Years: 548 549 550 551 - 552 - 553 554 555 556

Decades: 520s 530s 540s - 550s - 560s 570s 580s

Centuries: 5th century - 6th century - 7th century

Events

• July - Battle of Taginae: The Byzantine general Narses defeats and kills Totila, king of the Ostrogoths. Teia succeeds the deceased Monarch but Narses manages to recapture Rome by the end of the year.
• Silkworms are smuggled into the Byzantine Empire from China.
• Eutychius becomes Patriarch of Constantinople.
• Buddhism is introduced into Japan.
• Battle of Asfeld : Longobards under king Audoin defeat the Gepids.
• Liang Yuan Di succeeds Liang Yu Zhang Wang as ruler of the Chinese Liang Dynasty.
• Censored page, king of Censored page, captures the fort at Old Sarum.
• The Buddhist goddess Benzaiten is said to have descended onto the island of Enoshima in Japan.
• Gokturks establish first known Turkic state under the leadership of Bumin Khan.

Births

• Ethelbert, king of Kent and Bretwalda

Deaths

• July - Totila, King of the Ostrogoths.
• Bumin Khan, founder of the Gokturk state.
• Mennas, Patriarch of Constantinople