The First Millenium

[Vince]

And now it is time for 702.

In Germany, Fortress Marienberg is built on top of the ruins of a Celtic fort. A well-situated stronghold that still stands, it has served as a fortress for various rulers over the centuries.

Ethiopia crosses the Red Sea to seize Jeddah (in modern Saudi Arabia) from the Moslems. It is the largest port on the Red Sea.

Already beset by civil wars in their rapidly-expanding empire, Moslems have another major rebellion in newly-conquered areas of Armenia.

 

[Vince]

703 has finally arrived!

Moslems capture, fortify, and hold Mopsuestia, a major river port in modern Turkey. Located on the frontier between Christian Europe and Moslem Asia, it will be fought over, re-captured, and destroyed so many times that today it is only a small village.

In Japan, Empress Jito dies of natural causes. She had ruled for eleven years before abdication to her son, but she had continued to wield considerable power.

 

[Vince]

704

Arab Moslems invade central Asia, slaughtering thousands of Turks and Iranians. At the same time, they suffer defeat at Sisium, in modern Turkey, with their entire army being destroyed by the Byzantines.

Justinian II, the exiled former Roman Emperor, escapes. Marrying a Khazar princess, he flees to Bulgaria, where the government protects him.

 

[Vince]

705 is a good year for deposed emperors.

Former Byzantine Emperor Justinian II and his Bulgarian allies bypass a Byzantine army, enter Constantinople through an unused aqueduct, and re-seizes the throne. Tiberius III is captured and sent into exile.

In China, a palace coup restores former Emperor Zhongzong to power. Leader of the powerful Tang Dynasty, he had been overthrown and exiled for fourteen years, before being allowed to return to court as a government official. Now back in power, he turns out to be a weak leader who reigns for another five years before being assassinated.

Pope John VI dies, and Pope John VII, another Greek, takes over for two years. The new Pope gets along well with Italy’s Lombard rulers but has conflicts with the Byzantine Emperor. Some of the monuments and churches he built still stand, but he didn’t become a saint.

Moslems defeat the Armenian uprising. They put the leaders into church buildings and burn them alive.

 

[Vince]

706

Having re-seized his throne, Emperor Justinian II has his two predecessors publicly humiliated and executed. Callinicus I, the Patriarch of Constantinople, had helped overthrow Justinian, so the Emperor has him blinded and imprisoned in a monastery.

Moslems begin building the Great Mosque of Damascus.

 

[Vince]

707

Sisinnius becomes Pope, but is not consecrated until early next year. Like all Popes at this time, he had to be confirmed by the Byzantine Emperor, and he tried to keep the Papacy free of Lombard control.

The Japanese emperor Momu dies at age 24 after a 10-year reign and is succeeded by his 46-year-old aunt, who will reign until 715 as the empress Gemmei.

In Damascus, Moslems found the first Moslem hospital.

Moslems capture the Balearic Islands off Spain's southeastern coast. The Byzantines thus lose a valuable naval base in the Mediterranean. Moslems also invade Asia Minor and lay siege to Tyana, a major Byzantine military base in modern south-central Turkey.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 708!

Japan discovers copper in its own territory, ending their dependence on Chinese copper. A mint is soon established.

Sisinnius is ordained Pope, dying twenty days later. Like all Popes at this time, he had to be confirmed by the Byzantine Emperor, and he tried to keep the Papacy free of Lombard control. He actually did a good job, fortifying Rome's walls and starting sme major building projects.

He is quickly succeeded by Constantine, who later travels to Constantinople to compromise with the Emperor. Like most Popes of the Byzantine Papacy (they had to be approved by the Emperor) neither one became saints.

Moslems capture Tyana, in south-central Turkey, and defeat two more Byzantine armies as they expand into Asia Minor. And then Bulgaria, which had recently helped restore the Byzantine Emperor Justinian II, defeats a Byzantine army sent to restore them to the Empire.

The Turks, allied with the Tibetans, capture Bactria from the Moslems. This large area is located in parts of Afghanistan and the former Soviet Union.

 

[Vince]

Things are fine in 709.

The Korean kingdom of Silla has big ambitions, and they send ambassadors to Japan to seek an alliance.

Saelred of Essex begins his thirty five year reign as King of Essex. Under his authority, Swaefbert rules the sub-kingdom of Middlesex. Like his predecessors, he was not an independent ruler, but a dependent of the Kingdom of Mercia. In other words, the tiny kingdoms of southern Britain are in the process of forming one nation: England.

