920s

Events

Contents: 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929

920

By place

Africa

• The golden age of the Ghana Empire begins in Africa.

Asia

• Abaoji orders the adoption of a written script by the Khitan, resulting in the creation of Khitan "Large Script."
• Chroniclers in Baghdad record an unusually cold summer.^[1]

Europe

• The Icelandic volcano Katla erupts.
• The Saxons retake East Anglia from the Danes.
• The Welsh ruler Hywel Dda ("Hywel the Good") merges Dyfed and Seisyllwg, establishing a new kingdom known as Deheubarth.
• German king Henry the Fowler conquers Utrecht, which had been in possession of the Vikings for 70 years. The Bishop of Utrecht moves his seat back from Deventer to Utrecht.

921

By place

Africa

• Crushing defeat of the Idrisid dynasty against their Fatimid rivals. The Fatimids take Tlemcen and Fès.^[2]
• The Fatimids create a new capital in Ifriqiya, Mahdiya.^[3]

Asia

• June 21 – Ahmad ibn Fadlan is sent from Baghdad to Almış, first Muslim elteber (client ruler) of Volga Bulgaria, on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir.
• The Later Liang dynasty of China reports that all "barbarian" tribes have been pacified by the Khitan.

Europe

• East France and West France recognize each other signing the Treaty of Bonn .
• Ludmila of Bohemia is murdered at the command of her daughter-in-law at Tetin.
• Henry the Fowler invades Bavaria and obtains fealty from Arnulf the Bad.
• A Hungarian army led by Dursac (Tarhos?) and Bogát defeat at Brescia the army of insurgents, who plans to overthrow their ally, italian emperor, Berengar of Friuli.

922

By place

Asia

• The Khitan Empire, led by Abaoji, raids Hebei in China.

923

By place

Americas

• Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl becomes ruler of the Toltecs (approximate date).

Asia

• Later Liang falls to Later Tang (founded by Li Cunxu) in China.

Europe

• June 15 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed, and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy.

924

By place

Asia

• Emperor Taizu of Liao leads another campaign to the west, reaching the former Uyghur capital on the Orkhon River. The Zubu begin to offer tribute to the Khitans.
• Goryeo sends a second mission to Abaoji of the Khitan.
• The Nanping State is founded by Gao Jichang in central China.
• The Qi State in northwest China falls to the Later Tang.
• Battle of Sevan, Armenians force back Arab invaders.

Europe

• King Athelstan succeeds to the throne of Mercia.
• March 24 – A Hungarian army, led by Szalard, burns the city of Pavia in Italy. Then they pillage Provence, southern France and Gothia.
• A Hungarian army attacks Saxony and forces the German king Henry the Fowler to retreat in the castle of Werla. The king agrees to pay them tribute for 9 years.

925

By place

Africa

• Ha-Mim proclaims himself a prophet among the Ghomara of Morocco.

Asia

• The Former Shu Kingdom surrenders when invaded by the Later Tang Kingdom.
• A visiting Uyghur delegation spurs the development of Khitan Small Script, based on alphabetic principles.

Europe

• Alfonso IV the Monk becomes king of Leon.
• Tomislav, duke of the Croatian duchies of Pannonia and Dalmatia, is crowned as King of Croatia.
• Simeon I of Bulgaria proclaims himself emperor of all Bulgarians and Greeks.
• October: Downfall of the Byzantine paradynasteuon John Mystikos. He is replaced by the protovestiarios Theophanes.

926

By place

Asia

• Balhae is conquered by the Khitan.
• An historic meeting takes place between Later Tang envoy Yao Kun and Abaoji of the Khitan Empire.

Europe

• A Hungarian army besieges Augsburg in Swabia, then conquers the monastery of St. Gallen in today's Switzerland. After an unsuccessful battle with the locals, they burn the suburbs of Konstanz, then they cross westwards and defeat the Alsacian army led by Liutfred. The army reaches today's Belgium and the Atlantic coasts.

927

By place

Asia

• The Chu State is founded by Ma Yin.
• Korea: Hubaekje sacks the Silla capital of Gyeongju and places King Gyeongsun on the throne.
• Hubaekje and Goryeo forces fight near Daegu; the Goryeo army is routed.

Europe

• Peter I succeeds Simeon the Great on the throne of Bulgaria, and is recognised as Tsar by the Byzantine Empire.
• July 12 – After a long process of annexations, the various small kingdoms within what is now England are unified by Æthelstan, creating the Kingdom of England. Æthelstan secures a pledge from Constantine II of Scotland that the latter will not ally with Viking kings.
• August 15 – The ancient city of Taranto, in southern Italy, is destroyed by the Saracens.
• A Hungarian army fights in Rome, helping margave Peter against Pope John X. Then the Hungarians go to southern Italy and conquer the cities of Taranto and Oria.

By place

Religion

• The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is recognised as autocephalous by the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

928

By place

Asia

• Dao Kang Di succeeds Gong Hui Di and is followed in the same year by Tai Zu, all of the Dali Gu Dynasty in southeast China.
• Jayavarman IV succeeds Isanavarman II in the Khmer Empire, and moves the capital north from Angkor to Koh Ker.

Europe

• Henry the Fowler conquers Brandenburg from the Slavs.
• Marozia and Guy of Tuscany seize power in Rome, imprisoning and then killing Pope John X.
• During reign of Croatian king Trpimir II, Pope Leo VI abolished the Nin Bishopric and transferred Bishop Gregory (Croatian: Grgur Ninski) to Skradin. That was the end of the long running dispute between the Split and Nin Bishoprics.

By topic

Religion

• May – Pope Leo VI succeeds Pope John X as the 123rd pope.
• December – Pope Stephen VII succeeds Pope Leo VI as the 124th pope.
• Tryphon succeeds Stephanus II as Patriarch of Constantinople.

929

By place

Asia

• Mpu Sindok, ruler of the Mataram Kingdom, moves his court from Central Java to East Java in Indonesia.

Europe

• January 16 – Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III of Cordoba creates the Caliphate of Cordoba to compete with his Fatimid rivals who had assumed the title in 910.

By topic

Religion

• Pope Stephen VII succeeds Pope Leo VI.

References