text: Dōshō, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 700)


section: Deaths

text: Eustace of Luxeuil, Frankish abbot

source_section: Deaths


text: Pei Ji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 570)


text: Conall mac Máele Dúib, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: Jafar ibn Abi Talib, companion of Muhammad and older brother of Ali ibn Abi Talib


text: Kinana ibn al-Rabi, Jewish leader


text: Connad Cerr, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)


text: Eochaid Buide, king of Dál Riata


text: Chlothar II, king of the Franks


text: King Chlothar II dies after a 16-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Dagobert I. Counseled by Bishop Arnulf of Metz and Pepin of Landen (Mayor of the Palace), he moves the capital to Paris.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


year_label: 63 CE

section: Conflict & Security

text: Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo is restored to command after the Roman debacle at the Battle of Rhandeia. He invades Armenia and defeats Tiridates I, who accepts Roman sovereignty. Parthia withdraws from the war.

source_title: AD 63

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Apostle Paul possibly visits Spain.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


section: Religion & Belief

text: Vespasian becomes governor of Africa (estimated year).


section: Science & Discovery

text: Aulus Cornelius Celsus writes a dictionary (encyclopedia) on the arts and sciences.

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts and sciences


section: Climate & Environment

text: Pompeii, the city at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, builds a new monumental forum, after the town is heavily damaged by a strong earthquake.


section: Culture & Society

text: According to legend, Joseph of Arimathea goes to Glastonbury on the first Christian mission to Britain.


section: Births

text: Dou, Chinese empress of the Han Dynasty (d. AD 97)

source_section: Births


text: Claudia Augusta, daughter of Nero


text: Mark the Evangelist (traditional date) (see AD 61)


date: January

text: January – Battle of Hunayn: Muhammad defeats the Bedouin tribe of Hawazin (12,000 men) in a valley, on one of the roads leading to Ta'if (Western Arabia).

source_section: Events › By place › Arabia


date: February 5

text: February 5 – Siege of Ta'if: Muhammad begins to besiege Ta'if and brings battering rams and catapults to suppress the fortress city, but is unable to penetrate it.


date: June 9

text: June 9 – Shahrbaraz is killed and succeeded by Borandukht, daughter of former king Khosrow II. She ascends the throne as 26th monarch of Persia, before being deposed in favour of Shapur-i Shahrvaraz, whose brief reign is then followed by that of her sister Azarmidokht.

source_section: Events › By place › Persia


date: December 11

text: December 11 – Conquest of Mecca: A Muslim army (10,000 men) marches on Mecca, which surrenders. Muhammad takes the city from the Quraysh


text: Chorpan Tarkhan, general of the Khazars, invades and devastates Roman Armenia. He defeats a Persian cavalry force (10,000 men) sent by Shahrbaraz to repel the invasion.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: King Penda of Mercia besieges Exeter in southwest England. King Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd lands with a force nearby, and negotiates an alliance with Penda.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Heraclius issues a decree that all Jews must become Christian; a massacre follows around Jerusalem and in Galilee (Israel), some survivors fleeing to the Daraa area.


text: Illig Qaghan, ruler (khagan) of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, is captured by Li Jing during the Tang campaign against the Eastern Turks.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Yngling King Olof Trätälja founds a colony in Värmland. He is expelled from his native Västergötland (in modern-day Sweden) (according to the Ynglingatal).

source_section: Events › By place › Scandinavia


text: Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk (bhikkhu), travels across the Gobi Desert to Kumul. Following the Tian Shan mountain range of Central Asia westwards, he arrives in Turpan.


date: March 21

text: March 21 – Emperor Heraclius returns the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem. He tries to promote Monothelitism, which is rejected by the Christians.


text: Eanswith, daughter of King Eadbald of Kent, founds the Benedictine Folkestone Priory, the first nunnery in England.


date: April 27

section: Crime & Justice

text: April 27 – King Ardashir III, age 9, is murdered after an 18 month reign. He is succeeded by Shahrbaraz who becomes ruler (shah) of the Sasanian Empire.


date: November 7

text: November 7 – Constans II, Byzantine emperor (d. 668)


text: Di Renjie, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 700)


text: Fausta, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Nukata, Japanese poet (approximate date)


text: Conon I, pope of the Catholic Church (approximate date)


text: Sigebert III, king of Austrasia (approximate date)


text: Alhfrith, king of Deira (approximate date)


text: Reineldis, Frankisch saint (approximate date)


text: April 27 – Ardashir III, king of the Persian Empire


text: June 9 – Shahrbaraz, king of the Persian Empire


date: October 1

text: October 1 – Tajoom Ukʼab Kʼahkʼ, the ruler of the Mayan city state of Calakmul in southern Mexico dies after a reign of eight years and is succeeded by Cauac, who reigns until 636.

source_section: Events › By place › Central America


text: Ricberht, king of East Anglia (approximate date)


text: King Ricberht of East Anglia dies and is succeeded by Sigeberht, who returns from exile in France. He rules together with his kinsman Ecgric, re-establishing Christianity.


text: Du Ruhui, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 585)


section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: King Suintila is overthrown after a 10-year reign by his son Sisenand, with the aid of Dagobert I. The Visigothic nobles offer him a 500-pound plate made of pure gold. Sisenand becomes new king of the Visigothic Kingdom and declares his father a tyrant for his many crimes.


text: Hormizd VI proclaims himself king in Nisibis (Turkey). He seizes the throne and will reign until 632.


text: Battle of Wogastisburg: The Slavs under King Samo defeat the Austrasian Franks, in a three-day battle. King Dagobert I is forced to retreat; the Franks with their allies are slaughtered. Samo invades Thuringia and undertakes looting raids.


text: Azarmidokht is succeeded after a few months reign by Khosrau IV, who becomes new ruler (shah) of Persia.


text: Azarmidokht (daughter of king Khosrau II) succeeds her sister Borandukht, as monarch of the Persian Empire.


text: Emperor Tai Zong sends envoys to the Xueyantuo, vassals of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, bearing gold and silk in order to obtain the release of enslaved Chinese prisoners, who were captured during the transition from the Sui to the Tang dynasty from the northern frontier. The embassy succeeds in freeing 80,000 men and women, who are safely returned to China.


text: Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk, crosses the Indus River at Hund and travels to Kashmir ("Heaven on Earth") in northwestern India (approximate date).


text: Benjamin I, Coptic patriarch of Alexandria, escapes during the persecutions of his fellow Christians and hides in the monastery of St. Macarius (Upper Egypt).


text: Emperor Heraclius appoints Cyrus, patriarch of Alexandria, with power to act as viceroy (dioikesis) of Egypt. He begins a 10-year persecution against the non-Chalcedonian Coptic Christians.


text: Tai Zong establishes a new Daoist abbey, out of gratitude for Daoist priests who had apparently cured the crown prince of an illness.


section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: King Edwin of Northumbria refortifies the city walls of York, probably including the building of the so-called Anglian Tower (approximate date).


text: The Saxons (Northern Germany) appeal to Dagobert I, against the yearly tribute (500 cows) which they still pay (approximate date).


text: Temmu, emperor of Japan (approximate date)


text: Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, son of Abu Bakr and brought up by Ali


text: Yeh Fa-shan, Daoist wonder-worker (d. 720)


text: Cinaed mac Luchtren, king of the Picts


text: Rayhana, slave and wife of Muhammad


text: Athanasius I Gammolo, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.


text: Borandukht, queen of the Persian Empire


text: Kubrat, ruler of the Dulo clan, takes power from the Pannonian Avars and establishes Old Great Bulgaria in the area of Black Cumania. Kubrat's rule stretches from Dacia to Poltava.


date: April 8

text: April 8 – King Charibert II is assassinated at Blaye (Gironde), (possibly on orders of his half-brother Dagobert I), along with his infant son. Dagobert I claims Aquitaine and Gascony, becoming the most powerful Merovingian king in the West.


date: June 16

text: June 16 – Yazdegerd III, age 8, ascends to the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sassanid Dynasty (modern Iran).


date: September

text: September – Battle of Buzakha: An Islamic column (6,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid defeats the Apostate rebels under Tulayha, near Ha'il (Saudi Arabia).


date: December

text: December – Battle of Aqraba: The Muslim forces of Abu Bakr defeat the Apostate rebels (40,000 men) under Musaylimah, on the plain of Aqraba.


text: Part of Samo's rebellion, Alciocus leads 9,000 Bulgars from Pannonia to refuge with Dagobert (who massacres them), then, with 700 survivors, settles with the Wends, under the protection of Walluc.


text: Xuanzang, Chinese traveler, writes about two huge statues of Buddha carved out of a mountainside in the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan).


date: March 6

text: March 6 (Friday, 9 Zulhijja, 10 AH) – The Farewell Sermon (Khuṭbatu l-Wadāʿ) is delivered by Muhammad, Islamic prophet, in the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat, to the Muslims who have accompanied him for the Hajj (pilgrimage).


date: March 18

text: March 18 (approximate) – Muhammad makes his final sermon to the Muslims. It is believed by Shia to be the appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor. The Imamah (Shia doctrine) of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, for the religious, spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah, begins.


date: June

text: June – Abu Bakr (born Abdallah ibn Uthman ibn Amir, better known by his Islamic laqab Al-Siddiq) becomes the Caliph.


text: June – The first caliph, Abu Bakr, sends an expedition to Balqa, Byzantine Empire, led by Usama ibn Zayd. This expedition is sent based on Muhammad's decision before his death.


text: Ridda Wars: Abu Bakr launches a series of military campaigns against rebel Arabian tribes, to re-establish the power of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and to secure Muhammad's legacy.


date: January 27

text: January 27 – An annular eclipse of the sun occurs.


text: The 632 Armenia earthquake affects the region of the Armenian Highlands.

source_section: Events › By place › Armenia


text: Seondeok is crowned queen of Silla (Korea).


text: Vindicianus, bishop of Cambrai (approximate date)


text: Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra, Arab general (d. 702)


text: January 27 – Ibrahim, son of Muhammad


date: January 31

text: January 31 – Máedóc, bishop of Ferns


text: April 8 – Charibert II, king of Aquitaine


date: June 8

text: June 8 – Muhammad, Islamic Prophet (b. 570)


text: June 8 – Muhammad dies at Medina at the age of 63, after an illness and fever.


text: June 8 – Muhammad dies in Medina, at the age of 62, and is succeeded by Abu Bakr who becomes the first caliph (vicegerent of the messenger of God). He establishes the Rashidun Caliphate until 661.


date: August 11

text: August 11 – Rusticula (b. c. 556), abbess of Arles


date: August 28

text: August 28 – Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad


date: October 12

text: October 12 or 633 – Edwin of Northumbria, king of Deira and Bernicia


date: October 29

text: October 29 – Saint Colman mac Duagh, Irish abbot and bishop


text: Salim Mawla Abu Hudhayfa (b. c. 594–596) (martyred)


text: Abu Dujana, companion of Muhammad


text: Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba (b. 581) (martyred)


text: Zayd ibn al-Khattab (b. before 584) (martyred)


text: Introduction of elective monarchy in The Visigothic Kingdom.

source_section: Events › By place › Spain


text: Osric succeeds his uncle Edwin as king of Deira. Prince Eanfrith returns from Pictland to claim his rightful crown of Bernicia (Northern England). Both revert to paganism.


text: March 18 – The Arabian Peninsula is united under the central authority of Abu Bakr. This sets the stage for the Islamic conquest of Persia and the fall of the Sassanid dynasty.


date: April

text: April – Battle of Chains (Kuwait) and Battle of River (Iraq): A Muslim army (18,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid invades Mesopotamia, and wins decisive victories.


