text:
551

Year 551 (DLI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 551 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

 * After the death of his cousin Germanus, Justinian I appoints Narses new supreme commander, and returns to Italy. In Salona on the Adriatic coast, he assembles a Byzantine expeditionary force totaling 20,000 or possibly 30,000 men and a contingent of foreign allies, notably Lombards, Heruls and Bulgars.
 * Gothic War: Narses arrives in Venetia and discovers that a powerful Gothic-Frank army (50,000 men), under joint command of the kings Totila and Theudebald, has blocked the principal route to the Po Valley. Not wishing to engage such a formidable force and confident that the Franks would avoid a direct confrontation, Narses skirts the lagoons along the Adriatic shore, by using vessels to leapfrog his army from point to point along the coast. In this way he arrives at the capital Ravenna without encountering any opposition. He attacks and crushes a small Gothic force at Ariminum (modern Rimini).
 * Spring – The 551 Malian Gulf earthquake takes place in the vicinity of the Malian Gulf; it affects the cities of Echinus and Tarphe.
 * July 9 – Beirut is destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami. Its epicenter has an estimated magnitude of about 7.2 or 7.6, and according to reports of Antoninus of Piacenza, Christian pilgrim, some 30,000 people are killed.
 * Autumn – Battle of Sena Gallica: The Byzantine fleet (50 warships) destroys the Gothic naval force under Indulf near Sena Gallica (Senigallia), some 17 miles (27 km) north of Ancona. It marks the end of the Gothic supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea.

Europe

 * Athanagild revolts against the Visigothic king Agila. Their armies meet at Seville (Andalusia), and Agila is defeated.
 * 12,000 Kutrigurs appear in Europe led by Chinialus and others to assist the Gepids.

Persia

 * Spring – Lazic War - Siege of Petra (550–551): The Byzantine army and their Sabir allies (some 6,000 men) under Bessas recapture the strategic Byzantine fortress of Petra, located on the coast of the Black Sea. He orders the city walls razed to the ground.

Asia

 * Autumn – Xiao Dong, great-nephew of the rebellious general Hou Jing, succeeds Jianwen Di as emperor of the Liang Dynasty. Xiao Dong has no real power and Hou Jing controls the imperial government at the capital Jiankang.
 * Bumin Qaghan, chieftain of the Göktürks, founds the Turkic Khaganate. He unites the local Turkic tribes and throws off the yoke of the Rouran domination.

Arts and sciences

 * Jordanes, Roman bureaucrat, publishes "The Origin and Deeds of the Goths" (approximate date).

Births

 * Ashina, empress of Northern Zhou (d. 582)
 * Babai the Great, church father and theologian (approximate date)
 * Germanus, Byzantine pretender (approximate date)
 * Umako Soga, leader of the Soga clan (d. 626)

Deaths

 * Jianwen Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b. 503)
 * Wen Di, emperor of Western Wei (b. 507)
 * Xiao Daqi, crown prince of Northern Qi (b. 524)

title: 551


text:
553

Year 553 (DLIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 553 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

 * Battle of Mons Lactarius: King Teia secretly marches to join forces with his brother Aligern in Campania, to relieve the siege of Cumae. Meanwhile at Mons Lactarius (modern Monti Lattari), Narses lays an ambush. The combined Gothic force is crushed in a hopeless last stand for two days (south of Naples), and Teia is killed in the fighting. Aligern escapes, but surrenders a few months later.
 * The Ostrogothic Kingdom ends after 60 years of rule in Italy. The Goths are allowed to return to their homes in peace and (re)settle in modern-day Austria. Some 7,000 people retreat to Campsas (Southern Gaul), and resist with minimal help from the Franks against the Byzantines until 554.
 * The Byzantines retreated from Telephis–Ollaria.

Europe

 * Gothic War: Frankish invasion — Two Frankish-Alemanni dukes, brothers Lothair and Buccelin, cross the Alps from Germany with a force of 75,000 men, mostly Frankish infantry. In the Po Valley, they win an easy victory over a much smaller Byzantine force at Parma, and are joined by remnants of the Gothic armies, bringing the total strength of the invaders to about 90,000 men. Narses, gathering his forces as quickly as possible, marches north to harass the Franks, but is not strong enough to engage them in battle. In Samnium (Southern Italy) the brothers divide their forces: Lothaire goes down the east coast, then returns to the north, to winter in the Po Valley. Buccelin follows the west coast into Calabria, where he spends the winter — his army being seriously wasted by attrition and disease.

