Year 798 (DCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 798th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 798th year of the 1st millennium, the 98th year of the 8th century, and the 9th year of the 790s decade. The denomination 798 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

By place

Europe

• Battle of Bornhöved: King Charlemagne forms an alliance with the Obodrites. Together with Prince Drożko (Thrasco), he defeats the Nordalbian Saxons near the village of Bornhöved (modern-day Neumünster), obliging these 'northerners' to submit and give hostages against their future good behavior.^[1] In the coming years they are granted areas of present-day Hamburg.
• King Charles the Younger, a son of Charlemagne, conquers Corsica and Sardinia (approximate date).

Britain

• King Coenwulf of Mercia invades Gwynedd (modern Wales), and kills his rival Caradog ap Meirion during the fighting in Snowdonia. Kings Cynan and Hywel retake the throne. Coenwulf also defeats and captures King Eadberht Præn of Kent. He is blinded and his hands are cut off.^[2] He introduces his brother Cuthred as a sub-king of Kent (approximate date).
• Battle of Billington: King Eardwulf of Northumbria defeats the nobleman Wada in battle, who has killed former King Æthelred I (see 796).
• King Sigeric I of Essex abdicates and departs for a pilgrimage to Rome. He is succeeded by his son Sigered.

Iberia

• King Alfonso II of Asturias campaigns against the Arab Muslims in Al-Andalus. With Frankish military support, he raids into Andalusia and sacks Lisbon (modern Portugal).^[3]
• Bahlul ibn Marzuq, a Vascon-Muslim military leader, revolts in Zaragoza against the Arab-Muslim government of Al-Andalus.

By topic

Religion

• Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar, writes to his friend, the exiled king Osbald of Northumbria, in order to dissuade him.
• Theodulf, Frankish poet, is appointed bishop of Orléans. He becomes one of Charlemagne's favoured theologians.

Births

• Abdallah ibn Tahir, Muslim governor (approximate date)
• Babak Khorramdin, Persian military leader (approximate date)
• Ignatius I, patriarch of Constantinople (approximate date)

Deaths

• Abu Yusuf, Muslim jurist and chief adviser
• Caradog ap Meirion, king of Gwynedd (or 797)
• Lu Mai, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 739)
• Wonseong, king of Silla (Korea)