540s

Below are some of the important events that happened from 540 to 549. It is distinct from the decade known as the 50th decade which began on January 1, 541 and ended on December 31, 550.

540
 Emperor Kimmei, reign of 29th emperor of Japan starts (540-571)McCullough, Helen Craig. (1966). 
 Ildibad succeeds Vitiges as king of the Ostrogoths. Yoshitsune: a fifteenth-century Japanese chronicle, p. 322.
 Vitiges of the Ostrogoths surrendered to the Byzantine army.Wolfram, Herwig. (1990).  History of the Goths,  p. 349.
Births
 Authari, king of the Lombards
 Pope Gregory I (approximate date) "Pope St. Gregory ('the Great')," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2012-10-15.
 Myrddin Wyllt, Welsh legend (approximate date)
Deaths
 Dignāga, Buddhist founder of Indian logic
 Dionysius Exiguus (approximate date)
 Empress Yujiulü, empress of Western Wei
 Empress Yifu, empress of Western Wei
 Fridolin of Säckingen Irish missionary
 Vedast, Frankish bishop 
 Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths

541
 Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague appears suddenly in the Egyptian port of Pelusium.  It spreads 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 North Africa.
 Totila is elected king by the Ostrogothic nobles after the death of his uncle Ildibad. 
 The Uyghurs come under the rule of the Hephthalites

 Births 
 July 21 – Wéndi, emperor of the Sui Dynasty

 Deaths 
 Adhurgunbadh, Persian general
 Eraric, king of the Ostrogoths
 Ildibad, king of the Ostrogoths

542
 Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague kills at least 230,000 in Constantinople.
 King Childebert I and his brother Chlothar I invade Visigothic Spain.

 Births 
 Xiao Min Di, emperor of Northern Zhou 
 Xiao Ming Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty

 Deaths 
 August 27 – Caesarius, bishop of Arles

543
 The Byzantine garrison (1,000 men) in Naples surrenders to the Ostrogoths. 
 King Khosrau I invades Syria.
 The Hephthalites threaten the Persian Empire from the East. They extend their gain more territory in Central Asia.
 King Pulakesi I starts the Chalukya Dynasty.

 Births 
 Brunhilda, queen of Austrasia (approximate date)
 Jing Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty 
 Wu Di, emperor of Northern Zhou

 Deaths 
 Octa, king of Kent (approximate date)

544
 Belisarius defeats the Gothic army under king Totila.
 King Khosrau I unsuccessfully attacks the Byzantine city of Dara.
 Ly Bi is made emperor and starts the empire Van Xuân (modern Vietnam).

 Births 
 Dugu Qieluo, empress of the Sui Dynasty 
 Jing Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty 
 Yuwen Xian, prince of Northern Zhou

 Deaths 
 Solomon, Byzantine general
 October 18 – Saint Wenna

545
 King Khosrau I signs a five-year truce with the Byzantine Empire.

 Births 
 Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib, father of Muhammad 
 Fei Di, emperor of Northern Qi

 Deaths 
 Budic II, king of Brittany (approximate date)
 Clotilde, Burgundian princess 
 Medardus, bishop of Vermandois (approximate date) 
 Stotzas, Byzantine rebel leader

546
 The Ostrogoths under king Totila retake Rome.
 Audoin succeeds Walthari as king of the Lombards.
  Audoin leads the Lombards across the Danube and becomes an ally of the Byzantines.

 Deaths 
 Walthari, king of the Lombards

547
 Belisarius recaptures Rome from the Ostrogoths.
 Theodebald becomes king of Austrasia.
 King Ida starts the kingdom of Bernicia. He builds Bamburgh Castle.
 The Tonkin revolt is stopped by the Chinese Liang Dynasty.

 Births 
 Pei Ju
 Empress Zhu Manyue

 Deaths 
 Theodebert I, king of Austrasia (or 548)
 Tribonian, Byzantine lawyer and writer of the Codex Justinianus.
 Maelgwn Gwynedd, king of Gwynedd (approximate date)
 Gao Huan

548
 Emperor Justinian I removes Belisarius from military service.
 Theudigisel names himself ruler over the Visigothic Kingdom.

 Births 
 Xiao Zhuang, crown prince of the Southern Dynasties (approximate date)

 Deaths 
 April 13 – Ly Nam De, emperor of Vietnam
 Theodebert I, king of Austrasia (or 547)
 June 28 – Theodora I, Byzantine Empress
 Theudis, king of the Visigoths

549
 Jianwen Di becomes ruler of the Liang Dynasty in China.
 Agila becomes king of the Visigoths.
 The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory is founded in Ireland.
 The Ostrogoths under Totila recapture Rome.
 Totila conquers the city of Perugia.

 Births 
 Jizang, Chinese Buddhist monk

 Deaths 
 Theudigisel, king of the Visigoths
 Tuathal Maelgarb, King of Tara
 Gao Cheng
 Emperor Wu of Liang
 Xiao Zhengde
 Princess Xu Zhaopei
 Zhu Yi

References