July 28 – Emperor
Theodosius II, age 49, falls from his
horse while
hunting at Constantinople and dies soon afterward. He has reigned since
408, mostly under the domination of his Christian sister
Pulcheria, who has been allowed to return to court (see
441).
Marcian orders the execution (or
assassination) of the unpopular court eunuch
Chrysaphius. He discontinues the
tribute payments to Attila.
All the Temples of
Aphrodisias (City of Goddess Aphrodite) are demolished and its libraries burned down. The city is renamed Stauroupolis (City of the Cross).
June 20 –
Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (Châlons): Attila avoids a pitched battle near Orléans, and withdraws to the Catalaunian Plains (
Champagne-Ardenne). The Roman
coalition defeats the Huns, but Theodoric I is killed in the encounter. This is one of the last military victories of the Western Roman Empire, before the victories of Emperor
Majorian against the Alemanni, Visigoths, Suebi and Burgundians, between 457 and 461.[citation needed]
Rome is threatened by Attila but not attacked, due to a last-minute effort by Leo I. Threatened by news of reinforcements from the
Eastern Roman Empire and the
plague breaking out among the Huns, Attila is persuaded to withdraw.
July – Empress
Pulcheria dies of natural causes at Constantinople.[3] She has commissioned many new churches in the city during her reign. Her death leaves
Flavius Aspar (magister militum) as the dominant influence on her husband, Marcian.[4]
Attila the Hun is found dead in bed, after a
wedding feast with the
Goth princess Ildica. He dies of a
nosebleed at his
Hungarian stronghold, drowning in his own blood at age 47 (approximate).[7][8][9] The
Huns celebrate a strava (
lamentation) over his burial place with great feasting. Attila's son
Ellac is appointed successor, which his brothers
Dengizich and
Ernakh refuse, dividing the
Hunnic Empire.
Ankō obtains the throne of his father
Ingyō after the traditional
order of succession and becomes the 20th emperor of
Japan. His eldest brother
Kinashi commits
suicide, after being accused of an
incestuous relationship with his sister Karu no Ōiratsume (according to the Nihon Shoki).
May 31 – Maximus is
stoned to death by an
angry mob while fleeing Rome. A widespread
panic occurs when many citizens hear the news that the
Vandals are plundering the Italian mainland.
June 2 –
Sack of Rome: King
Genseric leads the Vandals into Rome, after he has promised
Pope Leo I not to burn and plunder the city. Genseric sacks the city for a period of two weeks. Eudoxia and her daughters, Eudocia and
Placidia, are taken hostage. The
loot is sent to the harbour of
Ostia and loaded into ships, from whence the Vandals depart and return to
Carthage.
July 9 – Avitus is proclaimed
Roman emperor at Toulouse, and later recognised by the
Gallic chiefs in Viernum (near
Arles).
September 21 – Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army. He restores the imperial authority in
Noricum (modern
Austria) and leaves a
Gothic force under
Remistus, Visigoth general (magister militum), at
Ravenna.
Skandagupta succeeds
Kumaragupta I as ruler of the
Gupta Empire (India). During his reign he crushes the
Hun invasion; however, the expense of the wars drains the empire's resources and contributes to its decline.
Barter economy replaces organized trade as
Romans and other citizens desert their towns for the countryside, where they will be less vulnerable to
barbarian raids (approximate date).
March – Emperor
Marcian sends an
embassy to
Carthage, to end the
Vandal raids in the Mediterranean from their strongholds in North Africa, and quells disturbances on the
Armenian frontier.
Summer –
Capua is destroyed by the Vandals. Ricimer is unable to end
piracy in the western Mediterranean. Backed by his popularity, he gains the consent of the
Senate for an expedition against Avitus.
October 28 – The Visigoths brutally sack the Suebi's capital of
Braga (modern Portugal); churches are burnt to the ground. Rechiar flees wounded from the battlefield.
The
Anglo-Saxons call the
British nobles to a peace conference at
Stonehenge, but turn on them and massacre almost everyone (approximate date).
Asia
After a 10-year reign,
Emperor Ankō is assassinated by the 10-year-old Mayowa no Ōkimi (prince Mayowa), in retaliation for the execution of his father. He is succeeded by his brother
Yūryaku who becomes the 21st emperor of Japan.
Summer – The
Vandals land in
Campania, at the mouth of the
Liri or the
Garigliano River, and devastate the region. Majorian personally leads the
Roman army and
defeats the invaders near
Sinuessa, destroying their ships on the seashore, loaded with booty.
Winter – Majorian enters the Rhone Valley, and defeats the Burgundians under King
Gondioc at
Lugdunum. He forces the
Bagaudae to join the western
coalition against the Suebi in
Spain.
^Shahbazi, A. Shapur (2004).
"Hormozd III". In
Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Volume XII/5: Homosexuality III–Human migration II. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 465–466.
ISBN978-0-933273-79-5.
