Crown prince Xuan Wu Di, age 16, succeeds his father Xiaowen and becomes emperor of Northern Wei. He appoints his uncle Yuan Xie provincial governor, who serves temporarily as regent to form a new government.
In 499, the Bulgars crossed Danube and reached Thrace where on the banks of the river Tzurta (considered a tributary of Maritsa) they defeated 15,000 men strong Roman army led by magister militum Aristus. Often overlooked due to the Battle of Ongal (180 years later), the 499-500 AD events demonstrate not only the strength and ambition of the Bulgars to rule over the lower Danube and South-East European lands, but also that their origins historically date back to the late antiquity and not the early medieval ages as is often considered.