Asia

 * King Seong of Baekje attacks the kingdoms of Goguryeo and Silla. However, under a secret agreement, Silla troops attack the exhausted Baekje army, and take possession of the entire Han River valley.
 * In the Turkic Khaganate Istemi is appointed governor (yabgu) in the west of the empire (modern Turkestan), and Muqan Qaghan succeeds his brother Issik Qaghan as emperor (khagan) of the Göktürks.

Religion

 * May 5 – The Fifth Ecumenical Council is held in Constantinople. In an edict, Emperor Justinian I condemns the Three Chapters, causing further schisms and heresies of monoenergism and monothelitism.

Births

 * December 10 – Houzhu, emperor of the Chen dynasty (d. 604)

Deaths

 * August 5 – Xiao Ji, prince of the Liang dynasty (b. 508)
 * exact date unknown
 * Gelimer, king of the Vandals and Alans (b. 480)
 * Issik Qaghan, ruler of the Turkic Khaganate
 * Teia, king of the Ostrogoths

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

title: 553


text:
555

Year 555 (DLV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 555 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

 * By this date, the Roman Empire under Justinian I has reached its height. Justinian I has reconquered many former territories of the Western Roman Empire, including Italy, Dalmatia, Africa and Southern Hispania.
 * An earthquake devastates the city of Latakia (modern Syria).

Europe

 * King Chlothar I annexes the Frankish territories of Metz and Reims, after the death of his great-nephew Theudebald.

Britain

 * King Erb of Gwent (in Southern Wales) dies; his kingdom is divided into Gwent and Ergyng (approximate date).

Persia

 * Summer – Lazic War: The Byzantine army under Bessas is repulsed, and forced to retreat out of Archaeopolis (Georgia).
 * King Gubazes II is invited to observe the siege of a Persian-held fortress, and is murdered by the Byzantine military staff after accusing them of incompetence.

Asia

 * Chinese Liang Dynasty: Jing Di, age 12, succeeds his father Yuan Di and is declared emperor by general Chen Baxian.
 * The Rouran Khaganate ends; it is defeated by the Göktürks under Muqan Qaghan, who expands his rule in Central Asia.

Arts and sciences

 * Around this time, the historian Jordanes writes several books, among them De origine actibusque Getarum (The origin and deeds of the Goths).
 * Taliesin, British poet, becomes court bard to King Brochwel of Powys (approximate date).

Religion

 * June 7 – Pope Vigilius dies at Syracuse on his journey back home. His body is brought to Rome and buried in the San Martino ai Monti.
 * Cybi Felyn, abbot of Holyhead, dies at his monastery in Caer Gybi (approximate date).

Births

 * Basolus, French Benedictine and hermit (approximate date)
 * Fatimah bint Asad, mother of Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 626)
 * Khadija, wife of Islamic prophet Muhammad (approximate date)

Deaths

 * January 27 – Yuan Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b. 508)
 * June 7 – Pope Vigilius
 * September/October - Gubazes II, king of Lazica (Georgia)
 * exact date unknown
 * Helier, Flemish-born hermit and patron saint of Jersey
 * Ly Thien Bao, emperor of Vietnam (b. 499)
 * Theudebald, king of Austrasia
 * Wang Sengbian, general of the Liang Dynasty
 * probable
 * Cybi Felyn, Cornish bishop
 * Erb of Gwent, Welsh king

title: 555


text:
556

Year 556 (DLVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 556 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 Chlothar I suppresses a revolt of the Saxons and Thuringii in Saxony (Germany). For some time he exacts a tribute of 500 cows every year.

Britain

 * King Cynric and his son Ceawlin of Wessex fight against the Britons at Beranburh, now identified as Barbury Castle (Wiltshire) in South West England.

Persia

 * Lazic War: A Byzantine expeditionary force under Justin retakes Archaeopolis (modern Georgia), and routs the Persian army.
 * Siege of Phasis: The Persians are defeated at the besieged town of Phasis in Lazica, held by the Byzantines.
 * King Khosrau I opens negotiations with Justinian I, leading to the establishment of a 50 year peace agreement in 562.

Religion

 * April 16 – The diplomatic representative (apocrisiarius) to Constantinople is elected as Pope Pelagius I, succeeding Vigilius as the 60th pope of Rome.

