Editing 537

{{short description|Calendar year}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{About year|537}}
{{Year nav|537}}
{{M1 year in topic}}
[[File:Walls of Rome 6th century (cropped).png|thumb|259px|[[Aurelian Walls]] during the [[Siege of Rome (537–538)|Siege of Rome]]]]
[[File:Boys King Arthur - N. C. Wyeth - p306.jpg|thumb|259px|The combat of [[King Arthur]] and [[Mordred]]]]
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Year '''537''' ('''[[Roman numerals|DXXXVII]]''') was a [[common year starting on Thursday]] of the [[Julian calendar]]. At the time, it was known as the '''Second year after the Consulship of Belisarius''' (or, less frequently, '''year 1290 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 537 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [[Anno Domini]] [[calendar era]] became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== By place ===

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* [[March 2]] &ndash; [[Siege of Rome (537–538)|Siege of Rome]]: The [[Ostrogoths|Ostrogothic]] army (45,000 men) under King [[Vitiges]] begins the [[siege]] of the city. [[Belisarius]] conducts a delaying action outside the [[Piazza del Popolo|Flaminian Gate]]; he and a detachment of his ''[[Bucellarius|bucellarii]]'' are almost cut off.<ref>Bury (1923), Ch. XIX, p. 182–183</ref>
* Vitiges sets up seven camps, overlooking the main gates and access routes to the city, in order to starve it out. He blocks the [[Roman aqueduct]]s that are supplying [[Rome]] with water, necessary both for drinking and for operating the [[Gristmill|corn mills]].<ref>Bury (1923), Ch. XIX, p. 185</ref>
* [[March 21]] &ndash; Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern [[Aurelian Walls|city walls]] with four [[siege tower]]s, but is repulsed at the [[Porta Maggiore|Praenestine Gate]], known as the ''[[Vivarium (Rome)|Vivarium]]'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals [[Bessas (magister militum)|Bessas]] and [[Peranius]].<ref>Procopius, ''De Bello Gothico'' I.XXIII</ref>
* [[April]] &ndash; The Goths capture the ''[[Portus|Portus Claudii]]'' at [[Ostia Antica|Ostia]]; the harbor is left unguarded by the Romans. Belisarius is forced to unload his supplies at [[Antium]]; he sends urgent messages for reinforcements to [[Constantinople]].<ref>Procopius, ''De Bello Gothico'' I.XXVII</ref>
* [[April 9]] &ndash; Belisarius receives his promised reinforcements: 1,600 cavalry, mostly of [[Huns|Hunnic]] or [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] origin and expert [[Archery|bowmen]]. Despite shortages, he starts raids against the Gothic camps and Vitiges is forced into a stalemate.<ref>Bury (1923), Ch. XIX, p. 188</ref> 
* [[June]] &ndash; In Rome, [[famine]] brings the city to despair; Belisarius sends his secretary [[Procopius]] to [[Naples]] for more reinforcements and supplies. Vitiges arranges a three-month [[armistice]] for Gothic envoys to travel to Constantinople.<ref>Procopius, ''De Bello Gothico'' II.VI</ref>
* [[November]] &ndash; Belisarius brings his long-awaited reinforcements, namely 3,000 [[Isauria]]ns and 1,800 cavalry embarked in Ostia, along with a supply convoy, safely to Rome. The Goths are forced to abandon the ''Portus Claudii''.<ref>Procopius, ''De Bello Gothico'' II.V</ref>
* [[December]] &ndash; Belisarius sends [[John (nephew of Vitalian)|John "the Sanguinary"]] with a force of 2,000 men towards [[Picenum]], to plunder the east coast of [[Italy]]. He arrives at Ariminum ([[Rimini]]), where he is welcomed by the local Roman population.<ref>Procopius, ''De Bello Gothico'', II.VII</ref>   
* [[December 27]] &ndash; The construction of the [[Hagia Sophia]] in [[Constantinople]] (begun in [[532]]) is completed.

==== Britain ====
* [[Battle of Camlann]]: [[King Arthur]] fights his last battle against the forces of his rebellious son (or nephew) [[Mordred]], and is mortally wounded (according to the 10th-century ''[[Annales Cambriae]]'').

