The 910s refers to the decade from 910 through 919 CE, a period marked by political rearrangement, the foundation of new states and the continued fragmentation of older empires. Across Europe, Asia and the Islamic world local dynasts and military leaders consolidated territories that would shape the next centuries. The decade is best known for several foundation moments and for transitions at imperial courts.

Europe: Viking settlements and shifting authority

In Western Europe the decade saw Norsemen move from raiding to settlement and rule. A notable moment—commonly dated to 911—gave a Viking leader territory on the Seine that developed into the Duchy of Normandy. In the British Isles Anglo-Saxon rulers pursued the work of Alfred the Great, extending control and contesting Viking-held areas. In the former Carolingian lands royal authority remained uneven, with regional magnates and dukes exercising real power.

Byzantium and the eastern Mediterranean

The Byzantine Empire entered a period of dynastic change when Emperor Leo VI died early in the decade and a sequence of short, contested successions followed. A minority emperor and powerful court figures shaped policy, and by the end of the 910s a new military leader had risen to prominence, altering the balance between civilian and military power in Constantinople.

East Asia: China, Korea and Japan

China remained fragmented after the fall of the Tang dynasty; the era known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was characterized by rapidly changing regimes and court intrigue, with powerful military governors and short-lived dynastic founders. On the Korean peninsula, a decisive step toward later unification came with the establishment of the Goryeo state in 918, which would give its name to the later kingdom of Korea. In Japan the Heian court continued its cultural flowering and consolidation of aristocratic rule.

The Islamic world and North Africa

The early 10th century witnessed the rise of new powers in the Muslim world. A Shiʿite caliphal dynasty established itself in North Africa in the years immediately preceding and during the 910s and began to challenge older Abbasid and local authorities. In Iraq and the Levant the Abbasid caliphate continued as a religious centre but faced diminished direct control; other regional dynasties and military families held real power. In Iberia the Umayyad emirate maintained its cultural and economic vitality.

Culture, economy and legacy

Trade along land and sea routes continued to link regions, while monasteries, courts and cities remained centres of literacy and patronage. The settlements and political arrangements of the 910s—Normandy in the west, Goryeo in the east, and competing caliphal claims in North Africa—had consequences well beyond the decade, setting patterns of governance, military recruitment and cultural exchange that shaped medieval Europe and Asia.

Notable events (select)

  • c. 911 – Grant of land on the Seine to a Viking leader, a basis for the future Duchy of Normandy.
  • 912–913 – Death of Byzantine Emperor Leo VI and a short, unstable succession.
  • c. 912 – Turmoil in northern China amid the Five Dynasties struggles and the removal of powerful warlords.
  • 918 – Foundation of the Goryeo state on the Korean peninsula.
  • 910s – Consolidation of a new North African caliphal dynasty that contested Abbasid influence.