text:
655

Year 655 (DCLV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 655 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

 * Battle of the Masts: Emperor Constans II personally commands the Byzantine fleet (500 ships), and sets off to challenge the Arab navy. He sails to the province of Lycia (now in Turkey) in the southern region of Asia Minor. The two forces meet off the coast of Mount Phoenix, near the harbour of Phoenix (modern Finike). The Arabs under Abdullah ibn Sa'ad are victorious in battle, although losses are heavy for both sides. Constans barely escapes to Constantinople.

Britain

 * November 15 – Battle of the Winwaed: King Oswiu of Bernicia defeats his rival, King Penda of Mercia at Cock Beck, near what later will be Leeds (Yorkshire). Kings Cadafael Cadomedd of Gwynedd and Œthelwald of Deira, allies of Mercia, withdraw their forces before the battle begins. It marks the defeat of the last credible pagan force in England. It also sows the seeds which will lead to Anglo-Saxon acceptance of the Catholic Church (approximate date).
 * Oswiu becomes overlord (bretwalda) over much of Great Britain. He establishes himself as king of Mercia, setting up his son-in-law, Penda's son Peada, as a subject king over Middle Anglia.

Asia

 * Empress Kōgyoku re-ascends to the throne of Japan, beginning a new reign as Saimei-tennō.
 * Arab armies conquer Khurasan (Iran), and the Silk Road along Transoxiana (Central Asia).
 * King Vikramaditya I of Chalukya (India) re-unites the kingdom, after defeating his brothers.

Religion

 * May 15 – Pope Martin I is banished to Chersonesos Taurica (Ukraine). He dies later in the Crimean Peninsula after a 6-year reign, leaving Eugene I as the uncontested pope (see 654).
 * Peada founds Peterborough Cathedral (Province of Canterbury). It becomes one of the first centres of Christianity in England. Deusdedit is consecrated as archbishop of Canterbury.

Births

 * John VI, pope of Rome (d. 705)

Deaths

 * September 16 – Pope Martin I
 * November 15 – Æthelhere, king of East Anglia
 * November 15 – Penda, king of Mercia
 * Cadafael Cadomedd, king of Gwynedd
 * Didier of Cahors, Frankish bishop
 * Foillan, Irish missionary (approximate date)
 * Loingsech mac Colmáin, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Theodore Rshtuni, Armenian general
 * Wang, empress of the Tang dynasty
 * Xiao, concubine of Gao Zong

title: 655


text:
656

Year 656 (DCLVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 656 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

 * February 1 – King Sigebert III of Austrasia, age 25, dies after a 22-year reign. His 5-year-old son Dagobert II is kidnapped by the court chancellor, Grimoald the Elder, who makes his own son king, and exiles him to an Irish monastery. Dagobert is placed with Bishop Dido of Poitiers, while Grimoald's son Childebert the Adopted assumes the Austrasian throne.

Britain

 * King Oswiu of Northumbria invades Pengwern (modern Wales) and kills King Cynddylan in battle, near the River Trent. Cynddylan's brother Morfael and the rest of the royal family flee to Glastening (Wessex).
 * King Œthelwald of Deira is removed from office by his uncle Oswiu, because of his desertion at the Battle of the Winwaed, and replaced by the latter's son Alhfrith, as subject king in a united Northumbria.

Arabian Empire

 * First Islamic Civil War: An armed revolt erupts in Egypt; several Muslim sympathisers travel to Medina to rally support, beginning the fitna (literally meaning the 'trail of faith'). The Muslim expansion comes to a halt as the martial energies of the Islamic forces are directed inwards.
 * June 17 – Uthman ibn Affan is murdered at Medina after an 11-year reign. He is succeeded by Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi-Talib, who becomes the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. He makes Kufah (Iraq) his capital, but the succession is disputed.
 * December 8 – Battle of the Camel: Rebel Arabs under Aisha (widow of Muhammad) begin a revolt against Ali. They are defeated at Basra, and Aisha is exiled to Medina. During the battle 10,000 people lose their lives, with each party bearing equal loss.
 * Abdullah ibn Sa'ad, governor of Upper Egypt, dies after a 12-year regime in which he has defeated neighboring Nubia.

Asia

 * Empress Saimei of Japan builds a new palace at Asuka (Nara Prefecture), because her former residence caught fire. This construction is called the "Mad Canal" by the people of that day, wasting the labor of tens of thousand workers and a large amount of money.

Polynesia

 * September 24 – A total solar eclipse is observable from Easter Island. The next at this location would not occur until July 11, 2010.

Religion

 * Li Xiăn, seventh son of the Chinese emperor Gao Zong, is made crown prince. His lavish palatial mansion in Chang'an is converted into a Daoist abbey during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).
 * The Yasaka Shrine is constructed in the Gion district of Kyoto (Japan).

Births

 * Hubertus, bishop of Liège (approximate date)
 * Zhong Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 710)

Deaths

 * June 20 – Uthman ibn Affan, Muslim Caliph (b. 577) (martyred)
 * Abdullah ibn Sa'ad, Arab governor
 * Crundmáel Erbuilc, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)
 * Cui Dunli, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 596)
 * Cynddylan, king of Pengwern (Wales)
 * Li Daozong, prince of the Tang dynasty
 * Peada, king of Mercia (Midlands)
 * Sigebert III, king of Austrasia (or 660)
 * Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Arab general (b. 594) (martyred)

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

title: 656


text:
657

Year 657 (DCLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 657 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

 * Grimoald the Elder, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, is deposed by Clovis II, king of Neustria. Clovis also captures Grimoald's son Childebert the Adopted, executing them both.
 * Clovis II dies and is succeeded by his eldest son Chlothar III, age 5, who becomes king of Neustria and Burgundy, under the regency of his mother Balthild.

Arab Empire

 * Battle of Siffin: Muslim forces under Ali ibn Abi-Talib fight an inconclusive battle against Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, on the banks of the Euphrates, near Raqqa (Syria).

Asia

 * Tang campaigns against the Western Turks: Emperor Gao Zong dispatches a military campaign led by Su Dingfang. He annexes the Western Turkic Khaganate.
 * Gao Zong commissions the pharmacology publication of an official materia medica, documenting the use of 833 different substances for medicinal purposes.

Americas

 * In the course of the Second Tikal-Calakmul War, the Snake Lord (Yuknoom Ch'een II) makes a direct attack against Tikal itself, driving out its new ruler Nuun Ujol Chaak, and establishing Calakmul as the regional superpower. B'alaj Chan K'awiil, the one time heir apparent to rule Tikal, swears his allegiance to the new overlord.

Religion

 * June 1 – Pope Eugene I dies at Rome after a reign of nearly 2½ years. He is succeeded by Vitalian as the 76th pope.
 * Hilda, Anglo-Saxon abbess, founds a monastery at Streaneshalch, on the Yorkshire coast at Whitby (England).

Births

 * Ansprand, king of the Lombards (approximate date)

Deaths

 * June 2 – Pope Eugene I
 * November 12 – Livinus, Irish apostle
 * Ammar ibn Yasir, companion of Muhammad and Ali ibn Abi Talib (b. 570)
 * Childebert the Adopted, king (usurper) of Austrasia
 * Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy (or 658)
 * Grimoald the Elder, Mayor of the Palace (b. 616)
 * Talorgan I, king of the Picts

title: 657


text:
658

Year 658 (DCLVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 658 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

 * Emperor Constans II undertakes an expedition to the Balkan Peninsula, and defeats the Avars in Macedonia. He temporarily reasserts Byzantine rule, and resettles some of them in Anatolia to fight against the Rashidun Caliphate (approximate date).

Europe

 * The confederation of Slavic tribes falls apart after the death of King Samo. A Slav principality is formed from the kingdom's remnants in Carinthia (modern Austria), and the Avars capture most of its territory in Hungary (approximate date).

Britain

 * Battle of Peonnum: King Cenwalh and the Wessex Saxons make a push against Dumnonia (South West England). They are victorious at Penselwood in Somerset, and the Dumnonia-Wessex border is set at the River Parrett (approximate date).
 * A revolt led by three Mercian noblemen (Immin, Eata, and Eadberht) installs Wulfhere (son of king Penda) as ruler of Mercia, and drives out the supporters of King Oswiu of Northumbria.

Asia

 * The Chinese Buddhist monks Zhi Yu and Zhi You recreate several south-pointing chariots, for the Japanese prince Tenji. This is a 3rd-century device made by Ma Jun, and acts as a mechanical-driven directional-compass vehicle (according to the Nihon Shoki).
 * Chinese forces defeat the Western Turkic Kaganate (Central Asia). The West kaganate becomes a vassal of the Tang dynasty. During the power vacuum, Turgesh tribes emerge as the leading power (approximate date).

Rashiduin Caliphate

 * April: Amr ibn al-As and Abu Musa al-Ashari conclude the arbitration agreement that ended the Battle of Siffin the previous year, declaring Caliph Ali deposed and declaring Muawiyah as the legitimate Caliph. This badly damages Ali's standing among the Caliphate, and paves the way for the end of the First Fitna.
 * July: Taking advantage of the internal strife befalling Caliph Ali's faction as a result of the arbitration verdict and the Kharijite uprising, Amr ibn al-As enters Egypt with a Syrian army and reclaims the province that he had previously led thirteen years prior, proclaiming himself governor with Muawiyah's agreement. The Egyptian governor appointed by Ali, Muhammad ibn abi Bakr, under pressure due to many of the Muslim soldiers now seeing Muawiyah as the legitimate Caliph, and Amr's high popularity, surrenders the province without bloodshed, depriving Ali of the richest province of the Caliphate, and further undermining his position. Abi Bakr is later killed against Amr's orders, either on Muawiyah's orders or by Syrian soldiers in a summary execution.
 * July 17: The Battle of Nahrawan sees Caliph Ali decisively defeat a Kharijite rebellion, which marks the last fighting of the First Fitna.

Births

 * Willibrord, Anglo-Saxon missionary

Deaths

 * Cellach mac Máele Coba, high king of Ireland
 * Chu Suiliang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 597)
 * Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy (or 657)
 * Du Zhenglun, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
 * Erchinoald, mayor of the Palace of Neustria
 * Jajang, Korean Buddhist monk (b. 590)
 * Judicael, high king of Domnonée
 * Samo, king of the Slavs (Carinthia)
 * Yuchi Gong, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 585)

title: 658


text:
660

Year 660 (DCLX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 660 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

 * Emperor Constans II is paranoid about the ambitions of his younger brother, Theodosius, and has him murdered. Having attracted the hatred of the citizens of Constantinople, Constans decides to leave the Byzantine capital and moves to Syracuse (Sicily).

