# 540

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Calendar year

This article is about the year 540.  For the martial arts kick, see [540 kick](/source/540_kick). For the area code, see [540 area code](/source/540_area_code).

Calendar year

Years Millennium 1st millennium Centuries 5th century 6th century 7th century Decades 520s 530s 540s 550s 560s Years 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 v t e

540 by topic Leaders Political entities State leaders Religious leaders Categories Births Deaths Disestablishments v t e

540 in various calendars Gregorian calendar 540 DXL Ab urbe condita 1293 Assyrian calendar 5290 Balinese saka calendar 461–462 Bengali calendar −54 – −53 Berber calendar 1490 Buddhist calendar 1084 Burmese calendar −98 Byzantine calendar 6048–6049 Chinese calendar 己未年 (Earth Goat) 3237 or 3030 — to — 庚申年 (Metal Monkey) 3238 or 3031 Coptic calendar 256–257 Discordian calendar 1706 Ethiopian calendar 532–533 Hebrew calendar 4300–4301 Hindu calendars - Vikram Samvat 596–597 - Shaka Samvat 461–462 - Kali Yuga 3640–3641 Holocene calendar 10540 Iranian calendar 82 BP – 81 BP Islamic calendar 85 BH – 84 BH Javanese calendar 427–428 Julian calendar 540 DXL Korean calendar 2873 Minguo calendar 1372 before ROC 民前1372年 Nanakshahi calendar −928 Seleucid era 851/852 AG Thai solar calendar 1082–1083 Tibetan calendar ས་མོ་ལུག་ལོ་ (female Earth-Sheep) 666 or 285 or −487 — to — ལྕགས་ཕོ་སྤྲེ་ལོ་ (male Iron-Monkey) 667 or 286 or −486

[Britain](/source/Sub-Roman_Britain) in the time of [Gildas](/source/Gildas) (c. 540)

Year **540** (**[DXL](/source/Roman_numerals)**) was a [leap year starting on Sunday](/source/Leap_year_starting_on_Sunday) of the [Julian calendar](/source/Julian_calendar). In the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire), it was known as the **Year of the Consulship of [Iustinus](/source/Justin_(consul_540)) without colleague** (or, less frequently, **year 1293 *[Ab urbe condita](/source/Ab_urbe_condita)***). The denomination 540 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [Anno Domini](/source/Anno_Domini) [calendar era](/source/Calendar_era) became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

## Events

### By place

#### Byzantine Empire

- Emperor [Justinian I](/source/Justinian_I) offers to make peace with [Vitiges](/source/Vitiges), but [Belisarius](/source/Belisarius) refuses to transmit the message. The [Ostrogoths](/source/Ostrogoths) then offer to support Belisarius as emperor of the West.

- [May](/source/May) – [Gothic War](/source/Gothic_War_(535-554)): Belisarius conquers [Mediolanum](/source/Mediolanum) (modern-day [Milan](/source/Milan)) and the [Gothic](/source/Goths) capital [Ravenna](/source/Ravenna). Vitiges and his wife [Matasuntha](/source/Matasuntha) are taken as captives to [Constantinople](/source/Constantinople).

- Belisarius consolidates [Italy](/source/Italy) and begins mopping-up operations, capturing the Gothic [fortifications](/source/Fortification). The cities [Ticinum](/source/Ticinum) and [Verona](/source/Verona) north of [River Po](/source/Po_(river)) remain in Gothic hands.

- [Ildibad](/source/Ildibad) succeeds Vitiges as king of the Ostrogoths, and installs his nephew [Totila](/source/Totila) as commander of the Gothic army. He recaptures [Venetia](/source/Venetia_(region)) and [Liguria](/source/Liguria) in [Northern Italy](/source/Northern_Italy).[1]

#### Europe

- King [Custennin ap Cado](/source/List_of_kings_of_Dumnonia) is deposed, and returns to [Dumnonia](/source/Dumnonia) in the [south-west](/source/West_Country) of [Great Britain](/source/Great_Britain).

#### Persia

- King [Khosrow I](/source/Khosrow_I) breaks the "Eternal Peace" treaty with the Byzantine Empire after eight years. Responding to an [embassy](/source/Diplomatic_mission) from the Ostrogoths urging action against Emperor Justinian I's expanding power, he leads the Persian army up the [River Euphrates](/source/Euphrates). Extracting tributes from towns along the way, [Khosrau I](/source/Khosrau_I) besieges and captures [Antioch](/source/Antioch). He plunders the city extensively, transporting valuable artworks, including marble statues and mosaics, back to [Persia](/source/Sassanid_Empire). [2]

#### Africa

- [Solomon](/source/Solomon_(magister_militum)) captures the [Aurès Mountains](/source/Aur%C3%A8s_Mountains) from the [Moors](/source/Moors) and extends [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine_Empire) authority over [Numidia](/source/Numidia) and [Mauretania Sitifensis](/source/Mauretania). The city of [Theveste](/source/Theveste) ([Algeria](/source/Algeria)) is restored and fortified.[3]

#### Asia

- [Jinheung](/source/Jinheung_of_Silla) becomes king of the Korean kingdom of [Silla](/source/Silla).[4]

### By topic

#### Religion

- [Cassiodorus](/source/Cassiodorus), former [Roman](/source/Roman_Empire) statesman, establishes a [monastery](/source/Monastery) at his [estate](/source/Estate_(house)) in Italy. The Vivarium "monastery school" is for highly [educated](/source/Education) and sophisticated men, who copy [sacred](/source/Sacred) and secular [manuscripts](/source/Manuscript), intending for this to be their sole occupation (approximate date).

