530s

The 530s decade ran from January 1, 530, to December 31, 539.

Events

530 By place

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).

By topic

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 tenure of four years, two months and 13 days, in which he has condemned semi-pelagianism. He is succeeded by Boniface II, 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).

531 By place

Byzantine Empire

April 19 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army (20,000 men), commanded by Belisarius, is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria). Emperor Justinian I negotiates an end to the hostilities, and Belisarius is hailed as a hero.
Some members of the Blue and Green chariot racing factions in Constantinople are imprisoned for murder, precipitating the Nika riots the next year.

Europe

The Franks under King Chlothar I march against the Thuringi with Chlothar's nephew Theudebert I. The Kingdom of Thuringia comes under Frankish domination.
Hermanafrid, last king of the Thuringi, is defeated by the Franks near the Unstrut River. During negotiations he is pushed from the town walls of Zülpich (northern Germany).
King Childebert I receives pleas from his sister Clotilde, wife of King Amalaric, claiming that she is abused by her husband. Childebert invades Septimania (Gaul).
Childebert I defeats the Visigoths and conquers the capital Narbonne. Amalaric flees south to Barcelona, where he is assassinated by his own men.
Clotilde returns with the Frankish army and dies on the journey home. She is buried in Paris alongside her father Clovis I.
Theudis, sword-bearer of former king Theodoric the Great, succeeds Amalaric as new ruler of the Visigoths.

Persia

King Kavad I, age 82, dies after a 43-year reign. Khosrau I, his favourite son, is proclaimed successor over his elder brothers.

Asia

The reign of Chang Guang Wang, ruler of Northern Wei, ends. Gao Huan, Chinese general, begins a rebellion and declares another member of the imperial clan, An Ding Wang, emperor.
Ankan, age 66, succeeds his father Keitai as the 27th emperor of Japan.
Anwon becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.

Unidentified

Major volcanic eruption.

532 By place

Byzantine Empire

January 11 – Nika riots in Constantinople: Anger among the supporters of the most important chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—escalates into violence towards the emperor. For the next five days the capital is in chaos. The fires that start during the tumult result in the destruction of much of the city. The insurrection is put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus; 30,000 people are killed in the Hippodrome.
February 23 – Emperor Justinian I orders the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia. He chooses Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles as architects. The material for the construction is brought from all over the empire, such as large stones from quarries in Porphyry, Egypt. More than 10,000 people are employed.
September – Justinian I signs a peace treaty, the "Eternal Peace", with the Persian king Khosrau I, ending the Iberian War (527-531). Both sides agree to return all occupied territories, and Justinian makes a one-off payment of 110 centenaria (11,000 pounds of gold), as a contribution to the defense of the Caucasus passes.

Europe

Battle of Autun - The Franks, under command of King Childebert I and his brother Chlothar I, invade the Kingdom of Burgundy. They defeat the Burgundians under King Godomar near Autun (modern France).

Asia

An Ding Wang commits suicide, and is succeeded by Xiao Wu Di as Chinese emperor of Northern Wei.
Silla conquers the city-state of Geumgwan Gaya (Korea) during the Three Kingdoms period.

By topic

Arts and sciences

First year in which the Anno Domini calendar is used for numbering the years.

Religion

October 17 – Pope Boniface II dies in Rome after a tenure of two years, four months and six days.

