220s

The 220s decade ran from January 1, 220, to December 31, 229.

Events

220

By place

Roman Empire

The Goths invade Asia Minor and the Balkans.
An Indian delegation visits the Roman emperor Elagabalus.
Great frost in Roman Britain is said to have lasted for five months.^[1]
Imperator Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (Elagabalus) and Publius Valerius Comazon become Roman consuls.
Elagabalus divorces Julia Paula and marries Aquilia Severa, a Vestal Virgin. The wedding causes an enormous controversy – traditionally, the punishment for breaking celibacy is death by being buried alive.

Parthian Empire

King Ardashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty, gains support from some Parthian sub-kings and revolts against the rule of Vologases VI. Ardashir, a grandson of Sasan, had ruled Persis since 208 and six years earlier gained control of the region surrounding Persepolis.

China

March 15 – Cao Cao, Imperial Chancellor and ruler of the Kingdom of Wei, dies.
December 11 – Cao Pi receives the abdication of Emperor Xian of Han and proclaims himself emperor of Cao Wei. This ends the Han dynasty, the former emperor being created Duke of Shanyang.

By topic

Religion

The Wei dynasty gives official recognition to Taoism as its religious sect, and the sect’s celestial masters reciprocate, by giving spiritual approbation to the Wei as successors to the Han. By the end of the century, most powerful families in northern China have subscribed to Daoist principles.

221

By place

Roman Empire

June 26 – Emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir, and receives the title of Caesar.
July – Elagabalus is forced to divorce Aquilia Severa, and marries his third wife Annia Faustina. After five months he returns to Severa, and claims that the original divorce is invalid. The marriage is symbolic, because Elagabalus appears to be homosexual or bisexual. According to the historian Cassius Dio, he has a stable relationship with his chariot driver, the slave Hierocles.

Asia

May 15 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord and descendant of the imperial clan of the Han dynasty, proclaims himself emperor in Chengdu, Sichuan, and establishes the state of Shu Han.

222

By place

Roman Empire

March 13 – Emperor Elagabalus is assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies are dragged through the streets of Rome before being thrown into the Tiber.^[2]^[3]
Alexander Severus succeeds Elagabalus. He is only 13 years old; his mother, Julia Avita Mamaea, governs the Roman Empire with the help of Domitius Ulpianus and a council composed of 16 senators.

China

Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling: The Chinese state of Shu Han is defeated by Eastern Wu.

By topic

Commerce

The silver content of the Roman denarius falls to 35 percent under emperor Alexander Severus, down from 43 percent under Elagabalus.^[4]

Religion

October 14 – Pope Callixtus I is killed by a mob in Rome's Trastevere after a 5-year reign in which he has stabilized the Saturday fast three times per year, with no food, oil, or wine to be consumed on those days. Callixtus is succeeded by Cardinal Urban I.

223

By place

Asia

Battle of Dongkou: The Chinese state of Cao Wei is defeated by Eastern Wu.

224

By place

Roman Empire

January 1 – Gaius Bellicius Torquatus and Appius Claudius Julianus II begin their one year terms as the new Roman consuls.

Parthia

April 28 – Battle of Hormozdgan: King Ardashir I defeats Artabanus V, destroying the Parthian Empire, and establishing the Sassanid Dynasty.^[5] Artabanus V's brother Vologases VI will continue to rule, with Armenian and Kushan support, over outlying parts of Parthia.

225

By place

Roman Empire

Emperor Alexander Severus marries Sallustia Orbiana, and possibly raises her father Seius Sallustius to the rank of Caesar.

By topic

Art and Science

The first Christian paintings appear in Rome, decorating the Catacombs.

226

By place

China

A merchant from the Roman Empire, called "Qin Lun" by the Chinese, arrives in Jiaozhi (modern Hanoi), and is taken to see King Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, who requests him to make a report on his native country and people. He is given an escort for the return trip, including a present of ten male and ten female "blackish-colored dwarfs." However, the officer in charge of the Chinese escort dies, and Qin Lun has to continue his journey home alone.^[6]

Persian Empire

Ctesiphon, until now capital of the Parthian Empire, falls into the hands of the Sasanian Empire, who also make it their capital, after putting an end to the Parthian Dynasty in Iran.

