__NOTOC__ Year 785 ( DCCLXXXV) was a

common year starting on Saturday A common year starting on Saturday is any non-leap year (i.e. a year with 365 days) that begins on Saturday, 1 January, and ends on Saturday, 31 December. Its dominical letter hence is B. The current year, 2022, is a common year starting on Saturd ...

of the Julian calendar. The article denomination 785 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. It is still used today in this manner.

Events

By place

Europe

Saxon Wars The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the thirty-three years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of tribesmen was defeated. In all, 18 campaigns were fought ...

: King Charlemagne summons a major assembly of

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

and Frankish lords at Paderborn, then leads his army across Saxony as far as the

Lower Elbe The Unterelbe or, in English usually the Lower Elbe, refers to the lower reaches of the river Elbe in Germany influenced by the tides. It starts at kilometre 586, at the sluice of Geesthacht, where the Elbe forms the border between Lower Sa ...

, without significant resistance. Duke Widukind retreats with his 'rebel' forces beyond the Elbe, but then negotiates and exchanges hostages. Charlemagne returns to his

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

at Attigny (

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

), followed by Widukind; here the Saxon leaders are

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

s on Christmas Day. Widukind and the Saxon nobility swear

fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin ''fidelitas'' (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fea ...

to Charlemagne. * The Frankish Kingdom conquers Girona and Urgell (modern Spain) from the Moors. The Franks divide Catalonia into 14 countships. Charlemagne suppresses a

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

by count Hardrad of Thuringia. * Prince (or duke) Višeslav, with the support of Pope Adrian I and the Byzantine Empire, becomes ruler of Dalmatian Croatia (approximate date).

Britain

* King

Offa of Mercia Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was List of monarchs of Mercia, King of Mercia, a kingdom of History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa of Mercia, Eowa, Offa came to ...

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

Arabian Empire

* Caliph Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi is poisoned by one of his concubines. He is succeeded by his son

Al-Hadi Abū Muḥammad Mūsā ibn al-Mahdī al-Hādī ( ar, أبو محمد موسى بن المهدي الهادي; 26 April 764 CE 14 September 786 CE) better known by his laqab Al-Hādī (الهادي‎) was the fourth Arab Abbasid caliph who succee ...

, who becomes the fourth ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Asia

Fujiwara no Tanetsugu was a Japanese noble of the late Nara period. He was the grandson of the '' sangi'' Fujiwara no Umakai, the founder of the Fujiwara Shikike. He reached the court rank of and the position of ''chūnagon''. He was posthumously awarded the rank o ...

, Japanese nobleman ('' chūnagon''), has his daughter Azumako married to the 12-year-old crown prince

Heizei , also known as ''Heijō-tennō'', was the 51st emperor of Japan,#Kunaichō, Emperor Heizei, Yamamomo Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Heizei's reign las ...

(son of Emperor Kanmu). While supervising construction of the buildings in the capital of Nagaoka, he is killed by an

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

By topic

Religion

Council of Paderborn The Council of Paderborn of 785 was an important piece in the Christianization of the Saxons and aided in establishing a short lived peace by force between the Saxons and Franks. It resolved to make punishable by law all sorts of idolatry, the bel ...

: The clergy debates the matter of the Christianization of the Saxons. They make laws against

idolatry Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the A ...

, and order the death penalty for self-appointed witch-hunters, who have caused the death of people accused of witchcraft. *

Ludger Ludger ( la, Ludgerus; also Lüdiger or Liudger) (born at Zuilen near Utrecht 742; died 26 March 809 at Billerbeck) was a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, founder of Werden Abbey and the first Bishop of Münster in Westphalia. He has ...

, Frisian missionary, visits Heligoland (''Fossitesland''), and destroys the remains of

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christianity, early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions ot ...

. On his return he meets the blind bard Bernlef, last of the Frisian

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...

s, and cures his blindness (approximate date).

Births

Antony the Younger Saint Antony the Younger ( el, Ἀντώνιος ὁ νέος, 78511 November 865) was a Byzantine military officer who became a monk and saint. He is commemorated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 1 December. Biography Saint Antony was born John ...

, Byzantine saint (d. 865) * Harald Klak, king of Denmark (approximate date) *

Junna Junna Sakai (境純菜 ''Sakai Junna,'' born November 2, 2000), better known by her stage name JUNNA (じゅんな), is a Japanese singer managed by Cube Inc. and signed to FlyingDog. Career JUNNA made her singing career debut as the singin ...

, emperor of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

(approximate date) * Paschasius Radbertus, Frankish abbot (d. 865) *

Tian Bu Tian Bu () (785 – February 6, 822), courtesy name Dunli (), was a Chinese military general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the son of the general Tian Hongzheng, and after Tian Hongzheng's death at the hands of Chengde Circuit (成德, headqu ...

, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 822) * Zhang Yunshen, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 872)

Deaths

* October 5- Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Japanese statesman and poet, Shōgun * November 8 – Sawara, Japanese prince * Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus, Muslim minister (or 786) *

, Japanese nobleman (b.

737 737 most commonly refers to: * Boeing 737, an American narrow-body passenger airplane ** Boeing 737 Classic ** Boeing 737 MAX ** Boeing 737 Next Generation * AD 737, a year in the common era * 737 BC, a year * 737 (number), a number 737 may als ...

) * K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat, king of Quiriguá (

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

) * Li Huaiguang, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 729) * Liu Changqing, Chinese poet (b.

709 __NOTOC__ Year 709 ( DCCIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 709 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

) *

Liu Congyi Liu Congyi (劉從一) (742 – November 4, 785) was a Chinese historian and politician during Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong. Background Liu Congyi was born in 742, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzon ...

chancellor of the Tang Dynasty The chancellor () was a semi-formally designated office position for a number of high-level officials at one time during the Tang dynasty of China. This list also includes chancellors of the short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty, which is typically tre ...

(b. 742) *

Liu Peng Liu Peng (; 727 – November 4, 785), formally Duke Gong of Pengcheng (), was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty, who served as military governor (''Jiedushi'')According to Liu Peng's biographies in the ''Old Book of Tang'' and the ''New Book ...

, general of the Tang Dynasty (b. 727) * Máel Dúin mac Fergusa, king of

Brega Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( ar, مرسى البريقة , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, ...

( Ireland) * Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, Muslim Caliph *

Ruaidrí mac Fáeláin Ruaidrí mac Fáeláin (died 785) was a King of Leinster of the Uí Fáeláin sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. He was the son of Fáelán mac Murchado (died 738), a previous king. This sept had their royal seat at Naas in the east ...

, king of Leinster (Ireland) * Seondeok, king of Silla ( Korea) *

Talorgan II Talorgan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Talorgen mac Óengusa'') was a king of the Picts. The Annals of Ulster report the death of ''Dub Tholargg'' (Black Talorcen) ''king of the Picts on this side of the Mounth The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in nort ...

, king of the Picts * Tatzates, Byzantine general * Theophilus of Edessa, Greek

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

(b. 695) * Yan Zhenqing, Chinese calligrapher (b. 709) * Zhu Tao, general of the Tang Dynasty

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:785