Births

 * Gao Bainian, crown prince of Northern Qi (d. 564)
 * Amr Ibn Hashim, Arab pagan chieftain, and biggest enemy to the spread of early Islam

Deaths

 * February 22 – Maximianus, Bishop of Ravenna (b. 499)
 * Echu Tirmcharna, king of Connacht (Ireland)
 * Erzhu Ying'e, empress of Northern Wei
 * Romanos the Melodist, Syrian poet (approximate date)
 * Xiao Yuanming, emperor of the Liang Dynasty
 * Yuwen Tai, general of Western Wei (b. 507)

title: 556


text:
557

Year 557 (DLVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 557 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

 * The Avars arrive in the northern region of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. They send envoys to the Byzantines in Lazica (modern Georgia). Like the Huns, the Avars are the former elite of a central Asian federation, which has been forced to flee westwards.

Byzantine Empire

 * December 14 – The 557 Constantinople earthquake occurs.

Asia

 * The Western Wei Dynasty ends: Yuwen Hu deposes emperor Gong Di, and places Yuwen Tai's son Xiaomin on the throne. Yuwen Hu becomes regent and establishes the Northern Zhou dynasty in China.
 * Ming Di is made emperor, after his younger brother Xiao Min Di is arrested while trying to assume power. Xiao Min Di is deposed and executed by Yuwen Hu.
 * The Liang dynasty ends: Chen Wu Di, a distinguished general, becomes the first emperor of the Chen dynasty in Southern China.
 * The Göktürks under Muqan Qaghan ally with the Persian Empire, and destroy the Hephthalites (White Huns) in Central Asia.

Religion

 * King Chlothar I of the Franks founds the Abbey of St. Medard at Soissons (Northern France).
 * The Jiming Temple in Nanjing is built; the Buddhist pagoda is located near Xuanwu Lake.

Births

 * Dushun, Chinese (Buddhist) patriarch (d. 640)
 * Gao Wei, emperor of Northern Qi (d. 577)
 * Ouyang Xun, Confucian scholar (d. 641)

Deaths

 * March 14 – Leobinus, bishop of Chartres
 * exact date unknown
 * Saint Cyriacus the Anchorite, legendary centenarian (b. 448)
 * Xiao Min Di, emperor of Northern Zhou (b. 542)

title: 557


text:
659

Year 659 (DCLIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 659 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

 * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Constans II signs a peace treaty with the Rashidun Caliphate. He uses the pause to strengthen his defences, and consolidates Byzantine control over Armenia. Constans establishes the themata, dividing territorial command in Anatolia.
 * Constans II elevates his son Heraclius to the rank of co-emperor (Augustus), alongside his brother Tiberius.

Asia

 * A Japanese embassy is sent to the Chinese Empire, and received in an audience by Emperor Gao Zong. The Tang dynasty is determined in the next year to take administrative measures in regard to Japan. The envoys are detained.

Religion

 * March 17 – Gertrude of Nivelles, daughter of Pepin of Landen (mayor of the palace of Austrasia), requests on her deathbed a burial wearing a plain linen shroud. This is the traditional (pagan) practice of a 'furnished' grave.
 * Leodegar, an opponent of Ebroin (mayor of the palace), is appointed bishop of Autun in Burgundy.

Births

 * Ali ibn Husayn Zayn, great-grandson of Muhammad and Shia Imam
 * Cædwalla, king of Wessex (approximate date)
 * Fujiwara no Fuhito, Japanese statesman (d. 720)
 * He Zhizhang, Chinese poet (approximate date)

Deaths

 * March 17 – Gertrude of Nivelles, Frankish abbess (b. c.628)
 * November 3 – Denha I of Tikrit, Syriac Orthodox Grand Metropolitan of the East.
 * Bavo of Ghent, Frankish nobleman and saint (b. 622)
 * Han Yuan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 606)
 * Ishoyahb III, patriarch of the Church of the East
 * Liu Shi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
 * Zhangsun Wuji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty

title: 659


text:
652

Year 652 (DCLII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 652 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 Rothari dies after a 16-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Rodoald as king of the Lombards.

Britain

 * King Penda of Mercia invades Bernicia, and besieges King Oswiu at Bamburgh, in North East England.

