550s

The 550s decade ran from January 1, 550, to December 31, 559.

550

This section is transcluded from AD 550. (edit | history)

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Emperor Justinian I appoints Bessas commander (magister militum) of Armenia, and entrusts him with the war in Lazica (Georgia).
  • Siege of Petra (550–551)
• January 16 – Gothic War: The Ostrogoths under king Totila recapture Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison.
• Summer – Totila plunders Sicily, after he subdues Corsica and Sardinia. He sends a Gothic fleet to raid the coasts of Greece.
• Justinian I sends two Nestorian monks on a mission to Central Asia, to spread Christianity in the East (approximate date).

Europe

• The Vendel era begins; the name is given to a region in Uppland (an important area of the sagas' account of a Swedish kingdom).

Persia

• The Sassanid Empire, under the reign of King Khosrow I, controls the trade of silk destined for Europe and the Byzantine Empire.

Asia

• The Eastern Wei Dynasty ends, and Wen Xuan Di becomes emperor of Northern Qi. He forces Xiao Jing Di to yield the throne.
• Wen Xuan Di adopts a defensive policy towards the hostile northern tribes; he builds over 1,000 miles of walls on the border.^[1]
• The Gupta Empire falls; India is again ruled by regional kingdoms (approximate date).

Americas

• Construction of Quiriguá (Guatemala) begins (approximate date).
• The last known eruption of Chimborazo (modern Ecuador) occurs.

By topic

Arts and sciences

• Hindu mathematicians give zero a numeral representation in a positional notation system.
• Procopius writes the Secret History (approximate date).

Religion

• The churches of Lazica (Georgia) and Armenia split. While the Armenian Church remains independent, the Georgian church unites with the Byzantine Empire. This ecclesiastical union deepens political and cultural contact between the two states. As a sign of Lazica's status vis-à-vis Byzantium, Lazic princes are vested with honorific titles of the Byzantine court, including kouropalates, or "minister of the imperial palace" (approximate date).
• The main redaction of the Babylonian Talmud is completed under Rabbis Ravina and Ashi (approximate date).
• Chararic, king of the Suevi, converts to Catholicism.
• In Ireland, the Diocese of Tuam is erected.

Significant people

Births

Transcluding articles: 550, 551, 552, 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558, and 559

550

• probable
  • Pope Boniface IV (approximate date)
  • Finbarr of Cork, Irish bishop (approximate date)
  • Gallus, Irish missionary (approximate date)
  • Gaugericus, bishop of Cambrai (approximate date)
  • John Moschus, Byzantine monk (approximate date)
  • Peter III of Callinicum, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch (approximate date)^[27]

551

• Ashina, empress of Northern Zhou (d. 582)
• Babai the Great, church father and theologian (approximate date)
• Germanus, Byzantine pretender (approximate date)
• Umako Soga, leader of the Soga clan (d. 626)

552

• Æthelberht, king (bretwalda) of Kent (approximate date)
• John the Merciful, patriarch of Alexandria (approximate date)

553

• December 10 – Houzhu, emperor of the Chen dynasty (d. 604)

554

• exact date unknown
  • Fei (Chen Bozong), emperor of the Chen dynasty (d. 570)
  • Suiko, empress of Japan (d. 628)^[28]
• probable Wendelin of Trier, Germanic hermit and abbot^[29]

555

• Basolus, French Benedictine and hermit (approximate date)
• Fatimah bint Asad, mother of Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 626)
• Khadija, wife of Islamic prophet Muhammad (approximate date)

556

• Gao Bainian, crown prince of Northern Qi (d. 564)
• Amr Ibn Hashim, Arab pagan chieftain, and biggest enemy to the spread of early Islam

557

• Dushun, Chinese (Buddhist) patriarch (d. 640)
• Gao Wei, emperor of Northern Qi (d. 577)
• Ouyang Xun, Confucian scholar (d. 641)

558

• Gao Yan, prince of Northern Qi (d. 571)
• Yu Shinan, calligrapher and official (d. 638)

559

• Reccared I, king of the Visigoths (d. 601)
• Wu Shihuo, father of Wu Zetian (d. 635)
• Xuan Di, emperor of Northern Zhou (d. 580)

Deaths

Transcluding articles: 550, 551, 552, 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558, and 559

550

• May 8 – Desideratus, French saint^[30]
• exact date unknown
  • Aryabhata, Indian mathematician-astronomer (b. 476)^[31]
  • Buddhapālita, Indian Madhyamaka scholar (b. 470)
  • Drest V, king of the Picts
  • Germanus, Byzantine general (magister militum)
• probable
  • Dubricius, British bishop and saint
  • Eustathius of Mtskheta, Orthodox Christian saint

