CHRONOLOGY OF THE NEW PEOPLES

401 A.D. to 900 A.D.

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401 A.D. to 900 A.D.	New Peoples Enter World History
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Africa	Immigrants from Saba in South Arabia helped set up the Axum kingdom in Ethiopia in the 1st century (their language, Ge'ez, is preserved by the Ethiopian Church). In the 3rd century, when the kingdom became Christianized, it defeated Kushite Meroe and expanded its influence into Yemen. Axum was the center of a vast ivory trade and controlled the Red Sea coast until c 1100. Arab conquest in Egypt cut Axum's political and economic ties with Byzantium. The Iron Age entered West Africa by the end of the 1st millennium B.C.. Ghana, the first known sub-Saharan state, ruled in the upper Senegal-Niger region c 400-1240, controlling the trade of gold from mines in the S to trans-Sahara caravan routes to the North. The Bantu peoples, probably of West African origin, began to spread E and S perhaps 2,000 years ago, displacing the Pygmies and Bushmen of central and S Africa during a 1,500-year period.
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Americas	From 300 to 600 a Native American empire stretched from the Valley of Mexico to Guatemala, centering on the huge city Teotihuacán (founded 100 B.C.). To the south, in Guatemala, a high Mayan civilization developed (150-900) around hundreds of rural ceremonial centers. The Mayans improved on Olmec writing and the calendar and pursued astronomy and mathematics (using the idea of zero). In South America, a widespread pre-Inca culture grew from Tiahuanacu, Bolivia, near Lake Titicaca (Gateway of the Sun, c 700).
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Arab Empire	Baghdad (est 762) became the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate (est 750), while Ummayads continued to rule in Spain. A brilliant cosmopolitan civilization emerged, inaugurating an Arab-Muslim golden age. Arab lyric poetry revived; Greek, Syriac, Persian, and Sanskrit books were translated into Arabic, often by Syriac Christians and Jews, whose theology and Talmudic law, respectively, influenced Islam. The arts and music flourished at the court of Harun al-Rashid (786-809), celebrated in The Arabian Nights. The sciences, medicine, and mathematics were pursued at Baghdad, Cordova, and Cairo (est 969). Science and Aristotelian philosophy culminated in the systems of Avicenna (980-1037), Averroes (1126-98), and Maimonides (1135-1204), a Jew; all influenced later Christian scholarship and theology. The Islamic ban on images encouraged a sinuous, geometric decorative tradition, applied to architecture and illumination. A gradual loss of Arab control in Persia (from 874) led to the capture (945) of Baghdad by Persians. By the next century, Spain and North Africa were ruled by Berbers, while Turks prevailed in Asia Minor and the Levant. The loss of political power by the caliphs allowed for the growth of nonorthodox trends, especially the mystical Sufi tradition (theologian Ghazali, 1058-1111).
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Barbarian invasions	Germanic tribes infiltrated South and East from their Baltic homeland during the 1st millennium B.C., reaching S Germany by 100 B.C. and the Black Sea by 214 A.D.. Organized into large federated tribes under elected kings, most resisted Roman domination and raided the empire in time of civil war (Goths took Dacia in 214 and raided Thrace in 251-69). Germanic troops and commanders came to dominate the Roman armies by the end of the 4th century. Huns, invaders from Asia, entered Europe in 372, driving more Germans into the West empire. Emperor Valens allowed Visigoths to cross the Danube in 376. Huns under Attila (d 453) raided Gaul, Italy, and the Balkans. The West empire, weakened by overtaxation and social stagnation, was overrun in the 5th century. Gaul was effectively lost in 406-7, Spain in 409, Britain in 410, and Africa in 429-39. Rome was sacked in 410 by the Visigoths under Alaric and in 455 by the Vandals. The last western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed in 476 by the Germanic chief Odovacar.
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Byzantine Empire	Under Diocletian (ruled 284-305) the empire had been divided into two parts to facilitate administration and defense. Constantine founded (330) Constantinople (at old Byzantium) as a fully Christian city. Commerce and taxation financed a sumptuous, orientalized court, a class of hereditary bureaucratic families, and magnificent urban construction (Hagia Sophia, 532-37). The city's fortifications and naval innovations (Greek fire) repelled assaults by Goths, Huns, Slavs, Bulgars, Avars, Arabs, and Scandinavians. Greek replaced Latin as the official language by c 700. Byzantine art, a solemn, sacral, and stylized variation of late classical styles (mosaics at the Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy 526-48), was a starting point for medieval art in East and West Europe.
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Celts	Celtic cultures, which in pre-Roman times covered most of West Europe, were confined almost entirely to the British Isles after the Germanic invasions. St. Patrick completed (c 457-92) the conversion of Ireland. A strong monastic tradition took hold. Irish monastic missionaries in Scotland, England, and the continent (Columba c 521-97; Columban c 543-615) helped restore Christianity after the Germanic invasions. The monasteries became renowned centers of classic and Christian learning and presided over the recording of a Christianized Celtic mythology, elaborated by secular writers and bards. An intricate decorative art style developed, especially in book illumination (Lindisfarne Gospels, c 700; Book of Kells, 8th cent.).
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. China	The short-lived Sui dynasty (581-618) ushered in a period of commercial, artistic, and scientific achievement in China, continuing under the Tang dynasty (618-906). Such inventions as the magnetic compass, gunpowder, the abacus, and printing were introduced or perfected. Medical innovations included cataract surgery. The state, from the cosmopolitan capital, Chang-an, supervised foreign trade, which exchanged Chinese silks, porcelains, and artworks for spices, ivory, etc. over Central Asian caravan routes and sea routes reaching Africa. A golden age of poetry bequeathed tens of thousands of works to later generations (Tu Fu, 712-70; Li Po, 701-62). Landscape painting flourished. Commercial and industrial expansion continued under the Northern Sung dynasty (960-1126), facilitated by paper money and credit notes. But commerce never achieved respectability; government monopolies expropriated successful merchants. The population, long stable at 50 million, doubled in 200 years with the introduction of early-ripening rice and the double harvest. In art, native Chinese styles were revived.
