Columba

Missionary and monk

Born 7 December AD 521 · died 9 June AD 597, aged 75
Also known as St. Columba, Saint Columba, St Columba

Who was alive at the same time as Columba?

Drag across the timeline, or use the arrow keys, to see who was alive in any year and the age each person reached that year. Dashed lines mark world events. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.

When Columba was born, Justinian I was 39, Aryabhata was 44 or 45, Benedict of Nursia was 41, Theodoric the Great was 67 and Pope Hormisdas was 70 or 71.

When Columba died, Muhammad was 26, Khalid ibn al-Walid was 10 or 11, Pope Adeodatus I was 26 or 27, Pope Agatho was 22 or 23 and Maurice was 57 or 58.

Born during Columba’s lifetime: Muhammad, Umar, Abu Bakr, Pope Gregory I, Uthman, Heraclius, Isidore of Seville and Pope Honorius I.

Not quite contemporaries: Ali was born about 2 years after Columba died, Fatima was born about 7 years after Columba died, Clovis I died about 10 years before Columba was born and Mu'awiya I was born about 6 years after Columba died.

Where Columba’s contemporaries were born

Columba is labelled; the others are the best-known people we track who lived at the same time. Each dot is a birthplace from Wikidata (72 of 81 placed); tap one to open that person.

Birthplaces as a list

Columba: County Donegal
Pope Hormisdas: Frosinone
Theodoric the Great: Carnuntum
Pope John I: Siena
Pope John II: Rome
Aryabhata: Pataliputra
Pope Silverius: Frosinone
Boethius: Rome
Benedict of Nursia: Norcia
Justinian I: Tauresium
Pope Agapetus I: Rome
Pope Pelagius I: Rome
Pope Pelagius II: Rome
Pope Benedict I: Rome
Pope Gregory I: Rome
Isidore of Seville: Cartagena
Pope Adeodatus I: Rome
Muhammad: Mecca
Abu Bakr: Mecca
Heraclius: Cappadocia
Uthman: Mecca
Pope Honorius I: Campania
Umar: Mecca
Khalid ibn al-Walid: Mecca
Pope Agatho: Palermo
Pope Boniface IV: Marsica
Belisarius: Sapareva Banya
Pope Sabinian: Blera
Pope Boniface III: Rome
Amina bint Wahb: Mecca
Maurice: Arabissus
Chlothar I: Soissons
Khosrow I: Ardestan
Theodora: Paphlagonia
Bilal ibn Rabah: Kingdom of Aksum
Khosrow II: Ctesiphon
Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib: Israel
Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib: Mecca
Justin II: Constantinople
Phocas: Thrace
Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib: Mecca
Maximus the Confessor: Palestine
Cassiodorus: Scylletium
Tiberius II Constantine: Thrace
Gregory of Tours: Clermont-Ferrand
Amr ibn al-As: Mecca
Salman the Persian: Kazerun
Zubayr ibn al-Awwam: Mecca
Childebert I: Reims
Amalasuintha: Ravenna
Emperor Gaozu of Tang: Chang'an
Abu Sufyan: Mecca
Harsha: Thanesar
Abd al-Muttalib: Medina
Totila: Treviso
Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah: Mecca
Zaynab bint Jahsh: Mecca
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas: Mecca
Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib: Mecca
Bhartṛhari: Ujjain
Umm Salama: Mecca
Brendan the Navigator: Fenit
John Malalas: Antioch
Guntram: Soissons
Sawdah bint Zam'ah: Mecca
Zaynab bint Khuzayma: Mecca
Talha ibn Ubayd Allah: Mecca
John Climacus: Syria
Umm Habiba: Mecca
Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud: Mecca
Kavad I: Ctesiphon
Narses: Constantinople

Compare Columba

The 110 best-known contemporaries

110 of the people we track were surely alive at the same time as Columba. All of them are listed here. See also everyone alive in AD 559.

