mac Fogartaig, king of South Brega
 * Guan Bo, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 719)
 * Muireadhach mac Olcobhar, Irish abbot

title: 797


text:
798

Year 798 (DCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 798th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 798th year of the 1st millennium, the 98th year of the 8th century, and the 9th year of the 790s decade. The denomination 798 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

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

Britain

 * King Coenwulf of Mercia invades Gwynedd (modern Wales), and kills his rival Caradog ap Meirion during the fighting in Snowdonia. Kings Cynan and Hywel retake the throne. Coenwulf also defeats and captures King Eadberht Præn of Kent. He is blinded and his hands are cut off. He introduces his brother Cuthred as a sub-king of Kent (approximate date).
 * Battle of Billington: King Eardwulf of Northumbria defeats the nobleman Wada in battle, who has killed former King Æthelred I (see 796).
 * King Sigeric I of Essex abdicates and departs for a pilgrimage to Rome. He is succeeded by his son Sigered.

Iberia

 * King Alfonso II of Asturias campaigns against the Arab Muslims in Al-Andalus. With Frankish military support, he raids into Andalusia and sacks Lisbon (modern Portugal).
 * Bahlul ibn Marzuq, a Vascon-Muslim military leader, revolts in Zaragoza against the Arab-Muslim government of Al-Andalus.

Religion

 * Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar, writes to his friend, the exiled king Osbald of Northumbria, in order to dissuade him.
 * Theodulf, Frankish poet, is appointed bishop of Orléans. He becomes one of Charlemagne's favoured theologians.

Births

 * Abdallah ibn Tahir, Muslim governor (approximate date)
 * Babak Khorramdin, Persian military leader (approximate date)
 * Ignatius I, patriarch of Constantinople (approximate date)

Deaths

 * Abu Yusuf, Muslim jurist and chief adviser
 * Caradog ap Meirion, king of Gwynedd (or 797)
 * Lu Mai, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 739)
 * Wonseong, king of Silla (Korea)

title: 798


text:
799

Year 799 (DCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 799 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Autumn – Siege of Trsat: Višeslav, prince or duke of Dalmatian Croatia, decisively defeats an invading Frankish army under Eric of Friuli, during the siege at the fortress city of Trsat (Rijeka).
 * The Vikings raid the island of Noirmoutier, and attack the monastery of Saint Philibert of Jumièges.

Britain

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

Religion

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

Births

 * Jiang Shen, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 881)
 * Langdarma, emperor of Tibet (approximate date)
 * Zhang Yichao, Chinese general (approximate date)

Deaths

 * April 13 – Paul the Deacon, Lombard monk and historian
 * September 4 – Musa al-Kadhim, seventh Twelver Shī‘ah Imam (b. 745)
 * Eric, duke of Friuli
 * Gerold, Alamannian nobleman
 * Huaisu, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 737)
 * Osbald, king of Northumbria

title: 799


text:
813

Byzantine Empire

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

Europe

 * September 11 — Louis the Pious, king of Aquitaine (and only surviving legitimate son), is crowned co-emperor of the Franks, with his father Charlemagne.
 * Danish Viking raiders, led by King Horik I, attack Vestfold (modern Norway), due to its insubordination (approximate date).

Abbasid Caliphate

 * 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.
 * The Baghdad School of Astronomy is opened by al-Ma'mun.
 * Caliph al Ma’mun founds a school in Baghdad called the House of Wisdom. In this school scholars translated Greek philosophy classics into Arabic.

Religion

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

Births

 * Fujiwara no Yoshimi, Japanese nobleman (d. 867)
 * Fujiwara no Yoshisuke, Japanese statesman (d. 867)
 * Li Rong, prince of the Tang Dynasty (or 812)
 * Li Shangyin, Chinese official and poet (d. 858)
 * Moses Bar-Kepha, Syriac bishop (approximate date)
 * Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim ninth Ismā'īlī imam (or 814)
 * Theophilus, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 842)
 * Wandelbert, Benedictine monk (approximate date)

Deaths

 * ’Abd Allah ibn Wahb, Muslim jurist (b. 743)
 * Eanberht, bishop of Hexham (approximate date)
 * Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin, Muslim caliph (b. 787)

title: 813


text:
815

Year 815 (DCCCXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 815th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 815th year of the 1st millennium, the 15th year of the 9th century, and the 6th year of the 810s decade.

