8th century

The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Common Era. In the Middle East, the coast of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula quickly come under Islamic Arab domination. The westward expansion of the Arab Empire was famously halted at the Siege of Constantinople by the Byzantine Empire and the Battle of Tours by the Franks. The tide of Arab conquest came to an end in the middle of the 8th century.

In Europe, late in the century, the Vikings, seafaring peoples from Scandinavia, begin raiding the coasts of Europe and the Mediterranean, and go on to found several important kingdoms.

In Asia, the Pala Empire is founded in Bengal. The Tang Dynasty reaches its pinnacle under Chinese Emperor Xuanzong. The Nara period begins in Japan.

Events

Robin Mark

Robin Mark (born 1957) is a Northern Irish Christian singer, songwriter, worship leader, and recording artist based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mark has written several songs sung throughout the world. He is best known for his songs "Days of Elijah", "Revival", "All for Jesus", "The Wonder of The Cross", "Not by Might" and many more. He has released thirteen albums in total with sales of over two million world wide and has won the GMA's international award.

Though known within the United Kingdom and throughout Canada and Europe from the early 1990s, it was not until his 1999 live album Revival In Belfast that Mark became known in the United States, Australia and the rest of the world. His signature song, "Days of Elijah", has proven popular since 1996. His album Revival In Belfast which was released in 1999 remained high in both the Christian retail charts and billboard charts for many years. It was still at number 39 five years later on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart in 2004. When the follow up album Come Heal This Land was released in 2001 it went straight to number one in the Christian Retail Charts in America, Robin became the first artist from the UK to accomplish this feat.