601

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Balkan Campaign: A Byzantine army under command of Peter, brother of Emperor Maurice, crosses the Danube and advances to the Tisza River, where it defeats the Avars.

  Europe

• The Franks, Merovingians and Carolingians successively control most of Europe, while strong feudal lords rise in power to gain the allegiance of the people.
• The Lombards under King Agilulf expand into Northern Italy, establishing a settlement with the Franks and maintaining intermittent relationships with Rome.
• Liuva II, age 18, succeeds his father Reccared I as king of the Visigoths. Reccared dies a natural death at the capital in Toledo after a 15-year reign.

  By topic

Arts and sciences

• The Qieyun, a Chinese character rhyme dictionary, is published.

  Agriculture

• Food production increases in northern and Western Europe as a result of agricultural technology introduced by the Slavs, who employ a lightweight plow with a knife blade, that cuts deep into the soil at grassroots level, together with a shaped board, or "moldboard", that moves the cut soil to one side.

  Religion

• The future Archbishops of Canterbury, and the future Archbishop of York Paulinus, are sent to England by Pope Gregory I to aid Augustine in his missionary work. Gregory writes the decretal Libellus responsionum to Augustine.

  Births

• Hongren, Chán patriarch of the Tang Dynasty
• Ma Zhou, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
• Sigebert II, king of Austrasia and Burgundy
• Zhangsun, empress of the Tang Dynasty

  Deaths

• March 13 or 600 - Leander, bishop of Seville
• Agilulf, bishop of Metz
• Reccared I, king of the Visigoths
• Sophia, Byzantine Empress