| 500 AD Arthur's Victory Over Saxons-The legendary Arthur won a battle against the Saxons at Mound Badon in Dorset, in Southern England. This slowed the Saxon conquest of England. |
| 500 AD Svealand- The First Swedish State- Svealand, the first Swedish state was founded around 500 A.D. The Goths inhabited the Southern part of the Swedish peninsula. Much of what is known about early Sweden has been taken from the epic "Beowulf", written in 700 A.D. |
| 503 - 557 AD Persian-Roman Wars- Between 503 and 557 A.D.,three successive wars -- interrupted by periods of peace -- are fought between the Persian Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. All have the same basic cause -- an inability to define the borders and the relationship between the two empires. In 567 a 'definitive' peace was reached. Under its terms, Rome agreed to pay the Persians 30,000 pieces of gold annually. The borders between the empire were reaffirmed, Christian worship was to be protected in the Persian Empire, and regulation of trade and diplomatic relations were laid out. |
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| 507 AD Kingdom Of Franks - The Franks' Clovis defeated the Visigoths under Alaric II at the Battle of Vouille. The Visigoths retreated into Spain, where they retained their Empire. |
| 532 AD Nika Revolt- A popular uprising took place in Constantinople against Justinian. Constantinople was nearly destroyed by fire. The insurrection quelled with great cruelty by Belisarius. Thirty thousand people were slain. |
| 537 AD Hagia Sophia Cathedral Built- The Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople was completed. The cathedral represented the culmination of Byzantine architecture, with a large domed basilica. |
| 552 AD Battle at Taginae- The Byzantine army invaded Italy and defeated the Ostrogoths at the Battle of Taginae. The Byzantines, using a combination of pikes and bows, decimated the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. |
| 558 - 650 AD The Avars- The Avars, a Turkish Mongolian group, formed an Empire that extended from the Volga to the Hungarian plains. In 626 A.D., they laid siege to Constantinople, but were forced to withdraw. |
| 565 AD Justinian Great- Justinian the Great died in 565 A.D. bringing to end 38 years of rule as leader of the Byzantine Empire. Under his stewardship, the Empire expanded to include all of North Africa and parts of the Middle East as well as Italy and Greece. Under Justinian, the first comprehensive compilation of Roman Law was published. |
| 572 AD Leovigild King Of Visigoths- Leovigild the King of Visigoths set off to reinvigorate the empire. He extended the Vistigoth dominance to all parts of the Iberian Pennisular. |
| 577 AD Battle At Deorham- At the Battle of Deorham in southwestern England, the Saxons defeated the Welsh. This victory virtually completed the Saxon conquest of England. |
| 581 AD Sui Dynasty Reunites China- After nearly four centuries of internal divisions and strife, China was reunited under the leadership of Yang Jian. A member of a respected aristocratic family, Yang Jian founded the Sui Dynasty. Yang Jian used Buddhism to help unite the kingdom. |
| 598 AD Pope Greogory Obtains 30 Year Truce- Gregory the Great was the first monk to become Pope. For many, he was a model for the future papacy. Gregory controlled the civil affairs of Rome and expanded the power of the Church. Gregory also negotiated a 30-year truce with Lombards, insuring the independence of Rome. |