Europe

 * The March of the Slavs, centred north of modern Klagenfurt, preserves independence and is first mentioned in historical sources, known as Carantania (Austria).
 * Felix, patrician of Toulouse, assumes the titles of Duke of Vasconia and Aquitaine. He is formally a vassal of the Franks, but rules "de facto" independently.

Britain

 * King Cenwalh of Wessex becomes dissatisfied with his local bishop, Agilbert of Dorchester, as he does not speak West-Saxon. Cenwalh splits the episcopal see of Wessex in two. Wine becomes the first bishop of Winchester, by the Saxons called Wintancestir. Agilbert resigns in protest and travels north to Northumbria.
 * King Sigeberht II of Essex is murdered by his brothers, Swithelm and Swithfrith, and other kinsmen for being "too ready to pardon his enemies"; that is to say, the Christians. Swithelm becomes king of Essex, with Swithfrith as joint-monarch for a period (approximate date).
 * King Conall Crandomna of Dál Riata (modern Scotland) dies, and is succeeded by his nephew Domangart mac Domnaill.

Korea

 * July 9 – Battle of Hwangsanbeol: Sillan forces (50,000 men) led by general Kim Yu-shin defeat the army of Baekje at Nonsan. During the fighting general Gyebaek dies at the hand of the Sillan invaders.
 * Baekje in southwestern Korea is conquered by an alliance of the Tang dynasty and Silla, led by general Su Dingfang and King Munmu of Silla. The Japanese envoys detained in Chang'an are paroled.
 * Emperor Gao Zong suffers from an illness (possibly slow-poisoning). His wife Wu Zetian starts to rule the Chinese Empire.

Japan

 * Prince Naka no Ōe no Ōji of Japan makes a Japanese clock for the first time at Asuka, by which he causes the people to know the hours.
 * After the fall of Sabi to the forces of Silla, the Yamato government sends envoys directly to the Chinese court for the first time
 * The Baekje–Tang War begins, involving Yamato forces in support of the kingdoms of Baekje and Goguryeo
 * Japanese forces, under command of Abe no Hirafu, massacre the Mishihase people in Hokkaido
 * The capital of Japan moves from Asuka, Yamato (Okamoto Palace or Nochi no Asuka-Okamoto-no-miya) to Asakura, Fukuoka

Births

 * Acca, bishop of Hexham (approximate date)
 * Genmei, empress of Japan (d. 721)
 * John of Dailam, Syrian monk (d. 738)
 * Leudwinus, Frankish bishop (approximate date)
 * Rupert, bishop of Salzburg (approximate date)
 * Yamanoue no Okura, Japanese poet (d. 733)

Deaths

 * December 1 – Eligius, bishop and saint
 * Boggis, Duke of Aquitaine (approximate date)
 * Conall Crandomna, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)
 * Gyebaek, general of Baekje (Korea)
 * Magnus, bishop and governor of Avignon
 * Sigebert III, king of Austrasia (or 656)
 * Sigeberht II, king of Essex (approximate date)
 * Xin Maojiang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty

title: 660


text:
681

Year 681 (DCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 681 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

 * Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Constantine IV is forced to acknowledge the Bulgar state in Moesia, and to pay protection money to avoid further inroads into Byzantine Thrace. Consequently, Constantine creates the Theme of Thrace of the Byzantine Empire (located in the south-eastern Balkans).
 * Autumn – A military revolt breaks out in the Anatolic Theme (modern Turkey). The Byzantine army marches to Chrysopolis, and sends a delegation across the straits of the Hellespont to Constantinople, demanding that the two brothers should remain co-emperors alongside Constantine IV.
 * September/November – Constantine IV has his brothers Heraclius and Tiberius mutilated, so they will be unable to rule. He orders that their images no longer appear on any coinage, and that their names be removed from official documentation.
 * Constantine IV agrees to a compromise, and persuades the army to return to their barracks in Anatolia. He invites the leaders of the rebellion to come to Constantinople and consult the Senate as to how to implement the terms. On their arrival, he arrests the leaders and has them hung at Sycae.

Europe

 * January 9 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council, in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews. Laws against violence to slaves are suppressed.

Britain

 * King Æthelwalh of Sussex gives Wilfrid, exiled bishop of York, lands in Selsey to found a cathedral, named Selsey Abbey.
 * King Ecgfrith of Northumbria requests that the monks of Monkwearmouth found a new monastery at Jarrow (or 682).

Arabian Empire

 * A Muslim Arab army led by Uqba ibn Nafi reaches Morocco, before being forced back into Cyrene by the Berbers.
 * Armenians, Albanians, and Iberians rise in rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate (approximate date).

Asia

 * In Japan the Asuka Kiyomihara Code is commenced under Emperor Tenmu.
 * Kutluk Khan revolts and establishes the Second Turkic Khaganate.
 * Kusakabe, second son of Tenmu, is made crown prince.
 * Sinmun becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

Religion

 * January 10 – Pope Agatho dies at Rome of plague after a 2½-year reign, in which he has persuaded Constantine IV to abolish the tax heretofore levied at the consecration of a newly elected pope.
 * September 16 – The Sixth Ecumenical Council (see 680) ends at Constantinople. The council reaffirms the Orthodox doctrines of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, and condemns monothelitism.

Births

 * Fujiwara no Fusasaki, Japanese counselor (d. 737)
 * Pei Yaoqing, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 743)

Deaths

 * January 10 – Pope Agatho
 * Ebroin, Mayor of the Palace of Neustria (or 680)
 * Hao Chujun, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 607)
 * Jayavarman I, king of Chenla (Cambodia)
 * Munmu, king of Silla (Korea)
 * Queen Jaui, Korean queen consort
 * Queen Munmyeong, Korean queen consort

title: 681


text:
682

Year 682 (DCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 682 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 Erwig of the Visigoths continues oppression of the Jews in Spain. He makes it illegal to practice any Jewish rites (brit milah), and presses for the conversion or emigration of the remaining Jews.
 * Ghislemar becomes mayor of the palace in Neustria and Burgundy, after he deposes his father Waratton. He reverses the peace treaty with Austrasia, signed with Pepin of Herstal at Namur.
 * King Ecgfrith requests Benedict Biscop to build a second monastery at Jarrow (Northumbria). Benedict leaves Monkwearmouth with 20 monks, (including his protégé, the young Bede).
 * The West Saxons, led by King Centwine, drive the Britons of Dumnonia (West Country) to the sea (possibly around Bideford).
 * The wandering ex-Wessex sub-king, Cædwalla, seeks St. Wilfrid as his spiritual father, but does not convert to Christianity.
 * Bridei III, King of the Picts, campaigns violently against Orkney.

Africa

 * Muslim forces led by Uqba ibn Nafi overrun the south coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He occupies the cities of Tripoli and Carthage, the last Byzantine bases in Africa (approximate date).

Asia

 * Due to a culmination of major droughts, floods, locust plagues, and epidemics, a widespread famine breaks out in the dual Chinese capital cities of Chang'an (primary capital) and Luoyang (secondary capital). The scarcity of food drives the price of grain to unprecedented heights, ending a once prosperous era under emperors Tai Zong and Gao Zong on a sad note.
 * Emperor Tenmu issues a decree forbidding the Japanese-style cap of ranks and garments, and changing them into Chinese ones. He also makes a decree forbidding men to wear leggings and women to let down their hair on their backs. It is from this time, that the practice begins of women riding on horseback like men. He issues an edict prescribing the character of ceremonies and language to be used on occasions of ceremony. Ceremonial kneeling and crawling are both abolished, and the ceremonial custom of standing at the Tang court is practiced.

Mesoamerica

 * Jasaw Chan K'awiil I starts to rule in Tikal (modern Guatemala) during the Late Classic period.
 * B'alaj Chan K'awiil begins a program to inscribe monuments recording his travails and ultimate victory, during the Second Tikal-Calakmul War.

Astronomy

 * January 3 – Venus occults Jupiter.

Literature

 * The first entry is made in the Welsh chronicle Brut y Tywysogion.

Religion

 * August 17 – Pope Leo II succeeds Agatho as the 80th pope, after a period of sede vacante ("vacant seat") of a year and 7 months.

Births

 * July 20 – Taichō, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 767)
 * November 2 – Umar II, Muslim caliph (d. 720)
 * Li Chongrun, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 701)

Deaths

 * Barbatus, bishop of Benevento
 * Bilal ibn al-Harith, companion of Muhammad (approximate date)
 * Zaynab bint Ali, sister of Husayn ibn Ali (b. 626)
 * Bojang, king of Goguryeo (Korea)
 * Buyeo Yung, prince of Baekje (in exile in Luoyang)
 * Cadwaladr, king of Gwynedd (Wales)
 * Cenn Fáelad mac Colgan, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Li Jingxuan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 615)
 * Maslama ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari, companion of Muhammad
 * Sun Simiao, Chinese medicine doctor
 * Lady K’awiil Ajaw, queen regnant of the Maya city State of Cobá (b. 617)

title: 682


text:
663

Year 663 (DCLXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 663 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

 * Emperor Constans II launches an assault against the Duchy of Benevento (Southern Italy). Taking advantage of the fact that Lombard king Grimoald I is engaged against Frankish forces from Neustria, Constans disembarks at Taranto, and besieges Lucera and Benevento.
 * Constans II visits Rome for 12 days (the only emperor to set foot in Rome for two centuries), and is received with great honor by Pope Vitalian. Constans gives the order to strip buildings, including the Pantheon, of their ornaments, which will be carried back to Constantinople.
 * Constans II moves the imperial court from Constantinople to Syracuse. He tries to stop the Arab conquest of Sicily, and restores Rome as seat of the Byzantine Empire. Constans strips sacred altar vessels from churches all over Rome.
 * May 8 – Battle of Forino: The Byzantine army, led by Constans II, is defeated by the Lombards under Romuald I. He seizes Taranto and Brindisi, receiving military aid from the Bulgar Alcek horde, who are settled in the area of Ravenna.

