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879
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Years
Millennium
1st millennium
Centuries
Decades
Years
879 by topic
Leaders
Categories
879 in various calendars
Gregorian calendar879
DCCCLXXIX
Ab urbe condita1632
Armenian calendar328
ԹՎ ՅԻԸ
Assyrian calendar5629
Balinese saka calendar800–801
Bengali calendar285–286
Berber calendar1829
Buddhist calendar1423
Burmese calendar241
Byzantine calendar6387–6388
Chinese calendar戊戌年 (Earth Dog)
3576 or 3369
    — to —
己亥年 (Earth Pig)
3577 or 3370
Coptic calendar595–596
Discordian calendar2045
Ethiopian calendar871–872
Hebrew calendar4639–4640
Hindu calendars
 - Vikram Samvat935–936
 - Shaka Samvat800–801
 - Kali Yuga3979–3980
Holocene calendar10879
Iranian calendar257–258
Islamic calendar265–266
Japanese calendarGangyō 3
(元慶３年)
Javanese calendar777–778
Julian calendar879
DCCCLXXIX
Korean calendar3212
Minguo calendar1033 before ROC
民前1033年
Nanakshahi calendar−589
Seleucid era1190/1191 AG
Thai solar calendar1421–1422
Tibetan calendarས་ཕོ་ཁྱི་ལོ་
(male Earth-Dog)
1005 or 624 or −148
    — to —
ས་མོ་ཕག་ལོ་
(female Earth-Boar)
1006 or 625 or −147
Coin of Louis III and his brother Carloman II

Year 879 (DCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.

Events

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By place

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Europe

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Britain

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Arabian Empire

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Asia

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By topic

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Religion

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Births

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Deaths

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References

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879

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from Grokipedia
879 (DCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 879th year of the Common Era and the 9th year of the 870s decade. In England, the Viking Great Heathen Army relocated from Chippenham to Cirencester following a treaty with King Alfred the Great, while a separate Viking band assembled at Fulham on the Thames, prompting Alfred to bolster Wessex's defenses through the construction of fortified burhs and military reforms during this period of relative respite from major battles. On the continent, Louis III succeeded to the throne of West Francia in April after his father's death, amid the ongoing fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire. Additionally, Pope John VIII issued a charter on June 7 recognizing Duke Branimir's rule over Croatia, granting apostolic blessings and effectively affirming its de facto independence from Frankish overlordship. These events underscored the era's dynamics of Viking expansion, royal successions, and emerging state recognitions in medieval Europe.

Events

Western Europe

In West Francia, King Louis II (the Stammerer) died on 10 April 879 at Compiègne, aged about 50, from unspecified illness; his realm was promptly divided between his two young sons, with Louis III receiving Neustria (including the west and Paris) and Carloman II receiving Austrasia (the east), under noble oversight amid ongoing Viking threats and internal divisions. This succession perpetuated the Carolingian practice of partition, exacerbating fragmentation without a unified regency. Count Boso of Vienne, who had governed Provence as a Carolingian appointee and married Louis II's sister Ermengard, exploited the power vacuum by convening bishops and nobles at Vienne, where he was elected and crowned king of Provence on 6 June 879; this act created the first independent kingdom detached from Carolingian West Francia, relying on local support against both Frankish rivals and Muslim raiders from the south. Boso's move, unrecognized by the broader Frankish assembly, prompted military responses from East Frankish King Louis III and Bavarian Prince Carloman, who besieged Vienne unsuccessfully later that year, underscoring the empire's decentralizing tendencies. Viking incursions intensified with the arrival of a fleet led by Sigfred (a veteran of earlier raids) and Gudfred, comprising around 200 ships, which ascended the Seine in October 879 and established fortified camps downstream from Paris for wintering; these Norse forces, numbering thousands, looted surrounding areas and demanded tribute, foreshadowing the major siege of Paris in 885–886 amid weakened Frankish defenses. Concurrently, smaller Viking bands ravaged the Loire Valley and Brittany, extracting payments from local counts unable to mount effective resistance. In East Francia, King Louis III focused on consolidating power after his father's death in 876, quelling revolts by his uncles Carloman and Charles (exiled to Italy and Swabia, respectively), though no major battles are recorded for 879; border pressures from Great Moravia persisted, with Louis preparing alliances against Svatopluk I. Italy remained contested post-Emperor Louis II's death in 875, with nominal Carolingian claimants like Carloman of Bavaria intervening sporadically, but 879 saw primarily local Lombard nobles asserting autonomy amid Saracen pirate threats along the coasts.

