By place Byzantium •
July 28 – Emperor
Theodosius II, age 49, falls from his
horse while
hunting at
Constantinople and dies soon afterward. He has reigned since
408, mostly under the domination of his Christian sister
Pulcheria, who has been allowed to return to court (see
441). •
August 25 – Pulcheria is forced to marry and co-rule the
Eastern Roman Empire. She gives the imperial
diadem to the
Illyrian (or
Thracian) officer and senator
Marcian, age 58, and is crowned as empress in the
Hippodrome at Constantinople, in the first
religious coronation ceremony. • Marcian orders the execution (or
assassination) of the unpopular court eunuch
Chrysaphius. He discontinues the
tribute payments to Attila. • All the Temples of
Aphrodisias (City of Goddess Aphrodite) are demolished and its libraries burned down. The city is renamed Stauroupolis (City of the Cross).
Europe • Spring –
Justa Grata Honoria, eldest sister of emperor
Valentinian III, sends her ring to
Attila the Hun in an effort to escape a
marriage being forced upon her by her brother. Now about 34, she has had an affair with an officer in her household and has allegedly plotted to overthrow Valentinian, who has sent her to a
convent at
Constantinople. Attila announces his intention to marry her, says he expects to be given half the
Western Roman Empire as her
dowry, and gathers a large Hun invasion force.
Flavius Aetius, Roman general (
magister militum), musters an army in
Gaul of
Burgundians,
Celts,
Ripuarians,
Salian Franks and
Visigoths under the command of the Visigoth king
Theodoric I. • Remodelling of the Dome of
Baptistry of Neon,
Ravenna (
Italy) begins (approximate date).
Persia • King
Yazdegerd II summons the leading
Armenian nobles to the
Persian capital
Ctesiphon, pressuring them to cut their ties with the
Western Church.
Asia •
Nalanda University (
India) is founded (approximate date).
By topic Agriculture • Metal
horseshoes come into more common use in the
Near East and in
Europe, increasing the efficiency of horsepower in
agriculture and transportation. == Births ==