text:
1779

January–March

 * January 11
 * British troops surrender to the Marathas in Wadgaon, India, and are forced to return all territories acquired since 1773.
 * Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur.
 * January 22 – American Revolutionary War – Claudius Smith is hanged at Goshen, Orange County, New York for supposed acts of terrorism upon the people of the surrounding communities.
 * January 29 – After a second petition for partition from its residents, the North Carolina General Assembly abolishes Bute County, North Carolina (established 1764) by dividing it and naming the northern portion Warren County (for Revolutionary War hero Joseph Warren), the southern portion Franklin County (for Benjamin Franklin). The General Assembly also establishes Warrenton (also named for Joseph Warren) to be the seat of Warren County, and Louisburg (named for Louis XVI of France) to be the seat of Franklin County.
 * February 12 – Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Bouligny arrives with Malagueño colonists at Bayou Teche, to establish the city of New Iberia, Louisiana.
 * February 14 – Captain James Cook is killed on the Sandwich Islands, on his third voyage.
 * March 1 – Capture and sack of Vientiane by Siamese forces.
 * March 10 – The Treaty of Aynalıkavak is signed between Ottoman Turkey and the Russian Empire, regarding the Crimean Khanate.

April–June

 * April 12 – Spain and France secretly sign the Convention of Aranjuez, with Spain joining an alliance against Great Britain in return for France's pledge to recover all Spanish territory lost to the British.
 * May 13 – War of the Bavarian Succession – Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives a part of the Bavarian territory (the Innviertel), and relinquishes the rest.
 * June 1 – American Revolutionary War – Benedict Arnold is court-martialed for malfeasance, in his treatment of government property.
 * June 16 – American Revolutionary War – In support of France, Spain declares war on Britain.
 * June 21 – King Charles III of Spain issues a declaration of war against Great Britain.

July–September

 * July 16
 * American Revolutionary War – United States forces, led by General Anthony Wayne, capture Stony Point, New York from British troops.
 * Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation issued in order to regulate organization of Eastern Orthodox Church in Habsburg monarchy.
 * July 20 – Tekle Giyorgis I begins the first of his five reigns as Emperor of Ethiopia.
 * July 22 – Battle of Minisink: The Goshen Militia is destroyed by Joseph Brant's forces.
 * July 24 – American Revolutionary War – American forces, led by Commodore Dudley Saltonstall, launch the Penobscot Expedition in what is now Castine, Maine, resulting in the worst naval defeat in U.S. history (until Pearl Harbor).
 * July – The Great Siege of Gibraltar (fourteenth and last military siege) begins. This is an action by French and Spanish forces to wrest control of Gibraltar from the established British garrison. The garrison, led by George Augustus Eliott (later 1st Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar), survives all attacks and a blockade of supplies.
 * September
 * Battle of Baton Rouge – Spanish troops under Bernardo de Gálvez capture the city from the British.
 * The Great Siege of Gibraltar starts, the longest siege endured by the British Armed Forces.
 * September 14–15 – American Revolutionary War – Little Beard's Town, a loyalist stronghold, is burnt by the Sullivan Expedition.
 * September 23 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Flamborough Head – The American ship Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, engages the British ship HMS Serapis (1779). The Bonhomme Richard sinks, but the Americans board the Serapis and other vessels, and are victorious.
 * September 28 – Samuel Huntington is elected as the seventh President of the Continental Congress.

October–December

 * October 1 – The city of Tampere, Finland (belonging to Sweden at this time) is founded by King Gustav III of Sweden.
 * October 4 – The Fort Wilson Riot against James Wilson and others in Philadelphia takes place.
 * November 2 – The North Carolina General Assembly carves a new county from Dobbs County, North Carolina and names it Wayne County, in honor of United States General Anthony Wayne.
 * December 13 – Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais marries Joséphine Tascher.
 * December 25 – Fort Nashborough (later to become Nashville, Tennessee) is founded by James Robertson.
 * December 31 – Affair of Fielding and Bylandt: Following a brief naval engagement between the British and Dutch off the Isle of Wight, the Dutch merchantmen and naval vessels are captured and taken to Portsmouth, England.

Date unknown

 * Industrial Revolution in England:
 * The Iron Bridge is erected across the River Severn in Shropshire, the world's first bridge built entirely of cast iron. It will open to traffic on January 1, 1781.
 * The spinning mule is perfected by Lancashire inventor Samuel Crompton.
 * Boulton and Watt's Smethwick Engine, now the oldest working engine in the world, is brought into service (May)).
 * A joint Spanish-Portuguese survey of the Amazon basin begins to determine the boundary between the colonial possessions in South America; it continues until 1795.

Births

 * January 5 – Stephen Decatur, American naval officer (d. 1820)
 * January 18 – Peter Mark Roget, British lexicographer (d. 1869)
 * February 1 – Nikolaus von Krufft, Austrian composer and civil servant (d. 1818)
 * March 6 – Antoine-Henri Jomini, French general (d. 1869)
 * March 15 – William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1848)
 * March 21 – José Bernardo de Tagle y Portocarrero, Marquis of Torre Tagle, Peruvian soldier and politician, 2nd President of Peru (d. 1825)
 * May 28 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet (d. 1852)
 * June 20 – Dorothy Ann Thrupp, British psalmist, hymnwriter, translator (d. 1847)
 * July 8 – Giorgio Pullicino, Maltese painter and architect (d. 1851)
 * August 1 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, lyricist (d. 1843)
 * August 8 – Benjamin Silliman, American chemist, educator and abolitionist (d. 1864)
 * August 20 – Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Swedish chemist (d. 1848)
 * August 29 – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French painter (d. 1867)
 * September 8 – Mustafa IV, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1808)
 * September 18 – Joseph Story, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 1845)
 * November 14 – Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, Danish poet (d. 1850)
 * December 12 – Madeleine Sophie Barat, French Catholic saint, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart (d. 1865)
 * December 24 – George Washington Lafayette
 * date unknown – Giacomo Beltrami, Italian explorer (d. 1855)

Deaths

 * January 3 – Claude Bourgelat, French veterinary surgeon (b. 1712)
 * January 20 – David Garrick, English actor (b. 1717)
 * January 22 – Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor, astronomer (b. 1733)
 * February 7 – William Boyce, English composer (b. 1711)
 * February 14 – James Cook, British naval captain and explorer (b. 1728)
 * February 24 – Paul Daniel Longolius, German encyclopedist (b. 1704)
 * April 7 – Martha Ray (b. 1742), British singer and mistress of John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich (murdered) (b. 1742)
 * April 9 – Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Spanish military officer (b. 1717)
 * April 24 – Eleazar Wheelock, American founder of Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
 * May 1 – Sarah Clayton, English industrialist (b. 1712)
 * May 3 – John Winthrop, American astronomer (b. 1714)
 * June 7 – William Warburton, English critic, Bishop of Gloucester (b. 1698)
 * June 10 – Jane Gomeldon, English writer, poet and adventurer (b. 1720)
 * June 16 – Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, Colonial governor of New Jersey and Massachusetts Bay (b. 1712)
 * June 23 – Ras Mikael Sehul, Enderase of Ethiopia (b. 1692)
 * June 28 – Martha Daniell Logan, American botanist (b. 1704)
 * June 29 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German-Bohemian painter (b. 1728)
 * July 21 – Caleb Fleming, English dissenting minister, polemicist (b. 1698)
 * August 26 – Henrika Juliana von Liewen, Swedish political salonnière (b. 1709)
 * September 12 – Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, English politician (b. 1711)
 * October 11 – Kazimierz Pułaski, veteran commander of Polish, Russian, and American troops (b. 1745)
 * November 16 – Pehr Kalm, Finnish explorer and naturalist (b. 1716)
 * December 6 – Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter (b. 1699)
 * December 8 – Nathan Alcock, English physician (b. 1707)
 * December 16 – Emperor Go-Momozono of Japan (b. 1758)
 * December 17 – Giuseppe Carcani, Italian composer (b. 1703)
 * December 23 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, British admiral and politician (b. 1724)

unknown date

 * Giuseppe Bonici, Maltese architect, military engineer (b. 1707)
 * Johann Joseph Gassner, German priest (b. 1727)

title: 1779


text:
478

Year 478 (CDLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Illus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1231 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 478 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Verina, mother-in-law of Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, attempts to kill Isaurian general Illus for turning against her brother Basiliscus. A major revolt is led by her son-in-law Marcian and the Ostrogoth warlord Theodoric Strabo, but Illus again proves his loyalty to Zeno by quashing the revolt in 479.

Asia

 * The first Shinto shrines are built in Japan.
 * The Liu Song dynasty ends in China.
 * Chinese chronicles record a memorial sent by the "King of Japan" (possibly Yūryaku), who describes himself as "Supreme Director of Military Affairs in Japan and Korea" to the Court of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Chinese emperor responds by confirming the Japanese dynasty in those titles. This is the earliest verifiable date in Japanese history.

Births

 * Narses, Byzantine general (d. 573)

Deaths

 * Lupus of Troyes, French bishop and saint (approximate date)
 * Shen Youzhi, Chinese general of Liu Song

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: 478


text:
479

Year 479 (CDLXXIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Zeno without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1232 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 479 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Britannia

 * Ambrosius Aurelianus, war leader of the Romano-British, is proclaimed king of the Britons (according to Historia Regum Britanniae). He rules probably in the south of Britain, and continues the war against the Anglo-Saxons.

Europe

 * King Theodoric the Great starts a 4-year campaign against the Byzantine Empire. The Ostrogoths ravage the Roman provinces (Moesia and Thrace), and threaten the capital of Constantinople itself.
 * Julius Nepos, former emperor of the Western Roman Empire, plots military plans in Dalmatia against Odoacer, hoping to regain control of Italy himself.

Asia

 * Summer – The Liu Song dynasty ends and the Southern Qi dynasty begins in southern China. Emperor Shun Di is forced to abandon the throne and Qi Gao Di becomes the first ruler of Southern Qi. Later former Emperor Shun and empress Wang Zhenfeng are killed by the imperial guard, near the vicinity of the capital Jiankang.
 * Dongseong becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje.
 * Soji becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

Births

 * Ruan Xiaoxu, bibliography writer (d. 536)

Deaths

 * Samgeun, king of Baekje (Korea)
 * Shun Di, emperor of Liu Song (b. 467)
 * Wang Zhenfeng, empress of Liu Song (b. 436)
 * Yuan He, high official of Northern Wei (b. 403)
 * Yūryaku, emperor of Japan

title: 479


text:
475

Year 475 (CDLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Zeno without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1228 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 475 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * January 9 – Emperor Zeno abdicates under pressure, as his wife's uncle Basiliscus stages a coup d'état at Constantinople, with support from Zeno's trusted adviser and fellow Isaurian Illus. Basiliscus usurps the throne and is proclaimed new emperor (Augustus) of the Eastern Roman Empire. He begins a 20-month reign; Zeno and his supporters flee to Isauria.
 * April 9 – Basiliscus issues a circular letter (Enkyklikon) to the bishops of his empire, promoting the Miaphysite christological position. These religious views will make him highly unpopular.
 * Summer – Emperor Julius Nepos grants the Visigoth King Euric legal tenure of his conquests, which include Provence (region of Gaul), in exchange for full independence.
 * August 28 – Magister Militum Orestes takes control of the government in Ravenna, and forces Julius Nepos to flee to Dalmatia.
 * October 31 – Romulus Augustus is installed as emperor by his father Orestes, who becomes regent in effect of the Western Roman Empire. Augustus will ultimately rule for 10 months, as the last Western Emperor.

