Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia in the early 9th century world

The major empires of Europe and Asia were: the Tang, the Abbasids, the Carolingians, the Byzantines, the Umayyads. In England, the Anglo Saxons were beginning to become one single kingdom. In Spain, the Abbasid’s Muslim enemies the Umayyads were seeking to expand north into Charlemagne’s Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne and Al-Rashid, caliph of the Abbasids and ruler of Baghdad, both had growing tension with the Byzantines. In 801CE, Al-Rashid sent gifts to Charlemagne including an elephant and an automatic water clock.