560s

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	5th century – 6th century – 7th century
Decades:	530s 540s 550s – 560s – 570s 580s 590s
Years:	560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments

This is a list of events occurring in the 560s, ordered by year.

By place

Europe

• Ceawlin of Wessex becomes King of Wessex (traditional date).
• Æthelbert succeeds his father Eormenric as king of Kent (traditional date).
• Adda succeeds his brother Glappa as king of Bernicia (traditional date).
• Aella becomes king of Deira (traditional date).
• Custennin ap Cado abdicates as King of Dumnonia, and retires to a monastery where he is eventually murdered. He is succeeded by his son Gerren II rac Dehau.

By topic

Religion

• Saint Columba quarrels with Saint Finnian over authorship of a psalter, leading to a pitched battle the next year.

By place

Europe

• Clotaire I dies, and the Frankish kingdom is divided; Sigebert I becomes king of Austrasia, Chilperic I becomes king of Neustria, Charibert becomes king of Paris, and Guntram becomes king of Burgundy.
• The Battle of Cúl Drebene is fought between the Northern and Southern Uí Néill.

Asia

• Wu Cheng Di succeeds Xiao Zhao Di as ruler of the Chinese Northern Qi Dynasty.

By topic

Religion

• July 17 – Pope John III succeeds Pope Pelagius I as the 61st pope.
• Jnanagupta begins translating Buddhist texts into Chinese.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Belisarius stands trial for corruption in Constantinople, possibly with Procopius acting as urban prefect.
• A peace treaty is signed between the Byzantine and the Persian empires.

Europe

• Sigebert I repels an attack on Austrasia by the Avars.

Asia

• Nan Xiao Ming Di succeeds Nan Liang Xuan Di as ruler of the Chinese Nan Liang Dynasty.
• The city of Taiyuan is rebuilt.
• Silla, by order of King Jinheung, wages war upon Gaya and conquers it.

America

• The Maya state of Caracol defeats Tikal in battle.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Justinian I re-consecrates Hagia Sophia after its dome is rebuilt.

By topic

Religion

• Saint Columba, the Irish missionary, founds his mission to the Picts and his monastery on Iona.
• The synod of Braga declares Priscillianism a heresy.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• November 14 – Justin II succeeds Justinian I as Emperor.

Europe

• August 22 – St. Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotland.
• Alboin succeeds his father Audoin as king of the Lombards.

Asia

• Hou Zhu succeeds Wu Cheng Di as ruler of the Chinese Northern Qi Dynasty
• The Uyghurs are conquered by the Göktürks.

By topic

Arts and sciences

• Agathias begins to write a history beginning where Procopius finished his work.

Religion

• January 22 – Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus.
• Columba begins preaching in the Orkney Islands.

By place

Europe

• Liuva I succeeds Athanagild as king of the Visigoths.
• Sigebert I, king of Austrasia, marries Brunhilda, and Chilperic I marries Galswintha, both daughters of the Visigothic king Athanagild.
• The Gepids are conquered by the Avars.

By topic

Religion

• John III, Patriarch of Constantinople, organizes a compromise between the Chalcedonians and Monophysites.
• The Second Council of Tours is held.

By place

Europe

• April 1 – King Alboin leads the Lombards into Italy; refugees fleeing from them go on to found Venice.
• Leovigild succeeds his brother Liuva I as king of the Visigoths.
• Æthelric succeeds his brother Adda as king of Bernicia (traditional date).
• Ceawlin of Wessex defeats Ethelbert of Kent at the Battle of Wibbandun.
• Sigebert I of Austrasia repels an attack from the Avars.
• Fredegund becomes the mistress of Chilperic I after the murder of Galswintha.

Asia

• The Turks and Sassanids succeed in destroying the Hepthalite empire.
• A Turkish khan sends emissaries to Byzantium.

By place

Byzantine Empire

• The King of the Garamantes signs a peace treaty with Byzantium.
• Invasion by the Lombards of northern Italy under Alboin.

Hispania

• Ascension to the throne of Liuvigild.

By topic

Religion

• The Nubian kingdom of Alodia is converted to Christianity, according to John of Ephesus.
• John of Ephesus completes his Biographies of Eastern Saints.