533 By place

Byzantine Empire

Spring – Vandalic War: Anti-Vandal revolt in Tripolitania and Sardinia; Gelimer, king of the Vandals, dispatches the bulk of the Vandal fleet (120 ships and 5,000 men) under his brother Tzazo to Sardinia. Byzantine forces from Cyrenaica occupy Leptis Magna and Tripolis.
March 25 – In a letter, Emperor Justinian I declares the Bishop of Rome (currently John) to be "head of all Bishops, and the true and effective corrector of heretics."
Summer – Emperor Justinian I holds a war council in Constantinople. His advisers warn him against launching an expedition to North Africa, because of the supply-lines (1,000 miles into Vandal waters) and the huge drain on the imperial treasury. Justinian appoints Belisarius to command the Byzantine army.
June 21 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails in 500 transports, escorted by 92 war vessels (dromons), manned by 20,000 seamen from Constantinople, to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily. The fleet carries 10,000 infantry, about half Byzantine and half foederati, and 5,000 cavalry, consisting of 3,000 Byzantine horsemen, 1,000 foreign allies (Huns and Heruli) and 1,500 of Belisarius' retainers (bucellarii). On the flagship Belisarius is accompanied by his military secretary Procopius, and his wife Antonina.
September – Belisarius arrives at Sicily, which he uses as a staging area, with the permission of the Ostrogoth queen Amalasuntha, daughter of Theodoric the Great and regent of Italy. The Ostrogoths help him with supplies and the fleet is prepared for the final attack.
September 9 – The Byzantine army lands at Caput Vada (modern Tunisia). Belisarius marches his army northwards, towards Carthage (over 140 miles), following the coast, accompanied by the fleet and shadowed by Gelimer. During the march, the Vandal towns fall without a fight.
September 13 – Battle of Ad Decimum: Gelimer attempts to ambush the Byzantines in a defile at the "10th milestone" from Carthage; due to inadequate coordination and the alertness of Belisarius, the attack is repulsed and the Vandals are scattered into the desert. Belisarius enters the capital and orders his soldiers not to kill or enslave the population. The fleet is stationed in the Lake of Tunis.
December 15 – Battle of Tricamarum: Gelimer assembles an army of about 50,000 men at Bulla Regia (Numidia), and advances towards Carthage. Belisarius moves out to meet the Vandals; he leads the Byzantine cavalry (5,000 men) into battle. Without waiting for his infantry to come up, he charges, despite odds of almost 10-to-1, and throws Gelimer in confusion. Belisarius captures the Vandal camp by storm. Tzazo is killed in an all-cavalry fight, and Gelimer is forced to seek refuge in the mountains of Tunis with the Berbers.
December 16 – The Digesta or Pandectae, a collection of jurist writings and other sources, is completed (see Corpus Juris Civilis).

Europe

Theudebert I succeeds his father Theuderic I and becomes king of Austrasia.

By topic

Religion

January 2 – After an interregnum of 2 months and 15 days, Pope John II becomes the 56th pope of Rome, and the first to adopt a regnal name upon elevation to the papacy (his birth name, Mercurius, being of pagan origin).

534 By place

Byzantine Empire

January 1 – Decius Paulinus enters the office of consul (the last to hold this office in the West).
March – King Gelimer surrenders to Belisarius, after spending a winter in the mountains of Numidia. He and large numbers of captured Vandals are transported to Constantinople. The Vandal Kingdom ends, and the African provinces return to the Byzantine Empire.
April – Belisarius leaves a small force in Africa under the Byzantine general Solomon, to continue the subjugation of the province. He is appointed governor (Exarch) and pacifies the Moorish tribes with success. Malta becomes a Byzantine province (until 870).
Summer – Belisarius arrives in Constantinople and is permitted by Emperor Justinian I to celebrate a triumph, the first non-imperial triumph for over 500 years. In the procession the spoils of the Temple of Jerusalem and the Vandal treasure are paraded.
Justinian I commemorates the victory against the Vandals by stamping medals in his honor with the inscription "Gloria Romanorum" (approximate date).
November 16 – A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published.

Europe

Toledo becomes the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom that controls the Iberian Peninsula. King Theudis expands Visigoth rule in the southern regions (Hispania Baetica).
The Frankish kings Childebert I and Chlothar I overthrow Godomar, king of the Burgundians, and end the Kingdom of Burgundy.
Cynric becomes king of Wessex.
October 2 – King Athalaric dies of tuberculosis, age 18, having dissipated his youth in drink and debauchery. His mother, Amalasuntha, proposes to her cousin Theodahad, the kingdom's largest landowner and her father's last male heir, that he share the throne with her but that he will be king of the Ostrogoths in name only. Theodahad has secret conversations with the Byzantine ambassador, and promises to turn over Tuscany in exchange for a large sum of money, the rank of senator, and permission to live at Constantinople.

535 By place

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.

By topic

Religion

May 8 – Pope John II dies in Rome after a two-year reign, and is succeeded by Agapetus I as the 57th pope. Agapetus is sent by King Theodahad 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.