Arab Empire

 * Arab–Byzantine War: An Arab fleet under Abdullah ibn Sa'ad defeats the Byzantine fleet (500 ships) off the coast of Alexandria.
 * Siege of Dongola: A Rashidun army (5,000 men) under Abdullah ibn Sa'ad besieges Dongola in the Kingdom of Makuria (modern Sudan).
 * Uthman ibn Affan establishes a treaty (the Baqt) between the Christian Nubians and the Muslims in Egypt, that lasts for six centuries, including the tribute of 400 slaves annually.
 * Abdel al Rahman ibn Awf, companion (sahabah) of Muhammad, frees 30,000 slaves at his death (approximate date).

Asia

 * The registers of population are prepared in Japan. Fifty houses are made a township, and for each township there is appointed an elder. The houses are all associated in groups of five for mutual protection, with one elder to supervise them one with another. This system prevails until the era of World War II.
 * The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is constructed in Chang'an (modern Xi'an), during the Tang dynasty (China). It is completed in the same year, during the reign of Emperor Gao Zong.

Births

 * Chlothar III, king of Neustria and Burgundy (d. 673)
 * Constantine IV, Byzantine emperor (d. 685)
 * Li Hong, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 675)

Deaths

 * Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of Muhammad (approximate date)
 * Abdel Rahman ibn Awf, companion of Muhammad (approximate date)
 * Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Arabic leader (b. 560)
 * Emmeram, bishop of Regensburg (approximate date)
 * Itta of Metz, widow of Pippin of Landen (b. 592)
 * Li Tai, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 618)
 * Olympius, exarch of Ravenna
 * Rothari, king of the Lombards

title: 652


text:
857

Year 857 (DCCCLVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

 * Emperor Michael III, under the influence of his uncle Bardas, banishes his mother Theodora to the Gastria Monastery. Bardas, the de facto regent, becomes the most powerful person in the Byzantine Empire.

Europe

 * November – Erispoe, ruler (duke) of Brittany, is assassinated by his cousin Salomon and followers, in the church at Talensac. King Charles the Bald acknowledges Salomon as the rightful 'king' of Brittany.
 * A Danish Viking fleet raids the cities of Dorestad, Paris and Orléans. Others sail up the Oise River, ravaging Beauvais and the abbey of Saint-Germer-de-Fly (approximate date).
 * Viking chieftain Rorik, with the agreement of King Lothair II, leaves Dorestad with a fleet and forces his rival Horik II to recognise him as ruler over Denmark (approximate date).

Medicine

 * The first recorded major outbreak of ergotism kills thousands of people in the Rhine Valley. They have eaten bread made from rye infected with the ergot fungus parasite Claviceps purpurea (approximate date).

Births

 * Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn, Korean philosopher and poet
 * Li Cunjin, general of the Tang dynasty (d. 922)

Deaths

 * March 11 – Eulogius, Spanish priest and martyr
 * Dae Ijin, king of Balhae (Korea)
 * Erispoe, king (duke) of Brittany
 * Harith al-Muhasibi, Muslim teacher (b. 781)
 * Hilderic of Farfa, Frankish abbot
 * Kim Yang, viceroy of Silla (Korea) (b. 808)
 * Yuhanna ibn Masawaiyh, Assyrian physician
 * Matudán mac Muiredaig, king of Ulaid (Ireland)
 * Ma Zhi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
 * Munseong, king of Silla (Korea)
 * Roderick, Spanish priest and saint
 * Wang Shaoding, Chinese governor (jiedushi)
 * Yahya ibn Aktham, Muslim jurist
 * Zheng Lang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
 * Ziryab, Muslim poet and musician (b. 789)

title: 857


text:
562

Year 562 (DLXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 562 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 signs a peace treaty with the Persian Empire. The status quo ante is restored, with Lazica (modern Georgia) in Byzantine hands.
 * Belisarius stands trial for corruption in Constantinople, possibly with Procopius acting as praefectus urbi. He is found guilty and sent to prison.
 * End of the Lazic War: In the Fifty-Year Peace Treaty, King Khosrau I recognises Lazica as a Byzantine vassal state for an annual payment of 5,000 pounds of gold each year.
 * December 23 – Justinian I re-consecrates Hagia Sophia after its dome is rebuilt. Paul the Silentiary, Byzantine poet, writes an epic poem (Ekphrasis).
 * The last Ostrogothic strongholds at Verona and Brixia are taken by the Eastern Roman Empire, ending the Gothic War.

Europe

 * King Sigebert I repels an attack on Austrasia by the Avars at Regensburg (Germany). He moves his capital from Reims to Metz (approximate date).

