750s

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	7th century – 8th century – 9th century
Decades:	720s 730s 740s – 750s – 760s 770s 780s
Years:	750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments

750s: events by year

Contents: 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759

By place

Asia

• Gopala is proclaimed as the first ruler of the Pala Empire.
• After the defeat of his army in the Battle of the Zab the last Umayyad Caliph, Marwan II, is overthrown and killed. Al-Saffah is proclaimed the first Abbasid Caliph. The capital of the Caliphate will later moved from Damascus to Baghdad, within the territory of the former Persian Empire; this transfer will prove to be a momentous event for Baghdad, which develops into a centre of international trade and culture.

Africa

• The Ghana Empire begins.

America

• Teotihuacan in Mexico is destroyed.

By topic

Art

• The Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha, detail of a wall painting in Cave 217, Dunhuang, Gansu, is made. Tang dynasty (approximate date).

By place

Europe

• Cuthred of Wessex leads a successful rebellion against Aethelbald of Mercia at Battle Edge, Burford.
• First Muslim assault on Sardegna under Abd al-Rahman b. Habib. It may be the beginning of the occupation of the island by the Saracens that lasted until 1005.

Central America

• Yaxun B'alam IV becomes king of Yaxchilan after a ten year struggle for the throne.

By topic

Religion

• March 23 – Stephen is elected pope, but dies three days after and is not considered legitimate because he was not consecrated.
• March 26 – Pope Stephen II (sometimes referred to as Stephen III) succeeds Pope Zachary as the 92nd pope.
• Retired Emperor Shōmu takes part in the dedication ceremony of the great statue of Vairocana Buddha at the Tōdai-ji, and declares himself a Buddhist.

By place

Asia

• Samarkand is conquered by Arabs.
• The town of Staraja Ladoga is founded in Russia.

By topic

Religion

• The Synod of Constantinople is called by Emperor Constantine V.

By place

Asia

• al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph, starts to rule.

Europe

• Pope Stephen II crowns Pepin the short King of the Franks at Saint-Denis outside Paris; also dedicates the foundations of the new abbey church.
• Fire breaks out in Canterbury.
• The oldest document mentioning the city of Ferrara is from this year (approximate date).

By topic

Religion

• The Iconoclast Council of Hieria meets.

By place

Europe

• Pepin the Short sends his armies into Italy to aid the pope against the Lombards.
• Abd-ar-Rahman I lands in Spain, where the next year he will establish a new Umayyad dynasty.
• Cynewulf deposes King Sebright of Wessex and takes the kingdom.
• The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle suddenly changes in style, from short descriptions to true short stories.

China

• December 16 – An Lushan begins the Anshi Rebellion against the Tang Dynasty state of China.
• Trisong Detsen becomes King of Tibet.

By place

Europe

• Pepin the Short defeats the Lombards of northern Italy, who have threatened Pope Stephen II. The Donation of Pepin is a cession of lands including Ravenna that will become the basis of the Papal States.
• Abd-ar-rahman I conquers Iberia and re-establishes the Umayyad dynasty at Cordoba in modern Spain.
• Desiderius succeeds Aistulf as king of the Lombards.
• Vinekh succeeds Kormisosh as king of Bulgaria.

Asia

• The army of An Lushan captures Chang'an in rebellion against the Tang Dynasty.
• Yang Guozhong is killed by the angry soldiers, Yang Guifei and most people in the family of Yang are killed.
• Emperor Suzong of Tang China ascends to the throne, after his father Emperor Xuanzong abdicates while fleeing to Sichuan during the An Lushan rebellion.
• The Tang army, led by Zhang Xun, wins the Battle of Yongqiu.

By place

Africa

• Foundation of the city of Sijilmasa by the Meknasids, a Kharijite Berber tribe.

Asia

• March 9 – A major earthquake strikes Palestine and Syria.
• The Battle of Suiyang is fought.

Europe

• Offa becomes king of Mercia (to 796). He is noted for Offa's Dyke, built as a defence against Welsh marauders.
• Fruela I becomes king of Asturias.
• Tassilo III, duke of the Bavarians, recognizes the supremacy of Frankish king Pepin the Short.

By topic

Religion

• May 29 – Pope Paul I succeeds Pope Stephen II as the 93rd pope.

By place

Asia

• Emperor Junnin succeeds Empress Kōken on the throne of Japan.
• During the turmoil of the An Shi Rebellion, the Chinese seaport Guangzhou is sacked by Arab and Persian raiders. The port is shut down for the next five decades while foreign vessels dock at Hanoi instead, yet Guangzhou thrives again once it is reopened to foreign trade in the early 9th century.
• June 11 – Abbasid Arabs and Uyghur Turks arrive simultaneously at Chang'an, the Tang Chinese capital, in order to offer tribute to the imperial court. The Arabs and Turks bicker and fight over diplomatic prominence at the gate, in order to present tribute before the other. A settlement was reached when both were allowed to enter at the same time, but through two different gates to the palace.

Europe

• King Desiderius of the Lombards captures Spoleto and Benevento.
• Swithred is succeeded by Sigeric as King of Essex.

By place

Europe

• The Franks capture Narbonne; the Saracens are completely driven out of France.
• Battle of the Rishki Pass: Byzantine Emperor Constantine V invades Bulgaria again, but this time his army is ambushed in the mountain passes of the Stara Planina.
• Exceptional winter in England. Frost begins October 1 and ends February 26 760.

Asia

• Japanese poet Otomo no Yakamochi compiles the first Japanese poetry anthology, Man'yōshū.

By topic

Religion

• Saint Bregwin is appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
• The Tōshōdai-ji Buddhist Temple is founded in Nara, Japan.