Middle Ages
Byzantine-Sasanian War of 602-628: Heraclius Against Persia
Byzantine victory after near-collapse; Persia returned its conquests, but both empires were exhausted on the eve of the Arab conquests.
Region
Europe
Middle Ages
Execution of Queen Brunhilda (613): End of a Merovingian Feud
Brunhilda and her great-grandsons were killed, and Chlothar II became sole king of all the Frankish kingdoms.
Middle Ages
Isidore of Seville's Etymologies (c. 625): Encyclopedia of an Age
An unfinished 20-book encyclopedia that became one of the most copied and consulted reference works of the Middle Ages.
Middle Ages
Sutton Hoo Ship Burial (c. 625): Anglo-Saxon Royal Treasure
One of the richest early medieval burials found in Europe, it transformed understanding of Anglo-Saxon wealth, craftsmanship and international contacts.
Middle Ages
Siege of Constantinople (626): Avars and Persians at the Walls
Byzantine victory; the Slav boats were destroyed in the Golden Horn and the Avar army withdrew, ending the threat to the capital.
Middle Ages
Staffordshire Hoard: Largest Anglo-Saxon Gold Find (c. 650)
The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found, now held jointly by Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent museums.
Middle Ages
Treasure of Guarrazar: Visigothic Votive Crowns (7th Century)
The finest surviving group of Visigothic goldwork, now mainly in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.
Middle Ages
Visigothic Code (654): The Liber Iudiciorum of Recceswinth
A single written law code for all subjects of the Visigothic kingdom, later translated as the Fuero Juzgo and used in Spain for centuries.
Middle Ages
Battle of the Masts (655): First Great Arab Naval Victory
Decisive Arab naval victory; Byzantine dominance of the eastern Mediterranean was broken, though the Arabs did not immediately exploit it.
Middle Ages
Church of San Juan de Baños (661): Visigothic Architecture
A small basilica that survives as the oldest securely dated church in Spain and a key example of Visigothic architecture.
Middle Ages
Umayyad Caliphate (661-750): The Empire Ruled from Damascus
The dynasty built the largest empire of its time and established Arabic and Islam across it, but was overthrown by the Abbasid Revolution in 750.
Middle Ages
Synod of Whitby (664): Rome or Iona for Northumbria
Oswiu adopted the Roman method of dating Easter; Bishop Colmán and many Irish-trained monks left Northumbria.