552 CE

Battle of Taginae: Narses crosses the Apennines with a Byzantine army (25,000 men). He is blocked by a Gothic force under King Totila near Taginae (Central Italy). In a narrow mountain valley, Narses deploys his army in a "crescent shaped" formation. He dismounts his Lombard and Heruli cavalry mercenaries, placing them as a phalanx in the center. On his left flank he sends out a mixed force of foot and horse archers to seize a dominant height. The Goths open the battle with a determined cavalry charge. Halted by enfilading fire from both sides, the attackers are thrown back in confusion on the infantry behind them. The Byzantine cataphracts (Clibanarii) sweep into the milling mass. More than 6,000 Goths, including Totila, are killed. The remnants flee, and Narses proceeds to Rome, where he captures the city after a brief siege. First year of the Armenian calendar. The Armenian calendar is introduced.

In the 550s, the 6th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

Conflict & Security

  • July 1 – Battle of Taginae: Narses crosses the Apennines with a Byzantine army (25,000 men). He is blocked by a Gothic force under King Totila near Taginae (Central Italy). In a narrow mountain valley, Narses deploys his army in a "crescent shaped" formation. He dismounts his Lombard and Heruli cavalry mercenaries, placing them as a phalanx in the center. On his left flank he sends out a mixed force of foot and horse archers to seize a dominant height. The Goths open the battle with a determined cavalry charge. Halted by enfilading fire from both sides, the attackers are thrown back in confusion on the infantry behind them. The Byzantine cataphracts (Clibanarii) sweep into the milling mass. More than 6,000 Goths, including Totila, are killed. The remnants flee, and Narses proceeds to Rome, where he captures the city after a brief siege.source
  • Yuan Di succeeds Xiao Dong as emperor of the Liang dynasty.source
  • Battle of Asfeld: The Lombards under King Audoin defeat the Gepids.source
  • Cynric, king of Wessex, captures the fortress city of Old Sarum.source
  • Teia becomes the last king of the Ostrogoths in Italy.source
  • Emperor Justinian I dispatches a small Byzantine force (2,000 men) under Liberius to Hispania, according to the historian Jordanes. He conquers Cartagena and other cities on the southeastern coast.source

Exploration & Expansion

  • Smuggling of silkworm eggs into the Byzantine Empire by monks allows development of the Byzantine silk industry in the Empire.source
  • Justinian I receives the first silkworm eggs from two Nestorian monks at Constantinople. They were sent to Central Asia (see 550) and smuggled the precious eggs from China hidden in rods of bamboo.source

Religion & Belief

  • Eutychius becomes patriarch of Constantinople.source
  • The Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath is established in Ireland.source
  • Buddhism in Japan is introduced, according to the Nihon Shoki.source

Culture & Society

Births

  • John the Merciful, patriarch of Alexandria (approximate date)source
  • Æthelberht, king (bretwalda) of Kent (approximate date)source

Deaths

  • February 5 – Dacius, archbishop of Milansource
  • July 1 – Totila, king of the Ostrogothssource
  • December 13 – Columba of Terryglass, Irish abbot and saintsource
  • Anicius Maximus, Roman patriciansource
  • Xiao Dong, emperor of the Liang dynastysource
  • Xiaojing, emperor of Eastern Wei (born 524)source
  • Aba I, patriarch of the Church of the Eastsource
  • Menas, patriarch of Constantinoplesource
  • Turismod, prince of the Lombardssource
  • Hou Jing, regent of the Liang dynastysource
  • Bumin Qaghan, ruler of the Göktürkssource
  • Bumin Qaghan dies; the new khagan is Issik Qaghan of the Turkic Empire.source
  • Wang Wei, chief strategist of the Liang dynastysource