Britain

 * King Oswiu of Northumbria invades Pictland (modern Scotland). He establishes overlordship of, at least, the Southern Pictish sub-kingdoms of Fortriu and Fib (and possibly Circinn).
 * A brief outbreak of plague hits Britain (approximate date).

Asia

 * June 5 – In China, the Daming Palace becomes the government seat and royal residence of Emperor Gao Zong of the Tang dynasty.
 * Battle of Baekgang: Korean Baekje forces and their Japanese allies are defeated in a naval battle, by a joint Silla–Tang coalition.
 * Mount Fuji is estimated to have been first climbed by a monk in this year.

Religion

 * Wine, bishop of Winchester, moves the episcopal see north again to Dorchester.

Births

 * Nasr ibn Sayyar, Arab general (d. 748)
 * Ōtsu, Japanese prince and poet (d. 686)
 * Song Jing, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 737)
 * Yamanobe, Japanese princess (approximate date)
 * Zhang Yue, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 730)

Deaths

 * Ago, duke of Friuli (approximate date)
 * Cunibert, bishop of Cologne (approximate date)
 * Gartnait IV, king of the Picts (approximate date)
 * Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Gwisil Boksin, Korean general of Baekje (Korea)

title: 663


text:
664

Year 664 (DCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 664 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 & Europe

 * 1 May – A solar eclipse affects areas along a line from Central America, through eastern North America, the North Atlantic, Ireland, Great Britain and Germany.

Great Britain & Ireland

 * Plague of 664
 * According to Bede, a Northumbrian monk and historian, the plague begins shortly after the eclipse of 1 May.
 * Adomnan of Iona, a contemporary Irish abbot and saint, writes that the epidemic affects all of Ireland and Great Britain, except for Dál Riata and Pictland.
 * The epidemic significantly depopulates southern coastal areas of England.
 * The Kingdom of Gwynedd is also devastated by the plague; King Cadafael Cadomedd dies and is succeeded by Cadwaladr, who reasserts himself in his kingdom by sending his son Ivor from Brittany to be regent.
 * King Ealdwulf succeeds Æthelwald as king of East Anglia. He becomes the last ruler recorded known to Bede. During Ealdwulf's reign the plague sweeps across the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
 * July 14 – The plague claims King Eorcenberht of Kent, who dies after a 24-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Ecgberht. Queen Seaxburh becomes regent, ruling Kent until Ecgberht comes of age.
 * King Swithelm of Essex dies after a four-year reign. He is succeeded by his cousins Sighere and Sæbbi (approximate date).
 * 26 October – The plague claims Cedd, Bishop of London.

Arabian Empire

 * Muslim Conquest: Arab forces under Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra begin launching raids from Persia, striking at Multan in the southern Punjab (modern Pakistan). Muslims conquer the city of Kabul, invading from eastern Afghanistan.

Religion

 * Synod of Whitby: King Oswiu of Northumbria calls for a meeting at Whitby Abbey to settle the church practices in his kingdom—those of the Celtic Church (of Wales, Scotland and the north of England - preached by Irish missionaries) or the Roman Church (of the south of England). The matters discussed include how to calculate the date of Easter. It is decided to follow the practice of Rome. As a result, many Irish clergy leave Northumbria and return to Ireland.

Births

 * Constantine I, Syrian-born pope of the Catholic Church (d. 715)
 * Muawiya II, Muslim caliph (d. 684)
 * Shangguan Wan'er, Chinese poet (d. 710)

Deaths

 * January 6 – 'Amr ibn al-'As, Arab general
 * July 14 – Eorcenberht, king of Kent
 * October 26 – Cedd, bishop of London
 * Æthelwald, king of East Anglia (approximate date)
 * Alhfrith, king of Deira (approximate date)
 * Cadafael Cadomedd, king of Gwynedd (Wales)
 * Deusdedit of Canterbury, archbishop of Canterbury
 * Swithelm, king of Essex (approximate date)
 * Tuda, bishop of Lindisfarne
 * Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler

title: 664


text:
665

Year 665 (DCLXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 665 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

 * Kubrat, ruler (khagan) of Great Bulgaria, dies after a 33-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Batbayan, who rules from Poltava (modern Ukraine), the lands north of the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov.

Britain

 * Conflict erupts between King Sighere of Essex and his brother Sæbbi, as they struggle for overlordship between Mercia and Wessex.

Arabian Empire

 * Muslim Conquest: An Arab army (40,000 men) advances through the desert, and captures the Byzantine city of Barca (Libya).

Asia

 * The city of Seongnam (South Korea) is renamed Hansanju (approximate date).
 * Wu Zetian, the wife of the Chinese emperor, unofficially becomes an absolute ruler by eliminating her political rivals.

Religion

 * Wilfrid, Anglo-Saxon abbot, refuses to be consecrated in Northumbria as bishop, and travels to Compiègne (France) to be consecrated by Agilbert, archbishop of Paris.
 * Jaruman, bishop of Mercia, is dispatched with Christian missionaries to reconvert Saxon tribes, which have returned to paganism.
 * According to the Annales Cambriae, the Anglo-Saxons convert to Christianity after the Second Battle of Badon.
 * Sighere encourages his subjects to reject Christianity and return to their indigenous religion (approximate date).

Science

 * Brahmagupta writes his Khandakhadyaka.

Births

 * Ōtomo no Tabito, Japanese poet (d. 729)
 * Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Muslim scholar (d. 714)

Deaths

 * April 16 – Fructuosus of Braga, French archbishop
 * Féchín of Fore, Irish monk and saint
 * Hafsa bint Umar, wife of Muhammad
 * Kubrat, ruler (khagan) of Great Bulgaria
 * Li Zhong, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 643)
 * Yu Zhining, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 588)

title: 665


text:
AD 666

Year 666 (DCLXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 666 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

 * Emperor Constans II grants the request of Bishop Maurus of Ravenna, allowing the city to consecrate its bishop without approval from Rome (approximate date).

Europe

 * Duke Lupus of Friuli revolts against King Grimoald I, with allied Avars. Grimoald takes and devastates Friuli, tracks down Lupus's son Arnefrit (allied with the Slaves), and beats him and kills him in battle at the castle of Nimis. Grimoald appoints Wechtar as the new duke of Friuli.

Asia

 * Chinese Buddhist monks Zhi Yu and Zhi Yuo craft more south-pointing chariot vehicles (a non-magnetic, mechanical-driven directional-compass vehicle that incorporates the use of a Differential.

Religion

 * Wilfrid returns to Great Britain, but is shipwrecked in Sussex. When he finally reaches Northumbria, he finds he has been deposed and is forced to retire to Ripon.
 * Earconwald, Anglo-Saxon abbot, establishes the Benedictine abbeys, Chertsey Abbey (Surrey) for men and Barking Abbey (now in east London) for women.

Births

 * Zhang Jiazhen, Chinese official

Deaths

 * Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, first child of first Rashidun caliph, Abu Bakr
 * Arnefrit, duke of Friuli (Northern Italy)
 * Liu Xiangdao, official of the Tang dynasty (b. 596)
 * Umm Habiba, a wife of Muhammad

title: AD 666


text:
667

Year 667 (DCLXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 667 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

 * Arab–Byzantine War: Caliph Muawiyah I launches a series of attacks against Byzantine holdings in Africa, Sicily and the East.

Europe

 * The Lombards, under King Grimoald I, destroy Oderzo (Northern Italy). Much of its population flees to the nearby city of Heraclea.

Arabian Empire

 * King Javanshir of Caucasian Albania (modern Azerbaijan) revolts against the Muslim-Arabs, but is defeated (approximate date).

Religion

 * Wighard, archbishop of Canterbury, dies of the bubonic plague while returning from his consecration in Rome.
 * The Abbey of St. Vaast in Arras (France) is founded.

Births

 * Hisham ibn Urwah, prominent narrator of hadith and scholar
 * Qasim ibn Hasan, son of Hassan ibn Ali

Deaths

 * January 23 – Ildefonsus, bishop of Toledo
 * Daoxuan, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 596)
 * Severus Sebokht, Syrian scholar and bishop
 * Su Dingfang, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 591)
 * Wighard, archbishop of Canterbury (approximate date)

title: 667


text:
668

Year 668 (DCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 668 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

 * July 15 – Emperor Constans II is killed under mysterious circumstances in his bath, during a mutiny at Syracuse. The Byzantine court returns to Constantinople after an absence of 5 years, in which the Muslim-Arabs have made annual invasions and devastations of Anatolia. Probably assassinated by his chamberlain after a 27-year reign, Constans is succeeded by his son Constantine IV (the "Bearded"), alongside his brothers Heraclius and Tiberius as co-emperors.
 * Mezezius, Byzantine general and patrikios ("first patrician"), is proclaimed emperor by the army in Syracuse. Constantine IV organizes an expedition to suppress the military revolt in Sicily.

Europe

 * Ebroin, mayor of the palace, becomes de facto ruler of Neustria and (in theory) "of the Franks". According to Bede, he runs the nation's foreign policy and internal security.
 * Kotrag, ruler (khagan) of Great Bulgaria, leads the Khazars in overthrowing his brother Batbayan of the Onogurs, and moves south into the Carpathian Mountains.
 * Asparukh, leader of the Utigurs, leaves the Ongal area to Kotrag, and leads his people into Moesia in Northern Bulgaria (approximate date).

Arabian Empire

 * Caliph Muawiyah I receives an invitation from Saborios, Byzantine commander of the troops in Armenia, to help overthrow Constantine IV in Constantinople. He sends a Muslim army under his son Yazid, against the Byzantine Empire.
 * Yazid reaches Chalcedon in Bithynia, and takes the important Byzantine center Amorium (modern Turkey).
 * Arab forces conquer the Garamantes in the Sahara desert (Libya).

Asia

 * Chinese troops sent by the Tang dynasty emperor Gao Zong complete their expedition in the Korean Peninsula. Leaders of the expedition have been selected by the emperor's powerful concubine Wu Zetian. The kingdom of Goguryeo is overthrown; the Unified Silla period starts.
 * Emperor Tenji of Japan officially accedes to the throne, and hunts on the Moor of Ōmi-Gamōno. The letters exchanged between prince Ōama and princess Nukata are recorded in Man'yōshū.
 * The monk Gyōki, one of the founders of Japanese Buddhism, is born in the Ōtori District of Kawachi Province.