date: May

text: May – Battle of Walaja: The Rashidun Caliphate army under Khalid defeats the Persians and their Arab Christian allies. The Persian army is at least three times the size.


date: July

text: July – Siege of Anbar: A Muslim Arab army under Khalid besieges the fortress city of Anbar. The Persian governor surrenders and is allowed to retire.


date: August

text: August – Battle of Dumat Al-Jandal: A Muslim army (10,000 men) under Khalid defeats the rebel Arab Christians at Dumat Al-Jandal (Saudi Arabia).


text: October 12 – Battle of Hatfield Chase: King Edwin of Northumbria is defeated and killed by Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Gwynedd, at Hatfield Chase (South Yorkshire).


date: November

text: November – Battle of Muzayyah, Battle of Saniyy, and Battle of Zumail: Khalid coordinates successful night attacks against the Arab Christians.


text: Siege of Hira: The Muslim Arabs (15,000 men) under Khalid attack the fortress city of Hira. After a brief fight the citizens surrender, and bring gifts to Khalid.


text: Battle of Ein ut Tamr: The Muslim army attacks a Persian frontier post located south of Anbar. The Arab Christian auxiliaries are overrun and surrender.


text: Battle of Ullais: Forces of the Rashidun Caliphate under Khalid defeat an entire Persian army (70,000 men) near the river Euphrates. Khalid besieges the city of Hira.


date: December 5

text: December 5 – Fourth Council of Toledo: King Sisenand orders a meeting in the church of St. Leocadia; the bishops accept a decree that all Visigoths must take an oath to preserve the stability of the Gothic nation.


text: Ridda Wars: Abu Bakr, caliph (khalifa) of the Rashidun Caliphate, launches a military campaign against the Arab tribe of Kinda, which inhabits the region of Najran (Yemen).


text: Li Chungfeng builds an armillary sphere (approximate date).


text: Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy


text: Jamadevi, queen of Hariphunchai (Thailand) (approximate date)


text: Wilfrid, Anglo-Saxon bishop (approximate date)


text: October 12 or 632 – Edwin, king of Northumbria


text: Dai Zhou, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Osric, king of Deira (approximate date)


text: Suintila, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)


text: King Dagobert I is forced by the Austrasian nobles to put his 3-year-old son Sigebert III on the throne, ceding royal power in Austrasia. He frees himself from dependence on Pepin of Landen, and extends his rule over the Bretons (approximate date).


date: February 4

text: February 4 – Battle of Dathin: Rashidun forces under Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan defeat the Christian Arabs around Gaza. The Muslim victory is celebrated by the local Jews, who have been a persecuted minority within the Byzantine Empire.


date: July 30

text: July 30 – Battle of Ajnadayn: Byzantine forces (90,000 men according to Muslim sources) under Theodore are defeated by the Rashidun Caliphate near Beit Shemesh (modern-day Israel). Heraclius, who is in Emesa, flees to Antioch upon hearing news of the battle's outcome.


date: September 19

text: September 19 – Siege of Damascus: Muslim Arabs under Khalid conquer Damascus as the first major city of the Byzantine Empire. Damascan refugees are given a guarantee of safety to retreat to Antioch.


text: The Rashidun Caliphate starts the Islamic conquest of the Byzantine Empire, when Muslim forces under Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah invade the Levant. Khalid sets out for Syria from Al-Hirah, taking with him half his army, about 8,000 strong.


text: Battle of the Bridge: Persian forces (10,000 men) under Bahman Jadhuyih defeat the Muslim Arabs at the Euphrates (near Kufa). The sight of elephants panics the Muslims, and many are killed. Bahman does not pursue the fleeing Arab army.


text: Battle of Marj Rahit: A Muslim Arab army under Khalid defeats the Byzantine forces (15,000 men) and their Ghassanid allies. After the battle he sends a mounted column to the outskirts of Damascus, to plunder the region.


text: Battle of Heavenfield: Oswald, possibly accompanied by a force of Scots (or Picts), defeats and kills Cadwallon with a Welsh army near Hexham (northern England). He reunites Deira with Bernicia, and becomes king of Northumbria.


text: Battle of Firaz: The Rashidun Arabs (15,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid defeat the combined forces of the Byzantine Empire, Persian Empire and Arab Christians (at least 10 times larger than Khalid's army) in Mesopotamia (Iraq).


text: The Tuyuhun Kingdom is invaded by Chinese forces under Li Jing (Tang dynasty) during Emperor Taizong's campaign against Tuyuhun, resulting in the murder of their leader (khan) Murong Fuyun in 635.


text: Battle of al-Qaryatayn: The Muslim Arabs under Khalid defeat the Ghassanids at Al-Qaryatayn, after the inhabitants resist his proposals. His army conquers and plunders the city, before proceeding to capture other towns in the area.


text: Battle of Bosra: Muslim forces under Khalid besiege the Byzantine and Christian Arab garrison (12,000 men) at Bosra. After a few days the fortress city surrenders; Khalid imposes a payment of tribute on the inhabitants.


text: Battle of Maraj-al-Debaj: A Byzantine convoy of Damascan refugees (10,000 men) is slaughtered by a Muslim army near Antioch. The Mobile Guard (elite light cavalry) captures a great amount of brocade.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Heraclius, ill, infirm, and unpopular with the Eastern Orthodox Church, is unable to personally lead the Byzantine army to resist the Muslim conquest of the Levant. He sends his brother Theodore to assemble forces to retake the newly won Muslim territories. Monophysites and Jews throughout Syria welcome the Arab invaders, as they are discontented with Byzantine rule.


text: Sophronius becomes patriarch of Jerusalem. He sends synodical letters to Pope Honorius I and the Eastern patriarchs, explaining the Orthodox belief, by renouncing Monothelitism.


text: Birinus, Frankish missionary, lands at the port of "Hamwic" (now in the St. Mary's area of Southampton), on his mission to reconvert the West Saxons in England. About this time, the St Mary's Church is founded.


text: Aidan of Lindisfarne, Irish missionary, is summoned by King Oswald from Iona (Inner Hebrides) to establish a bishopric on the holy island of Lindisfarne, and reestablish Christianity in Northumbria (approximate date).


text: Tai Zong orders the construction of the Daming Palace in Chang'an. He builds the summer palace for his retired father, Emperor Gao Zu, as an act of filial piety.


text: Cuthbert, Anglo-Saxon bishop (approximate date)


text: Chad of Mercia, Anglo-Saxon abbot (d. 672)


text: En no Ozunu, Japanese ascetic (approximate date)


text: Athanasius II Baldoyo, patriarch of Antioch (d. 686)


date: August 23

text: August 23 – Abu Bakr, Muslim Caliph


text: August 23 – Abu Bakr dies at Medina and is succeeded by Umar I, who becomes the second caliph (khalifah) of the Rashidun Caliphate. During his rule, Umar conquers Syria, Persia, and Egypt in a "Holy War".


text: Cadwallon, king of Gwynedd (Wales)


text: Eanfrith, king of Bernicia (northern England)


text: Sigeberht, king of East Anglia (approximate date)


text: Emperor Heraclius makes an alliance with Kubrat, ruler (khagan) of Great Bulgaria, to break the power of the Avars on the Balkan Peninsula.


date: January

text: January – Battle of Fahl: The Rashidun army, (30,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid (known as the "Drawn Sword of God"), defeats the Byzantine forces led by Theodore Trithyrius, at Pella in the Jordan Valley (Jordan).


text: Gaza is conquered by the Muslim Arabs under 'Amr ibn al-'As. It becomes the first city in Palestine developed into a centre of Islamic law.


text: King Meurig of Glywysing and Gwent invades Ergyng (Archenfield), and reunites the two Welsh kingdoms (approximate date).


text: Aidan of Lindisfarne, Irish missionary, founds the monastery of Lindisfarne in Northumbria (northern England).


text: Birinus, Frankish missionary, converts King Cynegils of Wessex and becomes the first Bishop of Dorchester.


text: Christian missionaries arrive in China: Alopen, bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East, preaches Nestorian Christianity in the Tang dynasty capital, Chang'an.


text: Judicaël, high king of Domnonée (Brittany), visits King Dagobert I at his palace in Clichy (northwest of Paris), to promise he will remain under Frankish lordship. The Breton king arrives with gifts, but insults Dagobert by refusing to eat at the royal table.


text: Yao Silian, Chinese historian, completes his Book of Liang. It contains the history of the Liang dynasty.

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: John V, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 686)


text: Benedict II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 685)


text: Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II, ruler of Palenque (d. 702)


text: Pepin of Herstal, Mayor of the Palace (approximate date)


text: Yijing, Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler (d. 713)


date: June 25

text: June 25 – Gao zu, emperor of the Tang dynasty (b. 566)


text: Chen Shuda, prince and chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: King Gartnait III dies after a 4-year reign, and is succeeded by his brother Bridei II, as ruler of the Picts.


text: Wu Shihuo, father of Wu Zetian (b. 559)


text: Gartnait III, king of the Picts


date: April 28

text: April 28 – Yuknoom Chʼeen II becomes the ruler of the Mayan city state of Calakmul in southern Mexico and reigns for 50 years until his death in 686.


date: November 16

text: November 16–19 – Battle of al-Qādisiyyah: The Muslim Arab army defeats the Persian forces under Rostam Farrokhzād, at Al-Qādisiyyah (Southern Mesopotamia).


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Heraclius assembles a large army consisting of contingents of Byzantines, Slavs, Franks, Georgians, Armenians, and Christian Arabs. He establishes a base at Yaqusah (near Gadara), close to the edge of the Golan Heights, protecting the vital main road from Egypt to Damascus. The base is protected by deep valleys and precipitous cliffs, well supplied with water and grazing.


text: Summer – Heraclius summons a church assembly at Antioch, and scrutinises the situation. He accepts the argument that Byzantine disobedience to God is to blame for the Christian disaster in Syria. Heraclius leaves for Constantinople with the words, Peace be with you Syria — what a beautiful land you will be for your enemy.


text: Rothari (formerly duke of Brescia) marries widowed Queen Gundeberga, and succeeds Arioald as king of the Lombards. During his reign, he puts many insubordinate nobles to death.


text: The city of Basra (modern Iraq) is founded on the Shatt al-Arab, at the head of the Persian Gulf. The port will become a major trading center for commodities from Arabia, India, and Persia.


date: June 30

text: June 30 – Fifth Council of Toledo: Chintila orders a meeting in the church of St. Leocadia; the bishops accept a decree that only Gothic nobility (with military functions) may be king of the Visigothic Kingdom.


text: The historical texts of the Book of Northern Qi, Book of Chen, and Book of Sui are compiled in China, during the Tang dynasty.


text: The Xumi Pagoda of Zhengding (China) is built, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang.


text: Æthelthryth, Anglo-Saxon princess (approximate date)


text: Lambert of Maastricht, bishop (approximate date)


date: April 4

text: April 4 – Isidore of Seville, archbishop and scholar


date: August 15

text: August 15–20 – Battle of Yarmouk: In engagements along the Yarmouk River, Muslim forces (25,000 men) of the Rashidun Caliphate, led by Khalid ibn al-Walid, decisively defeat the armies of the Byzantine Empire, effectively completing the Muslim conquest of Syria. It will be regarded as one of the most decisive battles in military history, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquests, after the death of Muhammad.


text: Chintila is elected by a convention of bishops and nobles (in accordance with the 75th canon of the Fourth Council of Toledo) as ruler of the Visigoths, after the death of King Sisenand.