Asia

 * Spring – Xiao Ming Di, age 20, succeeds his father Xuan Di as emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty.
 * Silla, by order of king Jinheung, wages war upon Gaya (Three Kingdoms of Korea) and conquers it.
 * The secondary capital Taiyuan in Northern Qi is rebuilt and becomes a center of Buddhism.

Mesoamerica

 * The Maya state of Caracol (Belize) defeats King Wak Chan K'awiil (Double Bird) of Tikal in battle during the First Tikal-Calakmul War, ending his dynasty.

Deaths

 * Dowager Cao, concubine of Xuan Di
 * Dowager Gong, empress mother of Xuan Di
 * Procopius, Byzantine historian (approximate date)
 * Xuan Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b. 519)

title: 562


text:
564

Year 564 (DLXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 564 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.

Britain

 * Cadoc, abbot of Llancarfan (Wales), settles in Weedon and is made bishop (approximate date).
 * August 22 – Columba reports seeing the Loch Ness Monster at the River Ness (according to the "Life of St. Columba").

Mesoamerica

 * Tulum, Maya walled city, on the Yucatán Peninsula (modern Mexico) is first mentioned on a stele inscription.

Religion

 * Samson of Dol, one of seven founder saints of Brittany, attends a council in Paris and witnesses several royal decrees (approximate date).

Births

 * Hermenegild, Visigoth prince (approximate date)
 * Li Baiyao, Chinese official and historian (d. 647)

Deaths

 * Gao Bainian, crown prince of Northern Qi (b. 556)
 * Laisrén mac Nad Froích, Irish monk and saint
 * Petroc, Celtic prince and saint (approximate date)
 * Tudwal, Breton monk and saint (approximate date)

title: 564


text:
565

Year 565 (DLXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 565 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 15 – Justin II succeeds his uncle Justinian I as emperor of the Byzantine Empire. He begins his reign by refusing subsidies to the Avars, who conduct several large-scale raids through the Balkan Peninsula.
 * Justin II recalls his cousin Justin (pretender to the throne) to Constantinople; after accusations against him, he is placed under house arrest.
 * Justin II sends his son-in-law Baduarius (magister militum) with a Byzantine army, to support the Gepids in their war against the Lombards.
 * The Madaba Map is made in the Byzantine church of Saint George. The floor mosaic contains the depiction of the Holy Land (approximate date).

Britain

 * Columba, an Irish missionary, spots the Loch Ness Monster on the River Ness (in present day Scotland) and saves the life of a Pict (approximate date).

Europe

 * Summer – A war erupts between Alboin, the king of the Lombards, and King Cunimund, the leader of the Gepids. (approximate date).

Asia

 * Gao Wei succeeds his father Wu Cheng Di as ruler of the Chinese Northern Qi Dynasty. Wu Cheng Di becomes a regent and Grand Emperor.
 * The Uyghurs are defeated by the Göktürks, who expand their territory in Central Asia (approximate date).

Central America

 * February 6 – K'an Joy Chitam I, ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque, in what is now the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico, dies after a reign of exactly 36 years.
 * May 2 – Ahkal Moʼ Nahb II becomes the new ruler of Palenque and reigns until his death in 570.

Arts and sciences

 * Agathias begins to write a history, beginning where Procopius finished his work.

Religion

 * January 22 – Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople is deposed as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople by Justinian I after he refuses the Byzantine Emperor's order to adopt the tenets of the Aphthartodocetae, a sect of Monophysites. From April 12 he is replaced by John Scholasticus.
 * Columba begins preaching in the Orkney Islands (approximate date).

Births

 * Chen Yueyi, empress of Northern Zhou (approximate date)
 * Cuthwine, prince of Wessex (approximate date)
 * Gundoald, Bavarian nobleman (approximate date)
 * Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian (d. 649)
 * Mirin, Irish monk and missionary (approximate date)
 * Sisebut, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)
 * Witteric, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)
 * Yuan Leshang, empress of Northern Zhou

Deaths

 * November 14 – Justinian I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
 * Audoin, king of the Lombards (approximate date)
 * Belisarius, Byzantine general ("Last of the Romans")
 * Diarmait mac Cerbaill, High King (approximate date)
 * Dorotheus of Gaza, monk and abbot (approximate date)
 * Procopius, Byzantine historian (approximate date)
 * Samson of Dol, bishop and saint (approximate date)

