The previous part is here: https://bartoll.se/2024/04/history-matrix-part52/
All parts of this series can be found here: https://bartoll.se/world-playbook-quickstart/
In 682 AD, King Erwig of the Visigoths escalated the oppression of the Jews in Spain. He made it illegal to practice any Jewish rites (brit milah,) and hard-pressed for the conversion or emigration of the remaining Jews.
In Africa, the last Byzantine (Roman) bases of Tripoli and Carthage were overrun by Muslim forces led by Uqba ibn Nafi.
In Asia, due to a culmination of major droughts, floods, and locust invasions, a widespread famine breaks out in the dual Chinese capital cities of Chang’an (primary capital) and Luoyang (secondary capital.) The scarcity of food drove the price of food items to unprecedented heights, ending a once prosperous era under emperors Tai Zong and Gao Zong on a sad note. Some historians claimed that it was due to “epidemics,” as in fictious “infectious diseases” that do not exist in nature, when in truth, people got sick from severe malnutrition and consuming old, stale and very toxic foods due to starving and being desperate.
In 683 AD, in Britannia, King Sighere of Essex died after a 19-year joint reign, and thus his brother Sæbbi became the sole ruler of Essex.
In the Arabian Empire, the Umayyad army led by Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni besieged Mecca, during which the Kaaba (“Sacred House”) caught fire and was burned down. In the following year, the Umayyad took control of Syria.
In 685 AD, Emperor Constantine IV allegedly died of dysentery at Constantinople after a 17-year reign. He was succeeded by his 16-year-old son Justinian II.
In Britannia, the Picts and their king Bridei III had grown tired of their Northumbrian overlords and staged a revolt. Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, advised King Ecgfrith of Northumbria (Bridei’s cousin) not to invade Pictland (modern Scotland.) Undiscouraged, Ecgfrith marched his army north to engage the Picts near Dunnichen. The Picts, with help from the Strathclyde Briton, defeated the Saxon army, killing Ecgfrith, who had reigned for 15 years.
In Wessex, King Centwine died after a 9-year reign and was succeeded by his distant cousin, Cædwalla, who within a few months managed to fully re-unite the sub-kingdoms of Wessex. Cædwalla then attacked Sussex with a large army, and killed King Æthelwealh in battle. As a result, he was expelled by Æthelwealh’s ealdormen, Berthun and Andhun, who jointly ruled the South Saxons.
Cædwalla then continued and invaded Kent, laid it to waste, and carried off some immense plunder.
In 686 AD, King Cædwalla of Wessex established overlordship of Essex, and he also invaded Kent for a second time. King Eadric was expelled and Cædwalla’s brother Mul was installed in his place. The sub-kings Berthun and Andhun were killed and Sussex was subjugated by the West Saxons.
Cædwalla also conquered Surrey, and tried to exterminate the Jutes of the Isle of Wight. He executed King Arwald and his two brothers.
Later that year, Wilfrid, bishop of York, became an advisor of Cædwalla, and he was sent to the Isle of Wight to evangelize the inhabitants into Roman Catholicism.
In 687 AD, the young Byzantine Emperor Justinian II negotiated a peace treaty with the Umayyad Caliphate (resulting in caliph Abd al-Malik paying tribute.) He removed 12,000 Christian Maronites from Lebanon who previously had resisted the Arabs.
Justinian reinforced the Byzantine navy on Cyprus, and transferred cavalry troops from the Thracesian Theme in Anatolia to the Theme of Thrace in the Balkan Peninsula.
In Europe, King Theuderic III of Neustria was defeated in battle by Pepin of Herstal, the mayor of the palace of Austrasia. Theuderic withdrew to Paris and was forced to sign a peace treaty. As a result, Pepin of Austrasia became the “de facto” ruler of the Frankish Kingdom, and he began calling himself the ‘Duke of the Franks.’ He established a base for the future rise of the Pippinids and the Carolingians.
In Spain, King Erwig died after a 7-year reign, and was succeeded by his son-in-law Ergica as ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
In Britannia, Cædwalla’s brother King Mul of Kent and his 12 companions were burnt to death during a Kentish uprising. As retaliation and revenge, King Cædwalla of Wessex ravaged the kingdom for a third time.