text: Sisenand, king of the Visigoths


text: Bahman Jadhuyih, Persian general


text: Cwichelm, king of Wessex (approximate date)


text: George Pisida, Byzantine poet (approximate date)


text: Rostam Farrokhzād, Persian general (or 637)


text: Zhangsun, empress of the Tang dynasty (b. 601)


text: Ecgric, king of East Anglia (approximate date)


text: Sa'd ibn Ubadah, companion of Muhammad (approximate date)


text: Birinus, Bishop of Dorchester, converts Cwichelm (son of king Cynegils of Wessex) to Christianity. He dies soon afterward, and is supposedly buried at Scutchamer Knob, in East Hendred (South East England).


text: Theodore Trithyrius, Byzantine general (sacellarius)


date: March

text: March – Siege of Ctesiphon: The Rashidun army (15,000 men) under Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas occupies the Persian capital of Ctesiphon, after a two-month siege. King Yazdegerd III flees with the imperial treasure eastward into Media. Muslim forces conquer the Persian provinces as far as Khuzestan (modern Iran).


date: April

text: April – Siege of Jerusalem: The Rashidun army (20,000 men), led by 'Amr ibn al-'As, conquers Jerusalem after a six-month siege. The Byzantine garrison surrenders to Caliph Umar I, who is invited by Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem, to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Umar declines, fearing that accepting the invitation might endanger the church's status, and turn the Christian holy site into a mosque.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


date: June 24

text: June 24 – Battle of Mag Rath: King Oswald of Northumbria sends troops to Ireland, to assist Domnall Brecc King of Dál Riata in his alliance with King Congal Cáech of Ulaid against Domnall mac Áedo High King of Ireland, during the Irish dynastic wars. Domnall Brecc, Congal and their forces are defeated near Moira. At the Mull of Kintyre (southwest Scotland), Domnall mac Áedo's fleet destroys Domnall Brecc's naval force of Dál Riata.


date: October

text: October – Siege of Aleppo: Muslim Arabs under Khalid ibn al-Walid conquer the Byzantine stronghold Aleppo; the large walled city surrenders after a four-month siege. A column of troops under Malik al-Ashtar is sent to take Azaz.


text: Battle of the Iron Bridge: Rashidun forces under Khalid ibn al-Walid defeat the Byzantine army and Christian Arabs near Antioch, at the Orontes River. It marks the complete annexation of Syria into the Rashidun Caliphate.


text: Battle of Jalula: Muslim Arabs defeat the Persian forces (20,000 men) under Farrukhzad at the Diyala River. The cities Tikrit and Mosul are captured, completing the conquest of Mesopotamia. The region west of the Zagros Mountains is annexed by the Rashidun Caliphate.


text: Chang'an, capital of the Tang dynasty (China), becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Ctesiphon, capital of Persia.


text: Battle of Hazir: Muslim Arab forces (17,000 men) under Khalid ibn al-Walid defeat the Byzantine army near Qinnasrin (Northern Syria). The cities of Beirut and Tyre are captured by Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan after a short siege.


text: The Muslims replace Zoroastrianism with Islam in Mesopotamia (later Iraq); they do not force their conquered subjects to embrace the Islamic faith, but they do require acceptance of the Quran as the doctrine of divine teaching, and will oblige their subjects to learn Arabic (approximate date).


text: King Songtsän Gampo builds the first palace on the site of the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet).


text: Queen Seondeok of Silla (Korea) builds an astronomical observatory near Gyeongju (Cheomseongdae), one of the oldest in East Asia.


text: Congal Cáech, high king of Dál nAraidi (Ireland)

source_section: Deaths


text: Andreas of Caesarea, bishop and writer (b. 563)


text: Wen Yanbo, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 575)


text: Maria al-Qibtiyya, concubine of Muhammad


text: Mo Chua, Irish bishop and founder of Balla


text: John Athalarichos, illegitimate son of Heraclius


text: Mo Chutu, Irish abbot and founder of Lismore Abbey


text: Rostam Farrokhzād, Persian general (or 636)


text: King Oswald and his Northumbrian army besiege and conquer Edinburgh (Scotland). His half-brother, Oswiu of Bernicia, marries Princess Rhiainfelt, heiress of North Rheged ("Old North"). Northumbria embraces North Rheged in a peaceful takeover, and Oswiu becomes a sub-king (approximate date).


text: Arab-Byzantine War: The invading Rashidun army under Khalid ibn al-Walid moves into Anatolia, conquering (without strong Byzantine resistance) the cities of Kahramanmaraş, Caesarea Cappadociae, Sebastia, and Malatya (west of the Taurus Mountains). Arab forces march into Armenia, where they capture the cities Edessa and Amida up to the Ararat plain.


text: Autumn – The Arabian forces under Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah storm Caesarea Maritima, capital of Byzantine Palestine, and effect their final capture of Ascalon (modern Israel). Caliph Umar I stops the Muslim invasion, and appoints Abu Ubaidah governor of Syria.


text: Umar I dismisses Khalid ibn al-Walid after the conquest of Syria, owing to his ever-growing fame and influence. He wants the Muslims to know that victory comes from God, not his general.


text: Emperor Heraclius creates a buffer zone (or no man's land) in the heartland of Asia Minor. In the mountainous terrain of Anatolia, the Byzantine forces develop a system of defensive guerrilla warfare. The strategy is known as ‘shadowing warfare’, as it avoids battle with major Muslim invaders, and instead attacks raiding parties on their return when they are laden with booty, captured livestock or prisoners.


text: Abu Musa al-Asha'ari, companion (sahabah) of Muhammad, establishes Hafar al-Batin, located in the northeastern region of the Arabian Peninsula. He orders the digging for new wells, along this desert route that Muslims travel from Iraq to Mecca for the Hajj (pilgrimage).


text: Heraclius issues his Ekthesis, espousing the Monothelete doctrine (that there is only one will in Christ), and setting it forth as the official doctrine of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Ekthesis is vigorously opposed, notably by Maximus the Confessor.


text: The Islamic calendar is introduced by Abu Musa al-Asha'ari. He convinces Umar I to make notes of an era for Muslims.


section: Health & Medicine

text: January – The Plague of Amwas breaks out.


date: March 22

text: March 22 – Year 0 of the Burmese calendar, based on the Chula Sakarat, is also used in the mainland of Southeast Asia.


date: July 4

text: July 4 – Heraklonas, age 12, son of Heraclius, obtains (through the influence of his mother Martina) the title of Augustus. This brings him in rivalry with his elder half-brother Constantine.


text: The Tibetan Empire, seeking an alliance through marriage with Tang dynasty China, launches an attack on Songzhou that is repelled by Chinese forces, but is followed by the marriage of the Chinese Princess Wencheng to Tibetan ruler Songtsän Gampo.


text: Huineng, Chinese Zen Buddhist patriarch of the Tang dynasty (d. 713)


date: March 11

text: March 11 – Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem


date: October 12

text: October 12 – Pope Honorius I dies at Rome after a 13-year reign, and is succeeded by Severinus, but the Byzantine emperor Heraclius will delay the new pope's consecration until May 640.


date: December 9

text: December 9 – Sergius I, patriarch of Constantinople


date: December 20

text: December 20 – Pyrrhus I becomes patriarch of Constantinople, after the death of Sergius I. He has been an advocate of Monothelitism and a close friend of Heraclius.


text: Yu Shinan, calligrapher and official (b. 558)


text: Qin Shubao, general of the Tang dynasty


text: The Xueyantuo assaults the Chinese-conquered vassal of Eastern Tujue. Although simultaneously fighting in Korea against Goguryeo, Emperor Tai Zong commissions his famous general Li Shiji to fend off attacks in the campaign against Xueyantuo.


text: Hormuzan, Persian satrap of Susiana (vassal of the Rashidun Caliphate), revolts against the Muslims and raids Mesopotamia. Arab forces under Abu Musa al-Asha'ari destroy Susa in the lower Zagros Mountains.


text: An unsuccessful revolt of Prince Kürşat (of the Eastern Turks) breaks out in China.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: The Rashidun army (4,000 men), under the command of 'Amr ibn al-'As, invades Byzantine Egypt. They capture the strategic town of Pelusium (Nile Delta) after a two-month siege. Arab reinforcements led by Zubayr ibn al-Awwam are sent from Medina to assist Amr's army. The losses incurred by the Muslims are ameliorated by Sinai Bedouins, tribes of Rashida and Lakhm; they join the invaders in conquering Egypt.


text: The First Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is founded by the exarch Isaac of Ravenna on Torcello, confirming the island's importance as a centre of population in Venice at this date.


text: Eligius succeeds Acarius as bishop of Doornik and Noyon. He becomes constituted guardian of the towns of Vermandois, which also include Ghent and Kortrijk (Flanders).


text: Plague of Emmaus: An epidemic disease which has broken out in Emmaus (Imwas) in Palestine strikes the city and the military camps of the Muslim Arabs, killing most of its population (estimated at 25,000 people) until it subsides in October.


text: Yŏn Namsan, military leader of Goguryeo (d. 701)


text: Ecgberht of Ripon, bishop of Lindisfarne (d. 729)


text: Aldegonde, Frankish abbess (approximate date)


text: Aldhelm, bishop of Sherborne (approximate date)


date: January 19

text: January 19 – Dagobert I, king of the Franks (b. c. 603)


text: January 19 – Dagobert I dies after a 10-year reign as king of all the Franks, in which his realm has prospered. He is succeeded by Sigebert III (age 9), independent ruler of Austrasia, and his half-brother Clovis II (age 2), who becomes king of Neustria and Burgundy. Under the supervision of Pepin of Landen, Mayor of the Palace, the royal treasury is distributed between the two brothers and widowed queen Nanthild (regent on Clovis' behalf).

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


date: February 3

text: February 3 – K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I, ajaw of Piedras Negras


date: November 27

text: November 27 – Acarius, bishop of Doornik and Noyon


text: Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib, king of Munster (Ireland)


text: Shurahbil ibn Hasana, Rashidun Caliphate general


text: Yang Gongren, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Muadh ibn Jabal, early Muslim scholar


text: Wang Gui, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 571)


text: Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, commander of the Rashidun Caliphate (b. 583)


text: Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl (b. 594 - 601)


text: Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, general of the Rashidun Caliphate


year_label: 64 CE

text: Seneca proclaims the equality of all men, including slaves.

source_title: AD 64


text: The Kushan sack the ancient town of Taxila (in modern-day Pakistan).


text: Paul leaves Titus in Crete as bishop (approximate date) Then goes to Asia Minor


text: First Epistle of Peter written from Babylon according to traditional Christian belief.


text: Persecution of Christians in Rome begins under Nero. Peter the Apostle is possibly among those crucified.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Nero proposes a new urban planning program based on the creation of buildings decorated with ornate porticos, the widening of the streets and the use of open spaces. This plan will not be applied until after his death in AD 68.


date: July 18

section: Disasters & Accidents

text: July 18- 27 – Great Fire of Rome: A fire begins which destroyed three of fourteen of the administrative regions of Rome, more commonly known as the Palatine Hill, the Circus Maximus, and the Oppian hill. Also suffering severe damage were the Campus Martius and the Via Lata.


text: Lyon sends a large sum of money to Rome to aid in the reconstruction. However, during the winter of AD 64–65, Lyon suffers a catastrophic fire itself, and Nero reciprocates by sending money to Lyon.


