World History Timeline

Timeline

1026 events

7th century

  1. 668★★★★★

    Silla unifies the Korean Peninsula

    Allied with Tang China, Silla defeats Baekje and Goguryeo, unifying most of the Korean Peninsula for the first time.

    WarPolitics· South Korea, North Korea
  2. 671★★★★★

    Yijing visits Srivijaya

    The Chinese monk Yijing stops at Srivijaya (Palembang) to study Sanskrit, recording it as a centre of Buddhist learning and maritime trade.

    ReligionEconomy· Indonesia
  3. October 10, 680★★★★★

    Battle of Karbala

    Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of Muhammad, is killed by Umayyad forces at Karbala, an event central to Shia Muslim memory.

    WarReligion· Iraq
  4. 690 – 705★★★★★

    Wu Zetian proclaims herself emperor

    Wu Zetian founds her own Zhou dynasty, becoming the only officially recognised female emperor in Chinese history.

    Politics· China
  5. c. 691★★★★★

    Dome of the Rock completed

    Caliph Abd al-Malik completes the Dome of the Rock, one of the oldest surviving works of Islamic architecture.

    ReligionArt· Israel, Palestine

8th century

  1. 701★★★★★

    Birth of Li Bai

    Li Bai, the 'Immortal Poet' and one of the greatest poets of the Tang dynasty, is born.

    BirthArtCulture· China
  3. 711 – 718★★★★★

    Umayyad conquest of Hispania

    Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad cross the Strait of Gibraltar, defeat the Visigothic kingdom and take most of the Iberian Peninsula.

    War· Spain, Portugal
  4. 712★★★★★

    Kojiki compiled

    The Kojiki, Japan's oldest surviving chronicle, is presented to the imperial court.

    CultureReligion· Japan
  5. 722★★★★★

    Mai Thúc Loan's uprising

    Mai Thúc Loan rebels against Tang rule in Hoan Châu and proclaims himself emperor before the revolt is suppressed.

    War· Vietnam, China
  6. 732★★★★★

    Battle of Tours

    Frankish forces under Charles Martel defeat an Umayyad army between Tours and Poitiers, checking the Muslim advance into Gaul.

    War· France
  7. 747 – 750★★★★★

    Abbasid Revolution overthrows the Umayyads

    A movement rising from Khorasan defeats the Umayyads at the Battle of the Zab, establishing the Abbasid Caliphate.

    RevolutionDynasty· Iraq, Iran
  8. 755 – 763★★★★★

    An Lushan Rebellion

    The revolt of An Lushan and Shi Siming causes massive loss of life and permanently weakens the Tang dynasty.

    War· China
  9. 762★★★★★

    Founding of Baghdad

    Caliph al-Mansur builds the 'Round City' of Baghdad as the Abbasid capital; it soon becomes one of the world's largest cities.

    PoliticsCulture· Iraq
  10. June 8, 793★★★★★

    Viking raid on Lindisfarne

    Vikings plunder the monastery on Lindisfarne in England, an event often taken as the start of the Viking Age.

    War· United Kingdom, Norway
  11. 794★★★★★

    Capital moved to Heian-kyō (Kyoto)

    Emperor Kanmu moves the capital to Heian-kyō, beginning the Heian period, a golden age of Japanese court culture.

    PoliticsCulture· Japan
  12. c. 8th century – c. 10th century★★★★★

    Classic Maya collapse

    Many Maya cities of the southern lowlands are gradually abandoned, possibly due to drought, warfare and political crisis.

    Politics· Guatemala, Mexico
  13. c. 800s – c. 820s★★★★★

    Construction of Borobudur

    The Sailendra dynasty builds Borobudur in Central Java, the largest Buddhist monument in the world.

    ReligionArt· Indonesia
  14. December 25, 800★★★★★

    Coronation of Charlemagne

    Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans in Rome on Christmas Day.

    PoliticsReligion· Italy, France, Germany

9th century

  1. 802★★★★★

    Jayavarman II founds the Khmer Empire

    Jayavarman II proclaims himself chakravartin (universal monarch) on Phnom Kulen, declaring independence from Java and founding the Khmer Empire.

    DynastyPolitics· Cambodia
  2. c. 819 – 999★★★★★

    The Samanids and Bukhara's golden age

    The Persian Samanid dynasty rules Central Asia and Khorasan, making Bukhara and Samarkand cultural and trade centres on the Silk Road.

    DynastyCultureEconomy· Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan
  3. c. 820s★★★★★

    Al-Khwarizmi's treatise on algebra

    At Baghdad's House of Wisdom, al-Khwarizmi writes his treatise on completion and balancing, founding algebra as a discipline; the word "algebra" derives from its title.

    Science· Iraq
  4. c. 830s★★★★★

    House of Wisdom in Baghdad

    Under Caliph al-Ma'mun the House of Wisdom becomes a centre of translation and scholarship, preserving and extending Greek, Persian and Indian learning.

    ScienceCulture· Iraq
  5. August 843★★★★★

    Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian Empire

    Charlemagne's three grandsons divide the empire into three kingdoms, laying the groundwork for the later France and Germany.

    TreatyPolitics· France, Germany, Italy
  6. 859★★★★★

    Al-Qarawiyyin founded in Fez

    Fatima al-Fihri founds the al-Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez, which grew into a major centre of learning in the Islamic world.

