Heraclius arrives by ship from Roman Carthage at Constantinople, overthrows Eastern Roman Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor. His first major act is ...

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Emperor, Coup, Political Transition, 600s

Year one of the Islamic calendar begins, during which the Hijrah occurs—Muhammad and his followers emigrate from Mecca to Medina in September.

Tags: Islam, Prophet, Religious Migration, Early Islam, 600s, Monotheism

The Coptic period, in its more specific definition, ends when Islam is introduced into Egypt.

Tags: Islam, Coptic Christianity, Religious Conversion, Early Islamic Period, Byzantine Empire, Arab Conquests, Religious History, Cultural Change

Emperor Yazdegerd III is murdered in Merv, ending the rule of Sassanid dynasty in Persia.

Tags: Sassanid Empire, Islamic Conquests, Caliphate, Dynastic Rule, Assassination, Political Transition, Middle Ages

661: The First Fitna occurs.

Tags: Islamic History, Caliphate, Civil War, Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Dynasty, Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Political Instability

Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib is assassinated. His successor Hasan ibn Ali abdicated the Caliphate to Muawiyah I, marking the beginning of the Umayyad Cali...

Tags: Islamic History, Caliphate, Umayyad Dynasty, Shia Islam, Sunni Islam, Succession, Civil War, Political Assassination

Battle of Karbala took place near Kufa, which resulted in the death of Husayn ibn Ali and the division of Muslim community.

Tags: Islam, Shia Islam, Sunni Islam, Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Religious Conflict, Civil War, Martyrdom, Early Islam

Bulgaria is recognized as independent country by the Byzantine Empire.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Independence, Political Recognition, Empire, Expansion, Diplomacy, 600s

Revival of the Turkic Khaganate by the efforts of Ilterish Qaghan and Tonyukuk

Tags: Nomadic Empires

685: The Second Fitna.

Tags: Islam, Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Civil War, Political Instability, Religious Conflict, Sunni Islam, Shia Islam

Death of Arab caliph Abd al-Malik, his succession by his nominated heir and elder son al-Walid.

Tags: Umayyad Caliphate, Caliph, Succession, Dynasty, Political History, Middle Ages, Early Islam

Justinian II is forced to give the title Caesar of Byzantium to the Bulgarian Emperor Tervel. The Byzantine Empire begins to pay annual tributes to Bu...

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Political Alliance, Tribute, Caesar, Military Defeat

Death of al-Walid I and he was succeeded by his brother Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik.

Tags: Umayyad Caliphate, Succession, Islamic History, Caliph, Political Transition

Death of caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik and his succession by his cousin and nominated heir Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.

Tags: Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Succession, Islamic History, Political Leadership, Middle Ages, Religious Law

Sri Indravarman King of Srivijaya send a letter to the Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz of the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus, signing early ancient Indonesi...

Tags: Diplomacy, Islam, Srivijaya, Umayyad Caliphate

Death of caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and succession of his cousin Yazid II on 4 February 720.

Tags: Caliphate, Umayyad Dynasty, Succession, Islamic History, Political Transition, Religious Leadership, Governance

Death of caliph Yazid II and he was succeeded by his brother and nominated heir Hisham.

Tags: Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Succession, Islamic History, Political Transition, Early Islam, Middle Ages

Byzantine Emperor Leo III the Isaurian destroys the icon of Christ above the Chalke Gate in the capital city of Constantinople, beginning the first ph...

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Iconoclasm, Christianity, Religious Art, Theology

Death of Arab caliph Hisham and succession of his nephew and heir Al-Walid II.

Tags: Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Succession, Political Transition, Islamic History, Middle Ages, Dynastic Politics

Assassination of Al-Walid II, Succession of Yazid III to the Caliphal throne on 17 April 744.

Tags: Caliphate, Umayyad Dynasty, Succession, Islamic History, Political Instability, Civil War, Leadership Change, Assassination

Death of Yazid III and his succession by his brother and nominated heir Ibrahim ibn al-Walid. On 4 December Ibrahim was forced to Abdicate in favour M...

Tags: Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Succession, Civil War, Islamic History, Political Instability, Middle Ages

The last Umayyad Caliph Marwan II (744–750) is overthrown and executed by the first Abbasid Caliph, Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah. The Caliphate is moved to...

Tags: Caliphate, Islamic History, Umayyad Dynasty, Political Transition, Middle Ages, Islamic Golden Age

Death of Abbasid caliph al-Saffah and ascension of caliph al-Mansur to Arab Caliphate.