227

By place

Roman Empire

Seius Sallustius is executed for the attempted murder of his son-in-law, Emperor Alexander Severus. Sallustius' daughter, as well as Alexander's wife, Sallustia Orbiana, is exiled to Libya.

Ireland

The rule of High King Cormac mac Airt begins (approximate).

Persian Empire

King Ardashir I annexes his new empire from the east to the northwest. He conquers, with his army, the provinces of Chorasmia, Sistan and the island Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The kings of the Kushan Empire and Turan recognize Ardashir as their overlord.

Asia

Dongcheon becomes ruler over the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.^[7]

228

By place

Roman Empire

Domitius Ulpianus, a Roman jurist and prefect, is assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, in the presence of Emperor Severus Alexander. His curtailment of the privileges of the palace guard becomes Ulpianus' downfall, who in the course of a riot at Rome is murdered, between the soldiers and the mob.^[8]

Persian Empire

King Ardashir I, four years after establishing the Sassanid Persian Empire, completes his conquest of Parthia.

China

c. February–May – Battle of Jieting: The Cao Wei Kingdom decisively defeats the Shu Han Kingdom.
June–October – Battle of Shiting: The Eastern Wu Kingdom defeats the Cao Wei Kingdom.

229

By place

Roman Empire

Emperor Alexander Severus and Dio Cassius are joint Consuls.

China

February–May – Battle of Jianwei: The state of Shu Han is victorious over the state of Cao Wei.
June 23 – Chinese warlord Sun Quan formally declares himself emperor of the Eastern Wu state. The city of Jianye (modern Nanjing) is founded as the capital of Eastern Wu. The independent kingdoms in Cambodia and Laos become Eastern Wu vassals.
Eastern Wu merchants reach Vietnam; ocean transport is improved to such an extent that sea journeys are made to the Liaodong Peninsula and the island of Yizhou.

By topic

Art and Science

Ammonius Saccas renews Greek philosophy by creating Neoplatonism.

Significant people

Births

220

Wei Guan, Chinese official of the Cao Wei state and the Western Jin dynasty (d. 291)

221

Liu Ling, Chinese poet and scholar (d. 300)
Yang Hu, Chinese general and politician (d. 278)

222

Marcus Aurelius Carus, Roman emperor (d. 283)
Du Yu (or Yuankai), Chinese general and politician (d. 285)

223

Ji Kang, Chinese poet and philosopher (d. 262)
Wang Hun, Chinese general and politician (d. 297)

224

Jungcheon of Goguryeo, Korean ruler (d. 270)^[9]
Liu Xuan (or Wenheng), Chinese prince (d. 264)
Marcus Aurelius Carus, Roman emperor (d. 283)
Mercurius, Christian saint and martyr (d. 250)
Pei Xiu, Chinese official and politician (d. 271)
Sun He (courtesy name Zixiao), Chinese prince (d. 253)

225

January 20 – Gordian III, Roman emperor (d. 244)
December 31 – Lawrence, Christian martyr (d. 258)
Trieu Thi Trinh, Vietnamese female warrior (d. 248)
Zhong Hui, Chinese general and politician (d. 264)

226

Lu Kang, Chinese general and politician (d. 274)
Wang Bi (or Fusi), Chinese philosopher (d. 249)
Saint Valentine, Roman patron saint (d. 269)

227

Herennius Etruscus, Roman emperor (d. 251)
Sima Zhou, Chinese prince and general (d. 283)
Zhuge Zhan, Chinese general and official (d. 263)

228

Paul of Thebes, Christian hermit (approximate date)
Wang Fan, Chinese politician and astronomer (d. 266)

