History by century · The 700s
The 8th century
In the 700s, 358 recorded states existed somewhere in the world. 101 were founded and 66 came to an end. The great powers of the age included the Tang Dynasty, the Kingdom of the Franks and the Byzantine Empire.
Great powers
Profiles of the 8th century, ranked by their military, territorial, economic and historical weight in the Institute’s analysis and by how strong they were in these hundred years.
Tang Dynasty618 CE – 907 CEScore 7.7/10 · at its peak c. 740 CE
Kingdom of the Franks481 CE – 843 CEScore 5.0/10
Byzantine Empire330 CE – 1453 CEScore 7.7/10
Wari Empire600 CE – 1000 CEScore 4.5/10
Tibetan Empire618 CE – 842 CEScore 4.4/10 · at its peak c. 786 CE
Silla57 BCE – 935 CEScore 5.1/10
Srivijaya Empire650 CE – 1377 CEScore 5.2/10
Khazar Khaganate650 CE – 969 CEScore 4.2/10
Tiwanaku500 CE – 1000 CEScore 4.5/10
Tikal90 CE – 900 CEScore 4.5/10 · at its peak c. 744 CE
Ghana Empire300 CE – 1240 CEScore 4.2/10
Pallava dynasty275 CE – 897 CEScore 4.9/10
Key events
- Battle of Roncevaux PassBattle · 778
Saxon WarsWar · 772–804
Abbasid RevolutionRevolution · 750
An Lushan RebellionRevolt · 755–763
Battle of TalasBattle · 751
Byzantine IconoclasmEvent · 730–787 CE; 815–843 CE
Berber RevoltRevolt · 739–743 CE
Battle of ToursBattle · 732 CE
Donation of PepinEvent · 756
Second Arab siege of ConstantinopleSiege · 717–718 CE
Third FitnaWar · 744–747
Umayyad conquest of HispaniaCampaign · 711 CE
People
BedePerson · c. 673–735
Offa of MerciaPerson · d. 796
Pepin the ShortPerson · crowned 751 CE
Harun al-RashidPerson · r. 786–809
DantidurgaPerson · r. c. 735–756
Pepin of ItalyPerson · 777–810
Óengus I of the PictsPerson · d. 761
WidukindPerson · fl. 777–785
Saint BonifacePerson · c. 675–754
Pope Stephen IIPerson · d. 757
Bilge QaghanPerson · d. 734
Abu MuslimPerson · executed 755
Works and ideas
Viking AgeReligion / idea · c. 793–1066
Mosque–Cathedral of CórdobaWork / monument · 785
Nihon ShokiWork / monument · 720
Orkhon inscriptionsWork / monument · 732–735 CE
Aachen CathedralWork / monument · c. 796–805
BulguksaWork / monument · 8th century
Jameh Mosque of IsfahanWork / monument · 8th–17th century
Lex BaiuvariorumWork / monument · 8th century
States founded 101
- Ek' Balam 700 CE – 850 CE
- Ezeritai 700 CE – 1300 CE
- Hålogaland 700 CE – 900 CE
- Kanem-Bornu Empire 700 CE – 1893 CE
- Katyuri kingdom 700 CE – 1100 CE
- Kingdom of Breifne 700 CE – 1256 CE
- Kingdom of Kullu 700 CE – 1846 CE
- Lakz 700 CE – 1100 CE
- Melingoi 700 CE – 1300 CE
- Muang Sua 700 CE – 1353 CE
- Timočani 700 CE – 818 CE
- Uxmal 700 CE – 1000 CE
- Varman dynasty of Kannauj 700 CE – 770 CE
- Värmland 700 CE – 1000 CE
- Volga Bulgaria 700 CE – 1236 CE
- Ritsuryo Japan 701 CE – 1185 CE
- Land Chenla 707 CE – 802 CE
- Water Chenla 707 CE – 802 CE
- Emirate of Nekor 710 CE – 1019 CE
- Kingdom of Cornwall 710 CE – 936 CE
- Al-Andalus (Umayyad province) 711 CE – 756 CE
- Tudmir 713 CE – 779 CE
- Banu Qasi 714 CE – 929 CE
- Kingdom of Asturias 718 CE – 924 CE
- Imperial Abbey of Prüm 721 CE – 1576 CE
- Imperial Abbey of Reichenau 724 CE – 1540 CE
- Imperial Abbey of Murbach 727 CE – 1789 CE
- Udaipur State 728 CE – 1949 CE
- Gurjara-Pratihara 730 CE – 1036 CE
