The First Millenium

[Vince]

588 has arrived!

Iberia (not to be confused with the Iberian Peninsula) is a kingdom east of the Black Sea that is now part of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. The Persians had forced Iberia to become tributary to them, but their new prince is planning to revolt.

In southern Britain, the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira unite to form Northumbria. Covering northeast England and southeast Scotland, it includes the only part of Scotland to fall to the Germans. The kingdom survives for four centuries.

A meteorite kills ten people in China.

The Lombards, still engaged in their successful conquest of most of Italy, officially convert to Catholicism.

 

[Vince]

589 is a very important year.

The Sui Dynasty defeats the Chen Dynasty, and after nearly three centuries, China is once again united. Those of you with very long memories will recall that the Chinese Empire had been larger than the Roman Empire and had actually sent an army to the edge of the Roman Empire, but had turned back. Then, corrupt officials had provoked the Yellow Turban Revolt, sending China into three centuries of division and civil war. But, China is united again. It has lost a lot of territory, though, and there will be trouble in Asia as a result.

The scholar-official Yan Zhitui (531–591) writes: "Paper on which there are quotations or commentaries from Five Classics or the names of sages, I dare not use for toilet purposes." And that, Folks, is the first historical reference to toilet paper.

“David†dies. We don’t know much about him. He was a Celtic Christian who resisted Catholicism, holding instead to the older Celtic Christianity. Thirteen centuries later, the Catholic Church made him the patron saint of Wales. A biography written six centuries after his death portrays him as an extreme ascetic who founded several monasteries. While on a pilgrimage to Constantinople, the Patriarch made him a bishop.

The Black Plague reaches Rome.

 

[Vince]

590 is a year of turning points.

Having reached Rome, the Black Plague kills Pope Pelagius II.

Gregory I, better known in English as Gregory the Great, was Pope from 3 September 590 until his death in 604. For the record, they made him a saint. He was the first monk to become Pope, and John Calvin would later admire him.

A prolific writer, Gregory at times clearly taught salvation by faith, while at other times showed a strong veneration for saints. He is most famous for sending missionaries to the Anglo-Saxons, heavily strengthening Catholicism in Britain. A competent and honest man, he is sometimes regarded as the first “Medieval Pope.â€

In Central America, a volcano buries the farming village of Joya de Ceren in sixteen feet of ash. Incredibly, no one is killed, as the people decide to flee before it is too late. Archaeologists have discovered a treasure trove of information on the foods they ate and grew, as well as their household utensils.

After blinding and then executing his father, Khosrau II ("The Ever Victorious) becomes king of Persia. Shortly afterwards, he flees for his life to Constantinople because a general has declared himself king. But Byzantium gets him restored to his throne. His thirty-eight year reign is marked by depravity and cruelty.

Columbanus, an Irish monk, begins extensive missionary work in the kingdoms of the Franks and Lombards, introducing the Celtic Christian custom of confessing your sins to a priest.

 

[Vince]

591 is an important year for the Italians.

Agilulf becomes king of the Lombards. Reigning until 616, he extends Lombardy's hold on Italy, defeats the Franks, Avars, Byzantines, and a few rebels, and makes peace with the Catholic Church, which he eventually converts to.

A swarm of locusts destroys much of Italy's harvest, and famine breaks out.

On May 21, the natives of southern Mexico complete construction of a Mesoamerican Ballgame court. The game has been played from 1,000 B.C. to the present. Rules vary, but players would hit a nine-pound rubber ball with their hips, trying to score points. In varying times and places, points were scored by hitting the opposing team's wall, or by hitting a ring mounted high on the side of the court.

 

[Vince]

592 is a good year for Byzantium.

The Byzantines retake Belgrade, in modern Yugoslavia, from the Avars.

The Byzantines ally with Khosrau II, king of Persia, to help him defeat a rebellious general. Byzantium's terms are harsh: in return for their aid, they receive dozens of Persian cities and other large areas of land. The victorious Persians never recover from this huge loss of territory and remain subordinate to Byzantium.

Suiko (592-628) becomes Japan’s first Empress. She spreads both Chinese and Korean influence, along with Buddhism. China extends its first official diplomatic recognition to Japan during her reign.

 

[Vince]

It's 593 and Byzantium is still on a roll.

The Byzantine commander-in-chief Priscus defeats the Slavs, Avars and Gepids on Roman territory south of the Danube, before he crosses the Danube into modern-day Wallachia (which is part of Romania in eastern Europe) to continue his series of victories.

Hormizd V briefly seizes control of the Persian Empire, but Byzantium's ally, King Khosrau II, quickly defeats him.

