Editing 642 (section)

=== By place ===

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* Emperor [[Constans II]] marries [[Fausta (wife of Constans II)|Fausta]].

==== Europe ====
* [[April 30]] &ndash; [[Chindasuinth]], a [[Goths|Gothic]] warlord (already 79 years old), commences a rebellion and deposes King [[Tulga]] in [[Toledo, Spain]]. He is proclaimed king by the [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] nobility and anointed by the [[bishop]]s. Tulga is [[tonsure]]d and sent out to live his days in a [[monastery]].
* [[Radulf, King of Thuringia|Radulf]], a [[Franks|Frankish]] aristocrat, revolts against King [[Sigebert III]] of [[Austrasia]] and defeats his army, taking the title of ''rex'' or king of [[Thuringia]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Reuter |first=Timothy |author-link=Timothy Reuter |date=1991 |page=55 |title=Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056 |location=New York |publisher=Longman |isbn=0-582-08156-4}}</ref>

==== Britain ====
* [[August 5]] &ndash; [[Battle of Maserfield]]: King [[Penda of Mercia]] defeats and kills King [[Oswald of Northumbria]], age 38, at [[Oswestry]] ([[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]]). He commands a united [[Celtic Britons|British]] and [[Mercia]]n force, which includes the Welsh army of Kings [[Cadafael Cadomedd ap Cynfeddw|Cadafael Cadomedd of Gwynedd]] and [[Cynddylan|Cynddylan of Pengwern]]. The Mercians become dominant in the [[The Midlands, England|English Midlands]].
* [[Oswiu of Northumbria|Oswiu]] succeeds his half-brother Oswald as king of [[Bernicia]]. He strengthens his position by marrying [[Eanflæd]], daughter of King [[Edwin of Northumbria]], then in exile in the [[Kingdom of Kent]].{{sfn|Bede Book&nbsp;III|loc=[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/bede-book3.html Chapter&nbsp;XV]}} This marriage takes place between 642 and [[644]].

==== Persia ====
* [[Battle of Nahāvand]]: The [[Rashidun army]] (30,000 men) under [[Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas]] defeats the Persians at [[Nahavand|Nahāvand]] (modern [[Iran]]). The Persian cavalry, full of confidence, mounts an ill-prepared attack. The [[Arabs]] retreat to a safe area, where they outmanoeuvre and destroy the Persians in a narrow mountain valley.

==== Africa ====
* [[First Battle of Dongola|Battle of Dongola]]: [['Amr ibn al-'As]] sends an Arab expedition of 20,000 horsemen, under his cousin [[Uqba ibn Nafi]], to [[Kingdom of Makuria|Makuria]] (Southern [[Egypt]]). The Nubians strike hard against the [[Muslim]]s near [[Dongola]] with [[Hit-and-run tactics|hit-and-run]] attacks. The Arab incursions into [[Nubia]] are temporarily halted.

==== Asia ====
* Emperor [[Emperor Taizong of Tang|Taizong]] of the [[Tang dynasty]] issues a [[decree]] throughout China, that increases the punishment for men who deliberately inflict injuries upon themselves (most commonly breaking their own legs) in order to avoid military [[conscription]]. This decree is an effort to eradicate this practice that has grown as a trend since the time of the rebellion against the [[Sui dynasty]].
* Taizong [[Tang campaigns against the Western Turks|supports a revolt]] by Turkic tribes against the rebellious [[Yukuk Shad|Tu-lu Qaghan]] of the [[Western Turkic Khaganate]].
* Empress [[Empress Kōgyoku|Kōgyoku]] ascends to the throne of Japan, after her husband (and uncle) Emperor [[Emperor Jomei|Jomei]]'s death in [[641]].
* Winter &ndash; [[Yeon Gaesomun]] seizes power over [[Goguryeo]] ([[Three Kingdoms of Korea|Korea]]), and places King [[Bojang of Goguryeo|Bojang]] on the throne.