Editing 552 (section)

=== By place ===

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* [[July 1]] &ndash; [[Battle of Taginae]]: [[Narses]] crosses the [[Apennine Mountains|Apennines]] with a Byzantine army (25,000 men). He is blocked by a [[Goths|Gothic]] force under king [[Totila]] near [[Gualdo Tadino|Taginae]] ([[Central Italy]]). In a narrow mountain valley, Narses deploys his army in a "crescent shaped" formation.<ref>Rance, Philip. "Narses and the Battle of Taginae (Busta Gallorum)". ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'' Vol. 54, No. 4 (2005), p. 424</ref> He dismounts his [[Lombards|Lombard]] and [[Heruli]] cavalry mercenaries, placing them as a [[Phalanx formation|phalanx]] in the centre. On his left flank he sends out a mixed force of foot and [[Mounted archery|horse archer]]s to seize a dominant height. The Goths open the battle with a determined [[cavalry]] charge. Halted by [[Enfilade and defilade|enfilading]] fire from both sides, the attackers are thrown back in confusion on the infantry behind them. The Byzantine [[cataphract]]s (''[[Clibanarii]]'') sweep into the milling mass. More than 6,000 Goths, including Totila, are killed. The remnants flee, and Narses proceeds to [[Rome]], where he captures the city after a brief [[siege]].
* Emperor [[Justinian I]] dispatches a small Byzantine force (2,000 men) under [[Liberius (praetorian prefect)|Liberius]] to [[Hispania]], according to the historian [[Jordanes]]. He conquers [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]] and other cities on the southeastern coast.<ref>''Getica'', p. 303</ref> 
* Justinian I receives the first [[silk]]worm eggs from two [[Church of the East|Nestorian]] monks at [[Constantinople]]. They were sent to [[Central Asia]] (see [[550]]) and [[Smuggling of silkworm eggs into the Byzantine Empire|smuggled the precious eggs]] from [[China]] hidden in rods of [[bamboo]].

==== Europe ====
* [[Battle of Asfeld]]: The Lombards under King [[Audoin]] defeat the [[Gepids]].
* [[Cynric of Wessex|Cynric]], king of [[Wessex]], captures the fortress city of [[Old Sarum]].<ref name=Leeds>{{cite journal |last=Leeds |first=E.T. |year=1954 |title=The Growth of Wessex |journal=[[Oxoniensia]] |volume=LIX |pages=55–56 |publisher=[[Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society|Oxford Architectural and Historical Society]] |url=http://oxoniensia.org/oxo_volume.php?vol=59 |access-date=6 October 2011}}</ref>
* The [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath]] is established in [[Ireland]].
* [[Teia]] becomes the last king of the [[Ostrogoths]] in [[Italy]].

==== Asia ====
* [[July 11]] &ndash; First year of the [[Armenian calendar]].
* [[Emperor Yuan of Liang|Yuan Di]] succeeds [[Xiao Dong]] as emperor of the [[Liang dynasty]].
* [[Bumin Qaghan]] dies; the new khagan is [[Issik Qaghan]] of the Turkic Empire.
* [[Buddhism in Japan]] is introduced, according to the [[Nihon Shoki]].