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The First Millenium

Here we are in 684!


Pope Saint Benedict II was Pope from 684 to 685. Reigning less than a year, he was able to get the Emperor to allow the Exarch (governor of Italy) in Ravenna to approve new Popes, thus speeding up the process.

About this time, Wu Zetian assumes power in China. For decades she had been China's actual ruler, controlling power through her husband and then her sons, but as her authority grows, she becomes more open about being China's ruler.

On September 7, Japan records the appearance of Halley's Comet. Two months later, a massive earthquake devastates the nation.

In southern Mexico, K'inich Kan B'alam II becomes king of Palenque. He spends the next eighteen years following the policies of his father, Pacal the Great, constructing buildings and decorating the city.
 
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Welcome to the year 685!

Pope John V was Pope from July 685 to August 2, 686. He was appointed by the people of Rome without needing the Emperor’s permission. Despite this, he improved relations with the Emperor during his brief tenure as Pope.

John Maron founds the Maronite Catholic Church, separating from the Orthodox Church. Loyal to Rome, there are about 3 ½ million Maronite Catholics today, with over a million located mostly in Lebanon.

Upon the death of his father, Justinian II becomes Emperor of Byzantium. Blatantly incompetent, he is overthrown ten years later, but restored ten years after that. Six more years passed before his army assassinated him. Justinian II took the throne just after his father had secured peace. He waged successful wars against Arab Moslems, Slavs, and others, and he regained a lot of lost territory. When he later suffered a massive defeat by the Moslems he began slaughtering his own people.

The Black Plague kills all the monks in a Northumbrian abbey except for the abbot and the Venerable Bede (who was only a boy at the time).
 
Let's see what happens in 686.

Pope Conon (c. 630 – September 21, 687) was Pope from October 21, 686 until his death in Rome nine months later. He was a compromise candidate, agreed upon by the military and civilian populations.

In England, Cædwalla, King of Wessex is on the move. He conquers Kent, and then invades the Isle of Wight, killing all the rulers. But while invading Wight (a large island just off England's southern coast, Cædwalla is wounded. It will take him three years, but he eventually dies from the wound.

In Japan, Emperor Temmu dies, His wife, Empress Jito, takes the throne. She quickly accuses her son of treason and forces him and his wife to commit suicide. She rules quietly for eleven years before abdicating to another son.
 
687 is another interesting year.

Pope Saint Sergius I (c. 650 – September 8, 701) was pope from 687 to 701.With two rival Popes holding office, Sergius was elected to end the schism. The other two Popes had turned to armed conflict, so a panel consisting of military, civilian, legal, and church leaders was assembled, and they appointed Sergius over the other two. At one point, the Emperor ordered his arrest, but troops from the Exarch of Ravenna rescued him.

After winning the Battle of Tertry, Pepin effectively becomes King of France. Officially, the king is under his control, and France consists of three kingdoms, all of which Pepin controls.

In Jerusalem, Moslems begin constructing the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Temple.
 
And now we present the year 688.

Having killed all his opponents, King Caedwalla of Wessex abdicates the throne and goes to Rome to be baptized.

Breaking the recently-signed peace treaty, Byzantium's new Emperor defeats the Bulgarians. But nothing comes of it. For the next few centuries, Bulgaria and Byzantium will co-exist, sometimes as allies and sometimes at war.
 
It's 689 already.

After a heavy massacre on both sides, the King of Lombardy kills a usurper and regains his throne.

The Frisians are a Germanic people who still inhabit parts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. But this year the Franks defeat them and seize the entire delta of the Rhine River.
 
690 is another rough year.

Empress Wu, concubine of a former Emperor, and the actual ruler for some time, finishes murdering her way onto the throne of China. Because Confucianism forbids a woman ruler, she begins persecuting Confucians and expanding Buddhism. She was China's only female Emperor.

The Catholic Church in England forbids its members to appeal its decisions to Rome.