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Japan	The advanced Neolithic Yayoi period, when irrigation, rice farming, and iron and bronze casting techniques were introduced from China or Korea, persisted to c 400 A.D.. The myriad of Japanese states were then united by the Yamato clan, under an emperor who acted as the chief priest of the animistic Shinto cult. Japanese political and military intervention by the 6th century in Korea, which was then under strong Chinese influence, quickened a Chinese cultural invasion of Japan, bringing Buddhism, the Chinese language (which long remained a literary and governmental medium), Chinese ideographs, and Buddhist styles in painting, sculpture, literature, and architecture (7th century, Horyu-ji temple at Nara). The Taika Reforms (646) tried to centralize Japan according to Chinese bureaucratic and Buddhist philosophical values, but failed to curb traditional Japanese decentralization. A nativist reaction against the Buddhist Nara period (710-94) ushered in the Heian period (794-1185) centered at the new capital, Kyoto. Japanese elegance and simplicity modified Chinese styles in architecture, scroll painting, and literature; the writing system was also simplified. The courtly novel Tale of Genji (1010-20) testifies to the enhanced role of women.
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Justinia	Justinia (ruled 527-65) reconquered parts of Spain, North Africa, and Italy, codified Roman law (Codex Justinianus [529] was medieval Europe's chief legal text), closed the Platonic Academy at Athens, and ordered all pagans to convert. Lombards in Italy and Arabs in Africa retook most of his conquests. The Isaurian dynasty from Anatolia (from 717) and the Macedonian dynasty (867-1054) restored military and commercial power. The Iconoclast controversy (726-843) over the permissibility of images helped alienate the Eastern Church from the papacy.
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Southeast Asia	The historic peoples of Southeast Asia began arriving some 2,500 years ago from China and Tibet, displacing scattered aborigines. Their agriculture relied on rice and tubers (yams), which they may have introduced to Africa. Indian cultural influences were strongest; literacy and Hindu and Buddhist ideas followed the southern India-China trade route. From the southern tip of Indochina, the kingdom of Funan (1st-7th century) traded as far West as Persia. It was absorbed by Chenla, itself conquered by the Khmer Empire (600-1300). The Khmers, under Hindu god-kings (Suryavarman II, 1113-c 1150) built the monumental Angkor Wat temple center for the royal phallic cult. The Nam-Viet kingdom in Annam, dominated by China and Chinese culture for 1,000 years, emerged in the 10th century, growing at the expense of the Khmers, who also lost ground in the Northwest to the new, highly organized Thai kingdom. On Sumatra, the Srivijaya Empire at Palembang controlled vital sea lanes (7th to 10th century). A Buddhist dynasty, the Sailendras, ruled central Java (8th-9th century), building at Borobudur one of the largest stupas in the world.
401 A.D. to 900 A.D. Successor states	The Visigothic kingdom in Spain (from 419) and much of France (to 507) saw a continuation of much Roman administration, language, and law (Breviary of Alaric, 506) until its destruction by the Muslims in 711. The Vandal kingdom in Africa, from 429, was conquered by the Byzantines in 533. Italy was ruled in succession by an Ostrogothic kingdom under Byzantine suzerainty (489-554), direct Byzantine government, and the German Lombards (568-774). The latter divided the peninsula with the Byzantines and the papacy under the dynamic reformer Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) and his successors. King Clovis (ruled 481-511) united the Franks on both sides of the Rhine and, after his conversion to Christianity, defeated the Arian heretics, the Burgundians (after 500), and the Visigoths (507) with the support of the native clergy and the papacy. Under the Merovingian kings, a feudal system emerged: Power was fragmented among hierarchies of military landowners. Social stratification, which in late Roman times had acquired legal, hereditary sanction, was reinforced. The Carolingians (747-987) expanded the kingdom and restored central power. Charlemagne (ruled 768-814) conquered nearly all the Germanic lands, including Lombard Italy, and was crowned Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome in 800. A centuries-long decline in commerce and the arts was reversed under Charlemagne's patronage. He welcomed Jews to his kingdom, which became a center of Jewish learning (Rashi, 1040-1105). He sponsored the Carolingian Renaissance of learning under the Anglo-Latin scholar Alcuin (c 732-804), who reformed church liturgy.
5^th Century 1 January 401 A.D.	5^th Century Begins
401 A.D.	Visigoths penetrate the northern defenses of Italy and begin to ravage the countryside.
402 A.D.	The Battle of Pollentia April 6 ends in victory for the Roman legions of Stilicho who stymie the Visigoths in their efforts to move south.
405 A.D.	The emperor Honorius closes the Colosseum in an austerity move that abolishes amusements.
406 A.D.	Cultivation of rye, oats, hops, and spelt (a wheat used for livestock feed) is introduced into Europe by the invading Vandals, Alans, and Sciri (see 406), who also introduce a heavy-wheeled plow that enables farmers to plow deeper, straighter furrows (see 95).
406 A.D.	Butter, introduced by the invading Vandals, Alans, and Sciri (see 406), begins to replace olive oil.
406 A.D.	Barbarian forces led into Italy by Radagaisus meet defeat at Florence August 23 as Roman legions under Stilicho break up the invading army.
406 A.D.	Hordes of Vandals cross the Rhine under their new king, Gunderic, who will reign until 428. Allied with the Alans and the Sciri, they follow the Moselle and the Aisne and proceed to sack Rheims, Amiens, Arras, and Tournai before turning south into Aquitaine.
407 A.D.	The Romans (see 407) have introduced oyster cultivation into Britain (see 110 B.C.).
407 A.D.	Britain is evacuated by Roman legions, needed closer to home. The British Isles return to Saxon rule after 360 years of Roman control.
408 A.D.	The Visigoth king Alaric (see 408) exacts a tribute from Rome that includes 3,000 pounds of pepper (5,000 pounds by some accounts). The spice is valued for alleged medicinal virtues and for disguising spoilage in meat that is past its prime.
408 A.D.	Visigoths under Alaric besiege Rome; the master of troops Stilicho is murdered August 22 on orders from the emperor Honorius.
408 A.D.	The eastern emperor Arcadius, whose eunuch general Eutropius has been unable to thwart barbarian invasions, dies at age 31 after a 13-year reign. He is succeeded by his son, 7, who will reign until 450 as Theodosius II but will be dominated by his sister Pulcheria.
409 A.D.	Alaric's Visigoths invade Italy again, and Alaric sets up a pagan emperor whom he soon deposes.
409 A.D.	Vandals cross the Pyrenees into the Iberian Peninsula but find food supplies short as a Roman fleet blockades imports from the North African granary.
410 A.D.	The Huns (see 410) introduce trousers, which replace togas, and stirrups (a Chinese or Korean invention), which make it easier to ride horses.