The Chinese build an altar to the Celestial Buddha, which is now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Urged on by Pope Gregory the Great, the Emperor restores Anastasius I of Antioch as Patriarch of Antioch. Strongly believing that the Pope is the head of the universal Church, Anasastius had been deposed and exiled by the Patriarch of Constantinople.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 594!

594

After thirty years of floods, a 30-year drought begins about this time in Peru in areas populated by the Moche people.

Byzantine Emperor Maurice disposes of Priscos, the brilliant general who has won a string of impressive victories, because Priscus disobeys the Emperor's order to spend the winter on the banks of the Danube so he can continue fighting the Avars. The Emperor installs his equally-brilliant brother Peter as the new commander, and General Peter goes on to win an impressive series of victories.

Japan officially recognizes Buddhism.

Gregory of Tours dies. The Catholic bishop of Tours, France, this poorly-educated man accurately recorded current history

 

[Vince]

We have reached the year 595!

76 kilometers southeast of Rome, the Lombards sack Terracina, a major Byzantine military outpost that controls a major highway.

Having broken up into a variety of kingdoms, India struggles with internal warfate. Assam, in northeast India, gets a new king. Struggling to survive, Assam allies with China, but a half century later it collapses.

Pope Gregory the Great sends Augustine of Canterbury to England. Known as the Apostle to the English, he later becomes the first archbishop of Canterbury and powerfully expands Catholicism in England.

Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, a successful businesswoman, marries Mohammed. She will later become his first convert.

 

[Vince]

Let's see what happens in 596.

Æthelberht of Kent is doing well. He is considered by some to be the third king of England, as he seems to have exercised a weak overlordship over the other German kingdoms in southern Britain. Married to the daughter of the Frankish king, he is establishing trade relationships with continental Europe. Although a pagan, he has invited Catholic missionaries to England, perhaps hoping to unify the people by a common religion.

Losing to the resurgent Byzantines, the Avars of eastern Europe tighten their alliance with he Slavs. It works, and the two kingdoms survive.

 

[Vince]

597

The Roman brand of Christianity is brought to Britain by Augustine, the missionary sent from Pope Gregory to convert the Saxons. Augustine founds a monastery and the first church at Canterbury, and is proclaimed its first Archbishop. He reaches out to the Celtic Christians who are already there, but they mostly reject Catholicism. He starts an abbey that teaches some classes to children, and today, known as "The King's School," it is the oldest school in the world.

In Scotland, Columba dies. Exiled for his part in starting a battle over a hand-written copy of Scripture, he had spread Christianity among the Picts of Scotland. Although later made a Catholic saint, he was a Celtic Christian whose followers resisted Catholicism for centuries.

 

[Vince]

It is now 598.

China begins a sixteen-year war against the Northern Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. Goguryeo wins, and two years later, the Sui Dynasty of China collapses.

About this time, Ali is born. He will later become the son-in-law of Mohammed. After his death, his followers will become the Shiite Moslems, as opposed to the Sunni Moslems.

Native Britons launch a massive attack on the Germans in northern England, trying to capture a German stronghold. But German kingdoms unite to annihilate most of the Briton army and expand their territory.

 

[Vince]

599 is another interesting year.

Rædwald becomes king of East Anglia, under the overlordship of Æthelberht of Kent, the third king of England. It will take him 17 years, but eventually Rædwald will defeat his foes, install the king of Northumbria, and become the third king of England.

The Chinese conquer Ordos in inner Mongolia. Today it contains 1/6 of all the coal in China.

Having made peace with (and lost a lot of territory to) Byzantium, Persia conquers Yemen, on the southern edge of the Arabian peninsula.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the seventh century, which does not make a sharp break with the sixth century. Here's what's happening in the year 600:

China receives its first Japanese ambassador.

Japan is still in the “Asuka Period.†Backed by the government and the military, Buddhism continues to grow, as does the power of the central government. And Japan is looking hungrily at the Asian mainland as an area of expansion.

In southern Britain, the Germans are blending together, and they include the Romans and the local Britons. “The “English†are forming.

About this time, the Welsh language is first put into writing. The remaining Britons, Romans, and Celts are being pushed back into Wales, and theâ€Welsh†are being formed.

Scotland, which had successfully resisted the Romans, is also able to resist the Germans. But the Irish are expanding into Scotland, blending with the Picts and other local peoples to form the “Scots.â€

 

[Vince]

Welcome back to the year 600!

In the Pacific Ocean, the Polynesians are exploring and expanding, and they have discovered America.

