The First Millenium

[Vince]

904 is ready to roll!

Taizu, a former village bully, house steward, general, and military governor, murders the Tang Emperor. He places the Emperor’s thirteen year old son on the throne as his puppet and now rules the crumbling Tang Dynasty.

It’s hard to find a man more evil than Pope Sergius III, an excommunicated bishop who is placed on the Papal throne by military leaders. He quickly has Pope Christopher strangled and begins his seven year “pornocracy.†Sexually immoral, he even fathers a future Pope through his mistress. He has Pope Formosus dug up for a second time, and after a trial, Pope Sergius has him beheaded.

The Catholic Church labels the next sixty years as “The Dark Age,†not to be confused with the Dark Ages. A series of evil men are appointed to the Papacy, which is ruled by political and military leaders.

Byzantium wins a major victory over the Moslems in southeast Turkey. But Moslems spend an entire week in northern Greece sacking Thessalonica, Byzantium's second-largest city.

 

[Vince]

It's 905's turn.

The Moslem Empire re-seizes Egypt from another Moslem group.

Japan's Emperor orders four poets to assemble "Collected Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times," which remains a literary masterpiece to this day.

After capturing and blinding the Holy Roman Emperor, Berengar begins his 36 year reign as King of Italy. His reign is troubled by various rival claimants and by Magyar raiders, but he does a good enough job that he is later crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Howell the Good begins his forty-five year reign over... we're not sure. He becomes a Welsh governor, and by the time he dies, he has united much of Wales into one nation.

 

[Vince]

It is 906.

Constantine the Middle-Aged, King of Scotland, is feeling his oats. Having smashed the Vikings, he summons the Council of Scone without the Pope's permission and forces the Pictish Church to adopt the rituals of the Scottish Church, which are essentially Catholic. In his later years, he will be defeated by both the Vikings and the English and will retire to a monastery.

As China's Tang Empire continues to crumble, Vietnam revolts. The Chinese appoint the rebel leader as the new governor, and the rebellion ends.

After a thirty-seven year rebellion, all of Egypt is re-conquered by the Moslem Empire.

 

[Vince]

907 is an interesting year.

Oleg the Prophet was a ruler of the Rus, and he launches an attack on Constantinople. It takes four years, but he finally nails his shield to the wall of Constantinople, both sides sign a favorable trade treaty, and he goes home.

Zhu Wen, the Chinese general who had seized the capital and placed a puppet on the throne, declares himself Emperor of China, thus ending the once-great Tang Dynasty. Civil war breaks out all over the empire, as local warlords, who had given lip service to Tang, now fight each other for more territory. This has happened to China before: the once-united nation will spend the next several decades destroying itself. Three areas imediately declare themselves independent, forming their own kingdoms. The fact that Mongol nomads are seizing large areas of China isn't helping any.

The Magyars conduct extensive raids into Germany and Italy.

 

[Vince]

908 just got here, and it snows in Baghdad.

The Irish suffer a smashing defeat from the Vikings, but they don't give up. The son of their defeated leader raises a 1,000 man army that devastates Viking settlements all over Ireland and Scotland.

 

[Vince]

909

Out of the independent Moslem kingdom centered in Morocco arises the Fatimid Caliphate. Lasting for two and a half centuries, it will eventually conquer all of north Africa, Egypt, Sicily, and parts of the Arab world before voluntarily re-joining the Moslem Empire. But for now, it drives the Sunni Moslems out of north Africa.

In southeastern China, the Min Kingdom declares its independence. Lasting only 36 years, it was located in an isolated and rugged part of China. Its competent rulers developed extensive ocean trading, but they were easily conquered by their neighbors.

It's been six years since the Vikings invaded England (again) and Edward the Elder, King of Wessex, defeats them, but he can't drive them out.

 

[Vince]

It is now 910.

Angered at last year's defeat, the Vikings gather a large naval and infantry force from Denmark and invade central England. Gathering a lot of treasure and heading back north, they find themselves surrounded by the English. Unable to escape, they are forced to fight the Battle of Tettenhall, where so many Vikings are killed that they can no longer send any large armies from Denmark. Viking survivors escape to northern England, where they are invaded by Irish Vikings who see an opportunity to seize the weakly-populated Viking territories in England.

Louis the Wise, the Byzantine Emperor, is forced to pay tribute to the Magyars.

In Cluny, France, a Benedictine monastery is established. It eventually becomes a model of monasticism in the West, and it still exists.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 911.

