537

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	5th century – 6th century – 7th century
Decades:	500s  510s  520s  – 530s –  540s  550s  560s
Years:	534 535 536 – 537 – 538 539 540

537 by topic

Politics

State leaders – Sovereign states

Birth and death categories

Births – Deaths

Establishment and disestablishment categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

537 in other calendars

Gregorian calendar	537 DXXXVII
Ab urbe condita	1290
Assyrian calendar	5287
Bengali calendar	−56
Berber calendar	1487
Buddhist calendar	1081
Burmese calendar	−101
Byzantine calendar	6045–6046
Chinese calendar	丙辰年 (Fire Dragon) 3233 or 3173     — to — 丁巳年 (Fire Snake) 3234 or 3174
Coptic calendar	253–254
Discordian calendar	1703
Ethiopian calendar	529–530
Hebrew calendar	4297–4298
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	593–594
- Shaka Samvat	459–460
- Kali Yuga	3638–3639
Holocene calendar	10537
Iranian calendar	85 BP – 84 BP
Islamic calendar	88 BH – 87 BH
Julian calendar	537 DXXXVII
Korean calendar	2870
Minguo calendar	1375 before ROC 民前1375年
Seleucid era	848/849 AG
Thai solar calendar	1079–1080

Aurelian Walls during the Siege of Rome

The combat of king Arthur and Mordred

Year 537 (DXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Second year after the Consulship of Belisarius (or, less frequently, year 1290 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 537 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.

Events

By place

Byzantine Empire

• March 2 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army (45,000 men) under king Vitiges begin the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate, he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.^[1]
• Vitiges set up seven camps, overlooking the main gates and access routes to the city, in order to starve it out. He blocks the Roman aqueducts that are supplying Rome with water, necessary both for drinking and for operating the corn mills.^[2]
• March 21 – Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls with four siege towers, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius.^[3]
• April – The Goths capture the Portus Claudii at Ostia, the harbor is left unguarded by the Romans. Belisarius is forced to unload his supplies at Antium (modern Anzio), he sends urgent messages for reinforcements to Constantinople.^[4]
• April 9 – Belisarius receives his promised reinforcements, 1,600 cavalry, mostly of Hunnic or Slavic origin and expert bowmen. He starts, despite of shortages, raids against the Gothic camps and Vitiges is forced into a stalemate.^[5]
• June – In Rome, famine brings the city to despair, Belisarius sends his secretary Procopius to Naples for more reinforcements and supplies. Vitiges arranges a three-month armistice for Gothic envoys to travel to Constantinople.^[6]
• November – Belisarius brings his long-awaited reinforcements, namely 3,000 Isaurians and 1,800 cavalry embarked in Ostia, along with a supply convoy, safely to Rome. The Goths are forced to abandon the Portus Claudii.^[7]
• December – Belisarius sends John "the Sanguinary" with a force of 2,000 men towards Picenum, to plunder the east coast of Italy. He arrives at Ariminum (Rimini), where he is welcomed by the local Roman population.^[8]
• December 27 – The construction of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (begun in 532) is completed.

Britain

• Battle of Camlann: King Arthur fight his last battle against the forces of his rebellious son (or nephew) Mordred and is mortally wounded (This according to the 10th-century Annales Cambriae).

Africa

• Spring – At the Battle of Scalas Veteres in Africa, Byzantine troops under Germanus, crush a large-scale mutiny. Stotzas, leader of the rebellion, flees with a handful of followers to Mauretania.^[9]

Asia

• Eastern Wei send an advance guard of three army columns through the Tong Pass to attack Western Wei. The Western army under Yu-Wen Tai defeat one of the columns while the others retreat. Yu-Wen follows up, but runs into the main Eastern army (200,000 men). The Westerners are push back through the pass and the Eastern army emerge from the mountains. Unexpectedly they are charged in the flank by 10,000 Western cavalry, and 6,000 Easterners are killed and 70,000 captured.^[10]
• John Cottistis starts a short-lived rebellion against Justinian I. He is declared emperor at Dara, but is four days later killed by conspiring soldiers.^[11]

America

• Yaxchilan captures the ajaws of Bonampak, Lakamtuun, and Calakmul at the outset of the First Tikal-Calakmul War.

By topic

Construction

• The Aqua Virgo aqueduct is destroyed by the Goths, they try to use the underground channel as a secret route to invade Rome.^[12]

Religion

• March 29 – Pope Vigilius succeeds Silverius as the 59th pope, when the latter is deposed by Belisarius at the order of Justinian I.

Births

• Agilulf, bishop of Metz (approximate date)
• Chen Chang, prince of the Chen Dynasty (d. 560)
• Gong Di, emperor of Western Wei (d. 557)
• Wu Cheng Di, emperor of Northern Qi (d. 569)

Deaths

• Arthur, king of Britain (approximate date)
• Fortunatus, bishop of Todi
• Gartnait I, king of the Picts
• Husi Chun, general of Northern Wei (b. 495)
• Isidore of Miletus, Byzantine architect
• John Cottistis, Byzantine usurper
• Maine mac Cearbhall, king of Uí Maine (or 531)
• Mordred, son (or nephew) of Arthur (approximate date)
• June 20 – Pope Silverius
• Vigor, bishop of Bayeux

References

1. Bury (1923), Ch. XIX, p. 182–183
2. Bury (1923), Ch. XIX, p. 185
3. Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XXIII
4. Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.XXVII
5. Bury (1923), Ch. XIX, p. 188
6. Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.VI
7. Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.V
8. Procopius, De Bello Gothico, II.VII
9. Bury & 1958 p. 144–145
10. Imperial Chinese Armies (p. 42). C.J. Peers, 1995. ISBN 978-1-85532-514-2
11. Martindale et al. p. 639-640
12. Procopius, De Bello Gothico II.IX