Muhammad AD 571 – AD 632
Umar c. AD 586 – AD 644
Abu Bakr c. AD 573 – AD 634
Justinian I AD 482 – AD 565
Pope Gregory I c. AD 541 – AD 604
Uthman c. AD 575 – AD 656
Aryabhata AD 476 – AD 550
Boethius c. AD 480 – AD 524
Benedict of Nursia AD 480 – AD 547
Heraclius c. AD 575 – AD 641
Theodoric the Great AD 454 – AD 526
Isidore of Seville c. AD 560 – AD 636
Pope Honorius I c. AD 585 – AD 638
Pope Hormisdas AD 450 – AD 523
Pope John I c. AD 470 – AD 526
Pope Pelagius II c. AD 520 – AD 590
Pope John II AD 470 – AD 535
Pope Pelagius I c. AD 505 – AD 561
Pope Benedict I c. AD 526 – AD 579
Pope Silverius AD 477 – AD 537
Khalid ibn al-Walid AD 586 – AD 642
Pope Agapetus I 490s – AD 536
Pope Adeodatus I AD 570 – AD 618
Pope Agatho AD 574 – AD 681
Pope Boniface IV c. AD 550 – AD 615
Belisarius c. AD 505 – AD 565
Pope Sabinian c. AD 530 – AD 606
Pope Boniface III c. AD 540 – AD 607
Amina bint Wahb c. 550s – c. AD 578
Maurice AD 539 – AD 602
Chlothar I AD 498 – AD 561
Khosrow I AD 501 – AD 579
Justin I AD 450 – AD 527
Theodora c. AD 500 – AD 548
Bilal ibn Rabah AD 581 – c. AD 642
Khosrow II AD 570 – AD 628
Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib c. AD 545 – AD 570
Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib c. AD 568 – AD 653
Justin II c. AD 520 – AD 578
Phocas AD 547 – AD 610
Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib c. AD 541 – AD 619
Maximus the Confessor AD 579 – AD 662
Cassiodorus c. AD 487 – AD 583
Tiberius II Constantine c. AD 520 – AD 582
Gregory of Tours AD 538 – AD 594
Amr ibn al-As AD 570 – AD 664
Salman the Persian AD 568 – AD 657
Chlothar II AD 584 – AD 629
Zubayr ibn al-Awwam AD 594 – AD 656
Chlodomer c. AD 495 – AD 524
Childebert I c. AD 497 – AD 558
Amalasuintha AD 498 – AD 535
Emperor Gaozu of Tang AD 566 – AD 635
Abu Sufyan c. AD 570 – c. AD 646
Harsha AD 590 – AD 647
Abd al-Muttalib c. AD 497 – AD 579
Totila c. AD 510 – AD 552
Charibert I c. AD 520 – c. AD 568
Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah AD 583 – AD 639
Zaynab bint Jahsh AD 592 – AD 642
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas AD 595 – c. AD 675
Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib AD 568 – AD 625
Bhartṛhari AD 570 – c. AD 651
Umm Salama AD 596 – AD 681
Dionysius Exiguus c. AD 475 – c. AD 549
Theuderic I c. AD 485 – AD 534
Brendan the Navigator c. AD 486 – AD 577
John Malalas c. AD 491 – c. AD 578
Guntram c. AD 532 – c. AD 593
Childebert II AD 570 – AD 596
Sawdah bint Zam'ah AD 589 – AD 674
Zaynab bint Khuzayma AD 595 – AD 625
Talha ibn Ubayd Allah AD 595 – AD 656
Athalaric AD 516 – AD 534
Æthelberht of Kent AD 552 – AD 612
John Climacus c. AD 579 – c. AD 649
Umm Habiba c. AD 594 – AD 665
Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud AD 594 – AD 653
Kavad I AD 473 – AD 531
Narses AD 478 – c. AD 572
Theudebert I c. AD 500 – AD 548
Columbanus c. AD 543 – AD 615
Abu Lahab AD 549 – c. AD 625
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf c. AD 577 – c. AD 654
Theophylact Simocatta AD 580 – AD 630
Maymunah bint al-Harith c. AD 592 – AD 672
Boran AD 590 – AD 632
Anthemius of Tralles c. AD 474 – c. AD 534
Sigebert I AD 535 – AD 575
Emperor Wen of Sui AD 541 – AD 604
Empress Suiko AD 554 – AD 628
Prince Shōtoku AD 574 – AD 622
Clotilde AD 474 – AD 545
Gelimer c. AD 480 – AD 553
Radegund AD 518 – AD 587
Theudebert II AD 585 – AD 612
Theuderic II AD 587 – AD 613
Empress Kōgyoku AD 594 – AD 661
Isidore of Miletus AD 442 – AD 537
Imru' al-Qais c. AD 501 – c. AD 544
Gildas AD 500 – AD 570
Venantius Fortunatus c. AD 534 – AD 609
Theodelinda c. AD 570 – c. AD 628
Zayd ibn Haritha al-Kalbi AD 581 – AD 629
Pepin of Landen c. AD 585 – AD 640
Brigid of Kildare c. AD 452 – c. AD 525
Saint David AD 512 – AD 589
Alboin c. AD 529 – AD 572
Reccared I c. AD 560 – AD 601
Ammar ibn Yasir AD 570 – AD 657