640s

The 640s decade ran from January 1, 640, to December 31, 649.

640

This section is transcluded from AD 640. (edit | history)

By place

Europe

• February 27 – Pepin the Elder, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, dies and is succeeded by his son Grimoald. He becomes the head of the Frankish household, and the most powerful man in the Frankish Kingdom (approximate date).
• King Chintila dies of natural causes after a 3-year reign, in which he permitted the bishops wide authority in Hispania, Septimania and Galicia. He is succeeded by his son Tulga, who becomes ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom (approximate date).
• At the request of Porga of Croatia, one of the first dukes or princes (Croatian: knez) of Dalmatian Croatia, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius sends Christian missionaries to the Croatian Provinces (approximate date).
• The French city of Lille (according to the legend) is founded by Lydéric. He kills Phinaert in a duel to avenge his parents' deaths (approximate date).

Britain

• King Eadbald of Kent dies after a 24-year reign. He is succeeded by his sons, Eorcenberht and Eormenred, who jointly rule the Kingdom of Kent (now South East England).
• Hartlepool Abbey in Northumbria (Northern England) is founded. Wooden huts surrounding a church are built in Saxon style.

Africa

• May – Siege of Babylon Fortress: The Rashidun army lays siege to Babylon Fortress in the Nile Delta (near Cairo). The next two months' fighting remain inconclusive, the Byzantines having the upper hand by repulsing every Muslim assault.^[1]
• July 6 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army (15,000 men) under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeats the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt). Amr divides his troops into three parts, surrounding the Byzantines.
• December 21 – Muslim Arabs capture Babylon after a seven-month siege; during a night assault Arab warriors open the city gates.^[2] The Thebaid region (Upper Egypt) is annexed by the Rashidun Caliphate.
• December 22 – On orders of the Saracen leader, Amar, the Serapeum of Alexandria, containing works that had survived the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, is burned down, along with its collection of 500,000 manuscripts.^[3] This story may be apocryphal.^[4]

Asia

Emperor Taizong's campaign against the Western Regions states

• Emperor Taizong of Tang begins the military campaigns against the Western Regions states in the Tarim Basin. General Hou Junji captures the kingdom of Gaochang, to solidify Tang rule in Central Asia.
• Nestorian missionaries build the Daqin Pagoda in Chang'an (Shaanxi). Daqin is the name for the Roman Empire or the Near East.^[5]

By topic

Religion

• Disibod, Irish monk and hermit, arrives as a missionary in Francia. He begins his religious work in the Vosges and Ardennes.
• May 28 – Pope Severinus succeeds Honorius I as the 71st pope. He dies in Rome only two months after being consecrated.
• December 24 – Pope John IV succeeds Severinus as the 72nd pope. His election is accepted by the Exarchate of Ravenna.

Economy

• A surge in atmospheric lead in ice core drilled in the Colle Gnifetti Glacier in the Swiss Alps signals an increase in silver mining because of economic recovery, after natural disasters in 530s and 540s.^[6]

Significant people

Births

Transcluding articles: 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, and 649

640

• Al-Akhtal, Arab poet (approximate date)
• Arikesari Maravarman, king of the Pandyan Empire (approximate date)
• Asparukh, ruler of the Bulgarian Empire (approximate date)
• Godeberta, Frankish abbess (approximate date)
• Isonokami no Maro, Japanese statesman (d. 717)
• Kilian, Irish bishop (approximate date)
• Luo Binwang, Chinese poet (d. 684)
• Musa ibn Nusayr, Arab general (d. 716)
• Winnoc, Welsh abbot (approximate date)
• Wulfhere, king of Mercia (approximate date)
• Wulfram, archbishop of Sens (approximate date)

641

• Asparukh, ruler (khan) of the First Bulgarian Empire (d. 701)

642

• Ceolfrith, Anglo-Saxon abbot (approximate date)
• Hasan al-Basri, Arab theologian (d. 728)
• Julian, archbishop of Toledo (d. 690)
• Máel Ruba, Irish abbot (d. 722)
• Mujahid ibn Jabr, Muslim scholar (or 645)

643

• Fazang, Chinese Buddhist patriarch (d. 712)
• Li Zhong, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 665)

644

• K'inich K'an Joy Chitam II, ruler of Palenque
• Li Jiao, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 713)

645

• Æthelred, king of Mercia (approximate date)
• Ecgfrith, king of Northumbria (approximate date)
• Jitō, empress of Japan (d. 703)
• John of Damascus, Syrian church father (or 676)
• Mujahid ibn Jabr, Arabic scholar (or 642)
• Yazid I, Muslim Caliph (d. 683)