But things are going bad in Mercia, located in central England. Ceolred forces his cousin into a monastery and seizes the throne. History records him as full of crimes and immorality, and he dies seven years later in an insane frenzy.

Just south of England, in the English Channel, a storm separates a small island into two parts. Jethou and Herm still exist and are privately owned.

Shortly after being ordained Archbishop of Ravenna by Pope Constantine, Felix of Ravenna rebels, declaring himself independent of the Pope. A Byzantine naval force captures him and sends him to Constantinople, where is is blinded and exiled.

 

[Vince]

It's already 710.

In Japan, the Asuka Period ends, and the Nara Period begins. During this time, the capital is located at Nara. The peasants are mostly agricultural, and their lives are centered around villages. They practice Shinto, a native religion that worships local spirits. The wealthy are steadily converting to Buddhism. They keep the Japanese language but adopt the Chinese alphabet.

Moslems found the Kingdom of Nekor in modern Morocco. It survives for three centuries before being conquered by another Moslem kingdom.

In Spain, the Visigothic Kingdom breaks apart with civil war. Roderic seizes the throne, but parts of the kingdom are ruled by others not under his control.

Julian, Count of Ceuta, becomes a Spanish legend equivalent to Benedict Arnold. Entrusted with the care of the northern part of Africa closest to Spain, he invites the Moslems to seize his area and from there invade Europe next year. Why did he do it? He might have been hostile to Roderic, king of the Visigoths.

 

[Vince]

711 is a really rough year for Catholic Europe.


Moslems from Africa invade and seize most of Spain. Racked by civil war, many Visigoth cities quickly accept the Moslems' generous surrender terms. King Roderick raises an army but is defeated and killed. The Jews, who make up about 8% of the Spanish population, are grateful for the end of Visigoth persecution. Under the Moslems, the Spanish Jews flourish. While small areas of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) stay independent, the Visigoth Kingdom disappears forever.

Arab Moslems also invade India, establishing a small kingdom in Sindh (which is now part of Pakistan).

Exiled for plotting against Emperor Justinian II, Philippicus incites a rebellion, and, aided by the Khazars, seizes Constantinople. Justinian II flees, but is assassinated by his own army. But Philippicus has troubles of his own: the Bulgarians invade, plundering the land as they head for Constantinople.

Japan’s Empress Gemmei oversees the completion of a gigantic three-volume history of Japan. The beginning deals with myths, but most of it is an accurate historical account.

 

[Vince]

712

China founds the Pear Garden, the first known large musical academy.

Moslems complete their conquest of most of Spain, and the Visigoth Kingdom disappears. African Berbers, who are a mixture of Germans, Black Africans, Arabs, and others, migrate to Spain in large numbers, eventually blending in with the Visigoths, Romans, other Germans, and local people to form a new people: the Spanish.

Victorious Bulgarians reach the walls of Constantinople, but fall back when they are unable to take the city.

Emperor Ming begins his 43 year reign as ruler of China. A diligent, competent leader, he brings the Tang Dynasty to its greatest height.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 713!

It only lasts 21 years, but China founds the first newspaper. Hand-printed every day on silk, copies are rushed to subscribers all over China. The newspaper contains palace news and domestic news, and most subscribers are government officials.

The Byzantine army overthrows Emperor Philippicus; Anastasius II, a high-level secretary, is made emperor. The new Emperor tightens discipline in the army, and tries negotiating peace with the Moslems while building up his naval forces.

Chinese begin the eighty-year task of carving the Leshan Giant Buddha out of the face of a cliff. It is the largest stone Buddha in the world, and the largest ancient statue still standing.

 

[Vince]

All aboard for 714!

In China, Emperor Ming strengthens government control over Buddhism's lucrative finances. He had already seized the immense treasury of one Buddhist temple, distributing all the money to other temples. Now he forbids private merchants from writing or selling Buddhist literature, allowing only the temples to operate this profitable business. Ming has another fortunate event: China defeats a Tibetan invasion

Charles Martel, the brilliant Frankish genera, suffers one of his few defeats when Frisia becomes independent. Martel was a leading figure in establishing knighthood, France, and the Carolingian Empire, but these all came later.

