Spring – King
Hormizd IV dismisses Bahrām Chobin as commander (Eran spahbed). He revolts and marches with the support of the Persian army towards
Ctesiphon.
February 15 – Hormizd IV is deposed and assassinated by Persian
nobles. Having ruled since
579, he is succeeded by his son Khosrau II as king of the
Persian Empire.
September – Bahrām Chobin defeats the inferior forces of Khosrau II near Ctesiphon. He seizes the
throne and proclaims himself as king
Bahrām IV of Persia.
February 7 –
Pope Pelagius II falls victim to the plague that devastated
Rome. After an 11-year reign he is succeeded by
Gregory I, age 50, as the 64th
pope, and the first from a monastic background.
Gregory I begins a vigorous program of rebuilding
aqueducts and restoring Rome. He feeds the citizens with doles of
grain, as under
Roman imperial rule.
Agilulf, cousin of
Authari (called "the
Thuringian"), is raised on the shield (a ceremonial investment) by
Lombard warriors in
Milan. He becomes king of the
Lombards, on advice of the Lombard dukes (dux). Agilulf marries widowed queen
Theodelinda and is
baptized to please her.
Khosrau II is reinstalled as king of the
Persian Empire. Peace with Constantinople is concluded after a war of almost 20 years. Maurice receives the Persian provinces of
Armenia and
Georgia. The recognition of the traditional frontiers, and the cessation of subsidies for the
Caucasus forts, leaves the Byzantines in a dominant position in their relations with
Persia.
Ceol succeeds his uncle Ceawlin after his defeat at Woden's Burg. He becomes king of
Wessex (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).
Asia
Summer – Emperor
Wéndi reduces
taxes, due to an overflowing abundance of
food and
silk in the governmental stores. He sends messengers around central
China, redistributing land to give the poor
farming land.
December 8 – Emperor
Sushun of
Japan is murdered after 5 years on the
throne by agents of his rival
Umako Soga, who is jealous of the emperor's power. He is succeeded by
Suiko, widow of the late emperor
Bidatsu.
Autumn – Emperor
Maurice orders Priscus to spend the winter with his troops on the northern Danube bank, but he disobeys the emperor's order and retreats to the port city of Odessus (
Varna) on the
Black Sea Coast.
Empress
Suiko begins a long reign during a pivotal period, in which
Buddhism influences the development and
culture of Japan. She is the first female ruler and the first to receive official recognition from
China.
Autumn – Emperor
Maurice replaces general
Priscus for disobeying orders. He installs his inexperienced brother
Peter, as commander-in-chief in charge of the war against the
Avars.
Asia
Emperor
Wéndi repairs and expands sections of the
Great Wall in the north-west, which is undertaken by using forced labour. During the years, thousands of civilians are killed.[10]
Muhammad, Islamic
prophet, meets and marries
Khadija. She is a 40-year-old
widow and 15 years older than he. Supported by Khadija's wealth, they form a successful
merchant partnership.[12]
Chlothar II, age 13, becomes sole ruler of
Neustria, and continues his mother's
feud with Brunhilda. He is advised to prepare for war against
Austrasia, the eastern part of the
Frankish Kingdom.
Britain
Ceolwulf succeeds his brother
Ceol as king of
Wessex. He becomes
regent of Ceol's son
Cynegils who is too young to inherit the throne.
England gets her first written
code of laws from Æthelbert. The code is concerned with preserving
social order, through
compensation and punishment for personal injury (approximate date).
Education
The King's School is founded by Augustine in Canterbury. He builds an
abbey where the Benedictine teaching takes place.
The Avars rout the Byzantine forces of Comentiolus (south of
Haemus Mons), and capture
Drizipera (
Thrace). A large part of their troops are killed by the
plague, after many cities are devastated in the
Balkan Peninsula.[15]
The Chinese fleet engages in battle against the Goguryeo fleet (50,000 men) under Admiral
Kang I-sik, and is destroyed in the
Bohai Sea. During the invasion the Sui forces are all defeated, and Yang Liang is forced to retreat.
King
Yeongyang sends an
embassy to
Daxing; Wéndi accepts a
peace agreement with Goguryeo. He claims a hollow victory, as the
Sui Dynasty lost nearly 90% of his army and navy during the disastrous campaign.
Hye becomes king of the Korean kingdom of
Baekje.[18]
Emperor
Maurice refuses to pay
ransom for 12,000
Byzantine soldiers taken prisoner by the
Avars. Their leader
Bayan I orders the execution of the prisoners, and slaughters them all. His failure to buy back the captives destroys Maurice's popularity with the Byzantine troops in the
Balkan Peninsula.[19]
Priscus pursues the fleeing Avar tribes and invades their homeland in
Pannonia. He devastates the land east of the
Tisza River, deciding the war for the Byzantines and ending the Avar and
Slavic incursions across the Danube.
Autumn – Comentiolus reopens the
Gate of Trajan pass, near
Ihtiman (
Bulgaria). This strategic mountain pass, whose fortress "Stipon" defends the border between the provinces
Thrace and
Macedonia, is not used for decades.
