420s

The 420s decade ran from January 1, 420, to December 31, 429.

Events

420

By place

Europe

• The legendary Pharamond is said to have led the Franks across the Rhine.^[1]

Persia

• Persian Empire
  .
• Abdas, bishop of Susa, is accused of burning down one of the fire temples of Ahura Mazda, and after refusing to rebuild it, he is executed, under orders of Shah Yazdegerd I.

Asia

• Liu Song Dynasty. Nanjing is reinstated as the capital of northern China.^[2]
• The
  Southern Dynasties begin in China.^[2]
• Guisin becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje.^[3]
• The Gupta Empire reaches its peak territorial extent under Chandragupta II

421

• February 8 – Constantius III is appointed co-emperor (Augustus) with his ineffectual brother-in-law, Honorius, and becomes the real ruler of the Western Roman Empire.
• March 25 – Venice is founded at twelve o'clock noon (according to legend) with the dedication of the first church, San Giacomo, at the islet of Rialto (Italy).
• June 7 – Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia, a woman of Greek origin. The wedding is celebrated at Constantinople with chariot racing in the Hippodrome.^[4]
• September 2 – Constantius III dies suddenly of an illness; his wife Galla Placidia becomes, for the second time, a widow. She departs with her children Grata Honoria and Valentinian to the court of Constantinople.

Europe

• Pannonian Ostrogoths to settle in Thrace, to defend the Danube frontier.^{[citation needed}
  ]
• The Franks conquer new territories in their kingdom and sack the old Roman capital Augusta Treverorum (modern Trier).

Persia

• Sassanids, sending an expeditionary force under command of Ardaburius, and invades Mesopotamia
  .
• Autumn – Ardaburius devastates
  Hirah
  .

• End of the
  Persia after 2 years of war. He agrees to a status quo ante bellum ("the state in which things were before the war"), and both parties guarantee liberty of religion
  in their territories.
• March 3 – Theodosius II issues a law to form provisions in peacetime. He instructs landowners leasing towers in the Theodosian Walls to assist with the build-up of emergency goods. Theodosius pays an annual tribute of 350 pounds of gold to the Huns in order to buy peace.^[5]
• Theodosius II receives a statue at Hebdomon, military parade ground on the shores of the Propontis, just outside Constantinople. On its base (fragments are now in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum), an inscription praises him as “everywhere and forever victorious.”
• The walls of Rome's Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum) crack during an earthquake.^[6]

Europe

• The
  Theudemeres with his family.^[7]

• Liu Song Dynasty (China
  ).

• Petrus, bishop of Illyria, starts construction of the Church of Santa Sabina
  (approximate date).

• September 4 – Pope Boniface I dies after a 4-year reign that was interrupted for 15 weeks, by the faction of the antipope Eulalius. He is succeeded by Celestine I as the 43rd pope.
• Approximate date – A monastic community is established at the Maijishan Grottoes.^[8]

423

• Italia, but not in Africa.^[9]
• Winter – Emperor Theodosius II refuses to recognize Joannes as emperor, and prepares for war. He mobilizes an expeditionary force under command of Ardaburius, and his son Flavius Aspar.

By topic

Religion

• Cyrrhus (Syria). He converts more than 1,000 Marcionites in his diocese.^[10]

• October 23 – Emperor Theodosius II nominates his cousin Valentinian, age 5, the imperial title nobilissimus Caesar ("most noble") of the Western Roman Empire. Valentinian is betrothed to Theodosius's own daughter Licinia Eudoxia, who is only 2 years old.^[11]
• Roman usurper
  cura palatii), to the Huns to ask for their assistance. After negotiating, he returns to Italy with a large force.^{[citation needed}
  ]
• Winter – A Roman army under the command of Ardaburius leaves Thessalonica (modern Central Macedonia) and marches for Northern Italy, where they make their base at Aquileia.^{[citation needed]}

China

• Liu Song Dynasty. Shao is exiled to Suzhou, and later killed by an assassin.^{[citation needed}
  ]