Moslems continue to import large numbers of Africans into the Iberian Peninsula. Zaragoza, a large city in northeastern Spain falls as Islam becomes firmly established in western Europe.

 

[Vince]

It is now 715, and a lot of leaders get replaced.

Gregory II becomes Pope. Making peace with the Lombards, he sends missionaries to the Germans and strengthens the Catholic Church in England and Ireland. He is most famous for excommunicating the Byzantine Emperor for forbidding statue worship. This caused some civil wars that eventually strengthened the Pope’s territorial authority. He was made a saint shortly after his death.

Empress Gemmei of Japan abdicates to her daughter Empress Genshō. Empress Gensho comes up with an effective way to raise tax money. Anyone can go out and claim barren land, but they have to clear and cultivate it. They can keep the land for three generations,and then it goes to the government.

In Scotland, the King of the Picts invites the Catholic Church to send in missionaries, eventually becoming a monk himself.

Turkey is hit be a major earthquake.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 716.

After his victory at the Battle of Ambleve, the Frankish Queen mother imprisons Charles Martel, but he escapes and begins raising an army.

A Byzantine army revolts and forces Theodosius III, a tax collector, to become Emperor. They besiege Constantinople for six months, finally forcing Emperor Anastasius II to resign and enter a monastery.

Boniface leaves his native England to become a missionary to the Germans. Over the following decades, he is so successful that today he is the patron saint of Germany.

 

[Vince]

It's 717!
Leo III seizes the Byzantine throne, beginning a successful 24 year reign. And then the Moslems arrive.

Moslems have a rough two years. They send a gigantic army, along with a giant navy, to besiege Constantinople, but the city’s giant walls hold firm. Next year, plague rages through the Moslem forces and a 50,000 man Bulgarian army arrives. The Byzantines shoot burning fuel, called “Greek fire,†at the Moslem fleet, which retreats into a hurricane. The Moslems lose about 150,000 soldiers and over 2,500 ships.

In Japan, a family starts the Hoshi Ryokan Inn. They still operate it, and it is the oldest continuously-operating business in the world.

At the Battle of Vincy, Charles Martel defeats the King of France, sending him fleeing to Paris. Martel seizes large areas of the nation, deposing bishops and even setting up an allied king nearby.

 

[Vince]

718

Moslems continue to have a rough time. Visigoth Catholics begin “The Reconquest,†invading the Iberian peninsula. It takes them until 1492, but they eventually reconquer all of Spain and Portugal.

And, attacked by Bulgarians and Turks, Moslems withdraw their devastated forces from the siege of Constantinople.

In France, Charles Martel defeats a Saxon invasion, and then invades Germany. Martel always uses the same tactic: drive your enemy into a strong defensive position, attack, make a feigned retreat, and draw the enemy into a massive ambush.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 719!

Charles Martel is still on the move, defeating the Frisians and adding much of the North Sea coast land in modern Germany and the Netherlands to the Frankish Kingdom. Catholic missinaries enter the area, rebuilding the churches destroyed by the Frisians.

In Africa, Nubia withdraws from the Eastern Orthodox Church and joins the Coptic Church of Ethiopia.

 

[Vince]

720

Conflicting records say that Disentis Abbey of Switzerland is either built or rebuilt about this time. Still in existence, it had actually been the independent ruler of its own territory for some time. Today, it is part of Switzerland but still maintains that it is independent.

Driven into isolation in their part of Britain, the Welsh break their last tie with the rest of the world: they separate from the Catholic Church.

"The Chronicles of Japan" is completed. Japan's second-oldest history book, it gives accurate and detailed accounts of Japanese history up to the eighth century and is far more detailed than the older book.

In China's capital, a gigantic sink hole collapses part of the city gate and destroys about 500 homes.

Moslems defeat a small rebellion in Iraq.

 

[Vince]

721

Based heavily on Iranian, the first written records of the Old Turkic Language appear. The language survives for seven centuries.

Former Byzantine emperor Anastasius II leads a revolt against emperor Leo III. He is joined by the Bulgarians, along with local support. But they are defeated as they advance on Constantinople and Anastasius II is executed.

From Spain, Moslems invade southern France. They besiege Toulouse but are defeated after three months and France is safe.

Libuse is the female ruler of a small tribe in eastern Europe. She marries a plowman and founds the city of Prague is an area inhabited by farmers and nomads. From this couple come the Czech people.