==== Africa ====
* Spring &ndash; Battle of Scalas Veteres (6 km south of [[Carthage]], in the [[Praetorian prefecture of Africa]]): Byzantine troops under [[Germanus (cousin of Justinian I)|Germanus]] crush a large-scale [[mutiny]]. [[Stotzas]], leader of the rebellion, flees with a handful of followers to [[Mauretania]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bury|1958|pp=144–145}}</ref>

==== Asia ====
* [[Eastern Wei]] sends an advance guard of three army columns through the [[Tongguan County|Tong Pass]], to attack [[Western Wei]]. The Western army under [[Yuwen Tai|Yu-Wen Tai]] defeats one of the columns while the others retreat. Yu-Wen follows up, but runs into the main Eastern army (200,000 men). The Westerners are pushed back through the pass, and the Eastern army emerges from the mountains. Unexpectedly they are charged in the flank by 10,000 Western cavalry, and 6,000 Easterners are killed and 70,000 captured.<ref>Imperial Chinese Armies (p. 42). C.J. Peers, 1995. {{ISBN|978-1-85532-514-2}}</ref>
* [[John Cottistis]] starts a short-lived rebellion against [[Justinian I]]. He is declared emperor at [[Dara (Mesopotamia)|Dara]], but is killed four days later by conspiring soldiers.<ref name="Martindale, Jones 1992 p. 639-40">{{harvnb|Martindale|Jones|Morris|1992|pp=639–640}}</ref>

==== America ====
* [[Yaxchilan]] captures the [[ajaws]] of [[Bonampak]], [[El Palma|Lakamtuun]], and [[Calakmul]], at the outset of the [[First Tikal-Calakmul War]].

=== By topic ===

==== Construction ====
* The [[Aqua Virgo]] aqueduct is destroyed by the Goths; they try to use the underground channel as a secret route to invade Rome.<ref>Procopius, ''De Bello Gothico'' II.IX</ref>

==== Religion ====
* [[March 29]] &ndash; [[Pope Vigilius]] succeeds [[Pope Silverius|Silverius]] as the 59th [[pope]], when the latter is deposed by Belisarius at the order of Justinian I.

==== Society ====
* Second year of worldwide [[famine]], a consequence of the [[extreme weather events of 535–536]].{{#tag:ref|Famine is described as "AI537.1, Failure of bread" in the [[Annals of Inisfallen]].{{sfn|Mac Airt|2000–2008|pp=AI537.1}}|group=n|name=failedbread537}}
</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[Agilulf (Bishop of Metz)|Agilulf]], [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz|bishop of Metz]] (approximate date) 
* [[Chen Chang]], prince of the [[Chen dynasty]] (d. [[560]])
* [[Emperor Gong of Western Wei|Gong Di]], emperor of [[Western Wei]] (d. [[557]])
* [[Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi|Wu Cheng Di]], emperor of [[Northern Qi]] (d. [[569]])

== Deaths ==
* [[December 2]] &ndash; [[Pope Silverius]]
* [[Arthur Pendragon|King Arthur]], [[King of the Britons]], in the [[Battle of Camlann]] (historicity debated)
* [[Mordred]], son (or nephew) of King Arthur, also in the Battle of Camlann
* [[Fortunatus of Todi|Fortunatus]], [[Diocese of Todi|Bishop of Todi]]
* [[Gartnait I of the Picts|Gartnait I]], King of the [[Picts]]
* [[Husi Chun]], general of [[Northern Wei]] (b. [[495]])
* [[Isidore of Miletus]], Byzantine [[architect]]
* [[John Cottistis]], Byzantine usurper 
* [[Maine mac Cearbhall]], king of [[Uí Maine]] (or [[531]])
* [[Saint Vigor|Vigor]], [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux|Bishop of Bayeux]]

== Notes and references ==

=== Notes ===
{{reflist|group=n}}

=== References ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Secondary sources ===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal
|author-link=Annals of Inisfallen
|title=Annals of Inisfallen
|last=Mac Airt
|first=Seán
|edition=Electronic edition compiled by Beatrix Färber
|publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt
|url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100004/
|website=UCC
|year=2000–2008
}}
*{{cite book|last=Bury|first=John Bagnell|title=History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian, Volume 2|author-link=J. B. Bury|location=Mineola, New York|publisher=Dover Publications Incorporated|year=1958|isbn=0-486-20399-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JxWifqqPtUcC}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Martindale|editor1-first=John Robert|editor2-last=Jones|editor2-first=Arnold Hugh Martin|editor3-last=Morris|editor3-first=J.|title=The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume III: A.D. 527–641|year=1992|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-20160-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ElkwedRWCXkC}}
{{refend}}

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