    ReligionCulture· Morocco
  7. c. 862★★★★★

    Rurik comes to rule Novgorod (traditional)

    According to the Primary Chronicle, the Varangian chieftain Rurik was invited to rule Novgorod in 862, traditionally the start of the Rurik dynasty.

    DynastyPolitics· Russia
  8. 868★★★★★

    The Diamond Sutra is printed

    A copy of the Diamond Sutra found at Dunhuang is the oldest surviving dated printed book in the world.

    TechnologyReligionCulture· China
  9. 878★★★★★

    Battle of Edington

    Alfred the Great of Wessex defeats the Viking Great Army under Guthrum, securing the survival of Anglo-Saxon England.

    War· United Kingdom
  10. c. 9th century★★★★★

    Chichén Itzá becomes a major Maya center

    Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula rises to become one of the most powerful Maya cities, with its famous El Castillo pyramid.

    Culture· Mexico

10th century

  1. 905★★★★★

    Khúc Thừa Dụ establishes self-rule

    Taking advantage of Tang decline, Khúc Thừa Dụ seizes Tống Bình and takes the title of military governor, beginning Vietnamese self-rule.

    Politics· Vietnam
  2. 907 – 979★★★★★

    Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

    The Tang falls in 907 and China fragments into short-lived northern dynasties and numerous southern kingdoms.

    DynastyPolitics· China
  3. 910★★★★★

    Cluny Abbey founded

    Cluny Abbey is founded in Burgundy and becomes the centre of a monastic reform movement influential across Europe.

    Religion· France
  4. 918★★★★★

    Wang Geon founds Goryeo

    Wang Geon (King Taejo) founds the Goryeo dynasty, from which the name 'Korea' derives.

    DynastyPolitics· South Korea, North Korea
  5. 938★★★★★

    Battle of Bạch Đằng (938)

    Ngô Quyền defeats the Southern Han fleet on the Bạch Đằng River using hidden stakes, ending a millennium of Chinese rule.

    War· Vietnam, China
  6. 939★★★★★

    Ngô Quyền proclaims himself king

    After his victory at Bạch Đằng, Ngô Quyền proclaims himself king with his capital at Cổ Loa, inaugurating lasting independence.

    DynastyPolitics· Vietnam
  7. c. 944 – 968★★★★★

    Anarchy of the 12 Warlords

    After the decline of the Ngô dynasty, the country fragments among rival warlords until Đinh Bộ Lĩnh reunifies it in 968.

    WarPolitics· Vietnam
  8. 944★★★★★

    Death of Ngô Quyền

    Ngô Quyền dies; the Ngô dynasty weakens amid succession disputes.

    Death· Vietnam
  9. August 10, 955★★★★★

    Battle of Lechfeld

    King Otto I of Germany defeats the Magyars near Augsburg, ending Hungarian raids into Western Europe.

    War· Germany
  10. 960★★★★★

    Zhao Kuangyin founds the Song dynasty

    After the Chenqiao mutiny, Zhao Kuangyin becomes Emperor Taizu; the Song era sees remarkable economic and technological growth.

    DynastyPolitics· China
  12. 968★★★★★

    Đinh Bộ Lĩnh founds Đại Cồ Việt

    Đinh Bộ Lĩnh ends the Anarchy of the 12 Warlords, takes the throne and names the state Đại Cồ Việt, with its capital at Hoa Lư.

    DynastyPolitics· Vietnam
  13. 969★★★★★

    Fatimids conquer Egypt and found Cairo

    The Shia Fatimid Caliphate takes Egypt and builds Cairo as its new capital, along with the al-Azhar mosque.

    WarPoliticsReligion· Egypt
  14. 979★★★★★

    Assassination of Đinh Bộ Lĩnh

    Emperor Đinh Tiên Hoàng and his eldest son Đinh Liễn are assassinated at the capital Hoa Lư.

    DeathPolitics· Vietnam
  16. 981★★★★★

    Lê Hoàn repels the Song invasion

    Forces of Đại Cồ Việt under Lê Hoàn defeat a Song dynasty invasion, including an engagement on the Bạch Đằng River.

    War· Vietnam, China
  17. 987★★★★★

    Hugh Capet becomes King of the Franks

    Hugh Capet is elected King of the Franks, founding the Capetian dynasty whose branches ruled France for centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· France
  18. 988★★★★★

    Christianization of Kievan Rus'

    Grand Prince Vladimir I of Kiev is baptized and makes Byzantine Orthodox Christianity the religion of the Rus'.

    Religion· Ukraine, Russia, Belarus
  19. c. 1000★★★★★

    Iceland adopts Christianity

    The Althing decides that Iceland will officially adopt Christianity while tolerating some private pagan practice.

    Religion· Iceland
  20. c. 1000★★★★★

    Leif Erikson reaches North America

    Norse explorer Leif Erikson reaches Vinland, likely in present-day Newfoundland, nearly 500 years before Columbus.

    Exploration· Canada
  21. c. 1000★★★★★

    Stephen I crowned King of Hungary

    Stephen I becomes the first Christian king of Hungary, marking the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary.

    PoliticsReligion· Hungary
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