Asia

 * Bodhidharma, Buddhist monk, travels to China and, begins teaching the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra (approximate date).
 * Gongju becomes the capital of Baekje, and is threatened by Goguryeo, who conquers the Han River valley (Korea).
 * Munju becomes king of Baekje.

Byzantine Empire

 * Great fire in Constantinople with loss of Palace of Lausus and - along with it - the famous Zeus from Olympia.

Art

 * A Bodhisattva (detail of a wall painting in the Ajanta Caves) in Maharashtra (India) of the Gupta period) is made (approximate date).

Religion

 * The compilation of the Babylonian Talmud, the source of the majority of Jewish Halakha, is completed.
 * The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites is consecrated in Syria.

Births

 * Íte of Killeedy, Irish nun (approximate date)
 * Ferreolus of Rodez, Roman senator (approximate date)

Deaths

 * May 27 – Eutropius, bishop of Orange
 * Flavius Magnus, Roman consul
 * Gaero, king of Baekje (Korea)
 * Mamertus, bishop of Vienne
 * Tonantius Ferreolus, praetorian prefect

title: 475


text:
474

Year 474 (CDLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Leo without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1227 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 474 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * January 18 – Emperor Leo I dies of dysentery at Constantinople, after a 17-year reign. He is succeeded by his 7-year-old grandson Leo II, who briefly becomes ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
 * February 9 – Zeno, father of Leo II, is crowned as co-emperor (Augustus). He rules the empire together with his son, and stabilises the Eastern frontier.
 * June 24 – Julius Nepos arrives at Portus, and marches on Ravenna. He forces Glycerius to abdicate the throne, and proclaims himself emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
 * Glycerius is exiled to Dalmatia (Balkans) and becomes bishop of Salona. Neither the Senate nor the Gallo-Roman aristocracy decide to resist, and Nepos accepts the imperial purple.
 * November 17 – Leo II dies of an unknown disease (possibly poisoned by his mother Ariadne), after a reign of 10 months. Zeno becomes sole Eastern Emperor.
 * Winter – Zeno sends an embassy, to conclude a peace with King Genseric. He succeeds in an agreement with the Vandals, to secure the commercial routes in the Mediterranean.

Art

 * A statue of a Standing Buddha from Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, (during the Gupta period) is made. It is now kept at the Sarnath Museum in India (source states the creation date as 1st to 2nd century BCE).

Births

 * Abraham of Kratia, Christian monk, saint (approximate date)
 * Anthemius of Tralles, Greek architect, mathematician (approximate date)
 * Clotilde, Christian wife of Clovis I, ancestress of the succeeding Merovingian kings (Approximate date) (d.545)
 * Magnus Felix Ennodius, bishop, Latin poet (approximate date)

Deaths

 * January 18 – Leo I, Byzantine emperor (b. 401)
 * November 17 – Leo II, Byzantine emperor (b. 467)
 * Theodemir, king of the Ostrogoths (approximate date)

title: 474


text:
473

Year 473 (CDLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Leo without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1226 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 473 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * March 3 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Emperor Leo I refuses to recognize him, and chooses Julius Nepos as candidate to the Western throne.
 * October 25 – Leo I grants his grandson Leo II, age 6, the title of Caesar (approximate date).

Balkans

 * Theodoric Strabo signs a peace treaty with Leo I, and according to the terms the Goths are paid with an annual tribute of 2,000 pounds of gold. Leo gives him an independent state in Thrace and he obtains the rank of magister militum.
 * The Ostrogoths leave Pannonia, and migrate to Macedonia and Moesia, from whence they ravage the Balkans.

Europe

 * King Euric orders the invasion of Italy, but is defeated by Glycerius. The Visigoths withdraw to Gaul, and conquer the cities of Arles and Marseille.
 * Gundobad returns to Burgundy, where his father Gondioc has died, and becomes king of the Burgundians.

Births

 * Xiao Zhaoye, Chinese emperor of Southern Qi (known as the Prince of Yulin) (d. 494)
 * Kavad I, king (shah) of the Sasanian Empire from 488 to 531, with an interruption of two years

Deaths

 * Euthymius the Great, abbot and bishop (b. 377)
 * Gondioc, king of Burgundy (approximate date)

title: 473


text:
472

Year 472 (CDLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Festus and Marcianus (or, less frequently, year 1225 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 472 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * The Western Roman Empire enters a period of unrest. Relations between Ricimer, de facto ruler, and Emperor Anthemius deteriorate completely. Epiphanius, bishop of Pavia, negotiates a peace agreement.
 * July 11 – Anthemius, besieged in the part of Rome he controls until his troops are defeated, is caught while fleeing the city disguised as a supplicant in the Old St. Peter's Basilica (or at the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere), and later beheaded by Gundobad or Ricimer. Ricimer proclaims Olybrius emperor. Ricimer's nephew, the Burgundian general Gundobad, assumes command of the Western army and holds de facto power in the Empire.
 * August 18 – Ricimer dies at his palace of malignant fever, vomiting blood.
 * November 2 – Olybrius dies of dropsy. During his four months' rule he has been mainly interested in religion.
 * Mount Vesuvius erupts. During the volcanic eruption the whole of southern Europe is blanketed by ash.

Births

 * Emilian of Cogolla, Iberic abbot and saint (approximate date)

Deaths

 * July 11 – Anthemius, emperor of the Western Roman Empire
 * August 18 – Ricimer, de facto ruler of the Western Roman Empire
 * Ming Di, Chinese emperor of the Liu Song Dynasty (b. 439)
 * Olybrius, emperor of the Western Roman Empire

title: 472


text:
471

Year 471 (CDLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Novus and Probianus (or, less frequently, year 1224 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 471 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * Basiliscus, brother-in-law of Emperor Leo I, returns from exile (see 468) and leads an imperial conspiracy against Aspar (magister militum), helping in his murder at Constantinople.

Britannia

 * The army of King Ceretic of Strathclyde raids the Irish coast, carries off some of Saint Patrick's followers, and sells them into slavery (approximate date).

Europe

 * The Visigoths under Euric conquer a large part of the Provence (Southern Gaul). The city of Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne is besieged.
 * The Goths, led by Theodoric Strabo, revolt in Thrace after the assassination of Aspar. Leo I sends Basiliscus to suppress the uprising.
 * Theodoric the Great, age 17, succeeds his father Theodemir as king of the Ostrogoths, settling his people in lower Moesia (Balkans).

Asia

 * The ruler of the nomadic Tuoba tribal state in Northern China adopts a Chinese surname, and will rule Northern Wei as Xiao Wen Di, until his death in 499.

Religion

 * Acacius becomes patriarch of Constantinople, succeeding Gennadius I.

Deaths

 * August 25 – Gennadius I, patriarch of Constantinople
 * Ardabur, Roman general and son of Aspar
 * Aspar, Alan patrician and general (magister militum)
 * Eudocia, Vandal queen and daughter of Valentinian III (approximate date)
 * Julius Patricius, Roman general and son of Aspar (approximate date)

title: 471


text:
470

Year 470 (CDLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Iordanes (or, less frequently, year 1223 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 470 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * Emperor Anthemius appeals to the Britons for military help against the Visigoths. A Breton force (12,000 men) under the Celtic leader Riothamus lands in Gaul, but is defeated by King Euric. He expands the Visigothic Kingdom further north, possibly as far as the Somme River.
 * The Santo Stefano Rotondo at Rome is consecrated (approximate date).

Europe

 * Odoacer becomes the leader of the Germanic tribes (Herulic – Scirian foederati) in Northern Italy (approximate date).

Religion

 * Mamertus, bishop of Vienne, introduces the Rogation days (a three days' procession involving prayer to invoke God's mercy).

Births

 * Buddhapālita, Indian Madhyamaka scholar (d. 550)
 * Caesarius, bishop of Arles (approximate date)
 * Dionysius Exiguus, inventor of the Anno Domini era (approximate date)
 * Endelienta, Welsh princess and saint (approximate date)
 * Ferreolus of Rodez, Roman senator (approximate date)
 * Finnian of Clonard, Irish monastic saint (d. 549)
 * approximate date – Pope John I

Deaths

 * K'inich Popol Hol, king of the Maya city of Copán
 * Romanus, Roman usurper in the West Roman Empire (executed)

title: 470


text:
501

Year 501 (DI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Avienus and Pompeius (or, less frequently, year 1254 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 501 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Britannia

 * Domangart Réti succeeds his father Fergus Mór, after he dies during a campaign against the Picts. He becomes the new king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland) (according to the Annals of Tigernach).

Europe

 * King Gundobad breaks his promise of tribute and regains his military power. He besieges his brother Godegisel at the city of Vienne (Burgundy), and murders him in an Arian church along with the bishop.

Asia

 * Dong Hun Hou is killed during a siege of the capital Jiankang. He is succeeded by his brother Qi He Di, who becomes emperor of Southern Qi (China).
 * Muryeong becomes king of Baekje (one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea). During his reign, the kingdom remains allied with Silla and expands its relationships with China and Japan.

Central America

 * June 5 – Ahkal Mo' Naab' I becomes the new ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque (in what is now the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico), and reigns until his death in 524.
 * The Maya are peaking in economic prosperity. The civilization at Teotihuacan begins to decline and its people are migrating to the greatest Mayan city, Tikal, bringing with them ideas about weaponry and new ritual practices.

Medicine

 * The Sushruta Samhita medical book becomes a classic of medicine in India. The book contains descriptions of surgery, illnesses, medicinal plants, and a detailed study on anatomy (approximate date).

Religion

 * Pope Symmachus, accused of various crimes by secular authorities who support an ecclesiastical opponent, asserts that the secular ruler has no jurisdiction over him. A synod held in 502 will confirm that view.

