__NOTOC__ Year 551 ( DLI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 551 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

By place

Byzantine Empire

* After the death of his cousin

Germanus Germanus or Germanos ( Greek) may refer to: People *Lucius Trebius Germanus, governor of Roman Britain around 126 *Germanus (died c. 290), possibly apocryphal martyr-saint tortured at the Pula Arena *Germanus (4th century), Spanish martyr-saint ...

, Justinian I appoints Narses new supreme commander, and returns to Italy. In Salona on the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

coast, he assembles a Byzantine expeditionary force totaling 20,000 or possibly 30,000 men and a contingent of foreign allies, notably Lombards, Heruls and

Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region during the 7th century. They became known as nomad ...

.J.Norwich, ''Byzantium: The Early Centuries'', p. 251 *

Gothic War Gothic War may refer to: *Gothic War (248–253), battles and plundering carried out by the Goths and their allies in the Roman Empire. *Gothic War (367–369), a war of Thervingi against the Eastern Roman Empire in which the Goths retreated to Mont ...

: Narses arrives in Venetia and discovers that a powerful

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

- Frank army (50,000 men), under joint command of the kings Totila and Theudebald, has blocked the principal route to the

Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...

. Not wishing to engage such a formidable force and confident that the Franks would avoid a direct confrontation, Narses skirts the lagoons along the Adriatic shore, by using vessels to leapfrog his army from point to point along the coast. In this way he arrives at the capital Ravenna without encountering any opposition. He attacks and crushes a small

force at Ariminum (modern Rimini). *Spring-

551 Malian Gulf earthquake The 551 Malian Gulf earthquake took place in the Spring of 551 in the vicinity of the Malian Gulf. It affected the cities of Echinus and Tarphe.Antonopoulos, 1980 Background During the 4th century, an earthquake took place in the Gulf of Corinth. ...

. It took place in the vicinity of the Malian Gulf. It affected the cities of Echinus and Tarphe.Antonopoulos, 1980 *

July 9 Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...

– Beirut is destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami. Its epicenter has an estimated magnitude of about 7.2 or 7.6, and according to reports of

Antoninus of Piacenza Saint Antoninus of Piacenza (or Placentia) (died 303 AD) is a patron saint of Piacenza in Italy. He is venerated as a saint and martyr in the Roman Catholic Church, with a feast day of 30 September. The saint was said to have been martyred at P ...

, Christian pilgrim, some 30,000 people are killed. * Autumn – Battle of Sena Gallica: The

Byzantine fleet The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state than ...

(50 warships) destroys the Gothic naval force under Indulf near Sena Gallica ( Senigallia), some 17 miles (27 km) north of Ancona. It marks the end of the Gothic supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea.

Europe

* Athanagild revolts against the Visigothic king Agila. Their armies meet at Seville ( Andalusia), and Agila is defeated. * 12,000 Kutrigurs appear in Europe led by Chinialus and others to assist the Gepids.

Persia

* Spring – Lazic War - Siege of Petra (550–551): The Byzantine army and their

Sabir Sabir may refer to: People Peoples and language *Sabir people, 5th–7th century nomadic people who lived in the north of the Caucasus *Sabir language, or Mediterranean Lingua Franca, a pidgin language People with the name * Salimallah Sabir (born ...

allies (some 6,000 men) under Bessas recapture the strategic Byzantine fortress of

Petra Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...

, located on the coast of the Black Sea. He orders the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

razed to the ground.Greatrex & Lieu (2002), p. 118-119

Asia

* Autumn – Xiao Dong, great-nephew of the rebellious general Hou Jing, succeeds Jianwen Di as emperor of the Liang Dynasty. Xiao Dong has no real power and Hou Jing controls the imperial government at the capital

Jiankang Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Chen dynasty (557–589 CE). Its walls ...

. * Bumin Qaghan, chieftain of the

Göktürks The Göktürks, Celestial Turks or Blue Turks ( otk, 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰰:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣, Türük Bodun; ; ) were a nomadic confederation of Turkic peoples in medieval Inner Asia. The Göktürks, under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) and ...

, founds the Turkic Khaganate. He unites the local

Turkic tribes The Turkic term ''oğuz'' or ''oğur'' (in z- and r-Turkic, respectively) is a historical term for "military division, clan, or tribe" among the Turkic peoples. With the Mongol invasions of 1206–21, the Turkic khaganates were replaced by ...

and throws off the yoke of the

Rouran The Rouran Khaganate, also Juan-Juan Khaganate (), was a tribal confederation and later state founded by a people of Proto-Mongolic Donghu origin.*Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2000)"Ji 姬 and Jiang 姜: The Role of Exogamic Clans in the Organizati ...

domination.

By topic

Arts and sciences

* Jordanes, Roman bureaucrat, publishes '' "The Origin and Deeds of the Goths"'' (approximate date).

Births

Ashina Ashina may refer to: *Ashina tribe, a ruling dynasty of the Turkic Khaganate *Ashina clan (Japan),_one_of_the_Japanese_clans *Ashina_District,_Hiroshima.html" ;"title="DF 7 of 80; retrieved 2013-5-4 ..., one of the Japanese clans *Ashina District, H ...

, empress of Northern Zhou (d.

582 __NOTOC__ Year 582 ( DLXXXII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 582 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

) *

Babai the Great Babai the Great ( , c. 551 – 628) was an early church father of the Church of the East. He set several of the foundational pillars of the Church, revived the monastic movement, and formulated its Christology in a systematic way. He served as a ...

, church father and theologian (approximate date) *

, Byzantine pretender (approximate date) * Umako Soga, leader of the Soga clan (d.

626 __NOTOC__ Year 626 ( DCXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 626 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

)

Deaths

* Jianwen Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b.

503 __NOTOC__ Year 503 ( DIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Volusianus and Dixicrates (or, less frequently, year 125 ...

) * Wen Di, emperor of Western Wei (b.

507 __NOTOC__ Year 507 ( DVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Anastasius and Venantius (or, less frequently, year 1260 ...

) *

Xiao Daqi Xiao Daqi (蕭大器) (524–551), courtesy name Renzong (仁宗), formally Crown Prince Ai (哀太子, literally "the lamentable crown prince"), was a crown prince of the Chinese Liang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of Emperor Jianwen (Xiao Gang ...

, crown prince of Northern Qi (b.

524 Year 524 ( DXXIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) on the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iustinus and Opilio (or, less frequently, year 1277 ''Ab urbe ...

)

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:551