A moment in history
Who ruled the world in 687?
5 thrones active across 5 rulers, a snapshot of the 7th century.
687 was a dramatic year filled with political assassinations, schisms, and decisive battles. In Anglo-Saxon Britain, Mul of Wessex was installed as King of Kent by his brother, King Caedwalla. The local Kentish people were unhappy with this state of affairs and launched a rebellion that ended with Mul and his men being captured and burned alive in a building near Canterbury. As retribution, Mul's brother Caedwalla launched a bloody, scorched-earth campaign that devastated the Kingdom of Kent. Shortly after the death of Pope Conon in September 687, Rome dissolved into chaos. Two rivals for the papacy, Paschal and Theodore, and their armed men each captured sections of the Lateran Palace, the papal residence in Rome. To break this stalemate, the clergy decided upon a third, compromise candidate, Sergius, and in December 687 Pope Sergius I was elected. In Kufa (in modern-day Iraq), the revolutionary Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, who had previously seized control of the city and executed the men responsible for the death of Imam Husayn, was killed by Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr. After killing Mukhtar, Mus'ab ordered the execution of around 6,000 of Mukhtar's followers in Kufa.
Explore who held power in each world throne this year.
