860

Events

June 18 - Byzantine–Rus' War: A fleet of about 200 Rus' vessels sails into the Bosphorus, and starts pillaging the suburbs of Constantinople. The raiders set homes on fire, and drown and kill the citizens. Unable to do anything to repel the invaders, Patriarch Photios I urges his flock to implore the Theotokos to save the Byzantine capital. Having devastated the suburbs, the Rus' Vikings pass into the Sea of Marmara and attack the Isles of the Princes, plundering the local monasteries.

King Charles the Bald gives the order to build fortified bridges across the Seine and Loire Rivers, to protect Paris and the Frankish heartland against Viking raids. He hires the services of Weland, a Viking chieftain based on the Somme, to attack the Seine Vikings at their base on the Isle of Oissel. Weland besieges the Vikings—they offer him a huge bribe to let them escape.
Summer - The Viking chieftains Hastein and Björn Ironside ravage upstream and move to Italy, sacking Luna. They sail up the River Arno to sack the cities of Pisa and Fiesole.
Summer - Viking raiders led by Weland sail to England and attack Winchester, which is set ablaze. He spreads inland, but is defeated by West Saxon forces, who deprive him of all he has gained.
December 20 - King Æthelbald of Wessex dies after a 2½-year reign. He is succeeded by his brother, sub-king Æthelberht of Kent, who becomes sole ruler of Wessex.

Muhammad I, Umayyad emir of Córdoba, invades Pamplona, and captures Crown Prince Fortún Garcés in Milagro, along with his daughter Onneca Fortúnez, and takes them as hostages to Córdoba.

Lusterware tiles, that decorated the mihrab of the Mosque of Uqba at Kairouan, are made.

The Japanese alphabet Hiragana becomes more popular in Japan. The phonetic alphabet will be further simplified, and reduced to 51 basic characters.