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What Happened in June?

Deaths, raids, and battles. Examine landmark historical events that took place in June. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

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c. 548-545 BCE

Thales of Miletus, a Greek philosopher, dies in Miletus at the age of 78. Thales was one of the Seven Sages, founding figures of Ancient Greece . He is often considered the first Western philosopher. He is believed to have been born c. 624–620  BCE

Circa 509 BCE

The Roman Republic is established after the overthrow of the Roman monarchy.

Circa 431 BCE

The Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta officially begins. This conflict was a 27-year struggle for dominance in ancient Greece, fueled by the conflicting powers and interests of Athens's naval empire and Sparta's formidable land army. The war ultimately devastated both cities and the Greek world.

c. 86 BCE

Birth of the Roman historian and politician, Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) was born c. 86 BCE in Amiternum, located in the Sabine territory of central Italy. He was a Roman historian and politician from a plebeian family who rose to prominence during the late Roman Republic.

circa 18–17 BC, June

Emperor Augustus introduces the law "leges Juliae" against bachelors and childless marriages in Rome. Augustus enacted these reforms to address what he saw as a moral and social crisis among Rome's elite with the goals of increasing the birth rate among the upper classes and to reinforce traditional Roman virtues and family values. while encouraging marriage and discouraging celibacy.

Circa 56 CE, June

Birth of the Roman historian Tacitus; Roman orator. public official, historian and  prose stylist who wrote in the Latin language. 

Roman Emperor Nero escapes from Rome and commits suicide after he is declared a public enemy by the Roman Senate and is condemned to death in absentia. His death sparked a brief period of Roman civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Nero ruled at a time of great social and political change including the Great Fire of Rome and Bou dica's rebellion. 

Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, makes his son Commodus, co-Augustus (co-emperor) Marcus Aurelius had previously given Commodus the title of Imperator in November 176 CE.

Alexander III of Macedon, most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. It is believed that Alexander the Great died on this day in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon at the age of 32.

The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, also known as the Battle of Châlons, the Battle of Maurica, the Battle of the Campus Mauriacus, and the Battle of Troyes., takes place between a Roman-Visigoth coalition led by the Roman general Flavius Aetius and the Visigoth king Theodoric I, against the Huns and their vassals, commanded by their king, Attila. 

Attila, frequently called Attila the Hun, enters Italy, sacking several cities and facing little resistance, the situation seemed dire for Rome. The turning point came when Pope Leo I intervened, traveling to meet Attila in a dramatic encounter near Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy. Although the details of their conversation are unknown, Attila retreated following this meeting, leaving Italy behind without achieving his goal of capturing Rome. More

Chinese governor Li Yuan, is crowned Emperor Gaozu of Tang, marking the beginning of the Tang Dynasty and the end of the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Gaozu, focused on consolidating his rule and unifying China. He implemented reforms, including changes to taxation and the legal system. The Tang Imperial Dynasty, under Gaozu and his successors, brought a golden age of Chinese history, known for its cultural and artistic achievements. The Dynasty ruled from 618 to 907, with a short gap between 690 and 705. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and of cosmopolitan culture

Death of Prophet Muhammad: The founder of Islam, Prophet Muhammad, passes away in Medina, Saudi Arabia, marking a significant event in the history of the Islamic faith.

The Rashidun Caliphate is established following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The Assyrian solar eclipse, also known as the Bur-Sagale eclipse, is recorded in Assyrian eponym lists that most likely dates to the tenth year of the reign of king Ashur-dan III. The eclipse is identified as the one that occurred on 15 June 763 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar and helped and was helpful to understand the chronology of Mesopotamian history and correlate it to certain events mentioned in the Old Testament. More

The Viking raid on the monastery of Lindisfarne, the sacred heart of the Northumbrian kingdom in England occurs, highlighting the Viking expansion, and incursions throughout Europe. More

Iceland's first parliament, the Althing (Icelandic: Alþingi), was established in Thingvellir National Park . A flag still stands in the exact spot today in commemoration. More

One of the world's most destructive earthquakes, the magnitude 7.4 - 7.7 Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake with hundreds of aftershocks, hits Northern Iran, near the Caspian Sea, killing an estimated 50,000 people and injuring another 135,000, leaving more than 500,000 homeless and destroying three cities (Rudbar, Manjil, and Lowshan) and 700 villages. Nearly all buildings were destroyed in the Rudbar-Manjil area.

The Battle of Manzikert takes place, where the Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Empire, leading to the gradual decline of Byzantine power and the rise of Turkish power in Anatolia.

Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, a prominent Norman magnate in England, dies, impacting the power dynamics of the time.