The First Millenium

[Vince]

And now it is 511.

Flavian II, bishop of Antioch, had tried to steer a middle course in the controversy over how many natures Jesus had, so the Patriarch of Constantinople had condemned him. Rioting breaks out in Antioch as a result.

Clovis I dies. As planned, his kingdom is divided between his four sons, but it is understood that they are still "the Frankish Kingdom." Still, the decision is a slow-moving disaster, resulting in a lot of internal discord. Two centuries later, Clovis's dynasty ends.

You might remember that Theodoric The Great had invaded Italy, finally assassinating King Odoacer and making Italy part of the Ostrogoth Empire. This year he becomes regent of the Visigothic Kingdom as well. Including Dalmatia, Theodoric is now ruler of almost all of southern Europe except Greece.

The great Indian scientist, Aryabhata, explains earth's rotation on its axis.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 512!

Strongly convinced that Jesus only had one Nature, Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I had not persecuted those who disagreed. But when those who believed that Jesus had two Natures begin rioting, he starts cracking down on the churches.

In Italy, Mount Vesuvius erupts again. The eruptions were so severe that those inhabiting the slopes of Vesuvius were granted exemption from taxes by Theodoric the Great, the Gothic king of Italy.

Usan-guk is an independent island nation 75 miles east of Korea. Silla, one of the three Korean kingdoms, invades this 24 square mile island and it surrenders without a fight. Then the Koreans forget about it.

 

[Vince]

513

General Vitalian organizes a revolt against the Byzantine Emperor. Insisting that Jesus had two Natures, Vitalian quickly wins over much of Greece, including the troops stationed there. A German himself, Vitalian took advantage of Byzantia's failure to pay its German troops properly. His other reason really was religious, and so many peasants joined his army that he soon marched on Constantinople with 55,000 men. After two years, however, he is defeated by the Byzantine Empire. Eventually, Vitalian becomes so prominent in the Empire that he is made consul, and a later Emperor, fearing his power, assassinates him.

 

[Vince]

514 is here!

Hormisdas (514-523) becomes Pope. A widower whose son later becomes Pope, Hormisdas strives to heal various schisms and even reconciles the church at Constantinople with Rome. His “formula†stresses the supremacy of the Pope and is eventually signed by over 2,500 bishops.

Aelle of Sussex dies. Having arrived in southern Britain with three boatloads of Germans, he had rapidly conquered a large area that is still known as Sussex today.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the year 515!

With the death of King Aelle, the kingdom of Sussex in south-eastern England begins a fatal decline.

It's a good year for Anastasius I, ruler of the Byzantine Empire. His forces defeat General Vitalian and Byzantia is secure...for now. General Marinus, loyal to the Emperor, wins a major naval victory over Vitalian.

 

[Vince]

516 is a good year for semi-legendary heroes.

The Germans suffer a major defeat from King Arthur at the Battle of Baden. As a result, Wales is kept free from German occupation and eventually develops into a kingdom in western Britain.

Sigismund becomes king of the Burgundians for the next eight years. He converts to Catholicism, founds a monastery, strangles his son, loses wars to the Franks, is eventually executed, and then they make him a saint. Go figure.

The Council of Tarragona is held in northeastern Spain. Only ten bishops attend, but it strengthens the Catholic Church in the Visigothic Kingdom.

 

[Vince]

I apologize, Folks. I posted for 517 yesterday, and it apparently didn't take.

Sigismund of Burgundy has his son strangled for opposing him. Bishops in Burgundy hold the Council of Epaone, which commands that all altars be made of stone, allows lighter penances, forbad attendance at Jewish banquets, and abolished the office of deaconess.

Buddhism is introduced to central China.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 518.

Scant historical evidence shows that Ethiopia had expanded all the way to Egypt in Africa. It had also expanded into Asia and had some control over the nation of Yemen. Dhū Nuwas, king of Yemen, converts to Judaism and begins wholesale persecution of Christians. He attacks and massacres Ethiopian garrisons and cities, killing as many as 20,000 Christians who refuse to renounce Christ.