551

• Jianwen Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b. 503)
• Wen Di, emperor of Western Wei (b. 507)
• Xiao Daqi, crown prince of Northern Qi (b. 524)

552

• February 5 – Dacius, archbishop of Milan
• July 1 – Totila, king of the Ostrogoths
• December 13 – Columba of Terryglass, Irish abbot and saint
• Aba I, patriarch of the Church of the East
• Anicius Maximus, Roman patrician
• Aratius, Armenian general
• Bumin Qaghan, ruler of the Göktürks
• Hou Jing, regent of the Liang dynasty
• Menas, patriarch of Constantinople
• Turismod, prince of the Lombards
• Wang Wei, chief strategist of the Liang dynasty
• Xiao Dong, emperor of the Liang dynasty
• Xiaojing, emperor of Eastern Wei (b. 524)

553

• August 5 – Xiao Ji, prince of the Liang dynasty (b. 508)
• exact date unknown
  • Gelimer, king of the Vandals and Alans (b. 480)
  • Issik Qaghan, ruler of the Turkic Khaganate
  • Teia, king of the Ostrogoths^[32]

554

• March - Agila I, king of the Visigoths^[33]
• exact date unknown
  • Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man, king of the Lakhmids (Iraq)^[34]
  • Fei Di (Yuan Qin), emperor of Western Wei^[35]
  • Mermeroes, Persian general^[36]
  • Seong, king of Baekje (Korea)^[37]
• probable
  • Liberius, Roman aristocrat^[38]
  • Yuwen, empress of Western Wei

555

• January 27 – Yuan Di, emperor of the Liang dynasty (b. 508)^[39]
• June 7 – Pope Vigilius
• September/October - Gubazes II, king of Lazica (Georgia)^[40]
• exact date unknown
  • Helier, Flemish-born hermit and patron saint of Jersey^[41]
  • Ly Thien Bao, emperor of Vietnam (b. 499)^[42]
  • Theudebald, king of Austrasia^[43]
  • Wang Sengbian, general of the Liang dynasty^[44]
• probable
  • Cybi Felyn, Cornish bishop
  • Erb of Gwent, Welsh king^[18]

556

• February 22 – Maximianus, Bishop of Ravenna (b. 499)
• Echu Tirmcharna, king of Connacht (Ireland)
• Erzhu Ying'e, empress of Northern Wei
• Romanos the Melodist, Syrian poet (approximate date)
• Xiao Yuanming, emperor of the Liang Dynasty
• Yuwen Tai, general of Western Wei (b. 507)

557

• March 14 – Leobinus, bishop of Chartres
• exact date unknown
  • Saint Cyriacus the Anchorite, legendary centenarian (b. 448)^[45]
  • Xiao Min Di, emperor of Northern Zhou (b. 542)^[46]

558

• May 1 – Marcouf, missionary and saint
• May 13 – John the Silent, bishop and saint
• May 15 – Hilary of Galeata, Christian monk
• December 13 – Childebert I, king of the Franks^[47]
• Abraham of Kratia, Christian monk (approximate date)
• Empress Dugu, Northern Zhou consort
• Gabrán mac Domangairt, king of Dál Riata
• Jing Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b. 543)

559

• Chen Wu Di, emperor of the Chen dynasty (b. 503)
• Ida, king of Bernicia (approximate date)
• Leonard of Noblac, Frankish abbot and saint
• Wen Xuan Di, emperor of Northern Qi (b. 529)

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25. （永定三年）使元黄头与诸囚自金凤台各乘纸鸱以飞，黄头独能至紫陌乃堕，仍付御史中丞毕义云饿杀之。 (Rendering: [In the 3rd year of Yongding, 559], Gao Yang conducted an experiment by having Yuan Huangtou and a few prisoners launch themselves from a tower in Ye, capital of the Northern Qi. Yuan Huangtou was the only one who survived from this flight, as he glided over the city-wall and fell at Zimo [western segment of Ye] safely, but he was later executed.) Zizhi Tongjian 167.
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Bibliography

• Bury, John Bagnell (1958). History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian, Volume 2. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-486-20399-9.
• Greatrex, Geoffrey; Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2002). The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (Part II, 363–630 AD). London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-14687-9.
• Martindale, John Robert; Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin; Morris, J., eds. (1992). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume III: A.D. 527–641. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-20160-5.