• Roman civil war: Summer – Joannes, Roman usurper, is defeated at the fortified city of Ravenna and brought to Aquileia. After a humiliating parade on a donkey and the insults of the populace, he is executed.
• Augustus) of the Western Roman Empire. Real power is in the hands of his mother who becomes a regent
  .
• Flavius Aetius leads a force of Huns (60,000 men) into Northern Italy. He reaches a compromise with Placidia, in return for obtaining the rank commander-in-chief (magister militum) in Gaul
  .
• The Huns advance unopposed on Constantinople, but are halted by a plague that decimates their hordes (see 433).^[12]

Israel

• The Sanhedrin is disbanded by the Roman Empire.

By topic

Arts and Sciences

• Last known usage of Demotic script in Egypt.
• c. 425–426 – Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is built.

Education

• February 27 – The University of Constantinople is founded by emperor Theodosius II at the urging of his wife Aelia Eudocia.

Religion

• Buddhism begins to spread to Southeast Asia.

426

• Flavius Aetius, Roman general (magister militum), ends the Gothic revolt of Theodoric I in southern Gaul.^[13]
• Rex Flavius Gundericus of the Vandals accepts the request of the Alans in Hispania to become their ruler (approximate date).^{[citation needed]}

Mesoamerica

• K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' becomes the founder of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization at Copán (modern Honduras
  ).

• City of God
  .
• Sisinnius becomes Archbishop of Constantinople.^[14]

• Bonifacius, Roman governor (Last of the Romans), revolts in Africa against Emperor Valentinian III. Under the influence of Aetius, he is convicted of treason by empress-mother Galla Placidia
  .

• The Roman province of Pannonia Prima is finally assimilated into the Hunnic Empire.

Asia

• The
  Western Asia and reduce the Sasanian Empire threat to the Eastern Roman Empire. King Bahram V sends an expeditionary force into Khorasan
  .
• King
  Gungnae City (modern Ji'an, Jilin) on the banks of the Yalu River to Pyongyang (modern Korea
  ).
• Biyu becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje.^[15]

428

• Flavius Felix is elected consul for the Western Empire and issues consular diptychs during his political office.

Europe

• King
  Genseric. He is styled with the title Rex Wandalorum et Alanorum ("King of the Vandals and Alans"). Genseric increases his power and wealth in the residence of the province of Hispania Baetica (Southern Spain
  ).
• King Vortigern invites a number of Germanic warriors to aid him in consolidating his position in Britain, according to the Historia Brittonum. He hires Saxons who are probably settled in Kent as mercenaries to fight against the Picts and the Scots beyond Hadrian's Wall.
• Aetius put an end to the invasion of Chlodio, king of the Salian Franks in Northern Gaul
  .

• October 26 – The planet Venus occults the planet Jupiter.

Religion

• April 10 – Nestorius is made patriarch of Constantinople. He preaches a new doctrine that will be called Nestorianism. It makes a distinction between the divine and human natures of Jesus but comes under immediate attack from pope Celestine I and Cyril of Alexandria.
• Hydatius becomes bishop of Aquae Flaviae in Gallaecia (modern Chaves) in Portugal.
• John succeeds Theodotus as patriarch of Antioch, and gives his support to Nestorius.
• Euthymius the Great builds a monastery in Palestine, near the Dead Sea.

429

• Spring – The
  Genseric ("Caesar King"), invade North Africa. They land with a force of 80,000 men including Alans, and Germanic tribesmen with their families from the Iberian Peninsula, across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. The Vandal fleet raids the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, and blockades the grain and oil supply to Italy.^{[citation needed}
  ]
• Genseric seizes lands from the
  Bonifacius, Roman governor, to retreat to the fortified coastal town of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba).^{[citation needed}
  ]
• Bonifacius, weakened by the civil war against empress Galla Placidia, sues for peace and is elevated to the rank of supreme commander (magister militum) of Africa.^[16]
• Emperor
  Jews to support schools have to be turned over to the state treasury.^{[citation needed}
  ]
• The Temple of Goddess Athena on the Acropolis of Athens is sacked. Athenian Pagans are persecuted.^{[citation needed]}