Religion

 * Theodore of Tarsus is made archbishop of Canterbury. He introduces a strict Roman parochial system that becomes the model for the secular state.
 * Colman of Lindisfarne, accompanied by 30 disciples, sails for Ireland, settling down at Inishbofin and founds a monastery.

Births

 * Al-Walid I, Muslim caliph (d. 715)
 * Gyōki, Japanese Buddhist priest (d. 749)
 * Justinian II, Eastern Roman Emperor (d. 711)

Deaths

 * September 15 – Constans II, Byzantine emperor (b. 630)
 * Brahmagupta, Indian mathematician and astronomer (b. ca. 598)
 * Judoc, Breton noble and Catholic saint (b. 600)
 * Saborios, Byzantine general (approximate date)
 * Wandregisel, Frankish monk and abbot
 * Zhiyan, Chinese (Buddhist) patriarch (b. 602)

title: 668


text:
669

Year 669 (DCLXIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 669 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 – Arab forces that have taken Chalcedon, on the Asian shore of the Bosporus, threaten the Byzantine capital Constantinople. The Muslim-Arabs are decimated by famine and disease. Yazid, the Arab commander, retreats to the island of Cyzicus (modern Turkey).

Britain

 * King Ecgberht of Kent loses the overlordship of Surrey to King Wulfhere of Mercia. Ecgberht then grants the old Saxon Shore Fort at Reculver (south-east England) to a priest named Bassa, in order to establish a monastery dedicated to St. Mary (approximate date).

Asia

 * November 14 – Kamatari, Japanese statesman and reformer, receives the surname Fujiwara from Emperor Tenji as a reward for his services, but dies in Yamato prefecture (modern-day Sakurai City).

Births

 * Gregory II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 731)
 * Justinian II, Byzantine emperor (approximate date)
 * Qutayba ibn Muslim, Arab general (approximate date)

Deaths

 * November 14 – Fujiwara no Kamatari, founder of the Fujiwara clan (b. 614)
 * December 31 – Li Shiji, general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 594)
 * Jaruman, bishop of Mercia (approximate date)
 * Mezezius, Byzantine usurper (approximate date)

title: 669


text:
670

Year 670 (DCLXX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 670th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 670th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th year of the 7th century, and the 1st year of the 670s decade. The denomination 670 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

 * Arab-Byzantine War: The Arab fleet dominates the Aegean Sea and conquers the strategic islands, Rhodes, Cos and Chios. The shore on the southern part of Sea of Marmara is taken, providing an excellent base at Cyzicus to begin the blockade of Constantinople by sea.

Britain

 * February 15 – King Oswiu of Northumbria dies during a pilgrimage to Rome in the company of bishop Wilfrid. He is succeeded by his son Ecgfrith, while his youngest son Ælfwine becomes king of Deira. Oswiu is buried at Whitby Abbey, alongside Edwin of Northumbria.

Arabian Empire

 * Muslim Conquest: Arab forces (10,000 men) under general Uqba ibn Nafi invade the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa. He establishes a military base at Kairouan (Tunisia) for further invasions, and founds the Great Mosque, also known as the "Mosque of Uqba".

Asia

 * Battle of Dafei River: Chinese forces (80,000 men), under general Xue Rengui of the Tang dynasty, are annihilated by the Tibetans, who take over control of the Tarim Basin.
 * A Goguryeo restoration movement, led by Geom Mojam in northern Korea, places Anseung on the throne. Geom is later murdered, and Anseung flees to neighboring Silla.
 * Tarumanagara (modern Indonesia) is divided into two kingdoms (Sunda Kingdom and Galuh Kingdom), with the Citarum River as the boundary (approximate date).
 * A family register, Kogo-nenjaku, is prepared in Japan (approximate date).

Religion

 * Hōryū-ji, a Japanese Buddhist temple, burns to the ground after being hit by lightning; its reconstruction is immediately begun.
 * The diocese of Dorchester-on-Thames in England is replaced by the Diocese of Winchester (approximate date).

Births

 * Bertrada of Prüm, Merovingian princess (approximate date)
 * Childebert III, king of the Franks (approximate date)
 * Corbinian, Frankish bishop (approximate date)
 * Drogo, Carolingian duke of Champagne (d. 708)
 * Petronax, Italian monk and abbot (approximate date)
 * Smbat VI, Armenian prince (approximate date)
 * Tariq ibn Ziyad, Muslim general (d. 720)
 * Tatwine, archbishop of Canterbury (approximate date)
 * Tridu Songtsen, emperor of Tibet (d. 704)
 * Wihtred, king of Kent (approximate date)

Deaths

 * February 15 – Oswiu, king of Northumbria
 * August 18 – Fiacre, Irish hermit
 * Audomar, bishop of Thérouanne (approximate date)
 * Geom Mojam, military leader of Goguryeo
 * Hasan ibn Ali, grandson of Muhammad and second Shi'a Imam (b. 625)
 * Javanshir, king of Caucasian Albania
 * Li Chunfeng, Chinese mathematician and historian (b. 602)
 * Merewalh, king of Magonsæte (approximate date)
 * Safiyya bint Huyayy, wife of Muhammad (approximate date)
 * Theodard, bishop of Maastricht (approximate date)

title: 670


text:
594

Year 594 (DXCIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 594 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

 * Balkan Campaign: The Slavs invade the Byzantine provinces of Moesia and Macedonia again; during their pillaging the towns of Aquis, Scupi and Zaldapa in Dobruja are destroyed.
 * Autumn – Emperor Maurice replaces general Priscus for disobeying orders. He installs his inexperienced brother Peter, as commander-in-chief in charge of the war against the Avars.

Asia

 * Emperor Wéndi repairs and expands sections of the Great Wall in the north-west, which is undertaken by using forced labour. During the years, thousands of civilians are killed.
 * Empress Suiko issues the "Flourishing Three Treasures Edict", officially recognizing the practice of Buddhism in Japan. She begins diplomatic relations with the Sui dynasty (China).

Religion

 * Amos succeeds John IV as Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.
 * Approximate date – Pope Gregory I publishes his Dialogues.

Births
 approximate date
 * Kōgyoku, empress of Japan (d. 661)
 * Li Shiji, general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 669)
 * Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, companion of Muhammad (d. 656)
 * Ali ibn Abi Talib, first Shia Imam (d. 661)
 * Maymuna bint al-Harith, wife of Muhammad
 * Ramla bint Abi Sufyan, wife of Muhammad

Deaths

 * November 17 – Gregory of Tours, bishop and historian
 * John IV, patriarch of Jerusalem (approximate date)

title: 594


text:
698

Year 698 (DCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 698 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–summer – Arab forces under Hasan ibn al-Nu'man capture Carthage, ending Byzantine rule in North Africa. The defeated Byzantine fleet revolts and proclaims Tiberios III, who deposes Leontios after a brief siege of Constantinople, Byzantine Emperor.
 * Autumn–winter – The Byzantine general Heraclius, brother of Tiberios III, crosses the mountain passes of the Taurus Mountains into Cilicia with an army. He launches a campaign in Syria, defeats an Arab force from Antioch, and raids as far as Samosata (modern Turkey).
 * Outbreak of bubonic plague in Constantinople, Syria and Mesopotamia: Theophanes the Confessor reports that the plague lasted four months and describes a large number of deaths in Constantinople. Emperor Leontios orders the destruction of a market in the Neorion cargo port of Constantinople, where animals are sold and which is considered to be the source of infected animals brought from Syria. The Arab army is forced to suspend its military operations. According to Syrian sources, the plague in Syria lasted another two years.

Europe

 * Wittiza, son of King Ergica, becomes co-ruler of the Visigoth Kingdom in Hispania (approximate date).

Britain

 * Berhtred, Anglo-Saxon nobleman, is killed leading a Northumbrian army against the Picts. The kingdom of Cait (or Cat) in northern Scotland is absorbed (approximate date).
 * Fiannamail ua Dúnchado becomes king of Dál Riata (Scotland), until his death around 700 (approximate date).

Arabian Empire

 * Berber forces led by Queen Kahina ("The Diviner") are crushed by Arab invaders at Aures (Algeria). She has rallied the Berbers since the collapse of Byzantine power (see 647).

Asia

 * Dae Jo-young establishes the kingdom of Balhae in Manchuria (approximate date).
 * Khun Lo, a Thai prince, conquers Muang Sua, an early Laotian kingdom.
 * Qapaghan Qaghan conquers parts of Transoxiana (Central Asia).
 * The festival of first-fruits (Daijo-sai) is held in Japan.

Central America

 * March 24 – Itzamnaaj K'awiil becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city state at Dos Pilas in Guatemala and reigns until 726.

Religion

 * Council of Aquileia: The bishops of the diocese of Aquileia decide to end the Schism of the Three Chapters and return to communion with Rome.
 * Willibrord, Anglo-Saxon missionary, establishes an abbey at Echternach (Luxembourg), presented to him by Irmina, daughter of King Dagobert II.
 * Probable date of Cuthbert's burial behind the altar at Lindisfarne (approximate date).
 * Princess Taki is sent to Saikū, as a Saiō of the Ise Shrine (Japan).

Births

 * Dagobert III, king of the Franks (d. 715)
 * Shang, emperor of the Tang dynasty (or 695)
 * Wang Changling, Chinese poet and official (d. 756)

Deaths

 * May 6 – Eadberht, bishop of Lindisfarne
 * July 22 – Wu Chengsi, nephew of Chinese sovereign Wu Zetian
 * Ainbcellach mac Ferchair, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)
 * Berthtred, Anglo-Saxon noblemen (approximate date)
 * Rieul, bishop of Reims (approximate date)
 * Suraqah al-Bariqi, Arab poet (b. 621)
 * Trudo, Frankish abbot (approximate date)

title: 698


text:
1440s

The 1440s decade ran from January 1, 1440, to December 31, 1449

title: 1440s


text:
1420s

The 1420s decade ran from January 1, 1420, to December 31, 1429.

title: 1420s


text:
1410s

The 1410s decade ran from January 1, 1410, to December 31, 1419.

title: 1410s


text:
909

Year 909 (CMIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Britain

 * King Edward the Elder and his sister, Princess Æthelflæd of Mercia, raid Danish East Anglia and bring back the relics of St. Oswald in triumph. Æthelflæd translates them to the new minster in Gloucester, which is renamed St. Oswald's Priory in his honour.
 * Edward the Elder despatches an Anglo-Saxon army to attack the Northumbrian Vikings, and ravages Scandinavian York.