Tags: Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Islamic History, Succession, Political Transition, Middle Ages, Islam, Dynastic Change

Death of caliph al-Mansur and he was succeeded by al-Mahdi.

Tags: Abbasid Caliphate, Succession, Political Leadership, Middle Ages, Islamic History

Death of Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi and succession of al-Hadi on 24 July 785. The Tang dynasty begins landing regular maritime missions on the coast of E...

Tags: Abbasid Caliphate, Tang Dynasty, Succession, Maritime Trade, Political Transition, Diplomacy, Economy

Death of Abbasid caliph al-Hadi and ascension of caliph Harun al-Rashid.

Tags: Abbasid Caliphate, Caliph, Succession, Islamic History, Middle Ages, Political Transition

The Empress Irene of Athens convenes the Seventh Ecumenical Council, ending the first phase of Byzantine Iconoclasm.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Iconoclasm, Orthodox Christianity, Council, Religious Doctrine, Heresy, Theology, Christianity

909: Rule of Aghlabids as an autonomous province of Caliphate in North Africa, with their capital at Tunis.

Tags: Islamic World, Caliphate, Dynasty, Political History, Governance, Middle Ages

Beginning of the ancient West African state of Takrur or Tekrour, which flourished roughly parallel to the Ghana Empire.

Tags: Kingdom, Political Formation, Empire, Trade, Early States

A 30-year peace agreement is signed between Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Peace Treaty, Diplomacy, Middle Ages, Military History

Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī writes his treatise on Algebra The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing.

Tags: Algebra, Mathematics, Islamic Golden Age, Scientific Revolution, Algorithms

The House of Wisdom, a library and translation institute established in Baghdad by al-Ma'mun, Abbasid caliph, to transfer the knowledge of Greeks, Per...

Tags: Islamic Golden Age, Abbasid Caliphate, Mathematics, Algebra

The Ghana (Wagadu) Empire is established.

Tags: Empire, Middle Ages, Monarchy, Political Development, Trade, Governance, Sahel

Assassination of Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861) and decline of the Abbasid Caliphate.Coin issued during al-Mutawakkil's reign in the mid-9t...

Tags: Abbasid Caliphate, Caliphate, Islamic History, Assassination, Political Instability, Decline of Empires, Middle Ages

The Bagratuni dynasty of Medieval Armenia begins with Ashot I.

Tags: Dynasty, Kingdom, Political History, Middle Ages, Governance

879: Period of schism between Eastern and Western churches.

Tags: Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholicism, Schism, Byzantine Empire, Religious Conflict, Theology, Middle Ages

Onward revival of the Byzantine Empire under the Macedonian dynasty.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Political History, Eastern Roman Empire, Succession

Ahmad ibn Tulun breaks away from the Abbasid Caliphate and establishes the independent Tulunid dynasty.

Tags: Dynasty, Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Independence, Military, Political Fragmentation, Middle Ages, Islamic World

c. 909: The Fatimid Caliphate arises in Kabylie, Kutama Tribe.

Tags: Caliphate, Islam, Political History, Shia Islam

Ziyarid dynasty is established in northern Iran.

Tags: Dynasty, Islamic World, Political History, Middle Ages

c. 948: The Nri Kingdom in what is now Southeastern Nigeria starts.

Tags: Kingdom, Political Organization, Pre-Colonial Africa, Monarchy, African History

Seljuks convert to Islam.

Tags: Islam, Seljuk Empire, Turkic Peoples, Religious Conversion, Sunni Islam

Cairo is founded near Fustat by the Fatimid dynasty.

Tags: Fatimid Caliphate, Islamic History, Middle Ages, City Founding, Political History, Dynasties

Ghaznavids dynasty, as the first Turk Sultanate, was established in Central Asia.

Tags: Sultanate, Islamic Empires, Ghaznavids, Political Formation, Middle Ages, Military Expansion

c. 980: Al-Azhar University is established in Cairo by the Fatimid dynasty.

Tags: Islam, Islamic World, University, Education, Fatimid Caliphate, Sunni Islam, Middle Ages

1048 – Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī of Persia writes more than a hundred books on many different topics.

Tags: Islamic Golden Age, Mathematics, Astronomy, Philosophy, Scholarship

– The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries is written by Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī.

Tags: Islamic Golden Age, Astronomy, Mathematics, Calendars, History of Science, Middle Ages

Al-Karaji uses mathematical induction.

Tags: Mathematics, Algebra, Islamic Golden Age, Scientific Advancement

The Fatimid Egyptian sea captain Domiyat travels to the Buddhist pilgrimage site in Shandong, China, to seek out the Chinese Emperor Zhenzong of Song ...