date: September 13

text: September 13 – Julia Flavia, daughter of Titus and lover of his brother Domitian (d. AD 96)


text: Julia Agricola, daughter of Gnaeus Julius Agricola


text: Philo of Byblos, Phoenician historian and writer (d. 141)


date: October 13

text: October 13 — Peter the Apostle (Margherita Guarducci, who led the research leading to the rediscovery of Peter's reputed tomb in 1963, concluded that Peter died on that date, shortly after the Great Fire of Rome and during the festivities to mark "dies imperii" of Emperor Nero, and that Peter and other Christians were crucified in honor of the decennial of Nero's October 13, AD 54 ascension to the imperial throne.) (b. 1 BC)


text: Yin Lihua, Chinese empress (b. AD 5)


text: Decimus Junius Silanus Torquatus, Roman consul (b. AD 16)


text: Paul the Apostle (earliest date) (b. AD 5)


date: May

text: May – Siege of Babylon Fortress: The Rashidun army lays siege to Babylon Fortress in the Nile Delta (near Cairo). The next two months' fighting remain inconclusive, the Byzantines having the upper hand by repulsing every Muslim assault.

source_section: Events › By place › Africa


date: July 6

text: July 6 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army (15,000 men) under Amr ibn al-As defeats the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt). Amr divides his troops into three parts, surrounding the Byzantines.


date: December 21

text: December 21 – Muslim Arabs capture Babylon after a seven-month siege; during a night assault Arab warriors open the city gates. The Thebaid region (Upper Egypt) is annexed by the Rashidun Caliphate.


text: Emperor Taizong of Tang begins the military campaigns against the Western Regions states in the Tarim Basin. General Hou Junji captures the kingdom of Gaochang, to solidify Tang rule in Central Asia.


text: The French city of Lille (according to the legend) is founded by Lydéric. He kills Phinaert in a duel to avenge his parents' deaths (approximate date).


text: Disibod, Irish monk and hermit, arrives as a missionary in Francia. He begins his religious work in the Vosges and Ardennes.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


date: December 24

text: December 24 – Pope John IV succeeds Severinus as the 72nd pope. His election is accepted by the Exarchate of Ravenna.


text: Nestorian missionaries build the Daqin Pagoda in Chang'an (Shaanxi). Daqin is the name for the Roman Empire or the Near East.


text: At the request of Porga of Croatia, one of the first dukes or princes (Croatian: knez) of Dalmatian Croatia, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius sends Christian missionaries to the Croatian Provinces (approximate date).


text: Hartlepool Abbey in Northumbria (northern England) is founded. Wooden huts surrounding a church are built in Saxon style.


date: December 22

text: December 22 – On orders of the Saracen leader, Amar, the Serapeum of Alexandria, containing works that had survived the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, is burned down, along with its collection of 500,000 manuscripts. This story may be apocryphal.


text: A surge in atmospheric lead in ice core drilled in the Colle Gnifetti Glacier in the Swiss Alps signals an increase in silver mining because of economic recovery, after natural disasters in 530s and 540s.

source_section: Events › By topic › Economy


text: Al-Akhtal, Arab poet (approximate date)

source_section: Births


text: Wulfram, archbishop of Sens (approximate date)


text: Arikesari Maravarman, king of the Pandyan Empire (approximate date)


text: Wulfhere, king of Mercia (approximate date)


text: Musa ibn Nusayr, Arab general (d. 716)


text: Godeberta, Frankish abbess (approximate date)


text: Luo Binwang, Chinese poet (d. 684)


text: Asparuh, ruler of the Bulgarian Empire (approximate date)


text: Winnoc, Welsh abbot (approximate date)


text: Isonokami no Maro, Japanese statesman (d. 717)


text: Kilian, Irish bishop (approximate date)


date: February 27

text: February 27 – Pepin the Elder, Mayor of the Palace


text: February 27 – Pepin the Elder, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, dies and is succeeded by his son Grimoald. He becomes the head of the Frankish household, and the most powerful man in the Frankish Kingdom (approximate date).


date: May 28

text: May 28 – Pope Severinus succeeds Honorius I as the 71st pope. He dies in Rome only two months after being consecrated.


date: September 12

text: September 12 – Sak Kʼukʼ, queen of Palenque


text: Chintila, king of the Visigoths (approximate date)


text: Dushun, (Chinese Buddhist) patriarch (b. 557)


text: King Chintila dies of natural causes after a 3-year reign, in which he permitted the bishops wide authority in Hispania, Septimania and Galicia. He is succeeded by his son Tulga, who becomes ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom (approximate date).


text: Romanus, bishop of Rouen (approximate date)


text: King Eadbald of Kent dies after a 24-year reign. He is succeeded by his sons, Eorcenberht and Eormenred, who jointly rule the Kingdom of Kent (now south east England).


text: Eanswith, Anglo-Saxon princess (approximate date)


text: Bilal ibn Rabah, companion of Muhammad


text: Eadbald, king of Kent (approximate date)


text: Alena, Frankish martyr (approximate date)


text: Li Xiaogong, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 591)


text: The Lombards under King Rothari conquer Genoa (Liguria), and all remaining Byzantine territories in the lower Po Valley, including Oderzo (Opitergium).


date: November 8

text: November 8 – Siege of Alexandria: Muslim Arabs under 'Amr ibn al-'As capture Alexandria after a six-month siege. Byzantine officials formally capitulate to Amr, turning the city over to Arab hands.


text: Uija becomes the last king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje.


text: Constans II establishes a new civil-military defensive organisation, based upon geographical military districts. Byzantine forces maintain the frontier, along the line of the Taurus Mountains (Southern Turkey).


text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty (China) instigates a civil war in the Western Turkic Khaganate, by supporting Isbara Yabghu Qaghan.


text: Prince Oswiu of Bernicia conquers Gododdin (or "The Old North") as far north as Manau (modern Scotland), on behalf of his half-brother, King Oswald (approximate date).


text: The Muslim conquest of Egypt continues, with the siege of Alexandria.


text: The city of Fustat (later Cairo) is founded in Egypt. It becomes the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule.


date: September

text: September – The Byzantine Senate turns against Martina and her son Heraklonas, who are both mutilated, and exiled to Rhodes. Supported by general Valentinus, Constantine's son Constans II, age 10, succeeds to the throne.


text: Asparukh, ruler (khan) of the First Bulgarian Empire (d. 701)


date: February 11

text: February 11 – Emperor Heraclius, age 65, dies of dropsy at Constantinople after a 31-year reign. He reorganized the imperial administration, but lost Armenia, parts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Byzantine Mesopotamia to the Muslim Arabs. Heraclius is succeeded by his sons Constantine III and Heraklonas.


text: February 11 – Heraclius, Byzantine emperor


text: May – Constantine III, age 29, dies of tuberculosis after a four-month reign, leaving his half-brother Heraklonas sole emperor. Rumors spread that Constantine has been poisoned by Heraclius's second wife (and niece) Martina.


date: November 17

text: November 17 – Emperor Jomei of Japan, age 48, dies after a 12-year reign.


text: November 17 – Emperor Jomei of Japan (b. 593)


text: Arechis I, duke of Benevento (northeast of Naples), dies after a 50-year reign and is succeeded by his son Aiulf I.


text: Aega, Mayor of the Palace (Neustria and Burgundy)


text: King Bridei II dies after a 5-year reign, and is succeeded by his brother Talorc III as ruler of the Picts.


text: Aega, Mayor of the Palace and regent (alongside of queen mother Nanthild) of Neustria and Burgundy, dies during the reign of King Clovis II. He is replaced by Erchinoald, a relative of Dagobert I's mother.


text: Mu, king of Baekje (one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea)


text: Emperor Constantine III of the Byzantine Empire


text: Arechis I, duke of Benevento (Italy)


text: Ouyang Xun, Confucian scholar and calligrapher (b. 557)


text: Zaynab bint Jahsh, wife of Muhammad


date: April 30

text: April 30 – Chindasuinth, a Gothic warlord (already 79 years old), commences a rebellion and deposes King Tulga in Toledo, Spain. He is proclaimed king by the Visigothic nobility and anointed by the bishops. Tulga is tonsured and sent out to live his days in a monastery.


date: August 5

text: August 5 – Battle of Maserfield: King Penda of Mercia defeats and kills King Oswald of Northumbria, age 38, at Oswestry (West Midlands). He commands a united British and Mercian force, which includes the Welsh army of Kings Cadafael Cadomedd of Gwynedd and Cynddylan of Pengwern. The Mercians become dominant in the English Midlands.


text: Battle of Nahāvand: The Rashidun army (30,000 men) under Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas defeats the Persians at Nahāvand (modern Iran). The Persian cavalry, full of confidence, mounts an ill-prepared attack. The Arabs retreat to a safe area, where they outmanoeuvre and destroy the Persians in a narrow mountain valley.

source_section: Events › By place › Persia


text: Taizong supports a revolt by Turkic tribes against the rebellious Tu-lu Qaghan of the Western Turkic Khaganate.


text: Winter – Yŏn Kaesomun seizes power over Goguryeo (Korea), and places King Bojang on the throne.


text: Battle of Dongola: 'Amr ibn al-'As sends an Arab expedition of 20,000 horsemen, under his cousin Uqba ibn Nafi, to Makuria (Southern Egypt). The Nubians strike hard against the Muslims near Dongola with hit-and-run attacks. The Arab incursions into Nubia are temporarily halted.


text: Radulf, a Frankish aristocrat, revolts against King Sigebert III of Austrasia and defeats his army, taking the title of rex or king of Thuringia.


text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty issues a decree throughout China, that increases the punishment for men who deliberately inflict injuries upon themselves (most commonly breaking their own legs) in order to avoid military conscription. This decree is an effort to eradicate this practice that has grown as a trend since the time of the rebellion against the Sui dynasty.


text: A monastic settlement is founded in Hampshire (England) which later becomes Winchester Cathedral.


text: The earliest surviving dated Arabic-language papyrus (PERF 558), found in Heracleopolis (Egypt), and the earliest known Arabic text with diacritical marks is written.

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts and sciences


text: Arabs begin construction of the Mosque of Amr at Cairo, the first mosque built in Egypt and in all of Africa.

source_section: Events › By topic › Architecture


text: Empress Kōgyoku ascends to the throne of Japan, after her husband (and uncle) Emperor Jomei's death in 641.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: Oswiu succeeds his half-brother Oswald as king of Bernicia. He strengthens his position by marrying Eanflæd, daughter of King Edwin of Northumbria, then in exile in the Kingdom of Kent. This marriage takes place between 642 and 644.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Emperor Constans II marries Fausta.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Hasan al-Basri, Arab theologian (d. 728)


text: Mujahid ibn Jabr, Muslim scholar (or 645)


text: Julian, archbishop of Toledo (d. 690)


text: Ceolfrith, Anglo-Saxon abbot (approximate date)


text: Máel Ruba, Irish abbot (d. 722)


date: March 21

text: March 21 – Cyrus of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria and governor of Egypt


text: August 5 or 641 – Oswald, king of Northumbria


date: October 12

text: October 12 – Pope John IV dies after a 2-year reign. He is succeeded by a Jerusalem-born cleric of Greek descent, Theodore I, as the 73rd pope of Rome.


text: Yuwen Shiji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Flaochad, Mayor of the Palace (Burgundy)


text: Heraklonas, Byzantine emperor (approximate date)


text: Khalid ibn al-Walid, Arab general (b. 592)


text: Domnall Brecc, king of Dál Riata


text: Domnall mac Áedo, high king of Ireland


text: Eowa, king of Mercia (English Midlands)


text: Willibad, patrician (of duke) of Burgundy


text: Pulakeshin II, king of Chalukya (India)


text: Yeongnyu, king of Goguryeo (Korea)


text: Taizong commissions artist Yan Liben to paint the life-size portraits of 24 government officials in the Lingyan Pavilion, to commemorate their service and contributions to the founding of the Tang dynasty.