In 688 AD, Emperor Justinian II carried out a military campaign in Balkan and restored Byzantine rule in Thrace (present-day southeastern, northeastern Greece, and the European part of Turkey.) He established a theme (military) administration of rule, and migrated many Bulgars and Slavs to the Opsician Theme within Asia Minor.
He also reestablished the Byzantine settlement on Cyprus, signing a treaty with Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik for joint occupation of the island.
In Italy, King Perctarit of the Lombards was assassinated after a 17-year reign, likely by political reasons as he was quite peaceful and not as aggressive or combative as his son. He was succeeded by his son Cunipert.
In Britannia, King Cædwalla of Wessex abdicated the throne and departed on a pilgrimage to Rome, possibly because of wounds he suffered while fighting on the Isle of Wight. His place was filled by Ine, son of his second cousin, sub-king Coenred of Dorset.
Meanwhile, King Æthelred of Mercia established Mercian dominance over most of Southern England. He installed Oswine as king of Kent, and Prince Swæfheard of Essex was given West Kent.
In 689 AD, the Byzantine-Balkan war continued as Emperor Justinian II defeated the Bulgars of Macedonia and recaptured Thessalonica, the second most important Byzantine city in Europe. He resettled the subdued Slavs in Anatolia (present-day Turkey,) where they were required to provide 30,000 men to the Byzantine army.
In Italy, Duke Alahis had rallied a group of rebels and tried to usurp power after the assassination of King Perctarit. However, the new King Cunipert caught up with Duke Alahis and his rebel army at the river Adda. Duke Alahis was captured and his head and legs were cut off. The southern Lombard duchies took advantage of Cunipert’s distraction, and extend their territories.
Before the end of the year, Cædwalla of Wessex arrived in Rome and was baptized by pope Sergius I, taking the name Peter. He died 10 days later and was buried at St. Peter’s Basilica.
In 691 AD, King Theuderic III of the Franks died and was succeeded by his son Clovis IV, age 9. Clovis became a puppet of his uncle Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the palace of Austrasia.
The octagonal ‘Dome of the Rock’ was completed in Jerusalem to replace the Temple of Solomon (under the patronage of Abd al-Malik) during the Second Fitna, becoming the first work of Islamic architecture.
It was built on the center of Temple Mount, the site of Solomon’s Temple and the Second Jewish Temple — on the 21st parallel and constructed according to the golden ratio with the Kabaa, the six-sided black cube, a symbol of 666, of Saturn (Cube of Saturn,) and with a dome in the center, 66 ft in diameter.
The Arabian desert wanderers beheaded people as a sacrifice to Saturn, and worshipped the black cube by walking around it like rotating rings.
In 692 AD, The Byzantine army under Leontios was defeated at Sebastopolis, (present-day Turkey) by Arab forces led by Muhammad ibn Marwan. During the battle, around 20,000 Slavs under Neboulos deserted the Byzantine lines, and joined the Muslim Arabs.
The Arab forces then conquered Armenia, Iberia and Colchis, the last remaining Byzantine holdings east of the Taurus Mountains. Emperor Justinian II was forced to agree to joint Byzantine-Arab control of Cyprus.
In 693 AD, in Britannia, King Ine of Wessex established his West Saxon “Law of Codes,” in an attempt to regain authority in his kingdom.
In 694 AD, The Mardaites, early Christians who likely were descendants from Persians, raided Arab/Muslim-held territories. They held a little territory in the Nur Mountains and operated out of their chief stronghold Hagioupolis (northern Syria.)
In Spain, King Ergica of the Visigoths accused the Jews of aiding the Muslims, and sentenced all Jews to slavery.
In Britannia, King Ine of Wessex attacked Kent and extorted 30,000 pence from its people, in recompense for the murder of King Mul (687 AD.)
In 695 AD, the population and most of the military of Byzantium revolted under the leadership of Leontios, the military governor of the Anatolic Theme, and Leontios was proclaimed emperor. Justinian II was overthrown and his nose was cut off, which lead to his subsequent nickname of the “slit-nosed.” He was exiled to Cherson (Crimea,) where Justinian began plotting an attempt to retake the throne.
In Britannia, King Wihtred of Kent, who maintained Kentish independence against the growing expansion of Mercia, copied the actions of King Ine of Wessex, and issued his own law codes for his people – which historically became known as some of the earliest known law codes of Britain.
To be continued in the next part.