859
Year 859 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
- January 15 - Battle of St. Quentin: Frankish forces, led by Humfrid, defeat King Louis the German at Saint-Quentin. Humfrid is enfeoffed with the County of Autun, and appointed Margrave of Burgundy, by King Charles the Bald.
- Summer - The Viking chieftains Hastein and Björn Ironside begin an expedition, and sail from the Loire River with a fleet of 62 ships, to raid cities and monasteries in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Viking raiders invade the Kingdom of Pamplona, and capture King García Íñiguez I, somewhere in the Andalusian heartland. They extort a ransom, rising to around 70,000 gold dinars.
- The Russian city of Novgorod is first mentioned in the Sofia Chronicles.
- Winter – The weather is so severe that the Adriatic Sea freezes, and Italy is covered in snow for 100 days.
Iberian Peninsula
- Battle of Albelda: King Ordoño I of Asturias, and his ally García Íñiguez I, defeat the Muslims under Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi at Albelda.
- Viking raiders burn the mosques of Seville and Algeciras in al-Andalus.
Africa
- The University of Al Karaouine is founded in Fes, by Fatima al-Fihri.
China
- September 7 - Emperor Xuān Zong dies after a 13-year reign. He is succeeded by his eldest son Yi Zong, as ruler of the Tang dynasty.
Syria
- 859 Syrian [coast earthquake]. It affected the Mediterranean coast of Syria It caused almost the complete destruction of Latakia and Jableh, major damage at Antioch and led to many deaths.
Births
- Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya, first Zaydi Imam of Yemen
- Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah, vizier of the Abbasid Caliphate
- Odo I, king of the West Frankish Kingdom
- Rudolph I, king of Burgundy
- Tannet of Pagan, king of Burma
Deaths
- September 7 - Xuān Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty
- December 13 - Angilbert II, archbishop of Milan
- Dhul-Nun al-Misri, Egyptian scholar and Sufi
- Immo, bishop of Noyon
- Lu Shang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
- Máel Gualae, king of Munster