The Phantom time hypothesis

(The phantom time hypothesis is a historical conspiracy theory asserted by Heribert

Illig. First published in 1991, it hypothesizes a conspiracy by the Holy Roman
Emperor Otto III, Pope Sylvester II, and possibly the Byzantine
Emperor Constantine VII, to fabricate the Anno Domini dating system retroactively, to
place them in the special year of AD 1000; and to rewrite history to legitimize Otto's
claim to the Holy Roman Empire. Illig believed that this was achieved through the
alteration, misrepresentation and forgery of documentary and physical
evidence. According to this scenario, the entire Carolingian period, including the figure
of Charlemagne, is a fabrication, with a "phantom time" of 297 years (AD 614–911)
added to the Early Middle Ages)
This theory emerged in the 1980s by Heribert Illig, a German writer and historical
revisionist. He first proposed the idea that the years 614 to 911 AD were invented,
and some of his followers have continued to espouse it. In one version, Emperor
Otto III (980 – 1002) wanted to live in the year 1000 AD, so with the help of his
friend Gerbert de Aurillac, later Pope Sylvester II, he had 300 years of history
invented, including the life and reign of Charlemagne. In another version, the
Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII (905 – 959) organized a rewriting of history,
although his motives are even less clear.

While the theory is entertaining, nearly all medieval scholars view it as ridiculous.
Phantom Time Hypothesis offers little explanation on why other civilizations such
as China, India and Persia would have also filled their pages with events and rulers
that did not exist. It would be even harder to explain the rise of the Islamic world
and how it spread across the Middle East, North Africa and into Iberia. Moreover,
it seemed that Illig and his followers had little understanding of archaeology and
dendrochronology, which offer strong evidence that established dates are correct.

In the end, the Phantom Time Hypothesis is one of those interesting (or crazy)
ideas that will always be with us, but with just a little bit of research can be easily
explained to be all wrong.