Pope Anastasius III, a nobleman, begins his two year reign, and almost is nothing is known about him. Politicians control the papacy, but Anastasius does send missionaries to the Normans. France and the Vikings had just signed a peace treaty allowing the Vikings to settle in Normandy in northern France.

Civil war breaks out in northern Africa as Berbers rebel against the new Fatimid Moslem regime. But the Fatimids take it in stride and invade Moslem Sicily.

 

[Vince]

912 is a good year for our Jewish friends.

Abd-ar-Rahman III begins his 49 year reign over Moslem Spain. He grants total tolerance to Jews and Christians, exempting them from the military and allowing them to have their own courts. Jewish scholars then flock to southern Spain, and it becomes a cultural center of the western world. “The Golden Age of Jewish Culture in Spain†was already in progress, but now it became even greater.

Nicolas I becomes Patriarch of Constantinople. When the Byzantine Emperor marries for the fourth time, Nicolas forbids the Emperor to enter any church, and he is confined to a monastery for three years. But the next Emperor restores him.

Zhu Wen, who had seized the Chinese throne and thus destroyed the Tang Dynasty, is assassinated by his son, who then becomes Emperor.

Up in England, Edward the Elder cautiously invades Viking territory, builds a fortress, and then invades somewhere else. It takes a while, but eventually he will recapture most of England.

 

[Vince]

913 is a rough year for the new Moslem kingdom in northern Africa. Last year, they had invaded Moslem Sicily, but this year they are driven out and Sicily then invades them. Meanwhile, they've invaded a different group of Moslems in Egypt, who defeat them and throw them out.

Byzantine Emperor Alexander II dies. His eight year old nephew, Constantine Born to the Purple, takes the throne, but is controlled by regents. And in addition to a Rus invasion, Constantinople is approached by a Bulgarian army, whose leader has already declared himself "Emperor of the Romans."

The Pope dies and politicians appoint a cleric named Lando to replace him. Lando doesn't change his name, and that's about all we know about him. He dies after six months in office.

 

[Vince]

914 sees the dawn of great men and great nations.

Two new powers are emerging in eastern Europe. Turkish nomads have increased in population and area, but they make little attempt to form a nation. They sign a peace treaty with the Rus, another new group in the area.

Ignoring a Catholic Church council, politicians put Pope John X on the papal throne. Surrounded by rivals, he closely allies the papacy with political leaders who rule over him, but the man was still competent. In 915, when Moslems in southern Italy prepared an invasion of the rest of the peninsula, Pope John united the various kingdoms, city states, and even Byzantium (which controlled part of southern Italy) and personally led Italian forces in a smashing victory over the Moslems. Executing all prisoners, he drove the Moslems out of Italy (though not Sicily). His attempts to unify Italy failed, however, and he was later imprisoned.

The Fatimids, the new Moslem kingdom in north Africa, don't know the meaning of the word "quit." After being thrown out of Sicily and Egypt last year, they invade Egypt again, and it takes the Moslem Empire until December to drive them out.

Indra III begins his successful fifteen year rule over the Indians kingdom of Chedi. His neighbors make the mistake of attacking him, and when it's over, he controls a large kingdom.

The Vikings conquer most of Ireland.

A drought in Spain causes such a serious famine that the Moslems are able to recapture part of their former territory.

 

[Vince]

915

The new Fatimid Empire in northern Africa established a stronghold in southern Italy and began raiding surrounding areas. Nearby Italian princes even formed alliances with them. Under the personal leadership of Pope John X, the Italians and even the Byzantines unite to drive them out. All of the various military leaders are rewarded with more lands and prestige.

But Berengar, King of Italy (on the northern part of the Italian peninsula) had not participated. But the Pope crowns him Holy Roman Emperor, a mistake that will be corrected nine years later when Berengar dies.

Already suffering from drought, Spain has an outbreak of rust, which devastates their wheat crops.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 916!

In northern Africa, the Fatimid Empire re-establishes the city of Mahdia as their capital. The ancient seaport had been destroyed more than once, but the Moslems recognize its strategic military location. Today it is an important fishing city.

China is dissolving, but Emperor Taizu doesn't let that stop him. He heads westward, conquering much of the Mongolian plains.

 

[Vince]

917 is a good year for Bulgarians and Englishmen.

Breaking their peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire, the Bulgarians sweep through southeastern Europe, defeating a Byzantine army and gaining control of the Balkans.