Byzantine Empire

 * 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.

Central America

 * 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.

Europe

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

Britain

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

Asia

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

Religion

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

Births

 * Abu Hanifa Dinawari, Muslim botanist and geographer (d. 896)
 * Boniface VI, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 896)
 * Dawud al-Zahiri, Muslim scholar (approximate date)
 * Eberhard, duke of Friuli (approximate date)
 * Johannes Scotus Eriugena, Irish theologian (approximate date)
 * Leoluca, Sicilian abbot (approximate date)
 * Methodius, Byzantine missionary and bishop (d. 885)
 * Theodora, Byzantine empress (approximate date)

Deaths

 * February 15 – Ibn Tabataba, Zaydi anti-caliph
 * July 13 – Wu Yuanheng, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 758)
 * October 18 – Abu'l-Saraya, Zaydi rebel leader
 * Jābir ibn Hayyān (Geber), Muslim alchemist (approximate date)
 * Laylā bint Ṭarīf, Arab woman warrior poet
 * Mashallah ibn Athari, Jewish-Arab astrologer
 * Muirgius mac Tommaltaig, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Omar Tiberiades, Persian astrologer (approximate date)
 * Sadnalegs, emperor of Tibet (approximate date)

title: 815


text:
818

Year 818 (DCCCXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * Vikings known as Rus' (Norsemen) plunder the north coast of Anatolia (modern Turkey), marking the first recorded raid of Rus' people on territory in the Byzantine Empire.

Europe

 * 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.
 * The Slavs known as Timočani on the Timok River break their alliance with the Bulgars. Duke Ljudevit of the Slavs in Lower Pannonia sends emissaries to Louis I, to assert his independence from the Franks.
 * 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).

Britain

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

Asia

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

Religion

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

Births

 * Abu Dawud, Muslim hadith compiler (or 817)
 * Al-Fath ibn Khaqan, Muslim governor (or 817)
 * Ariwara no Yukihira, Japanese governor (d. 893)
 * Pepin, count of Vermandois (approximate date)
 * Sahl al-Tustari, Persian scholar (approximate date)

Deaths

 * April 17 – Bernard of Italy, king of the Lombards (b. 797)
 * October 3 – Ermengarde, queen of the Franks
 * Al-Fadl ibn Sahl, Persian vizier
 * Ali al-Ridha, 8th Shia Imam (b. 766)
 * Cernach mac Congalaig, king of Brega (Ireland)
 * Clement, Irish scholar and saint
 * Felix, bishop of Urgell (Spain)
 * García I Jiménez, duke of Gascony
 * Hildebold, archbishop of Cologne
 * Michael the Confessor, bishop of Synnada
 * Morman, chieftain and king of Brittany
 * Muiredach mac Brain, king of Leinster (Ireland)
 * Theophanes the Confessor, Byzantine monk (or 817)
 * Quan Deyu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 759)
 * Yuan Zi, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 739)

title: 818


text:
819

Year 819 (DCCCXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

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

Abbasid Caliphate

 * August 11 – Caliph Al-Ma'mun returns to Baghdad, securing the city's place as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.
 * Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun dismisses Al-Hasan ibn Sahl as governor of al-Iraq.