536 By place

Eastern Roman ("Byzantine") Empire

Spring – Emperor Justinian I appoints his cousin Germanus as magister militum to deal with the crisis in Africa. He sends a mobile force of comitatenses (mostly cavalry) and an elite guard. Solomon, the previous magister militum, returns to Constantinople.
Summer – Gothic War (535–554): Belisarius crosses the Strait of Messina and invades Italy. He conquers the city of Rhegium and advances to Naples.
November – Siege of Naples: Belisarius captures Naples after a month's siege, by sending troops into the city through an abandoned Roman aqueduct.
December 9 – Belisarius enters Rome through the Porta Asinaria, and the Gothic garrison of 4,000 men flees the city. He sends an urgent request for reinforcements to Justinian I, meanwhile preparing Rome for a siege, by bringing in great quantities of food and other supplies.
Winter – Belisarius sets up his headquarters on the Pincian Hill, and repairs the neglected city walls of Rome. He stations a 5,000-man garrison, of whom half are his personal bodyguard (bucellarii). To hold parts of the city, he recruits 20,000 young Romans to man the walls.

Europe

Early in 536 (possible) – Volcanic winter of 536: Famine is described in the Annals of Ulster.
March – Ostrogothic King Theodahad cedes Provence and upper Alamannia to the Franks, gaining their support in the war. He sends a large Gothic army into Dalmatia. They defeat the Byzantines, Mundus is killed during the fighting at Salona, and the Byzantine army withdraws.
Summer – Constantinianus, magister militum per Illyricum, retakes Dalmatia. The Goths abandon Salona and withdraw to the north. The Byzantines rebuild its walls and reclaim the province.
December – Vitiges deposes his rival Theodahad at Ravenna, and marries Mataswintha (daughter of queen Amalasuintha). He becomes king of the Ostrogoths and assembles an army to fight against Belisarius.

Africa

March – April – Belisarius sails to Carthage with 1,000 men, to suppress a mutiny against Solomon. Meanwhile, Carthage is besieged by 9,000 rebels, including many Vandals, under Stotzas.
Battle of the River Bagradas: Belisarius defeats the mutineers, and hurries back to Sicily.

Asia

January 26 – Senka succeeds his brother Ankan as the 28th emperor of Japan.^{[citation needed]}
August – Volcanic winter of 536: Snow falls in China, which causes the harvest to be delayed.

By topic

Religion

Before March 13 – Anthimus I is deposed as patriarch of Constantinople in favour of Menas.
April 22 – Pope Agapetus I dies in Constantinople, after a reign of just ten months. He is succeeded by Silverius as the 58th pope.
May 2–June 4 – Council of Constantinople.
September 19 – Council of Jerusalem.
The Little Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (begun in 527) is completed as the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus.

Climate

The volcanic winter of 536, thought to have been caused by an extensive veil of dust in the atmosphere, began in the Northern Hemisphere. It continued until the following year, causing unseasonal weather and crop failure worldwide.

537 By place

Byzantine Empire

March 2 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogothic army (45,000 men) under King Vitiges begins the siege of the city. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.
Vitiges sets up seven camps, overlooking the main gates and access routes to the city, in order to starve it out. He blocks the Roman aqueducts that are supplying Rome with water, necessary both for drinking and for operating the corn mills.
March 21 – Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls with four siege towers, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius.
April – The Goths capture the Portus Claudii at Ostia; the harbor is left unguarded by the Romans. Belisarius is forced to unload his supplies at Antium; he sends urgent messages for reinforcements to Constantinople.
April 9 – Belisarius receives his promised reinforcements: 1,600 cavalry, mostly of Hunnic or Slavic origin and expert bowmen. Despite shortages, he starts raids against the Gothic camps and Vitiges is forced into a stalemate.
June – In Rome, famine brings the city to despair; Belisarius sends his secretary Procopius to Naples for more reinforcements and supplies. Vitiges arranges a three-month armistice for Gothic envoys to travel to Constantinople.
November – Belisarius brings his long-awaited reinforcements, namely 3,000 Isaurians and 1,800 cavalry embarked in Ostia, along with a supply convoy, safely to Rome. The Goths are forced to abandon the Portus Claudii.
December – Belisarius sends John "the Sanguinary" with a force of 2,000 men towards Picenum, to plunder the east coast of Italy. He arrives at Ariminum (Rimini), where he is welcomed by the local population.
December 27 – The construction of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (begun in 532) is completed.