July 28 – Emperor
Theodosius II, age 49, falls from his
horse while
hunting at Constantinople and dies soon afterward. He has reigned since
408, mostly under the domination of his Christian sister
Pulcheria, who has been allowed to return to court (see
441).
Marcian orders the execution (or
assassination) of the unpopular court eunuch
Chrysaphius. He discontinues the
tribute payments to Attila.
All the Temples of
Aphrodisias (City of Goddess Aphrodite) are demolished and its libraries burned down. The city is renamed Stauroupolis (City of the Cross).
June 20 –
Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (Châlons): Attila avoids a pitched battle near Orléans, and withdraws to the Catalaunian Plains (
Champagne-Ardenne). The Roman
coalition defeats the Huns, but Theodoric I is killed in the encounter. This is one of the last military victories of the Western Roman Empire, before the victories of Emperor
Majorian against the Alemanni, Visigoths, Suebi and Burgundians, between 457 and 461.[citation needed]
Rome is threatened by Attila but not attacked, due to a last-minute effort by Leo I. Threatened by news of reinforcements from the
Eastern Roman Empire and the
plague breaking out among the Huns, Attila is persuaded to withdraw.
July – Empress
Pulcheria dies of natural causes at Constantinople.[3] She has commissioned many new churches in the city during her reign. Her death leaves
Flavius Aspar (magister militum) as the dominant influence on her husband, Marcian.[4]
Attila the Hun is found dead in bed, after a
wedding feast with the
Goth princess Ildica. He dies of a
nosebleed at his
Hungarian stronghold, drowning in his own blood at age 47 (approximate).[7][8][9] The
Huns celebrate a strava (
lamentation) over his burial place with great feasting. Attila's son
Ellac is appointed successor, which his brothers
Dengizich and
Ernakh refuse, dividing the
Hunnic Empire.
Ankō obtains the throne of his father
Ingyō after the traditional
order of succession and becomes the 20th emperor of
Japan. His eldest brother
Kinashi commits
suicide, after being accused of an
incestuous relationship with his sister Karu no Ōiratsume (according to the Nihon Shoki).
May 31 – Maximus is
stoned to death by an
angry mob while fleeing Rome. A widespread
panic occurs when many citizens hear the news that the
Vandals are plundering the Italian mainland.
June 2 –
Sack of Rome: King
Genseric leads the Vandals into Rome, after he has promised
Pope Leo I not to burn and plunder the city. Genseric sacks the city for a period of two weeks. Eudoxia and her daughters, Eudocia and
Placidia, are taken hostage. The
loot is sent to the harbour of
Ostia and loaded into ships, from whence the Vandals depart and return to
Carthage.
July 9 – Avitus is proclaimed
Roman emperor at Toulouse, and later recognised by the
Gallic chiefs in Viernum (near
Arles).
September 21 – Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army. He restores the imperial authority in
Noricum (modern
Austria) and leaves a
Gothic force under
Remistus, Visigoth general (magister militum), at
Ravenna.
Skandagupta succeeds
Kumaragupta I as ruler of the
Gupta Empire (India). During his reign he crushes the
Hun invasion; however, the expense of the wars drains the empire's resources and contributes to its decline.
Barter economy replaces organized trade as
Romans and other citizens desert their towns for the countryside, where they will be less vulnerable to
barbarian raids (approximate date).
March – Emperor
Marcian sends an
embassy to
Carthage, to end the
Vandal raids in the Mediterranean from their strongholds in North Africa, and quells disturbances on the
Armenian frontier.
Summer –
Capua is destroyed by the Vandals. Ricimer is unable to end
piracy in the western Mediterranean. Backed by his popularity, he gains the consent of the
Senate for an expedition against Avitus.
October 28 – The Visigoths brutally sack the Suebi's capital of
Braga (modern Portugal); churches are burnt to the ground. Rechiar flees wounded from the battlefield.
The
Anglo-Saxons call the
British nobles to a peace conference at
Stonehenge, but turn on them and massacre almost everyone (approximate date).
Asia
After a 10-year reign,
Emperor Ankō is assassinated by the 10-year-old Mayowa no Ōkimi (prince Mayowa), in retaliation for the execution of his father. He is succeeded by his brother
Yūryaku who becomes the 21st emperor of Japan.
Summer – The
Vandals land in
Campania, at the mouth of the
Liri or the
Garigliano River, and devastate the region. Majorian personally leads the
Roman army and
defeats the invaders near
Sinuessa, destroying their ships on the seashore, loaded with booty.
Winter – Majorian enters the Rhone Valley, and defeats the Burgundians under King
Gondioc at
Lugdunum. He forces the
Bagaudae to join the western
coalition against the Suebi in
Spain.
^Shahbazi, A. Shapur (2004).
"Hormozd III". In
Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Volume XII/5: Homosexuality III–Human migration II. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 465–466.
ISBN978-0-933273-79-5.