British Isles

In 879, the Viking Great Heathen Army, following its defeat by Alfred the Great at Edington in 878, relocated from its winter quarters at Chippenham in Wessex to Cirencester in Mercia, where it encamped for the year amid ongoing tensions with Anglo-Saxon forces. This movement reflected a strategic withdrawal and consolidation rather than outright conquest, as the Danes under Guthrum had agreed to peace terms, including baptism and withdrawal from Wessex, though splinter groups persisted. Concurrently, a separate Viking raiding band assembled at Fulham on the River Thames, near London, initiating fresh threats to Mercian and East Anglian territories; this group, described in contemporary accounts as "pirates," likely originated from continental bases and aimed to exploit divisions among the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Alfred, consolidating control over Wessex, focused on fortifying burhs and reorganizing defenses, but no major battles are recorded for this year in English sources, indicating a period of uneasy truce punctuated by localized raids. Irish annals note continued Norse activity, including the capture of Máel Coba, abbot of Armagh, by Vikings operating from Strangford Lough, underscoring the archipelago-wide pattern of Scandinavian predation on monastic centers. No significant recorded events are attested for Scotland in this year, though Pictish-Scots consolidation under earlier rulers like Constantine I faced latent Viking pressure from the Isles.

Eastern Europe and Scandinavia

In 879, Rurik, the Varangian chieftain of Scandinavian origin who had established rule over Novgorod around 862, died, marking a transitional moment in the early formation of the Rus' principalities in Eastern Europe. According to the Primary Chronicle, a key historical source compiled in the early 12th century, Rurik bequeathed his domains to his kinsman Oleg (also known as Helgu), who assumed regency over Rurik's young son Igor and maintained Novgorod as the base of power. This succession facilitated the consolidation of Varangian influence among Slavic tribes along trade routes from the Baltic to the Black Sea, setting the stage for further expansion southward. Oleg's leadership in 879 initiated a period of internal stabilization in the northern Rus' territories, amidst ongoing interactions between Norse settlers and local East Slavic populations, including Finno-Ugric groups like the Chuds and Krivichians. While specific military campaigns are not recorded for this exact year, the power vacuum following Rurik's death was swiftly filled without reported fragmentation, underscoring the dynasty's emerging cohesion. In Scandinavia, this event coincided with broader Norse maritime activities, as Varangian bands continued to venture eastward via rivers like the Volga and Dnieper, trading furs, slaves, and amber for Byzantine silks and Arab silver dirhams, though no major Scandinavian homeland upheavals are documented for 879. The Rus' under this succession began to eclipse earlier Khazar overlordship in the region, with Novgorod serving as a hub for shipbuilding and levy systems that would enable Oleg's later conquest of Kiev in 882. Archaeological evidence from sites like Staraya Ladoga and Rurik's Gorodishche supports the presence of Scandinavian material culture—such as oval brooches and runic inscriptions—blending with Slavic pottery, indicating cultural synthesis rather than outright conquest in northern principalities during this era. No significant conflicts with neighboring powers, such as the Byzantine Empire or Pechenegs, are attested precisely in 879, reflecting a phase of consolidation before the more aggressive expansions of the 880s.

