Year by year · 9th century

878 CE

878 CE in world history: 5 events and 3 deaths. 364 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 21 May

    The Aghlabids capture Syracuse, the Byzantine capital of Sicily

    After a siege begun in August 877, Aghlabid forces took Syracuse, the Byzantine capital of Sicily, which the central Byzantine government had effectively left without assistance. The Aghlabids had begun their conquest of Byzantine Sicily in 827.

    Aghlabid dynastyArab–Byzantine wars

  2. Battle

    Battle of Edington

    The Battle of Edington was fought in May 878 in Wiltshire, England, between the West Saxons under Alfred the Great and the Viking army of Guthrum.

  3. Battle

    Battle of Polvoraria

    The Battle of Polvoraria was fought in 878 near the confluence of the Órbigo and Esla rivers in León, where the forces of Alfonso III of Asturias defeated an army of the emir Muhammad I of Córdoba.

ProfileState270 states with a known seat in 878 CEOpen the atlas at 878 CE →

In the profiles

Died in 878 CE 3

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APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 878 CE. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/878
MLA
“878 CE.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/878. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “878 CE.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/878.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘878 CE’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/878 (Accessed: ).