646

• Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Muslim Caliph (d. 705)
• Gudula, Frankish saint
• Li Sujie, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 690)
• Sun Guoting, Chinese calligrapher (d. 691)
• Tonyukuk, military leader of the Göktürks (approximate date)

647

• Al-Abbas ibn Ali, Muslim martyr (d. 680)
• Itzamnaaj B'alam II, ruler of Yaxchilan (d. 742)

648

• Kōbun, emperor of Japan (d. 672)
• Redbad, king of Frisia (d. 719)
• Tōchi, Japanese princess (d. 678)

649

• Approximate date – Wang Bo, Chinese poet (d. 676)
• Xue Ne, Chinese general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 720)

Deaths

Transcluding articles: 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, and 649

640

• February 27 – Pepin the Elder, Mayor of the Palace
• August 2 – Pope Severinus
• September 12 – Sak K'uk', queen of Palenque^[25]
• Alena, Frankish martyr (approximate date)
• Arnulf of Metz, Frankish bishop and saint
• Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi, companion of Muhammed
• Chintila, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)
• Dushun, Chinese (Buddhist) patriarch (b. 557)
• Eadbald, king of Kent (approximate date)
• Eanswith, Anglo-Saxon princess (approximate date)
• Li Xiaogong, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 591)
• Romanus, bishop of Rouen (approximate date)
• Tysilio, Welsh prince and bishop
• Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, Arab general

641

• February 11 – Heraclius, Byzantine emperor
• November 17 – Emperor Jomei of Japan (b. 593)
• Aega, Mayor of the Palace (Neustria and Burgundy)
• Arechis I, duke of Benevento (Italy)
• Bridei II, king of the Picts
• Emperor Constantine III of the Byzantine Empire
• Mu, king of Baekje (one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea)^[7]
• Ouyang Xun, Confucian scholar and calligrapher (b. 557)
• Zaynab bint Jahsh, wife of Muhammad

642

• August 5 or 641 – Oswald, king of Northumbria
• October 12 – Pope John IV
• Emma, Anglo-Saxon queen
• Eowa, king of Mercia (English Midlands)
• Domnall Brecc, king of Dál Riata^[26]
• Domnall mac Áedo, high king of Ireland
• Flaochad, Mayor of the Palace (Burgundy)
• Heraklonas, Byzantine emperor (approximate date)
• Khalid ibn al-Walid, Arab general (b. 592)
• Mardanshah, Persian general
• Nanthild, Frankish queen
• Pulakeshin II, king of Chalukya (India)
• Willibad, patrician (of duke) of Burgundy
• Yeongnyu, king of Goguryeo (Korea)
• Yuwen Shiji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty

643

• April 29 – Hou Junji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
• September 19 – Goeric, bishop of Metz
• Cynegils, king of Wessex (approximate date)
• Maurikios Chartoularios, Byzantine rebel leader
• Otto, mayor of the palace (Austrasia)
• Wei Zheng, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 580)

644

• January 17 – Sulpitius the Pious, French bishop and saint
• October 10 – Paulinus, Archbishop of York^[27]
• Otto, mayor of the palace (Austrasia)
• Radulf, king of Thuringia (approximate date)
• Trudpert, Irish missionary (or 607)
• Abu Lu'lu'a Firuz, assassin of Umar I
• Umar I, Muslim caliph (r. 634–644)
• Valentinus, Byzantine general and usurper

645

• April 26 – Richarius, Frankish hermit and monk^[28]
• July 10 – Soga no Iruka, statesman of Japan^[29]
• October 21 – Zhenzhu Khan, khan of Xueyantuo
• unknown dates
  • Al-Khansa, Arabic poet (b. 575)
  • Cen Wenben, chancellor and editor of the Book of Zhou (b. 595)
  • Li Chengqian, crown prince of the Tang dynasty
  • Soga no Emishi, statesman of Japan (b. 587)
  • Yan Shigu, Chinese author of the Tang dynasty (b. 581)

646

• January 17 – Sulpitius the Pious, bishop of Bourges^[30]
• January 19 – Liu Ji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
• unknown dates
  • Gallus, Irish missionary (approximate date)
  • Zhang Liang, general of the Tang dynasty

647

• Æthelburh of Kent, queen of Northumbria
• Felix of Burgundy, bishop of Dunwich (or 648)
• Gao Shilian, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 576)
• Gregory the Patrician, Exarch of Africa
• Harsha, emperor of Harsha (India)
• Li Baiyao, Chinese official and historian (b. 564)
• Seondeok, queen of Silla (Korea)^[20]
• Xiao Yu, prince of the Liang dynasty (b. 574)
• Yang Shidao, chancellor of the Tang dynasty