Islamic World

In the Abbasid Caliphate, al-Muwaffaq, regent and brother of Caliph al-Mu'tamid, organized a major military offensive against the Zanj rebels in southern Iraq, marking a turning point in the suppression of the uprising that had ravaged the region since 869. This campaign intensified Abbasid efforts, gradually reclaiming control over the marshlands, though the rebellion persisted until 883. In Egypt, under the semi-autonomous rule of Ahmad ibn Tulun, construction of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Fustat (modern Cairo) was completed in 879, following its initiation in 876. This structure, inspired by Samarra's architecture and featuring a distinctive spiral minaret, represented a pinnacle of Abbasid-influenced design and served as a center for Tulunid administration amid growing independence from Baghdad. In the eastern Iranian provinces, Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar, founder of the Saffarid dynasty and challenger to Abbasid authority, died of colic on June 5, 879, in Gundeshapur after refusing treatment. His death prompted the succession of his brother Amr ibn al-Layth, who continued expansions into Khorasan and Transoxiana, though facing resistance from emerging Samanid forces and nominal Abbasid overlordship. The Banu Saj family, of Daylamite origin serving the caliphate, gained prominence in Azerbaijan following interactions with the Saffarids; after Ya'qub's death, Abu'l-Saj Devdad aligned with Amr before pursuing independent commands under Abbasid auspices. This laid groundwork for their later dynasty, which would control Armenia and Azerbaijan from the 890s.

Asia

In 879, during the Huang Chao Rebellion against the Tang dynasty, rebel forces under Huang Chao captured the port city of Guangzhou after a prolonged siege, leading to widespread looting and the slaughter of residents, including a significant number of foreign merchants primarily from Arab, Persian, and other overseas communities engaged in maritime trade. Arab historical accounts, such as those by travelers and chroniclers, claimed that up to 120,000 Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians were killed, though these figures are widely regarded by historians as exaggerated for dramatic effect, with more conservative estimates suggesting thousands of victims amid the chaos of the sack. The event severely disrupted the Tang's southern trade networks, which had flourished under imperial protection, and highlighted the dynasty's weakening grip on peripheral regions amid fiscal strains and peasant uprisings that began in 874. Elsewhere in East Asia, the year passed without major recorded upheavals; in Japan, under Emperor Yōzei during the early Heian period, administrative continuity prevailed with the completion of the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku, a historical chronicle in the Rikkokushi series, reflecting ongoing efforts to document imperial lineage and governance. In the Indian subcontinent, the Hindu Shahi dynasty began emerging in the northwest around this time, marking a shift in regional power dynamics against lingering Arab incursions, though no singular event dominates records for 879 precisely. These incidents underscore Asia's fragmented polities, where Tang China's internal collapse rippled through trade-dependent economies while peripheral states maintained relative stability.

Religion and Culture

Key Religious Events

The most significant religious event of 879 was the convening of a synod in Constantinople, later recognized by Eastern Orthodox tradition as the Eighth Ecumenical Council, initiated by Byzantine Emperor Basil I following the death of Patriarch Ignatius in 877. This assembly reinstated Photius I as patriarch of Constantinople, resolving the ongoing Photian schism that had divided the church since 858, and was attended by 383 bishops from across the Byzantine Empire. Pope John VIII dispatched legates to the council, whose acts he initially ratified in 880, affirming Photius' legitimacy and prohibiting unilateral alterations to the Nicene Creed, including the addition of the Filioque clause without broader consensus. The council's decisions emphasized episcopal collegiality and conciliar authority, though Western recognition was later withdrawn in favor of the rival 869–870 synod, highlighting emerging tensions between Rome and Constantinople. On June 7, Pope John VIII issued a charter recognizing Duke Branimir's rule over Croatia, granting apostolic blessings and affirming its de facto independence. No major non-Christian religious developments, such as pivotal Islamic or Buddhist occurrences, are recorded for 879.

