Centuries:	6th century · 7th century · 8th century
Decades:	610s 620s 630s 640s 650s 660s 670s
Years:	639 640 641 642 643 644 645

642 by topic v • d • e

Politics

State leaders – Sovereign states

Birth and death categories

Births – Deaths

Establishment and disestablishment categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

642 in other calendars

Gregorian calendar	642 DCXLII
Ab urbe condita	1395
Armenian calendar	91 ԹՎ ՂԱ
Bahá'í calendar	-1202 – -1201
Bengali calendar	49
Berber calendar	1592
Buddhist calendar	1186
Burmese calendar	4
Byzantine calendar	6150 – 6151
Chinese calendar	辛丑年十一月廿五日 (3278/3338-11-25) — to — 壬寅年十二月初五日 (3279/3339-12-5)
Coptic calendar	358 – 359
Ethiopian calendar	634 – 635
Hebrew calendar	4402 – 4403
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	697 – 698
- Shaka Samvat	564 – 565
- Kali Yuga	3743 – 3744
Holocene calendar	10642
Iranian calendar	20 – 21
Islamic calendar	21 – 22
Japanese calendar
Korean calendar	2975
Thai solar calendar	1185
v • d • e

[edit] Events

[edit] By place

[edit] Europe

• August 5—In the Battle of Maserfield, Penda, king of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald, king of Bernicia.
• Batbayan succeeds Kubrat as ruler of the Bulgars (approximate date).

[edit] Africa

• Nubian kingdom of Makuria defeats Arab invaders at First Battle of Dongola.
• Arabs conquer Alexandria.

[edit] Asia

• Battle of Nehawand: Arabs conquer Persia.
• Empress Kōgyoku ascends to the throne of Japan.
• Yeon Gaesomun seizes power over the Goguryeo kingdom and places King Bojang on the throne.
• Emperor Taizong of Tang issues a decree throughout China that increases the punishment for men who deliberately inflict injuries upon themselves (most commonly breaking their own legs) in order to avoid military conscription. This decree is an effort to eradicate this practice that has grown as a trend since the time of the rebellion against the Sui Dynasty.

[edit] By topic

[edit] Arts and sciences

• The earliest surviving dated Arabic papyrus, PERF 558, and the earliest known Arabic text with diacritical marks is written.

[edit] Religion

• November 24—Pope Theodore I succeeds Pope John IV as the 73rd pope.
• A monastic settlement is founded in Hampshire, England, which later becomes Winchester Cathedral.

[edit] Births

[edit] Deaths

• August 5—Oswald, king of Bernicia and Bretwalda
• October 12—Pope John IV
• Khalid bin Walid, Muslim general, conqueror of Damascus and Syria
• Yeongnyu of Goguryeo
• Yuwen Shiji, Chinese statesman