Europe in 9th century
The
9th century is the period from
801 to
900 in accordance with the
Julian calendar in the
Christian/
Common Era.
Western Europe
Britain
Britain experienced a great influx of
Viking peoples in the ninth century as the
Viking Age continued from the previous century. The kingdoms of the
Heptarchy were gradually conquered and puppet rulers were given power over these. This invasion was achieved by a huge military force known as the
Great Heathen Army which was supposedly led by
Ivar the Boneless,
Halfdan Ragnarsson and
Guthrum. This Danish army first arrived in Britain in
865 in
East Anglia. After taking the kingdom there the army proceeded to capture the city of
York (
Jorvik) and establish the kingdom of
Jorvik. The Danes went on to subjugate the kingdom of
Northumbria and take all but the western portion of
Mercia. The remaining kingdom of
Wessex was the only kingdom of the
Heptarchy left.
Alfred the Great managed to maintain his kingdom of
Wessex and push back the Viking incursions, relieving the neighbouring kingdoms from the Danes following his famous victory over them at the
Battle of Ethandun in
878. Alfred re-established
Anglo-Saxon rule over the western half of
Mercia and the
Danelaw was established which separated
Mercia into halves, the eastern half remaining under the control of the Danes.
Ireland was affected also by the Viking expansion across the
North Sea. Extensive raids were carried out across the coastline and eventually permanent settlements were established, such as that of
Dublin in
841. Particular targets for these raids were the monasteries on the western coast of Ireland as they provided a rich source for loot. On such raids the
Vikings set up impermanent camps, which were called
longphorts by the Irish. This period of Viking raids on the coasts of
Ireland has been named the
longphort phase after these particular types of settlements.
Ireland in the ninth century was organised into an amalgam of small kingdoms, called
tuatha. These kingdoms were sometimes grouped together and ruled by a single, provincial ruler. Providing such a ruler can establish and maintain authority over a portion of these
tuatha they were sometimes granted the title of High King (see
High King of Ireland).
Scotland experienced significant Viking incursions during the ninth century also. The
Vikings established themselves in coastal regions, usually in northern Scotland, and in the northern isles such as the
Orkneys and
Shetland. The Viking invasion and settlement in Scotland provided a contributing factor in the collapse of the kingdoms of the
Picts, who inhabited most of Scotland at the time. Not only were the Pictish realms either destroyed or severely weakened, the Viking invasion and settlement may have been the reason for the movement of
Kenneth MacAlpin, the present king of
Dál Riata, which had also been devastated by the Viking incursions. The kingdom of
Dál Riata, located on the western coast of Scotland, had been destroyed after the death of their previous king
Áed mac Boanta in 839, according to the
Annals of Ulster, which may have made the new king
Kenneth MacAlpin move to the east, and conquer the remnants of the Pictish realms.
Kenneth MacAlpin became king of the
Picts in
843 and later kings would be titled as the
King of Alba or
King of Scots.
Art of the "Dark Ages"
First and foremost, art was dedicated to the Church. The basic tools of the Roman Catholic mass, thousands of golden art objects were made. Sacred cups, vessels, reliqueries, crucifixes, rosaries, altar pieces, and statues of the Virgin and Child or Saints all kept the flame of art from dying out in the period. Architecture began to revive to some extent by the 9th century. It took the form of Church facilities of all kinds, and the first castle fortifications since Roman times began to take form in simple "moat and baily" castles, or simple "strong point" tower structures, with little refinement.
Events
Eastern Hemisphere at the beginning of the 9th century AD.
Eastern Hemisphere at the end of the 9th century AD.
, one of the bronzes found at
Igbo Ukwu.
]]
- The Arab merchant Shulama wrote that Chinese junk ships could carry 600 to 700 passengers aboard for sailing missions into the Indian Ocean. He wrote that the draft of Chinese ships was too deep for entering the Euphrates River (modern-day Iraq), which forced them to land small boats on the banks of the river for passengers and cargo instead.
- Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century.
- Large-scale Viking attacks on Europe begin, devastating countless numbers of people.
- 800 – 909: Rule of Aghlabids as an independent Muslim dynasty in North Africa, with their capital at Tunis.
- c. 813 – c. 915: Period of serious Arab naval raids on shores of Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas.
- 851: The Arab merchant Suleiman al-Tajir visits the Chinese seaport at Guangzhou in southern China, and observes the manufacturing of porcelain, the Islamic mosque built at Guangzhou, the granary system of the city, and how its municipal administration functioned.
- 863 – 879: Period of schism between eastern and western churches.
- In Italy, some cities became free republics: for instance Forlì, in 889.
Significant people
Charlemagne (left) and Pippin the Hunchback. Tenth-century copy of a lost original from about 830.
Saint Clement of Ohrid
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
- First image of a rotary grindstone in a European source—illustration shows crank, first known use of a crank in the West (Utrecht Psalter, A.D. 843)
See also
Timeline of 9th century Muslim history