Births

 * Lou Zhaojun, empress dowager of Northern Qi (d. 562)
 * Xiao Tong, crown prince of the Liang Dynasty (d. 531)

Deaths

 * April 25 – Rusticus, archbishop of Lyon
 * Dongseong, king of Baekje (Korea)
 * Fergus Mór, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)
 * Godegisel, king of the Burgundians
 * Pan Yunu, concubine of Xiao Baojuan
 * Ravina II, Jewish Talmudist and rabbi
 * Su Xiaoxiao, Chinese Gējì and poet
 * Xiao Baojuan, emperor of Southern Qi (b. 483)
 * Teudelinda, Burgundian queen consort

title: 501


text:
AD 502

Year 502 (DII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Avienus and Probus (or, less frequently, year 1255 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 502 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * War with Sassanid Persia: Emperor Anastasius I refuses to pay a share of the cost of defending the Caucasian Gates, through which nomadic tribes have come for raids on Persia and the Byzantine Empire. King Kavadh I invades Armenia and captures Theodosiopolis.
 * Winter – Kavadh I besieges the fortress-city of Amida (modern Turkey). The defenders, although unsupported by Byzantine troops, repel the Persian assaults for three months before they are finally beaten.

Europe

 * March 29 – King Gundobad issues a new legal code (Lex Burgundionum) at Lyon, that makes Gallo-Romans and Burgundians subject to the same laws (approximate date).
 * The Bulgars ravage Thrace. A semi-nomadic people, they have absorbed the surviving Huns and meet no opposition from Byzantine forces.

China

 * The Liang Dynasty is founded by Xiao Yan, who marches on Jiankang (later Nanjing). Emperor He Di, age 14, is put to death. The Southern Qi Dynasty ends and Wu Di becomes ruler of the Liang Dynasty.
 * December 24 - Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate.
 * The Nanhua Temple, located southeast of Shaoguan, is founded by the Indian monk Zhiyao Sanzang. The temple covers an area of 42.5 ha and consists of a set of historical Buddhist buildings.

Arts and sciences

 * The Persian philosopher Mazdak declares private property to be the source of all evil.

Literature

 * The Chinese Book of Song is finished. The text is one of the Twenty-Four Histories, a traditional collection of historical records during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Religion

 * Caesarius becomes bishop of Arles. His episcopal see, near the mouth of the Rhone River and close to Marseille, retains its ancient importance in the social and commercial life of Gaul for forty years.
 * October 23 – The Synodus Palmaris, called by Gothic king Theodoric the Great, clears Pope Symmachus of all charges, thus ending the schism of Antipope Laurentius.

Births

 * Amalaric, king of the Visigoths (d. 531)

Deaths

 * Genevieve, patron saint of Paris (approximate date)
 * He Di, Chinese emperor of Southern Qi (b. 488)
 * Narsai, Syrian poet and theologian (approximate date)
 * Vakhtang I of Iberia, Georgian king (approximate date)

title: AD 502


text:
503

Year 503 (DIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Volusianus and Dexicrates (or, less frequently, year 1256 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 503 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * War with Sassanid Persia: Emperor Anastasius I sends a Byzantine army (52,000 men) to Armenia, but is defeated. The Romans attempt an unsuccessful siege of the Persian-held city Amida, on the Tigris. King Kavadh I invades Osroene, and lays siege to the city of Edessa (Northern Mesopotamia).
 * May – Areobindus, Byzantine general (magister militum), is stationed as commander at Dara, with an army of 12,000 men to keep watch at the Persian stronghold of Nisibis (modern Turkey).

Palestine

 * Mundhir III, king of the Lakhmids (Arab Christians), raids Palaestina Salutaris and Arabia Petraea. He captures a large number of Romans.

Europe

 * King Ernakh, third son of Attila the Hun, dies after a 34-year reign. He is succeeded by his two sons (Utigur and Kutrigur), who share the power with the unified Bulgars.

Births

 * October 17 – Lý Nam Đế, first emperor of Vietnam (d. 548)
 * December 2 – Xiao Gang, later Emperor Jianwen of Liang, emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty (killed 551)
 * Chen Baxian, later Emperor Wu of Chen, first emperor of the Chinese Chen dynasty (d. 559)

Deaths

 * Ernakh, king of the Huns

title: 503


text:
504

Year 504 (DIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nicomachus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1257 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 504 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * War with Sassanid Persia: Emperor Anastasius I gains the upper hand in Armenia, with the renewed investment of Amida.
 * King Kavadh I hands over the fortress-city of Amida, and agrees to an armistice with the Byzantine Empire.

Europe

 * King Theodoric the Great defeats the Gepids, and drives them out of their homeland (Pannonia).
 * The Ostrogoths sack Belgrade, on the Danube and Sava rivers (modern Serbia).

Mesoamerica

 * A major expansion of Copán's ceremonial center, the Acropolis complex, is undertaken by B'alam Nehn (Waterlily Jaguar), the seventh ruler (ajaw) of the southeastern Maya city (approximate date).

Religion

 * Theodoric the Great builds the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, originally dedicated to Christ the Redeemer.

Deaths

 * Muyal Jol, ruler of Copan

title: 504


text:
505

Year 505 (DV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodorus and Sabinianus (or, less frequently, year 1258 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 505 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Emperor Anastasius I agrees to pay his share of the cost of defending the Caucasian Gates, against nomadic invasions from East Asia.
 * Anastasius I decides to rebuild the village of Dara (Northern Mesopotamia). He constructs a new strategic fortress to guard the frontier.
 * The white Huns (Hephthalites) from the Caucasus invade the Persian Empire.

Europe

 * The Colosseum (Amphitheatrum Flavium) in Rome suffers damage from an earthquake, as it did in 422.

Births

 * Belisarius, Byzantine general (d. 565)
 * Dorotheus of Gaza, Christian monk and abbot (approximate date)
 * Dynod Bwr, king of Hen Ogledd (approximate date)
 * Varāhamihira, Indian astronomer and mathematician (d. 587)
 * Saint Yared, Axumite composer (d. 571)

Deaths

 * Eugenius, bishop of Carthage
 * John I, Coptic Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria

title: 505


text:
506

Year 506 (DVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Messala and Dagalaiphus (or, less frequently, year 1259 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 506 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * November – Emperor Anastasius I accepts a peace agreement with the Sasanian Empire (Persia), based on the status quo. He upgrades the fortifications at Batnae, Edessa and Amida (Northern Mesopotamia).

Europe

 * February 2 – King Alaric II issues the "Lex Romana Visigothorum" or Breviary of Alaric, an abstract of Roman laws and imperial decrees, compiled by a commission appointed to provide a law code for Alaric's Roman subjects. The "Lex Romana" will be the standard for justice in the Visigothic realm.
 * The Visigoths capture the city of Dertosa in Catalonia. They arrest and execute the Roman usurper Peter, with his head being sent as a trophy to Saragossa (Spain).

Religion

 * September 10 – Council of Agde: The bishops of Visigothic Gaul under the presidency of Caesarius of Arles meet.
 * Antipope Laurentius is persuaded by Theoderic the Great to resign his claim to the throne of Pope Symmachus, ending a schism in the Catholic Church; Laurentius then fasts until his death.

Births

 * Sanghapala, Mon-Khmer monk (d. 518)
 * Soga no Iname, leader of the Soga clan (d. 570)
 * Wei Shou, Chinese author (d. 572)
 * Zhang Yao'er, empress of Chen dynasty China (d. 570)

Deaths

 * Buretsu, emperor of Japan
 * Peter, Roman usurper in Spain

title: 506


text:
509

Year 509 (DIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Inportunus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1262 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 509 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Clovis I (Chlodowech) becomes the first Catholic king of the Franks, uniting all the Frankish tribes under his rule. He controls an immense territory in Gaul (modern France), and delivers a major blow for the Church against the Arian heresy.

Births

 * Kinmei, emperor of Japan (d. 571)
 * Wei Xiaokuan, general of Western Wei (d. 580)

Deaths

 * Chlodoric, king of the Ripuarian Franks
 * Sigobert the Lame, king of the Ripuarian Franks

title: 509


text:
512

Year 512 (DXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paulus and Moschianus (or, less frequently, year 1265 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 512 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Emperor Anastasius I ends a period of moderate eclectic policy, and starts strongly favoring his own monophysitist beliefs.
 * Areobindus, Byzantine general, is proclaimed emperor during a riot at Constantinople but refuses to take part in the usurpation.
 * Anastasius I constructs a wall from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, to protect Constantinople from raiding Bulgars and Slavs.

Europe

 * King Theodoric the Great grants citizens on Mount Vesuvius exemption from taxes, after a severe eruption in southeastern Italy.
 * The Ostrogoths conquer the Frankish province Rouergue (Southern Gaul).

Asia

 * The island nation of Usan-guk is conquered by the Silla dynasty (Korea), under general Kim Isabu.

Literature

 * The first written text in the Arabic alphabet is recorded at Zabad (Syria).

Births

 * David, Welsh bishop and saint (approximate date)
 * Eutychius, patriarch of Constantinople (approximate date)
 * Maurus, Roman abbot and saint (d. 584)
 * Wu Mingche, general of the Chen dynasty (d. 578)
 * Lady Xian, Chinese general (d. 602)

Deaths

 * Areobindus, Byzantine general and politician
 * Wang Baoming, empress of Southern Qi (b. 455)

title: 512


text:
513

Year 513 (DXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probus and Clementinus (or, less frequently, year 1266 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 513 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Revolt of Vitalian: Byzantine general Vitalian revolts against Emperor Anastasius I, and conquers a large part of the Diocese of Thrace. He gains the support of the local people, and assembles an army of 50,000–60,000 men.
 * Anastasius I reduces taxes in the provinces of Bithynia and Asia, to prevent them from joining the rebellion. Vitalian marches to Constantinople and encamps at the suburb of Hebdomon (modern Turkey).
 * Anastasius I sends an embassy under the former consul Patricius to start negotiations. Vitalian declares his aims: restoration of Chalcedonian Orthodoxy and the settling of the Thracian foederati.
 * Vitalian accepts an agreement and returns with his army to Lower Moesia. After a few inconclusive skirmishes, Anastasius I sends a Byzantine army (80,000 men) under his nephew Hypatius.
 * Vitalian defeats the Byzantines at Acris (Bulgaria), on the Black Sea coast. He attacks their fortified Laager in darkness, and in a crushing defeat kills a large part of the imperial army.

Persia

 * King Kavadh I adopts the doctrine of the Mazdakites, and breaks the influence of the magnates' (nobility).
 * The Jewish community revolts at Ctesiphon against Mazdakism, and establishes an independent Jewish kingdom that lasts for seven years.

Religion

 * Vigor becomes bishop of Bayeux. He opposes paganism and founds a monastery later known as Saint-Vigor-le-Grand (Normandy).