Births

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

Deaths

 * March 8 – Li Shidao, Chinese warlord
 * Áed Oirdnide, king of Ailech (Ireland)
 * Cadolah, duke of Friuli (Italy)
 * Cairell mac Fiachnai, king of Ulaid (Ireland)
 * Cheng Yi, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
 * Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, Arab historian (b. 737)
 * Liu Zongyuan, Chinese poet and official (b. 773)

title: 819


text:
820

Year 820 (DCCCXX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Abbasid Caliphate

 * Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun appointed Isa ibn Yazid al-Juludi as Abbasid governor of Yemen for few months.
 * Caliph Al-Ma'mun appointed Hisn ibn al-Minhal as Abbasid governor of Yemen for few months.
 * Caliph Al-Ma'mun appointed Ibrahim al-Ifriqi as Abbasid governor of Yemen. He remained in office until 821.
 * Caliph al-Ma'mun appointed Abu Nasr ibn al-Sari as Abbasid governor of Egypt.

Byzantine Empire

 * 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.

Ireland

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

China

 * 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.

Births

 * Adalbert I, Frankish margrave (approximate date)
 * Adelaide of Tours, Frankish noblewoman (approximate date)
 * Álmos, military leader (gyula) of the Hungarians (approximate date)
 * Anandavardhana, Indian philosopher (d. 890)
 * Ashot I ("the Great"), king of Armenia (approximate date)
 * Buhturi, Syrian poet (d. 897)
 * Godfrid Haraldsson, Danish Viking king (approximate date)
 * Grimbald, Frankish Benedictine monk (d. 901)
 * Hucbert, Frankish nobleman (d. 864)
 * Ibn Khordadbeh, Persian geographer (approximate date)
 * Qusta ibn Luqa, Syrian Melkite physician (d. 912)
 * Ranulf I of Aquitaine, Frankish nobleman (d. 866)
 * Rhodri the Great, king of Gwynedd (Wales) (approximate date)

Deaths

 * September 14, Li Yong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
 * December 25, Leo V, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 775)
 * Adi Shankara, Indian philosopher and theologian (b. 788)
 * Causantín mac Fergusa, king of the Picts
 * Huangfu Bo, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
 * Lupo III, duke of Gascony (approximate date)
 * Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i, Muslim imam (b. 767)
 * Olcobhar mac Cummuscach, abbot of Clonfert
 * Song Ruoxin, Chinese scholar and poet (b. 768)
 * Tnúthgal mac Donngaile, king of Munster
 * Tutu Chengcui, eunuch and advisor of the Tang dynasty
 * Wang Chengzong, general of the Tang dynasty
 * Xian Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 778)

title: 820


text:
AD 150

Year 150 (CL) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Squilla and Vetus (or, less frequently, year 903 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 150 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * The Roman town Forum Hadriani (Voorburg) receives the title of Municipium Aelium Cananefatium, "the town of the Cananefates" (modern Netherlands). The town is awarded with rights to organize markets.
 * The Germans of the east move south, into the Carpathians and Black Sea area.
 * The Albani appear in the Roman province of Macedonia, specifically in Epirus.

Asia

 * First and only year of Heping of the Chinese Han dynasty.

Americas

 * The Middle Culture period of Mayan civilization ends (approximate date).
 * The Great Pyramid of the Sun is constructed in Teotihuacan. It is the tallest pre-Columbian building in the Americas.

Religion

 * Marcion of Sinope produces his Bible canon, consisting of purged versions of the Gospel of Luke and ten Pauline letters (approximate date).

Art and science

 * The earliest atlas (Ptolemy's Geography) is made (approximate date).
 * This is also the approximate date of completion of Ptolemy's monumental work Almagest. The geocentric cosmology contained in it holds sway for 1,400 years.
 * Antoninus Liberalis writes a work on mythology (Μεταμορφωσεων Συναγωγη) (approximate date).
 * Paper, made in China, arrives in Transoxiana.

