Arab invaders cross the Oxus River in what later will be Uzbekistan.

Nomadic Turkic tribes continue to control Central Asia.

Yet another attempt to bring Alexandria back into imperial hands fails in 654 when an invasion force sent by Constans II is repulsed.

This generally marks the end of the Empire’s attempts to retake the city.

Syrian governor Muawiyah in 653 had led a raid against Rhodes, wresting the island from imperial control within a year.

The bronze Colossus of Rhodes, broken at the knees and toppled in the earthquake of 220 BCE, has been left in place; it has remained a wonder of the world.

The Muslim Arab invaders, whose faith opposes any sort of representation of the human form, gather the pieces of the Colossus and ship them back to Syria, where Muawiyah uses the bronze scrap to make coins.

The stereotypical Arab destruction and the purported sale to a Jewish merchant possibly originated as a powerful metaphor for Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the destruction of a great and awesome statue, and would have been understood by any seventh century monk as evidence for the coming apocalypse.

Muawiyah stations a large garrison on Cyprus and …

…conquers the Greek island of Kos, the third largest of the Dodecanese Islands.

Persecution of Jews increases in Visigothic Spain.

On February 18, 654, King Recceswinth, sole ruler of the Visigoths from 653, imposes Visigothic common law on both his Gothic and his Roman subjects, who previously had lived under different codes.

Under the new law code, begun by his father Chindaswinth to replace the Breviary of Alaric of 506, Judaizing Christians (converted Jews who retain Jewish traditions) must swear loyalty to the Church or forfeit their lives.

They must spend Jewish and Christian holy days with the clergy, but may not be compelled to eat pork.

The Founding of Jumièges Abbey (654 CE): A Royal Monastic Gift

In 654 CE, Jumièges Abbey is founded on forested land from the royal fisc, donated by King Clovis II and Queen Balthild to Filibertus, a Frankish noble and companion of Saints Ouen and Wandrille at the court of Dagobert I. This marks a significant moment in Merovingian monastic patronage, as royal support strengthens monastic reform and religious expansion in Frankish Gaul.

1. The Role of Filibertus as Founder and First Abbot

• Filibertus, a nobleman closely associated with the Merovingian court, is chosen to establish and lead the new abbey.
• His connections to Saint Ouen (Bishop of Rouen) and Saint Wandrille (Founder of Fontenelle Abbey)suggest that he was part of the monastic reform movement in Neustria.
• He becomes the first abbot of Jumièges, ensuring that it follows strict monastic discipline.

2. The Generosity of Queen Balthild and the Expansion of Jumièges

• Queen Balthild, a strong supporter of monasticism, adds further donations of land and pastures from the royal fisc to enrich the abbey.
• This generosity allows Jumièges to become a flourishing religious center, attracting monks and scholars.
• The abbey is established as a Benedictine monastery, reinforcing the spread of the Benedictine Rule in Frankish monastic life.

3. Jumièges Abbey as a Center of Learning and Piety

• The abbey quickly grows into one of the most influential monasteries in northern Gaul, known for its scholarship, scriptorium, and monastic discipline.
• It serves as a model for later monastic foundations, influencing future Carolingian monastic reform.
• Jumièges Abbey’s reputation endures, later becoming one of the great monastic centers of Normandy.

Conclusion: A Lasting Merovingian Monastic Legacy

The foundation of Jumièges Abbey in 654 CE, supported by Clovis II and Balthild, reflects the Merovingian dynasty’s commitment to monastic patronage. With Filibertus as its first abbot, Jumièges becomes a pillar of Benedictine spirituality and learning, reinforcing the growing influence of monasteries in Frankish society and setting the stage for later Carolingian reforms.

Penda defeats the East Anglians at Bulcamp near Blythburgh; King Anna of East Anglia and his son Jurmin are killed.

Æthelhere succeeds his brother Anna as king of East Anglia and accepts Mercian overlordship.

Constans, having ordered the arrest of Pope Martin in 649, has him taken to Constantinople on September 17, 654 and publicly humiliated for having condemned the emperor.

Martin I has meanwhile been kept in exile in the Crimea, where he will die in September 655.

Little is known about what happened in Rome after Pope Martin's departure, but it is typical in these days for the Holy See to be governed by the archpriest and archdeacon.

After a year and two months, a successor is found to Martin in Eugene, who succeeds on August 10, 654, as the seventy-fifth pope of the Catholic Church.

Little is known of Eugene's early life other than that he was a Roman from the Aventine and was known for his holiness, gentleness, and charity.

He had been a cleric from his youth and held various positions within the Church of Rome.

On the banishment of Pope Martin I by Constans II, he had shown greater deference than his predecessor to the emperor's wishes; he makes no public stand against the Monothelitist creed of the patriarchs of Constantinople.