Births

 * An Ding Wang, emperor of Northern Wei (d. 532)

Deaths

 * Gesalec, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)
 * Shen Yue, Chinese historian and statesman (b. 441)

title: 513


text:
514

Year 514 (DXIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cassiodorus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1267 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 514 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Vitalian, Byzantine general, marches again to Constantinople. A fleet of 200 vessels sails from the Black Sea ports and blockades the entrance of the harbor capital. Emperor Anastasius I is disquieted by riots in the city, which cost many casualties, and decides to negotiate with Vitalian.
 * Vitalian accepts the receipt of ransom money and gifts worth 5,000 pounds of gold for the release of Hypatius, a nephew of Anastasius I who has been a prisoner since the attack at Acris (see 513). Vitalian retreats back to Lower Moesia.

Britannia

 * Cissa of Sussex becomes king of the South Saxons after his father's death (approximate date).

Asia

 * Beopheung becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

Religion

 * July 19 – Pope Symmachus dies at Rome after a 16-year reign, and is succeeded by Hormisdas as the 52nd pope.

Deaths

 * July 19 – Pope Symmachus
 * Aelle of Sussex, king of Sussex (approximate date)
 * Jayavarman, king of Funan (Cambodia)
 * Mac Nisse, bishop of Connor

title: 514


text:
515

Year 515 (DXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Florentius and Anthemius (or, less frequently, year 1268 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 515 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Autumn – Revolt of Vitalian: Byzantine general (magister militum) Vitalian mobilises his army, and marches again towards Constantinople. He captures the suburb of Sycae (modern Turkey) across the Golden Horn, and encamps there.
 * Emperor Anastasius I gives Marinus, former praetorian prefect of the East, command over the Byzantine army. He defeats the rebel fleet at the harbor entrance, using a sulfur-based chemical substance, similar to the later Greek fire.
 * Marinus lands with an army on the shore of Sycae and defeats the rebels. Disheartened by the losses suffered, Vitalian flees north under cover of the night.
 * As a sign of his victory, Anastasius I leads a procession to Sosthenion, and attends a service of thanks at the local church dedicated to the Archangel Michael.
 * Empress Ariadne, wife of Emperor Anastasius I, dies at Constantinople and is buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles.

Europe

 * Amalasuintha, daughter of king Theodoric the Great, marries Eutharic, an Ostrogoth noble of the old Amal line.

Religion

 * The St. Maurice's Abbey (Switzerland) is founded by Sigismund of Burgundy. He sets up five groups of monks to whom he entrusts the liturgy of the praise of God.

Births

 * Approximate date – Cainnech of Aghaboe, Irish abbot and saint (d. 600)
 * Hulü Guang, general of Northern Qi (d. 572)
 * Yuwen Hu, regent of Northern Zhou (d. 572)

Deaths

 * Ariadne, Byzantine empress
 * Euphemius, patriarch of Constantinople
 * Gao Zhao, high official of Northern Wei
 * Xuan Wu Di, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 483)

title: 515


text:
516

Year 516 (DXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Petrus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1269 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 516 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Hygelac, king of the Geats (Sweden), raids the Lower Rhine, and is defeated by a Frankish force led by Theudebert (according to the "History of the Franks").
 * King Gundobad of the Burgundians dies peacefully after a 43-year reign, and is succeeded by his eldest son Sigismund.

Religion

 * November 6 – The Council of Tarragona (modern Spain) is held.

Births

 * Athalaric, king of the Ostrogoths (d. 534)
 * Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Irish bishop (d. 546)

Deaths

 * Gundobad, king of the Burgundians
 * Hygelac, king of the Geats (approximate date)
 * John, Coptic Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria
 * Oisc, king of Kent (approximate date)

title: 516


text:
517

Year 517 (DXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Agapitus and Paulus among the Romans (or, less frequently, year 1270 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 517 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * King Sigismund of Burgundy is opposed by his son Sigeric, and has him strangled. Overcome with remorse, he retreats to the monastery that he founded, St. Maurice's Abbey (modern Switzerland).

China

 * Emperor Wu Di of the Liang Dynasty becomes a Buddhist, and introduces the new religion to central China. He demands that sacrifices to imperial ancestors be changed to using dried meat, instead of the traditional animals (goats, pigs and cows).

Religion

 * Council of Epaone: Bishops of southern Gaul convene near Epao (present Anneyron) in Burgundy. The synod enacts the first legislation against wooden altars, forbidding the building of any but stone altars with chrism (a mixture of oil and spice).

Science

 * Aryabhata compiles his manual of mathematics and astronomy (approximate date).

Births

 * Charibert I, king of the Franks (approximate date)
 * Ebrulf, Frankish hermit and abbot (d. 596)

Deaths

 * April 5 – Timothy I, patriarch of Constantinople
 * Dioscorus II, Coptic Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria
 * Macedonius II, patriarch of Constantinople (approximate date)

title: 517


text:
518

Year 518 (DXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paulus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1271 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 518 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * July 9 – Emperor Anastasius I dies childless at Constantinople, age 88, after a 27-year reign in which he has abolished the sale of offices, reformed taxation, and perfected the empire's monetary system, but antagonized some with his heretical Monophysite religious policies. He is succeeded by Justin (Flavius Justinus), his comes excubitorum, commander of the palace guard. After his death, he leaves the imperial treasury richer by 23,000,000 solidi or 320,000 pounds of gold.
 * Justin I founds the Justinian Dynasty and makes his nephew Flavius Petrus Sabbatius (later Justinian I) his trusted advisor. He becomes the emperor's close confidant and acts possibly as regent. Theocritus, candidate to the throne, is accused of a conspiracy and executed.

Balkans

 * An earthquake destroys the city of Scupi (present-day Skopje, North Macedonia), in what once was the Roman province of Moesia Superior.

Arabia

 * Jabalah IV becomes the king of the Ghassanids. He invades Palestine, but is defeated by a Byzantine army under general (dux) Romanus.

Religion

 * September 29 – Severus, patriarch of Antioch, is deposed by a synod for his Monophysitism. Paul the Jew is appointed to replace him.

Births

 * Matasuntha, queen of the Ostrogoths (approximate date)
 * Mungo, Brythonic apostle and saint (approximate date)
 * Yōmei, emperor of Japan (d. 587)

Deaths

 * July 9 – Anastasius I Dicorus, Byzantine emperor
 * July – Theocritus, Byzantine pretender
 * Aeneas of Gaza, Neoplatonist and Christian philosopher (approximate date)
 * Flavian II, patriarch of Antioch
 * Gao, Chinese empress of Northern Wei
 * Moninne of Killeavy, one of Ireland's early women saints (approximate date)
 * Sanghapala, Mon-Khmer monk (b. 506)
 * Tonantius Ferreolus, Gallo-Roman senator (approximate date)
 * Yu Zhong, official and regent of Northern Wei (b. 452)

title: 518


text:
864

Year 864 (DCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * Spring – Emperor Louis II (the Younger) marches with a Frankish army against Rome. While en route to the papal city, he becomes ill, and decides to make peace with Pope Nicholas I.
 * July 25 – Edict of Pistres: King Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings. He creates a large force of cavalry, which inspires the beginning of French chivalry.
 * Viking raiders, led by Olaf the White, arrive in Scotland from the Viking settlement of Dublin (Ireland). He rampages the country, until his defeat in battle by King Constantine I.
 * Robert the Strong, margrave of Neustria, attacks the Loire Vikings in a successful campaign. Other Viking raiders plunder the cities of Limoges and Clermont, in Aquitaine.
 * King Louis the German invades Moravia, crossing the Danube River to besiege the civitas Dowina (identified, although not unanimously, with Devín Castle in Slovakia).
 * Pepin II joins the Vikings in an attack on Toulouse. He is captured while besieging the Frankish city. Pepin is deposed as king of Aquitaine, and imprisoned in Senlis.
 * September 13 – Pietro Tradonico dies after a 28-year reign. He is succeeded by Orso I Participazio, who becomes doge of Venice.
 * King Alfonso III conquers Porto from the Emirate of Cordoba. This is the end of the direct Muslim domination of the Douro region.

Asia

 * Mount Fuji, located on Honshu Island, erupts for 10 days, in an event known as the Jōgan eruption (Japan).
 * Hasan ibn Zayd establishes the Zaydid Dynasty, and is recognized as ruler of Tabaristan (Northern Iran).

Religion

 * The Christianization of Bulgaria begins: Boris I, ruler (Knyaz) of the Bulgarian Empire, is converted to Orthodox Christianity. His family and high-ranking dignitaries accept the Orthodox faith at the capital, Pliska - from this point onwards the rulers of the Bulgarian Empire are known as ‘Tsars’ rather than ‘Khans’.

Births

 * Gu Quanwu, general of the Tang Dynasty (d. 931)
 * Khumarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun, ruler of the Tulunid Dynasty (d. 896)
 * Louis III, king of the West Frankish Kingdom (or 863)
 * Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni, Muslim scholar (d. 941)
 * Simeon I, ruler (tsar) of the Bulgarian Empire (or 865)
 * Yúnmén Wényǎn, Chinese Zen master (or 862)

Deaths

 * September 13 – Pietro Tradonico, doge of Venice
 * Al-Fadl ibn Marwan, Muslim vizier
 * Al-Fadl ibn Qarin al-Tabari, Muslim governor
 * Arnold of Gascony, Frankish nobleman
 * Bi Xian, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 802)
 * Ennin, Japanese priest and traveler
 * Hucbert, Frankish nobleman (b. 820)
 * Laura, Spanish abbess
 * Lorcán mac Cathail, king of Uisneach (Ireland)
 * Muhammad ibn al-Fadl al-Jarjara'i, Muslim vizier (or 865)
 * Pei Xiu, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 791)
 * Sancho II, count of Gascony (approximate date)
 * Sergius I, duke of Naples
 * Trpimir I, duke (knez) of Croatia
 * Yahya ibn Umar, Muslim imam (or 865)

title: 864


text:
520

Year 520 (DXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Vitalianus (or, less frequently, year 1273 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 520 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Priscian, Latin grammarian, writes the Institutiones Grammaticae ("Grammatical Foundations"). In Constantinople, he codifies this manuscript in 18 volumes, which will be widely used through the Middle Ages. It provides the raw material for the field of speculative grammar.
 * July – Byzantine general Vitalian becomes consul, and is shortly later murdered, probably on the orders of Justinian, the nephew and heir-apparent of Emperor Justin I.

Britannia

 * King Pabo Post Prydain of the Pennines (Northern England) abdicates his throne, and divides the kingdom between his two sons. He retires, as a hermit, to Anglesey.
 * The Kingdom of East Anglia is formed, by the merging of the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and perhaps the eastern part of The Fens (approximate date).
 * King Budic II returns to Cornouaille (Brittany), to claim the Breton throne (approximate date).