Theodore of Tarsus, the eighth archbishop of Canterbury, dies. He had greatly expanding the strength of Catholicism in England, help negotiate peace, and founded a school that later introduced the Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon scholarship.
 
We have arrived at the year 691.


Moslems complete the Dome of the Rock on the site of the old Temple in Jerusalem. Built as a shrine and not intended to be used as a mosque for public worship, it had been built to compete with the magnificent structures of other religions. Heavily renovated throughout its long history, it currently is in an area controlled by Israel but is owned and managed by Moslem foundations.

China's new Empress executes various prominent leaders who oppose her.
 
692 is an interesting year.

Empess Wu conquers the tiny but prosperous Kingdom of Khotan. Located on the Silk Road, this small nation had benefited from 900 years of traders passing through. Today, it is Xinjiang, China.

Personally leading a large Byzantine army, Emperor Leontios is defeated at the Battle of Sebastopolis. His army had included 30,000 Slavs, 20,000 of whom defected to the Moslems during the battle.

The Quinisext Council was a church council held in 692 at Constantinople under Justinian II. Composed only of eastern bishops, it ordered all churches to follow eastern, rather than western, liturgy. This council's decisions became the basis of Orthodox canon law. When the Pope, who had not attended, refused to agree, Emperor Justinian II unsuccessfully ordered his arrest.

The Syrian army captures Mecca, ending the twelve-year-old Shiite rebellion.
 
Let's see, it's 693.

Bridei III, King of the Picts, dies. The English kingdom of Northumbria had successfully expanded into Scotland, seizing much of Bridei III's grandfather's territory. During his reign, Bridei III conquered various small kingdoms, became overlord of several others, and drove the English out of much of their Scottish territory.

Hyosos had become King of Silla, which controlled the entire Korean peninsula. He had to put down a series of revolts, but he re-submitted to Chinese authority and got their backing. He maintained good relations with Japan, and much of Korean history from this time comes from Japanese sources.
 
It is time for 694.

Egica, King of the Visigoths, accuses Jews in Spain of conspiring with other Jews to overthrow Christian leaders. He orders all Jews to be enslaved, their property seized, and their children taken away. But his power is declining, and outside his capital, the order is ignored.

The Maronite Catholics form an alliance with the Byzantines, and the two forces conduct joint raids on the Moslems that weaken Moslem ability to besiege Christian areas.

Empress Jito moves Japan's capital to a carefully-designed new area, but it only lasts for sixteen years.
 
695 is a rough year for stupid Emperors.

Released after two years in prison for losing a major battle that the Emperor Justinian had personally commanded. General Leontios, seizes the throne. He slits the Emperor's nose and tongue before exiling him. He got the same treatment three years later when he was overthrown after losing two wars.

Childebert the Just begins his uneventful sixteen year reign as King of the Franks.
 
We have now reached 696.

Empress Jito regards her son, Prince Takechi as a threat. A successful general and government administrator, he meets a sudden and unexplained death.
 
Welcome to 697!


About this time, a major earthquake occurs in the Salt Lake City region of Utah.At the time, the area is inhabited by three nomadic tribes of American Indians. It is a desert that is occasionally well-watered by various streams.

In Japan, Empress Jito abdicates voluntarily to her fifteen year old grandson. Mommu, the new Emperor, has an uneventful ten year reign before dying of natural causes.

In Italy, Venice is an area of lagoons ruled by various tribunes. It is united by the Byzantines under one ruler so that it can better withstand the Lombards.

Abut this time, northern Ireland holds a church council that accepts the Catholic method of calculating the date of Easter.
 
Things are not great in 698.

The Muslims conquer Carthage, the closest African city to Sicily. The defeated Byzantine navy revolts, kills its commander, and proclaims Tiberios III Emperor. They capture Constantinople after a brief siege, and Tiberios III cuts off the nose of Emperor Leontius and sends him to a monastery.