410 A.D.	Invading Huns ravage the Roman Empire and extort tribute.
410 A.D.	Rome is sacked August 14 (or 25) after a third siege by Alaric, who dies soon afterward in southern Italy
411 A.D.	The self-proclaimed emperor Constantine (Flavius Claudius Constantinus), who has gained control of Britain, Gaul, and Spain in the past 4 years, is defeated near Arles by the Roman general Constantius in the service of the emperor Honorius. Taken prisoner, Constantine is put to death at Ravenna.
412 A.D.	Visigoth forces move into Gaul under the leadership of Ataulf, brother of the late Alaric.
414 A.D.	Ataulf, new king of the Visigoths, is married January 1 at Narbonne to Galla Placidia, sister of the Roman emperor Honorius.
414 A.D.	The weak-minded eastern emperor Theodosius II yields power to his sister Pulcheria, 15, who reigns as regent.
415 A.D.	A mob incited by Alexandria's new bishop Cyril, 39, who has driven out the city's Jews, tears the Neoplatonic philosopher Hypatia, 45, from her chariot in March, strips her naked, scrapes her to death with oyster shells, and burns her body.
415 A.D.	Visigoths invade the Iberian Peninsula and begin to conquer territory taken earlier by the Vandals.
417 A.D.	Galla Placidia, sister of Honorius, remarries, this time with the Roman general Constantius.
421 A.D.	The emperor Honorius makes his brother-in-law Constantius co-emperor, but Constantius III dies in September.
421 A.D.	The eastern Roman emperor Theodosius II sends his army against Persia's king Varahran, who has been persecuting Christians.
422 A.D.	The walls of Rome's Colosseum crack during an earthquake.
422 A.D.	Theodosius II concludes peace with Persia after 2 years of war. He also agrees to pay annual tribute to the Huns in order to buy peace.
423 A.D.	Visigoths settled south of the Danube by Theodosius II organize a farmers' strike (see 379). Only payment of what amounts to a huge farm loan prevents them from occupying Rome.
425 A.D.	The Huns are halted in their unopposed advance on Constantinople by a plague that decimates their hordes.
426 A.D.	The City of God (De Civitate Dei) by the Christian philosopher Augustine, now 72, declares that empires like Rome are merely temporary (temporal) and that the only permanent community is the Church-visible and invisible-the city of God.
426 A.D.	The purpose of marriage is procreation, says Augustine (see 426), and his view will dominate Church thinking for at least 12 centuries.
427 A.D.	Korea's King Changsu moves his capital from the banks of the Yalu River to Pyongyang.
429 A.D.	North Africa is invaded by 80,000 Vandals under their king, Gaiseric (or Genseric), who leads his forces from the Iberian Peninsula across the narrow Straits of Gibraltar (see 415; 430).
430 A.D.	The Vandals who have invaded North Africa extend their power along the Mediterranean coast and lay siege to Hippo.
430 A.D.	Bishop Augustine dies August 28 in the siege of Hippo (see 430) at age 76, leaving behind his monumental work The City of God and other works that will have more influence on Christianity than those of anyone else except the apostle Paul.
430 A.D.	Britain's Bishop Patrick is sent as a missionary to Ireland. A native of the Severn Valley, he will labor for 30 years to convert the Irish to Christianity.
431 A.D.	The patriarch of Constantinople Nestorius is deposed for heresy by the Council of Ephesus for preaching the doctrine that in Jesus Christ there was joined in perfect harmony a divine person (the Logos) and a human person but that the harmony was of action, not of a single individual. Nestorius is banished to the Libyan desert, but his followers will spread Nestorianism widely through Persia, India, Mongolia, and China (see 781).
431 A.D.	The cult of the Virgin begins to spread westward from Byzantium following a decree of the Council of Ephesus (see 431) recognizing Mary as the Mother of God.
433 A.D.	Attila becomes leader of the Huns, whom he will rule until his death in 453.
436 A.D.	The Burgundian kingdom of Worms established in 406 is destroyed by Attila's Huns.
436 A.D.	The last Roman legions leave Britain.
439 A.D.	The Codex Theodosianus drawn up by appointees of the emperor Valentinian III is a summary of Roman law.
439 A.D.	Carthage falls October 29 to the Vandals, who have been led since 428 by Gaiseric. He makes Carthage his capital.
439 A.D.	The Vandals establish a North African granary that will enable them to enforce their will on other nations by making them dependent on North Africa for food staples.
441 A.D.	German Saxons establish themselves at the mouth of the Thames River.
443 A.D.	The Alamanni settle in Alsace.
444 A.D.	A "pestilence" that is probably bubonic plague strikes the British Isles and makes the country vulnerable to conquest (see 449).
444 A.D.	The wheelbarrow is invented by the Chinese.
446 A.D.	Chinese Buddhists are persecuted by the northern Wei, who have heretofore encouraged the Buddhists but whose secular government is threatened by the drain of manpower and tax money to the temples and monasteries. Monks and nuns are murdered, temples and icons destroyed, and all men under age 50 prohibited from joining any monastic order in a program that will continue until 450, helping the Confucianism of the Han Chinese to gain dominance over Buddhism.
449 A.D.	Britain is conquered by Angles and Saxons who have been invited to the British Isles to fight against Pict (Caledonian) and Scottish foes of the Britons' King Vortigern, but who have wound up fighting the Britons as well. The conquest has been facilitated by an epidemic that weakened the country 5 years ago.
450 A.D.	The Hawaiian Islands are discovered by Polynesian chief Hawaii-Loa, who has sailed across 2,400 miles of open water from the island of Raiatea, near Tahiti (date approximate) (see Cook, 1778).
450 A.D.	Metal horseshoes come into more common use in the Near East and in Europe, increasing the efficiency of horsepower in agriculture and transportation (see 770).
451 A.D.	The Battle of Chalons ends in defeat for Attila's Huns at the hands of a Roman force under Flavius Aetius with help from the Visigoths. The Huns have triumphed over the Alans, Heruls, Ostrogoths, and Visigoths, ravaged much of the Italian countryside, and forced people to settle on marshy islands that will become the city of Venice (see 687).
452 A.D.	Attila's surviving Huns in Europe are reduced in numbers by plague and food shortages.
452 A.D.	The Japanese crown prince Karu is killed by his brother Anko, who becomes emperor following the death of his father Ingyo and will reign for 44 months. Anko kills his uncle Okusaka and marries his uncle's wife Nakatarashi.