Africa

 * March 18 – The Fatimid Dynasty founded by Shiite Muslims in Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia) gains suzerainty over the Aghlabid Dynasty in North Africa. Emir Ziyadat Allah III escapes to the Near East, unable to secure any help from the Abbasid Caliphate to regain his emirate.
 * The Berber Kutama tribesmen under Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah capture the cities of Kairouan and Raqqada. The capital city of the Rustamid imamate, Tihert is destroyed. The remaining Ibadi are forced into the desert.
 * Winter – Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah takes up the leadership of the Fatimid state and proclaims himself Caliph Abdullah (al-Mahdi).

China

 * April 27 – The Min Kingdom (modern-day Fujian province) is established by governor Wang Shenzhi (Prince of Langye), with Fuzhou (known as Changle) as its capital. Wang Shenzhi tries to attract scholars who will help to construct an efficient bureaucracy and tax system.
 * Battle of Jisu - the warlord brothers Liu Shouguang and Liu Shouwen fight with Liu Shouguang emerging victorious

Mesoamerica

 * The last Long Count date is inscribed on a monument at the Mayan site of Toniná (modern-day Chiapas, Mexico), marking the end of the Classic Maya Period.

Religion

 * Asser, bishop of Sherborne, dies. His See is divided, there are new Bishoprics created at Wells, Crediton, Ramsbury and Sonning.

Births

 * Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester (or 904)
 * December – Ar-Radi, Abbasid caliph (d. 940)
 * Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury (d. 988)
 * Fujiwara no Morosuke, Japanese statesman (d. 960)
 * Shen Lun, Chinese scholar-official (d. 987)
 * Thomais of Lesbos, Byzantine saint (d. ca. 947)

Deaths

 * April 18 – Dionysius II, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
 * May 9 – Adalgar, archbishop of Bremen
 * Aribo of Austria, Frankish margrave
 * Asser, bishop of Sherborne (approximate date)
 * Cadell ap Rhodri, king of Seisyllwg (Wales)
 * Cerball mac Muirecáin, king of Leinster (Ireland)
 * Fujiwara no Tokihira, Japanese statesman (b. 871)
 * Gerald of Aurillac, Frankish nobleman (b. 855)
 * Luo Yin, Chinese statesman and poet (b. 833)
 * Muhammad ibn Dawud al-Zahiri, Muslim theologian (b. 868)
 * Sochlachan mac Diarmata, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)
 * Wighelm, bishop of Selsey

title: 909


text:
886

Year 886 (DCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * March – A wide-ranging conspiracy against Emperor Basil I, led by John Kourkouas, is uncovered.
 * August 29 – Emperor Basil I the Macedonian dies from a fever, contracted after a hunting accident. He is succeeded by the 19-year-old Leo VI, a son of former emperor Michael III, as sole ruler (basileus) of the Byzantine Empire. After his coronation Leo reburies the remains of his father with great ceremony in the imperial mausoleum, within the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.

Europe

 * October – Siege of Paris: Count Odo slips through Viking-controlled territory, to ask the king of West Francia Charles the Fat for support. He returns with a relief force, and reaches safety within the walls. Charles arrives later with a large army, and establishes a camp at Montmartre. After negotiations he promises the Vikings tribute (Danegeld) worth 700 Livres (equivalent to 257kg of silver), and allows them to sail up the River Seine, to over-winter in Burgundy.

Britain

 * King Alfred the Great of Wessex recaptures London from the Danish Vikings, and renames it Lundenburh. Slightly upstream from London Bridge, he builds a small harbor called Queenhithe. Alfred hands the town over to his son-in-law Æthelred, lord of Mercia. A street system is planned out in the town, with boundaries of 1,100 yards from east to west, and around 330 yards from north to south.

 * King Alfred receives the formal submission of all of the citizens of England not under Viking rule, and adopts the title King of the Anglo-Saxons.

Religion

 * December – Emperor Leo VI dismisses Patriarch Photius I, who has been his tutor, and replaces him with his own brother Stephen I.
 * The Glagolitic alphabet, devised by Cyril and Methodius, missionaries from Constantinople, is adopted in the Bulgarian Empire.
 * Boris I, ruler (khan) of the Bulgarian Empire, establishes the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools.

Births

 * Ibn Muqlah, Muslim official and vizier (or 885)
 * Ōnakatomi no Yorimoto, Japanese poet (approximate date)
 * Yang Wo, emperor of Wu (Ten Kingdoms) (d. 908)

Deaths

 * March 9 – Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi, Muslim scholar and astrologer (b. 787)
 * August 29 – Basil I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 811)
 * Adalbert I, Frankish margrave (approximate date)
 * Airemón mac Áedo, king of Ulaid (Ireland)
 * Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish nobleman (b. 841)
 * Deorlaf, bishop of Hereford (approximate date)
 * Fiachnae mac Ainbítha, king of Ulaid
 * Gao Renhou, Chinese general
 * Henry of Franconia, Frankish general
 * Heongang, king of Silla (Korea)
 * Hugh, archbishop of Cologne
 * Joscelin, bishop of Paris
 * Li Quanzhong, Chinese warlord
 * Li Sigong, Chinese warlord (approximate date)
 * Lu Yanhong, Chinese warlord
 * Min Xu, governor of the Tang Dynasty
 * Muhammad I, Muslim emir of Córdoba (b. 823)
 * Robert I, Frankish nobleman
 * Wang Xu, Chinese warlord
 * Wulgrin I, Frankish nobleman
 * Zhuge Shuang, Chinese general

title: 886


text:
871

Year 871 (DCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * The English retreat onto the Berkshire Downs. The Great Heathen Army, led by the Danish Viking kings Halfdan and Bagsecg, march out after the Saxons. Six pitched battles are fought between the Danes and Wessex. Of two of them the place and date are not recorded, the others are:
 * January 4 – Battle of Reading: A West Saxon force, under the command of King Æthelred I and his brother Alfred, is defeated by the Danes at Reading. Among the many dead on both sides is Æthelwulf. The Saxon troops are forced to retreat, allowing the Vikings to continue their advance into Wessex.
 * January 8 – Battle of Ashdown: The West Saxons, led by Æthelred I and Alfred, gather at the Berkshire Downs. The Danes under the command of Halfdan and Bagsecg occupy the high ground, but are successfully attacked by Alfred's men. During the battle Alfred breaches the shield wall formation.
 * January 22 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxon army, under the command of Æthelred I, is defeated at Basing. The Danes, led by Halfdan, are victorious; Æthelred is forced to flee and regroup, leaving behind precious winter supplies.
 * February 2 – Franco-Lombard forces, aided by a Croatian fleet (of Sclaveni), led by Emperor Louis II, capture Bari, capital of the Emirate of Bari in Southern Italy.
 * March 22 – Battle of Meretum: The West Saxons, led by Æthelred I and Alfred, are defeated by the Danes. Among the many dead is Heahmund, bishop of Salisbury.
 * April 23 – Alfred succeeds as king of Wessex after Æthelred's death. He makes peace with the Danes, and pays them Danegeld, each ruling parts of England.
 * May – Battle of Wilton: Alfred the Great is defeated by the Danes at Wilton (along the southern side of the River Wylye), leaving him in retreat for several years.
 * Alfred makes Winchester his residence. The Danish armies colonize areas of north, central and eastern England, which become known as the Danelaw.
 * The Danes sail down the River Thames, to raid the Mercian port of Lundenwic (in the London area). Here, over the winter, they divide their spoils.
 * King Rhodri Mawr ("the Great") of Gwynedd annexes Seisyllwg, uniting most of Wales under his rule (approximate date).
 * Tønsberg, the oldest surviving town in the Nordic countries, is founded.

Arabian Empire

 * September – Battle of Basra: Zanj rebels in Mesopotamia sack and capture Basra (see Zanj Rebellion).

Literature

 * The Cairo Genizah, a collection of Jewish manuscript fragments, is written (approximate date).

Births

 * Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara'i, Tulunid vizier (d. 957)
 * Fujiwara no Tokihira, Japanese statesman (d. 909)
 * García I, king of León (approximate date)
 * Li Qi, chancellor of Later Liang (d. 930)
 * Wang Jianli, Chinese general (d. 940)

Deaths

 * January 4 – Æthelwulf, Saxon ealdorman
 * January 8 – Bagsecg, Viking king
 * April 23 – Æthelred I, king of Wessex
 * June 10 – Odo I, Frankish nobleman
 * Ailill mac Dúnlainge, king of Leinster
 * Cathalán mac Indrechtaig, king of Ulaid
 * Dae Geonhwang, king of Balhae
 * Engelschalk I, Frankish margrave
 * Fadl Ashsha'ira, Abbasid female poet
 * Heahmund, bishop of Salisbury
 * Hunfrid, bishop of Thérouanne
 * Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, Muslim historian (b. 803)
 * Solomon I, bishop of Constance
 * Uathmharan mac Brocan, king of Aidhne (Ireland)
 * William II, Frankish margrave
 * Yahya ibn Mu'adh al-Razi, Muslim Sufi (b. 830)

title: 871


text:
875

Year 875 (DCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * August 12 – Emperor Louis II dies in Brescia, after having named his cousin Carloman, son of King Louis the German, as his successor. Louis is buried in the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan.
 * December 29 – King Charles the Bald, supported by Pope John VIII, travels to Italy. He receives the Imperial Regalia at Pavia, and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor as Charles II at Rome.
 * Louis the Stammerer, son of Charles the Bald, marries for the second time Adelaide of Paris, after divorcing Ansgarde of Burgundy, with whom he is secretly married.
 * King Harald Fairhair of Norway subdues the rovers on the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands, and adds them to his kingdom (approximate date).

Britain

 * June – The Great Heathen Army, led by Guthrum, moves on Cambridge. He later returns to Wessex, to establish a winter quarter. King Alfred the Great fights the Danes in a naval engagement.
 * Battle of Dollar: Invading Danish Vikings defeat the Scots and the Picts, under King Constantine I, at Dollar. They occupy Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Moray, far to the north.
 * Danish Vikings, probably led by Halfdan Ragnarsson, invade Dublin. During the fighting, Eystein Olafsson, king of Dublin, is killed.
 * Donyarth, the last recorded king of Cornwall, drowns in what is thought to be the River Fowey.