- Kingdom of Seisyllwg 730 CE – 920 CE
- Medang Kingdom 732 CE – 1016 CE
- Saindhava dynasty 735 CE – 920 CE
- Bhauma-Kara dynasty 736 CE – 940 CE
- Emirate of Tbilisi 736 CE – 1122 CE
- Tomara dynasty of Delhi 736 CE – 1152 CE
- Nanzhao 738 CE – 902 CE
- Banu Ifran emirate 742 CE – 1066 CE
- Kimek Khanate 743 CE – 1050 CE
- Barghawata 744 CE – 1058 CE
- Uyghur Khaganate 744 CE – 840 CE
Show all 101
- Chavda dynasty 746 CE – 942 CE
- Ibadi Imamate of Hadramawt 746 CE – 748 CE
- Abbasid Caliphate 750 CE – 1517 CE
- Agder 750 CE – 880 CE
- Chalukyas of Vemulavada 750 CE – 973 CE
- Chichen Itza 750 CE – 1200 CE
- Earldom of Møre 750 CE – 1000 CE
- Emirate of Melitene 750 CE – 934 CE
- Firdafylke 750 CE – 880 CE
- Grenland 750 CE – 880 CE
- Hadeland 750 CE – 1020 CE
- Hedmark 750 CE – 880 CE
- Hordaland 750 CE – 880 CE
- Kutlehr State 750 CE – 1825 CE
- Nolamba dynasty 750 CE – 1054 CE
- Oghuz Yabgu State 750 CE – 1055 CE
- Pala Empire 750 CE – 1161 CE
- Raumarike 750 CE – 880 CE
- Ringerike 750 CE – 1020 CE
- Rogaland 750 CE – 880 CE
- Sicán 750 CE – 1375 CE
- Sogn 750 CE – 880 CE
- Vestfold 750 CE – 880 CE
- Vingulmark 750 CE – 880 CE
- First Ibadi Imamate of Oman 751 CE – 893 CE
- Sailendra Kingdom 752 CE – 832 CE
- Rashtrakuta dynasty 753 CE – 982 CE
- Papal States 754 CE – 1870 CE
- Emirate of Córdoba 756 CE – 929 CE
- Karluk Yabgu 756 CE – 840 CE
- Yan (An-Shi rebellion) 756 CE – 763 CE
- Ibadi Imamate of Tripolitania 757 CE – 761 CE
- Midrarid emirate 757 CE – 976 CE
- Kanjuruhan Kingdom 760 CE – 850 CE
- Imperial Abbey of Lorsch 764 CE – 1232 CE
- Basohli State 765 CE – 1836 CE
- Suket State 765 CE – 1948 CE
- Carolingian Empire 768 CE – 888 CE
- Principality of Hersfeld 769 CE – 1648 CE
- Ayudha dynasty 770 CE – 816 CE
- March of Friuli 776 CE – 952 CE
- Rustamid imamate 777 CE – 909 CE
- County of Poitou 778 CE – 1416 CE
- County of Toulouse 778 CE – 1271 CE
- Kingdom of Abkhazia 778 CE – 1008 CE
- Electorate of Mainz 780 CE – 1803 CE
- Obotrite Confederation 780 CE – 1167 CE
- Principality of Serbia (early medieval) 780 CE – 969 CE
- Carolingian Kingdom of Italy 781 CE – 888 CE
- Kingdom of Aquitaine 781 CE – 877 CE
- County of Girona 785 CE – 897 CE
- Principality of Kakheti 786 CE – 1010 CE
- Emirate of Tarsus 787 CE – 965 CE
- Idrisid dynasty 788 CE – 974 CE
- Imperial Abbey of Herford 789 CE – 1803 CE
- Justanid dynasty 791 CE – 1004 CE
- Marca Hispanica 795 CE – 987 CE
- County of Cerdanya 798 CE – 1117 CE
- County of Osona 798 CE – 1111 CE
- County of Urgell 798 CE – 1413 CE
- Imperial Abbey of Werden 799 CE – 1803 CE
States that came to an end 66
- Garamantian Empire 1000 BCE – 700 CE
- Kingdom of Surrey 600 CE – 700 CE
- Laguatan 400 CE – 700 CE
- Nobadia 350 CE – 700 CE
- Pan Pan 424 CE – 700 CE
- Recuay 1 CE – 700 CE
- Yamato 250 CE – 701 CE
- Kingdom of the Aures 484 CE – 703 CE
- Khadga dynasty 625 CE – 705 CE
- Wu Zhou 690 CE – 705 CE
- Kingdom of Altava 578 CE – 708 CE
- Kingdom of Dumnonia 410 CE – 710 CE
- Septem 534 CE – 711 CE
- Brahman dynasty of Sindh 632 CE – 712 CE
- Duchy of Thuringia 631 CE – 719 CE
- Hayato 600 CE – 720 CE
- Visigothic Kingdom 418 CE – 721 CE
- Principality of Panjikent 500 CE – 722 CE
- Kingdom of Ceredigion 420 CE – 730 CE
- Kingdom of Ystrad Tywi 450 CE – 730 CE
