A Viking attempt against Mercia in the…
867 CE
A Viking attempt against Mercia in the same season fails.
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Methodius receives the pope's sanction for his work in Moravia and in Pannonia, Moravia's southern neighbor.
The two territories are organized as a province and connected with the ancient archbishopric of Sirmium, restored by the pope.
Methodius' elevation to archbishop angers the Frankish clergy, who regard his archdiocese as their missionary field.
He is captured and imprisoned.
The majestic mosaic of the Virgin and Child, executed in 867 for the apse of Hagia Sophia, displays the restrained dignity and noble grandeur characteristic of Byzantine art of the period, which often draws directly and deliberately on the Hellenistic and Roman classical heritage.
The lifelike image of the enthroned Virgin, holding the Christ child on her lap and flanked by two archangels against an uneven golden background, and executed in carefully graded colors and meticulous setting both of stone and of glass-paste tesserae, replaces the original (sixth century?) image destroyed by the iconoclasts.
Photios summons a council that deposes Nicholas in 867 in retaliation for the papacy’s attempts to establish ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Bulgarians, newly converted to the Rite of Constantinople (Greek, or Byzantine, rite) under Photios himself.
The emperor Michael has meanwhile developed a reputation for being unstable and extremely cruel, though modern historians believe him to have been less incompetent or dissolute than his epithet, “the Drunkard”, would imply.
This more modern view is supported to some extent by his record of victories over the Arabs.
His faults have probably been exaggerated by historians who sought to find extenuating circumstances for the murder of Michael by Basil and his supporters.
When Michael started to favor another courtier, Basiliskian, Basil had decided that his position was being undermined.
Michael has invested Basiliskian with the Imperial title and this induces Basil to pre-empt events by organizing the assassination of Michael on the night of September 23/24, 867.
Michael and Basiliskian are insensibly drunk following a banquet at the palace of Anthimos when Basil, with a small group of companions (including his father Bardas, brother Marinos, and cousin Ayleon), gains entry.
The locks to the chamber doors have been tampered with and the chamberlain has not posted guards; both victims are then put to the sword.
On Michael III's death, Basil, as an already acclaimed co-emperor, automatically becomes the ruling basileus.
Immediately on his accession, Basil attempts to win support at home and to conciliate Rome by reinstating the deposed patriarch Ignatios and excommunicating Photios.
Photios is removed from his office and banished about the end of September 867, and Ignatios is reinstated on November 23.
Louis the Stammerer, the son of King Charles II the Bald, is made king of Aquitaine under his father's tutelage in 867.
Pope Nicholas, who has encouraged the missionary activity of the Church throughout Europe, has sanctioned the union of the Sees of Bremen and Hamburg, and confirmed to St. Anschar, Archbishop of Bremen, and his successors the office of papal legate to the Danes, Swedes, and Slavs.
In many other ecclesiastical matters, he has issued letters and decisions, and he has taken active measures against bishops who were neglectful of their duties.
At Rome, Nicholas has rebuilt and endowed several churches, and constantly sought to encourage religious life.
He has led a pious personal life guided by a spirit of Christian asceticism.
Regino of Prüm reports that Nicholas was highly esteemed by the citizens of Rome and by his contemporaries generally.
He dies on November 13, 867.
His elderly successor, a member of a noble Roman family, becomes Pope Adrian II.
Like his predecessor, Adrian will be forced to submit, in temporal affairs, to the interference of the emperor, Louis II, who places him under the surveillance of Arsenius, bishop of Orta, his confidential adviser, and Arsenius's son Anastasius, the librarian.
Adrian had married in his youth, and his wife and daughter are still living at his election.
They are carried off and assassinated by Anastasius's brother, Eleutherius.
Baldwin I of Flanders Expands His Power (864–867)
Following his marriage to Judith of West Francia, Baldwin I (Iron Arm), originally a low-ranking noble, rapidly rises in power under the reluctant approval of his father-in-law, Charles the Bald. Over the next few years, Baldwin secures new lands, reinforcing his status as a powerful Frankish magnate.
Territorial Gains and the Formation of Flanders
- In the years following his marriage, Baldwin receives the counties of Ternois and Flanders from Charles, further consolidating his control over northern Francia.
- These lands, located along the North Sea coast, are strategically significant because they:
- Serve as a buffer zone against Viking incursions.
- Provide Baldwin with rich trade routes and fertile lands.
- Establish what will later become the County of Flanders, one of medieval Europe’s most powerful principalities.
The Birth of Baldwin’s Heirs (864–865)
- By 867, Baldwin and Judith have two sons:
- Baldwin II, born in 864, who will later inherit Flanders and continue expanding its influence.
