859
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Year 859 (DCCCLIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
- January 15 – Battle of St. Quentin: Frankish forces, led by Humfrid, defeat King Louis the German at Saint-Quentin (Northern France). Humfrid is enfeoffed with the County of Autun, and appointed Margrave of Burgundy, by King Charles the Bald.
- Summer – The Viking chieftains Hastein and Björn Ironside (a son of Ragnar Lodbrok) begin an expedition, and sail from the Loire River with a fleet of 62 ships, to raid cities and monasteries in the Mediterranean Sea.<ref>Haywood, John (1995). The Historical Atlas of the Vikings, pp. 58–59. Penguin Books: Template:ISBN</ref>
- Viking raiders invade the Kingdom of Pamplona (Western Pyrenees), and capture King García Íñiguez I, somewhere in the Andalusian heartland. They extort a ransom, rising to around 70,000 gold dinars.Template:Sfn
- The Russian city of Novgorod is first mentioned in the Sofia Chronicles.
- Winter – The weather is so severe that the Adriatic Sea freezes, and Italy is covered in snow for 100 days.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Iberian Peninsula
- Battle of Albelda: King Ordoño I of Asturias, and his ally García Íñiguez I, defeat the Muslims under Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi at Albelda.
- Viking raiders burn the mosques of Seville and Algeciras in al-Andalus (modern Spain).<ref name=rucquoi1993>Template:Cite book</ref>
Africa
- The University of Al Karaouine is founded in Fes (modern Morocco), by Fatima al-Fihri (recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest still-operating university in the world).
China
- September 7 – Emperor Xuān Zong (Li Yi) dies after a 13-year reign. He is succeeded by his eldest son Yi Zong, as ruler of the Tang dynasty.
Syria
- 859 Syrian coast earthquake. It affected the Mediterranean coast of Syria<ref name="Antonopoulos">Template:Cite journal</ref> It caused almost the complete destruction of Latakia and Jableh, major damage at Antioch and led to many deaths.<ref name=Ambraseys>Template:Cite book</ref>
Births
- Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya, first Zaydi Imam of Yemen (d. 911)<ref>Template:EI2</ref>
- Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah, vizier of the Abbasid Caliphate (d. 946)
- Odo I, king of the West Frankish Kingdom (or 860)
- Rudolph I, king of Burgundy (d. 912)
- Tannet of Pagan, king of Burma (d. 904)
Deaths
- September 7 – Xuān Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 810)
- December 13 – Angilbert II, archbishop of Milan
- Dhul-Nun al-Misri, Egyptian scholar and Sufi (b. 796)
- Immo, bishop of Noyon (approximate date)
- Lu Shang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 789)
- Máel Gualae, king of Munster (Ireland)