Births

 * March 7 – Lucilla, Roman empress (d. 182)
 * Cassius Dio, Roman historian (approximate year)
 * Clement of Alexandria, Greek theologian (d. 215)
 * Gongsun Du, Chinese general and warlord (d. 204)
 * Lucius Fabius Cilo, Roman politician (approximate date)
 * Monoimus, Arab gnostic and writer (approximate date)
 * Nagarjuna, founder of Mahayana "Great Vehicle" (d. c. 250)
 * Xu Shao, Chinese official of the Han dynasty (d. 195)
 * Yufuluo, Chanyu of the southern Xiongnu (d. 196)
 * Zhang Zhongjing, Chinese physician (d. 219)

Deaths

 * Aspasius, Greek philosopher and writer (approximate date)
 * Aśvaghoṣa, Indian philosopher and poet (approximate date)
 * Liang Na, Chinese empress of the Han dynasty (b. 116)

title: AD 150


text:
151

Year 151 (CLI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Condianus and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 904 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 151 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Asia

 * Mytilene and Smyrna are destroyed by an earthquake.
 * First year of Yuanjia of the Chinese Han dynasty.

Art

 * Detail from a rubbing of a stone relief in Wu family shrine (Wuliangci), Jiaxiang, Shandong, is made (Han dynasty).

Births

 * Annia Galeria Aurelia Faustina, daughter of Marcus Aurelius
 * Zhong Yao, Chinese official and calligrapher (d. 230)

Deaths

 * Kanishka, Indian ruler of the Kushan Empire
 * Novatus, Christian saint (approximate date)

title: 151


text:
152

Year 152 (CLII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Glabrio and Homullus (or, less frequently, year 905 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 152 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Asia

 * The Chinese domination of the Tarim Basin weakens.

Births

 * Bao Xin, Chinese general and warlord (d. 192)

Deaths

 * January 14 – Markianos, patriarch of Alexandria
 * Yan Ming, Chinese empress of the Han Dynasty

title: 152


text:
153

Year 153 (CLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 906 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 153 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * Minor uprisings occur in Roman Egypt against Roman rule.

Asia

 * Change of era name from Yuanjia (3rd year) to Yongxing of the Chinese Han Dynasty.

Births

 * Didia Clara, daughter of Didius Julianus
 * Kong Rong, Chinese official and warlord (d. 208)
 * Zhang Hong, Chinese official and politician (d. 212)

Deaths

 * Tiberius Julius Rhoemetalces, Roman client king

title: 153


text:
154

Year 154 (CLIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Lateranus (or, less frequently, year 907 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 154 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * King Eupator of Bosphorus pays tribute to Rome, due to the threat posed by the Alani.
 * The Antonine Wall is completed.

Asia

 * Last (2nd) year of Yongxing era of the Chinese Han Dynasty.
 * Adalla becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

Religion

 * Anicetus becomes pope of Rome (approximate date).
 * Anicetus meets with Polycarp of Smyrna to discuss the Computus, the date of Easter in the Christian liturgical calendar.
 * Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Euzois to Patriarch Laurence.

Births

 * July 11 – Bardaisan, Syriac gnostic (d. 222)

Deaths

 * Euzois, bishop of Byzantium
 * Ilseong, Korean ruler of Silla
 * Pius I, pope of Rome (approximate date)

title: 154


text:
155

Year 155 (CLV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 908 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 155 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

 * the Council of Rome, a pre-ecumenical church council, is held and presided by Bishop of Rome Anicetus.

Births

 * Cao Cao, Chinese statesman and warlord (d. 220)
 * Dio Cassius, Roman historian (d. c. 235)
 * Tertullian, Roman Christian theologian (d. c. 240)
 * Sun Jian, Chinese general and warlord (d. 191)

Deaths

 * Pius I, Roman bishop
 * Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (b. AD 65)

title: 155


text:
156

Year 156 (CLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silvanus and Augurinus (or, less frequently, year 909 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 156 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

America

 * The La Mojarra Stela 1 is produced in Mesoamerica.

Religion

 * The heresiarch Montanus first appears in Ardaban (Mysia).