Establishments

 * Saint Catherine's Monastery in Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt by Justinian I, which contains the oldest active library, being Ebla tablets (c. 2500–2250 BC) in the city of Ebla, Syria, discovered by Italian archaeologist Paolo Matthiae and his team in 1974–75, the first, if not the oldest, inactive library.

title: 565


text:
566

566 (DLXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 566 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

 * A Byzantine army, under command of Baduarius, assists the Gepids in their war against the Lombards. The Byzantines win the first battle in the lower Danube (Moesia), but Gepid King Cunimund refuses to hand back the fortress city of Sirmium (modern Serbia), as he had promised.
 * Emperor Justin II, facing an empty treasury, breaks the treaty with the Gepids that has existed since 565. King Alboin of the Lombards makes an alliance with the Avars under Bayan I, at the expense of tough conditions. They demand a tenth of the Lombards' cattle and half of the war booty.
 * Justin II sends his cousin Justin to exile in Alexandria, where he is installed as Augustal prefect of Egypt. There he is murdered in his sleep, and his head is cut off and brought to Constantinople (most likely by assignment of Empress Sophia).

Europe

 * Ainmuire mac Sétnai becomes High King of Ireland, and rules from 566–569 (this according to the Book of Leinster).

Francia

 * A poet from Italy named Venantius Fortunatus arrives at the Merovingian court at Metz. With a strong grasp of traditional Roman poetry, Fortunatus impresses and entertains the Frankish royalty and aristocracy. The success of a Latin poet in Francia suggests that Roman culture persisted well after the Roman Empire disintegrated in Gaul in the late 5th century.

Asia

 * Fei Di, age 12, succeeds his father Wen Di, as emperor of the Chinese Chen dynasty. He honors his grand-aunt Zhang Yao'er with the title of Grand Empress, and she becomes his regent.
 * Kirtivarman I succeeds his father Pulakeshin I as king of the Chalukya dynasty (India). During his rule he completes the subjugation of the Kadambas and annexes the port of Goa.

Unidentified

 * A major volcanic eruption occurs in the Antarctic.

Births

 * Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of Muhammad (approximate date)
 * Li Yuan, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty (d. 635)
 * Xiao, empress of the Sui dynasty (approximate date)
 * Yuchi Chifan, empress of Northern Zhou (d. 595)

Deaths

 * Domnall Ilchelgach, High King of Ireland
 * Forggus mac Muirchertaig, High King
 * Justin, Byzantine aristocrat and general
 * Pulakeshin I, king of the Chalukya dynasty (India)
 * Wen Di, emperor of the Chen dynasty (b. 522)

title: 566


text:
567

Year 567 (DLXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 567 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

 * The Lombard–Gepid War (567) ends with a Lombard-Avar victory, and the annihilation of the Gepids.
 * Sigebert I, king of Austrasia, marries Brunhilda, and his half brother Chilperic I marries Galswintha, both daughters of the Visigothic king Athanagild.
 * King Charibert I dies without an heir; his realm (region Neustria and Aquitaine) is divided between his brothers Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I.
 * Liuva I succeeds his predecessor Athanagild, after an interregnum of five months, and becomes king of the Visigoths.

China

 * Three Disasters of Wu: Emperor Wu Di of the Northern Zhou dynasty initiates the second persecution of Buddhists in China. This persecution continues until he is succeeded by his son Emperor Xuan.

Religion

 * The Second Council of Tours is held. It decrees that any cleric found in bed with his wife will be excommunicated.
 * John III, patriarch of Constantinople, organizes a compromise between the Chalcedonians and Monophysites.

Births

 * Ingund, wife of Hermenegild (or 568)

Deaths

 * June 5 – Theodosius I, patriarch of Alexandria
 * Athanagild, king of the Visigoths
 * Charibert I, king of the Franks
 * Cissa, king of the South Saxons
 * Cunimund, king of the Gepids

title: 567


text:
569

Year 569 (DLXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 569 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 Justin II and his wife Sophia send a relic of the "True Cross" to the Frankish princess Radegund, who has founded a monastery at Poitiers.
 * The Garamantian Kingdom (modern Libya) signs a peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire. The capital city of Garama is converted to Christianity.

Europe

 * September – The Lombards conquer Forum Iulii (Cividale del Friuli) in northeastern Italy. Later in the year, the Lombards conquer Milan.
 * Gisulf I, nephew of Alboin, is appointed as the first duke of Friuli (approximate date).

Arabia

 * Al-Mundhir III succeeds his father Al-Harith V and becomes king of the Ghassanids.

