581

Year 581 (DLXXXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 581 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	5th century 6th century 7th century
Decades:	560s 570s 580s 590s 600s
Years:	578 579 580 581 582 583 584

581 in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	581 DLXXXI
Ab urbe condita	1334
Armenian calendar	30 ԹՎ Լ
Assyrian calendar	5331
Balinese saka calendar	502–503
Bengali calendar	−12
Berber calendar	1531
Buddhist calendar	1125
Burmese calendar	−57
Byzantine calendar	6089–6090
Chinese calendar	庚子年 (Metal Rat) 3278 or 3071     — to — 辛丑年 (Metal Ox) 3279 or 3072
Coptic calendar	297–298
Discordian calendar	1747
Ethiopian calendar	573–574
Hebrew calendar	4341–4342
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	637–638
- Shaka Samvat	502–503
- Kali Yuga	3681–3682
Holocene calendar	10581
Iranian calendar	41 BP – 40 BP
Islamic calendar	42 BH – 41 BH
Javanese calendar	470–471
Julian calendar	581 DLXXXI
Korean calendar	2914
Minguo calendar	1331 before ROC 民前1331年
Nanakshahi calendar	−887
Seleucid era	892/893 AG
Thai solar calendar	1123–1124
Tibetan calendar	阳金鼠年 (male Iron-Rat) 707 or 326 or −446     — to — 阴金牛年 (female Iron-Ox) 708 or 327 or −445

The Sui dynasty (581–618)

Events

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Byzantine–Sasanian War: A Byzantine army commanded by Maurice, and supported by Ghassanid forces under King Al-Mundhir III, fails to capture the Persian capital, Ctesiphon, along the Euphrates.
• Maurice accuses Mundhir III of treason, and brings him to Constantinople to face trial. Emperor Tiberius II Constantine treats him well, and allows Mundhir with his family a comfortable residence.
• Al-Nu'man VI, son (de facto) of Mundhir III, revolts with the Ghassanids against the Byzantine Empire, after his father is treacherously arrested.

Europe

• Palace coup in Austrasia: New advisors break the peace treaty with King Guntram, and make a new alliance with his half brother Chilperic I, in which Childebert II, age 11, is recognized as Chilperic's heir.
• The Lombards under Zotto, Duke of Benevento, sack the abbey of Monte Cassino near Naples. The Benedictine monks who survive flee to Rome, but they return to the site, and rebuild the monastery.
• The Göktürks under Taspar Qaghan besiege the city of Chersonesos Taurica (modern Ukraine), located at the Black Sea; their cavalry keep plundering the steppes of the Crimean Peninsula until 590.

Britain

• The Anglo-Saxons under Ælla conquer Deira (Northern England) from the Britons. He becomes the first king of Deira (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).

Asia

• The Northern Zhou dynasty ends: Yáng Jiān executes the last ruler, 8-year-old Jing Di, along with 58 royal relatives at Chang'an. He proclaims himself emperor, and establishes the Sui dynasty in China.
• The "Great City of Helu", situated on the shores of Taihu Lake, is renamed Suzhou during the Sui dynasty (approximate date).
• In the Turkic Empire an interregnum begins, since there are several candidates to the throne: Talopien (late khagan's candidate), Ishbara (Kurultai's choice) and Tardu (western yabghu).
• Ishbara Qaghan, grandson of Bumin Qaghan, becomes the new ruler (khagan) of the Turkic Khaganate (Central Asia).
• The Sui dynasty begins.

By topic

Literature

• Maurice writes an encyclopedic work on the science of war (the Strategikon), which exercises a major influence on the military system.

Religion

• Second Council of Mâcon: In a council of Christian bishops in Mâcon (Burgundy), Jews are prohibited from serving as judges or customs officers.

Births

• Sun Simiao, Chinese medicine doctor (approximate date)
• Yan Shigu, Chinese author of the Tang dynasty (d. 645)

Deaths

• Feng Xiaolian, concubine of Gao Wei (approximate date)
• Jing Di, Chinese emperor of Northern Zhou (b. 573)
• Taspar Qaghan, ruler (khagan) of the Göktürks