Europe

 * Ostrogothic ruler Theodoric the Great builds the Mausoleum of Theodoric as his future tomb in Ravenna (Italy).

Asia

 * Bodhidharma, Buddhist monk, arrives in Luoyang. He spreads Buddhism and travels to the northern Chinese kingdom of Wei, to the Shaolin Monastery.

Religion

 * February 25 – Epiphanius is elected patriarch of Constantinople by Byzantine Emperor Justin I.
 * The construction of the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, is started (approximate date).
 * The monastery of Seridus, where Barsanuphius and John the Prophet lived as hermits, is founded in the region of Gaza.

Births

 * Hou Andu, general of the Chen dynasty (d. 563)
 * Justin II, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 578)
 * Malo, Welsh bishop (approximate date)
 * Martin of Braga, missionary and archbishop (d. 580)
 * Pope Pelagius II of Rome (d. 589)
 * Radegund, Frankish princess (approx.)
 * Zuhayr bin Abi Sulma, Arabian poet (approx.)

Deaths

 * January 19 – John of Cappadocia, patriarch of Constantinople
 * July – Vitalian, Byzantine general, consul
 * Abbán, Irish cult leader and saint (approx.)
 * Ardgal mac Conaill, king of Uisneach (Ireland)
 * Isidore of Alexandria, Neoplatonist philosopher (approximate date)
 * Maximinus, Frankish abbot and saint (approximate date)
 * Zu Gengzhi, Chinese mathematician (approx.)

title: 520


text:
521

Year 521 (DXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabbatius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1274 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 521 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Future Byzantine emperor Justinian, age 39, is appointed consul. He later becomes Commander-in-chief of the Army of the East.

Arabia

 * Ma`adikarib Ya`fur becomes king, supported by the Aksumites; he begins a military campaign against the Arabian tribes.

Music

 * Boethius introduces Greek musical letter notation to the West.

Religion

 * February 22 – Samson of Dol is ordained as bishop in Brittany, on the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter.
 * Ecclesius becomes a bishop of Ravenna.

Births

 * December 7 – Columba, Gaelic Irish missionary monk (d. 597)
 * Agericus, bishop of Verdun (approximate date)
 * Gao Cheng, high official and regent of Eastern Wei (d. 549)

Deaths

 * July 17 – Magnus Felix Ennodius, bishop and Latin poet
 * November 29 – Jacob of Serugh, Syrian poet and theologian

title: 521


text:
528

Year 528 (DXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabbatius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1281 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 528 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * February 13 – Emperor Justinian I appoints a commission (including the jurist Tribonian) to codify all laws of the Roman Empire that are still in force from Hadrian to the current date; this becomes the Corpus Juris Civilis.
 * November 29 – Natural disaster: A second great earthquake strikes Antioch, killing thousands (including Patriarch Euphrasius), and causing a fire that destroys the Domus Aurea (Great Church) built by Constantine the Great.
 * Justin, Byzantine general (magister militum), dies in battle against the Bulgars on the frontier of the Danubian limes in Moesia. He is succeeded by Constantiolus.

Asia

 * March 31 – Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, emperor of Northern Wei, is poisoned by order of his mother, the regent Empress Dowager Hu.
 * April 1 – The 6-week-old only daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei is proclaimed empress regnant of Northern Wei, by Empress Dowager Hu.
 * April 2 – Xiaoming's daughter is replaced by the 2- or 3-year-old Yuan Zhao as emperor of Northern Wei, by order of Empress Dowager Hu
 * May 17 – Empress Dowager Hu, regent of Northern Wei, having resorted to an old monarchist tool and executed lovers who have displeased her, is drowned in the Yellow River along with the nominal emperor, the baby Yuan Zhao, and prince Yuan Yong by order of General Erzhu Rong, who places 21-year-old Yuan Ziyou on the throne as Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei.
 * The Hephthalites (White Huns) move from the Hindu Kush into the Punjab region, and eastward across the Ganges Delta, ravaging cities and Buddhist monasteries.
 * Yasodharman, Maharaja ("great king") of Malwa, defeats the Hun invaders under Mihirakula in central India.

Religion

 * King Seong of Baekje adopts Buddhism as the state religion.
 * Bulguksa, a Buddhist temple, is built in South Korea.

Births

 * February 12 – Daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, nominal empress regnant of Northern Wei

Deaths

 * March 31 – Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 510)
 * May 17
 * Empress Dowager Hu of Northern Wei
 * Yuan Yong, imperial prince of Northern Wei
 * Yuan Zhao, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 526)
 * Anicia Juliana, daughter of Olybrius (approximate date)
 * Bodhidharma, Buddhist monk (approximate date)
 * Euphrasius, patriarch of Antioch (in the earthquake)
 * Jabalah IV ibn al-Harith, king of the Ghassanids
 * Justin, Byzantine general (magister militum)
 * Procopius of Gaza, Christian sophist and rhetorician

title: 528


text:
530

Year 530 (DXXX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lampadius and Probus (or, less frequently, year 1283 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 530 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * December 15 – Emperor Justinian I selects a second commission to excerpt and codify the writings of the jurists on Roman law. This becomes the Digest (Pandects).
 * Tribonian becomes quaestor sacri palatii and chief editor of the compilation of the old Roman lawyers' writings.

Persia

 * Spring – Battle of Dara: Belisarius and Hermogenes (magister officiorum) defeat a combined Persian-Arab army of 50,000 men at Dara (modern Turkey), by entrenching his infantry in a refused position in the centre line, then carrying out a cavalry envelopment to culminate a classic defensive-offensive battleplan.
 * Summer – Battle of Satala: A Byzantine cavalry force (30,000 men) under command of Sittas defeats a major Persian invasion into Roman Armenia.

Africa

 * King Hilderic is deposed by his cousin Gelimer after a seven-year reign. Gelimer restores Arianism as the official religion of the Vandal Kingdom and puts Hilderic in prison along with other supporters.
 * Justinian I sends an embassy to Carthage to negotiate with Gelimer. Gelimer replies: “Nothing is more desirable than that a monarch should mind his own business.”

China

 * Emperor Xiao Zhuang Di is arrested and imprisoned in a Buddhist temple at Jinyang (Shanxi). He is succeeded by Chang Guang Wang, who becomes the new ruler of Northern Wei.
 * Xiao Tong, eldest son of emperor Wu Di, compiles the Wen Xuan (Literary Selections), a famous anthology of works dating from the Han to the Liang dynasty (approximate date).

Art

 * The mosaic synagogue floor from Maon (Judea) is made. It is now kept at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (approximate date).
 * The Vishnu Temple at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh (India) is built.

Religion

 * September 22 – Pope Felix IV dies at Rome after a four-year reign, in which he has condemned semi-pelagianism. He is succeeded by Boniface II, an archdeacon of German descent, who becomes the 55th pope.
 * October 14 – Dioscorus is elected as antipope in the Lateran Palace, but he dies within a month, thus ending the schism.
 * Brendan, Irish abbot, allegedly climbs to the top of Mount Brandon to look for the Americas (approximate date).

Births

 * Colmán of Cloyne, Irish monk (d. 606)
 * Dallán Forgaill, Irish poet (approximate date)
 * Sophia, Byzantine Empress (approximate date)
 * Venantius Fortunatus, Latin poet and bishop (approximate date) (d. 600)
 * Xuan Di, emperor of the Chen dynasty (d. 582)

Deaths

 * September 22 – Pope Felix IV
 * October 14 – Antipope Dioscorus
 * Cador, king of Dumnonia (England)
 * Dhu Nuwas, king of Himyar (b. circa 450)
 * Drest III, king of the Picts (approximate date)
 * Erzhu Rong, general of Northern Wei (b. 493)
 * Xiao Baoyin, prince of Southern Qi (b. 487)

title: 530


text:
535

Year 535 (DXXXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Belisarius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1288 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 535 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * April 30 – King Theodahad revenges himself upon Queen Amalasuintha. He has her taken from the capital of Ravenna to a small island on Lake Bolsena, where she is strangled in her bath.
 * The death of Amalasuintha gives Byzantine Emperor Justinian I a pretext to invade Italy and begin the Gothic War.
 * The Byzantine city of Justiniana Prima is founded, and later becomes a bishop's seat of the Central Balkans.

Byzantine Empire

 * Gothic War: Emperor Justinian I appoints Belisarius commander-in-chief (stratēgos autokratōr), and sends a Byzantine expeditionary force of only 8,000 soldiers (half are heavy East Roman cavalry) to begin the reconquest of Italy.
 * Summer – Belisarius lands in Sicily and meets little opposition, save for the Gothic garrison of Palermo. Laying siege to the citadel, he blockades the harbour with his ships. Mundus invades Dalmatia and captures its capital, Salona.
 * Justinian I issues the Lex Julia and declares that a wife has no right to bring criminal charges of adultery against a husband. This makes divorce almost impossible in the Byzantine Empire.
 * December 31 – Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Gothic garrison of Palermo (Panormos), and ending his consulship for the year.

Africa

 * Spring – Solomon defeats the Moorish rebels at Mount Mammes and Mount Bourgaon. He secures Byzacena (modern Tunisia) and establishes fortifications along the Numidian border.
 * April – Justinian I reorganises the province as an African prefecture, centered in Carthage. He restores frontier defences, and returns property to the Catholic Church.

Asia

 * The Northern Wei dynasty ends: The northern region of China is split into the Eastern Wei and the Western Wei during a civil war. The first ruler is Wen Di; he makes his son Fei Di crown prince.
 * Significant to the history of agriculture, Chinese author Jia Sixia writes the treatise "Chimin Yaoshu" in this year, and although it quotes 160 previous Chinese agronomy books, it is the oldest existent Chinese agriculture treatise. In over 100,000 written Chinese characters, the book covers land preparation, seeding, cultivation, orchard management, forestry, animal husbandry, trade, and culinary uses for crops.
 * Reports of the eruption of Krakatoa (Java), which possibly led to several years of climate change (see Extreme weather events of 535–536), are recorded in the Javanese Book of Kings.

Religion

 * May 8 – Pope John II dies in Rome after a two-year reign, and is succeeded by Agapetus I as the 57th pope. He is sent on an embassy to Constantinople.
 * Byzantine troops drive the extremist Monophysite party out of Alexandria, and establish Theodosius I as patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
 * Anthimus I becomes patriarch of Constantinople (535–536).
 * A Christian basilica is completed at Leptis Magna in North Africa.

Meteorology

 * The weather is reported to be unusually cold and dark in multiple parts of the world; see Extreme weather events of 535–536.