648

• Fang Xuanling, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 579)
• John III of the Sedre, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.^[31]
• Ma Zhou, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 601)
• Xiao, empress of the Sui dynasty

649

• March – John Climacus, Syrian monk and writer (b. c.579)
• May 2 – Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian and Maphrian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)
• May 14 – Pope Theodore I, Jerusalem-born Greek pontiff
• July 2 – Li Jing, Chinese general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 571)
• July 6 – Goar of Aquitaine, Catholic priest and hermit (b. c.585)
• July 10 – Taizong, Chinese Tang dynasty emperor (b. 598)
• December 3 – Birinus, French-born Bishop of Dorchester in Wessex (b. c.600)
• Rogallach mac Uatach, Irish king of Connacht (murdered)
• Soga no Kurayamada, Japanese udaijin
• Songtsen Gampo, founder of the Tibetan Empire

References

1. Butler, Alfred, "The Arab Conquest of Egypt and the Last Thirty years of Roman Dominion", p. 222
2. Al Farooq, Umar by Muhammad Husayn Haykal, chapter nr. 21
3. "Fires, Great", in The Insurance Cyclopeadia: Being an Historical Treasury of Events and Circumstances Connected with the Origin and Progress of Insurance, Cornelius Walford, ed. (C. and E. Layton, 1876) pp24
4. "What happened to the Great Library at Alexandria?". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
5. Hill, John E. (2003). "The Kingdom of Da Quin". The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu (2nd ed.). Retrieved 2008-11-30
6. "Why 536 was 'the worst year to be alive'". sciencemag.org Nov. 15, 2018.
7. "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
8. Reuter, Timothy (1991). Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman. p. 55. ISBN 0-582-08156-4.
9. Bede Book III, Chapter XV.
10. Watters, Thomas. "On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India". Two volumes. 1904–1905, Royal Asiatic Society, London. One volume reprint: Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, 1973, pp. 343–344
11. Wechsler, Howard J. (1979). "T'ai-tsung (reign 626–49) the consolidator". In Twitchett, Dennis (ed.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 3: Sui and T'ang China, 589–906, Part I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-521-21446-9.
12. Parker, Anselm. "St. Oswin". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 28 Mar. 2013
13. Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2001). "Ualentinos (#8545)". Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit: 1. Abteilung (641–867), Band 5 : Theophylaktos (# 8346) – az-Zubair (# 8675), Anonymi (# 10001–12149) (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter. p. 71. ISBN 978-3-11-016675-0.
14. Muir 1898, p. 166, Chapter XXII, "Conquest of Egypt".
15. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Taika" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 924, p. 9247, at Google Books; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File.
16. Graff 2002, p. 197.
17. Lee, Kenneth B. (1997). Korea and East Asia: "The story of a phoenix". Westport: Praeger. p. 16. ISBN 9780275958237.
18. Graff 2002, p. 198.
19. Kieschnick, John (2003). "The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture". Princeton University Press, p. 258. ISBN 0-691-09676-7
20. "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
21. Kirby 2000, p. 45.
22. Muir 1898, p. 205, Chapter XXVIII, "Caliphate of Othman".
23. Paulo Alberto, ed. (2005). Corpus Christianorum, volume 114. Brepols. p. 16.
24. "649 – the year China first invaded India – the Acorn".
25. "The Mystery of the Red Queen of Palenque". Uncovered History. 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
26. Lynch, Michael, ed. (February 24, 2011). The Oxford companion to Scottish history. Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-19-969305-4.^{[full citation needed]}
27. Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 221. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
28. Alban Butler; Paul Burns (1 January 1999). Butler's Lives of the Saints: April. A&C Black. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-86012-253-1.
29. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1998. p. 935. ISBN 978-0-85229-663-9.
30. Charles George Herbermann (1913). The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. Universal Knowledge Foundation. p. 333.
31. Teule, Herman G. B. (2011). "Yuḥanon of the Sedre". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

Sources

• Bede. "Book III". Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Internet History Sourcebooks Project.
• Graff, David (2002). Medieval Chinese Warfare 300–900. London: Routledge. pp. 197–198. ISBN 0-415-23955-9. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
• Kirby, D. P. (2000). The Earliest English Kings (revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24211-8.
• Muir, William (1898). The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall, from Original Sources (3rd ed.). London: Smith, Elder.