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Events

By Place

Europe

* Æthelred succeeds his brother Wulfhere as king of Mercia
* Frithuwold of Surrey is baptised and so is his son; Surrey becomes Christian.

Asia

* The twenty-five-year-old Wang Bo (王勃) writes the classic "Tengwang Ge Xu" to celebrate the Tengwang Pavilion.
* January 5 — In Japan, a platform is for the first time erected from which to divine by means of the stars.
* March 14 — Princess Tōchi and Princess Abe of Japan proceed to Ise Jingu.
* March 16 — Emperor Temmu, Japan's current emperor, decrees to let the serfs be done away with. He also orders to let the lands granted to Princes of the Blood, to Princes and to Ministers and Temples be all done away with.
* May 8 — The Japanese Emperor issues a decree in regard to lending out the tax-rice for the peasants in poverty, as well as a decree about the regulation of fishing and hunting, ordering nobody to eat the flesh of kine, horses, dogs, monkeys or barn-door fowls.
* Some ministers of Japan who are against the Emperor were punished or banished to an isolated island because of their attitude. A certain man ascends the hill east of the Palace, and killed himself having uttered words of evil omen meaning abusive language towards the Emperor.
* September 16 — A typhoon strikes and damages Japan very much.

By Topic

Religion

* The abbeys of Abingdon, England and Bath are founded.
* Aldhelm is made abbot of Malmesbury Abbey.

Births

Deaths

* Saint Colman, bishop of Lindisfarne
* Wulfhere, king of Mercia
* Saint Amand
* Li Hong

Heads of state

* Japan — Emperor Temmu, emperor of Japan (672–686)