text: Maurikios names himself dux of Rome, and revolts against exarch Isaac (Exarchate of Ravenna). He declares Rome's independence from the Exarchate and from the Byzantine Empire.


text: Chinese prefectural government officials travel to the capital of Chang'an, to give the annual report of the affairs in their districts. Emperor Taizong discovers that many have no proper quarters to rest in, and are renting rooms with merchants. Therefore, Taizong orders the government agencies in charge of municipal construction to build every visiting official his own private mansion in the capital.


text: Peroz III, son of Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanid king of Persia, flees to territory under the control of the Tang dynasty in China (approximate date).


text: Emperor Constans II recognises Theodore Rshtuni as ruler of Armenia, after his successful campaign against the Muslims. He names him commander (nakharar) of the Armenian army.


text: 'Amr ibn al-'As sends a detachment to Sabratha (modern Libya). The city puts up feeble resistance, but soon surrenders and agrees to pay Jizya.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Arab armies continue their military expansion into North Africa and lay siege to Tripoli. The city is captured after one month.


text: Æbbe establishes a monastery at Ebchester, known as Kirk Hill at St Abb's Head near Coldingham (Scotland).


text: King Rothari of the Lombards issues the Edictum Rothari, which is the first codification of Lombard law (written in Latin). The edict guarantees rights only for Lombard subjects.


text: Duke Leuthari II has Otto, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, murdered. He is succeeded by Grimoald the Elder, the eldest son of Pepin of Landen.


text: A Chinese embassy is sent to the North Indian Empire. They are invited by Emperor Harsha, who holds a Buddhist convocation at the capital Kannauj, which is attended by 20 kings and thousands of pilgrims.


text: Li Zhong, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 665)


text: Fazang, Chinese Buddhist patriarch (d. 712)


date: April 29

text: April 29 – Hou Junji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


date: September 19

text: September 19 – Goeric, bishop of Metz


text: Wei Zheng, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 580)


text: Otto, mayor of the palace (Austrasia)


text: Cynegils, king of Wessex (approximate date)


text: Maurikios Chartoularios, Byzantine rebel leader


text: King Cynegils of Wessex dies after a 32-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Cenwalh (who is still pagan); he marries the sister of King Penda of Mercia (approximate date).


text: Oswine, son of the late king Osric of Deira, manages to establish himself as king of Deira (Northern England) despite armed objections from King Oswiu of Bernicia. His succession, probably the choice of the people of Deira, splits the Kingdom of Northumbria.


text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty sends a Chinese expeditionary force, to invade and annex the Tarim Basin kingdom of Karasahr in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate. The oasis state is conquered, and Western Turks sent to assist Karasahr are defeated by the Tang forces.


text: Valentinus, Byzantine general, attempts to usurp the throne of his son-in-law Constans II. He appears at the gates of Constantinople with a contingent of Byzantine troops, and demands to be crowned emperor. His claim is rejected, and Valentinus is lynched by the populace.


text: Zenkoji, a Buddhist temple and landmark spot in Nagano, Japan, is officially built by Empress Kogyoku.


text: Li Jiao, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 713)


text: K'inich K'an Joy Chitam II, ruler of Palenque


date: January 17

text: January 17 – Sulpitius the Pious, French bishop and saint


date: October 10

text: October 10 – Paulinus, Archbishop of York


date: November 3

text: November 3 – The second caliph Umar, , dies of wounds inflicted by the Persian slave Abu Lu'lu'a Firuz at Medina. On his death bed he appoints a committee to determine his successor. They select Uthman ibn Affan, who becomes the third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.

source_section: Events › By place › Islamic Empire


text: Abu Lu'lu'a Firuz, assassin of Umar I


text: Trudpert, Irish missionary (or 607)


text: Radulf, king of Thuringia (approximate date)


text: Valentinus, Byzantine general and usurper


date: October 13

text: October 13 – Emperor Taizong is compelled to order a withdrawal from Goguryeo.

source_section: Events › By place › China


text: Empress Kōgyoku is forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her younger brother Kōtoku, age 49, who becomes the 36th emperor of Japan.

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


text: Kōtoku creates a new city at Naniwa, and moves the capital from Yamato Province. The capital has a sea port, establishing foreign trade and diplomatic relations.


text: King Cenwalh of Wessex is driven from his kingdom by his brother-in-law, King Penda of Mercia (according to Bede). He flees to the court of king Anna of East Anglia, and is baptised while in exile. Penda overruns Wessex.


text: Naka-no-Ōe becomes crown prince and prime minister. Supporters of the semi-legendary regent Prince Shōtoku gain supremacy in Japan.


text: Emperor Kōtoku establishes the Taika Reform: a land reform based on Confucian ideas and philosophies from China (approximate date)


date: May 1

text: May 1 – First conflict of the Goguryeo–Tang War: A Chinese expeditionary army under Emperor Taizong of Tang crosses the Liao River into Goguryeo (one of the Three kingdoms of Korea).


date: July 10

text: July 10 – Isshi Incident: Prince Naka-no-Ōe and Fujiwara no Kamatari assassinate Soga no Iruka, during a coup d'état at the imperial palace.


date: July 18

text: July 18 – Tang forces under Li Shiji heading southeast toward the Yalu River put the strategic fortress of Ansi City (in the province of Liaoning) under siege.


text: September – Taizong is unable to capture the Ansi fortress defended by Korean general Yang Manch'un. Food supplies running low, he withdraws his forces, ending the Siege of Ansi.


text: Alexandria revolts against Arab rule, at the appearance of a Byzantine fleet of 300 ships, and Byzantine forces recapture the city. Abdullah ibn Sa'ad, Arab governor of Egypt, mounts an assault and retakes it. He begins building a Muslim fleet.


text: Plato, exarch (imperial governor) of Ravenna, invades the southern Po Valley. The Lombards under King Rothari defeat him on the banks of the Panaro River (near Modena); 8,000 imperial troops are killed.


text: Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk, returns to China after a 16-year pilgrimage to India. He is greeted with much honor by Emperor Taizong.


text: The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda at Ci'en Temple, Xi'an (Shanxi) is first erected during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).


text: The first nengō, derived from the Chinese system of eras (nianhao) begins with the Taika era. (Unclear significance. Needs more explanation as to why this belongs in the list of major events of the year)


text: Gwynedd and much of Wales is in the grasp of famine. Would-be king Cadwaladr Fendigaid flees to Brittany. Civil war continues in his kingdom (approximate date).


text: John of Damascus, Syrian church father (or 676)


text: Jitō, empress of Japan (d. 703)


text: Yazid I, Muslim Caliph (d. 683)


text: Ecgfrith, king of Northumbria (approximate date)


text: Æthelred, king of Mercia (approximate date)


text: Mujahid ibn Jabr, Arabic scholar (or 642)


date: April 26

text: April 26 – Richarius, Frankish hermit and monk


text: July 10 – Soga no Iruka, statesman of Japan


date: October 21

text: October 21 – Zhenzhu Khan, khan of Xueyantuo


text: Li Chengqian, crown prince of the Tang dynasty


text: Al-Khansa, Arabic poet (b. 575)


text: Soga no Emishi, statesman of Japan (b. 587)


text: Cen Wenben, chancellor and editor of the Book of Zhou (b. 595)


text: Yan Shigu, Chinese author of the Tang dynasty (b. 581)


text: A Great Reform edict changes Japan's political order. It will lead to the establishment of a centralized government with Kōtoku ruling from his palace, Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace, in Osaka.


text: Battle of Nikiou: The Rashidun army (15,000 men) under Amr ibn al-'As defeats a smaller Byzantine force, near the fortified town of Nikiou (Egypt).


text: Summer – Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty destroys the Xueyantuo state, during the campaign against the Xueyantuo (Central Asia).


text: Arab-Byzantine War: Alexandria is recaptured by the Muslim Arabs, after a Byzantine attempt (see 645) to retake Egypt fails, ending nearly 1,000 years of rule by Greco-Roman states in the city.


text: Amr ibn al-'As builds fortifications in Alexandria and quarters a strong garrison in the vicinity, which twice a year is relieved from Upper Egypt.


text: Gregory the Patrician, Byzantine exarch of Africa, begins a rebellion against Constans II, and proclaims himself emperor; the revolt finds broad support among the populace.


text: Caliph Uthman ibn Affan founds the city of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) on the coast of the Red Sea. He establishes a port for Muslim pilgrims making the required Hajj to Mecca.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


text: Xuanzang completes his book Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which later becomes one of the primary sources for the study of medieval Central Asia and India.


text: Emperor Kōtoku makes a decree about the policies of building tombs. He discontinues the old customs of sacrificing people in honor of a dead man, and forbids ill-considered rituals about purgation.


text: Tonyukuk, military leader of the Göktürks (approximate date)


text: Li Sujie, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 690)


text: Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Muslim Caliph (d. 705)


text: Sun Guoting, Chinese calligrapher (d. 691)


text: January 17 – Sulpitius the Pious, bishop of Bourges

source_section: Deaths


date: January 19

text: January 19 – Liu Ji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Gallus, Irish missionary (approximate date)


text: Manuel, Armenian eunuch and general


text: Zhang Liang, general of the Tang dynasty


text: Taizong establishes a Chinese military government to pacify the former territory of Xueyantuo, which extends to the Altai Mountains in the west.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: An Arab army (20,000 men) under Abdullah ibn Sa'ad invades the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa. It conquers Tripolitania and the city of Sufetula, 150 miles (240 km) south of Carthage.


text: Self-proclaimed emperor Gregory the Patrician is killed during the Arab invasion at Sufetula. Africa returns to imperial allegiance after his death, but the foundation of Byzantine rule is fatally undermined.


text: Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty sends a Chinese mission to study Indian techniques of sugar manufacturing, at Bihar in the Ganges Valley.


text: Hilda of Whitby, age 33, is persuaded by Aidan, bishop of Lindisfarne, to enter the monastic life at Hartlepool Abbey (Northumbria).


text: A stone tower astronomical observatory (named Cheomseongdae) at Gyeongju is constructed in Silla (South Korea) around this time.

source_section: Events › By topic › Astronomy and science


text: Itzamnaaj B'alam II, ruler of Yaxchilan (d. 742)


text: Al-Abbas ibn Ali, Muslim martyr (d. 680)


text: Emperor Harsha, ruler of northern India, dies after a 41-year reign. His kingdom disintegrates into smaller states.


text: Felix of Burgundy, bishop of Dunwich (or 648)


text: Jindeok becomes queen of the Korean kingdom of Silla after the death of Queen Seondeok.


text: Gregory the Patrician, Exarch of Africa


text: Li Baiyao, Chinese official and historian (b. 564)


text: Seondeok, queen of Silla (Korea)


text: Yang Shidao, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Harsha, emperor of Harsha (India)


text: Æthelburh of Kent, queen of Northumbria


text: Xiao Yu, prince of the Liang dynasty (b. 574)


text: Gao Shilian, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 576)


text: Dos Pilas breaks away from Tikal and becomes a vassal state of Calakmul.

source_section: Events › By place › Americas


text: King Cenwalh of Wessex returns from a 3-year exile in East Anglia, to reclaim his kingdom. He gives 3,000 hides of land around Ashdown to his nephew Cuthred, possibly sub-king of Berkshire (England).


text: Tang general Ashina She'er re-establishes Tang control of Karasahr, and leads a military campaign against the Tarim Basin kingdom of Kucha in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate.


text: In an early skirmish in the run up to the Second Tikal–Calakmul War, Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil scores a military victory, apparently over his half-brother, who had galled him by using the same royal emblem (or emblem glyph) as he did.


text: Cenwahl invites bishop Birinus to establish under his direction the Old Minster in Winchester. Together they have a small stone church built.


text: King Sigebert III of Austrasia is advised by Remaclus to establish a double-monastery, at Stavelot and Malmedy. As a missionary bishop, he founds an abbey on the River Amblève (modern Belgium).