453 A.D.	Attila of the Huns dies, and his followers are driven out of Italy by Roman troops with barbarian reinforcements.
455 A.D.	Barter economy replaces organized trade as Romans and other city dwellers desert their towns for the countryside where they will be less visible targets for barbarian attack (see 355).
455 A.D.	Chichén Itzá is founded by Maya on the Yucatán Peninsula of the Western Hemisphere. Chichén will spread to cover six square miles of pyramids, temples, an observatory, ceremonial ball courts, and dwellings.
455 A.D.	Orae Favianae (Vienna) is struck by an epidemic that spreads through the Roman provinces. The disease is probably streptococcus or a form of scarlet fever with streptococci pneumonia.
455 A.D.	Rome is sacked by the Vandals whose pillage is so thorough that the name "Vandal" will become a generic word for a wanton destroyer.
456 A.D.	The Japanese emperor Anko is killed by the 10-year-old son of his late uncle Okusaka. Young Mayuwa strikes while Anko is asleep with his head on the lap of Nakatarashi, but is himself killed with other princes by Anko's brother, 38, who will reign until 479 as the emperor Yuryaku.
460 A.D.	A famine that will last for several years begins in the neo-Persian Empire.
466 A.D.	The Huns invade Dacia but are repelled by the eastern emperor Leo I with the help of his generals Anthemius and Anagastus.
467 A.D.	Rome has an epidemic that takes many lives.
467 A.D.	The eastern emperor Leo I has his general Anthemius elected emperor of the West, and together they mount a fleet of more than 1,100 ships with an army of 100,000 to attack the pirate empire of the Vandals in North Africa.
468 A.D.	The Imperial Fleet commanded by Basiliscus, brother-in-law of the eastern emperor Leo I, is surprised by the Vandal king Gaeseric, and half the vessels are sunk or burned.
468 A.D.	Leo I repels another Hun invasion of Dacia.
471 A.D.	The emperor's brother-in-law Basiliscus murders the Goth Aspar, using as an excuse the failure of the Imperial Fleet against the Vandals in 468, for which he himself was responsible. The Goths use the murder as an excuse to attack the approaches to Constantinople, but the threat ends when the emperor's son-in-law Zeno has the Gothic leader Ardaburius assassinated.
472 A.D.	The barbarian general Ricimer kills the emperor Anthemius and replaces him with Olybrius, Ricimer dies August 19, the Burgundian Gundobad assumes command of the western army, Olybrius dies November 2, and Rome is without a western emperor (see 473).
473 A.D.	Gen. Gundobad nominates Glycerius as emperor, but Julius Nepos marches on Rome with backing from the eastern emperor Leo, ousts Glycerius, and makes himself emperor June 24.
474 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Leo I dies at age 74 after a 17-year reign. He is succeeded by his Isaurian son-in-law, 48, who will reign for all but 2 of the next 17 years as the Byzantine emperor Zeno.
475 A.D.	The Roman commander Orestes drives Julius Nepos out of Italy and makes his own son, Romulus Augustus, western emperor.
476 A.D.	The western Roman Empire founded by Augustus in 27 B.C. ends formally August 28 at Ravenna, although the Germanic tribes have long since protected and run the empire. The emperor Augustulus (Romulus Augustus) is deposed by the Herulian (Saxon) leader Odovacar (Odoacer); because he is a mere boy, Augustulus is sent off to Naples with an annual pension of 6,000 pieces of gold.
476 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Zeno is forced to abdicate by his wife's uncle Basiliscus, who usurps the throne. Despite intrigue and corruption, the eastern (Byzantine) empire will survive for another 977 years.
477 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Basiliscus is deposed by the ex-emperor Zeno, who regains the throne he will hold until 491.
480 A.D.	The Visigoths extend their rule from the Loire to Gibraltar and from the Bay of Biscay to the Rhine. Their seat of empire is Toulouse.
481 A.D.	The king of the Salian Franks Childeric I dies at age 44 after a 24-year reign. He is succeeded by his son, 15, who will reign until 511 as Clovis I.
482 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Zeno issues a letter ("Henoticon") in an unsuccessful effort to resolve differences between the eastern and western churches, but the Menophysite controversy continues to divide the churches.
488 A.D.	An army of Ostrogoths commanded by Theodoric invades Italy at the persuasion of the Byzantine emperor Zeno.
490 A.D.	Theodoric and his Ostrogoths lay siege to Ravenna.
491 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Zeno dies at age 65 after a 17-year reign and is succeeded by a palace official who is elevated to the throne at age 61, marries Zeno's widow Ariadne, and will reign until 518 as Anastasius I.
493 A.D.	The Herulian leader Odovacar surrenders Ravenna March 3 after a 3-year siege to Theodoric, who invites Odovacar to dinner and has him murdered. Theodoric will unite Italy as an Ostrogoth kingdom that will control the peninsula until 554.
495 A.D.	The Wei dynasty in China moves its capital to Luoyang.
496 A.D.	Clovis of the Salian Franks defeats the Alamanni near Strasbourg.
496 A.D.	Clovis (see 496) is converted to Christianity and baptized by his friend Remy, bishop of Reims.
500 A.D.	Bavaria is invaded by the Marcomanni from Bohemia, whose lands are taken up by the Czechs.
500 A.D.	Incense is introduced in Christian church services, sweetening the air of congregations of unwashed worshippers.
6^th Century 1 January 501 A.D.	6^th Century Begins
501 A.D.	The Susruta medical book that will become a classic of medicine in India is compiled (date approximate).
501 A.D.	Disease, war, famine, and natural disasters will take a heavy toll of the decayed Roman Empire in this century.
502 A.D.	Gundobad, king of Burgundy, issues a new legal code at Lyons March 29 making Romans and Burgundians subject to the same laws.
502 A.D.	The Bulgars ravage Thrace.
502 A.D.	Persian forces sack the town of Amida in northern Mesopotamia as they battle troops of the Eastern Empire.
502 A.D.	China's Liang dynasty is founded by Xiao Yan, who marches on Nanjing and forces the Qi rulers, his relatives, to yield their power.
505 A.D.	Rome's Colosseum suffers damage from an earthquake as it did in 422 (see 80; 851).
507 A.D.	A Frankish army under the command of Clovis defeats the Visigoths in the Battle of the Campus Vogladensis (Vouille). Clovis and his Burgundian ally Gundobad kill Alaric II, and Clovis annexes the Visigoth kingdom of Toulouse, but the Visigoths will remain in control of the Iberian Peninsula for the next 2 centuries, even though the native population of 6 million outnumbers them 30 to 1.