Arabian Empire

 * Fall – An Arab fleet from Taranto sails up the Adriatic Sea and sacks Comacchio, putting it to flames. They attack Grado (bishopric of the Venetian Republic), but are repelled by the Venetians.
 * Muhammad II, emir of the Aghlabids, dies and is succeeded by his brother Ibrahim II. Towards the end of his reign, a caravan of pilgrims from Mecca introduces the plague in Ifriqiya (Tunisia).
 * The Samanid Dynasty establishes a court at Bukhara (modern Uzbekistan), which becomes a rival city to Baghdad on the strategic Silk Road.

Asia

 * King Jayavarman III founds a new dynasty at Indrapura (Quảng Nam) in Champa, in the central region of modern-day Vietnam. He initiates a building program in the Dong Duong Style.

Religion

 * The construction of the Great Mosque of Kairouan is completed by Ibrahim II. He builds another three bays, reducing the size of the courtyard.
 * Bretons begin to flee the land, seeking the relative security of Britain. Vikings loot the Abbey of Saint-Melaine at Rennes (approximate date).

Births

 * March 22 – William I, duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)
 * Adalbert II, Frankish margrave (approximate date)
 * Ermentrude, Frankish princess, daughter of Louis the Stammerer (or 878)
 * Fruela II, king of Asturias and León (approximate date)
 * Fujiwara no Nakahira, Japanese statesman (d. 945)
 * Gerhard I, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)
 * Lady Ise, Japanese poet (approximate date)
 * Mary the Younger, Byzantine saint (d. 902)
 * Sale Ngahkwe, king of Burma (approximate date)
 * Spytihněv I, duke of Bohemia (approximate date)
 * Sueiro Belfaguer, Portuguese nobleman (d. 925)

Deaths

 * August 12 – Louis II, king of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor (b. 825)
 * October 28 – Remigius of Lyon, Frankish archbishop
 * November 11 – Teutberga, queen of Lotharingia
 * 'Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Yazdad al-Marwazi, Persian official
 * Amram Gaon, Jewish liturgist (approximate date)
 * Donyarth, king of Cornwall (approximate date)
 * Gyeongmun, king of Silla (Korea) (b. 841)
 * Eystein Olafsson, Norse–Gael king of Dublin
 * Martianus Hiberniensis, Irish monk and calligrapher (b. 819)
 * Muhammad II, emir of the Aghlabids
 * Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Persian scholar
 * Xiao Fang, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 796)

title: 875


text:
592

Year 592 (DXCII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 592 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

 * Emperor Maurice regains the Byzantine stronghold Singidunum (modern Belgrade) from the Avars. By counter-invading their homelands on the Balkans, Byzantine troops increase their pay by pillaging in hostile territory.

Europe

 * January 28 – King Guntram, age 59, dies after a 31-year reign, and is succeeded by his nephew Childebert II, who becomes ruler of Burgundy. He is buried at Saint Marcellus of Chalons Church, in Chalon-sur-Saône (Eastern France).
 * Ariulf becomes the second Duke of Spoleto (Central Italy).

Britain

 * Battle of Woden's Burg: After the mass killing at Woden's Burg, near Marlborough (South West England), Ceawlin is deposed as king of the West Saxons. His son Cuthwine is taken prisoner and goes into exile.
 * Ceol succeeds his uncle Ceawlin after his defeat at Woden's Burg. He becomes king of Wessex (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).

Asia

 * Summer – Emperor Wéndi reduces taxes, due to an overflowing abundance of food and silk in the governmental stores. He sends messengers around central China, redistributing land to give the poor farming land.
 * December 8 – Emperor Sushun of Japan is murdered after 5 years on the throne by agents of his rival Umako Soga, who is jealous of the emperor's power. He is succeeded by Suiko, widow of the late emperor Bidatsu.
 * Winter – Empress Suiko moves the imperial capital of Japan to Asuka-Toyura Palace (Nara Prefecture) during the Asuka period.

Literature

 * Gregory, bishop of Tours, completes his Historia Francorum ("History of the Franks").

Births

 * Khalid ibn al-Walid, Arab general (approximate date)
 * Asmā' bint Abi Bakr, companion of Muhammad
 * Cutha Cathwulf, prince of Wessex (approximate date)
 * Itta, wife of Pepin of Landen (d. 652)
 * Xu Jingzong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 672)

Deaths

 * January 28 – Guntram, king of Burgundy
 * Faroald I, duke of Spoleto (Italy)
 * Sushun, emperor of Japan

title: 592


text:
593

Year 593 (DXCIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 593 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 – Priscus, commander-in-chief in Thrace, defeats the Slavic tribes and Gepids on Byzantine territory south of the Danube. He crosses the river to fight in the uncharted swamps and forests of modern-day Wallachia.
 * Autumn – Emperor Maurice orders Priscus to spend the winter with his troops on the northern Danube bank, but he disobeys the emperor's order and retreats to the port city of Odessus (Varna) on the Black Sea Coast.

Britain

 * Æthelfrith of Northumbria succeeds Hussa as king of Bernicia (Scotland). His accession possibly involves dynastic rivalry and the exile of Hussa's relatives.
 * Pybba succeeds his father Creoda as king of Mercia (approximate date).

Persia

 * The Persian usurper Hormizd V (who rises temporarily to power) is defeated by King Khosrau II.

Asia

 * Empress Suiko begins a long reign during a pivotal period, in which Buddhism influences the development and culture of Japan. She is the first female ruler and the first to receive official recognition from China.
 * Suiko appoints her 21-year-old nephew Shōtoku as regent, with strongman Umako Soga. He holds shared power for nearly 30 years, creating the nation's first constitution (Seventeen-article constitution).

Art

 * The Altar to Amitābha Buddha is made during the Sui dynasty. It is now kept at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Religion

 * Anastasius I is restored as patriarch of Antioch, after Gregory dies.
 * The Shitennō-ji monastery is founded at Osaka (Japan) by Shōtoku.

Births

 * Jomei, emperor of Japan (d. 641)
 * Zaynab bint Jahsh, wife of Muhammad (d. 641)

Deaths

 * Ceawlin, king of Wessex (approximate date)
 * Creoda, king of Mercia (approximate date)
 * Eberigisil, bishop of Cologne (approximate date)
 * Gregory, patriarch of Antioch (approximate date)
 * Hussa, king of Bernicia (approximate date)
 * Ino Anastasia, Byzantine empress consort
 * Paul, father of Maurice (approximate date)

title: 593


text:
672

Year 672 (DCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 672 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

 * Wamba succeeds Recceswinth as king of the Visigoths. After ascending to the throne he faces a revolt from Hilderic, governor of Nîmes, who has himself aspired to the kingship. He is supported by Gumild, bishop of Maguelone. Wamba sends dux Paulus to Septimania (Southern France) to end the hostilities, but on his arrival at Narbonne, Paulus proclaims himself king.

Britain

 * King Cenwalh of Wessex dies after a 31-year reign, in which he has lost much of his territory to Welsh and Mercian forces. He is succeeded by his widow Seaxburh. His sub-kings divide Wessex amongst themselves (approximate date).

Asia

 * January 7 – Emperor Tenji dies after a 10-year reign, in which he has given the Fujiwara clan its name. Following his death, there ensues a succession dispute between Tenji's 14 children (many by different mothers). He is succeeded by his favorite son Kōbun, age 23, who was the first accorded with the title Daijō-daijin.
 * August 21 – Kōbun is deposed after 8 months, during a brief but violent battle called the Jinshin War. He is succeeded by his uncle Ōama, who becomes the 40th emperor of Japan with support from the Fujiwara family. He takes the name Tenmu, and begins a reign that will continue until 686.

Americas

 * As part of the Second Tikal-Calakmul War, B'alaj Chan K'awiil is again forced to abandon Dos Pilas, after it is attacked by an insurgency led by Nuun Ujol Chaak against Calakmul.

Literature

 * Cædmon, Anglo-Saxon poet, writes a nine-line hymn on the Creation. A onetime illiterate herdsman, he becomes a monk under the rule of Hilda of Whitby, where he will turn various biblical themes into vernacular poetry (approximate date).

Religion

 * January 27 – Pope Vitalian dies at Rome after a reign of more than 14 years. He is succeeded by Adeodatus II as the 77th pope.
 * Máel Ruba, Irish abbot, founds one of the first Christian monasteries in Applecross (Scotland) located in hostile Pictish territory.
 * Wilfrid, bishop of York, brings stonemasons, plasterers and glaziers from France and Italy to build Ripon Cathedral (England).

Births

 * Bede, Anglo-Saxon theologian and historian (approximate date)
 * Chilperic II, king of the Franks (approximate date)
 * Yazid ibn al-Muhallab, Muslim governor (d. 720)

Deaths

 * January 7 – Tenji, emperor of Japan (b. 626)
 * January 27 – Pope Vitalian
 * March 2 – Chad of Mercia, Anglo-Saxon abbot
 * August 21 – Kōbun, emperor of Japan (b. 648)

Date unknown

 * Cenwalh, king of Wessex (approximate date)
 * Jiang Ke, general of the Tang dynasty
 * Recceswinth, king of the Visigoths
 * Xu Jingzong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 592)

title: 672


text:
697

Year 697 (DCXCVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 697 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

 * Paolo Lucio Anafesto is elected the first Doge of Venice, which begins its rise as a major power in the Mediterranean Sea. Built up from fishing villages settled by fugitives from the Huns (see 452), the city of Venice occupies some 60 marshy islands (Venetian Lagoon).
 * Radbod, king of the Frisians, retreats to the island of Heligoland in the North Sea (approximate date).

Britain

 * Queen Osthryth of Mercia is murdered by her own noblemen. She is buried at Bardney Abbey (Lincolnshire), and later revered as a saint.

Arabian Empire

 * Syrian forces under Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, governor of Iraq, defeat the Persian Kharijites, who have captured the city of Mosul and occupy large parts of Mesopotamia (approximate date).

Asia

 * Empress Jitō abdicates the throne in favor of the 14-year-old Monmu (grandson of late emperor Tenmu). During her 11-year reign she has established the foundations of law in Japan.

Mesoamerica

 * The Mayan city of Bahlam Jol is destroyed by Naranjo as retaliation for rebelling against its suzerain.

