Repeated attempts by the popes to bring…
882 CE
Repeated attempts by the popes to bring the Bulgarian ruler back into the Roman church by pleas and promises of concessions continue until 882, but produce no results.
Groups
Subjects
Regions
Southeast Europe
View →Subregions
Eastern Southeast Europe
View →Related Events
No active filters.
Showing 10 events out of 53809 total
The Rus of Novgorod seize Kiev in 882, uniting the northern and southern Rus'.
According to the Primary Chronicle, Oleg, who was a relative (likely brother-in-law) of the first ruler, Rurik, and was entrusted by Rurik to take care of both his kingdom and his young son Ingvar, or Igor, gradually took control of the Dnieper cities, captured Kiev (previously held by the Varangian warlords, Askold and Dir) and finally moved his capital from Novgorod there.
The new capital would be a convenient place to launch a raid against Tsargrad (Constantinople) in 911.
According to the chronicle, the imperial Greeks attempted to poison Oleg, but the Rus' leader demonstrated his oracular powers by refusing to drink the cup of poisoned wine.
Having fixed his shield to the gate of the imperial capital, Oleg won a favorable trade treaty, which eventually was of great benefit to both nations.
Although Byzantine sources did not record these hostilities, the text of the treaty survives in the Primary Chronicle.
The Primary Chronicle's brief account of Oleg's life contrasts with other early sources, specifically the Novgorod First Chronicle, which states that Oleg was not related to Rurik, and was rather a Scandinavian client-prince who served as Igor's army commander.
The Novgorod First Chronicle does not give the date of the commencement of Oleg's reign, but dates his death to 922 rather than 912.
Scholars have contrasted this dating scheme with the "epic" reigns of roughly thirty-three years for both Oleg and Igor in the Primary Chronicle.
The Primary Chronicle and other Kievan sources place Oleg's grave in Kiev, while Novgorodian sources identify a funerary barrow in Ladoga as Oleg's final resting place.
In the Primary Chronicle, Oleg is known as the Prophet, an epithet alluding to the sacred meaning of his Norse name ("priest"), but also ironically referring to the circumstances of his death.
According to this legend, romanticized by Alexander Pushkin in his celebrated ballad "The Song of the Wise Oleg," it was prophesied by the pagan priests that Oleg would take death from his stallion.
Proud of his own foretelling abilities, he sent the horse away.
Many years later he asked where his horse was, and was told it had died.
He asked to see the remains and was taken to the place where the bones lay.
When he touched the horse's skull with his boot a snake slithered from the skull and bit him.
Oleg died, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
In Scandinavian traditions, this legend lived on in the saga of Orvar-Odd.
According to the Primary Chronicle, Oleg died in 912 and his successor, Igor of Kiev, ruled from then until his assassination in 945.
The Schechter Letter, a document written by a Jewish Khazar, a contemporary of Romanus I Lecapenus, describes the activities of a Rus' warlord named HLGW (Hebrew: הלגו), usually transcribed as "Helgu".
For years, many scholars disregarded or discounted the Schechter Letter account, which referred to Helgu (often interpreted as Oleg) as late as the 940s.
Recently, however, scholars such as David Christian and Constantine Zuckerman have suggested that the Schechter Letter's account is corroborated by various other Russian chronicles, and suggests a struggle within the early Rus' polity between factions loyal to Oleg and to the Rurikid Igor, a struggle that Oleg ultimately lost.
Zuckerman posited that the early chronology of the Rus' had to be re-determined in light of these sources.
Among Zuckerman's beliefs and those of others who have analyzed these sources are that the Khazars did not lose Kiev until the early tenth century (rather than 882, the traditional date, that Igor was not Rurik's son but rather a more distant descendant, and that Oleg did not immediately follow Rurik, but rather that there is a lost generation between the legendary Varangian lord and his documented successors.
Ibn Tulun annexes Syria in 882, using the pretext of a holy war against the Empire.
Following his return from Syria, ibn Tulun adds his own name to coins issued by the dynasty, along with those of the Caliph and heir apparent.
He invites the nearly powerless Caliph al-Mu'tamid to Egypt to offer him protection against his brother, al-Muwaffaq, who is trying to remain in power as regent.
Al-Muta'mid is intercepted en route to Egypt, and ibn Tulun and al-Muwaffaq begin an endless campaign against each other.
Ibn Ṭūlūn is able to have a group of prominent jurists declare al-Muwaffaq a usurper, and both leaders have the other cursed during Friday prayers.
Military skirmishes follow.
Richard, called the Justiciar, is a Bosonid, the son of Bivin of Gorze and Richildis.