Tags: Diplomacy, Trade, Middle Ages, Fatimid Caliphate, Song Dynasty, Embassies, International Relations, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah

– The Leningrad Codex, one of the oldest full manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, is completed.

Tags: Middle Ages, Hebrew Bible, Manuscript, Jewish History, Religious Texts, Rabbinic Judaism

1021: Ibn al-Haytham (Alhacen), a famous Iraqi scientist working in Egypt, feigns madness in fear of angering the Egyptian caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Alla...

Tags: Optics, Physics, Mathematics, Islam, Ibn al-Haytham, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, House Arrest, Scientific Method

– Ibn al-Haytham (Alhacen) of Basra, Iraq writes his influential Book of Optics from 1011 to 1021 (while he was under house arrest in Egypt),

Tags: Optics, Physics, Mathematics, Scientific Method, Ibn al-Haytham, Islam, Islamic Golden Age

the ruling Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah disappears suddenly, possibly assassinated by his own sister Sitt al-Mulk, which leads to the open per...

Tags: Islam, Shia Islam, Fatimid Caliphate, Religious Violence, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, Political Intrigue, Middle Ages

– Avicenna of Persia publishes his influential treatise, The Canon of Medicine, which remains the most influential medical text in both Islamic and Ch...

Tags: Medicine, Islamic Golden Age, Scientific Revolution, Medical History, Philosophy, Encyclopedia, Middle Ages, Avicenna, Islamic World

– The Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (Ibn Sina) is completed.

Tags: Medicine, Islamic Golden Age, Avicenna, Scientific Advancement, Philosophy, Middle Ages, Healthcare

– Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī writes Kitab al-qanun al-Mas'udi

Tags: Astronomy, Mathematics, Islamic Golden Age, Middle Ages, Cosmology

the Kingdom of Nri of West Africa is said to have started in this year with Eze Nri Ìfikuánim

Tags: Monarchy, Middle Ages, Political Formation, Pre-Colonial Africa

The Zirids, a Berber dynasty of North Africa, break their allegiance with the Fatimid court of Egypt and recognize the Abbasids of Baghdad as the true...

Tags: Berber, Dynasty, Caliphate, Islam, Religious Authority

the Great Schism, in which the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern Orthodox churches separated from each other. Similar schisms in the past had been ...

Tags: Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Schism, Religious History, Byzantine Empire, Catholicism, Church History, Theology

al-Zarqālī in Islamic Spain discovers the apsidal precession of the Sun.

Tags: Astronomy, Islamic Golden Age, Mathematics, Al-Andalus, Middle Ages, Astrology

1065: The Great German Pilgrimage, consisting of around unarmed 7,000 pilgrims, travels to Jerusalem under the leadership of Gunther of Bamberg.

Tags: Pilgrimage, Religion, Christianity, Holy Land, Middle Ages

Malik Shah I reforms the Iranian Calendar.

Tags: Calendar, Astronomy, Shah, Seljuk Empire, Timekeeping, Mathematics

a succession crisis following the reign of the Fatimid Caliph Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah sparks a rebellion which leads to the split of Ismaili Shia in...

Tags: Islam, Shia Islam, Fatimid Caliphate, Succession, Religious Schism, Religious History, Middle Ages

Pope Urban II calls upon Western Europeans to take up the cross and reclaim the Holy Lands, officially commencing the First Crusade.

Tags: Crusades, Religious Warfare, Catholicism, Holy Land, Middle Ages, Pilgrimage, Islam, Christianity, Medieval Europe

after building considerable strength, David IV of Georgia discontinues tribute payments to the Seljuk Turks.

Tags: Political Independence, Kingdom of Georgia, Seljuk Empire, Taxation, Diplomacy

after the Kingdom of Jerusalem is established, the Al-Aqsa Mosque is made into the residential palace for the kings of Jerusalem.

Tags: Crusades, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Religious Conversion, Christianity, Islam, Architecture

On December 25, Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Tags: Crusades, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Holy Land, Monarchy, Middle Ages, Religion

1103: David the Builder takes over Kakheti and Hereti (now parts of Georgia).

Tags: Kingdom of Georgia, David the Builder, Middle Ages, Expansionism, Dynastic Politics, Military Campaign, Territorial Acquisition

1104: A church council is convened by King David the Builder in Urbnisi to reorganize the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Tags: Orthodox Christianity, David the Builder, Middle Ages, Religious Institutions, Eastern Christianity, Kingdom of Georgia

By the Treaty of Devol, signed in September, Bohemond I of Antioch has to submit to the Byzantine Empire, becoming the vassal of Alexius I.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Crusades, Treaty, Diplomacy, Political Agreements, Feudalism

On January 16, the Council of Nablus, a council of ecclesiastic and secular lords in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, establishes the first written ...

