By place Byzantine Empire •
April 19 –
Battle of Callinicum: A
Byzantine army (20,000 men), commanded by
Belisarius, is defeated by the
Persians at
Raqqa (northern
Syria). Emperor
Justinian I negotiates an end to the hostilities, and Belisarius is hailed as a hero. • Some members of the
Blue and Green chariot racing factions in
Constantinople are imprisoned for murder, precipitating the
Nika riots the next year.
Europe • The
Franks under King
Chlothar I march against the
Thuringi with Chlothar's nephew
Theudebert I. The Kingdom of
Thuringia comes under
Frankish domination. •
Hermanafrid, last king of the Thuringi, is defeated by the Franks near the
Unstrut River. During negotiations he is pushed from the town walls of
Zülpich (northern
Germany). • King
Childebert I receives pleas from his sister
Clotilde, wife of King
Amalaric, claiming that she is abused by her husband. Childebert invades
Septimania (
Gaul). • Childebert I defeats the
Visigoths and conquers the capital
Narbonne. Amalaric flees south to
Barcelona, where he is assassinated by his own men. • Clotilde returns with the Frankish army and dies on the journey home. She is buried in
Paris alongside her father
Clovis I. •
Theudis, sword-bearer of former king
Theodoric the Great, succeeds Amalaric as new ruler of the Visigoths.
Persia • King
Kavad I, age 82, dies after a 43-year reign.
Khosrau I, his favourite son, is proclaimed successor over his elder brothers.
Asia • The reign of
Chang Guang Wang, ruler of
Northern Wei, ends.
Gao Huan, Chinese general, begins a
rebellion and declares another member of the imperial clan,
An Ding Wang, emperor. •
Ankan, age 66, succeeds his father
Keitai as the 27th
emperor of Japan. •
Anwon becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of
Goguryeo.
Unidentified • Major
volcanic eruption. == Births ==