By topic

Literature

Religion

• Pope Celestine I dispatches two bishops from Gaul, Germanus of Auxerre and Lupus of Troyes to Britain combat the Pelagian heresy.^[17][18]
• archbishop of Arles.^{[citation needed}
  ]
• Domnus II, future patriarch of Antioch, is ordained as a deacon.^{[citation needed]}

Significant people

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Births

420

• Anthemius, emperor of the Western Roman Empire
• Ecdicius, Roman general (magister militum)
• Libius Severus, emperor of the Western Roman Empire
• Majorian, emperor of the Western Roman Empire
• Palladius, caesar and son of Petronius Maximus
• Valamir, king of the Ostrogoths (he is also thought to have been born in 425 AD^[1])
• Liu Song Dynasty (d. 477
  )

• August 8 – Casper, ruler of the Maya city of Palenque
• Genevieve, patron saint of Paris (approximate date)
• Roman empress (d. 493
  )

• Iamblichus, Syrian philosopher
• Zeno, Byzantine Emperor (approximate date)

426

• Liu Song Dynasty (d. 453
  )

• Brythonic
  king (approximate date)
• Qi Gaodi, Chinese emperor of the Southern Qi Dynasty (d. 482)
• Song Xiaowudi (d. 464
  )
• Plato, Greek philosopher (or 428 BC)^[19]

428

• Tuoba Huang, prince of the Xianbei state Northern Wei (d. 451)

429

• Liu Song Dynasty (d. 453
  )
• Zu Chongzhi, Chinese mathematician (d. 500)

Deaths

420

• Sassanid Empire
• Saint Porphyry, bishop of Gaza (Palestine
  )
• September 30 – Saint Jerome, priest and translator of the Bible
• Saint Abdas, bishop of Susa (Iran)
• Li Xin, duke of the Chinese state Western Liang
• Orosius, Christian historian and theologian (approximate date)
• Pelagius, British monk
  (approximate date)
• empress consort and wife of Mingyuan

• September 2 – Constantius III, emperor of the Western Roman Empire^[20]
• Jin Dynasty (b. 386
  )
• Li Xun, ruler of the Chinese state Western Liang
• Mary of Egypt, patron saint (approximate date)
• Ravina I, rabbi (teacher) and Jewish Talmudist

422

• September 4 – Pope Boniface I
• Abraham of Cyrrhus, Syrian hermit and bishop
• Fa-Hien, Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler (approximate date)
• Theudemeres, king of the Franks
  (approximate date)
• Liu Song Dynasty (b. 363
  )

• Roman Emperor (b. 384)^[9]
• December 23 – Ming Yuan Di, ruler of the Xianbei state Northern Wei (b. 392)
• Eulalius, antipope of Rome^[21]
• Tufa, Chinese princess and wife of Qifu Chipan
• Liu Song Dynasty (b. 343
  )

• Atticus, archbishop of Constantinople
• Gamliel VI, last Nasi (head of the Sanhedrin
  )
• Helian Bobo, emperor of the Chinese Xiongnu state Xia (born 381)
• Joannes, Roman usurper
• Mavia
  , Arab warrior-queen
• Sulpicius Severus, Christian writer (approximate date)
• Yax Nuun Ayiin I 15th Ajaw of Tikal
  (approximate date)

• Fu Liang, official of the Liu Song Dynasty (b. 374)
• Xie Hui, general of the Liu Song Dynasty (b. 390)
• Xu Xianzhi, official of the Liu Song Dynasty (b. 364)
• Zhang, empress dowager of the Liu Song Dynasty

427

• Sisinnius I, archbishop of Constantinople
• Guisin, king of Baekje (Korea)^[15]
• Eastern Jin Dynasty (b. 365
  )

• Gunderic, king of the Vandals and Alans (b. 379)
• Qifu Chipan, prince of the Xianbei state Western Qin
• Theodore of Mopsuestia, bishop and theologian

429

• archbishop of Arles
• Heremigarius, military leader of the Suebi

References