Editing 539

{{short description|Calendar year}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{About year|539}}
{{for|highways|List of highways numbered 539}}
{{Year nav|539}}
{{M1 year in topic}}
Year '''539''' ('''[[Roman numerals|DXXXIX]]''') was a [[common year starting on Saturday]] of the [[Julian calendar]]. At the time, it was known as the '''Year of the Consulship of [[Strategius Apion|Strategius]] without colleague''' (or, less frequently, '''year 1292 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 539 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]] &ndash; [[Gothic War (535-554)|Gothic War]]: The [[Goths]] and the [[Burgundians]] recapture [[Mediolanum]] (modern [[Milan]]), after many months of [[siege]], the city reaching the point of [[starvation]]. The [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] garrison (1,000 men) surrenders and is spared, but the inhabitants are [[massacred]] (according to [[Procopius]] 300,000 people are murdered), and the city itself is destroyed.
* [[Belisarius]], still besieging [[Ravenna]], negotiates a treaty with [[Theodebert I]] (whose forces are suffering from [[dysentery]]), and the [[Franks]] retreat to [[Gaul]]. The [[Byzantine navy|Byzantine fleet]] controls the [[Adriatic Sea]] and [[blockade]]s the port of the capital from supplies.
* Emperor [[Justinian I]] becomes alarmed by renewed barbarian incursions across the [[Danube]] frontier from the [[Slavic peoples|Slavs]], the [[Bulgars]],  the [[Gepids]], and the [[Avars (Carpathians)|Avars]].<ref>The Making of the Slavs (p. 190–226). Florin Curta, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-511-49629-5}}</ref>
* [[November 29]] &ndash; [[Antioch]] is struck by an [[earthquake]].

==== Europe ====
* [[Walthari]] murders his uncle [[Wacho]] and becomes king of the [[Lombards]].

==== Asia ====
* [[Emperor Kinmei|Kinmei]] succeeds his brother [[Senka]], and ascends as [[List of Emperors of Japan|29th emperor]] to the [[throne]] of [[Japan]].

=== By topic ===
==== Society ====
* Fourth year of worldwide [[famine]], a consequence of the [[Extreme weather events of 535–536]].{{#tag:ref|Famine is described as "U539.1, Failure of bread" in the [[Annals of Ulster]].<ref>{{cite web
|author-link=Annals of Ulster
|title=The Annals of Ulster
|first1=Pádraig
|last1=Bambury
|first2=Stephen
|last2=Beechinor
|url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100001A.html
|edition=Electronic edition compiled by the CELT Team (2000)
|publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt
|year=2000 |pages=U539.1}}</ref>|group=n|name=failedbread539}}
</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib]], leader of the [[Banu Hashim]] and uncle of [[Muhammad]] (d. [[619]])
* [[Bertha of Kent|Bertha]], wife of [[Æthelberht of Kent]]
* [[Chilperic I]], king of [[Neustria]] (approximate date)
* [[Maurice (emperor)|Maurice]], emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] (d. [[602]])

== Deaths ==
* [[Emperor Senka|Senka]], emperor of [[Japan]]
* [[Wacho]], king of the [[Lombards]]

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

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

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[[Category:539| ]]