540s

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	5th century – 6th century – 7th century
Decades:	510s 520s 530s – 540s – 550s 560s 570s
Years:	540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments

This is a list of events occurring in the 540s, ordered by year.

By place

World

• Global environmental cooling probably due to a comet impact, evidenced by global tree ring growth diminution. Historical evidence records this earlier as the Extreme weather events of 535–536.

Eastern Roman Empire

• General Belisarius conquers Milan and the Ostrogothic capital Ravenna.
• The Sassanids attack Dara and capture Antioch.
• The Huns and Bulgars raid Greece.
• General Solomon captures the Aurès Mountains from the Moors and extends Byzantine authority over Numidia and Mauretania Sitifensis.

Europe

• Ostrogoth king Witiges is succeeded by Ildibad.
• High King Custennin ap Cado of Britain is deposed and returns to Dumnonia.

By topic

Religion

• Pope Vigilius rejects Monophysitism in letters to Emperor Justinian I and Patriarch Mennas of Constantinople.
• The former Roman senator Cassiodorus establishes a monastery, the Vivarium, on his estate in Italy. He enlists highly educated and sophisticated men to copy both sacred and secular manuscripts, intending this to be their sole occupation (approximate date).
• Benedict of Nursia writes his monastic Rule.

By place

Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire

• January 1 – Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius is appointed as consul in Constantinople, the last person to hold this office.
• "Plague of Justinian": Bubonic plague appears suddenly in the Egyptian port of Pelusium, spreading to Alexandria and, the following year, to Constantinople. This is the beginning of a 200-year long pandemic that will devastate Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa.
• John the Cappadocian is dismissed by Theodora for treason.

Europe

• Totila becomes king of the Ostrogoths.

Asia

• The Uyghurs come under the rule of the Hephthalites.

By topic

Religion

• Jacob Baradaeus becomes bishop of Edessa.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague, spread from Egypt, kills at least 230,000 in Constantinople (before counting stops) and perhaps two million or more in the rest of the Empire. The Emperor Justinian, renewer of the greatness of Rome's empire and patron of the world's greatest religious building, the Hagia Sophia, contracts the disease but recovers.

Europe

• Ostrogoth king Totila reconquers Naples, Benevento, and other parts of Italy.
• Childebert I captures Pamplona and besieges Zaragoza.

By topic

Religion

• The doctrine of apocatastasis is condemned by the Synod of Constantinople.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Belisarius is sent back to Italy to once more fight the Ostrogoths.
• Pope Vigilius is ordered to Constantinople.
• Khosrau I of Persia unsuccessfully attacks the Byzantine fortress of Dara.
• Battle of Cillium in Africa, and death of Solomon

Southeast Asia

• Ly Bi establish the Kingdom of Van Xuan (Vietnam) and the Ly dynasty.

By topic

Religion

• Jacob Baradaeus consecrates Sergius of Tella as Patriarch of Antioch. By this act, he creates a permanent schism between the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• The Ostrogoths besiege Rome.

Ireland

• The monastery of Clonmacnoise is built on the River Shannon.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• December 17 – The Ostrogoths under Totila retake Rome, bribing the Byzantine garrison.
• Pope Vigilius arrives in Constantinople to meet with Justinian I; future pope Pelagius is sent by Totila to negotiate with Justinian.
• The Byzantines ally with the Lombards against the Gepids.

Europe

• Audoin succeeds Waltari as king of the Lombards
• c. 546–548 – Mosaics of Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, are made (approximate date)

By place

Africa

• Battle of Marta - Tripolitanian Moors under Carcasan defeat Byzantines under John Troglita

Europe

• Ida founds the kingdom of Bernicia at Bamburgh (traditional date).
• Theodebald becomes king of Austrasia (or 548).
• Emperor Justinian and His Attendants, mosaic on north wall of the apse, Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, is made (approximate date).
• Empress Theodora and Her Attendants, mosaic on south wall of the apse, Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, is made (approximate date).
• The Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna is dedicated by Archbishop of Ravenna Maximianus of Ravenna.

By place

Africa

• Battle of the Fields of Cato - Byzantines under John Troglita crush Moorish revolt

By place

Byzantine Empire

• The Ostrogoths under Totila recapture Rome.
• Last circus races in Rome.
• c. 549–564 – Transfiguration of Christ, mosaic in the apse, Church of the Virgin, Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt, is made.

Europe

• Agila succeeds Theudigisel as king of the Visigoths.
• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory (which still exists) is founded in Ireland.
• Archbishop Maximianus of Ravenna consecrates the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.

Asia

• Emperor Jinwen succeeds Emperor Wu as ruler of the Liang Dynasty in China.