istoryworld
All Events
After three centuries of chaos and disunion in China, a stable dynasty - the Sui - is established by Wen Ti (the Cultured Emperor)
Gregory, bishop of Tours, brings his 'History of the Franks' up to this year
Pope Gregory I negotiates with the Lombards who are threatening Rome
Augustine, arriving with a party of monks from Rome, reaches Canterbury and is well received by the pagan king of Kent
Ritual intoning of the psalms, derived from Jewish synagogues, is formalized in Christian worship as Gregorian chant
The classic form of Arabic poetry, predating Islam, evolves as the qasidah
The distinction between capital and lower-case emerges in the scriptoria of the Irish monasteries
The Scots, a tribal group of northern Ireland, extend their kingdom across the sea into Scotland
The walls of caves at Ajanta are profusely decorated with Buddhist murals
Chan (later known as Zen) Buddhism, emphasizing personal enlightenment, is developed in China and soon spreads widely through the far East
Prince Shotoku Taishi, an enthusiastic patron of Buddhism, builds the Horyuji temple and pagoda at Nara
St Columban founds a monastery at Bobbio, the furthest outpost of Celtic Christianity
The Grand Canal is constructed in China, joining a network of existing waterways to link the Yangtze and Yellow rivers
Muhammad begins preaching in Mecca the message of Allah, dictated to him by the archangel Gabriel
Jerusalem falls to the Persian emperor Khosrau II after a siege of a month, and it is said that 60,000 Christians are massacred
When the Persians sack Jerusalem, they carry off to Ctesiphon Christianity's most sacred relic - the True Cross
A high official of the Sui empire seizes power and establishes one of China's greatest dynasties, the T'ang
The Irish monk St Aidan moves from Iona to establish a monastery on Lindisfarne
Muhammad departs from Mecca and settles in Medina, in the event known as the Hegira
The year of the Hegira (Muhammad's move from Mecca to Medina) becomes Anno Hegirae or AH1, the first year in Muslim chronology
The treasure of an Anglo-Saxon king (possibly Raedwald, who dies at this time) is buried in a 90-foot-long ship at Sutton Hoo
The Byzantine emperor Heraclius recovers the True Cross from Ctesiphon
Mecca becomes the holy city of Islam and soon all Arabia accepts the new religion
The death of Muhammad at Medina is followed by the election of the first caliph, Abu Bakr, a father-in-law of the prophet
Omar, another father-in-law of Muhammad, is elected as the second Muslim caliph (the word means 'sucessor to the Messenger of God')
