This period was the height of the Viking Age. In the British Isles, the "Great Heathen Army" landed in the 860s, systematically toppling the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. However, the tide turned under of Wessex. Following his victory at the Battle of Edington in 878, Alfred secured the Treaty of Wedmore, which established the "Danelaw" but preserved a sovereign English state. His reforms in education, law, and military defense (the burgh system) made him the "architect of England." 3. The Islamic World: The Abbasid Decline

Contrasting the decline of other empires, the Byzantine Empire began a significant recovery under the , founded by Basil I in 867. This era marked a "Byzantine Renaissance," characterized by military reconquests in Southern Italy and the Balkans, as well as a flourishing of Orthodox Christian art and literature. The conversion of the Bulgarians and the mission of Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs during this window expanded Byzantine cultural influence across Eastern Europe. Conclusion

In China, the late 9th century was a dark chapter for the . Once the most powerful empire in the world, it was crippled by the Huang Chao Rebellion (874–884). The rebellion devastated the capital cities of Chang'an and Luoyang and effectively stripped the emperors of their power. By 900, China was ruled by regional warlords, setting the stage for the formal collapse of the dynasty in 907 and the subsequent "Five Dynades and Ten Kingdoms" period. 5. The Byzantine Resurgence

[851-900] ◎

This period was the height of the Viking Age. In the British Isles, the "Great Heathen Army" landed in the 860s, systematically toppling the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. However, the tide turned under of Wessex. Following his victory at the Battle of Edington in 878, Alfred secured the Treaty of Wedmore, which established the "Danelaw" but preserved a sovereign English state. His reforms in education, law, and military defense (the burgh system) made him the "architect of England." 3. The Islamic World: The Abbasid Decline

Contrasting the decline of other empires, the Byzantine Empire began a significant recovery under the , founded by Basil I in 867. This era marked a "Byzantine Renaissance," characterized by military reconquests in Southern Italy and the Balkans, as well as a flourishing of Orthodox Christian art and literature. The conversion of the Bulgarians and the mission of Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs during this window expanded Byzantine cultural influence across Eastern Europe. Conclusion [851-900]

In China, the late 9th century was a dark chapter for the . Once the most powerful empire in the world, it was crippled by the Huang Chao Rebellion (874–884). The rebellion devastated the capital cities of Chang'an and Luoyang and effectively stripped the emperors of their power. By 900, China was ruled by regional warlords, setting the stage for the formal collapse of the dynasty in 907 and the subsequent "Five Dynades and Ten Kingdoms" period. 5. The Byzantine Resurgence This period was the height of the Viking Age