Explore 13 historical events from 550–559.
The Byzantine Papacy was a period of Byzantine domination of the Roman Papacy from 537 to 752, when popes required the approval of the Byzantine Emperor for their episcopal consecr…
Pope Pelagius I is consecrated following Imperial approval by Emperor Justinian I
Justinian I, also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
Emperor Justinian I approved and consecrated Pope Pelagius I
Marculf was the abbot at Nantus in the Cotentin. He is regarded as a saint and is associated with the healing of scrofula.
Marcouf, missionary and saint
Constantinople was a historical city located on the Bosporus, which served as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman empires between its consecration in 330 and th…
In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction
Hilary of Galeata is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is 15 May.
Hilary of Galeata, Christian monk (born 476)
Pope Vigilius was the bishop of Rome from 29 March 537 to his death on 7 June 555. He is considered the first pope of the Byzantine papacy. Born into Roman aristocracy, Vigilius se…
Vigilius, first pope of the Byzantine Papacy (born 500)
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recogniz…
The Second Council of Constantinople begins
Totila, original name Baduila, was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic…
Totila, Ostrogoth king
The Battle of Taginae or Battle of Busta Gallorum took place in July of 552 AD, where Byzantines led by Narses defeated the Ostrogoths (Goths) under King Totila. The Byzantine vict…
Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Ostrogoth king, Totila, is…
The 551 Beirut earthquake occurred on 9 July with an estimated magnitude of about 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli inte…
An estimated 30,000 people died when a massive earthquake struck the Roman province of Phoenice.
Marculf was the abbot at Nantus in the Cotentin. He is regarded as a saint and is associated with the healing of scrofula.
Marcouf, missionary and saint
Hilary of Galeata is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is 15 May.
Hilary of Galeata, Christian monk (born 476)
Constantinople was a historical city located on the Bosporus, which served as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman empires between its consecration in 330 and th…
In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction
Justinian I, also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
Emperor Justinian I approved and consecrated Pope Pelagius I
The Byzantine Papacy was a period of Byzantine domination of the Roman Papacy from 537 to 752, when popes required the approval of the Byzantine Emperor for their episcopal consecr…
Pope Pelagius I is consecrated following Imperial approval by Emperor Justinian I
Pope Vigilius was the bishop of Rome from 29 March 537 to his death on 7 June 555. He is considered the first pope of the Byzantine papacy. Born into Roman aristocracy, Vigilius se…
Vigilius, first pope of the Byzantine Papacy (born 500)
Justinian I, also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized renovatio imperii. This ambition w…
Emperor Justinian I issues a Pragmatic Sanction in which he organises the renewed Roman rule over the recently…
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recogniz…
The Second Council of Constantinople begins
Xiao Ji (蕭紀), courtesy name Shixun (世詢), known by his princely title of Prince of Wuling (武陵王), was an imperial prince and pretender to the throne of the Chinese Liang Dynasty. He …
Xiao Ji, prince of the Liang dynasty (born 508)
The Battle of Taginae or Battle of Busta Gallorum took place in July of 552 AD, where Byzantines led by Narses defeated the Ostrogoths (Goths) under King Totila. The Byzantine vict…
Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Ostrogoth king, Totila, is…
Totila, original name Baduila, was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic…
Totila, Ostrogoth king
The 551 Beirut earthquake occurred on 9 July with an estimated magnitude of about 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli inte…
A major earthquake strikes Beirut, triggering a devastating tsunami that affects the coastal towns of Byzantine…
The 551 Beirut earthquake occurred on 9 July with an estimated magnitude of about 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli inte…
An estimated 30,000 people died when a massive earthquake struck the Roman province of Phoenice.