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Emperor Constans II issues an imperial edict forbidding Monothelitism to be discussed, to quiet the intense controversy caused by the Monothelete doctrine. This edict, distributed by patriarch Paul II in Constans' name, is known as the Typos.


text: Pope Theodore I excommunicates Paul II of Constantinople.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


text: Kōbun, emperor of Japan (d. 672)


text: Tōchi, Japanese princess (d. 678)


text: Radbod, king of Frisia (d. 719)


text: John III of the Sedre, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.


text: Ma Zhou, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 601)


text: Xiao, empress of the Sui dynasty


text: The Book of Jin is compiled in China during the Tang dynasty. Its chief editor is the chancellor Fang Xuanling, who dies in this year as well.

source_section: Events › By topic › Literature


text: Fang Xuanling, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 579)


text: January 19 – The Tang campaign against Kucha ends after the forces of Kucha surrender, following a 40-day siege led by general Ashina She'er, establishing Chinese control over the northern Tarim Basin (Xinjiang).


date: June 16

text: June 16 – Battle of Chabuheluo: General Wang Xuance commands a combined Chinese, Nepalese, and Tibetan expedition into India. He ends up winning the battle and acquiring a Buddhist relic.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Arab naval forces under Abdullah ibn Saad conquer Cyprus, sacking the capital Constantia after a short siege, and looting the rest of the island. The Cypriots agree to pay the same revenue as they have done to Emperor Constans II.


text: Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, governor of Syria, develops an Arab navy in the Levant and uses it to confront the Byzantine Empire in the Aegean Sea. It is manned by Monophysitise Christian, Coptic and Syrian Christian sailors.


date: January

text: January – Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, confirms his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.


date: October 5

text: October 5 – The Lateran Council of 649, summoned by Theodore and carried forward by Martin, opens. It strongly condemns Monothelitism and the Type of Constans.


text: Constans II orders Olympius, exarch of the Exarchate of Ravenna, to arrest Pope Martin I on the ostensible grounds that the pope's election has not been submitted to the emperor for approval, but in fact because of the Lateran Council of 649's condemnation of Monothelitism and the Type of Constans. Olympius attempts to gain the support of the citizens of Rome and the bishops, with little success, and perhaps considers the assassination of the Pope.


text: Emperor Kōtoku has Soga no Kurayamada accused of treason. He strangles himself at the temple of Yamada-dera. Other relatives of the Soga clan are captured and executed.


text: Xue Ne, Chinese general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 720)

source_section: Births


text: Approximate date – Wang Bo, Chinese poet (d. 676)


date: March

text: March – John Climacus, Syrian monk and writer (b. c.579)


date: May 2

text: May 2 – Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian and Maphrian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)


date: May 14

text: May 14 – Pope Theodore I dies after a 7-year reign, in which he has shown generosity to the poor. He is succeeded on July 5 by Martin I as the 74th pope.


text: May 14 – Pope Theodore I, Jerusalem-born Greek pontiff


date: July 2

text: July 2 – Li Jing, Chinese general and chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 571)


date: July 6

text: July 6 – Goar of Aquitaine, Catholic priest and hermit (b. c.585)


text: July 10 – Taizong, Chinese Tang dynasty emperor (b. 598)


text: July 10 – Emperor Taizong dies after a 23-year reign, in which he has restored the civil administration in China. He is succeeded by his son Gaozong, age 20, who becomes ruler of the Tang dynasty.


date: December 3

text: December 3 – Birinus, French-born Bishop of Dorchester in Wessex (b. c.600)


text: Songtsen Gampo, founder of the Tibetan Empire


text: Rogallach mac Uatach, Irish king of Connacht (murdered)


text: Soga no Kurayamada, Japanese udaijin


year_label: 65 CE

text: After a stage performance in which he appears and shocks the senatorial class considerably, Nero engages in a series of reprisals against Seneca the Younger and Tigellinus, pro-republican senators, and anyone else he distrusts.

source_title: AD 65

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


text: Paul writes his first epistle to Timothy in Corinth; afterwards, he goes to Nikopoli to spend the winter.


text: Paul of Tarsus ordains Timothy as bishop of Ephesus (traditional date).


text: The first Christian community in Africa is founded by Mark, a disciple of Peter.


text: In China, the first official reference to Buddhism is made.


date: April 19

text: April 19 – The freedman Milichus betrays the Pisonian conspiracy led by Gaius Calpurnius Piso to kill Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested.


text: Philopappos, Greek prince of Commagene (d. AD 116)


text: Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes, Greek aristocrat


date: April 30

text: April 30 – Lucan, Roman poet and philosopher (b. AD 39)


text: Nero's pregnant wife, Poppea Sabina, dies from Nero kicking her stomach or while having a miscarriage.


text: Seneca, Roman statesman and tutor of Nero (b. AD 1)


text: Poppea Sabina, second wife of Nero (b. AD 30)


text: Simon the Zealot, Christian martyr (approximate date)


text: Plautius Lateranus, Roman politician (executed)


text: Faenius Rufus, Roman praetorian prefect (executed)


text: Gaius Julius Alpinus Classicianus, Roman procurator


text: Jude the Apostle, Christian martyr (approximate date)


text: Gaius Calpurnius Piso, Roman consul (approximate date)


text: Marcus Ostorius Scapula, Roman politician


text: Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, Roman politician


text: Marcus Julius Vestinus Atticus, Roman politician


text: Lucius Antistius Vetus, Roman consul and governor


text: Emperor Kōtoku is presented a white pheasant; he is pleased and begins a new Japanese era name (nengō) to be called Hakuchi, meaning 'The White Pheasant'.


text: King Oswiu of Bernicia seeks Irish support against the forces of Penda. While in Ireland he has a liaison with Fín, the granddaughter of King Colmán Rímid Uí Néill (approximate date).


text: A Rashidun army under Abd al-Rahman ibn Rabi'a is annihilated by the Khazars, near the city of Balanjar (Northern Caucasus). During the battle, both sides use catapults against the other (approximate date).


text: Yuknoom Chʼeen II, ruler of Calakmul, attacks Dos Pilas and forces its leader, Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil, and a likely heir to the throne of Tikal, to take refuge at Aguateca, beginning the Second Tikal–Calakmul War.


text: The Khazar Khaganate extends from the Dnieper to the Caspian Sea, and establishes the city, Itil, as its capital on the shore of the Caspian. Northward it extends to the headwaters of the Volga. Their rulers accept the Jewish religion, apparently to assert their independence from both Muslims and Christians (approximate date).


text: According to legend, the Polynesian traveller Ui-te-Rangiora sailed south into the Southern Ocean where they sighted ice floes and icebergs, eventually naming the area Te tai-uka-a-pia.

source_section: Events › By place › Oceania


text: Jamaica is settled by the Ostinoid people, ancestors of the Taíno. They were farmers, potters, and villagers with socially complex societies. These people lived near the coast and extensively hunted turtles and fish.


text: The Mercians under King Penda move on East Anglia, destroy the monastery at Burgh Castle and expel King Anna who probably flees to Magonsæte (approximate date).


text: St. Martin's Church is built in Canterbury, England (approximate date).


section: Economy & Finance

text: The first Chinese paper money is issued, yet these banknotes will not become government-issued until the Song dynasty era Sichuan province issues them in the year 1024, with the central government of China following suit in the 12th century.


text: Earliest confirmed date of habitation in the area around what is now Bluff, Utah by humans.


text: The panel of the Tamamushi Shrine, the so called "Hungry Tigress Jataka", is made during the Asuka period (Japan). It is now kept at Horyu-ji Treasure House (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Art and science


text: King Cloten of Dyfed (Southern Wales) marries Princess Ceindrech of Brycheiniog, and unites the two kingdoms (approximate date).


text: Anastasia, Byzantine empress (approximate date)


text: Sergius I, pope of Rome (approximate date)


text: Yao Chong, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (d. 721)


text: Werburgh, Anglo-Saxon princess (approximate date)


text: Dagobert II, king of Austrasia (approximate date)


text: Jarir ibn Atiyah, Arab poet and satirist (approximate date)


text: Frithuswith, Anglo-Saxon abbess (approximate date)


text: Shen Quanqi, Chinese poet and official (approximate date)


text: Giles, Frankish abbot (approximate date)


text: Fursey, Irish missionary (approximate date)


text: Chen Yueyi, empress of Northern Zhou (approximate date)


text: Candrakīrti, Indian Madhyamaka philosopher (approximate date)


text: Ferchar mac Connaid, king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland)


text: The Rashidun army under Abdullah ibn Aamir invades Afghanistan, and captures the main forts in Khorasan (modern Iran). The Muslim Arabs occupy the cities of Balkh and Herat, which surrender peacefully.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Caliphate


text: King Oswiu of Bernicia declares war on his rival, King Oswine of Deira. Oswine refuses to engage him in battle, and retreats to Gilling (North Yorkshire). Oswine is betrayed by a friend, and murdered by Oswiu's soldiers.

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: An embassy led by Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas arrives in the capital Chang'an via an oversea route. They are greeted by Emperor Gao Zong, who orders the establishment of the first Chinese mosque.


text: Œthelwald succeeds his uncle Oswine as king of Deira, and allies himself with Oswiu's enemy, King Penda of Mercia. Queen Eanflæd of Bernicia donates the estate of Gilling for the foundation of a monastery.


text: The Quran is compiled by Caliph Uthman ibn Affan in its modern-day form. The text becomes the model from which copies are made and promulgated throughout the urban centers of the Arab world.


text: The Hôtel-Dieu de Paris is founded by bishop Landry (Landericus). It becomes the first major hospital in Paris.


text: King Yazdegerd III of Persia is murdered in a miller's hut near Merv by his followers, ending both Persian resistance to Arab conquest, and the Sassanid Empire.

source_section: Events › By place › Persia


text: King Clovis II of Neustria and Burgundy marries Balthild, said to be an Anglo-Saxon aristocrat sold into slavery in Gaul. She has been owned by Clovis' mayor of the palace, Erchinoald, who gives her to him to garner royal favour (approximate date).


date: August 20

text: August 20 – Oswine, king of Deira (England)


date: August 31

text: August 31 – Aidan, Irish-born bishop of Lindisfarne


text: Braulio, bishop of Zaragoza (b. 590)


text: Dayi Daoxin, Chán Buddhist patriarch (b. 580)


text: Apranik, Sasanian female military commander.


text: Radoald, duke of Benevento (Italy)


text: Yazdegard III, king of the Sassanid Empire


text: Grasulf II, duke of Friuli (approximate date)


text: Uthman ibn Affan establishes a treaty (the Baqt) between the Christian Nubians and the Muslims in Egypt, that lasts for six centuries, including the tribute of 400 slaves annually.

source_section: Events › By place › Arab Empire


text: Arab–Byzantine War: An Arab fleet under Abdullah ibn Sa'ad defeats the Byzantine fleet (500 ships) off the coast of Alexandria.


text: Siege of Dongola: A Rashidun army (5,000 men) under Abdullah ibn Sa'ad besieges Dongola in the Kingdom of Makuria (modern Sudan).


text: King Penda of Mercia invades Bernicia, and besieges King Oswiu at Bamburgh, in North East England.


text: The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is constructed in Chang'an (modern Xi'an), during the Tang dynasty (China). It is completed in the same year, during the reign of Emperor Gao Zong.