Britain

Battle of Camlann: King Arthur fights his last battle against the forces of his rebellious son (or nephew) Mordred, and is mortally wounded (traditional date)

Africa

Spring – Battle of Scalas Veteres (6 km south of Carthage, in the Praetorian prefecture of Africa): Byzantine troops under Germanus crush a large-scale mutiny. Stotzas, leader of the rebellion, flees with a handful of followers to Mauretania.

Asia

Eastern Wei sends an advance guard of three army columns through the Tong Pass, to attack Western Wei. The Western army under Yu-Wen Tai defeats one of the columns while the others retreat. Yu-Wen follows up, but runs into the main Eastern army (200,000 men). The Westerners are pushed back through the pass, and the Eastern army emerges from the mountains. Unexpectedly they are charged in the flank by 10,000 Western cavalry, and 6,000 Easterners are killed and 70,000 captured.
John Cottistis starts a short-lived rebellion against Justinian I. He is declared emperor at Dara, but is killed four days later by conspiring soldiers.

America

Yaxchilan captures the ajaws of Bonampak, Lakamtuun, and Calakmul, at the outset of the First Tikal-Calakmul War.

By topic

Construction

The Aqua Virgo aqueduct is destroyed by the Goths; they try to use the underground channel as a secret route to invade Rome.

Religion

March 29 – Pope Vigilius succeeds Silverius as the 59th pope, when the latter is deposed by Belisarius at the order of Justinian I.

Society

Second year of worldwide famine, a consequence of the extreme weather events of 535–536.

538 By place

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.

By topic

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.

Society

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

539 By place

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.

By topic

Society

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

Significant people

Justinian I - The Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 527 to 565. He is known for his ambitious project to codify Roman law, resulting in the Corpus Juris Civilis, and for his efforts to reconquer lost Western Roman territories.
Belisarius - A prominent general under Justinian I, known for his military campaigns against the Persians, Vandals, and Ostrogoths.
Tribonian - A legal scholar and advisor to Justinian I, who played a crucial role in compiling the Corpus Juris Civilis.
Gelimer - The last Vandal king of North Africa, who was defeated by Belisarius in 534.
Pope Felix IV - The Pope from 526 to 530, known for his efforts to combat semi-Pelagianism.
Laozi - The legendary Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, traditionally believed to have died around 531 BC.
Heraclitus of Ephesus - A pre-Socratic Greek philosopher born around 535 BC, known for his doctrine that change is central to the universe.

Births

530

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)

531

Li Delin, Chinese official and writer (d. 591)
Liu Jingyan, Chinese Empress (d. 615)
Waldrada, Lombard princess (d. 572)
Yan Zhitui, Chinese scholar and official (d. 591)

532

Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riata (Scotland) (approximate date)
Guntram, king of Burgundy (approximate date)
Marius Aventicensis, bishop of Aventicum (d. 596)
Xiao Mohe, general of the Chen dynasty and Sui dynasty (d. 604)

534

Leander, bishop of Seville (approximate date)
Liu Jingyan, empress of the Chen dynasty (d. 616)
Ming Di, emperor of the Northern Zhou (d. 560)
* Taliesin, Welsh poet (approximate date)

535

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)

536

unknown date – Li Ezi, Chinese empress dowager of Northern Zhou (d. 588)
probable
- Evagrius Scholasticus, Syrian church historian (or 537) (d. 594)
- Venantius Fortunatus, Merovingian bishop and poet (d. c. 600/609)

537

Agilulf, bishop of Metz (approximate date)
Chen Chang, prince of the Chen dynasty (d. 560)
Gong Di, emperor of Western Wei (d. 557)
Wu Cheng Di, emperor of Northern Qi (d. 569)

538

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

539

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

530

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)

531

May 30 – Xiao Tong, prince of the Liang Dynasty (b. 501)
Amalaric, king of the Visigoths (assassinated)
Clotilde, Visigoth queen and daughter of Clovis I
Drest IV, king of the Picts (approximate date)
Hermanafrid, king of the Thuringi (murdered)
Kavadh I, king of the Persian Empire (b. 449)
Keitai, emperor of Japan (b. 450)
Maine mac Cearbhall, king of Uí Maine (or 537)
Xiao Zhuang Di, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 507)

