Centuries: 8th century - 9th century - 10th century Decades: 820s - 830s - 840s - 850s - 860s - 870s - 880s - 890s - 900s - 910s - 920s
Years: 870Events The Danes invade England and conquer East Anglia. Among the buildings destroyed by the Danish invaders are the abbey of Ely and the monastery of Peterborough. 31 December: King Alfred of Wessex beats the Danes at Englefield, Berkshire. First of a s 871Events Nine battles are fought between the Danes and Wessex. Of two of them the place and date are not recorded, the others were Englesfield ( 31 December 870), Reading ( 4 January), Ashdown ( 8 January), Basing ( 22 January), Merton ( 22 March), Wilton ( 872Events Battle of Hafrsfjord in Norway, Harald Finehair first king of Norway. Gascony becomes an independent kingdom, with Sancho I Mitarra as its first king. 14 December: John VIII becomes pope. Louis II is crowned emperor for the second time. Births Deat 873Events Viking raid of Dorestad. Births Deaths abu al-Kindi, scientist 873. 874Events March 13 The bones of Saint Nicephorus are interred in the Church of the Apostles, Constantinople. Ingolfur Arnarson arrives as first permanent viking settler in Iceland, settling in Reykjavik (probable date). The Danes invade Mercia. Births King C 875Events 29 December: Charles the Bald, king of west Francia, crowned emperor. The Danes capture Lindisfarne and arrive in Cambridge. Harald Fairhair subdues the rovers on the Orkneys and Shetland Islands and adds them to his kingdom. Births Deaths 12 Augus 876Events Seiwa is succeeded by Yozei as emperor of Japan. After the death of Louis the German, his brother Charles the Bald tries to conquer the kingdom, but is defeated. East Francia is divided between Louis's sons Louis III (northern part) and Charles the 877Events The Danes take Exeter Indravarman II succeeds Jayavarman III as ruler of the Khmer Empire. Births Deaths October 6: Charles the Bald, king of the western Franks and western emperor Constantine I, King of the Scots and Picts; succeeded by Aedh White 878 879
1 Events and trends
- The Danes invade England (870) and conquer East Anglia. Several battles are fought with Wessex, but then peace is made (871). The Danes go on to establish the Danelaw in other parts of England. In 876, the Danes attack Wessex again, and in 878 king Alfred the Great of Wessex has to retreat to a single fort in the marshes of Somerset, but later that year he defeats the Danes, and England is divided in a Danish part in the northeast and a Wessex part in the south and west.
- 872: Battle of Hafrsfjord . Harald Fairhair unites Norway.
2 Important people
870s