- Kalingga Kingdom 594 CE – 732 CE
- Frisian Kingdom 600 CE – 734 CE
- Shailodbhava dynasty 550 CE – 736 CE
- Gurjaras of Nandipuri 580 CE – 738 CE
- Duchy of Cantabria 574 CE – 739 CE
- Duchy of Alsace 640 CE – 740 CE
- Kingdom of the Magonsaete 650 CE – 740 CE
- Principality of Kesh 500 CE – 740 CE
- Western Turkic Khaganate 603 CE – 742 CE
- Gokturk Empire 546 CE – 744 CE
- Second Turkic Khaganate 682 CE – 744 CE
- Duchy of Alamannia 536 CE – 746 CE
- Ibadi Imamate of Hadramawt 746 CE – 748 CE
- Later Guptas 490 CE – 750 CE
- Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal 400 CE – 750 CE
- Nazca 100 BCE – 750 CE
- Principality of Bukhara 600 CE – 750 CE
- Principality of Samarkand 500 CE – 750 CE
- Umayyad Caliphate 661 CE – 750 CE
- Austrasia 511 CE – 751 CE
Show all 66
- Exarchate of Ravenna 584 CE – 751 CE
- Frankish Kingdom of Burgundy 561 CE – 751 CE
- Neustria 561 CE – 751 CE
- Principality of Chach 500 CE – 751 CE
- Principality of Khuttal 600 CE – 751 CE
- Chalukyas of Badami 543 CE – 753 CE
- Duchy of Rome 590 CE – 754 CE
- Al-Andalus (Umayyad province) 711 CE – 756 CE
- Yabghus of Tokharistan 625 CE – 758 CE
- Dabuyid dynasty 642 CE – 760 CE
- Masmughans of Damavand 651 CE – 760 CE
- Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala 550 CE – 760 CE
- Ibadi Imamate of Tripolitania 757 CE – 761 CE
- Yan (An-Shi rebellion) 756 CE – 763 CE
- Turgesh Khaganate 699 CE – 766 CE
- Early Duchy of Aquitaine 660 CE – 769 CE
- Varman dynasty of Kannauj 700 CE – 770 CE
- Duchy of Trent 569 CE – 774 CE
- Kingdom of the Lombards 568 CE – 774 CE
- Duchy of Friuli 568 CE – 776 CE
- Maitraka dynasty 475 CE – 776 CE
- Principality of Abasgia 550 CE – 778 CE
- Tudmir 713 CE – 779 CE
- Kingdom of the Hwicce 577 CE – 780 CE
- Kingdom of Shule 200 BCE – 790 CE
- Duchy of Tuscia 576 CE – 797 CE
On this day
- 19 July 711Tariq ibn Ziyad defeats King Roderic at Guadalete
- 16 December 714Pepin of Herstal, ruler of the Franks, dies
- 10 October 732Charles Martel defeats an Umayyad army near Tours
- 2 April 742Charlemagne is born, by tradition on this day
- 30 July 762Caliph al-Mansur founds Baghdad
- 24 September 768Pepin the Short dies, leaving the Franks to Charlemagne and Carloman
- 4 December 771Carloman dies, leaving Charlemagne sole king of the Franks
- 15 August 778Basques destroy Charlemagne's rearguard at Roncevaux
- 14 September 786Harun al-Rashid becomes Abbasid caliph
- 8 June 793Vikings raid the monastery of Lindisfarne
Year by year 10
The years of the 8th century with a page of their own: their events, births and deaths, and the states founded and ended.
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). The 8th century. In The Epoch Institute. https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/8th-century
- MLA
- “The 8th century.” The Epoch Institute, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/8th-century. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “The 8th century.” The Epoch Institute. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/8th-century.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘The 8th century’, The Epoch Institute. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/8th-century (Accessed: ).