source_section: Events › By place › Asia


text: The registers of population are prepared in Japan. Fifty houses are made a township, and for each township there is appointed an elder. The houses are all associated in groups of five for mutual protection, with one elder to supervise them one with another. This system prevails until the era of World War II.


text: Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, companion (sahabah) of Muhammad, frees 30,000 slaves at his death (approximate date).


text: Constantine IV, Byzantine emperor (d. 685)


text: Chlothar III, king of Neustria and Burgundy (d. 673)


text: Li Hong, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 675)


text: Abdel Rahman ibn Awf, companion of Muhammad (approximate date)


text: Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of Muhammad (approximate date)


text: Li Tai, prince of the Tang dynasty (b. 618)


text: King Rothari dies after a 16-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Rodoald as king of the Lombards.


text: Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Arabic leader (b. 560)


text: Emmeram, bishop of Regensburg (approximate date)


text: Itta of Metz, widow of Pippin of Landen (b. 592)


text: King Penda of Mercia secures dominance over the area of Middle Anglia, where he establishes his son Peada as ruler.


text: King Œthelwald of Deira rejects Oswiu's overlordship, and turns to Penda instead. Penda mounts another attack against Bernicia (approximate date).


text: Emperor Constans II voluntarily surrenders Armenia to the Arabs, following a truce with Muawiyah, governor of Syria. Muawiyah grants the Armenians virtual autonomy, and appoints the nakharar Theodor Rshtuni as ruler of Armenia.

source_section: Events › By place › Byzantine Empire


text: Prince Tenji of Japan changes his residence to Asuka (Nara Prefecture), with other imperial family members and ministers. Only Emperor Kōtoku stays in the Naniwa Palace (approximate date).


text: Emperor Kōtoku sends an embassy to the court of the Tang dynasty in China. Japanese ambassadors, priests and students sail for the capital Chang'an, but some of the ships are lost en route.


text: Sigeberht II is persuaded by Oswiu to adopt Christianity, as part of a mobilization against Penda.


text: The Temple of Sinheungsa in Gangwon Province (South Korea) is constructed by the Buddhist monk Jajang.


text: Northumbrian missionaries under St. Cedd are despatched to Essex, to found the monastery at Bradwell-on-Sea.


text: Peada marries Alchflaed, daughter of King Oswiu of Bernicia, and is baptised at Ad Murum (in the region of Hadrian's Wall) by bishop Finan.


date: June 17

text: June 17 – Pope Martin I is arrested in the Lateran in Rome, along with Maximus the Confessor, on the orders of Emperor Constans II, and taken to imprisonment in Constantinople.


text: King Rodoald is murdered after a six-month reign, and is succeeded by Aripert I, who is elected as king of the Lombards. He spreads Catholicism over the Lombard realm and builds many new churches through the kingdom.


text: Muawiyah leads a raid against Rhodes, taking the scattered pieces of the Colossus of Rhodes (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and shipping it back to Syria, where he destroys the bronze scrap to make coins.


text: Atto succeeds Theodelap as duke of Spoleto, in Central Italy (approximate date).


text: Childeric II, king of the Franks (approximate date)


text: Li Xian, prince of the Tang dynasty (d. 684)


date: March 6

text: March 6 – Li Ke, prince of the Tang dynasty


date: September 30

text: September 30 – Honorius, archbishop of Canterbury


text: Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of Muhammad (approximate date)


text: King Sigeberht I of Essex dies after a 36-year reign, and is succeeded by his relative Sigeberht II.


text: Theodelap, duke of Spoleto (approximate date)


text: Chindasuinth, king of the Visigoths


text: Marcán mac Tommáin, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)


text: Chen Shuozhen, Chinese rebel leader


text: Zhang Xingcheng, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 587)


text: Muyeol becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Silla.


text: Muawiyah, governor of Syria, stations a large garrison on Cyprus. He conquers the Greek island of Kos in the Dodecanese.


text: Arab invaders cross the Oxus River, in what later will be Uzbekistan. Nomadic Turkic tribes continue to control Central Asia.


text: Æthelhere succeeds his brother Anna as king of East Anglia, and accepts Mercian overlordship (approximate date).


text: King Penda of Mercia defeats the East Anglians at Bulcamp near Blythburgh (Suffolk). King Anna of East Anglia and his son Jurmin are killed.


date: August 10

text: August 10 – The exiled Pope Martin I is deposed, and succeeded by Eugene I, as the 75th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. On September 17, Martin is taken to Constantinople and publicly humiliated, for having condemned the Byzantine Emperor Constans II in 649.


text: King Recceswinth draws up the Liber Judiciorum at Toledo, a Visigothic code based on Roman law, that establishes equality between Goths and Hispano-Romans without regard to racial or cultural differences.


text: Philibert, Frankish abbot, receives a gift from King Clovis II of Neustria, and founds Jumièges Abbey in Normandy.


text: Emperor Constans II appoints his son Constantine IV, age 2, co-emperor (Augustus). He is too young to rule as monarch of the Byzantine Empire, and his title remains a given name.


text: Nakatomi no Kamatari, the inner minister (naidaijin) of Japan, is granted the Shikwan (the Purple Cap). [Ambiguous; Significance of this is unclear]


text: Takechi, Japanese prince (approximate date)


text: Princess Si of Anding, Princess of the Tang dynasty of China


text: Theuderic III, king of the Franks (d. 691)


date: January 16

text: January 16 – Gao Jifu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 596)


date: June 1

text: June 1 – Pyrrhus, patriarch of Constantinople


date: November 24

text: November 24 – Kōtoku, emperor of Japan (b. 596)


text: November 24 – Emperor Kōtoku dies after a 9-year reign; Kōgyoku (his elder sister) is restored on the throne under the name Saimei.


text: Takamuko no Kuromaro, a Japanese diplomat, is sent to the Tang dynasty again, but dies upon his arrival in Chang'an.


text: Conall Cóel, high king of Ireland


text: Dúnchad mac Conaing, king of Dál Riata (modern Scotland)


text: Anna, king of East Anglia (approximate date)


text: Jindeok of Silla, queen of Silla


text: Jurmin, Anglo-Saxon prince (approximate date)


text: Takamuko no Kuromaro, Japanese diplomat


text: Oswiu becomes overlord (bretwalda) over much of Great Britain. He establishes himself as king of Mercia, setting up his son-in-law, Penda's son Peada, as a subject king over Middle Anglia.


text: Empress Kōgyoku re-ascends to the throne of Japan, beginning a new reign as Saimei-tennō.


date: November 15

text: November 15 – Battle of the Winwaed: King Oswiu of Bernicia defeats his rival, King Penda of Mercia at Cock Beck, near what later will be Leeds (Yorkshire). Kings Cadafael Cadomedd of Gwynedd and Œthelwald of Deira, allies of Mercia, withdraw their forces before the battle begins. It marks the defeat of the last credible pagan force in England. It also sows the seeds which will lead to Anglo-Saxon acceptance of the Catholic Church (approximate date).


text: Battle of the Masts: Emperor Constans II personally commands the Byzantine fleet (500 ships), and sets off to challenge the Arab navy. He sails to the province of Lycia (now in Turkey) in the southern region of Asia Minor. The two forces meet off the coast of Mount Phoenix, near the harbour of Phoenix (modern Finike). The Arabs under Abdullah ibn Sa'ad are victorious in battle, although losses are heavy for both sides. Constans barely escapes to Constantinople.


text: King Vikramaditya I of Chalukya (India) re-unites the kingdom, after defeating his brothers.


text: Arab armies conquer Khurasan (Iran), and the Silk Road along Transoxiana (Central Asia).


text: Peada founds Peterborough Cathedral (Province of Canterbury). It becomes one of the first centres of Christianity in England. Deusdedit is consecrated as archbishop of Canterbury.


text: John VI, pope of Rome (d. 705)


date: May 15

text: May 15 – Pope Martin I is banished to Chersonesos Taurica (Ukraine). He dies later in the Crimean Peninsula after a 6-year reign, leaving Eugene I as the uncontested pope (see 654).


text: November 15 – Æthelhere, king of East Anglia


text: November 15 – Penda, king of Mercia


text: Didier of Cahors, Frankish bishop


text: Theodore Rshtuni, Armenian general


text: Cadafael Cadomedd, king of Gwynedd


text: Foillan, Irish missionary (approximate date)


text: Loingsech mac Colmáin, king of Connacht (Ireland)


text: Wang, empress of the Tang dynasty


date: December 8

text: December 8 – Battle of the Camel: Rebel Arabs under Aisha (widow of Muhammad) begin a revolt against Ali. They are defeated at Basra, and Aisha is exiled to Medina. During the battle 10,000 people lose their lives, with each party bearing equal loss.

source_section: Events › By place › Arabian Empire


text: King Œthelwald of Deira is removed from office by his uncle Oswiu, because of his desertion at the Battle of the Winwaed, and replaced by the latter's son Alhfrith, as subject king in a united Northumbria.


text: King Oswiu of Northumbria invades Pengwern (modern Wales) and kills King Cynddylan in battle, near the River Trent. Cynddylan's brother Morfael and the rest of the royal family flee to Glastening (Wessex).


text: June 17 – Uthman ibn Affan is murdered at Medina after an 11-year reign. He is succeeded by Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi-Talib, who becomes the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. He makes Kufah (Iraq) his capital, but the succession is disputed.


text: Li Xiăn, seventh son of the Chinese emperor Gao Zong, is made crown prince. His lavish palatial mansion in Chang'an is converted into a Daoist abbey during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).


text: The Yasaka Shrine is constructed in the Gion district of Kyoto (Japan).


text: Empress Saimei of Japan builds a new palace at Asuka (Nara Prefecture), because her former residence caught fire. This construction is called the "Mad Canal" by the people of that day, wasting the labor of tens of thousand workers and a large amount of money.


date: September 24

text: September 24 – A total solar eclipse is observable from Easter Island. The next at this location would not occur until July 11, 2010.

source_section: Events › By place › Polynesia


text: First Islamic Civil War: An armed revolt erupts in Egypt; several Muslim sympathisers travel to Medina to rally support, beginning the fitna (literally meaning the 'trail of faith'). The Muslim expansion comes to a halt as the martial energies of the Islamic forces are directed inwards.


text: Hubertus, bishop of Liège (approximate date)


text: Zhong Zong, emperor of the Tang dynasty (d. 710)


date: February 1

text: February 1 – King Sigebert III of Austrasia, age 25, dies after a 22-year reign. His 5-year-old son Dagobert II is kidnapped by the court chancellor, Grimoald the Elder, who makes his own son king, and exiles him to an Irish monastery. Dagobert is placed with Bishop Dido of Poitiers, while Grimoald's son Childebert the Adopted assumes the Austrasian throne.


date: June 20

text: June 20 – Uthman ibn Affan, Muslim Caliph (b. 577) (martyred)

source_section: Deaths


text: Cynddylan, king of Pengwern (Wales)


text: Sigebert III, king of Austrasia (or 660)


text: Peada, king of Mercia (Midlands)


text: Abdullah ibn Sa'ad, governor of Upper Egypt, dies after a 12-year regime in which he has defeated neighboring Nubia.


text: Li Daozong, prince of the Tang dynasty


text: Crundmáel Erbuilc, king of the Uí Ceinnselaig (Ireland)


text: Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Arab general (b. 594) (martyred)


text: Abdullah ibn Sa'ad, Arab governor


text: Cui Dunli, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 596)


date: July 26

text: July 26 - July 28 – Battle of Siffin: Muslim forces under Ali ibn Abi-Talib fight an inconclusive battle against Mu'awiya I, on the banks of the Euphrates, near Raqqa (Syria).


