Byzantine Empire
- November 15 – Justin II succeeds his uncle Justinian I as emperor of the Byzantine Empire. He begins his reign by refusing subsidies to the Avars, who conduct several large-scale raids through the Balkan Peninsula.
- Justin II recalls his cousin Justin (pretender to the throne) to Constantinople; after accusations against him, he is placed under house arrest.
- Justin II sends his son-in-law Baduarius (magister militum) with a Byzantine army, to support the Gepids in their war against the Lombards.
- The Madaba Map is made in the Byzantine church of Saint George. The floor mosaic contains the depiction of the Holy Land.
Britain
- Columba, Irish missionary, spots the Loch Ness Monster on the River Ness present day Scotland and saves the life of a Pict.
Europe
- Summer – A war erupts between Alboin, the king of the Lombards, and King Cunimund, the leader of the Gepids.
Asia
- Gao Wei succeeds his father Wu Cheng Di as ruler of the Chinese Northern Qi Dynasty. Wu Cheng Di becomes a regent and Grand Emperor.
- The Uyghurs are defeated by the Göktürks, who expand their territory in Central Asia.
Arts and sciences
Religion
- January 22 – Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople is deposed as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople by Justinian I after he refuses the Byzantine Emperor’s order to adopt the tenets of the Aphthartodocetae, a sect of Monophysites. From April 12 he is replaced by John Scholasticus.
- Columba begins preaching in the Orkney Islands.
