Great Heathen Army
Danish Vikings conquer half of England
In the autumn of 865 a large army of Danish Vikings landed in East Anglia. Within a few years it took York and subdued Northumbria, East Anglia and much of Mercia; only Alfred the Great's Wessex held out, and the conquered lands became the Danelaw.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 9th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Eastern Europe & Russia
- c. 862 Calling of the Varangians — 3 years earlier
- 882 Oleg takes Kiev — 17 years later
Africa
- 859 Fatima al-Fihri founds al-Qarawiyyin — 6 years earlier
Asia
- c. 850 Prambanan — 15 years earlier
- 868 The Diamond Sutra is printed — 3 years later
Alive at the time
- Charles the Bald (aged 42)
- Rurik (aged 35)
- Oleg the Wise (aged 20)
- Alfred the Great (aged 16)
- Al-Kindi (aged 64)