500 |
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Circa 500-700--Christian culture thrives in Ireland after being almost obliterated on the continent by Teutonic invasion--Irish missionary active in Scotland, Iceland, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy seeking to rechristianize Western Europe. |
503 |
Battle of Mons
Badonis (Mount Badon)--source for future Arthurian legends.
War between Byzantine
Empire and Persia commences. |
| 505 |
War between Byzantine Empire and
Persia ends. |
507 |
Franks conquer the
Visigoths in southern regions of France. |
511 |
Death of Clovis; the
Frankish Empire divided into four parts to be ruled by
each of the four sons according to the practice of partible
succession. |
| 512 |
Arabic Alphabet of twenty-eight
letters invented. |
| 520 |
Decimal system invented by Indian
mathematician Aryabhata and Varamihara. |
523 |
Hilderic, Vandal chieftain,
rules as King in North Africa until 530 AD. |
524 |
War reconvenes between
Byzantine Empire and Persia.
Circa 524--Boethius writes "Consolation of Philosophy" (Latin), while imprisoned and waiting execution on trumped-up charges. The work becomes pivotal in medieval thinking, and it is later translated into English successively by King Alfred, Chaucer, and Queen Elizabeth. |
527 |
Justinian rules as
Byzantine Emperor |
529 |
Justinian orders all
the Empire's laws codified and standardized in three volumes.
The work takes over thirty years. |
530 |
Gelimer rules as Vandal
King in North Africa |
| 532 |
Anno Domini dating
system created by Dionysius Exiguus ("Denis the
Short"), Scythian abbot of a monastery near Rome.
The system will not become common for several centuries.
Anthemios of Trales, architect
for Saint Sophia Cathedral, invents the Single-shell
dome technique. |
533 |
So-called "eternal
peace" treaty signed between Byzantine Empire and
Persia. |
534 |
Byzantine general
Belisarius conquers the Vandal kingdom of North Africa,
overthrowing Gelimer the Vandal ruler. |
535 |
Byzantine armies
begin to reconquer Italy, a task taking nearly twenty
years.
Stained glass windows invented
in Saint Sophia Cathedral. Stain-glass will not become
common in Western Europe for several more centuries.
|
540 |
New war breaks out
between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. |
542-546 |
Outbreak of plague
in the Byzantine Empire. |
550 |
Saint Dyfed (David)
spread Christianity in Wales.
The Great Arch of Ctesiphon built. |
552 |
Buddhism introduced
to Japan.
China experiments with sailing
carriages (wind-powered land transport) |
553 |
Justinian overhauls
the bureaucracy of the Egyptian part of his empire. |
554 |
Byzantine forces conquer
southeastern Spain |
| 555 |
Belisarius, general of the Emperor
Justinian, creates first watermill outside of China. |
562 |
Japanese occupying
forces in Korea lose power. |
563 |
Saint Columba founds
a monastery on the island of Iona and begins converting
the Picts in Soctland and Northern England to Christianity. |
565 |
Justin II, nephew
of Justinian becomes Byzantine Emperor. |
568 |
Lombards conquer northern
Italy. Alcuin founds kingdom. |
570 |
Birth of Mohammed. |
572 |
Persians begin a sixty-year
domination of Arabia. |
| 580 |
Iron-chain suspension bridge invented
in China. |
581 |
Wen Ti, formerly chief
minister of the Chou, founds the Sui Dynasty in China. |
584 |
Foundation of Mercian
kingdom in England among the Anglo-Saxon tribes. |
587 |
Visigoths in Spain
convert to Christianity. |
589 |
Arabs, Khazars,
and Turks invade Persia, but are driven out.
Wen Ti conquers the Southern
Ch'en and reunites China. |
590 |
Gregory I (Gregory
the Great) becomes Pope. |
593 |
Suiko, Empress of
Japan. |
596 |
Pope Gregory orders
Saint Augustine the Lesser to go to England and convert
the inhabitants to Christianity. |
597 |
Saint Augustine the Lesser lands
in England and converts the kingdom of Kent to Christianity.
He founds the first English church in Canterbury. |
| 600 |
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