508 A.D.	Theodoric's Ostrogoths drive the Franks out of Provence and recover Septimania (Languedoc) from the Visigoths. Theodoric serves as regent for his infant grandson Amalaric, the Visigoth king.
508 A.D.	Paris (Lutetia) is established as the Frankish capital by Clovis. He has triumphed over the Visigoths and wants to be close to the lands he has conquered.
510 A.D.	Provence is overrun by the Italian Ostrogoths, who consolidate their gains in the region.
510 A.D.	Roman philosopher Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, 30, is appointed consul by his friend Theodoric, who rules the Ostrogoths from his capital at Ravenna (see 522).
511 A.D.	Clovis of the Salian Franks dies November 11 at age 45. His Merovingian dynasty is continued by his four sons, Theodoric, Chlodomer, Childebert, and Clotaire, who divide the Frankish kingdom and rule from capitals at Metz, Orléans, Paris (Lutetia), and Soissons, respectively.
513 A.D.	Mount Vesuvius erupts as it did in 79 A.D., burying Pompeii once more under lava, mud, and ashes.
516 A.D.	Gundobad, king of Burgundy, dies. He is succeeded by his son Sigismund, who will reign until 524, converting his people from Arianism to Christianity.
517 A.D.	Buddhism is introduced to central China by the emperor Wu D. He has ruled since 502 and is converted to the Buddhist faith (see 260 B.C.).
518 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Anastasius I dies July 9 at age 88 after a 27-year reign and is succeeded by his uneducated Illyrian bodyguard, 68, who will reign until 527 as Justinus I. His able nephew Justinian, 35, counsels the new emperor.
519 A.D.	The eastern and western Catholic churches are reconciled, ending the schism that began in 484.
520 A.D.	Institutionis Grammaticae by Constantinople's Latin grammarian Priscian (Priscianus Caesariensis) codifies Latin grammar in 18 volumes that will be widely used through the Middle Ages. Violating rules of grammar will be called "breaking Priscian's head."
522 A.D.	Rome's consul Anicius Boethius is arrested on charges of having conspired against Theodoric the Great. An aristocrat, Boethius admits that he would like the integrity of the Roman Senate restored, but he insists that all hope for that is gone and that the letters from him addressed to Justinus at Constantinople are forgeries. He is imprisoned at Pavia (see 524).
524 A.D.	The Consolation of Philosophy (De Consolatione Philosophiae) by Boethius (see 524) alternates between poetry and prose in an exposition of neo-Platonism and stoicism; "For in all adversity of fortune the worst sort of misery is to have been happy" (II, iv).
524 A.D.	Boethius is executed without trial after a prison term during which he has written The Consolation of Philosophy (see 524).
524 A.D.	Burgundy's King Sigismund is killed by Chlodomer after an 8-year reign and is succeeded by Godomar.
524 A.D.	Rome and Persia renew hostilities to begin a war that will last for 7 years.
525 A.D.	Alexandrian explorer-geographer Cosmas Indicopleustes travels up the Nile. He will venture as far to the east as Ceylon, become a monk, and write Topographia Christiana to vindicate the biblical account of the world.
525 A.D.	Ethiopian forces conquer the Yemen.
525 A.D.	"Easter Tables" issued by Roman theologian-mathematician Dionysius Exiguus, 25, give the birth day of Jesus incorrectly as December 25, 753 years after the founding of Rome. The error will be standardized in all Christian calendars.
526 A.D.	A magnificent tomb is erected at Ravenna for the late Theodoric the Great (see 526
526 A.D.	An earthquake shatters Antioch and kills between 200,000 and 300,000 people.
526 A.D.	Theodoric the Great dies of dysentery August 30 at age 72 and is succeeded as king of the Ostrogoths by his grandson Athalaric, 10, who will reign until 534 with his mother Amalasuntha as regent.
526 A.D.	Persian forces defeat a Roman army.
527 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Justinus I takes his nephew Justinian as co-emperor April 1 as an incurable wound weakens him. He dies August 1 at age 77, and Justinian (Flavius Anicius Justinianus, or Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus) will reign until 565. His wife Theodora, now 19, will have a strong influence until her death in 548.
528 A.D.	The Battle of Daras ends in defeat for Persian forces by Justinian's commander Belisarius, 23, who begins an outstanding military career.
529 A.D.	The Academy founded at Athens by Plato in 347 B.C. is closed by the emperor Justinian on charges of un-Christian activity. Many of the school's professors emigrate to Persia and Syria.
529 A.D.	Justinian issues the Codex Vitus (Code of Civil Laws).
529 A.D.	Ratisbon (Regensburg) is made the capital of Bavaria.
529 A.D.	The Benedictine order of monks is established at Monte Cassino near Naples by Benedict of Nursia, 49, who founds a monastery and formulates strict rules in his Regula Monachorum. Benedict inaugurates monasticism in western Europe (see 1080; Franciscans, 1209).
530 A.D.	Justinian's commander Belisarius gains another victory over the Persians but is defeated at Callinicum.
532 A.D.	The Nika insurrection in January destroys large areas of Constantinople as crowds shouting "Nika!" (Victory!) set fires that destroy the city. Justinian panics but is persuaded by his wife Theodora to remain. At least 30,000 rebels are put to the sword by the troops of Belisarius, and the young military commander helps Justinian begin an era of absolutism.
532 A.D.	Justinian signs a "Perpetual Peace" with Persia's young Sassanian king Chosroes to free his Byzantine armies for operations in the West.
532 A.D.	The Franks overrun the kingdom of Burgundy.
533 A.D.	Belisarius invades North Africa with a relatively small force. He defeats the Vandals and regains the region as a Byzantine province for Justinian.
534 A.D.	Malta becomes a Byzantine province.
534 A.D.	Toledo becomes the capital of the Visigoth kingdom that controls the Iberian Peninsula and will remain the capital until 711.
535 A.D.	Belisarius invades Sicily and moves north to conquer the Ostrogoth kingdom of Italy.
535 A.D.	A Christian basilica is completed at Leptis Magna in North Africa.
536 A.D.	A "dry fog" covers the Mediterranean region throughout the year, ushering in the most severe winter in memory. Volcanic dust, possibly from an eruption in the East Indies, is the cause.
