881

By place

Europe

• February 12 - King Charles the Fat, the third son of the late Louis the German, is crowned as Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John VIII at Rome.
• August 3 - Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: The West Frankish kings Louis III, and his brother Carloman II, rout Viking raiders.

Britain

• Battle of the Conwy: King Anarawd of Gwynedd initiates a revenge attack on the Mercian armies, and defeats them on the River Conwy.
• Anarawd, and his brothers Cadell and Merfyn, begin extensive military campaigns to quell resistance in Powys and Seisyllwg.

Arabian Empire

• Zanj Rebellion: Abbasid general Al-Muwaffaq lays siege to the Zanj capital of Mukhtara, using his base on the opposite side of the River Tigris.

Asia

• Bakong, the first temple mountain of sandstone, is constructed by rulers of the Khmer Empire at Angkor.
• 881 Acre earthquake: It takes place in the vicinity of Acre. Alexandria is reportedly affected by the same earthquake.

By topic

Religion

• St. Cecilia's Church is founded as a college for women. It is now home of the Schnütgen Museum in Cologne.