220s

Events

Contents: 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229

220

By place

Roman Empire

• The Goths invade Asia Minor and the Balkans.
• An Indian delegation visits the Roman emperor Elagabalus.
• Great frost in England is said to have lasted for five months.^[1]
• Imperator Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (Elagabalus) and Publius Valerius Comazon become Roman consuls.
• Elagabalus divorces Julia Paula and marries Aquilia Severa, a Vestal Virgin. The wedding causes an enormous controversy – traditionally, the punishment for breaking celibacy is death by being buried alive.
• King Ardashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty, gains support from some Parthian sub-kings and revolts against the rule of Vologases VI. Ardashir, a grandson of Sasan, had ruled Persis since 208 and six years ago gained control of the region surrounding Persepolis.

Asia

• Three Kingdoms: The northern part of China is under the control of Cao Cao, Imperial Chancellor and ruler of the Kingdom of Wei. Following his death on March 15, his son Cao Pi receives the abdication of Emperor Xian of Han on December 10, and proclaims himself emperor of Cao Wei. This ends the Han dynasty, the former emperor being created Duke of Shanyang.

By topic

Religion

• The Wei dynasty will give official recognition to Taoism as its religious sect, and the sect's celestial masters will reciprocate by giving spiritual approbation to the Wei as successors to the Han. By the end of the century most powerful families in northern China will subscribe to Daoist principles.

221

By place

Roman Empire

• June 26 – Emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar.
• July – Elagabalus is forced to divorce Aquilia Severa and marries his third wife Annia Faustina. After five months he returns to Severa and claims that the original divorce is invalid. The marriage is symbolic, because Elagabalus appears to be homosexual or bisexual. According to the historian Cassius Dio, he has a stable relationship with his chariot driver, the slave Hierocles.

Asia

• May 15 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord and descendant of the royal family of the Han Dynasty, proclaims himself emperor in Sichuan and establishes the Kingdom of Shu Han. Three kingdoms arise – the Wei in the north, the Wu in the south and the Shu Han in the west.

222

By place

Roman Empire

• March 11 – Emperor Elagabalus is assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies are dragged through the streets of Rome before being thrown into the Tiber.
• Alexander Severus succeeds Elagabalus. He is only 13 years old; his mother, Julia Avita Mamaea, governs the Roman Empire with the help of Domitius Ulpianus and a council composed of 16 senators.

Asia

• Three Kingdoms: Eastern Wu is established in China. Emperor Liu Bei invades with an army (100,000 men) the border of Eastern Wu in the Battle of Yiling, to retake the Jing province. However, because of a tactical mistake, Liu Bei's military camps are destroyed by the forces of Sun Quan.

By topic

Commerce

• The silver content of the Roman denarius falls to 35 percent under emperor Alexander Severus, down from 43 percent under Elagabalus.

Religion

• October 14 – Pope Callixtus I is killed by a mob in Rome's Trastevere after a 5-year reign in which he has stabilized the Saturday fast three times per year, with no food, oil, or wine to be consumed on those days. Callixtus is succeeded by Cardinal Urban I.

223

By place

Asia

• June 10 – Emperor Liu Bei of the Shu Han becomes ill and dies at Baidicheng. He is succeeded by his son, Liu Shan. Imperial Chancellor, Zhuge Liang, makes peace with Eastern Wu.
• The naval Battle of Dongkou in China comes to an end.

224

By place

Parthia

• April 28 – King Ardashir I defeats Artabanus V at the Battle of Hormozdgān in Shushtar, destroying the Parthian Empire and establishing the Sassanid dynasty. Artabanus V's brother Vologases VI will continue to rule with Armenian and Kushan support over outlying parts of Parthia.

225

By place

Roman Empire

• Emperor Alexander Severus marries Sallustia Orbiana, and possibly raises her father Seius Sallustius to the rank of caesar.

By topic

Arts and Science

• The first Christian paintings appear in Rome, decorating the Catacombs.

226

By place

Asia

• June 29 – Cao Pi dies after an illness; his son Cao Rui succeeds him as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.
• A merchant from the Roman Empire called "Qin Lun" by the Chinese, arrives in Jiaozhi (modern Hanoi) and is taken to see Sun Quan, king of Eastern Wu, who requests him to make a report on his native country and people. He is given an escort for the return trip including a present of ten male and ten female "blackish-coloured dwarfs." However, the officer in charge of the Chinese escort dies and Qin Lun has to continue his journey home alone.^[2]

227

By place

Roman Empire

• Seius Sallustius is executed for the attempted murder of his son-in-law Emperor Alexander Severus. Sallustius' daughter, as well Alexander's wife, Sallustia Orbiana, is exiled in Libya.

Ireland

• The rule of High King Cormac mac Airt begins (approximate).

Persia

• King Ardashir I, ruler of Persia, annexes his new empire from the east to the northwest. He conquers with his army the provinces of Chorasmia, Sistan and the island Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The kings of the Kushan Empire and Turan recognise Ardashir as their overlord.

228

Roman Empire

• The Praetorian Guard kill Ulpian, Praetorian prefect, who had wanted to reduce their privileges.

Asia

• Shah Ardashir I, four years after establishing the Sassanid Persian Empire, completes his conquest of Parthia.
• The Battle of Jieting and the Battle of Shiting are fought in China.

229

By place

Roman Empire

• Emperor Alexander Severus and Dio Cassius are joint Consuls.

Asia

• June 23 – Sun Quan formally declares himself emperor of the Kingdom of Wu. Jiankang (modern Nanjing) is founded, the independent kingdoms in Cambodia and Laos become Eastern Wu vassals.
• Wu merchants reach Vietnam; ocean transport is improved to an extent that sea journeys are made to Manchuria and the island of Taiwan.
• Zhuge Liang embarks on the third of his Northern Expeditions.

By topic

Arts and sciences

• Ammonius Saccas renews Greek philosophy by creating Neoplatonism.

Births

• Marcus Numerius Carus, better known as Carus. Born c. 222, he would eventually become a Roman emperor.
• Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius, better known as Gordian III. Born in 225, he would eventually become a Roman emperor.
• Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius, better known as Herennius Etruscus. Born c. 227, he would eventually become a Roman emperor.

Deaths

• Elagabalus, Roman emperor. Died in 222.

References