Emperor Tiberios abandons Africa and concentrates on the Moslem threat. Over time, he re-seizes parts of Asia.

Persecution of Christians breaks out in China under Empress Wu's strong pro-Buddhist policies (China had declared Buddhism the state religion in 691).

It’s a rough year for China. Having conquered Korea, they had been driven out by their treacherous ally, Silla. Now, a former Goguryeo general, Dae Joyeong, repels Chinese forces from remainder of former Goguryeo territory, founding Balhae as a successor state. Surviving for two and a quarter centuries, Balhae expands north into China and south into Silla.

East of the Caspian Sea, and even farther east from Turkey, is an area called “Turkestan,†meaning “Land of the Turks.†The Second Eastern Turkey Kingdom annexes it but is unable to hold onto it.
 
Welcome to 699!


The Four Garrisons of Anxi are military garrisons in Tibet that were established by the Chinese. The Chinese re-take the four garrisons from the Tibetans, controlling part of Tibet for the next two centuries before the Tibetans re-take them.

Moslems invade Armenia, but theys ettle for a p3ace treaty in which Armenia submits to them. As soon as possible, Armenia breaks the treaty.
 
We've finally reached the year 700!

I want to remind readers that they are allowed to post on this thread, ask questns, make cntributins, politely disagree, etc.

700

Although often persecuted by both Christian and Moslem rulers, the Jews begin five and a half centuries of growth called the “Geonim.â€

About this time, Chinese scientists complete the Dunhuang Star map. Listing, describing, and illustrating 1,300 stars, it is the oldest complete star atlas still in existence.

With a population of about ¾ of a million, Ireland has large areas of uninhabited land. Most of the commoners have guaranteed rights, but they must pay taxes to both Church and State. Despite the strong presence of Catholicism, polygamy and divorce are common. Individual Catholic churches are owned by monasteries or aristocrats, while others are independent.
About this time, the Catholic Church in Ireland declares November 1 to be “All Saints’ Day,†to supplant the pagan customs of warding off the dead during this time. Halloween survives, however, and is still a children’s holiday in the United States.
 
We're still in the year 700.

In the United States, the Caddo Culture begins to thrive in Texas and Oklahoma. Their mound-building nation lasts for ten and a half centuries, eventually controlling eastern Texas and Oklahoma, and western Louisiana and Arkansas. They were farmers with an elaborate culture that still exists. About 5,500 of them survive, mostly in Oklahoma.


About this time, Moslems issue their first coins.

East Africa is going through strong economic growth, establishing trade routes and several settlements.

About this time, Moslems enter the African slave trade and are still engaged in it today.
 
It's our last day in the year 700. I would like to remind everyone that your comments are welcome, and if you want to research some history and post it in the correct year, feel free.

About this time, Mexicans abandon the Zapotec city of Monte Alban. A powerful capital city built around 500 BC, it had steadily lost importance as the Zapotec nation expanded. Settlers and squatters continue to inhabit the ruins up to the Spanish conquest.

In Tibet, the Potala Palace is built as the home of the Dalai Lama. Seized by the Chinese Communists, it is a museum and visitors’ center today.

During this century, the Slavs expand in southeastern Europe, absorbing several smaller tribes.
 
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Welcome to the year 701!

John VI, a Greek, becomes Pope. He settles a variety of military and political matters in Italy, making peace with the Lombards more than once. He dies in early 705 without becoming a saint.

Actually, 701 is a rough year to be king of the Lombards. Liutpert, a child, succeeds his father. Raginpert captures Liutpert and becomes king. He dies soon after, and his son Aripert succeeds him.

In northwestern Canada, Mount Edziza erupts about this time, burying the area under two feet of lava and ash. More eruptions break out in various areas around the volcano, forming a volcanic complex so dangerous (and still active) that even today there are no roads in the area.

Despite various civil wars in their empire, Moslems continue to seize Byzantine territory in the East.
 
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