Anastasius I, leader of the Byzantine Empire, dies. The commander of his palace guard,Justin I, a Byzantian soldier who is almost 70 years old and illiterate, becomes Emperor of Byzantia. A brilliant and competent leader, Justin immediately surrounds himself with competent advisers.

 

[Vince]

Let's see how things work out in 519.

Cerdic founds the kingdom of Wessex in south-central England. His kingdom survives for four centuries, ruled by his descendants, successfully blending native Britons and Germans into one nation.

In Ravenna, on Italy's north-eastern coast, rioters burn down all the synagogues. Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoth Empire that includes Italy, orders the city to pay to rebuild them.

Working together, the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople re-unite the eastern and western churches.

 

[Vince]

520 promises to be an interesting year.

After converting to Judaism, the king of Yemen had ordered the entire nation to convert, and he had begun persecuting Christians. Elesbaan King of Ethiopia , successfully invades, establishing Ethiopian control of South Arabia. Despite believing that Jesus had only one Nature, Elesbaan was later made a Catholic saint.

Theodoric the Great begins construction of his mausoleum in Italy. A circular structure that has a single 300-ton stone as its roof, it still stands.

Various Germans and British unite to form East Anglia on Britain's eastern coast. The kingdom remains independent for five centuries.

 

[Vince]

521 is a slow year.

Future Byzantine Emperor Justinian is made a consul.

Samson of Dol becomes a bishop in Brittany, an area in northern France. His mortal enemy is Conomer the Cursed, who had murdered his way to the throne of a small kingdom in Brittany. After working at it for years, Samson finally gets Conomer excommunicated.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the year 522 AD.

Feeling threatened by events, Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoth Empire (which includes Italy) starts arresting people. One of his victims is Boethius, a Roman nobleman who wrote "The Consolation of Philosophy" in prison, which becomes a popular Medieval book. Boethius is executed the next year.

Amalaric becomes king of the Visigoths in Spain. At the time, however, his kingdom is part of the Ostrogothic Empire and does not regain independence for another four years.

 

[Vince]

We have reached the year 523.

John I (523-526) becomes Pope. Already in bad health, he was forced by the Arian King Theodoric the Great of the Ostrogoths to travel to Constantinople to secure a moderation of Emperor Justin's decree of 523 against the Arians. Theodoric threatened that if John should fail in his mission, there would be reprisals against the orthodox Catholics in the West.

When Pope John returned to Ravenna, Italy, Theodoric had John arrested on the suspicion of having conspired with Emperor Justin. He was imprisoned at Ravenna, where he died of neglect and ill treatment.

Songyue Pagoda is built, the earliest known fully brick pagoda in China, in departure from the fully timber tradition. It still stands at a height of 40 m (131 ft). Its design tries to incorporate both Indian and Chinese architecture, and it seems to be an attempt to blend India’s Buddhism into Chinese religion.

Death of Martyr Arethas and over 4,000 with him, executed during the persecution of Christians by the Jewish Himyarite king Dhu Nuwas.

Modern Libya was part of the Vandal Kingdom in northern Africa. Fearing that the citizens of Lepis Magna, a major African city, would rebel against Vandal rule, the king had ordered that the city walls be destroyed. This was a big mistake, as Berber raiders sack the unwalled city this year.

 

[Vince]

It's time to look at the year 524.

Within France, the Franks defeat the Burgundians so decisively that Burgundy never recovers. It is eventually annexed and divided among the Franks.

In Mexico, the king of Palenque dies, and this Mayan kingdom goes four years without a ruler.

Ejutla, "The Place of Abundant Green Beans," is founded in southwestern Mexico. It is part of the Zapotec civilization, an advanced culture that included writing.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the year 525 AD.

Dionysius Exiguus, a Catholic monk, invents a calendar using “BC†and “AD.†Two centuries pass before an improved version becomes a world-wide standard. In English, his name means "Dennis the Little," referring to his humility. A brilliant scholar, his translations of various Church writings from Greek to Latin are still used. He wrote a treatise on basic mathematics, and reported that he was living 525 years after the birth of Christ without explaining how he reached that number.

The New Byzantine Emperor Justin I is feeling his oats. He rebuilds a Turkish city and names it after himself. He also marries Theodora, a former prostitute. Theodora eventually becomes the most powerful woman in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Convinced that Jesus had only one Nature, while Emperor Justin I was convinced that He had two, Theodora is regarded as a saint by the Orthodox Church.

