Year 685 ( DCLXXXV ) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar . The denomination 685 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 [ edit ]

By place [ edit ]

Byzantine Empire [ edit ]

• July 10 – Emperor Constantine IV dies of dysentery at Constantinople after a 17-year reign, and is succeeded by his 16-year-old son Justinian II . ^[1]

Europe [ edit ]

• Kuber , brother of Asparukh of Bulgaria , defeats the Avars in Syrmia ( Pannonia ). He leads his followers of around 70,000 people to Macedonia (modern North Macedonia ).

Britain [ edit ]

• May 20 – Battle of Dun Nechtain : The Picts under King Bridei III revolt against their Northumbrian overlords. Cuthbert , bishop of Lindisfarne , advises King Ecgfrith of Northumbria (Bridei's cousin) not to invade Pictland (modern Scotland ). Undeterred, Ecgfrith marches his army north to engage the enemy near Dunnichen . The Picts, possibly with Scottish and Strathclyde Briton help, defeat the Saxon guard, killing Ecgfrith, who has reigned for 15 years, routing his army and forcing the Anglo-Saxons to withdraw south of the River Forth .
• King Centwine of Wessex dies after a 9-year reign and is succeeded by his distant cousin, Cædwalla , who manages to fully re-unite the sub-kingdoms of Wessex . He attacks Sussex with a large army, and kills King Æthelwealh in battle, in the South Downs ( Hampshire ). ^[2] He is expelled by Æthelwealh's ealdormen , Berthun and Andhun , who jointly rule the South Saxons. Cædwalla invades Kent , lays it waste, and carries off an immense booty . ^[3]
• Aldfrith , illegitimate half-brother of Ecgfrith, becomes (possibly with Irish and Scottish help) king of Northumbria . He is brought from Iona ( Inner Hebrides ), where he is studying for a career in the church .
• King Eadric revolts against his uncle Hlothhere , and defeats him in battle. He becomes sole ruler of Kent until his death in 686 .

Arabian Empire [ edit ]

• Battle of 'Ayn al-Warda : An Umayyad army (20,000 men) under Husayn ibn Numayr defeats the pro- Alid Kufans at Ras al-'Ayn ( Syria ).
• May 7 – Caliph Marwan I dies at Damascus , and is succeeded by his son Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan .

China [ edit ]

• Empress Wu Zetian sends a pair of giant pandas to the Japanese court of Emperor Tenmu , as a diplomatic gift (approximate date).
• Wu Zetian exiles her son Zhong Zong , former emperor of the Tang dynasty , and his family to the island of Fang Zhou. ^[4]

By topic [ edit ]

Religion [ edit ]

• May 8 – Pope Benedict II dies at Rome after a reign of less than 11 months. He is succeeded by John V as the 82nd pope .
• John Maron is elected as the first patriarch in the Maronite Church (approximate date).

Births [ edit ]

• September 8 – Xuan Zong , emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 762 )
• Leo III , emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 741 )
• Li Xianhui , princess of the Tang dynasty (d. 701 )
• Miao Jinqing , chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 765 )
• Pelagius , king of Asturias (approximate date)
• Theodbert , duke of Bavaria (approximate date)

Deaths [ edit ]

• February 6 – Hlothhere , king of Kent ^[5]
• May 8 – Benedict II , pope of the Catholic Church (b. 635 ) ^[6]
• May 20 – Ecgfrith , king of Northumbria
• Æthelwealh , king of Sussex
• Anania Shirakatsi , Armenian astronomer (b. 610 )
• Beornhæth , Anglo-Saxon nobleman
• Centwine , king of Wessex (approximate date)
• Constantine IV , Byzantine emperor (b. 652 )
• Liu Rengui , chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 602 )

References [ edit ]

Sources [ edit ]