Religion

 * The Nubian kingdom of Alodia is converted to Christianity by Byzantine missionaries (according to John of Ephesus).
 * John of Ephesus completes his "Biographies of Eastern Saints" (approximate date).
 * November 19 – In Poitiers the "Vexilla Regis" is first sung during the Procession.

Births

 * Yángdi, emperor of the Sui dynasty (d. 618)

Deaths

 * Ainmuire mac Sétnai, High King of Ireland
 * Al-Harith ibn Jabalah, king of the Ghassanids
 * Peter IV, Coptic Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria
 * Wu Cheng Di, emperor of Northern Qi (b. 537)

title: 569


text:
574

Year 574 (DLXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 574 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 7 – Emperor Justin II retires due to recurring seizures of insanity; he abdicates the throne in favour of his general Tiberius. Justin proclaims him Caesar and adopts him as his own son.
 * Winter – Empress Sophia and Tiberius agree to a one year truce with the Persians, at the cost of 45,000 solidi. The truce applies only to the Mesopotamian front; in the Caucasus, war continues.

Europe

 * King Cleph is murdered after an 18-month reign by a guard, a slave who he has mistreated. For the next decade, the Lombard Kingdom is governed by independent duchies (Rule of the Dukes).
 * The Visigoths under King Liuvigild invade Cantabria (Northern Spain), and destroy the city of Amaya (Burgos). He massacres the inhabitants and adds the province to the Visigothic Kingdom.
 * Áedán mac Gabráin becomes king of Dál Riata (Scotland) (approximate Date).

Asia

 * The Persian Empire overthrows the Axumite- and Byzantine-affiliated regimes in Yemen (Arabian Peninsula).

Unidentified

 * A major volcanic eruption occurs in the Antarctic.

Religion

 * July 13 – Pope John III dies at Rome after a 13-year reign, until June of next year the Holy See becomes sede vacante.
 * Marius Aventicensis is made bishop of Aventicum (modern Avenches).

Births

 * February 7 – Shōtoku, prince and regent of Japan (d. 622)
 * Xiao Yu, prince of the Liang Dynasty (d. 647)

Deaths

 * July 13 – Pope John III
 * Cleph, king of the Lombards (or 575)
 * Conall mac Comgaill, king of Dál Riata
 * Xuan, empress of Northern Zhou
 * Queen Jiso

title: 574


text:
579

Year 579 (DLXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 579 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

 * Byzantine-Sassanid War: King Khosrau I seeks peace, but dies before an agreement can be reached. The Mesopotamian front becomes stalemated, and Maurice (magister militum of the East) fortifies the borders in Armenia and Syria.

Central America

 * September 2 – Uneh Chan becomes the ruler of the Mayan city state of Calakmul in southern Mexico and reigns until 611.

Europe

 * Hermenegild, son of Visigothic king Liuvigild, marries Ingund. He rebels against his father, starting in Seville (Southern Spain), and declares himself Catholic.
 * Heavy taxes levied by Merovingian king Chilperic I of Neustria produce a revolt at Limoges (central France), as he sells bishoprics to the highest bidder.

Britain

 * Frithuwald succeeds his brother Theodoric as king of Bernicia (Scotland). He rules from 579–585 (approximate date).

Persia

 * Khosrau I dies after a 48-year reign, during which he has extended his realm from the River Oxus to the Red Sea. He is succeeded by his son Hormizd IV, who becomes king of the Persian Empire.
 * Summer – Hormizd IV refuses to give up territories, and breaks off negotiations with the Byzantine Empire. The Türks invade Khorasan and reach Hyrcania on the Caspian Sea.

Asia

 * Emperor Xuan Di abdicates the throne to his son Jing Di, age 6, and rules as regent the Northern Zhou dynasty.
 * Jinpyeong becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

Religion

 * July 30 – Pope Benedict I dies after a 4-year reign, and is succeeded by Pelagius II as the 63rd pope. During the Lombard siege of Rome, he labors to solve the problems of famine.
 * Pelagius II sends Gregory as his apocrisiarius (ambassador to the imperial court in Constantinople). He is part of a Roman delegation to ask for military aid against the Lombards.
 * Leander, Catholic bishop of Seville, is exiled by Liuvigild and withdraws to Constantinople. At the Byzantine court he composes works against Arianism (approximate date).