Religion

 * Council of Birr: The northern part of Ireland accepts the Roman calculations for celebrating Easter. At this synod Adomnán, abbot of Iona (Scotland), promulgates his Cáin Adomnáin ("Law of the Innocents").
 * A festival, for the opening of the eyes of Buddhist images, is held in Yakushi-ji Temple in Japan (approximate date).

Births

 * Fang Guan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 763)
 * Guo Ziyi, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 781)
 * Osred I, king of Northumbria (approximate date)

Deaths

 * Eochaid mac Domangairt, king of Dál Riata
 * Ferchar Fota, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)
 * Hugobert, Merovingian noblemen (seneschal)
 * Nordebert, mayor of the palace of Neustria
 * Osthryth, queen of Mercia (English Midlands)

title: 697


text:
733

Year 733 (DCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 733 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

 * Emperor Leo III confiscates the papal territories in Sicily and Calabria (Southern Italy), from which Pope Gregory III derives most of his income tax. He transfers ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the former Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum to Anastasius, patriarch of Constantinople. Gregory begins his support of a revolt in Italy against iconoclasm. By now the break between the papacy and the Byzantine Empire is almost complete.
 * Arab-Byzantine Wars: Arab forces under Mu’awiya ibn Hisham penetrate deep into Anatolia and conquer the cities of Antalya, Doralyum and Afyonkarahisar. These conquests differ from previous ones, as Arab military settling occurs in them, making them a base to raid Byzantium.

Europe

 * Duke Eudes of Aquitaine, aged almost 80, abdicates and retires to a monastery. His lands are divided between his sons Hunald I and Hatton, who continue the conflict with Charles Martel, mayor of the palace of Neustria and Austrasia. In battles at Benest in Charente and La Rochefoucauld (near Angoulême), Charles probably defeats the Aquitainians. He also campaigns against the Burgundians.
 * Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Muslim forces under Abd al-Malik ibn Katan al-Fihri, governor (wali) of Al-Andalus, cross the Pyrenees and ravage both sides of the mountains. He establishes colonies along the Ebro Valley, and within Basque territory. The Moorish main military efforts are in Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre and Septimania (Southern France), strengthening the towns already in their hands.
 * Duke Audelais of Benevento and his minor son Gisulf are deposed by King Liutprand of the Lombards. He is succeeded by Gregory, who becomes ruler of Benevento.

Births

 * Donnchad Midi, High King of Ireland (d. 797)
 * Junnin, emperor of Japan (d. 765)
 * Lu Yu, Chinese author (d. 804)

Deaths

 * Eochaid mac Echdach, king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland)
 * Li Yuanhong, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
 * Mildrith, Anglo-Saxon abbess (approximate date)
 * Muhammad al-Baqir, fifth Shia imam and descendant of Muhammad
 * Yamanoue no Okura, Japanese poet (approximate date)

title: 733


text:
1313

Year 1313 (MCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

January – March

 * January 8 – King Robert the Bruce of Scotland recaptures Perth Castle from the English, then orders the walls and the building to be destroyed in order to prevent it from ever being used by the English again as a garrison.
 * February 3 – William de Sancto Claro, the Bishop of Dunkeld and commonly known as William Sinclair, is issued a safe conduct pass by England's King Edward II in order to return to Scotland from Rome.
 * February 7 – (12th waxing of Tabaung, 674 ME) In what is now the Mandalay Region of central Myanmar in Asia, Burmese King Thihathu proclaims the Pinya Kingdom, to separate the area from the Myinsaing Kingdom. Thihathu appoints his son, Kyawswa I of Pinya, to replace him as the Viceroy of Pinle in Myinsaing.
 * March 28 – Francesco da Barberino of Tuscany receives a doctorate of both civil law and canonical law, by a bull issued by Pope Clement V.

April – June

 * April 20 – The Duchy of Masovia in Poland is divided among the three sons of Boleslaw II upon his death, with Siemowit II creating the Duchy of Rawa (with a capital at Rawa Mazowiecka), Trojden receiving Czersk and Wenceslaus receiving Płock.
 * April 22 – On the first Sunday after Easter, the French ship Ste Marie is shipwrecked on England's Isle of Wight at Chale Bay. Residents nearby loot the ship of its cargo, casks of wine belonging to Regimus de Depe of Aquitaine. As an act of penance, the Lord of Chale, Walder de Godeton, builds the St Catherine's Oratory.
 * May 5 – Seventeen years after his death in prison in Ferentino, the later Pope Celestine V is canonized as a Roman Catholic saint.
 * May 6 – In India, Veera Virupaksha Ballala, son and heir of Emperor Veera Ballala III of the Hoysala Empire, returns to the capital, Halebidu (now a ruins in the state of Karnataka), after two years as a hostage. Emperor Ballala III had agreed to leave his son behind at Delhi for two years as part of his surrender to the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji.
 * May 14 – In Poland, Bolko II of Opole and his brother Albert of Strzelce become the new rulers of Opole and Upper Silesia upon the death of their father, Bolko I.
 * May 17 – Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, leads an invasion of the Isle of Man, landing at Ramsey with a multitude of ships and captures it within five days. The only resistance is presented by the lord of Castle Rushen, and King Robert concentrates his efforts on a siege of the castle starting on May 22.
 * May 28 – Thomas Cobham, Archdeacon of Lewes, is elected by his peers to be the Archbishop of Canterbury in England, but King Edward II intervenes and asks Pope Clement V to cancel the result. The Pope installs Walter Reynolds as the new archbishop on October 1.
 * June 12 – Castle Rushen, on the Isle of Man, surrenders to Scotland's King Robert the Bruce after a siege of three weeks.
 * June 13 – Pope Clement V declares Naples to be under papal protection. He names King Robert the Wise of Naples, "Senator of Rome".
 * June 21 – In Germany, peace is made between Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria, and his younger brother, Louis the Bavarian, with Rudolf having control of the Electoral Palatinate, in return for supporting the election of Louis as the next Holy Roman Emperor.
 * June 24 – From the English garrison at Stirling Castle in Scottish territory, Sir Philip Mowbray proposes a truce with Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland, after a siege of "many months". Edward Bruce agrees to what Scottish historian Patrick Fraser Tytler will describe five centuries later as "a truce involving conditions which ought on no account to have been accepted." As Tytler notes, the effect "was to check the ardour of the Scots in that career of success, which was now rapidly leading to the complete deliverance of their country; it gave the King of England a whole year to assemble the strength of his dominions... We need not wonder, then, that Bruce was highly incensed, on hearing that, without consulting him, his brother had agreed to Mowbray's proposals."

July – September

 * July 29 – In a complicated marital pact, Catherine of Valois–Courtenay, the Latin Empress of Constantinople, breaks her engagement to Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy, styled the King of Thessalonica in order to marry Philip I, Prince of Taranto, styled the King of Albania and Lord of Achaea. In exchange for Hugh's forbearance, Catherine cedes her lands to Hugh's sister, Joan the Lame, wife of Catherine's half-brother Philip of Valois, and Hugh becomes engaged to Joan of France. On the same day as Philip's marriage to Catherine, former fiancée of Hugh, Hugh's brother Louis of Burgundy marries Matilda of Hainaut (who had broken off her engagement to Philip of Taranto's son Charles of Taranto) and Philip of Taranto cedes the Principality of Achaea to Hugh and Matilda.
 * August 8 – Emperor Henry VII begins a campaign against King Robert of Naples ("Robert the Wise"). Henry's allies are loath to join him and his 15,000-man army, supported by 4,000 knights, while the imperial fleet is prepared to attack King Robert's realm directly.
 * August 9 – In the town of Horsens in Denmark, Eric of Jutland reaches a settlement with King Eric VI Menved and receives the Duchy of Schleswig in return for renouncing all claims to Langeland.
 * August 24 – A week after contracting malaria during the siege of the Neapolitan city of Siena, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII dies of malaria at Buonconvento. His 17-year-old son, John of Bohemia, will succeed him and will become one of the seven prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. Upon learning of the Henry's death, Louis, Duke of Bavaria goes to war against his cousin, Frederick the Fair, Duke of Austria and Styria, as both compete to be elected the new Emperor, a competition which will eventually be resolved in favour of Louis.
 * September 23 – The English Parliament is called into session for the fourth time in less than 12 months, after three unsuccessful attempts to assemble members. King Edward II persuades the session to pass a tax bill for revenues to be collected by the following June in order to finance a new campaign against Scotland.

October – December

 * October 21 – Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland delivers an ultimatum at a meeting of the Scottish nobles at an assembly in Dundee, giving Scots who have not yet come into his peace agreement a year to swear fealty to him or lose all their estates. The Scottish nobles of Lothian appeal to Edward II for protection, who promises to bring an English expeditionary force by midsummer in 1314.
 * November 9 – Battle of Gammelsdorf: German forces led by Louis IV the Bavarian" defeat his cousin Frederick the Fair, at Gammelsdorf, who is supported by Leopold I the Glorious, Duke of Austria. During the battle, Louis' smaller force does not pursue Frederick's defeated army. He is forced to renounce his tutelage over the young dukes of Lower Bavaria (Henry XIV, Otto IV and Henry XV). The conflict causes a stir within the Holy Roman Empire.
 * November 18 – Queen Constance of Portugal, mother of the 2-year-old King Alfonso XI dies. Alfonso's grandmother Queen dowager María de Molina, his uncle Peter of Castile, and his great-uncle John of Castile divide the regency over the young Alfonso. While Maria takes charge of his education, the infantes, especially Peter, assume the duty of defending Castile.
 * December 26 – Three days after receiving authorization from the English Parliament for a feudal levy, King Edward II issues a summons for eight earls and 87 barons to muster their troops at Berwick-upon-Tweed by June 10 for an invasion of Scotland.

Asia

 * Tran Anh Tong, emperor of Annam (Northern Vietnam), occupies Champa (Southern Vietnam) and establishes the Cham royal dynasty as puppet rulers.

Literature

 * Wang Zhen, Chinese agronomist, government official and inventor of wooden-based movable type printing, publishes the Nong Shu ("Book of Agriculture").

Religion

 * King Stefan Milutin, one of the most powerful rulers of Serbia, founds the Banjska Monastery (approximate date).