His elder brother is Boso of Provence and his younger sister is Richildis, second wife of Charles the Bald.
After the death of the Emperor Louis II in 875, Richard and Boso had accompanied Charles to Italy for his imperial coronation.
In Pavia, while preparing for his return journey in February 876, Charles had nominated Boso "Duke and Viceroy of Italy and Duke of Provence."
On Charles' death in 877, Boso had returned to France and confided the realm of Italy and the duchy of Provence to Richard and Hugh the Abbot as missi dominici.
When Boso declared himself "King of Provence" in 879 following the death of Louis the Stammerer, Richard had defected from Boso and taken Boso's county of Autun, which Carloman II had confirmed to him in 880.
The two had joined battle on the Saône and Richard had captured Mâcon and garrisoned it in the name of Carloman and Louis III under the command of Bernard Plantapilosa, a relative of the hereditary Counts of Mâcon.
After taking Lyon, he had besieged his brother's capital of Vienne, where he had been joined by Louis, Carloman, and the emperor Charles the Fat.
Richard eventually drives Boso out in September 882 and captures his wife Ermengard and children Engelberga and Louis, sending them as prisoners to Autun.
Boso goes into hiding in Provence.
Charles convokes a diet in Ravenna in February 882.
The duke, emperor, and pope make peace and Guy and his uncle, Guy of Camerino, vow to restore stolen papal lands.
Pope John VIII claims in a March letter to Charles that the vows had gone unfulfilled.
The Viking Siege of Asselt (882) and the Controversial Treaty of Charles the Fat
In 882, Emperor Charles the Fat gathers a large Frankish army at Worms to confront the Vikings encamped at Asselt on the Meuse in Frisia. This campaign, intended to drive the Norse invaders from Carolingian lands, ultimately results in a controversial treaty with Viking leaders Godfrid and Sigifrid, shaping Charles’ historical reputation.
The Frankish Military Campaign Against the Vikings
- Following his return from Italy and assumption of the East Frankish throne in Regensburg (early May 882), Charles takes immediate action against the Viking threat in Frisia.
- An army is assembled consisting of:
- Franks, Alemanni, Bavarii, Thuringii, Saxons, and Lombards.
- The campaign strategy:
- Lombards, Alemanni, and Franks move up the Rhine on the western bank.
- Bavarians march along the eastern bank and cross the Rhine at Andernach.
- Arnulf of Carinthia (Bavarians) and Henry of Franconia (Franks) are sent ahead to ambush the Norsemen.
The Siege of Asselt and the Unexpected Truce
According to the Mainz continuation of the Annales Fuldenses:
- The Frankish army is on the verge of capturing the Viking camp, but Charles is persuaded by Liutward of Vercelli (allegedly bribed by the Vikings) to accept peace terms instead of pressing the attack.
- Charles meets Viking envoys, leading to negotiations instead of outright battle.
- Godfrid is granted the Kennemerland (formerly ruled by Rorik of Dorestad) as a vassal of Charles.
- Sigifrid is paid Danegeld, with some funds taken from church treasuries.
Alternative Account from the Bavarian Continuation of the Annales Fuldenses
- The ambush fails due to treachery, delaying the Frankish assault.
- The twelve-day siege is broken by disease from rotting corpses and a violent hailstorm.
- Godfrid swears oaths to Charles, promising never again to raid the empire, and is baptized, with Charles serving as his godfather.
Aftermath and Contemporary Reactions
- Charles disperses his army at Koblenz, bringing an end to the campaign.
- The Mainz continuator of the Annales Fuldenses presents the event as a humiliating failure, blaming Charles for weakness and bribery, possibly due to the influence of Liutbert of Mainz, who had been dismissed from court.
- Other sources, including the Bavarian continuation, offer a less critical perspective, portraying the negotiations as a pragmatic response to unforeseen difficulties.
- Contemporaries do not widely view the campaign as a disaster, but later historians emphasize Charles’ diplomatic approach as an example of Carolingian weakness against Viking aggression.
Significance and Legacy
- The treaty of Asselt (882) is part of a larger Carolingian pattern of dealing with Vikings, alternating between military action, payments, and territorial concessions.
- Charles the Fat’s reputation for weakness largely stems from this campaign and its depiction in the Mainz annals, though his diplomatic approach was consistent with previous Frankish rulers.
- The continued Norse presence in Frisia reflects the ongoing fragmentation of Carolingian rule, as Viking leaders are increasingly integrated into the Frankish political system.