Births

 * Dong Zhao, Chinese official and minister (d. 236)
 * Ling of Han, Chinese emperor of the Han Dynasty (d. 189)
 * Pontianus of Spoleto, Christian martyr and saint (d. 175)
 * Zhang Zhao, Chinese general and politician (d. 236)
 * Zhu Zhi, Chinese general and politician (d. 224)

Deaths

 * Marcus Gavius Maximus, Roman praetorian prefect
 * Zhang Daoling, Chinese Taoist master (b. AD 34)

title: 156


text:
157

Year 157 (CLVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Civica and Aquillus (or, less frequently, year 910 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 157 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * A revolt against Roman rule begins in Dacia.

Births

 * Gaius Caesonius Macer Rufinianus, Roman politician (d. 237)
 * Hua Xin, Chinese official and minister (d. 232)
 * Liu Yao, Chinese governor and warlord (d. 198)
 * Xun You, Chinese official and statesman (d. 214)

title: 157


text:
158

Year 158 (CLVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Tertullus and Sacerdos (or, less frequently, year 911 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 158 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * The earliest dated use of Sol Invictus, in a dedication from Rome.
 * A revolt against Roman rule in Dacia is crushed.

China

 * Change of era name from Yongshou to Yangxi of the Chinese Han dynasty.

Births

 * Gaius Caesonius Macer Rufinianus, Roman politician (d. 237)

Deaths

 * Wang Yi, Chinese librarian and poet (b. AD 89)

title: 158


text:
159

Year 159 (CLIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time in Roman territories, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Quintillus and Priscus (or, less frequently, year 912 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 159 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

India

 * In India, the reign of Shivashri Satakarni, as King Satavahana of Andhra, begins.

Births

 * December 30 – Lady Bian, wife of Cao Cao (d. 230)
 * Annia Aurelia Fadilla, daughter of Marcus Aurelius
 * Gordian I, Roman emperor (d. 238)
 * Lu Zhi, Chinese general (d. 192)

Deaths

 * Liang Ji, Chinese general and regent
 * Liang Nüying, Chinese empress

title: 159


text:
1781

January–March

 * January – William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister of Great Britain, enters Parliament, aged 21.
 * January 1 – Industrial Revolution: The Iron Bridge opens across the River Severn in England.
 * January 2 – Virginia passes a law ceding its western land claims, paving the way for Maryland to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
 * January 5 – American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia is burned by British naval forces, led by Benedict Arnold.
 * January 6 – Battle of Jersey: British troops prevent the French from occupying Jersey in the Channel Islands.
 * January 17 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cowpens: The American Continental Army, under Daniel Morgan, decisively defeats British forces in South Carolina.
 * February 2 – The Articles of Confederation are ratified by Maryland, the 13th and final state to do so.
 * February 3 – Fourth Anglo-Dutch War – Capture of Sint Eustatius: British forces take the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius, with only a few shots fired. On November 26 it is retaken by Dutch-allied French forces.
 * March – Riots break out in Socorro, Santander, and spread to other towns.
 * March 1 – The United States Continental Congress implements the Articles of Confederation, forming its Perpetual Union as the United States in Congress Assembled.
 * March 13 – Sir William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus. Originally he calls it Georgium Sidus (George's Star), in honour of King George III of Great Britain.
 * March 15 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Guilford Court House: American General Nathanael Greene loses to the British.

April–June

 * April 4 – American Revolutionary War: The Spanish capture the sloop-of-war HMS St Fermin (1780) off Málaga, Spain.
 * April 6 – The rebellion by Túpac Amaru II, against the Spanish colonial government of Peru, is ended as Tupac, his wife and two of his sons are captured at Checacupe.
 * April 10 – Future U.S. President Andrew Jackson, age 14, is slashed by a British officer's sword at his home near Waxhaw, North Carolina, after refusing to clean the officer's boots, an event that leaves physical and psychological scars.
 * April 14 – The Continental Congress votes a resolution thanking U.S. Captain John Paul Jones for his services.
 * April 18 – Future New York mayor James Duane, North Carolina representative William Sharpe and future Connecticut governor Oliver Wolcott deliver the first report to the U.S. Continental Congress about the national debt and report it to be 24,057,157 and 2/5 dollars.
 * April 25 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Hobkirk's Hill takes place in Camden, South Carolina
 * May 9 – General John Campbell, defender of the British colony of West Florida, surrenders the capital at Pensacola to Spanish forces commanded by Bernardo de Galvez.
 * May 18 – A Spanish army sent from Lima puts down the Inca rebellions, and captures and savagely executes Túpac Amaru II.
 * June 4 – The commission agrees to the rebels' terms: reduction of the alcabala and of the Indians' forced tribute, abolition of the new taxes on tobacco, and preference for Criollos over peninsulares in government positions.
 * June 12 – Ohmiya (近江屋), as predecessor for Takeda, a major worldwide pharmaceutical brand, is founded in Doshomachi (道修町), Osaka, Japan.