Having carefully established fortresses in vital areas, Edward the Elder leads a full-scale invasion of English territory still in Viking hands.

In southern China, the Southern Han Dynasty declares itself independent, surviving for 54 years before being forced to re-unite.

 

[Vince]

It's 918 and another great nation is formed.


Silla had conquered the entire Korean peninsula two centuries ago, but its power is collapsing under inept leadership, bandits, and local warlords. A Sillian general revolts and founds the kingdom of Goryeo. Often mispronounced as “Korea,†it takes it another four centuries to conquer most of the peninsula. I will be calling it “Korea†from now on.

In England, the sister of Edward the Elder is killed in battle. She had became Queen of Mercia and some surrounding areas and had fought as a loyal ally of her brother. Her daughter takes the throne, but next year, Edward the Elder takes it from her and unites Mercia into his own kingdom.

Conrad I, King of Germany, dies. The nobles enrage the Holy Roman Emperor by choosing Heinrich the Fowler as King. He rules for the next 18 years.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 919!

Raegnald the Viking leaves Ireland and arrives in what's left of Viking England, where he proclaims himself king.
But Edward the Elder, King of England, has other plans. After seizing Mercia from his niece, he gathers his army and heads north to meet the Vikings.

Meanwhile, another group of Vikings in Ireland decimate an Irish army and kill Ireland's High King. But his successor will wage war more successfully.

With the death of his father, Tatadim becomes King of Ethiopia. Much smaller than the present nation, Ethiopia is doing well, but they have to avoid civil war whenever a king dies. Their law requires that the late king's brother must become king, and Tatadim tries to replace it with a new law making the king's son the new king.

American Indians build "The Beautiful City" in the southwestern United States. Still standing, this magnificent "great house" was the home of hundreds of people, was their capital, and carried on trade with Mexican Indians 1200 miles away.

Wracked by civil wars, the Chinese invent the flame-thrower.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 920.

As Edward the Elder closes in on him, Raegnald the Viking decides to make peace, and he submits to the authority of the King of England. The Scots, part of Wales, and Northumbria also submit to his rule. England is not a unified country; it consists of Wessex and the kingdoms that have submitted to its authority. And Scotland and Wales are not part of England today.

About a century ago, the Ghana Empire had begun in western Africa. Having gained control of most of the trade routes in the area, the empire now reaches it golden age, and will survive for about another three centuries.

Germany's King Henry the Fowler retakes Utrecht, a major city in the Netherlands, from the Vikings who have held it for seventy years.

Iraq has an unusually cold summer.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 921.

The Fatimid Dynasty of north Africa wins a major victory over the Moslem kingdom of Morocco, seizing two of its most important cities.

The Moslem Empire sends an ambassador to the Bulgarians. He doesn't accomplish much diplomatically, but his history of the Bulgarians of that time provides us with an important record.

East France and West France sign a peace treaty, recognizing each other's authority and borders. Two years later, they go to war.

Besieged by raiders, Arnulf the Bad had seized church property in Bavaria to finance national defense. He then allowed raiders to pass safely through Bavaria to raid Germany. So Henry the Fowler, King of Germany, solves the problem. He conquers Bavaria.

Back in the Bible lands, Jewish philosopher Sa'adia ben Joseph leads a restoration of Judaism against Jewish sects that had blended with Islam.

 

[Vince]

Let's see what's new in 922.

The Hungarians raid Italy but are unable to hold any territory.

It's a rough year for incompetent leaders. The French overthrow Charles the Simple and replace him with Robert. While Charles gathers an army to regain his throne, Robert's son-in-law helps overthrow the King of Italy and he takes the Italian throne.

Mansur ("The Victorious") was a Moslem clergyman in Baghdad who supported reform of the government. After a lengthy trial, he is flogged, mutilated, and beheaded.

The Khitan Empire, a Mongolian empire in modern north-east China, invades northern China.

 

[Vince]

923

Charles the Simple is a man who really earned his name. After being overthrown as King of France last year, he raises an army and kills Robert 1, his replacement. But he still loses and is captured. Robert's son-in-law, who last year seized the Italian throne, is invited to become King of France, and he accepts. Rudolf II is now King of France, Italy, and part of Burgundy. Six years later, Charles the Simple dies in prison of natural causes, but one of his sons later becomes King of France.

The Later Tang Dynasty is formed, quickly conquers most of northern China, and then disappears forever--all within sixteen years.