Tags: Crusades, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Law, Middle Ages, Legal History, Council, Nablus

King David the Builder captures Tbilisi and declares it the capital city of Georgia, ending 400 years of Arab rule.

Tags: Kingdom of Georgia, David the Builder, Middle Ages, Political Transition, Capital City, Conquest, Dynasty

Manuel I Komnenos is crowned as Byzantine emperor after the death of John II Komnenos.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Succession, Eastern Roman Empire, Political Transition, Imperial Rule

A new Berber dynasty, the Almohads, led by Emir Abd al-Mu'min, takes North Africa from the Almoravides and soon invades the Iberian Peninsula. The Alm...

Tags: Islam, Religious Movements, Conquest, Middle Ages

the Moroccan-born Muslim geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi publishes his Geography.

Tags: Geography, Cartography, Middle Ages, Scientific Advancement, Islamic Golden Age, Exploration

Kilij Arslan II, Sultan of Rum, makes peace with the Byzantine Empire, recognizing the emperor's primacy.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Peace Treaty, Political Relations, Middle Ages, Diplomacy, Empire

Saladin deposes the last Fatimid Caliph Al-'Āḍid and establishes the Ayyubid dynasty.

Tags: Saladin, Ayyubid Dynasty, Fatimid Caliphate, Caliphate, Political Transition, Islamic History, Middle Ages

On September 24, Andronicus I Comnenus has his nephew Alexius II Comnenus strangled.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Political Intrigue, Dynastic Succession, Usurpation, Regicide, Middle Ages

The Uprising of Asen and Peter against the Byzantine Empire leads to the restoration of the Bulgarian Empire.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages, Rebellion, Peter, Political Upheaval

Andronicus I Comnenus is deposed and, on September 12, executed as a result of the Norman massacre of the Greeks of Thessalonika.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Deposition, Execution, Political Instability

On January 27, the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI marries Constance of Sicily, the heiress to the Sicilian throne.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Marriage, Dynastic Politics, Succession, Kingdom of Sicily, Henry VI, Imperial Expansion, Political Alliances

In April, Isabella I begins her reign as Christian Queen of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

Tags: Crusades, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Monarchy, Middle Ages, Succession, Holy Land, Christianity

In June, the Treaty of Ramla is signed by Saladin and Richard Lionheart. Under the terms of the agreement, Jerusalem will remain under Muslim control....

Tags: Crusades, Treaty, Diplomacy, Saladin, Christianity, Political Settlement

Introduction of Liber Abaci by Fibonacci.

Tags: Mathematics, Arithmetic, Middle Ages, Algebra, Renaissance, Numbers, Trade

The Delhi Sultanate is established in Northern India under the Mamluk Dynasty.

Tags: Delhi Sultanate, Middle Ages, Islamic Empires, Political History, Sultanate, Governance

Qutb-ud-Din Aibak, the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, fell down from a horse while playing chovgan (a form of polo on horseback) in Lahore and di...

Tags: Delhi Sultanate, Succession, Medieval India, Islamic History, Governance

Genghis Khan dies.

Tags: Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, Empire Building, Succession, Middle Ages, Khanate

The Mandinka kingdoms unite to form the Mali Empire which leads to the downfall of Sosso in the 1230s.

Tags: Empire Building, Mali Empire, Political Consolidation, Military Conflict, Monarchy

The Mamluk dynasty is founded in Egypt.

Tags: Mamluks, Dynasty, Islamic World, Military, Slavery, Ayyubid Dynasty

Death of Emperor Frederick II on December 13th.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Succession, Emperor, Papal States, Guelphs and Ghibellines, Kingdom of Sicily, Frederick II

The Zagwe dynasty is displaced by the Solomonic dynasty.

Tags: Dynasty, Political Transition, Middle Ages, Monarchy, Ethiopian History, Succession

1274: Second Council of Lyon attempts to unite the churches of the Eastern Roman Empire with the Church of Rome.

Tags: Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox Church, Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages, Ecumenism, Council

Ottoman Empire is established under Osman I.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Turkish History, Middle Ages, Political Formation, Islamic World, Expansionism, Sultanate

The death of the Ilkhan Abu Said causes the disintegration of the Mongol rule in Persia.

