540s
| Millennium: | 1st millennium |
| Centuries: | 5th century – 6th century – 7th century |
| Decades: | 510s 520s 530s – 540s – 550s 560s 570s |
| Years: | 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 |
| Categories: | Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments |
Below are some of the important events that happened from 540 to 549. It is distinct from the decade known as the 50th decade which began on January 1, 541. and ended on December 31, 550
540
[change | change source]- Emperor Kimmei, reign of 29th emperor of Japan starts (540-571)[1]
- Vitiges of the Ostrogoths surrendered to the Byzantine army.[2]
- Ildibad succeeds Vitiges as king of the Ostrogoths.
Births
[change | change source]- Authari, king of the Lombards
- Pope Gregory I (approximate date)[3]
- Myrddin Wyllt, Welsh legend (approximate date)
Deaths
[change | change source]- Dignāga, Buddhist founder of Indian logic
- Dionysius Exiguus (approximate date)
- Fridolin of Säckingen Irish missionary
- Vedast, Frankish bishop
- Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths
- Yifu, empress of Western Wei
- Yujiulü, empress of Western Wei
541
[change | change source]- Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague appears suddenly in the Egyptian port of Pelusium. It spreads to Alexandria and, the following year, to Constantinople. This is the beginning of a 200-year long pandemic that will devastate Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
- Totila is elected king by the Ostrogothic nobles after the death of his uncle Ildibad.
- The Uyghurs come under the rule of the Hephthalites
Births
[change | change source]- July 21 – Wéndi, emperor of the Sui Dynasty
Deaths
[change | change source]- Adhurgunbadh, Persian general
- Eraric, king of the Ostrogoths
- Ildibad, king of the Ostrogoths
542
[change | change source]- Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague kills at least 230,000 in Constantinople.
- King Childebert I and his brother Chlothar I invade Visigothic Spain.
Births
[change | change source]- Xiao Min Di, emperor of Northern Zhou
- Xiao Ming Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty
Deaths
[change | change source]543
[change | change source]- The Byzantine garrison (1,000 men) in Naples surrenders to the Ostrogoths.
- King Khosrau I invades Syria.
- The Hephthalites threaten the Persian Empire from the East. They extend their gain more territory in Central Asia.
- King Pulakesi I starts the Chalukya Dynasty.
Births
[change | change source]- Brunhilda, queen of Austrasia (approximate date)
- Jing Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty
- Wu Di, emperor of Northern Zhou
Deaths
[change | change source]- Octa, king of Kent (approximate date)
544
[change | change source]- Belisarius defeats the Gothic army under king Totila.
- King Khosrau I unsuccessfully attacks the Byzantine city of Dara.
- Ly Bi is made emperor and starts the empire Van Xuân (modern Vietnam).
Births
[change | change source]- Dugu Qieluo, empress of the Sui Dynasty
- Jing Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty
- Yuwen Xian, prince of Northern Zhou
Deaths
[change | change source]- Solomon, Byzantine general
- October 18 – Saint Wenna
545
[change | change source]- King Khosrau I signs a five-year truce with the Byzantine Empire.
Births
[change | change source]- Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib, father of Muhammad
- Fei Di, emperor of Northern Qi
Deaths
[change | change source]- Budic II, king of Brittany (approximate date)
- Clotilde, Burgundian princess
- Medardus, bishop of Vermandois (approximate date)
- Stotzas, Byzantine rebel leader
546
[change | change source]- The Ostrogoths under king Totila retake Rome.
- Audoin succeeds Walthari as king of the Lombards.
- Audoin leads the Lombards across the Danube and becomes an ally of the Byzantines.
Deaths
[change | change source]547
[change | change source]- Belisarius recaptures Rome from the Ostrogoths.
- Theodebald becomes king of Austrasia.
- King Ida starts the kingdom of Bernicia. He builds Bamburgh Castle.
- The Tonkin revolt is stopped by the Chinese Liang Dynasty.
Births
[change | change source]Deaths
[change | change source]- Theodebert I, king of Austrasia (or 548)
- Tribonian, Byzantine lawyer and writer of the Codex Justinianus.
- Maelgwn Gwynedd, king of Gwynedd (approximate date)
- Gao Huan
548
[change | change source]- Emperor Justinian I removes Belisarius from military service.
- Theudigisel names himself ruler over the Visigothic Kingdom.
Births
[change | change source]- Xiao Zhuang, crown prince of the Southern Dynasties (approximate date)
Deaths
[change | change source]- April 13 – Ly Nam De, emperor of Vietnam
- Theodebert I, king of Austrasia (or 547)
- June 28 – Theodora I, Byzantine Empress
- Theudis, king of the Visigoths
549
[change | change source]- Jianwen Di becomes ruler of the Liang Dynasty in China.
- Agila becomes king of the Visigoths.
- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory is founded in Ireland.
- The Ostrogoths under Totila recapture Rome.
- Totila conquers the city of Perugia.
Births
[change | change source]- Jizang, Chinese Buddhist monk
Deaths
[change | change source]- Theudigisel, king of the Visigoths
- Tuathal Maelgarb, King of Tara
- Gao Cheng
- Emperor Wu of Liang
- Xiao Zhengde
- Princess Xu Zhaopei
- Zhu Yi
References
[change | change source]- ↑ McCullough, Helen Craig. (1966). Yoshitsune: a fifteenth-century Japanese chronicle, p. 322.
- ↑ Wolfram, Herwig. (1990). History of the Goths, p. 349.
- ↑ "Pope St. Gregory ('the Great')," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2012-10-15.