754.  Pepin the Short is crowned by Stephen II.  See “FOUNDING OF THE CARLOVINGIAN DYNASTY,” iv, 324.

755.  Pepin the Short defeats Astolphus, King of the Lombards, and invests Pope Stephen II with Ravenna, and other places taken from the Lombards.  The Papal States founded.

St. Boniface is martyred in Germany.

756.  Abderrahman founds the kingdom of the Ommiads at Cordova.

757.  Emperor Constantine courts the favor of Pepin; among other presents he sends him the first organ known in France.

759.  Pepin conquers Narbonne and expels the last Saracens from France.

762.[84] Founding of Bagdad, the capital of the eastern caliphs.

767.  Death of Pope Paul I; usurpation of Constantine, antipope.

768.  Pepin dies and is succeeded by his sons Charles (Charlemagne) and Carloman.  See “CAREER OF CHARLEMAGNE,” iv, 334.

769.  Council of Rome annuls all acts of the deposed pope Constantine; he, although blinded by the populace, is led into the assembly, insulted, and beaten.  Laymen are declared incapable of being made bishops.

771.  Death of Carloman; Charlemagne becomes sole king of the Franks.  See “CAREER OF CHARLEMAGNE,” iv, 334.

772.  Charlemagne begins his long war against the Saxons.

774.  Charlemagne visits Rome; he captures Pavia after a siege of eight months; and also puts an end to the kingdom of Lombardy.  The papal temporalities are increased by Charlemagne.  Forgery of the “Donation of Constantine” used as a plea to urge Charlemagne still more to aggrandize the see of Rome.

778.  Spain is invaded by Charlemagne; on his return to repel the Saxons his rear-guard is surprised; there ensues the “Dolorous Rout” of Roncesvalles.  See “CAREER OF CHARLEMAGNE,” iv, 334.

780.  The government of the Eastern Empire is assumed by Irene in the name of her son, Constantine VI.

781.  Charlemagne visits Rome; his two sons are crowned by the Pope—­one king of Italy, the other of Aquitaine.

785.  Irene proposes a general council to establish the worship of images.

Fierce struggle of the Saxons against Charlemagne; Wittikind and Alboin submit and profess Christianity.

786.  On the death of Al Hadi, the famous Harun-al-Rashid succeeds to the eastern caliphate.

787.  Second Council of Nice—­the seventh general council of the Church; it decrees the worship of images.

788.  Bavaria is brought completely under the sway of Charlemagne.

789.[85] The first recorded inroad of the Northmen (Danes) into England.

790.[86] Publication of the Caroline Books, being the judgments of the general council of the bishops of the West on certain religious dogmas.

791.  First campaign of Charlemagne against the Avars or Huns; they are defeated.

792.  King Offa murders Ethelbert and annexes East Anglia to Mercia; in atonement for his crime he levies a tax on his subjects to support the school founded at Rome by Ina; this is afterward converted into “Peter’s pence.”