Deaths

220

March 15 – Cao Cao, Chinese warlord of the Eastern Han dynasty (b. 155)
June 13 – Xiahou Dun, Chinese general serving under the Eastern Han dynasty warlord Cao Cao
December – Cheng Yu, Chinese official serving under the Eastern Han dynasty warlord Cao Cao (b. 141)
Fa Zheng, Chinese official serving under the Eastern Han dynasty warlord Liu Bei (b. 176)^[10]
Guan Yu, Chinese general serving under the Eastern Han dynasty warlord Liu Bei
Guan Ping, son of Guan Yu
Huang Zhong, Chinese general serving under the Eastern Han dynasty warlord Liu Bei
Lü Meng, Chinese general serving under the Eastern Han dynasty warlord Sun Quan (b. 178)
Bassilla, Roman actress, dancer and singer (approximate year)
Tertullian, first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature (b. 155)

221

August 4 – Lady Zhen, Chinese noblewoman (b. 183)
Dong He (or Youzai), Chinese official and politician
Mi Zhu, Chinese general and politician (b. 165)
Yu Jin, Chinese general serving under Cao Cao
Zhang Fei, Chinese general and politician

222

Elagabalus, Roman emperor (b. 203)
Julia Soaemias, mother of Elagabalus (b. 180)
Annia Faustina, Roman noblewoman and empress
Bardaisan, Syriac scholar and philosopher (b. 154)
Callixtus I, pope of the Catholic Church
Cheng Ji (or Jiran), Chinese general
Feng Xi (or Xiuyuan), Chinese general
Hierocles, favourite and lover of Elagabalus
Liu Ba (or Zichu), Chinese official and politician
Ma Chao, Chinese general and warlord (b. 176)
Ma Liang, Chinese diplomat and politician (b. 187)
Xu Jing (or Wenxiu), Chinese official and politician
Zhang Liao (or Wenyuan), Chinese general (b. 169)

223

May 6 – Cao Ren (or Zixiao), Chinese general (b. 168)
June 10 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord and emperor (b. 161)
August 1 – Cao Zhang, Chinese prince and warlord
August 11 – Jia Xu, Chinese official and politician (b. 147)
Xing Yong (or Zi'ang), Chinese official and politician
Zhang Ji (or Derong), Chinese official and politician

224

April 28 – Artabanus IV, king of Parthia
Du Ji, Chinese official and politician
Yang Biao, Chinese politician (b. 141)
Ji Yan, Chinese official and politician
Zhu Zhi, Chinese general and politician (b. 156)

225

Gaius Vettius Gratus Sabinianus, Roman consul
Gong Lu, Chinese official and politician (b. 195)
Sun Shao, Chinese official and chancellor (b. 163)
Xiahou Shang, Chinese general and politician

226

June 29 – Cao Pi, Chinese emperor (b. 187)
Farn-Sasan, king of the Parthian Kingdom
Shi Xie, Chinese politician and warlord (b. 137)
Xiahou Shang (or Boren), Chinese general

227

Han Dang (or Yigong), Chinese general
He Qi (or Gongmiao), Chinese general
Seius Sallustius, Roman usurper (Caesar)
Shi Hui, Chinese official and general (b. 165)
Xu Huang (or Gongming), Chinese general

228

Cao Xiu, Chinese general of the Cao Wei state^[11]
Domitius Ulpianus, Roman jurist and prefect (b. 170)
Jia Kui, Chinese general of the Cao Wei state (b. 174)
Lü Fan, Chinese general of the Eastern Wu state
Luo Tong, Chinese official and general (b. 193)
Ma Su, Chinese general of the Shu Han state (b. 190)
Meng Da, Chinese general of the Cao Wei state
Wang Lang, Chinese official of the Cao Wei state
Zhuge Qiao, Chinese official and general (b. 204)

229

Cao Li, Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state (b. 208)
Cao Yong, Chinese prince of the Cao Wei state
Zhao Yun, Chinese general of the Shu Han state