Cultural and Other Developments

In East Asia, Japan during the Heian period (794–1185) witnessed refined courtly culture, where aristocratic Fujiwara clan members promoted sophistication in literature, poetry, and visual arts, including the emergence of kana script for native Japanese works separate from Chinese characters. This era emphasized aesthetic sensitivity in daily court life, laying foundations for classical Japanese literature such as waka poetry and monogatari tales. In the Islamic world, the Abbasid Caliphate under Caliph al-Mu'tamid (r. 870–892) sustained Baghdad's role as an intellectual center, where the translation movement and original scholarship in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine advanced, building on contributions from figures like al-Khwarizmi whose works influenced later global science. Cultural exchange along trade routes facilitated the integration of Greek, Indian, and Persian knowledge into Arabic texts, though no singular breakthrough is tied precisely to 879. Western Europe, amid Carolingian fragmentation, saw monastic communities preserve knowledge through manuscript copying, but specific artistic or literary outputs for 879 remain undocumented in primary sources, reflecting the era's focus on survival amid invasions rather than monumental cultural projects.

Notable Individuals

Births

Charles the Simple (17 September 879 – 7 October 929) was born as the posthumous son of King Louis II of West Francia and Adelaide of Paris; he later ruled as King of West Francia from 898 until 922, known for treaties with Vikings including the pact granting Normandy to Rollo in 911. Shulü Ping, posthumously titled Empress Yingtian (c. 19 October 879 – 1 August 953), was born into the Khitan Yelü clan and became a pivotal figure in the Liao dynasty as wife to Emperor Taizu and mother to Emperor Taizong, wielding significant influence over military and political affairs during the dynasty's formative years.

Deaths

Louis the Stammerer, King of West Francia from 877 until his death, succumbed to illness on 10 April 879 at Compiègne while preparing to campaign against Viking invaders. His death led to the division of his realms between his sons, Carloman II and Louis III, exacerbating Carolingian fragmentation. Baldwin I, Count of Flanders (also known as Baldwin Iron Arm), died in 879. Renowned for his abduction of Judith, daughter of Charles the Bald, which solidified his rule, Baldwin expanded Flemish territories through strategic marriages and military prowess. Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar, founder of the Saffarid dynasty and conqueror who rose from coppersmith to amir of Sistan, died on 5 June 879 in Gundeshapur from a stomach ailment he refused to treat. His campaigns had challenged Abbasid authority in eastern Iran, establishing an independent power base that his brother 'Amr later inherited.

References

  1. https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=879&country=23
  2. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/ang09.asp
  3. https://www.royal.uk/alfred-great-r-871-899
  4. https://www.onthisday.com/date/879
  5. https://www.kofpb.org/2020/11/08/ad879-croatia-recognised-as-independent-state-prince-branimir-and-pope-john-viii/
  6. https://gutenberg.org/files/657/657.txt
  7. http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=get&type=chron&from=880&to=927
  8. http://www.vikingage.mic.ul.ie/pdfs/c7_viking-activity-in-ireland-by-county-in-annals.pdf
  9. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rurik
  10. https://www.worldhistory.org/Kievan_Rus/
  11. https://www.thoughtco.com/kievan-rus-4775741
  12. https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/viking-history-timeline
  13. https://www.britannica.com/event/Zanj-rebellion
  14. https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/monuments/ahmad-ibn-tulun-mosque/
  15. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yaqub-ibn-Layth-al-Saffar
  16. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/banu-saj-more-correctly-al-abil-saj-a-family-named-after-its-ancestor-abul-saj-which-served-the-abbasid-caliphate/
  17. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/trade-under-the-tang-dynasty/
  18. https://brill.com/display/book/9781684170777/BP000007.pdf
  19. https://historyguild.org/the-tang-dynasty/
  20. https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com/2017/08/08/conspiracy-theories-and-the-council-of-constantinople-iv/
  21. http://catholictradition.blogspot.com/2005/01/papal-primacy-and-photian-schism-of-879.html
  22. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e5dedc8bc18e45e28111ea8d9614f046
  23. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-III-king-of-France
  24. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65927243/louis_ii-of_aquitaine
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