Events from the 600s

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600s

84 events
600 - 699 AD
700s →

600s (9 events)

600 ID: 3801
St. Isidore of Seville reforms Spanish monasticism - emphasizes learning, preserves classical knowledge
ID: 3801
Seville
600 ID: 5926
Byzantines believe Palladium protects Constantinople - city considered unconquerable while possessing sacred statue, falls only after Fourth Crusade (1204)
ID: 5926
Constantinople
601 ID: 2543
Augustine consecrated first Archbishop of Canterbury - establishes ecclesiastical capital of England
ID: 2543
Canterbury
602 ID: 4688
Khosrow II begins great war - uses Maurice's murder as pretext for massive invasion
ID: 4688
Ctesiphon
604 ID: 3899
Sabinian becomes sixty-fifth pope - criticized for selling grain unlike generous Gregory
ID: 3899
Rome
604 ID: 5486
Prince Shotoku promulgates Seventeen-article constitution, blending Buddhist and Confucian principles
ID: 5486
Nara
604 ID: 4899
March 12, 604
Death of Pope St. Gregory the Great - left 854 letters, homilies, and the 'Dialogues' containing life of St. Benedict
ID: 4899
Rome
607 ID: 3900
Boniface III becomes sixty-sixth pope - obtains title 'Universal Bishop' from Emperor Phocas
ID: 3900
Rome
608 ID: 3901
St. Boniface IV becomes sixty-seventh pope - converts Pantheon to church, creates All Saints feast
ID: 3901
Rome

610s (12 events)

610 ID: 4764
Heraclius becomes emperor - finds empire near collapse from Persian invasions
ID: 4764
Constantinople
612 ID: 2849
War between Theudebert II and Theuderic II - Brunhilda turns grandsons against each other, Theudebert killed
ID: 2849
613 ID: 2850
Death of Theuderic II - dies of dysentery, Brunhilda tries to make great-grandson king, nobles revolt
ID: 2850
613 ID: 2851
Execution of Brunhilda - Chlothar II captures 70-year-old queen, tortured for three days, torn apart by horses
ID: 2851
Reneve
613 ID: 2852
Chlothar II reunites all Francia - last Merovingian to rule united kingdom effectively, issues Edict of Paris
ID: 2852
614 ID: 2853
Edict of Paris - Chlothar II grants concessions to nobles and Church, mayors of palace gain power, royal authority weakens
ID: 2853
Paris
614 ID: 4689
Persians capture Jerusalem - take True Cross to Ctesiphon, Jews help Persian assault
ID: 4689
Jerusalem
Ctesiphon
614 ID: 4877
Persian conquest of Jerusalem - Jews help Persians, briefly control city, massacre of Christians reported
ID: 4877
Jerusalem
615 ID: 3902
St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) becomes sixty-eighth pope - first pope to use lead seals (bullae)
ID: 3902
Rome
618 ID: 4709
Tang Dynasty founded - begins China's golden age of poetry, art, Buddhism
ID: 4709
Xi'an (Chang'an)
619 ID: 3903
Boniface V becomes sixty-ninth pope - organizes English Church, establishes Canterbury primacy
ID: 3903
Rome
619 ID: 4690
Persians conquer Egypt - Sassanid Empire reaches greatest extent since Achaemenids
ID: 4690
Egypt

620s (6 events)

623 ID: 2854
Dagobert I made king of Austrasia - Chlothar's son, last effective Merovingian king, rules from Metz
ID: 2854
Austrasia
625 ID: 3904
Honorius I becomes seventieth pope - later condemned for failing to oppose Monothelitism
ID: 3904
Rome
627 ID: 2544
King Edwin of Northumbria converts to Christianity - Paulinus baptizes him at York, northern England begins conversion
ID: 2544
York
627 ID: 4691
Battle of Nineveh - Heraclius defeats Persians decisively, Khosrow II overthrown
ID: 4691
Nineveh
628 ID: 4692
Sassanid civil war - Khosrow II killed by son, succession chaos, 8 rulers in 4 years
ID: 4692
Ctesiphon
629 ID: 2855
Death of Chlothar II - Dagobert I inherits all Francia, briefly restores royal power and prestige
ID: 2855

630s (9 events)