Births

 * Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of the prophet  Muhammad, father of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (d. 619)
 * Evagrius Scholasticus, Syrian scholar (approximate date)
 * Sigebert I, king of Austrasia (approximate date)
 * Theudebald, king of Austrasia (approximate date)
 * Xiao Zhao Di, emperor of Northern Qi (d. 561)

Deaths

 * May 8 – Pope John II
 * June 5 – Epiphanius, patriarch of Constantinople
 * Eugippius, disciple and biographer
 * Timothy III, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria
 * Xie He, Chinese writer and art historian (approximate date)
 * Xu Mian, official of the Liang dynasty (b. 466)
 * Xiao Wu Di, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 510)

title: 535


text:
538

Year 538 (DXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iohannes without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1291 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 538 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * March 12 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges of the Ostrogoths ends his siege (after 374 days) and abandons Rome. He retreats with his Gothic army northeast along the Via Flaminia.
 * Belisarius attacks the Goths when they have crossed the Milvian Bridge. After fierce resistance, Vitiges routs in panic, and many are slain or drowned in the river.
 * Gothic War: Vitiges strengthens the garrisons of various towns and besieges Ariminum. Byzantine forces under the Armenian general Narses arrive at Picenum.
 * April – Belisarius secures Liguria, Mediolanum (modern Milan) and Ariminum, but disagreements, especially with Narses, leads to disunity in the Byzantine army.
 * Summer – King Theudebert I sends a small Frankish force across the Alps, and defeats the Goths and Byzantines at the River Po. Belisarius retreats to Tuscany.
 * Sittas, Byzantine general, suppresses a revolt in Armenia in protest against heavy taxation. During the campaign he is killed by Artabanes, leader of the revolt.

Britain

 * King Cuneglas of Rhos abandons his wife in favour of his sister-in-law, a nun who he drags from her convent (approximate date).
 * Gabrán mac Domangairt becomes king of Dál Riata (Scotland).

Asia

 * King Seong of Paekche (Korea) moves the capital from Ungjin (present-day Gongju) further south to Sabi (present-day Buyeo County), on the Geum River. He sends a diplomatic mission that formally introduces Buddhism to the Japanese imperial court (see also 552).
 * The Kofun period ends and the Asuka period, the second part of the Yamato period in Japan, begins.

Religion

 * As a result of persecutions by the Byzantine Empire, Monophysite Christians establish the Coptic Church in Alexandria (approximate date).
 * The Third Council of Orléans takes place, and prohibits rural labor on Sunday.
 * The first time since the Emperor Justinian's decree of 533, making John (the Bishop of Rome) Chief Bishop of all the churches, that the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome over the Church can actually be implemented by Pope Vigilius.

Society

 * Third year of worldwide famine, a consequence of the Extreme weather events of 535–536.

Births

 * Emperor Bidatsu of Japan (d. 585)
 * Gregory of Tours, French bishop, historian (d. 594)
 * Zhiyi, de facto founder of Tiantai Buddhism (d. 597)

Deaths

 * February 8 – Severus of Antioch, patriarch of Antioch
 * Cailtram, king of the Picts (approximate date)
 * Comgall mac Domangairt, king of Dál Riata (approximate date)
 * Damascius, Byzantine philosopher
 * Saint Manchan, Irish Saint.
 * Sittas, Byzantine general (magister militum)

title: 538


text:
539

Year 539 (DXXXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Strategius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1292 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 539 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * March – Gothic War: The Goths and the Burgundians recapture Mediolanum (modern Milan), after many months of siege, the city reaching the point of starvation. The Byzantine garrison (1,000 men) surrenders and is spared, but the inhabitants are massacred (according to Procopius 300,000 people are murdered), and the city itself is destroyed.
 * Belisarius, still besieging Ravenna, negotiates a treaty with Theodebert I (whose forces are suffering from dysentery), and the Franks retreat to Gaul. The Byzantine fleet controls the Adriatic Sea and blockades the port of the capital from supplies.
 * Emperor Justinian I becomes alarmed by renewed barbarian incursions across the Danube frontier from the Slavs, the Bulgars, the Gepids, and the Avars.
 * November 29 – Antioch is struck by an earthquake.

Europe

 * Walthari murders his uncle Wacho and becomes king of the Lombards.

Asia

 * Kinmei succeeds his brother Senka, and ascends as 29th emperor to the throne of Japan.

Society

 * Fourth year of worldwide famine, a consequence of the Extreme weather events of 535–536.

Births

 * Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib, leader of the Banu Hashim and uncle of Muhammad (d. 619)
 * Bertha, wife of Æthelberht of Kent
 * Chilperic I, king of Neustria (approximate date)
 * Maurice, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 602)

Deaths

 * Senka, emperor of Japan
 * Wacho, king of the Lombards

title: 539


text:
841

Year 841 (DCCCXLI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * June 25 – Battle of Fontenay: Frankish forces of Emperor Lothair I, and his nephew Pepin II of Aquitaine, are defeated by allied forces of King Louis the German, and his half-brother Charles the Bald, at Fontenoy (Eastern France), in a civil war among the three surviving sons of the former emperor Louis the Pious. A total of 40,000 men are killed, including the Frankish nobles Gerard of Auvergne and Ricwin of Nantes, fighting on the side of Charles.
 * Summer – Vikings sail up the River Seine and devastate the city of Rouen in Normandy. They burn the Benedictine monastery of Jumièges Abbey; 68 captives are taken, and returned on payment of a ransom, by the monks of St. Denis.

Ireland

 * The town of Dyflin (meaning "Black Pool") or Dublin (modern Ireland) is founded by Norwegian Vikings, on the south bank of the River Liffey. The settlement is fortified with a ditch and an earth rampart, with a wooden palisade on top. The Norsemen establish a wool weaving industry, and there is also a slave trade. An artificial hill is erected, where the nobility meets to make laws and discuss policy.

Byzantine Empire

 * Constantine Kontomytes, Byzantine general (strategos) of the Thracesian Theme, inflicts a severe defeat on the Cretan Saracens. He leads a Byzantine expeditionary force, to raid the monastic community near Mount Latros (modern Turkey).
 * Venice sends a fleet of 60 galleys (each carrying 200 men) to assist the Byzantines in driving the Arabs from Crotone, but the attack fails. Muslim troops conquer the city of Brindisi (approximate date).

Abbasid Caliphate

 * A pro-Umayyad rebellion, led by al-Mubarqa in Palestine, breaks out against caliph al-Mu'tasim of the Abbasid Caliphate (ending in 842).

Asia

 * In the Chinese capital of Chang'an, the West Market (and East Market) are closed every night one hour and three quarters before dusk (by government order); the curfew is signaled by the sound of 300 beats to a loud gong. After the official markets have been closed for the night, small night markets in residential areas thrive with plenty of customers, despite government efforts to shut them down. With the decline of the government's authority (by mid 9th century), this edict (like many others) is largely ignored, as urban dwellers keep attending the night markets regardless.

Births

 * Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish nobleman (d. 886)
 * Boso of Provence, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)
 * Du Rangneng, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 893)
 * Edmund the Martyr, king of East Anglia (approximate date)
 * Heiric of Auxerre, Frankish theologian and writer (d. 876)
 * Pei Shu, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 905)
 * Remigius of Auxerre, Frankish scholar (approximate date)

Deaths

 * June 25 – Gerard of Auvergne, Frankish nobleman
 * June 25 – Ricwin of Nantes, Frankish nobleman
 * October 14 – Shi Yuanzhong, Chinese governor
 * Arnulf of Sens, illegitimate son of Louis the Pious
 * Guifeng Zongmi, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 780)
 * Jang Bogo, Korean maritime hegemon (or 846)
 * Jonas of Orléans, Frankish bishop
 * Khaydhar ibn Kawus al-Afshin, Muslim general
 * Langdarma, emperor of Tibet (b. 799)
 * Li Ao, Chinese philosopher and prose writer (b. 772)
 * Yunyan Tansheng, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 780)

title: 841


text:
845

Year 845 (DCCCXLV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * Byzantine–Arab War: A prisoner exchange occurs between the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate, at the River Lamos in Cilicia (modern Turkey). The exchanges last for 10 days, and the Byzantines recover 4,600 prisoners.

Europe

 * March 28 or 29 (Easter) – Siege of Paris: Viking forces under the Norse chieftain Ragnar Lodbrok enter the River Seine, with a fleet of 120 longships (5,000 men). They pass through the city of Rouen and plunder the countryside. King Charles the Bald assembles an army and sends it to protect Paris, the capital of the West Frankish Kingdom. Ragnar routs the enemy forces, and hangs 111 of their prisoners in honour of Odin. Charles — to keep them from plundering his kingdom — pays a large tribute of 7,000 livres (pounds) of silver or gold, in exchange for their leaving. The Vikings also sack the cities of Hamburg and Melun.
 * November 22 – Battle of Ballon: Frankish forces (3,000 men) led by Charles the Bald are defeated by Nominoe, count of Vannes, near Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine. After the battle, Brittany becomes a regnum 'kingdom' within the Frankish Empire.
 * Viking forces destroy Hamburg.

Asia

 * Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution: Emperor Wu Zong begins the persecution of Buddhists and other foreign religions in China, such as Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity and Manichaeism. More than 4,600 monasteries, 40,000 temples and numerous shrines are destroyed. More than 260,000 Buddhist monks and nuns are forced to return to secular life.
 * March 6 – 42 captured Byzantine officials from Amorium are executed at Samarra, then the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, after repeated failed attempts to convert them to Islam.

Religion

 * John Scotus Eriugena, Irish theologian, travels to France and takes over the Palatine Academy in Paris, at the invitation of Charles the Bald (approximate date).

Births

 * August 1 – Sugawara no Michizane, Japanese politician (d. 903)
 * Árpád, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (approximate date)
 * Berengar I, king of Italy (approximate date)
 * Charles of Provence, Frankish king (d. 863)
 * Liutgard of Saxony, Frankish queen (approximate date)
 * Minamoto no Yoshiari, Japanese official (d. 897)
 * Ricfried, Frankish nobleman (d. 950)
 * Richilde of Provence, Frankish empress (approximate date)

Deaths

 * February 22 – Wang, empress and concubine of Mu Zong
 * Abdallah ibn Tahir, Muslim governor (or 844)
 * Abu Tammam, Muslim poet (b. 788)
 * Bridei VII, king of the Picts
 * Dionysius I, Syrian patriarch
 * Ecgred, bishop of Lindisfarne
 * Eginhard, bishop of Utrecht
 * Guerin, Frankish nobleman (or 856)
 * Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi, Muslim historian (b. 784)
 * Mislav, duke of Croatia (approximate date)
 * Sahl ibn Bishr, Muslim astrologer (approximate date)
 * Theophanes the Branded, Byzantine monk (b. 775)
 * Turgesius, Viking chieftain (approximate date)

title: 845


text:
846

Year 846 (DCCCXLVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * Byzantine–Bulgarian War: The Bulgarians violate the peace treaty (see 815), and invade Macedonia along the River Struma. The cities of Serres and Philippi are devastated.

