By place Byzantine Empire •
Balkan Campaign: A
Byzantine army under command of
Peter, brother of Emperor
Maurice, crosses the
Danube and advances to the
Tisza River, where it defeats the
Avars.
Europe • The
Franks,
Merovingians and
Carolingians successively control most of
Europe, while strong
feudal lords rise in power to gain the
allegiance of the people. • The
Lombards under King
Agilulf expand into
Northern Italy, establishing a settlement with the Franks and maintaining intermittent relationships with
Rome. •
Liuva II, age 18, succeeds his father
Reccared I as king of the
Visigoths. Reccared dies a natural death at the capital in
Toledo after a 15-year reign.
By topic Arts and sciences • The
Qieyun, a
Chinese character rhyme dictionary, is published.
Agriculture • Food production increases in northern and Western Europe as a result of
agricultural technology introduced by the
Slavs, who employ a lightweight
plow with a knife blade (
coulter), that cuts deep into the soil at
grassroots level, together with a shaped board, or "moldboard", that moves the cut soil to one side.
Religion • The future
Archbishops of Canterbury (
Mellitus,
Justus, and
Honorius), and the future
Archbishop of York Paulinus, are sent to England by
Pope Gregory I to aid
Augustine in his
missionary work. Gregory writes the
decretal Libellus responsionum to Augustine. == Births ==