Editing 878

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{About year|878}}
{{Year nav|878}}
{{M1 year in topic}}
[[File:England 878.svg|upright=1.35|thumb|Map of [[England]] (878) showing the extent of the [[Danelaw]] (also known as the '''Danelagh''').]]
[[File:Statue of King Alfred in Wantage Market Square.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|[[Alfred the Great]] at [[Wantage]] ([[Oxfordshire]])]]
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Year '''878''' ('''[[Roman numerals|DCCCLXXVIII]]''') was a [[common year starting on Wednesday]] of the [[Julian calendar]].

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== By place ===
==== Europe ====
* March–April &ndash; [[Wilfred the Hairy]] (ruler of the [[Catalan counties]]) with other supporters of [[Louis the Stammerer]] (King of [[West Francia]]) defeat noble supporters of the rebel [[Bernard of Gothia]].
* [[September 11]] &ndash; Bernard of Gothia is dispossessed of his titles by Louis.

==== Britain ====
* [[January 6]] &ndash; [[Battle of Chippenham]]: King [[Alfred the Great]] of Wessex is surprised by a [[Viking]] attack at [[Chippenham]] in Wiltshire. He is forced to flee, with his retinue, into the [[Somerset Levels]] for safety. From his headquarters at [[Athelney]], Alfred wages [[guerrilla warfare]] against the Vikings.
* [[May]] &ndash; [[Battle of Edington]]: Supported by all the levies of [[Somerset]], [[Wiltshire]] and [[Hampshire]], Alfred the Great decisively defeats the main body of Danish Vikings, led by King [[Guthrum]], at modern-day [[Edington, Wiltshire]] (near [[Bratton Castle]]).
* [[Treaty of Wedmore]]: Guthrum agrees to a [[peace treaty]] and is [[Baptism|baptised]], taking the name of Aethelstan. [[England]] is divided between [[Wessex]] in the south, and the Vikings in the [[Danelaw]] up north. Guthrum returns to [[Kingdom of East Anglia|East Anglia]].
* [[Battle of Cynwit]]: Viking raiders, led by [[Ubba|Ubba Ragnarsson]], land on the coast at [[Combwich]] with 23 ships, and besiege a hillfort (called Cynwit) at [[Cannington, Somerset]]. Ealdorman [[Odda, Ealdorman of Devon|Odda]] launches a surprise attack, and kills Ubba in battle.<ref>Paul Hill (2009). ''The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great'', pp. 73–76. {{ISBN|978-1-59416-087-5}}.</ref>
* King [[Rhodri the Great]] of [[Kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]], [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]] and [[Seisyllwg]], returns to his kingdoms, but is killed fighting the Mercians of King [[Ceolwulf II of Mercia|Ceolwulf II]]. His kingdoms are divided amongst his three sons: [[Anarawd ap Rhodri|Anarawd]], [[Merfyn ap Rhodri|Merfyn]] and [[Cadell ap Rhodri|Cadell]]. 
* King [[Áed mac Cináeda]] of [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] is killed in battle, by his rival [[Giric|Giric mac Dúngal]]. Giric becomes [[List of kings of the Picts|king of the Picts]], and allies himself with [[Eochaid, son of Rhun|Eochaid]] (grandson of [[Kenneth MacAlpin|Kenneth I]]). The two rule all of [[Alba]] (Scotland) together as joint-kings.

==== Arabian Empire ====
* [[May 21]] &ndash; [[Siege of Syracuse (877–878)|Siege of Syracuse]]: The [[Aghlabids]] capture the Byzantine fortress city of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]], after a nine-month [[siege]]. Most of the population is massacred by the Arabs.
* [[Zanj Rebellion]]: The [[Zanj]] (black [[Slavery|slaves]] from [[East Africa]]) in [[Mesopotamia]] seize [[Wasit, Iraq|Wasit]] (modern [[Iraq]]), and establish a presence in the Persian province of [[Khuzestan Province|Khuzestan]].
* ''[[Reconquista]]'': King [[Alfonso III of Asturias]] conquers the city of [[Coimbra]] (modern [[Portugal]]), which is under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]].<ref name=picard2000>{{cite book|last=Picard|first=Christophe|title=Le Portugal musulman (VIIIe-XIIIe siècle0. L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique|year=2000|publisher=Maisonneuve & Larose|location=Paris|isbn=978-2-7068-1398-6|page=109}}</ref>

=== By topic ===
==== Religion ====
* [[April 16]] &ndash; The city of [[Belgrade]] is first mentioned in a [[Ecclesiastical letter|papal letter]] to [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris I]], ruler (''[[Khan (title)|khan]]'') of the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]].
* [[September 7]] &ndash; [[Pope John VIII]] crowns [[Louis the Stammerer]] as king of the [[West Francia|West Frankish Kingdom]], in the cathedral at [[Troyes]].
* Poorna, the illegitimate grand-daughter of [[Adi Shankara|Shankara]], unifies all of his teaching in the ''[[Upadeśasāhasrī]]''.
* The [[excommunication]] of [[Pope Formosus|Formosus]] is lifted, after he has promised never to return to [[Rome]]. He will become Pope in 891.</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[Bardas Phokas the Elder]], Byzantine general (d. [[968]])
* [[Ermentrude of France]], daughter of [[Louis the Stammerer]] (or [[875]])
* [[Krishna II]], king of [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta]] ([[India]]) (d. [[914]])
* [[Miró II of Cerdanya]], Frankish [[Nobility|nobleman]] (approximate date)
* [[Odo of Cluny]], Frankish [[abbot]] (approximate date)

== Deaths ==
[[File:Emperor Seiwa.jpg|thumb|right|110px|[[Emperor Seiwa]]]]
* [[Abu Zur'a al-Razi]], Muslim scholar
* [[Áed mac Cináeda]], king of [[Alba]] ([[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]])<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Lynch |editor1-first=Michael |title=The Oxford companion to Scottish history |date=February 24, 2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199693054 |page=359}}</ref>
* [[Adelchis of Benevento|Adelchis]], prince of [[Duchy of Benevento|Benevento]]
* [[Amoghavarsha|Amoghavarsha I]], king of Rashtrakuta (b. [[800]])
* [[Anastasius Bibliothecarius]], antipope of [[Rome]] (approximate date)
* [[Gauzfrid, Count of Maine]], Frankish nobleman
* [[Iljko of Croatia|Iljko]], duke (''[[knyaz]]'') of [[Duchy of Croatia|Croatia]] 
* [[Rhodri the Great]], king of [[Wales]]
* [[Run of Alt Clut]], king of [[Kingdom of Strathclyde|Strathclyde]] (approximate date)
* [[Ubba|Ubba Ragnarsson]], Viking chieftain
* [[Wang Xianzhi (rebel)|Wang Xianzhi]], Chinese rebel leader

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:878| ]]