536 A.D.	Rome falls to Belisarius December 9 as Byzantine forces recover the peninsula from the Ostrogoths.
536 A.D.	Provence becomes part of the Frankish kingdom.
537 A.D.	Constantinople's Church of St. Sophia is dedicated December 27 after 5 years of construction. Designed by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Mieltus with a large dome, mosaics, lavish use of gold, and lacelike carving, it is the finest church in Christendom.
537 A.D.	Rome resists a year-long siege by the Ostrogoth "king" Witiges, who fails to force the city's surrender.
537 A.D.	King Arthur of the Britons is killed in the Battle of Camlan (according to legend). Later evidence will suggest that the king was not a Celtic or Welsh monarch but perhaps rather the leader of a Sarmatian tribe whose ancestors came to England as mercenaries for the Romans.
538 A.D.	Buddhism is introduced to the Japanese court of the emperor Senka, who receives a Korean delegation that includes some Buddhists (see 517; 585).
539 A.D.	Ravenna falls to Belisarius, who captures the Ostrogoth "king" Witiges. But Belisarius is recalled to Constantinople, Milan is starved into submission by the Ostrogoths under their new chief Totila, 300,000 Milanese are put to the sword, and the Ostrogoths begin to reconquer the peninsula.
539 A.D.	A Byzantine-Persian war begins that will last for 23 years.
539 A.D.	The Japanese emperor Senka dies at age 72 and is succeeded by his 30-year-old half brother Kinmei, who will reign until 571.
540 A.D.	Persian forces invade Syria and take Antioch from the Byzantines.
540 A.D.	Byzantine rule in Italy is ended by Totila the Ostrogoth.
540 A.D.	The Monastery of Vivarium near Squillace is founded by the Roman statesman Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus, who retires from public life to devote himself to study and writing. He directs his fellow monastics in copying and translating Greek works.
541 A.D.	The Great Plague of Justinian (bubonic plague) spreads from Egypt to Palestine and thence to Constantinople and throughout the Roman-Byzantine world, bringing agriculture to a standstill and causing widespread famine. As many as 5,000 to 10,000 die each day for a period in Constantinople, and the plague will continue with resulting famine for the next 60 to 70 years in Europe, the Near East, and Asia.
541 A.D.	Justinian contracts plague (see 541), and although he recovers after a few months, he is obliged to abandon plans to invade Gaul and the British Isles.
541 A.D.	The Ostrogoth king Hildebad dies and is succeeded by his nephew Totila, who will rule until 552.
542 A.D.	De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae by the British monk Gildas, 26, is a history of early Britain.
542 A.D.	The Great Plague of Justinian that came into Constantinople last year by way of rats imported from Egypt and Syria fans out through Europe.
543 A.D.	Disastrous earthquakes shake much of the world.
543 A.D.	Belisarius completes his reconquest of North Africa from the Vandals.
545 A.D.	Justinian attempts to impose the Roman date for Easter on Constantinople in place of the Alexandrian date. The people protest by refusing to patronize butcher shops.
546 A.D.	Rome falls to Totila and his Ostrogoths after a decade of rule by the Byzantine forces of Belisarius. The city's aqueducts have been cut, its aristocracy has long since fled, its population has been reduced from 500,000 to little more than 500 civilians, and these few are starved into submission by Totila.
546 A.D.	A monastery is founded at Beneventum by Cassiodorus (see 540).
547 A.D.	Bamburgh Castle is built by Ida (see 547).
547 A.D.	Ravenna's Church of St. Vitale is completed in double octagonal shape with mosaic portraits of Justinian and his wife Theodora, who has introduced long white dresses, purple cloaks, gold embroidery, tiaras, and pointed shoes into Byzantine fashion.
547 A.D.	The Great Plague of Justinian reaches the British Isles, where King Ida accedes to the throne of Bernicia, the more northerly of the two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
548 A.D.	Topographia Christiana by the Alexandrian explorer-monk Cosmas Indicopleustes describes the importance of the spice trade (especially in cloves and sweet aloes) in Ceylon and the harvesting of pepper in the hills of India (see 525).
548 A.D.	The Byzantine empress Theodora dies of cancer June 28 at age 40, leaving Justinian to rule alone.
549 A.D.	The Church of St. Apollinare is completed outside Ravenna at Classe after 14 years of construction.
549 A.D.	Petra falls to the Persians, who will hold the eastern outpost of Byzantium for 2 years.
550 A.D.	Mosaics installed in the new Church of St. Apollinare at Classe near Ravenna include a depiction of The Last Supper.
550 A.D.	De Bellis is completed by the Byzantine historian Procopius, 60, who has served as private secretary to Belisarius and who has described the Persian, Vandal, and Gothic wars.
550 A.D.	Poetry: Hero and Leander by the Greek poet Musaeus Grammaticus.
550 A.D.	Toltecs overrun the Yucatán Peninsula in the Western Hemisphere and conquer the Teotihuacan civilization.
550 A.D.	Totila the Ostrogoth captures Rome for the second time.
550 A.D.	East Anglia and Northumbria are founded as new kingdoms in the British Isles.
550 A.D.	Wales is converted to Christianity by David (Dewi), who will be canonized in 1120 and will be the patron saint of Wales.
551 A.D.	A Byzantine fleet defeats the Ostrogoth navy.
552 A.D.	The Battle of Tagina ends in victory for a Byzantine army under the eunuch general Narses, 74, who has replaced Belisarius. Narses takes his mercenary barbarian forces overland to invade from the north and triumphs decisively over the Italian Ostrogoths, killing their king Totila.
552 A.D.	Buddhism reaches Japan in the form of sutras and images sent as gifts by the king of Paikche (part of Korea) (see 538). The leader of the Soga clan urges their acceptance, the emperor grants permission to build a temple to house and worship the Buddhist image, but as soon as it is enshrined an epidemic sweeps the countryside. The image is removed from the Soga's hands and cast into the Naniwa canal (see 585).
552 A.D.	The European silk industry is begun by the emperor Justinian, who sends missionaries to China and Ceylon to smuggle silkworms out of Asia.
553 A.D.	Justinian makes the silk industry a Byzantine imperial monopoly.
553 A.D.	Anecdota by the Byzantine historian Procopius is full of scandalous gossip about Justinian, Belisarius, and the late empress Theodora, but later historians will challenge its veracity.
553 A.D.	Gen. Narses annexes Rome and Naples to Byzantium.
554 A.D.	Italian lands taken from the Ostrogoths are restored to their original owners by Justinian's Pragmatic Sanction, but the landowners have become serfs and the depopulated farmlands reverted to wilderness.