Europe

 * Summer – Breton forces under Nominoe occupy the Frankish cities of Nantes and Rennes. He makes raids in Anjou and threatens Bayeux. King Charles the Bald recognizes him as duke of Brittany.
 * Prince Pribina becomes a vassal of the Frankish Empire. King Louis the German grants him land near Lake Balaton (modern Hungary). He establishes Blatnohrad, capital of Balaton Principality.
 * Frankish forces led by Louis the German invade Moravia. They encounter little resistance, and depose King Mojmir I from the throne. His relative, Rastislav, is set up as the new client ruler.
 * Muslim forces attempt to raid Rome but only pillage the countryside around the city before being beaten back by Duke Guy I of Spoleto. In the aftermath, Pope Leo IV starts walling the area around the Vatican hill, creating the Leonine City.
 * The Mozarabs, Iberian Christians who live under Moorish rule, try to repopulate León in Al-Andalus (modern Spain). The city is recaptured by the Muslim Arabs.

Britain

 * King Æthelred II of Northumbria sends military assistance to the Picts, in their fight against the invading Scots (approximate date).

Ireland

 * Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid becomes the first High King of Ireland.

Arabian Empire

 * A Saracen Arab expeditionary force from Africa, consisting of 11,000 men and 500 horses, raid the outskirts of Rome, sacking the basilicas of Old St. Peter's and St. Paul's Outside the Walls.

Asia

 * April 22 – Emperor Wu Zong (Li Chan) dies after a 6-year reign. He is succeeded by his uncle Xuān Zong, as Chinese ruler of the Tang Dynasty.
 * Jang Bogo, a powerful maritime hegemon of Silla, is assassinated by aristocratic elements at his garrison headquarters by Yŏm Chang (or 841).

Births

 * Gyeongmun, king of Silla (Korea) (d. 875)
 * November 1 – Louis the Stammerer, king of West Francia (d. 879)
 * Du Xunhe, Chinese poet (d. 904)
 * Hasan al-Askari, 11th Shia Imam (d. 874)
 * Li Yi, Chinese poet (approximate date)
 * Rollo, Viking leader and count (approximate date)
 * Wang Chao, Chinese warlord (d. 898)
 * Zhang Chengye, Chinese eunuch official (d. 922)

Deaths

 * April 22 – Wu Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 814)
 * July 29 – Li Shen, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
 * Bai Ju Yi, Chinese poet and official (b. 772)
 * Dantivarman, king of the Pallava Empire (India)
 * Ferdomnach, Irish monk and illuminator
 * Jang Bogo, Korean maritime hegemon (or 841)
 * Joannicius the Great, Byzantine theologian (b. 752)
 * Li Zongmin, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
 * Mojmir I, king of Moravia (approximate date)
 * Niall Caille, High King of Ireland
 * Reginbert of Reichenau, German librarian
 * Seguin II, Frankish nobleman
 * Wang, concubine of Wu Zong

title: 846


text:
848

Year 848 (DCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * Summer – Bordeaux, capital of Aquitaine, falls into the hands of Viking raiders. King Charles the Bald sends a Frankish fleet to lift the siege. Despite destroying some Viking longships on the Dordogne River, they fail to save the city. The Abbey of Saint-Pierre in Brantôme is sacked.
 * Emperor Lothair I, and his (half) brothers Louis the German and Charles the Bald, meet in Koblenz to continue the system of "con-fraternal government".
 * Frankish forces under Count (comté) William of Septimania assume authority over the counties of Barcelona and Empúries (modern Spain).
 * The Saracens conquer Ragusa (Sicily), after its Byzantine garrison is forced by severe famine to surrender. The city and its castle are razed to the ground.

Britain

 * The armies of Brycheiniog and Gwent clash in the battle of Ffinnant (Wales). King Ithel of Gwent is killed in the fighting (approximate date).
 * Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid, High King of Mide, defeats a Norse Viking army at Sciath Nechtain in Ireland (approximate date).

Asia

 * The Medieval Cholas in Southern India start to rule (approximate date).

Religion

 * Pope Leo IV builds (on the opposite of the Tiber River) the Leonine City, a fortified three-kilometre wall that encircles the Vatican Hill and Borgo, to defend Rome.
 * The Roman Catholic church of Santa María del Naranco, on the slope of Monte Naranco (Northern Spain), is completed.

Births

 * Alfonso III, king of Asturias (approximate date)
 * Carloman, Frankish abbot (d. 877)
 * Charles the Child, king of Aquitaine (or 847)
 * Lothair the Lame, Frankish abbot (d. 865)
 * Onneca Fortúnez, Basque princess (or 850)

Deaths

 * Cui Yuanshi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
 * Drest X, king of the Picts
 * Guo, empress dowager of the Tang dynasty
 * Ithel, king of Gwent (approximate date)
 * Li Gongzuo, Chinese writer
 * Malik ibn Kaydar, Muslim governor
 * Rechtabhra, bishop of Clonfert
 * Shi Xiong, Chinese general
 * Sunifred, Frankish nobleman
 * Sunyer I, Frankish nobleman
 * William I, duke of Gascony
 * Yahya al-Laithi, Muslim scholar

title: 848


text:
849

Year 849 (DCCCXLIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * Summer – Battle of Ostia: A Saracen Arab fleet from Sardinia sets sail towards Rome. In response, Pope Leo IV forms a coalition of maritime Italian cities, including Naples, Amalfi and Gaeta, led by Admiral Caesar — which is assembled off the re-fortified port of Ostia — and repels the Saracen marauders. Their navy is scattered, resulting in many sunken vessels. Rome is saved from plunder and the expansion of the Aghlabids.
 * Frankish forces under King Charles the Bald invade southern France, and conquer the territory of Toulouse. He appoints Fredelo as count (comté) of Toulouse, who founds the Rouergue dynasty. Aquitaine is submitted to the West Frankish Kingdom.

Abbasid Caliphate

 * The Armenian prince Bagrat II begins a rebellion against Caliph Al-Mutawakkil, of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Asia

 * In the Chinese capital city of Chang'an, an imperial prince is impeached during the Tang Dynasty from his position by officials at court, for erecting a building that obstructs a street in the northwesternmost ward in South Central Chang'an.
 * King Pyinbya of Burma founds the city of Bagan, located in the Mandalay Region, and fortifies it with walls.

Births

 * May – Isma'il ibn Ahmad, Muslim emir (d. 907)
 * Alfred the Great, king of Wessex (d. 899)
 * Eric Anundsson, king of Sweden (d. 882)

Deaths

 * January 15 – Theophylact, Byzantine co-emperor (b. c.793)
 * Ali ibn Muhammad, Idrisid emir of Morocco
 * c. February – Harthamah ibn al-Nadr al-Jabali, Muslim governor
 * June – Ali ibn al-Madini, Muslim scholar (b. 778)
 * c. June? – Ragenar, bishop of Amiens
 * August 18 – Walafrid Strabo, Frankish theological writer
 * Conaing mac Flainn, king of Brega (Ireland)
 * Connagan, bishop of Clonfert (Ireland)
 * Guntbold, archbishop of Rouen
 * Itakh (Ītākh al-Khazarī), Muslim general
 * Zhang Zhongwu, Chinese general

title: 849


text:
541

Year 541 (DXLI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Basilius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1294 Ab urbe condita). Basilius was the last person to be officially appointed Roman consul, since after this year, the office was permanently merged with the office of Roman/Byzantine emperor. Thus, from the next year forward, the consular year dating was abandoned. The denomination 541 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * January 1 – Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius is appointed as consul in Constantinople, the last person to hold this office.
 * Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague appears suddenly in the Egyptian port of Pelusium, spreading to Alexandria and, the following year, to Constantinople. This is the beginning of a 200-year-long pandemic that will devastate Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
 * Emperor Justinian I recalls Belisarius from Italy to handle the situation in Armenia. He arrives in Upper Mesopotamia and attacks the fortress city of Nisbis. After an unsuccessful siege he ravages the countryside.
 * John the Cappadocian, praetorian prefect of the East, is dismissed by the Byzantine empress Theodora for treason. He is banished to Cyzicus, and his estates are confiscated.

Europe

 * Autumn – Totila is elected king by the Ostrogothic nobles after the death of his uncle Ildibad. He wins the support of the lower classes by liberating slaves and distributing land to the peasants.
 * Winter – Siege of Verona: Totila defends the city of Verona against a numerically superior Byzantine army. He gains control over the Po Valley and prepares a Gothic offensive in Central Italy.

Persia

 * Lazic War: King Khosrau I intervenes in Lazica (modern Georgia), and supports the weakened king Gubazes II against a full-scale uprising. He sends an expeditionary force under Mermeroes and captures the Byzantine stronghold of Petra, located on the coast of the Black Sea, which provides the Persians a strategic port.

Asia

 * The Uyghurs come under the rule of the Hephthalites (approximate date).

Religion

 * Jacob Baradaeus becomes bishop of Edessa (approximate date).

Births

 * July 21 – Emperor Wen of Sui, emperor of the Sui dynasty (d. 604)

Deaths

 * Adhurgunbadh, Persian general
 * John Tzibus, Byzantine governor-merchant in Lazica
 * Eraric, king of the Ostrogoths
 * Ildibad, king of the Ostrogoths

title: 541


text:
542

Year 542 (DXLII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. From this year forward, the appointment of particular Roman consuls was abandoned and the office was merged with that of Byzantine emperor. Thus, the consular year dating was abandoned in practice, even though it formally remained until the end of the 9th century. The denomination 542 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague, spread from Egypt, kills at least 230,000 in Constantinople (before counting stops), and perhaps two million or more in the rest of the empire. Emperor Justinian I contracts the disease but recovers.
 * Lazic War – Justinian I sends a Byzantine army (30,000 men) to Armenia. The Persians, severely outnumbered, are forced to retreat, but at Dvin the Byzantines are defeated by a force of 4,000 men in an ambush, and are completely routed.
 * The 542 Sea of Marmara earthquake takes place in the winter of 542, in the vicinity of the Sea of Marmara. It also affects the coasts of Thrace and the Edremit Gulf.

