阳水鼠年 (male Water-
Rat) 659 or 278 or −494 — to — 阴水牛年 (female Water-
Ox) 660 or 279 or −493
Year 533 (DXXXIII) was a
common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the
Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of
Iustinianus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1286 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 533 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the
Anno Dominicalendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
March 25 – In a letter, Emperor
Justinian I declares the Bishop of Rome (currently John) to be "head of all Bishops, and the true and effective corrector of heretics."
Summer – Emperor
Justinian I holds a
war council in
Constantinople. His advisers warn him against launching an expedition to
North Africa, because of the supply-lines (1,000 miles into Vandal waters) and the huge drain on the imperial treasury. Justinian appoints
Belisarius to command the
Byzantine army.
June 21 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails in 500 transports, escorted by 92 war vessels (
dromons), manned by 20,000 seamen from Constantinople, to attack the Vandals in
Africa, via
Greece and
Sicily. The fleet carries 10,000 infantry, about half Byzantine and half foederati, and 5,000 cavalry, consisting of 3,000 Byzantine horsemen, 1,000 foreign allies (
Huns and
Heruli) and 1,500 of Belisarius' retainers (bucellarii).[1] On the
flagship Belisarius is accompanied by his military secretary
Procopius, and his wife
Antonina.
September – Belisarius arrives at Sicily, which he uses as a staging area, with the permission of the Ostrogoth queen
Amalasuntha, daughter of
Theodoric the Great and regent of
Italy. The
Ostrogoths help him with supplies and the fleet is prepared for the final attack.
September 9 – The Byzantine army lands at
Caput Vada (modern
Tunisia). Belisarius marches his army northwards, towards
Carthage (over 140 miles), following the coast, accompanied by the fleet and shadowed by Gelimer. During the march, the Vandal towns fall without a fight.[2]
September 13 –
Battle of Ad Decimum: Gelimer attempts to ambush the
Byzantines in a defile at the "10th milestone" from Carthage; due to inadequate coordination and the alertness of Belisarius, the attack is repulsed and the Vandals are scattered into the
desert. Belisarius enters the capital and orders his soldiers not to kill or
enslave the population. The fleet is stationed in the
Lake of Tunis.
December 15 –
Battle of Tricamarum: Gelimer assembles an army of about 50,000 men at
Bulla Regia (
Numidia), and advances towards Carthage. Belisarius moves out to meet the Vandals; he leads the Byzantine cavalry (5,000 men) into battle. Without waiting for his infantry to come up, he charges, despite odds of almost 10-to-1, and throws Gelimer in confusion. Belisarius captures the Vandal camp by storm. Tzazo is killed in an all-cavalry fight, and Gelimer is forced to seek refuge in the mountains of
Tunis with the
Berbers.
January 2 –
Pope John II becomes the 56th
pope of
Rome, and the first to adopt a
regnal name upon elevation to the papacy (his birth name, Mercurius, being of pagan origin).
Births
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