532

March 3 – Winwaloe, saint and founder of Landévennec Abbey (b.c. 460)
October 17 – Pope Boniface II
An Ding Wang, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 513)
Chang Guang Wang, emperor of Northern Wei
Ecclesius, bishop of Ravenna (approximate date)
Erzhu Shilong, official of Northern Wei (b. 500)
Erzhu Tianguang, general of Northern Wei (b. 496)
Guntheuc, princess of Burgundy (approximate date)
Hypatius, Byzantine nobleman (executed)
Jie Min Di, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 498)
Pompeius, Byzantine politician (executed)
Sabbas the Sanctified, monk and saint (b. 439)

533

January 13 – Remigius, bishop of Reims
Erzhu Zhao, general of Northern Wei
Fulgentius of Ruspe, bishop (approximate date)
Hilderic, king of the Vandals and Alans
Theuderic I, king of Austrasia (or 534)
Tzazo, brother of Gelimer (killed in battle)

534

October 2 – Athalaric, king of the Ostrogoths
Anthemius of Tralles, architect and mathematician (approximate date)
Cerdic, first king of Wessex
Godomar, king of Burgundy
Marcellinus Comes, Latin chronicler (approximate date)
Theuderic I, king of Austrasia (or 533)

535

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)

536

January 25 – Ankan, emperor of Japan (b. c. 466)
April 22 – Pope Agapetus I
December – Theodahad, king of the Ostrogoths (assassinated) (b. c. 480)
unknown date – Mundus, Gepid Byzantine general (killed in action)

537

December 2 – Pope Silverius
King Arthur, King of the Britons, in the Battle of Camlann (historicity debated)
Mordred, son (or nephew) of King Arthur, also in the Battle of Camlann
Fortunatus, Bishop of Todi
Gartnait I, King of the Picts
Husi Chun, general of Northern Wei (b. 495)
Isidore of Miletus, Byzantine architect
John Cottistis, Byzantine usurper
Maine mac Cearbhall, king of Uí Maine (or 531)
Vigor, Bishop of Bayeux

538

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)

539

Senka, emperor of Japan
Wacho, king of the Lombards

Notes

↑ Famine is described as "AI537.1, Failure of bread" in the Annals of Inisfallen.
↑ Famine is described as "T538.1, Failure of bread" in the Annals of Tigernach.
↑ Famine is described as "U539.1, Failure of bread" in the Annals of Ulster.

