By place Africa •
January 25 –
Genseric, ruler of the
Vandal Kingdom, dies a natural death at
Carthage, and is succeeded by his eldest son
Huneric. He maintains control over the islands in the western
Mediterranean Sea with his
Vandal fleet, and rescinds his father's policy of persecuting the Roman
Catholics in
Africa. • The independent
Mauro-Roman Kingdom (Kingdom of the Moors and Romans) is formed by Christian Berbers in the Roman province of
Mauretania Caesariensis (present-day northern
Algeria), bordering the Vandal Kingdom to the east.
Europe •
Aelle, first king of the
South Saxons, lands on the
Sussex coast of
England with his three sons near
Cymenshore, according to the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The
Britons engage him upon landing, but his superior force
besieges them at
Pevensey and drives them into the wood called
Andredes leage. Over the next nine years,
Saxon coastal holdings are gradually expanded.
Byzantine Empire •
Armatus, Byzantine military commander (
magister militum), is killed by order of emperor
Zeno, being murdered by his own friend
Onoulphus after supporting the rebellion of his uncle
Basiliscus in
475.
China • Liu Zhun, age 10, becomes
Emperor Shun of the
Liu Song dynasty after his brother
Houfei is
assassinated by general
Xiao Daocheng. He installs Shun as
puppet ruler and sets himself up as
regent. Xiao receives near-imperial powers, establishes
Buddhism as the
state religion and sets up the "Three Leaders" system, under which native
hamlet, village and district officers are responsible for
taxation and
conscription. •
Shaolin Monastery is founded (according to the
Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks (
645) by
Daoxuan; the monastery is built on the north side of
Shaoshi Mountain, the western peak of
Mount Song, one of the four
Sacred Mountains of China, by emperor
Xiao Wen Di of the
Northern Wei dynasty in 477.
Yang Xuanzhi, in the
Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang (
547), and Li Xian, in the
Ming Yitongzhi (
1461), concur with Daoxuan's location and attribution. For alternate founding date, see
495 or
497). • Earliest date for the oldest known painted depiction of a
horse collar, on a cave
mural of
Dunhuang, during the Northern Wei dynasty.
Asia •
Samgeun becomes king of the Korean kingdom of
Baekje. == Deaths ==