Births

 * February 9 – Maria of Portugal, queen consort of Castile (d. 1357)
 * February 14 – Thomas Beauchamp, English nobleman (d. 1369)
 * April 17 – Constantine III of Armenia, king of Cilician Armenia (d. 1362)
 * June 16 – Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian poet and writer (d. 1375)
 * July 20 – John Tiptoft, English nobleman and chancellor (d. 1367)
 * August 1 – Kōgon, emperor of Japan (Northern Court) (d. 1364)
 * November 16 – Ibn al-Khatib, Arab polymath and writer (d. 1374)
 * date unknown
 * Bartolus de Saxoferrato, Italian professor and jurist (d. 1357)
 * Blanche of France, French princess (House of Capet) (d. 1358)
 * Cola di Rienzo, Italian ruler (de facto) and politician (d. 1354)
 * Guy of Boulogne, French archbishop and diplomat (d. 1373)

Deaths

 * February 28 – John Hastings, English nobleman, knight and peer (b. 1262)
 * April 13 – Guillaume de Nogaret, French statesman and councillor (b. 1260)
 * April 20 – Bolesław II, Polish nobleman, prince and co-ruler (House of Piast)
 * May 11 – Robert Winchelsey, English archbishop and theologian (b. 1245)
 * May 14 – Bolko I, Polish nobleman and co-ruler (House of Piast) (b. 1258)
 * June 18 – John de Burgh ("John Burke"), Irish nobleman and knight (b. 1286)
 * July 24 – Ralph Baldock (Ralph Baldoc), English bishop and Lord Chancellor
 * July 27 – Bernhard of Prambach, German bishop (b. 1220)
 * August 10 – Guido de Baysio, Italian canonist, professor, jurist and writer
 * August 24 – Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1273)
 * September 8 – Rupen of Montfort, Cypriot nobleman (House of Montfort)
 * September 13 – Notburga of Eben, Austrian peasant and saint (b. 1265)
 * September 24 – Philip Despenser, English nobleman and knight (b. 1290)
 * September 29 – Imagina of Limburg, queen consort of Germany (b. 1255)
 * October 28 – Elisabeth of Carinthia, queen consort of Germany (b. 1262)
 * November 18 – Constance of Portugal, queen consort of Castile (b. 1290)
 * November 26 – Thomas de Multon, English nobleman and knight (b. 1276)
 * date unknown
 * Baldwin of Ibelin, Cypriot nobleman and knight (House of Ibelin)
 * Baybars al-Ala'i, Mamluk nobleman and governor (House of Bahri)
 * Bolad ("Chingsang"), Mongol minister, diplomat and chancellor
 * Gonsalvus of Spain, Spanish priest, theologian and philosopher
 * Martim Afonso Chichorro, Portuguese nobleman and knight (b. 1250)
 * Rudolf I, German nobleman, knight and co-ruler (House of Zähringen)
 * Simon of Clermont, French nobleman and bishop (House of Clermont)
 * Takatsukasa Mototada, Japanese nobleman (Fujiwara Clan) (b. 1247)
 * Tekle Haymanot ("Tekle the Righteous"), Ethiopian monk and hermit (b. 1215)
 * Walter de Huntercombe, English nobleman and governor (b. 1247)
 * Walter de Thornbury, Irish cleric, statesman and Lord Chancellor

title: 1313


text:
1333

Year 1333 (MCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

January–December

 * May 18 – Siege of Kamakura in Japan: Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo, led by Nitta Yoshisada, enter and destroy the city, breaking the power of the Hōjō clan over the Kamakura shogunate. The Kamakura period ends, and the Kenmu Restoration under Go-Daigo begins.
 * June 6 – William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, is murdered as part of the Burke Civil War in Ireland.
 * June 8 – King Edward III of England seizes the Isle of Man from Scottish control.
 * June 19 – Ashikaga Takauji leads his army into Kyoto as part of the Kenmu Restoration.
 * July 7 – The reign of Emperor Kōgon of Japan, first of the Northern Court (Ashikaga) Pretenders, ends.
 * July 19 – Wars of Scottish Independence - Battle of Halidon Hill: Edward III of England decisively defeats Sir Archibald Douglas. Berwick-upon-Tweed returns to English control.
 * November 4 – The River Arno floods, causing massive damage in Florence, as recorded by Giovanni Villani.

Date unknown

 * A famine (lasting until 1337) breaks out in China, killing six million.
 * A great famine takes place in Southern Europe. It is known to historians of Catalonia as Lo mal any primer, "the First Bad Year" (equivalent to the Great Famine of 1315–1317 further north), an early notice of the catastrophes of the second half of this century.
 * Jan IV of Dražic, Bishop of Prague, founds a friary and builds a stone bridge at Roudnice in Bohemia.
 * The Kapellbrücke wooden bridge over the Reuss in Lucerne (Switzerland) is built; by the 20th century it will be the world's oldest truss bridge and Europe's oldest covered bridge.
 * The Venetian historian Marino Sanudo Torsello publishes his History of the realm of Romania (Istoria del regno di Romania), one of the most important sources on the history of Latin Greece.

Births

 * date unknown
 * Kan'ami, Japanese Noh actor and writer (d. 1384)
 * Helena Kantakouzene, empress consort of Byzantium (d. 1396)
 * Mikhail II of Tver (d. 1399)
 * Peter Parler, German architect (d. 1399)
 * Carlo Zeno, Venetian admiral (d. 1418)

Deaths

 * February 7 – Nikko, Japanese priest, founder of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism (b. 1246)
 * March – William of Alnwick, Franciscan friar and theologian
 * March 2 – King Wladyslaw I of Poland (b. 1261)
 * June 6 – William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster (b. 1312)
 * June 18 – Henry XV, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1312)
 * July 19 (at the Battle of Halidon Hill):
 * John Campbell, Earl of Atholl
 * Alexander Bruce, Earl of Carrick
 * Sir Archibald Douglas
 * Maol Choluim II, Earl of Lennox
 * Kenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of Sutherland
 * July 28 – Guy VIII of Viennois, Dauphin of Vienne (b. 1309)
 * November 9 – Empress Saionji Kishi of Japan (b. c. 1303)
 * October 16 – Antipope Nicholas V
 * date unknown
 * Prince Morikuni, 9th and last shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. (b. 1301)
 * Nichimoku, Japanese priest, the 3rd high priest of Taisekiji temple and Nichiren Shoshu (b. 1260)

title: 1333


text:
1331

Year 1331 (MCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

September–December

 * September 8 – Stefan Dusan declares himself king of Serbia.
 * September 27 – Battle of Płowce: The German Teutonic Knights and the Poles battle to a draw.

Date unknown

 * The Sieges of Cividale del Friuli and Alicante begin.
 * The Genkō War begins in Japan.
 * Ibn Battuta visits Kilwa.
 * The first recorded outbreak of the Black Death occurs, in the Chinese province of Hubei.

Births

 * February 16 – Coluccio Salutati, Florentine political leader (d. 1406)
 * April 14 – Jeanne-Marie de Maille, French Roman Catholic saint (b. 1414)
 * April 30 – Gaston III, Count of Foix (d. 1391)
 * October 4 – James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormonde (d. 1382)
 * date unknown
 * Hamidüddin Aksarayî, Ottoman teacher of Islam (d. 1412)
 * Blanche d'Évreux, queen consort of France (d. 1398)
 * Michael Palaiologos, Byzantine prince
 * probable – Salvestro de' Medici, provost of Florence (d. 1388)

Deaths

 * January 14 – Odoric of Pordenone, Italian explorer
 * April 17 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford (b. c. 1257)
 * May 12 – Engelbert of Admont, abbot of Admont in Styria
 * October 27 – Abulfeda, Kurdish Syrian historian and geographer (b. 1273)
 * November 11 – Stefan Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia (b. c. 1285)
 * December 26 – Philip I, Prince of Taranto, titular Latin Emperor (b. 1278)
 * December 30 – Bernard Gui, French inquisitor (b. 1261 or 1262)
 * date unknown – Matilda of Hainaut, Princess of Achaea (b. 1293)

title: 1331


text:
1336

Year 1336 (MCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

 * February 25
 * Rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights, 4,000 defenders of Pilėnai, Lithuania commit mass suicide.
 * The Kenmu Restoration ends and the Muromachi period begins in Japan; start of the Nanboku-chō period.
 * April 18 (unconfirmed) – Brothers Harihara and Bukka Raya found the Vijayanagara Empire on the southern part of the Deccan Plateau in South India.
 * April 26 – The Ascent of Mount Ventoux is made by the Italian poet Petrarch: he claims to be the first since classical antiquity to climb a mountain for the view.
 * May 19 – The governor of Baghdad, Oirat 'Ali Padsah, defeats Arpa Ke'un near Maraga, contributing to the disintegration of the Ilkhanate.
 * July 4 – Battle of Minatogawa: Ashikaga Takauji defeats Japanese Imperial forces, under Kusunoki Masashige and Nitta Yoshisada.
 * July 21–22 – Second War of Scottish Independence: Aberdeen, Scotland is burned by the English.
 * September 20 – The reign of Emperor Kōmyō, second of the Ashikaga Pretenders to the Northern Court of Japan, begins.

Births

 * April 9 – Timur, founder of the Timurid Empire (d. 1405)
 * July 25 – Albert I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1404)
 * date unknown
 * Gao Qi, Chinese poet (d. 1374)
 * Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev (died 1406)
 * probable
 * Stefan Uroš V, Emperor of the Serbs (d. 1371)

Deaths

 * January 20 – John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (b. 1306)
 * February 25 – Margiris, Duke of Samogitia
 * March 20 – Maurice Csák, Hungarian Dominican friar (b. c. 1270)
 * May 17 – Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (b. 1288)
 * July 4 – Elizabeth of Portugal, queen consort and saint (b. 1271)
 * September 5 – Charles d'Évreux (b. 1305)
 * date unknown
 * Bernard VIII, Count of Comminges (b. c. 1285)
 * Arpa Ke'un, Ilkhanid ruler
 * Guillaume Pierre Godin, French Dominican philosopher (b. c. 1260)
 * Hugh II of Arborea
 * Ramon Muntaner, Catalan soldier and writer (b. 1270)
 * Cino da Pistoia, Italian poet (b. 1270)
 * Richard of Wallingford, English monk and mathematician (b. 1292)
 * Ghiyas al-Din ibn Rashid al-Din, Ilkhanate politician
 * Turgut Alp, Kayi and Ottoman soldier and commander in-chief (b. 1200) at the age of 136.

title: 1336