text: Tang campaigns against the Western Turks: Emperor Gao Zong dispatches a military campaign led by Su Dingfang. He annexes the Western Turkic Khaganate.


text: In the course of the Second Tikal–Calakmul War, the Snake Lord (Yuknoom Ch'een II) makes a direct attack against Tikal itself, driving out its new ruler Nuun Ujol Chaak, and establishing Calakmul as the regional superpower. Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil, the one time heir apparent to rule Tikal, swears his allegiance to the new overlord.

source_section: Events › By place › Americas


text: Hilda, Anglo-Saxon abbess, founds a monastery at Streaneshalch, on the Yorkshire coast at Whitby (England).


text: Gao Zong commissions the pharmacology publication of an official materia medica, documenting the use of 833 different substances for medicinal purposes.


text: Grimoald the Elder, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, is deposed by Clovis II, king of Neustria. Clovis also captures Grimoald's son Childebert the Adopted, executing them both.

source_section: Events › By place › Europe


text: Ansprand, king of the Lombards (approximate date)


text: June 1 – Pope Eugene I dies at Rome after a reign of nearly 2½ years. He is succeeded by Vitalian as the 76th pope.

source_section: Events › By topic › Religion


date: November 12

text: November 12 – Livinus, Irish apostle


text: Clovis II dies and is succeeded by his eldest son Chlothar III, age 5, who becomes king of Neustria and Burgundy, under the regency of his mother Balthild.


text: Ammar ibn Yasir, companion of Muhammad and Ali ibn Abi Talib (b. 570)


text: Grimoald the Elder, Mayor of the Palace (b. 616)


text: Childebert the Adopted, king (usurper) of Austrasia


text: Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy (or 658)


date: April

text: April: Amr ibn al-As and Abu Musa al-Ashari conclude the arbitration agreement that ended the Battle of Siffin the previous year, declaring Caliph Ali deposed and declaring Muawiyah as the legitimate Caliph. This badly damages Ali's standing among the Caliphate, and paves the way for the end of the First Fitna.

source_section: Events › By place › Rashiduin Caliphate


date: July 17

text: July 17: The Battle of Nahrawan sees Caliph Ali decisively defeat a Kharijite rebellion, which marks the last fighting of the First Fitna.


text: Battle of Peonnum: King Cenwalh and the Wessex Saxons make a push against Dumnonia (South West England). They are victorious at Penselwood in Somerset, and the Dumnonia-Wessex border is set at the River Parrett (approximate date).


text: Chinese forces defeat the Western Turkic Kaganate (Central Asia). The West kaganate becomes a vassal of the Tang dynasty. During the power vacuum, Turgesh tribes emerge as the leading power (approximate date).


text: The Chinese Buddhist monks Zhi Yu and Zhi You recreate several south-pointing chariots, for the Japanese prince Tenji. This is a 3rd-century device made by Ma Jun, and acts as a mechanical-driven directional-compass vehicle (according to the Nihon Shoki).


text: Emperor Constans II undertakes an expedition to the Balkan Peninsula, and defeats the Avars in Macedonia. He temporarily reasserts Byzantine rule, and resettles some of them in Anatolia to fight against the Rashidun Caliphate (approximate date).


text: Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Umayyad governor and viceroy (approximate date)

source_section: Births


text: Willibrord, Anglo-Saxon missionary


text: Jajang, Korean Buddhist monk (b. 590)


text: Yuchi Gong, general of the Tang dynasty (b. 585)


text: Samo, king of the Slavs (Carinthia)


text: Chu Suiliang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 597)


text: Erchinoald, mayor of the Palace of Neustria


text: Cellach mac Máele Coba, high king of Ireland


text: The confederation of Slavic tribes falls apart after the death of King Samo. A Slav principality is formed from the kingdom's remnants in Carinthia (modern Austria), and the Avars capture most of its territory in Hungary (approximate date).


text: Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy (or 657)


text: Judicael, high king of Domnonée


text: Du Zhenglun, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: A Japanese embassy is sent to the Chinese Empire, and received in an audience by Emperor Gao Zong. The Tang dynasty is determined in the next year to take administrative measures in regard to Japan. The envoys are detained.


text: Constans II elevates his son Heraclius to the rank of co-emperor (Augustus), alongside his brother Tiberius.


text: Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Constans II signs a peace treaty with the Rashidun Caliphate. He uses the pause to strengthen his defences, and consolidates Byzantine control over Armenia. Constans establishes the themata, dividing territorial command in Anatolia.


text: Leodegar, an opponent of Ebroin (mayor of the palace), is appointed bishop of Autun in Burgundy.


date: March 17

text: March 17 – Gertrude of Nivelles, daughter of Pepin of Landen (mayor of the palace of Austrasia), requests on her deathbed a burial wearing a plain linen shroud. This is the traditional (pagan) practice of a 'furnished' grave.


text: He Zhizhang, Chinese poet (approximate date)


text: Ali ibn Husayn Zayn, great-grandson of Muhammad and Shia Imam


text: Fujiwara no Fuhito, Japanese statesman (d. 720)


text: Cædwalla, king of Wessex (approximate date)


text: March 17 – Gertrude of Nivelles, Frankish abbess (b. c.628)


date: November 3

text: November 3 – Denha I of Tikrit, Syriac Orthodox Grand Metropolitan of the East.


text: Ishoyahb III, patriarch of the Church of the East


text: Bavo of Ghent, Frankish nobleman and saint (b. 622)


text: Liu Shi, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Han Yuan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 606)


text: Zhangsun Wuji, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


year_label: 66 CE

text: Suetonius Paullinus, governor of Britannia, becomes a Roman Consul.

source_title: AD 66

source_section: Events › By place › Britannia


date: October

text: October – The Jewish Revolt commences against the Roman Empire. The Zealots lay siege to Jerusalem and annihilate the Roman garrison (a cohort of Legio III Cyrenaica). The Sicarii capture the fortress of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea.

source_section: Events › By place › Roman Empire


date: November

text: November – Battle of Beth-Horon: Gallus abandons the siege of Jerusalem and chooses, for uncertain reasons, to withdraw west to winter quarters, where he is ambushed and defeated by Judean rebels. Some 5,300 Roman troops are killed, as well as all their pack animals, their artillery (which is to serve the Jews of Jerusalem during Titus's siege operations four years later), and the greatest disgrace of all, the eagle standard of Legio XII Fulminata. Gallus abandons his troops in disarray, fleeing to Syria.


text: Mid–late October – Cestius Gallus, legate of Syria, marches into Judea and leads a Roman army of 30,000 men to put down the Jewish rebellion. At its core is Legio XII Fulminata, plus 2,000 selected men from the other three Syrian legions, six more cohorts of infantry and four alae of cavalry, plus over 14,000 auxiliaries furnished by Rome's eastern allies, including Herod Agrippa II and two other client kings, Antiochus IV of Commagene and Sohaemus of Emesa, who lead their forces (largely archers and cavalry) in person.


text: Gallus leads his main force down the coast from Caesarea via Antipatris to Lydda, detaching other units, by land and sea, to neutralize the rebel strongholds at Joppa, Narbata and the Tower of Aphek. With Galilee and the entire Judean coast in his hands, Gallus assumes his campaign before the winter rains render the roads impassable. He turns inland and marches on Jerusalem, taking the road via the plain at Emmaus. Gallus succeeds in conquering Beit She'arim (the "New City") on the Bezetha Hill.


text: Baekje invades Silla in the Korean Peninsula, and captures Castle Ugok.


text: The Roman Legio II Augusta is stationed at Gloucester.


date: September 22

text: September 22 – Emperor Nero creates the Legio I Italica. He appoints Titus Flavius Vespasian as General of the army of Judea, and Governor of Judea which gives him command of three legions — V Macedonica, X Fretensis and XV Apollinaris.


text: The first and second Epistles to Timothy are written (speculative date, if actually written by St. Paul).


text: Dioscorides writes his De Materia Medica, a treatise on the methodical treatment of disease by use of medicine (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By topic › Arts and sciences


text: Paul in Asia Minor for second time after his release from Rome. Then probably goes to Greece. Second imprisonment in Rome.


text: Gaius Petronius Arbiter, Roman politician (b. AD 27)


text: Gaius Anicius Cerialis, Roman suffect consul


text: Rufrius Crispinus, Roman praetorian prefect


text: Lucius Annius Vinicianus, Roman politician (b. AD 36)


text: Marcia Servilia Sorana, Roman noblewoman


text: Claudia Antonia, daughter of Claudius (b. AD 30)


text: The capital of Japan moves from Asuka, Yamato (Okamoto Palace or Nochi no Asuka-Okamoto-no-miya) to Asakura, Fukuoka

source_section: Events › By place › Japan


text: Felix, patrician of Toulouse, assumes the titles of Duke of Vasconia and Aquitaine. He is formally a vassal of the Franks, but rules "de facto" independently.


text: Baekje in southwestern Korea is conquered by an alliance of the Tang dynasty and Silla, led by general Su Dingfang and King Munmu of Silla. The Japanese envoys detained in Chang'an are paroled.

source_section: Events › By place › Korea


text: Japanese forces, under command of Abe no Hirafu, massacre the Mishihase people in Hokkaido


text: After the fall of Sabi to the forces of Silla, the Yamato government sends envoys directly to the Chinese court for the first time


text: The Baekje–Tang War begins, involving Yamato forces in support of the kingdoms of Baekje and Goguryeo


text: The March of the Slavs, centred north of modern Klagenfurt, preserves independence and is first mentioned in historical sources, known as Carantania (Austria).


text: Prince Naka no Ōe no Ōji of Japan makes a Japanese clock for the first time at Asuka, by which he causes the people to know the hours.


text: Emperor Gao Zong suffers from an illness (possibly slow-poisoning). His wife Wu Zetian starts to rule the Chinese Empire.


text: King Sigeberht II of Essex is murdered by his brothers, Swithelm and Swithfrith, and other kinsmen for being "too ready to pardon his enemies"; that is to say, the Christians. Swithelm becomes king of Essex, with Swithfrith as joint-monarch for a period (approximate date).

source_section: Events › By place › Britain


text: Emperor Constans II is paranoid about the ambitions of his younger brother, Theodosius, and has him murdered. Having attracted the hatred of the citizens of Constantinople, Constans decides to leave the Byzantine capital and moves to Syracuse (Sicily).


text: Acca, bishop of Hexham (approximate date)


text: Mildthryth, Anglo-Saxon abbess (approximate date; died after 732)


text: Rupert, bishop of Salzburg (approximate date)


text: Genmei, empress of Japan (d. 721)


text: Yamanoue no Okura, Japanese poet (d. 733)


text: Leudwinus, Frankish bishop (approximate date)


text: John of Dailam, Syrian monk (d. 738)


date: July 9

text: July 9 – Battle of Hwangsanbeol: Sillan forces (50,000 men) led by general Kim Yu-shin defeat the army of Baekje at Nonsan. During the fighting general Gyebaek dies at the hand of the Sillan invaders.


date: December 1

text: December 1 – Eligius, bishop and saint


text: Boggis, Duke of Aquitaine (approximate date)


text: Magnus, bishop and governor of Avignon


text: Sigebert III, king of Austrasia (or 656)


text: King Conall Crandomna of Dál Riata (modern Scotland) dies, and is succeeded by his nephew Domangart mac Domnaill.


text: Xin Maojiang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty


text: Gyebaek, general of Baekje (Korea)


text: Conall Crandomna, king of Dál Riata (Scotland)


text: Sigeberht II, king of Essex (approximate date)


text: Wulfhere appoints Æthelwealh as king of Sussex, and Æthelwealh is baptized in Mercia. He receives the recently-conquered territories in modern-day Hampshire.