References

^ Stratton, J.M. (1969). Agricultural Records. John Baker. ISBN 0-212-97022-4.
^ Arrizabalaga y Prado, Leonardo de (2010). The Emperor Elagabulus: Fact or Fiction?. Cambridge University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-521-89555-2.
^ Burgess, Richard W. (2014). Roman imperial chronology and early-fourth-century historiography. Historia Einzelschriften. Stuttgart: Steiner. pp. 65–66, 121. ISBN 978-3-515-10732-7. Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
^ Hopkins, T. C. F. (July 8, 2008). Empires, Wars, and Battles: The Middle East from Antiquity to the Rise of the New World. Tom Doherty Associates. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-4668-4171-0.
^ Carter, M.G. (1989). "The History of al‐Ṭabarī: Ta'rīkh al‐rusul wa'l‐mulūk, an Annotated Translation, Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al‐Ṭabarī, General editor, Ehsan Yar‐Shater, various translators, vols. II, IV, VII, XVIII, XXVII, XXXV, XXXVII, XXXVIII, New York: State University of New York Press, 1985‐, SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies (ed. Said Amir Arjomand): Bibliotheca Persica (ed. Ehsan Yar‐Shater)". Iranian Studies. 22 (2–3): 137–141. doi:10.1017/s0021086200015978. ISSN 0021-0862.
^ "An annotated translation of the Weilue". Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2005.
^ "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
^ Chisholm, Hugh ed. (1911). "Ulpian". Encyclopæia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 567.
^ Pyŏn, Wŏl-lim (2005). The lives of Korean women in history. Seoul: Iljisa Publishing House. p. 121. ISBN 9788931205602.
^ Lühmann, Werner (2003). Konfuzius: aufgeklärter Philosoph oder reaktionärer Moralapostel? : der Bruch in der Konfuzius-Rezeption der deutschen Philosophie des ausgehenden 18. und beginnenden 19. Jahrhunderts. Harrassowitz. p. 68. ISBN 978-3-447-04753-1.
^ Crespigny, Rafe de (2010). Imperial Warlord: A Biography of Cao Cao 155-220 AD. BRILL. p. 459. ISBN 9789004188303.

[1] Stratton, J.M. (1969). Agricultural Records. John Baker. ISBN 0-212-97022-4.

[2] Arrizabalaga y Prado, Leonardo de (2010). The Emperor Elagabulus: Fact or Fiction?. Cambridge University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-521-89555-2.

[3] Burgess, Richard W. (2014). Roman imperial chronology and early-fourth-century historiography. Historia Einzelschriften. Stuttgart: Steiner. pp. 65–66, 121. ISBN 978-3-515-10732-7. Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.

[4] Hopkins, T. C. F. (July 8, 2008). Empires, Wars, and Battles: The Middle East from Antiquity to the Rise of the New World. Tom Doherty Associates. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-4668-4171-0.

[5] Carter, M.G. (1989). "The History of al‐Ṭabarī: Ta'rīkh al‐rusul wa'l‐mulūk, an Annotated Translation, Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al‐Ṭabarī, General editor, Ehsan Yar‐Shater, various translators, vols. II, IV, VII, XVIII, XXVII, XXXV, XXXVII, XXXVIII, New York: State University of New York Press, 1985‐, SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies (ed. Said Amir Arjomand): Bibliotheca Persica (ed. Ehsan Yar‐Shater)". Iranian Studies. 22 (2–3): 137–141. doi:10.1017/s0021086200015978. ISSN 0021-0862.

[6] "An annotated translation of the Weilue". Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2005.

[7] "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 18 April 2019.

[8] Chisholm, Hugh ed. (1911). "Ulpian". Encyclopæia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 567.

[Pyŏn-9] Pyŏn, Wŏl-lim (2005). The lives of Korean women in history. Seoul: Iljisa Publishing House. p. 121. ISBN 9788931205602.

[10] Lühmann, Werner (2003). Konfuzius: aufgeklärter Philosoph oder reaktionärer Moralapostel? : der Bruch in der Konfuzius-Rezeption der deutschen Philosophie des ausgehenden 18. und beginnenden 19. Jahrhunderts. Harrassowitz. p. 68. ISBN 978-3-447-04753-1.

[11] Crespigny, Rafe de (2010). Imperial Warlord: A Biography of Cao Cao 155-220 AD. BRILL. p. 459. ISBN 9789004188303.

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