- 6th century
The 6th century is the period from
501 to600 in accordance with theJulian calendar in the Christian/Common Era . This century is widely considered to mark the end ofClassical Antiquity and the beginning of theDark Ages .Overview
Following the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire late in the previous century, Europe fractured into many small Germanic Kingdoms, which competed fiercely for land and wealth. From this upheaval theFranks rose to prominence, and carved out a sizeable domain encompassing much of modern France and Germany. Meanwhile, the survivingEastern Roman Empire began to expand under the emperorJustinian , who eventually recaptured North Africa from theVandals , and attempted to fully recover Italy as well in the hope of re-establishing Roman control over the lands once ruled by theWestern Roman Empire . Following Justinian's death, most of his gains were lost. TheSassanid Empire reached the peak of its power underKhosrau I in the 6th century. [Roberts, J: "History of the World.". Penguin, 1994.]Events
* The first academy of the east the Academy of
Gundeshapur founded inIran byKhosrau I of Persia .
* Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating toCaledonia (later known asScotland ). Migration from south-west Britain to Brittany.
*Glendalough monastery ,Wicklow Ireland founded by St. Kevin. Many similar foundations in Ireland and Wales.
*Zen Buddhists enterVietnam fromChina .
* BuddhistJataka stories are translated into Persian by order of theZoroastrian king Khosrau.
*518 - Roman Emperor Anastasius I dies and is succeeded byJustin I .
*527 —Justinian I succeedsJustin I asEmperor of theEastern Roman Empire .
*529 — SaintBenedict of Nursia founds the monastery ofMonte Cassino inItaly .
*532 —Nika riots inConstantinople ; the cathedral is destroyed. They are put down a sennight later byBelisarius andMundus ; up to 30,000 people are killed in the Hippodrome.
*535 - Possible volcanic eruption causes several years of abnormally cold weather, resulting in mass famine.
*537 :Battle of Camlann , final battle ofKing Arthur
* c.538 -540 - First Pandemic ofbubonic plague hitsByzantine Empire .
*Buddhism introduced toJapan fromBaekje in552 , thus contributing to the changes that occurred in theAsuka period .
*554 , Eviction of theOstrogoths from Rome, and the re-unification of all Italy under Imperial rule. [Roberts, J: "History of the World.". Penguin, 1994.]
*563 , the monastery onIona is founded by St. Columban.
* Outbreak ofbubonic plague inConstantinople and the rest of theByzantine Empire (Plague of Justinian ).
* TheKutrigur Bulgars move into modernRomania .
*Jew ish influence inAksum .
*Nubia is largely converted toCoptic Christianity .
* The area of modernAargau falls into theFranks .
* The Kingdom ofFunan dies out.
*Black Death raged over south east Asia.
*Silk Road farther into Europe.
* 589–618:Sui Dynasty of China
*Old Irish language develops
* Old Dutchlanguage develops
*Abraha attacksKaaba inMecca ("circa"571 )
*590 ,Pope Gregory I succeedsPope Pelagius II as the 64th pope.Significant persons
*
Muhammad , prophet ofIslam , born in570 .
* Pope Gregory the Great (590–604)
* Arthur, (fictional?) defeated theAnglo-Saxons
* Justinian,Byzantine Emperor (527–565)
*Khosrau I of Persia ,Sassanid king (531–579)
*Belisarius , Byzantine general.
*Gregory of Tours (c. 538–594)
* Beowulf, (fictional?)king of the Geats
*Jordanes , author of theGetica .
*Procopius , Byzantine historian.
* Bozorgmehr, Persian sage.
*Empress Suiko of Japan
*Taliesin , Welsh poet
*Abraham Kidunaia
* Austell
*Yasodharman , king ofMalwa inIndia , defeats theHuns .Inventions, discoveries, introductions
*
Dionysius Exiguus creates theAnno Domini system, inspired by the birth ofJesus , in525 . This is the system upon which theGregorian calendar andCommon Era systems are based.
*Backgammon ("nard") invented in Persia byBurzoe
*Chess , aschaturanga , entered Persia fromIndia and was modified toshatranj .
*Breast-strap horse harness in use in Frankish kingdom
*Byzantine Empire acquires silk technology from China
* Vaghbata, Indian medical books
* In589 AD, the Chinese scholar-official Yan Zhitui makes the first reference to the use oftoilet paper in history.
*Significant to the history of agriculture, the Chinese author Jia Sixia wrote the treatise "Chi Min Yao Shu" in535 , and although it quotes 160 previous Chineseagronomy books, it is the oldest existent Chinese agriculture treatise. In over one hundred thousand writtenChinese characters , the book covered land preparation, seeding, cultivation, orchard management, forestry, animal husbandry, trade, and culinary uses for crops.References
Decades and years
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