Tags: Mongol Empire, Succession, Political Instability, Fragmentation, Middle Ages

Barquq rise to power to start the Burji dynasty, the Circassian Mamuluk Dynasty in Egypt.

Tags: Mamluks, Dynasty, Sultanate, Political Power, Middle Ages, Military

The settlement of the Canary Islands signals the beginning of the Spanish Empire.

Tags: Spanish Empire, Colonialism, Territorial Expansion, Castile, Indigenous Peoples, Conquest

Khizr Khan, deputised by Timur to be the governor of Multan, takes over Delhi founding the Sayyid dynasty.

Tags: Delhi Sultanate, Timurid Empire, Political Transition, Indian History, Medieval India, Dynastic Rule, Governance

In Sub-saharan Africa the Ife Empire has collapsed.

Tags: African History, Pre-Colonial Africa, Empire, Political Collapse, Nigeria

Oba Ewuare comes to power in the West African city of Benin, and turns it into an empire.

Tags: Empire Building, Political Consolidation, African History, Expansion

The Albanian league is established in Lezha, Skanderbeg is elected leader. A war begins against the Ottoman Empire. An Albanian state is set up and la...

Tags: Albania, Ottoman Empire, Resistance, Middle Ages, State Formation, Warfare, Nationalism

Bahlul Khan Lodhi ascends the throne of the Delhi sultanate starting the Lodhi dynasty

Tags: Delhi Sultanate, Sultanate, Indian History, Succession, Islamic Empires, Middle Ages

The 1465 Moroccan revolt ends in the murder of the last Marinid Sultan of Morocco Abd al-Haqq II.

Tags: Sultanate, Rebellion, Political Instability, Maghreb

Abu Abd Allah al-Sheikh Muhammad ibn Yahya becomes the first Wattasid Sultan of Morocco.

Tags: Sultanate, Political History, Middle Ages, Maghreb, Dynasty, Islam

Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão becomes the first European to enter the Congo.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Colonialism, Atlantic Slave Trade, Maritime History

Following Sunni Ali Ber's death, Mamadou Toure seized the throne in 1493, becoming Askia Muhammad and expanding Songhai into the largest empire in Wes...

Tags: Songhai Empire, Succession, Political Upheaval, Monarchy, Empire Building, Decline

Safavid dynasty reunifies Iran and rules over it until 1736. Safavids adopt a Shia branch of Islam.

Tags: Shia Islam, Safavid Dynasty, Dynasty, Religious Conversion, Political Unification, Islamic World, Shah

Foundation of the Sultanate of Sennar by Amara Dunqas, in what is modern Sudan

Tags: Sultanate, African History, Kingdom, Middle Ages, Nile Valley, Political Formation

King Afonso I of Kongo wins the battle of Mbanza Kongo, resulting in Catholicism becoming Kongo's state religion.Battle of Cerignola: El Gran Capitan ...

Tags: Catholicism, Battle, Military, Christianization, Colonialism, African History, Religious Conversion

Qutb Shahi dynasty, founded by Quli Qutb Mulk, rules Golconda Sultanate until 1687.

Tags: Dynasty, Sultanate, Political History, Islamic Empires

Sultan Selim I ("The Grim") orders the massacre of Shia Muslims in Anatolia (present-day Turkey).

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Religious Violence, Shia Islam, Islam, Sunni Islam, Religious Conflict, Massacre

The first European diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, sent by the Portuguese, arrives at Massawa 9 April, and reaches the imperial encampment of Emperor ...

Tags: Diplomacy, Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Foreign Relations

Ismail I, the founder of Safavid dynasty, dies and Tahmasp I becomes king.Gun-wielding Ottoman Janissaries and defending Knights of Saint John at the ...

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Ottoman Empire, Persian Empire, Succession, Shah, Islamic World, Political Transition

Mughal Empire, founded by Babur.

Tags: Mughal Empire, Babur, Empire, Islamic Empires, Political Consolidation, Delhi Sultanate, Empire Building

The architect Mimar Sinan builds the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul.

Tags: Architecture, Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, Religious Buildings, Art History, Construction

Tahmasp I, Safavid shah, dies.

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Shah, Death, Succession, Islamic World

The reign of Abbas I marks the zenith of the Safavid dynasty.

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Abbas I, Political History, Persian Empire, Shah, Political Leadership, Imperialism, Rise of Empires

Abbas I moves Safavids capital from Qazvin to Isfahan in 1598.

Tags: Safavid Dynasty, Abbas I, Capital City, Governance, Urban Development