July–September

 * July 27 – French spy François Henri de la Motte is hanged and drawn before a large crowd at Tyburn, London in England for high treason.
 * July 29 – American Revolution – Skirmish at the House in the Horseshoe: A Tory force under David Fanning attacks Phillip Alston's smaller force of Whigs, at Alston's home in Cumberland County, North Carolina (in present day Moore County, North Carolina). Alston's troops surrender, after Fanning's men attempt to ram the house with a cart of burning straw.
 * August 30 – American Revolution: A French fleet under Comte de Grasse enters Chesapeake Bay, cutting British General Charles Cornwallis off from escape by sea.
 * September 4 – Los Angeles is founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles de Porciuncula ("City of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula"), by a group of 44 Spanish settlers in California.
 * September 5 – American Revolution – Battle of the Chesapeake: A British fleet under Thomas Graves arrives and fights de Grasse, but is unable to break through to relieve the Siege of Yorktown.
 * September 6 – American Revolution – Battle of Groton Heights: A British force under Benedict Arnold attacks a fort in Groton, Connecticut, achieving a strategic victory.
 * September 8 – American Revolution – Battle of Eutaw Springs, South Carolina: The war's last significant battle, in the Southern theatre, ends in a narrow British tactical victory.
 * September 10 – American Revolution: Graves gives up trying to break through the now-reinforced French fleet and returns to New York, leaving Cornwallis to his fate.
 * September 28 – American Revolution: American and French troops begin a siege of the British at Yorktown, Virginia.

October–December

 * October 12 – The first bagpipes competition is held in the Masonic Arms, Falkirk, Scotland.
 * October 19 – American Revolution: Following the Siege of Yorktown, General Charles Cornwallis surrenders to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, ending the armed struggle of the American Revolution.
 * October 20 – A Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in the Habsburg monarchy.
 * November 5 – John Hanson is elected President of the Continental Congress.
 * November 29
 * English slave traders begin to throw approximately 142 slaves taken on in Accra overboard alive from the slave ship Zong in the Caribbean Sea to conserve supplies for the remainder; the Liverpool owners subsequently attempt to reclaim part of their value from insurers.
 * Henry Hurle officially founds the Ancient Order of Druids in London, England.
 * December – A school is founded in Washington County, Pennsylvania that will later be known as Washington & Jefferson College.
 * December 12 – American Revolutionary War – Second Battle of Ushant: The British Royal Navy, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt in HMS Victory, decisively defeats the French fleet in the Bay of Biscay.

Date unknown

 * Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor abolishes serfdom.
 * The Bank of North America is chartered by the Continental Congress.
 * Charles Messier publishes the final catalog of Messier objects.
 * Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovers tungsten.
 * Immanuel Kant publishes his Critique of Pure Reason.
 * Reverend Samuel Peters publishes his General History of Connecticut, using the term blue law for the first time.
 * Phillips Exeter Academy is founded in New Hampshire.