Births

 * Fang Xuanling, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 648)

Deaths

 * July 30 – Pope Benedict I
 * Khosrau I, king of the Persian Empire
 * Theodric, king of Bernicia (Scotland)

title: 579


text:
590

Year 590 (DXC) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 590 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

 * Byzantine–Sassanid War: Emperor Maurice defeats the Persian forces under Bahrām Chobin at Nisibis (modern Turkey), and drives them back into Armenia.
 * Comentiolus, commander (magister militum) of the eastern army, receives the legitimate Persian king, Khosrau II, as a refugee in his headquarters at Hierapolis.
 * Maurice establishes the Exarchate of Carthage in Africa. He combines the civil authority of a praetorian prefect and the military authority, based at Carthage.
 * March 26 – Theodosius, eldest son of Maurice, is proclaimed as co-emperor. He becomes his father's heir to the Byzantine throne.
 * Stephen I succeeds his father Guaram I as king of Iberia (Georgia) (approximate date).

Europe

 * The Franks and Burgundians under King Guntram invade Italy. They capture the cities Milan and Verona, but are forced to leave by a plague outbreak in the Po Valley.
 * The Franks again invade Italy; they capture Modena and Mantua. Several Lombard dukes defect: Gisulf I, duke of Friuli, is defeated and replaced by his son Gisulf II.
 * September 5 – King Authari dies (possibly by poison) after a six-year reign, and is succeeded by Agilulf, duke (dux) of Turin, who marries his widow Theodelinda.
 * Frankish rebellion led by Basina, daughter of Chilperic I.

Britain

 * Æthelberht succeeds his father Eormenric as king (bretwalda) of Kent (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).
 * Siege of Lindisfarne: A Brythonic coalition lays siege to King Hussa of Bernicia at Lindisfarne Castle (Holy Island).
 * Owain mab Urien succeeds his father Urien, as Brythonic king of Rheged in Northern England (approximate date).

Persia

 * Spring – King Hormizd IV dismisses Bahrām Chobin as commander (Eran spahbed). He revolts and marches with the support of the Persian army towards Ctesiphon.
 * February 15 – Hormizd IV is deposed and assassinated by Persian nobles. Having ruled since 579, he is succeeded by his son Khosrau II as king of the Persian Empire.
 * September – Bahrām Chobin defeats the inferior forces of Khosrau II near Ctesiphon. He seizes the throne and proclaims himself as king Bahrām IV of Persia.

Asia

 * Kadungon becomes king of the Pandyan Kingdom in South India (approximate date).
 * Yeongyang becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.

Religion

 * February 7 – Pope Pelagius II falls victim to the plague that devastated Rome. After an 11-year reign he is succeeded by Gregory I, age 50, as the 64th pope, and the first from a monastic background.
 * Egidius, bishop of Reims, is tried at Metz before a council of bishops for a conspiracy against King Childebert II; he is found guilty and exiled to Strasbourg.
 * Gregory I begins a vigorous program of rebuilding aqueducts and restoring Rome. He feeds the citizens with doles of grain, as under Roman imperial rule.
 * Columbanus, Irish missionary, obtains from King Guntram the Gallo-Roman castle Luxovium (Luxeuil-les-Bains), where he founds the Abbey of Luxeuil.
 * John of Biclaro, Visigoth chronicler, finishes his "Chronicle" before he is appointed bishop of Girona (Catalonia, Spain).

Births

 * Benjamin, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria (approximate date)
 * Boran, Queen of Persia (d. 632)
 * Braulio, bishop of Zaragoza (d. 651)
 * Cedda, prince of Wessex (approximate date)
 * Dervan, prince of the Sorbs (approximate date)
 * Eanfrith, king of Bernicia (d. 634)
 * Harsha, Indian emperor (d. 647)
 * Jajang, Korean monk (d. 658)
 * Judicaël, high king of Domnonée (approximate)
 * Kavadh II, king of the Sasanian Empire (d. 628)
 * Secundus of Non, Lombard abbot
 * Sichilde, Frankish queen (d. 627)
 * Theodore Rshtuni, Armenian general

Deaths

 * February 7 – Pope Pelagius II (b. 520)
 * September 5 – Authari, king of the Lombards
 * Blane, Scottish bishop and saint
 * Eormenric, king of Kent (England)
 * Gisulf I, duke of Friuli (Italy)
 * Guaram I, king of Iberia (Georgia)
 * Hormizd IV, king of the Persian Empire
 * Ermelinde, Brabant Saint (b. 510)

title: 590