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765 CE

This year falls in the Early Middle Ages (c. 500–1000 CE). In western Europe new kingdoms replace the western Roman Empire, while the Byzantine Empire continues in the east. Islam begins in Arabia in the seventh century and its caliphates soon reach from Spain to Central Asia, and China is reunited under the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Within fifteen years

Ruler · Early Middle Ages · IraqHarun al-Rashidc. 766–809Abbasid caliph from 786 to 809, born about 766, whose reign is remembered as the golden age of Baghdad. His court gathered scholars, poets and translators, and the House of Wisdom began collecting the learning of Greece, Persia and India. He is the caliph of the Thousand and One Nights tales.

Civilization · Early Middle Ages · Abbasid CaliphateAbbasid Caliphate750–1258The Abbasid Caliphate ruled the Muslim world from Baghdad in its golden age. Its House of Wisdom preserved Greek science and advanced mathematics, medicine, and astronomy. The Mongols destroyed Baghdad in 1258.