554 A.D.	Narses is made prefect (exarch) of Italy and completes his reconquest of the peninsula for Justinian.
558 A.D.	Plague takes a heavy toll throughout the Byzantine Empire.
558 A.D.	The Frankish kingdom is reunited by Clotaire I, king of Soissons, who becomes king of all the Franks following the death of Childebert, king of Paris.
559 A.D.	An army of Huns and Slavs advances to the gates of Constantinople but is repelled by Belisarius, who comes out of retirement to drive off the barbarian invaders.
560 A.D.	The Kentish king Eormenric dies and is succeeded by his son, who will reign until 616 as Ethelbert I.
560 A.D.	The Abbey of Bangor is founded in Caernarvonshire, Wales, by Deniol.
561 A.D.	The Frankish king Clotaire (Lothar) I dies after a 3-year reign, and his sons divide the kingdom once again. Sigibert will rule Austrasia until 575, Charibert will rule Paris until 567, Guntram will rule Burgundy until 592, and Chilperic will rule Soissons until 584.
563 A.D.	The Irish missionary Columba (Colum), 42, founds a monastery on the island of Iona in the Hebrides and begins to convert the Picts with 12 of his disciples.
565 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Justinian dies November 14 at age 83 after a 38-year reign. His nephew succeeds to the throne and will reign until 578 as Justin II; he pays Justinian's debts and declares religious toleration.
565 A.D.	Lombards in the north of Italy drive the Byzantines south but permit them to retain Ravenna.
568 A.D.	A kingdom that will rule northern and central Italy until 774 is founded by the Lombard ruler Alboin, who lays siege to Pavia. He destroyed the Gepidae 2 years ago with help from the Avars, killed the Gepidae king Cunimund, and married his daughter Rosamund. The Gothic wars-accompanied by famine and disease-have exhausted the Italian countryside.
571 A.D.	The Japanese emperor Kinmei dies at age 62 after a 32-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Bintas, 33, who will reign until 585.
572 A.D.	Pavia falls to the Lombard king Alboin, who takes over almost the entire Italian Peninsula.
572 A.D.	A new Persian-Byzantine war begins. It will continue until 591.
573 A.D.	Sigibert of Austrasia (France) goes to war against his brother Chilperic of Soissons at the urging of his wife Brunhilda. Chilperic has murdered his wife Galswintha, sister of Brunhilda (both are daughters of the Visigoth king Athanagild), in order to marry his mistress Fredegund. Sigibert appeals to the Germans on the right bank of the Rhine for help, and they obligingly attack the environs of Paris and Chartres, committing atrocities of all sorts.
575 A.D.	Sigibert of Austrasia pursues his brother Chilperic as far as Tournai. As the nobles of Neustria are raising Sigibert in triumph on the shield in the villa at Vitry near Arras, he is assassinated by hirelings of his brother's mistress Fredegund. Sigibert is succeeded by his young son Childebert II, with Brunhilda as regent.
575 A.D.	Slovenes Serbs move into the Balkans.
577 A.D.	English forces from Wessex defeat the Welsh at Deorham.
578 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Justin II dies after several periods of insanity. On the advice of his wife Sophia, he has raised his general Tiberius to the rank of co-emperor. Tiberius has ruled jointly with Sophia since December 574, and he now begins a 4-year reign as Tiberius II Constantinus.
579 A.D.	Persia's King Chosroes (Khosrow) I dies after a 48-year reign that has extended his realm from the Oxus to the Red Sea.
580 A.D.	The Lombards drive the last of Italy's Ostrogoths across the Alps. Few in number, they will never take Rome or Naples, are bitterly opposed by the natives, but will Italianize their names.
581 A.D.	The Sui dynasty that will rule China until 618 is founded at Chang-an by Yang Jian, duke of Sui and chief minister of the northern Zhou who have ruled since 557. Yang, who is of mixed Chinese and Turko-Mongol blood, kills his ruler, the last of the Zhou, along with 58 royal relatives and proclaims himself the emperor Wendi (see 589).
582 A.D.	Nonfiction: The Ostographia by Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus, who dies at age 92, leaving behind an account of the Ostrogoth rule in Italy.
582 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Tiberius II Constantinus dies after a 4-year reign during which Thrace and Greece have been inundated by Slavs. He is succeeded by his son-in-law, 43, who will reign until 602 as Flavius Tiberius Mauricius (Maurikios).
584 A.D.	Chilperic of Neustria dies and is succeeded by his son, who will make himself king of all the Franks and reign until 628 as Clotaire II.
584 A.D.	Mercia is founded in the British Isles and becomes a new Anglo-Saxon kingdom.
585 A.D.	The Visigoth king Leovigild puts down a revolt by his son Hermenegild, who has married a Catholic princess and been converted from his father's Arian faith. Leovigild imprisons his son, has him killed, and proceeds to conquer the entire Iberian Peninsula.
585 A.D.	The Japanese emperor Bintas dies at age 47 after a 14-year reign and is succeeded by his brother Yomei, 45, who will reign for 2 years.
585 A.D.	The king of Paikche sends another Buddha figure to Japan along with a famous ascetic master of Buddhist meditation, a nun, a reciter of Buddhist magic spells, a temple architect, and a sculptor of Buddhist images (see 552). Another temple is built, the new Soga chief converts three pubescent girls and makes them nuns, a new epidemic ensues, and Moriyo Mononobe burns the Soga temple. He opposes imperial rule and the Buddhist faith that the Soga clan has adopted as a tool in its rivalry with the Mononobe family (see 586).
586 A.D.	The Visigoth king Leovigild dies and is succeeded by Recared, who will rule until 601.
586 A.D.	Japanese Buddhism is called a "foreign" religion by Moriyo Mononobe and Okoshi Mononobe, who say it conflicts with the native Shintoism, but the new emperor Yomei and his grandfather Iname Soga support Buddhism. The agrarian-naturist Shinto religion will adopt Buddhist imagery to embody its gods with a Buddhist counterpart to every kami (deity) in the Shinto iconography.
587 A.D.	Agents of Iname Soga (see 587) kill the anti-Buddhist Moriyo Mononobe.
587 A.D.	The Japanese emperor Yomei dies at age 47 and is succeeded by a nephew of strongman Iname Soga. The new emperor Sushun, 66, will rule until 592.