Europe

 * Spring – Battle of Faventia: King Totila scatters the Byzantine forces near Faventia (modern Faenza) with 5,000 men, beginning the resurgence of Gothic resistance to the reconquest of Italy.
 * Battle of Mucellium: Totila marches down into Tuscany and defeats the Byzantines at Florence, in the valley of Mugello. He treats his prisoners well, and many are induced to join his banner.
 * March – Totila bypasses Rome and begins his expedition in Southern Italy. He captures Beneventum and receives the submission of the provinces of Apulia, Lucania and Bruttium.
 * Siege of Naples: Totila besieges the city of Naples in Campania. A Byzantine relief force from Sicily is intercepted and almost destroyed by Gothic warships.
 * King Childebert I and his brother Chlothar I invade Visigothic Spain. They capture Pamplona, but Zaragoza withstands a siege and the Franks retreat to Gaul. From this expedition Childebert brings back to Paris a relic, the tunic of Saint Vincent.

Religion

 * Brendan establishes a monastic settlement on Eileach an Naoimh (approximate date).

Literature

 * Gildas, British monk, writes his work "De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae" (approximate date).

Births

 * Su Wei, high official of the Sui dynasty (d. 623)
 * Xiao Min Di, emperor of Northern Zhou (d. 557)
 * Xiao Ming Di, emperor of the Liang dynasty (d. 585)

Deaths

 * August 27 – Caesarius, bishop of Arles
 * Eógan Bél, king of Connacht (Ireland)

title: 542


text:
544

Year 544 (DXLIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 544 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

the Mediterranean World, Europe, and the Middle East

 * Gothic War: Emperor Justinian I sends Belisarius back to the Ostrogothic Kingdom (Italy) with an inadequate Byzantine expeditionary force (4,000 men and 200 ships).
 * Belisarius defeats the Gothic army under King Totila, who unsuccessfully besieges the city of Otranto (southern Italy). After their retreat, the Byzantines march towards the city of Rome.
 * Justinian I issues a new edict condemning the Three Chapters. In Western Europe, Pope Vigilius refuses to acknowledge the imperial edict and is ordered to summon to Constantinople.
 * King Khosrau I unsuccessfully attacks the Byzantine fortress city of Dara. The siege of Edessa is repulsed, and the Persians are forced into a stalemate.
 * Battle of Cillium: A medium-sized Byzantine army under Solomon is defeated by the Moors on the border of Numidia. Solomon and his bodyguard are forced to retreat and are later killed.

Asia

 * February – Lý Bí is declared emperor and establishes the empire Van Xuân (modern Vietnam). His armies repel attacks from the kingdom of Champa.
 * October – The Liang dynasty retaliates against Van Xuân, and sends an imperial army (120,000 men) under Chen Baxian to re-occupy the region.

Religion

 * Jacob Baradaeus consecrates Sergius of Tella as patriarch of Antioch, opening a permanent schism between the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Births

 * Dugu Qieluo, empress of the Sui dynasty (d. 602)
 * Jing Di, emperor of the Liang dynasty (d. 558)
 * Yuwen Xian, prince of Northern Zhou (d. 578)

Deaths

 * October 18 – Wenna, Cornish saint (approximate date)
 * Dionysius Exiguus, inventor of the Anno Domini era (approximate date)
 * Solomon, Byzantine general and prefect of Africa

title: 544


text:
545

Year 545 (DXLV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 545 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Emperor Justinian I sends Narses, Byzantine general, to the rulers of the Heruli, to recruit troops for the campaigns in Italy and Syria.

Europe

 * Gothic War: King Totila establishes his military base at Tivoli (Central Italy), and prepares a campaign to reconquer the region of Latium.
 * The monastery of Clonmacnoise is founded in Ireland by Ciarán Mac a tSaor on the River Shannon (approximate date).

Asia

 * Yangwon becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.

Persia

 * King Khosrau I signs a five year truce with the Byzantine Empire, but war continues to ravage the Caucasus region, especially in Armenia.

Religion

 * The Synod of Brefi is held at Llanddewi Brefi, to condemn the Pelagian heresy. Dubricius, archbishop of South Wales, resigns his position in favour of David (approximate date).

Births

 * Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib, father of Muhammad (d. 570)
 * Fei Di, emperor of Northern Qi (d. 561)
 * Peter, Byzantine general (d. 602)

Deaths

 * June 3 – Clotilde, Christian wife of Clovis I and ancestress of the succeeding Merovingian dynasty (b.474)
 * October 12 – Mobhí Clárainech, Irish abbot and saint
 * Stotzas, Byzantine rebel leader
 * Approximate date
 * Budic II, king of Brittany
 * Laurence, bishop of Sipontum
 * Medardus, bishop of Vermandois

title: 545


text:
547

Year 547 (DXLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 547 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Gothic War: Belisarius recaptures Rome from the Ostrogoths, but his Italian campaign is unsuccessful (he is starved of supplies and reinforcements from Constantinople).
 * The mosaic panels of Justinian I and Theodora I with attendants, in the Basilica of San Vitale (Ravenna), are made (approximate date).
 * Theudebald, age 13, succeeds his father Theudebert I after a reign of 14 years, and becomes king of Austrasia (or 548).

Britain

 * King Ida establishes the kingdom of Bernicia. He builds Bamburgh Castle (northeast England) as a fortress that will become the seat of Anglo-Saxon kings (according to the Historia Brittonum).

Africa

 * Battle of Marta: The Byzantine army under John Troglita is defeated by Moorish tribes in Tripolitania. He flees to Lunci (9 km south of Mahares ), and is forced to withdraw north to the fortress of Laribus (near modern El Kef ).

Asia

 * The Tonkin revolt (Vietnam), led by Lý Nam Đế, is suppressed by the Chinese Liang dynasty.

Religion

 * The Basilica of San Vitale (Ravenna) is consecrated by bishop Maximianus of Ravenna.

Births

 * Pei Ju, official of the Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty (d. 627)
 * Zhu Manyue, empress of Northern Zhou (d. 586)

Deaths

 * February 10 – Scholastica, Christian nun
 * March 21, death of twin brother of St Scholastica, Saint Benedict, famous for building the Monastery of Mt Cassino and for his Benedictine Monastic Rule, Patron Saint of Europe, dies
 * Gao Huan, general of Northern Wei (b. 496)
 * Maelgwn Hir ap Cadwallon, king of Gwynedd (approximate date)
 * Theudebert I, king of Austrasia (or 548)
 * Tribonian, Byzantine jurist and author of the Codex Justinianus

title: 547


text:
548

Year 548 (DXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 548 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * June 28 – Empress Theodora I dies at age 48, probably of breast cancer (according to Bishop Victor of Tunnuna). Her body is buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles (Constantinople).
 * Emperor Justinian I relieves Belisarius from military service, in favour of 70-year-old Byzantine general Narses.

Europe

 * Theudigisel, Visigothic general, proclaims himself ruler over the Visigothic Kingdom, after King Theudis is assassinated.

Persia

 * Lazic War: King Gubazes II revolts against the Persians, and requests aid from Justinian I. He sends a Byzantine expeditionary force (8,000 men) to Lazica (modern Georgia).
 * Gubazes II besieges the fortress of Petra, located on the Black Sea. The Persian army under Mermeroes defeats a small Byzantine force guarding the mountain passes, and relieves Petra.
 * Mermeroes stations a garrison of 3,000 men in the stronghold of Petra, and marches to Armenia. The Persians, lacking sufficient supplies, secure the supply routes and plunder Lazica.

Africa

 * Spring – Battle of the Fields of Cato: The Byzantine army, under John Troglita, crushes the Moorish revolt in Byzacena (Tunisia).

Asia

 * April 13 – Emperor Lý Nam Đế of Vietnam is killed by Laotian tribesmen, while on retreat from the Hong River Plain. He is succeeded by his elder brother Lý Thiên Bảo.

Commerce

 * Cosmas Indicopleustes, Alexandrian merchant, writes his work Christian Topography. He describes the importance of the spice trade (especially in cloves and sweet aloes) in Ceylon, and the harvesting of pepper in India (approximate date).

Religion

 * Saint Catherine's Monastery is established in the Sinai Peninsula.

Births

 * Xiao Zhuang, crown prince of the Southern Dynasties (approximate date)

Deaths

 * April 13 – Lý Nam Đế, emperor of Vietnam
 * June 28 – Theodora I, Byzantine Empress
 * Carcasan, king of the Ifuraces (Algeria)
 * Chen Daoten, father of Xuan Di (or 549)
 * Theudebert I, king of Austrasia (or 547)
 * Theudis, king of the Visigoths

title: 548


text:
549

Year 549 (DXLIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 549 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantine Empire

 * Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under Totila besiege Rome for the third time, after Belisarius has returned to Constantinople. He offers a peace agreement, but this is rejected by Emperor Justinian I.
 * Totila conquers the city of Perugia (Central Italy) and stations a Gothic garrison. He takes bishop Herculanus prisoner, and orders him to be completely flayed. The Ostrogoth soldier asked to perform this gruesome execution shows pity, and decapitates Herculanus before the skin on every part of his body is removed.
 * In the Circus Maximus, first and largest circus in Rome, the last chariot races are held.

Europe

 * January - Battle of Ciiil Conaire, Ireland: Ailill Inbanda and his brother are defeated and killed.
 * Agila I succeeds Theudigisel as king of the Visigoths, after he is murdered by a group of conspirators during a banquet in Seville.

Persia

 * Spring – Lazic War: The Byzantine army under Bessas combines forces with King Gubazes II, and defeats the Persians in Lazica (modern Georgia) in a surprise attack. The survivors retreat into Caucasian Iberia.
 * The Romans unsuccessfully besiege Petra, Lazica.

Asia

 * Jianwen Di succeeds his father Wu Di as emperor of the Liang Dynasty (China).

Religion

 * c. 549–564 – Transfiguration of Christ, mosaic in the apse, Church of the Virgin, Saint Catherine's Monastery in Egypt, is made.
 * Fifth Council of Orléans: Nine archbishops and forty-one bishops pronounce an anathema against the errors of Nestorius and Eutyches.
 * Bishop Maximianus of Ravenna consecrates the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.
 * The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory (which still exists) is founded in Ireland.

Births

 * Abū Lahab, uncle and staunch critic of       Muhammad (d. 624)
 * Jizang, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 623)

Deaths

 * January – Ailill Inbanda, king of Connacht (Ireland) (killed in battle)
 * February 16 – Zhu Yi, official of the Liang dynasty (b. 483)
 * December 12 – Finnian of Clonard, Irish monastic saint (b. 470)
 * exact date unknown
 * Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Irish monastic saint
 * Gao Cheng, official and regent of Eastern Wei (b. 521)
 * Herculanus, bishop of Perugia
 * Theudigisel, king of the Visigoths (assassinated)
 * Túathal Máelgarb, king of Tara (Ireland)
 * Wu Di, emperor of the Liang dynasty (b. 464)
 * Xiao Zhengde, prince of the Liang dynasty
 * Xu Zhaopei, princess of the Liang dynasty

title: 549