Sixth Century

The sixth century comprises the period from 501 to 600 in the Common Era. It was a time of significant political and religious upheaval: the Western Roman Empire had already fragmented, while the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome) maintained its centre in Constantinople.

In the Middle East, Europe, and Asia there existed large states controlling commerce and territory. Towards the end of the century, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula, political and social conditions emerged that would herald the transformations of the seventh century.

Byzantine Empire and Europe

The Byzantine emperor Justinian I ruled through much of the century's middle decades. He is remembered for his effort to recover former Roman territories under Constantinople's rule, and for the legal work compiled and called the Code of Justinian. He also commissioned the construction of the great mosque or cathedral of Hagia Sophia. In Western Europe, smaller Germanic kingdoms—such as the Franks and Visigoths—occupied the territory.

Plague and Epidemic

In the middle of the century, a major outbreak of plague struck the Byzantine Empire and its surroundings, commonly known as the Plague of Justinian. It affected population numbers and the region's economic capacity. Mortality figures are not precisely known.

Asia

In China, the century ended with one of the reunifications of previously divided dynasties: the Sui dynasty reunified much of China by the century's end. In the Middle East, the Sassanid Empire of Persia competed with Byzantium over borders and trade routes. In northern Asia, Turkic nomadic confederacies emerged and controlled the passages of the Silk Roads.

Horn of Africa and East Africa

The Aksumite Empire in what is now the Abyssinian highlands was a powerful trading state controlling the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. In the sixth century, Aksumite intervention in Yemen is reported, stemming from rivalry between Byzantine and Persian powers in the region.