Though Charles' campaign at Asselt did not result in a decisive victory, it was not universally seen as a failure at the time. However, the perception of Charles as an ineffective ruler, shaped by contemporary political rivalries and later historical interpretations, has come to define his legacy.
The Death of Louis III and the Crisis of West Francia (882)
On August 5, 882, Louis III, King of West Francia, dies after falling from his horse while chasing a girl with amorous intent. His sudden and unexpected death occurs at Saint-Denis, a central location within his realm, and he is buried in the royal mausoleum of the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
The Aftermath: Carloman Becomes Sole King
- Louis III had no heirs, leaving his brother Carloman II as the sole ruler of West Francia.
- Carloman inherits a kingdom in crisis, beset by Viking invasions, feudal revolts, and territorial instability.
The Dire Condition of West Francia (882)
-
Viking Incursions
- Norman raiders continue to plunder towns, monasteries, and cities, particularly in the Seine and Loire valleys.
- The kingdom’s defensive structures are inadequate, and Carloman struggles to muster a unified military response.
-
Weak Royal Authority
- The power of the West Frankish monarchy is limited, as local lords grow increasingly independent.
- Even within his own kingdom, Carloman’s authority is heavily circumscribed, with nobles asserting regional autonomy.
-
Revolts in Burgundy
- Feudal lords in Burgundy rise in rebellion, further weakening royal influence over the region.
- This signals the continued fragmentation of the Carolingian realm, as local rulers refuse to recognize centralized authority.
Legacy of Louis III
- Though his reign was short (879–882), Louis III is remembered for his victory over the Vikings at Saucourt (881), immortalized in the Ludwigslied.
- His death marks another step in the decline of the Carolingian monarchy, accelerating the rise of feudal states.
- With West Francia increasingly vulnerable, Carloman faces the daunting task of holding together a kingdom on the brink of disintegration.
Though Louis III’s reign was defined by both military triumph and personal recklessness, his untimely death leaves West Francia in a precarious state, setting the stage for continued instability and the eventual collapse of Carolingian rule.
Louis the Younger, having fallen ill in 881, dies in Frankfurt on January 20, 882.
He is buried beside his father in the abbey of Lorsch.
By his wife Luitgard of Saxony, he had had a son called Louis (877–879), who died in a fall from a palace window, and a daughter called Hildegard (878–895).
Louis had also fathered an illegitimate son, Hugh (855/60 – February 880), either with the daughter of Adalard or with an earlier concubine.
Since he leaves no heir, all his territories fall to his brother Charles, who thus can reunite the entire East Frankish kingdom.
Hildegard will later join with the Bavarian magnate Engeldeo in conspiring against King Arnulf and will deprived of her "public honors" in 895, according to the Annals of Fulda.
Louis the Younger had inherited Bavaria, Charles the Fat had been given the Kingdom of Italy and Arnulf had been confirmed in Carinthia by an agreement with Carloman after the latter had been incapacitated by a stroke in 879.
Bavaria, however, is ruled more or less by Arnulf.
Arnulf had in fact ruled Bavaria during the summer and autumn of 879 while his father arranged his succession and he himself had been granted "Pannonia," in the words of the Annales Fuldenses, or "Carantanum," in the words of Regino of Prüm.
The division of the realm had been confirmed in 880 on Carloman’s death.
When, in 882, Engelschalk II rebelled against the Margrave of Pannonia, Aribo, and ignited the so-called Wilhelminer War, Arnulf had supported him and even accepted his and his brother's homage.
This has ruined Arnulf's relationship with his uncle the Emperor and put him at war with Svatopluk of Moravia.
At first, the rebels were successful, until Aribo appeals to not only Moravia, but also the Emperor Charles the Fat, who confirms Aribo in his post, to which he had been appointed by Charles' father, Louis the German, back in 871.
Svatopluk invades Pannonia and, capturing one of the Wilhelminer brothers, mutilates him.
The remaining sons then withdraw from Charles' suzerainty and do homage to Charles' bastard nephew, who thus estranges himself from his uncle.
The war between Arnulf and Svatopluk escalates after the former refuses the latter’s request to to surrender the Wilhelminers.
Al-Muwaffiq finally defeats the Zanj freedom fighters in 883, ending fifteen years of havoc and commercial disruption in southern Mesopotamia.
Ahmad never goes so far as to declare formal independence from the 'Abbasid caliph, but the autonomy of his rule is clearly a threat to the authority of the latter, and he ceases to send any tribute to the 'Abbasid government.
The Caliph himself is preoccupied with other problems and is unable to spare the military forces necessary to bring Ahmad into submission.