6th century

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	5th century · 6th century · 7th century
Decades:	500s 510s 520s 530s 540s 550s 560s 570s 580s 590s
Categories:	Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments

The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. This century is widely considered to mark the end of Classical Antiquity and the beginning of the Dark Ages.

Overview

Map of the world in AD 500

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire late in the previous century, Europe fractured into many small Germanic Kingdoms, which competed constantly for land and wealth. From this upheaval the Franks finally became, and carved out a sizeable domain encompassing much of modern France and Germany. Meanwhile, the surviving Eastern Roman Empire began to expand under the emperor Justinian, who eventually recaptured North Africa from the Vandals, and attempted to fully recover Italy as well in the hope of re-establishing Roman control over the lands once ruled by the Western Roman Empire. Following Justinian's death, most of his gains were lost. The Sassanid Empire reached the peak of its power under Khosrau I in the 6th century.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

6th century

Events

This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century.

• The first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Iran by Khosrau I of Persia.
• Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known as Scotland)
• Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland founded by St. Kevin
• The monastery on Iona is founded by St. Columban
• Zen Buddhists enter Vietnam from China.
• Buddhist Jataka stories are translated into Persian by order of the Zoroastrian king Khosrau.
• 518 - Roman Emperor Anastasius I dies and is succeeded by Justin I.
• 527 — Justinian I succeeds Justin I as Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.
• 529 — Saint Benedict of Nursia founds the monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy.
• 532 — Nika riots in Constantinople; the cathedral is destroyed. They are put down a sennight later by Belisarius and Mundus; up to 30,000 people are killed in the Hippodrome.
• 537: Battle of Camlann, final battle of King Arthur
• Buddhism introduced to Japan from Baekje in 552, thus contributing to the changes that occurred in the Asuka period.
• 554, Eviction of the Ostrogoths from Rome, and the re-unification of all Italy under Imperial rule.
• Outbreak of bubonic plague in Constantinople and the rest of the Byzantine Empire (Plague of Justinian).
• Establishment of Karantania, first stable and independent state of Slovenians and of Slavs.
• The Kutrigur Bulgars move into modern Romania.
• Jewish influence in Aksum.
• Nubia is largely converted to Coptic Christianity.
• The area of modern Aargau falls into Frankish control.
• The Kingdom of Funan 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 Dutch language develops.
• Abraha attacks Kaaba in Mecca (circa 571).
• 590, Pope Gregory I succeeds Pope Pelagius II as the 64th pope.

Significant persons

• Pope Gregory the Great (590–604)
• Arthur, defeated the Anglo-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 the Getica.
• Procopius, Byzantine historian.
• Bozorgmehr, Persian sage.
• Muhammad, prophet of Islam, born in 570.
• Empress Suiko of Japan
• Taliesin, Welsh poet
• Abraham Kidunaia
• Austell
• Yasodharman, king of Malwa in India, defeats the Huns.

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

• Dionysius Exiguus creates the Anno Domini system, inspired by the birth of Jesus, in 525. This is the system upon which the Gregorian calendar and Common Era systems are based.
• Backgammon (nard) invented in Persia by Burzoe
• Chess, as chaturanga, entered Persia from India and was modified to shatranj.
• Breast-strap horse harness in use in Frankish kingdom
• Byzantine Empire acquires silk technology from China
• Vaghbata, Indian medical books
• In 589 AD, the Chinese scholar-official Yan Zhitui makes the first reference to the use of toilet paper in history.
• Significant to the history of agriculture, the Chinese author Jia Sixia wrote the treatise Chi Min Yao Shu in 535, and although it quotes 160 previous Chinese agronomy books, it is the oldest existent Chinese agriculture treatise. In over one hundred thousand written Chinese characters, the book covered land preparation, seeding, cultivation, orchard management, forestry, animal husbandry, trade, and culinary uses for crops.

Decades and years

[[::Decades|Decades]] and [[::Years|Years]]

6th century

[[::4th century|4th century]] ←[[::5th century|5th century]] ← ↔ →[[::7th century|7th century]]→[[::8th century|8th century]]