Births

 * January 26 – Achim von Arnim, German novelist and poet (d. 1831)
 * January 30 – Adelbert von Chamisso, German poet and scientist (d. 1838)
 * February 17 – René Laennec, French physician and inventor (d. 1826)
 * March 1 – Javiera Carrera, Chilean independence campaigner (d. 1862)
 * March 4 – Rebecca Gratz, American educator, philanthropist (d. 1869)
 * March 13 – Karl Friedrich Schinkel, German architect, painter (d. 1841)
 * April 3 – Swaminarayan, Indian Hindu reformer and deity (d. 1830)
 * May 9 – Henri Cassini, French botanist and naturalist (d. 1832)
 * June 9 – George Stephenson, English engineer, designer of railway locomotives Locomotion No. 1, Rocket (d. 1848)
 * June 21 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician, physicist (d. 1840)
 * July 6
 * Stamford Raffles, English founder of Singapore (d. 1826)
 * John D. Sloat, American naval officer (d. 1867)
 * July 27 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian composer (d. 1829)
 * September 3 – Eugène de Beauharnais, French nobleman, son of Napoleon's wife Joséphine (d. 1824)
 * September 5 – Anton Diabelli, Austrian music publisher, editor and composer (d. 1858)
 * October 5 – Bernard Bolzano, Czech philosopher and mathematician (d. 1848)
 * November 1 – Joseph Karl Stieler, German painter (d. 1858)
 * November 6
 * Lucy Aikin, English writer (d. 1864)
 * Maha Bandula, Commander-in-chief of the Burmese military forces (d. 1825)
 * November 20 – Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German jurist (d. 1854)
 * November 29 – Andrés Bello, Venezuelan poet, lawmaker, teacher, philosopher, sociologist (d. 1865)
 * November 30 – Alexander Berry, Scottish adventurer, Australian pioneer (d. 1873)
 * December 11 – Sir David Brewster, Scottish physicist (d. 1868)

date unknown

 * Sanité Bélair, Haitian national heroine (d. 1802)
 * Haji Shariatullah, Bengali Islamic scholar (d. 1840)
 * William Williams of Wern, Welsh minister (d. 1840)

Deaths

 * January 12 – Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)
 * January 15 – Mariana Victoria of Spain, Queen consort of Portugal (b. 1718)
 * February 15 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German author, philosopher (b. 1729)
 * February 23 – George Taylor, Founding Father of the United States and signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. c. 1716)
 * March 17 – Johannes Ewald, Danish national dramatist and poet (b. 1743)
 * March 18 – Anne Robert Turgot, French statesman (b. 1727)
 * April 23 – James Abercrombie, British general (b. 1706)
 * April 28 – Cornelius Harnett, American delegate to the Continental Congress (b. 1723)
 * May 3 – Charles Roe, English businessman (b. 1715)
 * May 16 – Giacomo Puccini (senior), Italian composer (b. 1712)
 * May 18 – Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian indigenous rebel leader (b. 1742)
 * May 18 – Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua, Peruvian indigenous rebel leader (b. 1745)
 * May 27 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist (b. 1716)
 * May 30 – John Conder, Independent English minister at Cambridge (b. 1714)
 * July 18 – Padre Francisco Garcés, Spanish missionary (killed) (b. 1738)
 * July 23 – John Joachim Zubly, Swiss-born Continental Congressman (b. 1724)
 * August 16 – Charles-François de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (b. 1719)
 * September 7 – Lord Richard Cavendish (1752–1781), second son of William Cavendish (b. 1752)
 * September 11 – Johann August Ernesti, German theologian and philologist (b. 1707)
 * September 12 – Peter Scheemakers, Flemish sculptor (b. 1691)
 * September 28 – William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford, British diplomat, statesman (b. 1717)
 * October 16 – Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, British naval officer (b. 1705)
 * November 4
 * Johann Nikolaus Götz, German poet (b. 1721)
 * Charles Morris, Canadian judge (b. 1711)
 * November 21 – Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas, French statesman (b. 1701)
 * December 2 – Zenón de Somodevilla, 1st Marqués de la Ensenada, Spanish noble (b. 1702)
 * December 30 – John Needham, British biologist and priest (b. 1713)
 * December – Juan Montón y Mallén, composer (born c. 1730)

title: 1781