References

↑ Hodgkin, Thomas. Italy and Her Invaders: 476-535, Volume 3. Рипол Классик. p. 662. ISBN 9785876357366.
1 2 3 4 Liber Pontificalis, chapter 56. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), pp. 51f
1 2 Isidore of Seville, History of the Goths, chapter 40. Translation by Guido Donini and Gorden B. Ford, Isidore of Seville's History of the Goths, Vandals, and Suevi, second revised edition (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1970), p. 19.
↑ "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
↑ Connor, Steve (2014-07-07). "Our explosive past is written in the Antarctic ice". i. London. p. 17.
↑ Greatrex, Geoffrey (1997). "The Nika Riot: A Reappraisal". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 117: 60–86. doi:10.2307/632550. ISSN 0075-4269. JSTOR 632550.
1 2 Liber Pontificalis, chapter 58. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), p. 52
↑ Procopius, BV, Vol. I, XI. 7–16
↑ Bury (1923), Vol. II, p. 130–131
↑ Liber Pontificalis, chapter 58. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), pp. 52
↑ George Ostrogorsky, History of the Byzantine State, translated by Joan Hussey (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1957), p. 64
↑ C.F. Kolbert, translator, Justinian: The Digest of Roman Law (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1979), p. 46 ISBN 0140443436
1 2 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 534
↑ Jordanes, Vol. LIX, p. 51 and Herwig Wolfram (1998), p. 338
↑ J. Norwich, Byzantium: The Early Centuries, p. 215
↑ Rome at War (p. 55). Michael Whitby, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-359-4
↑ Breviarium S. Liberati, ap. Mansi, Concilia, Vol. IX, p. 695
↑ Bury 1958, pp. 143–144.
1 2 Vitiello, Massimiliano (1 January 2014). Theodahad: A Platonic King at the Collapse of Ostrogothic Italy. University of Toronto Press. pp. 157–160. ISBN 978-1-4426-4783-1.
1 2 Bury (1923). Vol. II, Ch. XVIII. pp. 174-180.
↑ Bambury, Pádraig; Beechinor, Stephen (2000). "The Annals of Ulster" (Electronic ed.). Cork, Ireland: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork. pp. U536.3n. Failure of bread.
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.VII.
↑ Stanhope, Earl Philip Henry (1848). The Life of Belisarius. J. Murray. pp. 154–158.
↑ Ochoa, George; Hoffman, Jennifer; Tin, Tina (2005). Climate: the force that shapes our world and the future of life on earth. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-59486-288-5.
↑ Gibbons, Ann (2018-11-15). "Why 536 was 'the worst year to be alive". Science. AAAS. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
↑ Bury 1958, p. 182–183.
↑ Bury 1958, p. 185.
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XXIII
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XXVII
↑ Bury 1958, p. 188.
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.VI
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.V
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico, II.VII
↑ Annales Cambriae, s.a. 537
↑ Bury 1958, pp. 144–145
↑ Imperial Chinese Armies (p. 42). C.J. Peers, 1995. ISBN 978-1-85532-514-2
↑ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 639–640
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.IX
↑ Mac Airt 2000–2008, pp. AI537.1.
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico II
↑ Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XIII
↑ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 125, 255, 641
↑ Mac Niocaill 2010, pp. T538.1.
↑ The Making of the Slavs (p. 190–226). Florin Curta, 2001. ISBN 978-0-511-49629-5
↑ Bambury, Pádraig; Beechinor, Stephen (2000). "The Annals of Ulster" (Electronic edition compiled by the CELT Team (2000) ed.). CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt. pp. U539.1.
↑ "Colmán mac Lénéni". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
↑ Brennan, Brian (1996). "Deathless Marriage and Spiritual Fecundity in Venantius Fortunatus's De Virginitate". Traditio. 51: 73–97. doi:10.1017/S0362152900013374. JSTOR 27831930. S2CID 152047997.
↑ "Taliesin". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
↑ Allen, Pauline (1981). Evagrius Scholasticus, the Church Historian. Peeters Publishers & Booksellers. p. 1. ISBN 9789042928091.
↑ Liber Pontificalis, chapter 58. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), p. 52
↑ Bury, J. B. (1958). History of the Later Roman Empire from the Death of Theodosius I. to the Death of Justinian. Courier Corporation. p. xxi. ISBN 978-0-486-20399-7. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
↑ Lindsay, T. F. (1949). Saint Benedict: His Life and Work. Burns, Oates. p. 102.

Bibliography

Mac Airt, Seán (2000–2008). "Annals of Inisfallen". UCC (Electronic edition compiled by Beatrix Färber ed.). CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt.
Martindale, John Robert; Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin; Morris, J., eds. (1992). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume III: A.D. 527–641. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-20160-5.
Mac Niocaill, Gearóid (2010). "The Annals of Tigernach". CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland. Retrieved 1 October 2016.

[failedbread537-40] Famine is described as "AI537.1, Failure of bread" in the Annals of Inisfallen.

[failedbread538-45] Famine is described as "T538.1, Failure of bread" in the Annals of Tigernach.

[failedbread539-48] Famine is described as "U539.1, Failure of bread" in the Annals of Ulster.

[1] Hodgkin, Thomas. Italy and Her Invaders: 476-535, Volume 3. Рипол Классик. p. 662. ISBN 9785876357366.

[LP56-2] 1 2 3 4 Liber Pontificalis, chapter 56. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), pp. 51f

[Isidore-3] 1 2 Isidore of Seville, History of the Goths, chapter 40. Translation by Guido Donini and Gorden B. Ford, Isidore of Seville's History of the Goths, Vandals, and Suevi, second revised edition (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1970), p. 19.

[4] "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 19 April 2019.

[5] Connor, Steve (2014-07-07). "Our explosive past is written in the Antarctic ice". i. London. p. 17.

[6] Greatrex, Geoffrey (1997). "The Nika Riot: A Reappraisal". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 117: 60–86. doi:10.2307/632550. ISSN 0075-4269. JSTOR 632550.