587 A.D.	The first Japanese Buddhist monastery is founded.
587 A.D.	The Visigoths ruled by Recared are converted to Christianity.
588 A.D.	Persia's Sassanid emperor Hormizd is deposed and assassinated after suffering military reverses at the hands of the Byzantines. He is succeeded by his son, who is helped by the Byzantine emperor Maurikios to gain the throne and who begins a 39-year reign as Chosroes II (Khosro Parviz) that will see the Persian Empire reach its zenith and suffer its downfall.
588 A.D.	Arab, Khazar, and Turkish forces invade Persia but are repelled.
588 A.D.	The Lombards are converted to Roman Catholicism under their king and queen, Authari and Theodelinda.
589 A.D.	The Chinese Empire is reunited by the Sui emperor Wendi, who defeats Chen forces at Jian-kang (later Nanjing), ending the Chen dynasty that has ruled in the south since 557.
589 A.D.	The Persian military deposes Chosroes II, who flees to Constantinople (see 591).
590 A.D.	A plague strikes Rome but subsides, allegedly after Pope Gregory (see 590) has received a vision of the Destroying Angel sheathing his sword atop the mausoleum of Hadrian which is renamed the Castel Sant' Angelo (see 139).
590 A.D.	Pope Gregory I (see 590) establishes claims to papal absolutism as he leads Italian opposition to Lombard rule.
590 A.D.	The Lombard king Authari dies after a 6-year reign and is succeeded by Turin's Thuringian Duke Agilulf, who marries the widow of the late king Alboin's grandson, founds a Roman Catholic Lombard state, and will reign until 615.
590 A.D.	Gregory I becomes the 64th pope-the first monk to be elected to the papacy-and at age 50 begins a 14-year administration of rigorous discipline during which Rome's aqueducts will be repaired, her courts reformed, and her people fed with doles of grain as they were under the old imperial rule.
591 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Maurice restores Persia's Chosroes II to his throne and receives territorial concessions for his help.
591 A.D.	Lombard forces under Agilulf extend their advances in northern Italy (see 598).
592 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Maurice sends troops against the Avars and Slavs who have been threatening the Balkans and Constantinople.
592 A.D.	The Japanese emperor Sushun is murdered after 5 years on the throne by agents of his uncle Umako Soga, who is jealous of the emperor's power. Sushun is succeeded by the widow of the late emperor Bintas; now 38, she will reign for 35 years beginning next year as the empress Suiko.
593 A.D.	Construction begins at Osaka of the Temple of Four Heavenly Kings (Shitenno-ji).
593 A.D.	Hoko Temple is built.
593 A.D.	The Japanese empress Suiko is the first to receive official recognition from China and begins a long reign during a pivotal period in which Buddhism will take firm root and Japanese culture will be sinoized. Suiko's son, Crown Prince Shotoku, 19, is made prime minister and with strongman Umako Soga will hold power for 30 years.
593 A.D.	Japan's Shitenno-ji monastery is founded at Osaka by Crown Prince Shotoku.
594 A.D.	The Japanese empress Suiko announces that she will support Buddhism.
597 A.D.	Pope Gregory sends the monk Augustine with 40 other monks to convert the Jutes in the British Isles to Christianity. Augustine lands in Thanet, baptizes Ethelbert of Kent, and founds a Benedictine monastery at Canterbury.
598 A.D.	Food production increases in northern and western Europe as a result of agricultural technology introduced by the Slavs, who have made it possible to farm virgin lands whose heavy clay has discouraged agriculture. The Slavs employ a new, lightweight plow with a knife blade (coulter) that cuts vertically, deep into the soil, and a plowshare that cuts horizontally at grassroots level, together with a shaped board, or moldboard, that moves the cut soil or turf neatly to one side.
598 A.D.	The first English school is founded at Canterbury.
598 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Maurice makes peace with the Lombard king Agilulf, conceding northern Italy.
598 A.D.	A population explosion begins in northern and western Europe as the new agriculture (see 598) increases the availability of food.
7^th Century 1 January 601 A.D.	7^th Century Begins
601 A.D.	Indian physicians compile the Vaghbata. At least one Indian medicinal herb mentioned in the classic work-Rauwolfia serpentina-will be employed in Western medicine (see 1949).
601 A.D.	The Franks, Merovingians, and Carolingians will successively control most of Europe in this century as royal power declines and strong feudal lords rise in power to gain the allegiance of the people and replace state governments.
601 A.D.	A Japanese feudal nobility will rise in this century.
602 A.D.	The Byzantine emperor Maurice (Maurikios) is executed at Chalcedon after being forced to witness the slaughter of his five sons and all his supporters by the centurion Phocas, who has been proclaimed emperor by legions fighting the Avars on the Danube.
602 A.D.	The archepiscopal see of Canterbury is established by Augustine of Canterbury, who is made archbishop.
603 A.D.	England's bishopric of Rochester is founded, St. Andrews Church of Rochester is built, and London's first St. Paul's Church is built.
604 A.D.	China's Sui emperor Wendi is assassinated by his son after a 23-year reign in which he has attacked hereditary privilege, reduced the power of the military aristocracy, and established civil service examinations. The parricide son will reign until 618 as the emperor Yangdi.
604 A.D.	Pope Gregory the Great dies March 12 at age 64 after a 14-year papacy that has laid the foundations for claims to papal absolutism, pioneered the conversion of Britain to Roman Catholicism, and led the war against the Lombards.
604 A.D.	The Shotoku Taishi code issued by Japan's Crown Prince Shotoku is a constitution of sorts that demands veneration of Buddha, Buddhist priests, and Buddhist laws.
605 A.D.	Persia's Chosroes II resumes war with the Byzantines (see 591). He will soon control Armenia and Syria (see 608).
605 A.D.	A Chinese Grand Canal is completed by a million laborers who link existing waterways to connect the new Chinese capital, established last year at Luoyang, to the Long River. The canal will be extended to Hangchow by 610.
606 A.D.	A northern India empire is established by Harsha of Thanesar, who will reign until 647.
607 A.D.	Horyuji Temple and hospital at Nara are completed by Japan's Crown Prince Shotoku.
607 A.D.	The first Japanese envoy to China's Sui Court, sent by the empress Suiko, begins a long interchange that will lead to the sinoization of Japan.
608 A.D.	Hokoji Temple at Nara is completed after 20 years of construction.
608 A.D.	Persian forces cross the Taurus mountains into Asia Minor, meeting little resistance from the Byzantines.
609 A.D.	The Pantheon at Rome is consecrated as the Church of Santa Maria Rotonda (see 120).