Polynesians begin settling in Hawaii, bringing pigs with them.

Around this time, Polynesians land in California and teach the American Indians how to build canoes.

Feb 16, Pope Gregory the Great decrees "God bless You" as the religiously correct response to a sneeze.

About this time, the Chinese begin printing books. They had already invented printing by carving letters and words onto wooden blocks, but the process is too slow to be very successful.

 

[Vince]

We're still in the year 600.

Somewhere in this century, King Songstan Gampo reigned over Tibet. Seeing that he was born with webbed hands and feet and a deformed face, the Tibetans declared him to be a god and made him their king when he was thirteen years old. A brilliant military strategist, he defeated various Chinese peoples and established the Tibetan Empire. He brought many cultural and technological advances to Tibet and introduced Buddhism to the nation, founding several temples.

There is no single date or place where the Koreans invent Tai Kwon Do. Over a period of centuries, the three Korean kingdoms had taught unarmed martial arts to their military, and during this century, Tai Kwon Do emerges.

 

[Vince]

Once again, we return to the year 600.

The entire world population is about 208 million people.

The Black Plague has been ravaging Europe for some time, and now smallpox appears in Europe for the first time.

Estonia, Sweden, and Denmark are Baltic nations separated by water. On the east, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union during WW2 but is now independent. Sweden is on the west, and Denmark is on the south. Around 600, all three tribes are becoming successful sea-faring nations, and the Viking pirates are becoming a major force. Plus all three practice pirating on each other. Estonia, however, has been raiding and pillaging Sweden so successfully, that Ingvar, a mighty warrior, becomes king of the Swedes. Ingvar personally patrols the beaches, watching for Estonians. But when he is able to make a peace treaty with the Danes, he is finally able to invade Estonia. He pillages his way to their capital, where he is killed in combat, but the Estonians get the message. They leave Sweden alone, and the Swedes expand as a powerful sea-faring tribe, eventually becoming an independent nation.

The game of chess, with slightly different pieces and rules, is now popular in India.

 

[Vince]

Would you believe that it is still the year 600?

The Hopewell Tradition refers to an interconnected trading system between American Indians in the United States. It's been declining for the last century and is no longer the most important US culture, although it still survives.

Massive droughts, followed by massive floods, on South America's Pacific coast cause two major cultures to decline and eventually disappear. The "Middle Horizon Period" begins.

About this time, the moldboard plow is invented in eastern Europe. By including a wheel or wheels, this plow cuts better furrows and larger versions cut more than one furrow at a time.

About this time, Pope Gregory the Great invents a new type of singing that eventually becomes "Gregorian Chant."

About this time, the Black African nations west of Ethiopia convert to Christianity.

 

[Vince]

At last! It's the year 601!

An Italian monk named Mellitus is sent to England as a missionary, where he becomes the first bishop of London. Eventually driven out by the Christians, he later returns and is named the third archbishop of Canterbury. He had a letter from Pope Gregory the Great advising him to convert the pagans gradually, integrating as many pagan customs into Christianity as possible.

Byzantium wins another victory over the Avars.

The Qieyun is published in China. Since China did not have a phonetic alphabet, they had a character for every word. This massive dictionary contains 16,917 character entries.

Eighteen year old Liuva II becomes king of the Visigoths in Spain. He organizes a powerful army to drive out the Byzantines, but two years later, his general assassinates him and seizes the throne.

 

[Vince]

602 is a bad year for Vietnamese, and even worse doe Byzantine Emperors.

China conquers northern Vietnam, ruling it for the next three centuries. During this time, there are various Vietnamese revolts, all of which are brutally crushed.

The Emperor Maurice orders his brother, General Peter, to spend the winter on the banks of the Danube. Peter had been made commander when the previous commander had refused an identical order. Peter’s troops revolt and march on Constantinople.

Constantinople's army joins the mutiny against the Emperor Maurice, and the masses join in against anyone who is wealthy. Maurice and his family are butchered as Maurice prays. Their heads are put on display and their bodies cast into the sea. A non-commissioned army officer, Phocas, becomes emperor. Pope Gregory the Great joyfully applauds Maurice's demise.

Phocas immediately lowers taxes and gets rid of corrupt officials who had been exploiting the farmers and the poor.

 

[Vince]

603 is another tough year for kings.


Persia declares war on Byzantium (again), beginning a long and disastrous war for the Byzantine Empire.

Determined to restore Arianism, General Witteric murders his king and becomes ruler of the Visigoths in Spain. During his slightly successful reign, he retakes some of his land from the Byzantines and forms an alliance with neighboring German nations.

The Turks kill their king.