Columbanus

Irish missionary

Born c. AD 543 · died 23 November AD 615
Also known as Columban, Saint Columbanus, St Columban

Who was alive at the same time as Columbanus?

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 Columbanus died, Muhammad was 44, Ali was 16, Aisha was about a year old, Mu'awiya I was 11 or 12 and Pope Martin I was 17.

Born during Columbanus’s lifetime: Muhammad, Umar, Ali, Abu Bakr, Brahmagupta, Uthman, Aisha and Mu'awiya I.

Not quite contemporaries: Husayn ibn Ali was born about 11 years after Columbanus died, Theodoric the Great died about 15 years before Columbanus was born, Pope John I died about 15 years before Columbanus was born and Hasan ibn Ali was born about 10 years after Columbanus died.

Where Columbanus’s contemporaries were born

Columbanus is labelled; the others are the best-known people we track who lived at the same time. Each dot is a birthplace from Wikidata (74 of 81 placed); tap one to open that person.

Birthplaces as a list

Columbanus: Leinster
Aryabhata: Pataliputra
Benedict of Nursia: Norcia
Justinian I: Tauresium
Pope Pelagius I: Rome
Pope Pelagius II: Rome
Pope Benedict I: Rome
Pope Gregory I: Rome
Isidore of Seville: Cartagena
Muhammad: Mecca
Abu Bakr: Mecca
Heraclius: Cappadocia
Uthman: Mecca
Pope Honorius I: Campania
Umar: Mecca
Khalid ibn al-Walid: Mecca
Brahmagupta: Bhinmal
Pope John IV: Dalmatia
Pope Martin I: Pian di San Martino
Ali: Mecca
Xuanzang: Yanshi District
Mu'awiya I: Mecca
Pope Leo II: Sicily
Aisha: Mecca
Pope Adeodatus I: Rome
Pope Agatho: Palermo
Pope Vitalian: Segni
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
Hafsa bint Umar: Mecca
Cassiodorus: Scylletium
Tiberius II Constantine: Thrace
Gregory of Tours: Clermont-Ferrand
Amr ibn al-As: Mecca
Emperor Taizong of Tang: Wugong County
Columba: County Donegal
Salman the Persian: Kazerun
Zubayr ibn al-Awwam: Mecca
Childebert I: Reims
Emperor Gaozu of Tang: Chang'an
Abu Sufyan: Mecca
Harsha: Thanesar
Abu Hurayra: Tihamah
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
Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab: Mecca
John Climacus: Syria

Compare Columbanus

The 115 best-known contemporaries

115 of the people we track were surely alive at the same time as Columbanus. All of them are listed here. See also everyone alive in AD 581.

Muhammad AD 571 – AD 632
Umar c. AD 586 – AD 644
Ali AD 599 – AD 661
Abu Bakr c. AD 573 – AD 634
Brahmagupta c. AD 598 – c. AD 670
Justinian I AD 482 – AD 565
Pope Gregory I c. AD 541 – AD 604
Uthman c. AD 575 – AD 656
Aisha AD 614 – c. AD 678
Aryabhata AD 476 – AD 550
Benedict of Nursia AD 480 – AD 547
Mu'awiya I AD 603 – AD 680
Heraclius c. AD 575 – AD 641
Isidore of Seville c. AD 560 – AD 636
Pope Honorius I c. AD 585 – AD 638
Pope Pelagius II c. AD 520 – AD 590
Pope Pelagius I c. AD 505 – AD 561
Pope Benedict I c. AD 526 – AD 579
Pope Martin I AD 598 – AD 655
Pope Leo II AD 611 – AD 683
Khalid ibn al-Walid AD 586 – AD 642
Pope John IV c. AD 600 – AD 642
Xuanzang AD 602 – AD 664
Pope Adeodatus I AD 570 – AD 618
Pope Agatho AD 574 – AD 681
Pope Vitalian c. AD 600 – AD 672
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
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
Hafsa bint Umar AD 604 – AD 665
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
Emperor Taizong of Tang AD 598 – AD 649
Heraclius Constantine AD 612 – AD 641
Columba AD 521 – AD 597
Salman the Persian AD 568 – AD 657
Chlothar II AD 584 – AD 629
Zubayr ibn al-Awwam AD 594 – AD 656
Childebert I c. AD 497 – AD 558
Emperor Gaozu of Tang AD 566 – AD 635
Abu Sufyan c. AD 570 – c. AD 646
Harsha AD 590 – AD 647
Abu Hurayra AD 602 – AD 679
Dagobert I c. AD 611 – AD 639
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
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
Penda of Mercia c. AD 606 – AD 655
Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab c. AD 610 – AD 693
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
Narses AD 478 – c. AD 572
Theudebert I c. AD 500 – AD 548
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
Safiyya bint Huyayy c. AD 610 – AD 670
Juwayriya bint al-Harith AD 608 – AD 676
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
Ruqayya bint Muhammad c. AD 600 – AD 624
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
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
Rayhana bint Zayd c. 590s – AD 631
Sigebert II AD 602 – AD 613
Anas ibn Malik AD 611 – AD 713
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
Zainab bint Muhammad c. AD 599 – c. AD 629
Kubrat c. AD 595 – AD 665