859
# 859

Year 859 (DCCCLIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) 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.
* 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.
* 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.

**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).

**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 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 It caused almost the complete destruction of Latakia and Jableh, major damage at Antioch and led to many deaths.

## Births

* Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya, first Zaydi Imam of Yemen (d. 911)
* 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)