- [Pope Vigilius](/source/Pope_Vigilius) rejects [Monophysitism](/source/Monophysitism) in letters to Justinian I and [patriarch Menas of Constantinople](/source/Patriarch_Menas_of_Constantinople).

- [Benedict of Nursia](/source/Benedict_of_Nursia) writes his [monastic rules](/source/Rule_of_Saint_Benedict), containing [precepts](/source/Precept) for his [monks](/source/Monk) (approximate date).

#### World

- [Global environmental](/source/Global_variable) cooling occurs, due either to a [comet impact](/source/Impact_event) or volcanic eruption in [Central America](/source/Central_America), evidenced by global tree ring growth diminution.[5][6][7][8] Recent evidence from Swiss ice core points to volcanic eruptions in Iceland.[9] Historical evidence records this earlier as the [Extreme weather events of 535–536](/source/Extreme_weather_events_of_535%E2%80%93536).

## Births

- [October 12](/source/October_12) – [Yōmei](/source/Emperor_Y%C5%8Dmei), emperor of [Japan](/source/Japan) (d. [587](/source/587))

- [Authari](/source/Authari), king of the [Lombards](/source/Lombards) (approximate date)

- [Columbanus](/source/Columbanus), [Irish missionary](/source/Hiberno-Scottish_mission) (or [543](/source/543))

- [Galswintha](/source/Galswintha), Neustrian queen, married to [Chilperic I](/source/Chilperic_I) (d. [568](/source/568))

- [Garibald I](/source/Garibald_I_of_Bavaria), [duke of Bavaria](/source/List_of_rulers_of_Bavaria) (d. [591](/source/591))

- [Pope Gregory I](/source/Pope_Gregory_I) ("the Great") (d. [604](/source/604))[10]

- [John of Biclaro](/source/John_of_Biclaro), Visigoth [chronicler](/source/Chronicle) (approximate date)

- [Myrddin Wyllt](/source/Myrddin_Wyllt), [Welsh legend](/source/Welsh_mythology) (approximate date)

## Deaths

- [Dignāga](/source/Dign%C4%81ga), [Buddhist](/source/Buddhism) founder of [Indian logic](/source/Indian_logic)

- [Dionysius Exiguus](/source/Dionysius_Exiguus) (approximate date)

- [Fridolin of Säckingen](/source/Fridolin_of_S%C3%A4ckingen) Irish missionary

- [Vedast](/source/Vedast), [Frankish](/source/Franks) bishop

- [Vitiges](/source/Vitiges), king of the [Ostrogoths](/source/Ostrogoths)

- [Yifu](/source/Empress_Yifu), empress of [Western Wei](/source/Western_Wei) (b. [510](/source/510))

- [Yujiulü](/source/Empress_Yujiul%C3%BC), empress of Western Wei (b. [525](/source/525))

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Herwig Wolfram](/source/Herwig_Wolfram), *History of the Goths* (University of California Press), 1990

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Rome at War (p. 56). Michael Whitby, 2002. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-84176-359-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84176-359-4)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Graham, Alexander (2002) [1902]. [*Roman Africa*](https://books.google.com/books?id=luzyhkMxwScC). North Stratford, New Hampshire: Ayer Publishing, Incorporated. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8369-8807-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8369-8807-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["List of Rulers of Korea"](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/koru/hd_koru.htm). *www.metmuseum.org*. Retrieved April 21, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["In 1986 I discovered that a series of Irish oaks exhibited their narrowest rings in the immediate vicinity of."](http://www.aryabhata.de/illig/baillie2.doc) 080205 aryabhata.de

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Baillie, M.G.L. (2007). Tree-Rings Indicate Global Environmental Downturns that could have been Caused by Comet Debris, Chap. 5 in Bobrowsky, Peter T. and Hans Rickman (eds.), *Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach*, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3-540-32709-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-540-32709-6), pp. 105–122.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Highfield, Roger; Uhlig, Robert; Derbyshire, David (September 9, 2000). ["Comet caused Dark Ages, says tree ring expert"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1354622/Comet-caused-Dark-Ages-says-tree-ring-expert.html). *Daily Telegraph*. Retrieved November 6, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["El Chichon eruption implicated in Mayan upheaval - BBC News"](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36086096). *BBC News*. April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Gibbons, Ann (November 15, 2018). ["Why 536 was 'the worst year to be alive'"](https://www.science.org/content/article/why-536-was-worst-year-be-alive). *Science | AAAS*. Retrieved June 19, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** R.A. Markus, *Gregory the Great and his World* (Cambridge: University Press, 1997), p. 3 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0521586085](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0521586085) {{[isbn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Isbn)}}: Check isbn value: checksum ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Isbn))

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [540](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/540) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/540?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.