Middle Ages
Pepin the Short Crowned King (751): The Carolingian Takeover
Pepin replaced the Merovingian dynasty and became the first Carolingian king of the Franks; the papacy and the Frankish monarchy formed a lasting alliance.
Era · c. 500 – 1500
Middle Ages
Kingdoms, crusades and plagues: the medieval world from the end of the Western Roman Empire to the fall of Constantinople.
Middle Ages
Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto: Silla Buddhist Art (751)
Two linked Buddhist monuments were built that became the finest surviving works of Unified Silla art and, in 1995, a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Middle Ages
Battle of Talas (751): Abbasid Caliphate Against Tang China
Abbasid victory after the Karluk Turks deserted the Tang side; the battle ended Tang expansion westward but did not by itself decide control of Central Asia.
Middle Ages
Todai-ji and the Great Buddha of Nara: Dedication in 752
The Great Buddha was dedicated, making Todai-ji the head of Japan's state Buddhist temple network and a lasting symbol of the Nara period.
Middle Ages
Jianzhen's Voyage to Japan (753): The Blind Monk's Mission
Jianzhen reached Japan on his sixth attempt, established the first regular ordination platform at Todai-ji and founded Toshodai-ji in Nara.
Middle Ages
An Lushan Rebellion (755-763): The Revolt That Broke the Tang
The Tang dynasty survived with Uyghur help, but lost central control over its provinces and frontiers and never regained its former power.
Middle Ages
Donation of Pepin (756): The Origin of the Papal States
Pepin forced the Lombards to give up the former Byzantine lands around Ravenna and granted them to the pope, creating the core of the Papal States.
Middle Ages
Abd al-Rahman I and the Emirate of Cordoba (756)
Abd al-Rahman I made al-Andalus an independent Umayyad emirate, ruled by his dynasty from Córdoba until 1031.
Middle Ages
Kailasa Temple at Ellora: India's Rock-Cut Masterpiece
The Rashtrakutas created the largest monolithic rock-cut temple in the world, dedicated to Shiva as lord of Mount Kailasa.
Middle Ages
Sijilmasa: Northern Gateway of the Trans-Saharan Gold Trade
Sijilmasa became the leading northern terminus of the western caravan routes and a major mint for West African gold before declining in the late 14th century.
Middle Ages
Founding of Baghdad (762): al-Mansur's Round City on the Tigris
A new, purpose-built capital gave the Abbasid caliphate a secure seat of power and grew into one of the largest cities in the medieval world.
Middle Ages
Charlemagne Conquers the Lombard Kingdom (774): Siege of Pavia
Pavia surrendered in June 774; Desiderius was exiled to Francia and Charlemagne became King of the Franks and the Lombards.