 

[Vince]

And now it is the year 526.

Felix IV is Pope from 526 to 530. Theodoric the Great ordered him chosen, and the papal electors agreed. When Felix tried to appoint his own successor, the government forbad him to do so. But Felix was a favorite of the king and was able to get more benefits for the Catholic Church. Among them was a law requiring that cases of misconduct against the clergy could only be handled by the Pope.

Theodoric the Great dies, and his ten-year-old son Athalaric becomes king of the Ostrogoths in Italy. The Visigoths then regain their independence in Spain. His mother tries to raise him as a Roman, while the Germans want to raise him as a German. He responds by becoming an alcoholic.

A massive earthquake in the mid-East kills about a quarter of a million people.

 

[Vince]

It's 527 and we have news from Japan.

Iwai, a powerful Japanese governor, leads a revolt. The central government defeats him and takes a major step forward in consolidating its power over the nation.

Byzantine Emperor Justin I has time to appoint his nephew Justinian I as heir shortly before Justin dies. Later known as "Justinian the Great," he quickly becomes known as "The Emperor Who Never Sleeps." And Justinian the Great has a plan. He intends to restore the Roman Empire: all of it.

Sparce records tell us that Germans land on England's eastern coat a little bit farther to the north than Sussex. They form a kingdom called Essex which is usually ruled by neighboring kingdoms.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 528.

The new Emperor, Justinian I, is a busy man. He appoints a commission to codify all laws in effect. His cojpetent but unpopular advisers help him improve the Empire, but he is building opposition among those who benefited from the Empire's inefficiency.

An earthquake kills thousands of citizen in modern southern Turkey.

Yasodharman had become king of Malwa, a kingdom in central India formed after the powerful Gupta Empire had collapsed. He defeats the Hun invaders, halting their expansion into India.

 

[Vince]

529 is now in session.


The pagan University of Athens is closed and replaced by a Christian university in Constantinople. The university was 916 years old.

Julianus ben Sabar leads a revolt against the Byzantine Empire ruled by Justinian I, because of legislation outlawing the Samaritan religion. By 530 he had succeeded in capturing virtually all of Samaria. The revolt was marked by large scale slaughter of Christians and destruction of churches. By 531 the rebellion had been put down. Julianus himself was beheaded. Tens of thousands of Samaritans were killed and many were sold as slaves throughout the Middle East. Under persecution from the Byzantine Empire, the population of Samaritans now rapidly declines from hundreds of thousands to near extinction.

In Mexico, K'an Joy Chitam I comes to power in the Maya city of Palenque and rules for the next 41 years.

 

[Vince]

530 is an interesting year indeed!

Dioscorus, the legally elected Pope, dies only three weeks after being elected. Then, Boniface II becomes the first German Pope, reigning from 530 to 532. Rejected by the majority of the priests at Rome, he receives his office from the king of the Ostrogoths. Boniface II then forces the clergy to renounce Dioscorus.

Who discovered America? Ask any honest Irishman, and he'll tell you that it was Brendan the Navigator.
About this time, Brendan the Navigator, an Irish monk, embarks with 14 other monks on a fantastic voyage in search of Paradise. They have a rip-roaring sea-going adventure. 360 years later, over 100 manuscripts describe a trip along the Northern Atlantic and Arctic Oceans describing icebergs; glaciers; and several islands inhabited by monks, sheep, devils, Judas, food (with no people), and vegetation. Come back tomorrow for the exciting story of what really happened to this courageous group of sailors.

Hilderic, king of the Vandals, had converted from Arianism to Catholicism. His cousin Gelimer then deposes him. The Byzantine Empire is unhappy to hear this, and Emperor Justinian I starts preparing for war. The Emperor has a long-range plan: he wants to re-conquer the entire former Roman Empire, and he realizes that the Germans have become too weak and fragmented to stop him.

Belisarius is general of Byzantine forces, and this year he smashes the Persians twice when they invade Byzantium. The Byzantines are forced to pay heavy tribute every year in exchange for peace, and Emperor Justinian I has found the leader he needs.