571 (year)

Year 571 was a common year of the late 6th century. It sits in the transition from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages and is notable in tradition as a possible birth date for the Prophet Muhammad.

571 was a common year of the Julian calendar in the late 6th century CE. Written in Roman numerals as DLXXI, the year falls within a period often described as the early Middle Ages or the late antique era, when the Roman world, Byzantine Empire, migrating Germanic kingdoms, and eastern empires were reshaping political boundaries and cultural institutions.

Calendar and numeric note

Described as a common year (not a leap year) in medieval chronology, 571 also corresponds to the integer 571. As a number, 571 is a prime number; it is part of a close pair of primes with 569. While numerical properties interest mathematicians, historical sources from the period treat the year mainly as a chronological marker for events and reigns.

Historical context

The broader 6th century was marked by the continuing rivalry of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and the Sassanian Persian Empire in the Near East, the settlement of Germanic peoples in the western Mediterranean after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and substantial social and religious change across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In Italy the Lombard kingdom, established in 568, continued to consolidate control of large parts of the peninsula. In the British Isles, several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were competing for territory. In East Asia, China remained divided among successor states that would soon be reunited under the Sui dynasty (established 581).

Notable associations and records

Contemporary written records for a single calendar year in the 6th century are sparse and uneven by region. Later traditions associate c. 570–571 with the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad; some accounts place his birth in 570 (the so-called "Year of the Elephant"), while other chronologies give 571. Because early Islamic sources were compiled decades after the fact, modern scholars treat the precise year as uncertain.

Recorded people

Probable or traditional birth: Muhammad (c. 570–571), founder of Islam — traditional accounts vary on the exact year.
Other records: Many regional rulers and nobles lived and ruled in this era, but precise events or widely agreed notable deaths dated solely to 571 are uncommon in surviving sources.

Overall, 571 functions mostly as a chronological reference point. Its importance comes from the wider transformations of the late 6th century—political fragmentation in the west, imperial competition in the east, and social and religious developments that shaped the coming medieval centuries.