630 ID: 4765
Heraclius recovers True Cross - returns it to Jerusalem after defeating Persians
ID: 4765
Jerusalem
632 ID: 2856
Dagobert patronizes arts - commissions St. Eligius (master goldsmith), builds Saint-Denis basilica, cultural flowering
ID: 2856
Saint-Denis
632 ID: 4693
Yazdegerd III becomes last Sassanid king - empire exhausted, Arabs begin attacks
ID: 4693
Ctesiphon
634 ID: 2545
Battle of Heavenfield - Oswald defeats Cadwallon, becomes king of Northumbria, promotes Celtic Christianity
ID: 2545
Heavenfield
636 ID: 4694
Battle of Qadisiyyah - Arabs defeat Sassanid army, Ctesiphon falls, beginning of end
ID: 4694
Qadisiyyah
636 ID: 4766
Battle of Yarmouk - Arabs defeat Byzantines, Syria and Palestine lost forever
ID: 4766
638 ID: 4878
Muslim conquest of Jerusalem - Jews allowed to return after Byzantine ban, new era begins
ID: 4878
Jerusalem
638 ID: 5024
Ecthesis of Heraclius - imperial edict promoting Monothelitism (one will in Christ), later condemned
ID: 5024
Constantinople
639 ID: 2857
Death of Dagobert I - last strong Merovingian king dies, buried at Saint-Denis, sons are children, mayors dominate
ID: 2857
Saint-Denis

640s (13 events)

640 ID: 3802
St. John Climacus writes Ladder of Divine Ascent - synthesizes desert spirituality for Eastern monasticism
ID: 3802
Mount Sinai
640 ID: 3905
Severinus becomes seventy-first pope - imperial troops loot Lateran treasury during his reign
ID: 3905
Rome
640 ID: 3906
John IV becomes seventy-second pope - ransoms Christian slaves from Dalmatia
ID: 3906
Rome
Dalmatia
642 ID: 2546
Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia kills Oswald of Northumbria, Oswald dismembered and becomes martyr
ID: 2546
Oswestry
642 ID: 3907
Theodore I becomes seventy-third pope - attempts to depose Patriarch of Constantinople for heresy
ID: 3907
Rome
642 ID: 4695
Battle of Nihavand - 'Victory of Victories', Arab final defeat of Sassanid army
ID: 4695
Nihavand
642 ID: 5757
Arabs reopen ancient canal - Amr ibn al-As restores connection to supply grain from Egypt to Mecca and Medina
ID: 5757
Cairo
Suez
643 ID: 4817
Edictum Rothari issued - Lombard law code combines Germanic customs with Roman law
ID: 4817
Pavia
645 ID: 5026
Debate between St. Maximus the Confessor and Pyrrhus - Maximus defends two wills in Christ, Pyrrhus temporarily recants
ID: 5026
Ipsus
645 ID: 5487
Taika Reform begins - Japan adopts Chinese-style centralized government system modeled on Tang Dynasty
ID: 5487
Nara
648 ID: 5025
Type of Emperor Constans II - forbids discussion of one or two wills in Christ, persecution of orthodox
ID: 5025
Constantinople
649 ID: 3908
St. Martin I becomes seventy-fourth pope - last martyred pope, exiled for opposing Monothelitism
ID: 3908
Rome
Cherson
649 ID: 4710
Emperor Taizong dies - Tang Empire at peak, stretching from Korea to Central Asia
ID: 4710
Xi'an (Chang'an)

650s (8 events)

650 ID: 4864
Islam conquers Babylon - Jewish academies continue under Muslim rule, new legal questions arise
ID: 4864
Sura
Pumbedita
650 ID: 5736
Arabs establish spice trade monopoly - control Indian Ocean routes, keep sources secret from Europeans for 800 years
ID: 5736
Aden
650 ID: 5836
Melle silver mines begin production - Carolingian Francia's main silver source, enables Charlemagne's later monetary reforms
ID: 5836
Melle
651 ID: 4658
Arab conquest ends Zoroastrian state - Islam replaces Zoroastrianism, many flee to India as Parsis
ID: 4658
Nihavand
651 ID: 4696
Death of Yazdegerd III - murdered at Merv, end of Sassanid Empire and Zoroastrian state
ID: 4696
Merv
653 ID: 5027
St. Maximus the Confessor arrested - brought to Constantinople, refuses to accept Monothelitism
ID: 5027
Constantinople
654 ID: 3909
St. Eugene I becomes seventy-fifth pope - elected while Martin still alive in exile
ID: 3909
Rome
657 ID: 3910
St. Vitalian becomes seventy-sixth pope - introduces organ into liturgy, reconciles with Constantinople
ID: 3910
Rome