[[::490s|490s]]	[[::490|490]]	[[::491|491]]	[[::492|492]]	[[::493|493]]	[[::494|494]]	[[::495|495]]	[[::496|496]]	[[::497|497]]	[[::498|498]]	[[::499|499]]
[[::500–509|500–509]]	[[::500|500]]	[[::501|501]]	[[::502|502]]	[[::503|503]]	[[::504|504]]	[[::505|505]]	[[::506|506]]	[[::507|507]]	[[::508|508]]	[[::509|509]]
[[::510s|510s]]	[[::510|510]]	[[::511|511]]	[[::512|512]]	[[::513|513]]	[[::514|514]]	[[::515|515]]	[[::516|516]]	[[::517|517]]	[[::518|518]]	[[::519|519]]
[[::520s|520s]]	[[::520|520]]	[[::521|521]]	[[::522|522]]	[[::523|523]]	[[::524|524]]	[[::525|525]]	[[::526|526]]	[[::527|527]]	[[::528|528]]	[[::529|529]]
[[::530s|530s]]	[[::530|530]]	[[::531|531]]	[[::532|532]]	[[::533|533]]	[[::534|534]]	[[::535|535]]	[[::536|536]]	[[::537|537]]	[[::538|538]]	[[::539|539]]
[[::540s|540s]]	[[::540|540]]	[[::541|541]]	[[::542|542]]	[[::543|543]]	[[::544|544]]	[[::545|545]]	[[::546|546]]	[[::547|547]]	[[::548|548]]	[[::549|549]]
[[::550s|550s]]	[[::550|550]]	[[::551|551]]	[[::552|552]]	[[::553|553]]	[[::554|554]]	[[::555|555]]	[[::556|556]]	[[::557|557]]	[[::558|558]]	[[::559|559]]
[[::560s|560s]]	[[::560|560]]	[[::561|561]]	[[::562|562]]	[[::563|563]]	[[::564|564]]	[[::565|565]]	[[::566|566]]	[[::567|567]]	[[::568|568]]	[[::569|569]]
[[::570s|570s]]	[[::570|570]]	[[::571|571]]	[[::572|572]]	[[::573|573]]	[[::574|574]]	[[::575|575]]	[[::576|576]]	[[::577|577]]	[[::578|578]]	[[::579|579]]
[[::580s|580s]]	[[::580|580]]	[[::581|581]]	[[::582|582]]	[[::583|583]]	[[::584|584]]	[[::585|585]]	[[::586|586]]	[[::587|587]]	[[::588|588]]	[[::589|589]]
[[::590s|590s]]	[[::590|590]]	[[::591|591]]	[[::592|592]]	[[::593|593]]	[[::594|594]]	[[::595|595]]	[[::596|596]]	[[::597|597]]	[[::598|598]]	[[::599|599]]
[[::600–609|600–609]]	[[::600|600]]	[[::601|601]]	[[::602|602]]	[[::603|603]]	[[::604|604]]	[[::605|605]]	[[::606|606]]	[[::607|607]]	[[::608|608]]	[[::609|609]]

[[::Centuries|Centuries]] and [[::Millennia|Millennia]]

Millennium	Century
Before Christ / Before Common Era (BC/BCE)
[[::4th millennium BC|4th]]:	[[::40th century BC|40th]]	[[::39th century BC|39th]]	[[::38th century BC|38th]]	[[::37th century BC|37th]]	[[::36th century BC|36th]]	[[::35th century BC|35th]]	[[::34th century BC|34th]]	[[::33rd century BC|33rd]]	[[::32nd century BC|32nd]]	[[::31st century BC|31st]]
[[::3rd millennium BC|3rd]]:	[[::30th century BC|30th]]	[[::29th century BC|29th]]	[[::28th century BC|28th]]	[[::27th century BC|27th]]	[[::26th century BC|26th]]	[[::25th century BC|25th]]	[[::24th century BC|24th]]	[[::23rd century BC|23rd]]	[[::22nd century BC|22nd]]	[[::21st century BC|21st]]
[[::2nd millennium BC|2nd]]:	[[::20th century BC|20th]]	[[::19th century BC|19th]]	[[::18th century BC|18th]]	[[::17th century BC|17th]]	[[::16th century BC|16th]]	[[::15th century BC|15th]]	[[::14th century BC|14th]]	[[::13th century BC|13th]]	[[::12th century BC|12th]]	[[::11th century BC|11th]]
[[::1st millennium BC|1st]]:	[[::10th century BC|10th]]	[[::9th century BC|9th]]	[[::8th century BC|8th]]	[[::7th century BC|7th]]	[[::6th century BC|6th]]	[[::5th century BC|5th]]	[[::4th century BC|4th]]	[[::3rd century BC|3rd]]	[[::2nd century BC|2nd]]	[[::1st century BC|1st]]
Anno Domini / Common Era (AD/CE)
[[::1st millennium|1st]]:	[[::1st century|1st]]	[[::2nd century|2nd]]	[[::3rd century|3rd]]	[[::4th century|4th]]	[[::5th century|5th]]	[[::6th century|6th]]	[[::7th century|7th]]	[[::8th century|8th]]	[[::9th century|9th]]	[[::10th century|10th]]
[[::2nd millennium|2nd]]:	[[::11th century|11th]]	[[::12th century|12th]]	[[::13th century|13th]]	[[::14th century|14th]]	[[::15th century|15th]]	[[::16th century|16th]]	[[::17th century|17th]]	[[::18th century|18th]]	[[::19th century|19th]]	[[::20th century|20th]]
[[::3rd millennium|3rd]]:	[[::21st century|21st]]	[[::22nd century|22nd]]	[[::23rd century|23rd]]	[[::24th century|24th]]	[[::25th century|25th]]	[[::26th century|26th]]	[[::27th century|27th]]	[[::28th century|28th]]	[[::29th century|29th]]	[[::30th century|30th]]
[[::4th millennium|4th]]:	[[::31st century|31st]]

External links

• Genealogy links for a few people
• Genealogy links for a few more