Spring – King
Hormizd IV dismisses Bahrām Chobin as commander (Eran spahbed). He revolts and marches with the support of the Persian army towards
Ctesiphon.
February 15 – Hormizd IV is deposed and assassinated by Persian
nobles. Having ruled since
579, he is succeeded by his son Khosrau II as king of the
Persian Empire.
September – Bahrām Chobin defeats the inferior forces of Khosrau II near Ctesiphon. He seizes the
throne and proclaims himself as king
Bahrām IV of Persia.
February 7 –
Pope Pelagius II falls victim to the plague that devastated
Rome. After an 11-year reign he is succeeded by
Gregory I, age 50, as the 64th
pope, and the first from a monastic background.
Gregory I begins a vigorous program of rebuilding
aqueducts and restoring Rome. He feeds the citizens with doles of
grain, as under
Roman imperial rule.
Agilulf, cousin of
Authari (called "the
Thuringian"), is raised on the shield (a ceremonial investment) by
Lombard warriors in
Milan. He becomes king of the
Lombards, on advice of the Lombard dukes (dux). Agilulf marries widowed queen
Theodelinda and is
baptized to please her.
Khosrau II is reinstalled as king of the
Persian Empire. Peace with Constantinople is concluded after a war of almost 20 years. Maurice receives the Persian provinces of
Armenia and
Georgia. The recognition of the traditional frontiers, and the cessation of subsidies for the
Caucasus forts, leaves the Byzantines in a dominant position in their relations with
Persia.
Ceol succeeds his uncle Ceawlin after his defeat at Woden's Burg. He becomes king of
Wessex (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).
Asia
Summer – Emperor
Wéndi reduces
taxes, due to an overflowing abundance of
food and
silk in the governmental stores. He sends messengers around central
China, redistributing land to give the poor
farming land.
December 8 – Emperor
Sushun of
Japan is murdered after 5 years on the
throne by agents of his rival
Umako Soga, who is jealous of the emperor's power. He is succeeded by
Suiko, widow of the late emperor
Bidatsu.
Autumn – Emperor
Maurice orders Priscus to spend the winter with his troops on the northern Danube bank, but he disobeys the emperor's order and retreats to the port city of Odessus (
Varna) on the
Black Sea Coast.
Empress
Suiko begins a long reign during a pivotal period, in which
Buddhism influences the development and
culture of Japan. She is the first female ruler and the first to receive official recognition from
China.
Autumn – Emperor
Maurice replaces general
Priscus for disobeying orders. He installs his inexperienced brother
Peter, as commander-in-chief in charge of the war against the
Avars.
Asia
Emperor
Wéndi repairs and expands sections of the
Great Wall in the north-west, which is undertaken by using forced labour. During the years, thousands of civilians are killed.[10]
Muhammad, Islamic
prophet, meets and marries
Khadija. She is a 40-year-old
widow and 15 years older than he. Supported by Khadija's wealth, they form a successful
merchant partnership.[12]
Chlothar II, age 13, becomes sole ruler of
Neustria, and continues his mother's
feud with Brunhilda. He is advised to prepare for war against
Austrasia, the eastern part of the
Frankish Kingdom.
Britain
Ceolwulf succeeds his brother
Ceol as king of
Wessex. He becomes
regent of Ceol's son
Cynegils who is too young to inherit the throne.
England gets her first written
code of laws from Æthelbert. The code is concerned with preserving
social order, through
compensation and punishment for personal injury (approximate date).
Education
The King's School is founded by Augustine in Canterbury. He builds an
abbey where the Benedictine teaching takes place.
The Avars rout the Byzantine forces of Comentiolus (south of
Haemus Mons), and capture
Drizipera (
Thrace). A large part of their troops are killed by the
plague, after many cities are devastated in the
Balkan Peninsula.[15]
The Chinese fleet engages in battle against the Goguryeo fleet (50,000 men) under Admiral
Kang I-sik, and is destroyed in the
Bohai Sea. During the invasion the Sui forces are all defeated, and Yang Liang is forced to retreat.
King
Yeongyang sends an
embassy to
Daxing; Wéndi accepts a
peace agreement with Goguryeo. He claims a hollow victory, as the
Sui Dynasty lost nearly 90% of his army and navy during the disastrous campaign.
Hye becomes king of the Korean kingdom of
Baekje.[18]
Emperor
Maurice refuses to pay
ransom for 12,000
Byzantine soldiers taken prisoner by the
Avars. Their leader
Bayan I orders the execution of the prisoners, and slaughters them all. His failure to buy back the captives destroys Maurice's popularity with the Byzantine troops in the
Balkan Peninsula.[19]
Priscus pursues the fleeing Avar tribes and invades their homeland in
Pannonia. He devastates the land east of the
Tisza River, deciding the war for the Byzantines and ending the Avar and
Slavic incursions across the Danube.
Autumn – Comentiolus reopens the
Gate of Trajan pass, near
Ihtiman (
Bulgaria). This strategic mountain pass, whose fortress "Stipon" defends the border between the provinces
Thrace and
Macedonia, is not used for decades.