660s (5 events)

660 ID: 5518
Silla-Tang alliance defeats Baekje kingdom, beginning unification of Korea
ID: 5518
Korea
662 ID: 5028
Martyrdom of St. Maximus - tongue cut out and right hand cut off for defending two wills in Christ, dies in exile
ID: 5028
664 ID: 2547
Synod of Whitby - Roman Christianity defeats Celtic Christianity on calculation of Easter, England follows Rome
ID: 2547
Whitby
668 ID: 5029
Emperor Constans II murdered in bath - Monothelite persecutor killed by servant in Syracuse
ID: 5029
Pavia
668 ID: 5519
Silla defeats Goguryeo with Tang help, completes unification of Korea under Unified Silla
ID: 5519
Gyeongju

670s (7 events)

672 ID: 3911
Adeodatus II becomes seventy-seventh pope - Benedictine monk, generous to pilgrims
ID: 3911
Rome
672 ID: 4922
Birth of St. Bede the Venerable at Jarrow, England - future Doctor of the Church and Father of English History
ID: 4922
Jarrow
676 ID: 3912
Donus becomes seventy-eighth pope - ends schism with Ravenna
ID: 3912
Rome
Ravenna
676 ID: 4919
Birth of St. John Damascene in Damascus - future Doctor of the Church and defender of holy images
ID: 4919
Damascus
676 ID: 5520
Silla expels Tang forces from Korean peninsula after Silla-Tang War, securing independence
ID: 5520
Korea
678 ID: 3913
St. Agatho becomes seventy-ninth pope - Third Council of Constantinople condemns Monothelitism
ID: 3913
Rome
Constantinople
678 ID: 4767
First Arab siege of Constantinople fails - Greek fire saves city, Umayyad expansion stopped
ID: 4767
Constantinople

680s (9 events)

680 ID: 2858
Pepin of Herstal becomes mayor of Austrasia - Carolingian family rises, real power shifts from kings to mayors
ID: 2858
Austrasia
680 ID: 5030
Third Council of Constantinople (Sixth Ecumenical) begins - will condemn Monothelitism and posthumously censure Pope Honorius
ID: 5030
Constantinople
681 ID: 5031
Sixth Council concludes - defines two wills in Christ, condemns Monothelite patriarchs and censures Pope Honorius for negligence
ID: 5031
Constantinople
682 ID: 3914
St. Leo II becomes eightieth pope - confirms condemnation of Pope Honorius I
ID: 3914
Rome
684 ID: 3915
St. Benedict II becomes eighty-first pope - emperor ends requirement for imperial confirmation
ID: 3915
Rome
685 ID: 3916
John V becomes eighty-second pope - first Syrian pope, often ill
ID: 3916
Rome
686 ID: 3917
Conon becomes eighty-third pope - army intervenes in disputed election
ID: 3917
Rome
687 ID: 2859
Battle of Tertry - Pepin of Herstal defeats Neustrian mayor, becomes mayor of all Francia, Merovingians become 'do-nothing kings'
ID: 2859
Tertry
687 ID: 3918
St. Sergius I becomes eighty-fourth pope - rejects Trullan Synod, baptizes King Caedwalla
ID: 3918
Rome

690s (6 events)

690 ID: 4711
Wu Zetian becomes China's only female sovereign ruler - founds Zhou Dynasty briefly
ID: 4711
Luoyang
690 ID: 5823
Ine of Wessex codifies hide system - establishes 'hide' as standard land unit (120 acres, enough to support one family), basis for taxation and military service
ID: 5823
Wessex
694 ID: 5067
Manichaeism officially arrives in China - Mihr-Ohrmazd presents Manichaean texts to Empress Wu Zetian
ID: 5067
694 ID: 5824
Ine's laws define thegn status - nobleman holding 5 hides of land, owes military service, wergild (man-price) of 1200 shillings vs 200 for ceorl
ID: 5824
Wessex
695 ID: 5825
Laws establish ceorl rights - free peasant owning his own land (typically 1 hide), can bear arms, attend folk-moot, but lower wergild than thegn
ID: 5825
Wessex
697 ID: 5095
First Doge elected - Paoluccio Anafesto becomes first Dux (Doge) of Venice, beginning unique republican system
ID: 5095
Venice