549

The Circus Maximus in Rome (1911)

Year 549 (DXLIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 549 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

• Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under Totila besiege Rome for the third time, after Belisarius has returned to Constantinople. He offers a peace agreement, but this is rejected by Emperor Justinian I.
• Totila conquers the city of Perugia (Central Italy) and stations a Gothic garrison. He takes bishop Herculanus prisoner, and orders him to be completely flayed. The Ostrogoth soldier asked to perform this gruesome execution shows pity, and decapitates Herculanus before the skin on every part of his body is removed.<ref>Saint of the Day, November 7: Herculanus of Perugia, archived by Wayback Machine</ref>
• In the Circus Maximus, first and largest circus in Rome, the last chariot races are held.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Europe

• January - Battle of Ciiil Conaire, Ireland: Ailill Inbanda and his brother are defeated and killed.<ref name="Charles-Edwards2006">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Agila I succeeds Theudigisel as king of the Visigoths, after he is murdered by a group of conspirators during a banquet in Seville.<ref>Isidore of Seville, Historia de regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum, chapter 44. Translation by Guido Donini and Gordon B. Ford, Isidore of Seville's History of the Goths, Vandals, and Suevi, second revised edition (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1970), p.21</ref>

Persia

• Spring – Lazic War: The Byzantine army under Bessas combines forces with King Gubazes II, and defeats the Persians in Lazica (modern Georgia) in a surprise attack. The survivors retreat into Caucasian Iberia.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
  • The Romans unsuccessfully besiege Petra, Lazica.

Asia

• Jianwen Di succeeds his father Wu Di as emperor of the Liang Dynasty (China).

By topic

Religion

• c. 549–564 – Transfiguration of Christ, mosaic in the apse, Church of the Virgin, Saint Catherine's Monastery in Egypt, is made.
• Fifth Council of Orléans: Nine archbishops and forty-one bishops pronounce an anathema against the errors of Nestorius and Eutyches.<ref>Council of Orléans Template:Webarchive at the Catholic Encyclopedia</ref>
• Bishop Maximianus of Ravenna consecrates the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.
• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory (which still exists) is founded in Ireland.

Births

• Abū Lahab, uncle and staunch critic of Muhammad (d. 624)
• Jizang, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 623)

Deaths

• January – Ailill Inbanda, king of Connacht (Ireland) (killed in battle)<ref name="Charles-Edwards2006"/>
• February 16 – Zhu Yi, official of the Liang dynasty (b. 483)
• December 12 – Finnian of Clonard, Irish monastic saint (b. 470)
• exact date unknown
  • Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Irish monastic saint<ref>Template:Cite bookTemplate:Dead link</ref>
  • Gao Cheng, official and regent of Eastern Wei (b. 521)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Herculanus, bishop of Perugia<ref name="Welch2015">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Theudigisel, king of the Visigoths (assassinated)<ref name="Wolf1999">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Túathal Máelgarb, king of Tara (Ireland)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Wu Di, emperor of the Liang dynasty (b. 464)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Xiao Zhengde, prince of the Liang dynasty<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Xu Zhaopei, princess of the Liang dynasty<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

References

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book