8th century


The 8th century is the period from 701 through 800 in accordance with the Julian Calendar.
In the historiography of Europe the phrase the long 8th century is sometimes used to refer to the period of circa AD 660–820.
The coast of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula quickly came under Islamic Arab domination. The westward expansion of the Umayyad Empire was famously halted at the siege of Constantinople by the Byzantine Empire and the Battle of Tours by the Franks. The tide of Arab conquest came to an end in the middle of the 8th century.
In Europe, late in the century, the Vikings, seafaring peoples from Scandinavia, begin raiding the coasts of Europe and the Mediterranean, and go on to found several important kingdoms.
In Asia, the Pala Empire is founded in Bengal. The Tang dynasty reaches its pinnacle under Chinese Emperor Xuanzong. The Nara period begins in Japan.

Events

File:Toniná 6.jpg|thumbnail|A prisoner from Palenque in Toniná
File:Dinastia tang, shanxi, straniero dal volto velato, 600-750 ca.JPG|thumb|297x297px|An 8th-century Tang dynasty Chinese clay figurine of a Sogdian man wearing a distinctive cap and face veil, possibly a camel rider or even a Zoroastrian priest engaging in a ritual at a fire temple, since face veils were used to avoid contaminating the holy fire with breath or saliva; Museum of Oriental Art, Italy.
  • 738: Quiriguá declares independence from Copan
  • 740: Battle of Akroinon. Byzantines win their first large-scale victory in a pitched battle against the Arabs.
  • 742: For the municipal census of the Tang-dynasty Chinese capital city Chang'an and its metropolitan area of Jingzhou Fu, the New Book of Tang records that in this year there were 362,921 registered families with 1,960,188 persons.
  • 743: Death of Arab caliph Hisham and succession of his nephew and heir Al-Walid II.
  • 744: Assassination of Al-Walid II, Succession of Yazid III to the Caliphal throne on 17 April 744.
  • 744 Death of Yazid III and his succession by his brother and nominated heir Ibrahim ibn al-Walid. On 4 December Ibrahim was forced to Abdicate in favour Marwan II.
  • 748: The Chinese Buddhist monk Jian Zhen writes in his Yue Jue Shu of the international sea traffic coming to Guangzhou, ships from Borneo, Persia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and others bringing tons of goods.
  • 750: The last Umayyad Caliph Marwan II is overthrown and executed by the first Abbasid Caliph, Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah. The Caliphate is moved to Baghdad which would later develop into a centre of trade and culture. The Ghana Empire begins in western Africa.
  • mid-8th century - Great Wild Goose Pagoda at Ci'en Temple, Xi'an, Shanxi, is rebuilt.
  • c. mid-8th century - Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians, from a tomb near Xi'an, Shanxi, is made. Tang dynasty. It is now kept at Museum of Chinese History, Beijing.
  • 751: Arabian armies defeat Chinese Tang dynasty troops in the Battle of Talas, in the high Pamirs near Samarkand, and conquer Central Asia completely.
  • 752: The Hindu Mataram kingdom flourishes and declines.
  • 754: Death of Abbasid caliph al-Saffah and ascension of caliph al-Mansur to Arab Caliphate.
  • 755–763: The An Shi Rebellion devastates China during the mid Tang dynasty.
  • 757: King Offa of Mercia becomes dominant ruler in England.
  • 758: Arab and Persian pirates and travelers burn and loot the Chinese city of Guangzhou, while the Tang Dynasty authorities shut the port down for the next five decades.
  • 760: The construction of the famous Indonesian Buddhist structure Borobudur began, probably as a non-Buddhist shrine.
  • 761: Marriage of Abbasid princess Raytah and Muhammad.
  • 768: Pepin dies; Charles becomes king at Noyan and his brother Carloman becomes king at Soissons.
  • 770's–780's: Java launched series of naval raids on ports of Dai Viet, Champa and Cambodia; Sontay in Tonkin ; Nha Trang ; captured Indrapura in Cambodia ; Phan Rang. The naval raids was probably launched by Sailendran-Srivijayan Maharaja Dharmasetu or Dharanindra.
  • 772–804: Charlemagne invades what is now northwestern Germany, battling the Saxons for more than thirty years and finally crushing their rebellion, incorporating Saxony into the Frankish Empire and the Christian world.
  • 775: Death of caliph al-Mansur and he was succeeded by al-Mahdi.
File:Abu Ja'far al-Mansur, Sayr mulhimah min al-Sharq wa-al-Gharb.png|thumb|Abbasid caliph al-Mansur was succeeded by his heir and son Al-Mahdi, on 6th October 775.