893 is a bad year for pagans and Vikings.
Vladimir, the King of Bulgaria who seeks to restore paganism, is overthrown by his father, who has him blinded.
Simeon the Great begins his 34 year reign over Bulgaria. He will extend Bulgaria's borders into modern Greece, Turkey, Russia, and northern Europe, reaching its greatest area. He will usher in The Golden Age of Bulgarian Culture, and he will defeat Byzantium, the Magyars, and the Serbs. Declaring the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to be fully independent, he establishes Bulgaria's own Patriarch, expels all Byzantine clergy, bans the Greek language, and makes Bulgarian the only language of both Church and State.
Near the English coast, thirty miles east of London, the Vikings have established a powerful base at South Benfleet. Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, leads an army that smashes the Vikings. Meanwhile, Alfred the Great is busy smashing a Viking army that is besieging Essex, and then he runs around the country hitting Vikings wherever he can.