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Years · 6th century

551

Year of the sheep koñ yıl

4 entries in Eastern steppe, Western steppe and Korea.

Map of the Göktürk–Rouran war of 551 and 552: from the Altai the Ashina under Bumin strike a Rouran army in Dzungaria and drive east across the Gobi to Huaihuang, where Anagui kills himself; the Rouran rule the eastern steppe, the Tiele are their subjects in the west — 551–552: the Göktürks under Bumin rise against the Rouran. In January 552 they beat a Rouran army in Dzungaria, then crush the main Rouran army north of Huaihuang, and Anagui kills himself. Modern map; the routes and the place of the battle in Dzungaria are drawn.

Who ruled

Rouran Khaganate Anagui 520–552
Sasanian Persia Khosrow I 531–579

And beyond the steppe

China Western Wei Emperor Wen 535–551 · Northern Qi Emperor Wenxuan 550–559 · Western Wei Emperor Fei 551–554
Iran Sasanian Khosrow I 531–579
Korea Goguryeo Yangwon 545–559
Byzantium Justinian Justinian I 527–565

Eastern steppe

Environment · Late Antique Little Ice Age: the cold phase the Altai tree rings define from 536 to about 660 (536–660)

Climate and the steppe empires · First Göktürk Khaganate · Avars

The coldest decade in the Altai is the 540s

Western steppe

Culture · Sogdian colonists found the first towns of Semirech'e, Suyab and Navaket among them, as estates of nobles (450–600)

Suyab · Sogdians
Bumin marries the Western Wei princess Changle; the alliance secured by Yuwen Tai

Bumin Khan · The Turkic War of Independence · Yuwen Tai · Western Wei · Hegemony Wars in Northern China

Korea

Ten thousand Göktürks appear on the frontier of Koguryŏ and besiege several towns, by a Korean source

The Turkic War of Independence · Mukan Khan