- Rudolf, born in 865, who will pursue an ecclesiastical career and later become Archbishop of Bourges.
The Legacy of Baldwin and Judith
- Baldwin’s alliance with Charles the Bald, though initially forged through Judith’s controversial elopement, solidifies his dynastic legitimacy.
- The territories granted to Baldwin lay the foundation for the County of Flanders, which will grow into one of the most wealthy and politically influential regions of medieval Europe.
- His son, Baldwin II, will face continued Viking threats and further strengthen Flanders as a major feudal power.
By 867, Baldwin I is no longer just Judith’s husband—he has become a key figure in West Francia, with land, heirs, and a growing political influence, marking the beginning of the powerful House of Flanders.
eutberga Seeks a Divorce: Lothair II's Renewed Attempt in Italy (867)
By 867, after years of legal battles, political maneuvering, and Papal resistance, Teutberga, the estranged wife of Lothair II of Lotharingia, now expresses her desire for a divorce—whether by her own inclination or under duress remains uncertain.
Lothair II’s Renewed Attempt to Secure Papal Approval
- With Teutberga’s apparent consent, Lothair sees an opportunity to finally legitimize his union with Waldrada, his longtime mistress and the mother of his children.
- He travels to Italy to seek the assent of the new pope, Hadrian II, following the death of Pope Nicholas I(who had strongly opposed the divorce).
- Lothair hopes that the new pontiff will be more favorable to his cause, allowing him to:
- Dissolve his marriage with Teutberga.
- Marry Waldrada, securing legitimacy for their children and an uncontested succession in Lotharingia.
Political and Religious Implications
- This move once again entangles the Papacy in Carolingian dynastic struggles, reinforcing Rome’s growing influence over royal marriages.
- Lothair’s uncles, Charles the Bald and Louis the German, continue to watch closely, as Lothair remains without a legitimate heir, leaving Lotharingia vulnerable to partition.
The Uncertain Fate of Lothair’s Request
- Though Lothair is determined to finalize his divorce, the question remains:
- Is Teutberga’s desire for separation genuine, or is she being pressured?
- Will Pope Hadrian II support or reject Lothair’s long-standing demand?
Lothair’s journey to Italy in 867 marks the final chapter in his struggle to secure his marital and dynastic ambitions, but fate will soon intervene, cutting short his plans.
The Frisian Rebellion Against Rorik and His Conversion to Christianity (867)
In 867, the Frisians rise in rebellion against Rorik, the Danish Viking ruler of Friesland, and temporarily liberate the region from Norse control. This event highlights the continued resistance of the native Frisians against Viking dominance and the shifting political dynamics in the Low Countries.
The Frisian Rebellion and Its Consequences
- Friesland had been under Viking rule since the mid-9th century, when Emperor Lothair I granted Rorik control over the region to stabilize it.
- By 867, growing discontent leads the Frisians to revolt, seeking to expel their Norse overlords.
- Though the rebellion is initially successful, Rorik eventually regains control, either by military force or through Frankish intervention.
Rorik’s Alleged Conversion to Christianity
- According to Frankish sources, Rorik converts to Christianity, likely under Frankish influence.
- This parallels similar Carolingian strategies where Viking leaders were baptized and integrated into the Frankish feudal system, as seen earlier with Harald Klak in 826.
- Some scholars see Rorik’s conversion as a means to legitimize his rule over the Frisians, using Frankish support to maintain control.
A Possible Connection to the Christianization of the Rus’ (867)?
- In the same year, 867, Patriarch Photios of Constantinople reports that the Rus’ (possibly under Rurik, the legendary Norse founder of Novgorod) also embrace Christianity.
- If these accounts are accurate, they may indicate a broader trend of Viking rulers converting to Christianity as a means of securing political alliances and stabilizing their rule over native populations.
- However, the Christianization of the Rus' remains disputed, and some argue that it may have been a temporary or politically motivated conversion, much like those of Viking leaders in Francia and England.
Impact of the 867 Rebellion and Rorik’s Conversion
- The rebellion demonstrates that Norse rule over Friesland is still contested and that the Frisians are not passive subjects.
- Rorik’s possible baptism aligns him more closely with the Franks, potentially ensuring Frankish backing against future Frisian uprisings.
- The Carolingian policy of converting Viking leaders continues, influencing later Norse Christianization efforts, including those in Normandy, England, and Scandinavia.
Though the Frisian rebellion of 867 is short-lived, it highlights the fragility of Viking rule in the region and the growing intersection of Norse power with Frankish religious and political influence.
The rivals for the throne of Northumbria, declaring a truce, join forces but fail to retake York in March 867, and with their deaths, …
…the Northumbrian sub-kingdom of Deira comes under Danish control, and …