859

Vikings begin an expedition in the Mediterranean (between 859 and 862)

Events

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.<ref>Haywood, John (1995). The Historical Atlas of the Vikings, pp. 58–59. Penguin Books: Template:ISBN</ref>
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.Template:Sfn
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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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).<ref name=rucquoi1993>Template:Cite book</ref>

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 still-operating university in the world).

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.

859 Syrian coast earthquake. It affected the Mediterranean coast of Syria<ref name="Antonopoulos">Template:Cite journal</ref> It caused almost the complete destruction of Latakia and Jableh, major damage at Antioch and led to many deaths.<ref name=Ambraseys>Template:Cite book</ref>