439

By place

Europe

Britain

• Battle of Guoloph: Vitalinus is defeated at the hands of Ambrosius Aurelianus and a combined force of Romano-British forces from across southern Britain.

  Roman Empire

• Litorius, Roman general, lays siege to Toulouse. During the decisive battle before the walls he suffers a severe defeat and is killed, and only the heavy loss of Visigoths makes King Theodoric I decide to agree to a provisional restoration of the status quo.
• Licinia Eudoxia, wife of emperor Valentinian III, is granted the title of Augusta following the birth of their daughter Eudocia.
• Greek becomes an official language in the Eastern Roman Empire.

  Balkans

• Winter - Hun and Roman envoys meet at Margum, an important market town on the Sava River. After negotiations, Attila and his brother Bleda, who are present, accept a four-point peace plan. Trading rights between the two states are confirmed and emperor Theodosius II pays an annual tribute of 700 pounds of gold.

  Africa

• King Genseric breaks his treaty with the Western Roman Empire and invades Africa Proconsularis.
• October 19 - Carthage falls to the Vandals. Genseric makes it his capital and establishes the Vandal Kingdom.
• The Vandals establish a North African granary that enables them to enforce their will on other nations, who are dependent on North Africa for grain and other food staples.

  By topic

Religion

• Isaac the Great, Armenian apostolic patriarch, dies at Ashtishat. He helped to develop a Greek-inspired alphabet, and translate the Bible, along with various Christian writings, into Armenian.
• The monastery of Mar Saba is founded near Bethlehem.