[LP-7] 1 2 Liber Pontificalis, chapter 58. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), p. 52

[8] Procopius, BV, Vol. I, XI. 7–16

[9] Bury (1923), Vol. II, p. 130–131

[10] Liber Pontificalis, chapter 58. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), pp. 52

[11] George Ostrogorsky, History of the Byzantine State, translated by Joan Hussey (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1957), p. 64

[12] C.F. Kolbert, translator, Justinian: The Digest of Roman Law (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1979), p. 46 ISBN 0140443436

[ASC-13] 1 2 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 534

[14] Jordanes, Vol. LIX, p. 51 and Herwig Wolfram (1998), p. 338

[Norw-15] J. Norwich, Byzantium: The Early Centuries, p. 215

[16] Rome at War (p. 55). Michael Whitby, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-359-4

[17] Breviarium S. Liberati, ap. Mansi, Concilia, Vol. IX, p. 695

[FOOTNOTEBury1958143–144-18] Bury 1958, pp. 143–144.

[Theodohad-19] 1 2 Vitiello, Massimiliano (1 January 2014). Theodahad: A Platonic King at the Collapse of Ostrogothic Italy. University of Toronto Press. pp. 157–160. ISBN 978-1-4426-4783-1.

[Bury23-20] 1 2 Bury (1923). Vol. II, Ch. XVIII. pp. 174-180.

[21] Bambury, Pádraig; Beechinor, Stephen (2000). "The Annals of Ulster" (Electronic ed.). Cork, Ireland: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork. pp. U536.3n. Failure of bread.

[22] Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.VII.

[23] Stanhope, Earl Philip Henry (1848). The Life of Belisarius. J. Murray. pp. 154–158.

[Ochoa05_p71-24] Ochoa, George; Hoffman, Jennifer; Tin, Tina (2005). Climate: the force that shapes our world and the future of life on earth. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-59486-288-5.

[Science-25] Gibbons, Ann (2018-11-15). "Why 536 was 'the worst year to be alive". Science. AAAS. Retrieved 2018-11-16.

[FOOTNOTEBury1958182–183-26] Bury 1958, p. 182–183.

[FOOTNOTEBury1958185-27] Bury 1958, p. 185.

[28] Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XXIII

[29] Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XXVII

[FOOTNOTEBury1958188-30] Bury 1958, p. 188.

[31] Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.VI

[32] Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.V

[33] Procopius, De Bello Gothico, II.VII

[34] Annales Cambriae, s.a. 537

[35] Bury 1958, pp. 144–145

[36] Imperial Chinese Armies (p. 42). C.J. Peers, 1995. ISBN 978-1-85532-514-2

[Martindale,_Jones_1992_p._639-40-37] Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 639–640

[38] Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.IX

[FOOTNOTEMac_Airt2000–2008AI537.1-39] Mac Airt 2000–2008, pp. AI537.1.

[41] Procopius, De Bello Gothico II

[42] Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XIII

[43] Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 125, 255, 641

[FOOTNOTEMac_Niocaill2010T538.1-44] Mac Niocaill 2010, pp. T538.1.

[46] The Making of the Slavs (p. 190–226). Florin Curta, 2001. ISBN 978-0-511-49629-5

[47] Bambury, Pádraig; Beechinor, Stephen (2000). "The Annals of Ulster" (Electronic edition compiled by the CELT Team (2000) ed.). CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt. pp. U539.1.

[49] "Colmán mac Lénéni". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 17 July 2018.

[50] Brennan, Brian (1996). "Deathless Marriage and Spiritual Fecundity in Venantius Fortunatus's De Virginitate". Traditio. 51: 73–97. doi:10.1017/S0362152900013374. JSTOR 27831930. S2CID 152047997.

[51] "Taliesin". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2026-05-07.

[52] Allen, Pauline (1981). Evagrius Scholasticus, the Church Historian. Peeters Publishers & Booksellers. p. 1. ISBN 9789042928091.

[53] Liber Pontificalis, chapter 58. Translated by Raymond Davis, The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), p. 52

[54] Bury, J. B. (1958). History of the Later Roman Empire from the Death of Theodosius I. to the Death of Justinian. Courier Corporation. p. xxi. ISBN 978-0-486-20399-7. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

[55] Lindsay, T. F. (1949). Saint Benedict: His Life and Work. Burns, Oates. p. 102.