Decades: 490s - 500s - 510s - 520s - 530s - 540s - 550s - 560s - 570s - 580s - 590s

Years: 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557

• Silkworms are smuggled into the Byzantine Empire from China.
• Buddhism is introduced into Japan.
• Battle of Taginae: The Byzantine general Narses defeats and kills Totila, king of the Ostrogoths.
• Battle of Asfeld: Longobards under king Audoin defeat the Gepids.
• Liang Yuan Di succeeds Liang Yu Zhang Wang as ruler of the Chinese Liang Dynasty.
• Cynric, king of Wessex, captures the fort at Old Sarum.
• The Buddhist goddess Benzaiten is said to have descended onto the island of Enoshima in Japan.
• Gokturks establish first known Turkic state under the leadership of Bumin Khan.

• Ethelbert, king of Kent and Bretwalda

• Bumin Khan, founder of the Gokturk state.