__NOTOC__ Year 903 ( CMIII) was a

common year starting on Saturday A common year starting on Saturday is any non-leap year (i.e. a year with 365 days) that begins on Saturday, 1 January, and ends on Saturday, 31 December. Its dominical letter hence is B. The most recent year of such kind was 2022, and the next ...

of the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

Events

By place

Europe

* King

Berengar I of Italy Berengar I (; ; 845 – 7 April 924) was the king of Italy from 887 and Holy Roman Emperor, emperor between 915 and his death in 924. He is usually known as Berengar of Friuli, since he ruled the March of Friuli from 874 until at least 890, bu ...

proceeds to issue concessions and privileges to the Lombard

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

. He grants concessions to

Bobbio Abbey Bobbio Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di San Colombano'') is a monastery founded by Irish Saint Columbanus in 614, around which later grew up the town of Bobbio, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Columbanus. ...

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

(

Northeast Italy Northeast Italy ( or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a Italian NUTS level 1 regions, first level NUTS region and a European ...

). * King Louis IV ("the Child") promulgates the

Raffelstetten customs regulations Raffelstetten customs regulations (Latin: ''Inquisitio de theloneis Raffelstettensis'', literally: "Inquiry of the Raffelstetten Tolls") is a rare example of a legal regulation of customs in Early Medieval Europe, the text of which has been prese ...

, a legal document for a

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Toll road, a type of road which for which payment is required for passage ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road to ...

-bridge on the

Danube River The Danube ( ; see also other names) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important riv ...

in Asten (modern

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Britain

* The Danish

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

invade

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

after being driven out of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

(see

902 __NOTOC__ Year 902 (Roman numerals, CMII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Adalbert II, Margrave of Tuscany, Adalbert II, margrave of March of Tuscany, Tuscany, revol ...

). They fail to gain a foothold in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and sail on to

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. * A party of Danes under the Viking warlord Ingimundr attack the Welsh in a pitched battle at Maes Ros Meilon, perhaps near

Llanfaes Llanfaes (formerly also known as Llanmaes) is a small village on the island of Anglesey, Wales, located on the shore of the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from the north Wales coast. Its natural har ...

Arabian Empire

November 29 Events Pre-1600 * 528 – Antioch suffers its second major earthquake in two years, killing thousands and destroying its remaining edifice. * 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert ...

–

Battle of Hama The Battle of Hama was fought some from the city of Hama in Bilad al-Sham, Syria on 29 November 903 between the forces of the Abbasid Caliphate and pro-Isma'ili Bedouin (called "Fatimids" or "Qarmatians"). The Abbasids were victorious, resultin ...

: Abbasid forces under

Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Katib Muhammad ibn Sulayman (), surnamed al-Katib, was a senior official and commander of the Abbasid Caliphate, most notable for his victories against the Qarmatians and for his reconquest of Syria and Egypt from the autonomous Tulunid dynasty. Life a ...

defeat the

Qarmatians The Qarmatians (; ) were a militant Isma'ili Shia movement centred in Al-Ahsa in Eastern Arabia, where they established a religious state in 899 CE. Its members were part of a movement that adhered to a syncretic branch of Sevener Ismaili ...

near

Hama Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...

, on the banks of the

Orontes River The Orontes (; from Ancient Greek , ) or Nahr al-ʿĀṣī, or simply Asi (, ; ) is a long river in Western Asia that begins in Lebanon, flowing northwards through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Hatay Province, Turk ...

(modern

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

). The Qarmatian army is scattered and pursued by Abbasid troops;

Al-Husayn ibn Zikrawayh Al-Husayn ibn Zakarawayh, also known under his assumed name Sahib al-Shama ("Man with the Mole"), was a Qarmatian leader in the Syrian Desert in the early years of the 10th century. Biography Husayn was a younger son of the Qarmatian leader Za ...

and other Qarmatian leaders are captured.

By topic

Religion

* July – Pope Benedict IV dies after a 3-year reign. He is succeeded by Leo V as the 118th

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Leo is imprisoned and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

d by Antipope

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

after a reign of just 1 month. Christopher makes himself the new pope of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Births

December 7 Events Pre-1600 *43 BC – Marcus Tullius Cicero is assassinated in Formia on orders of Marcus Antonius. * 574 – Byzantine Emperor Justin II, suffering recurring seizures of insanity, adopts his general Tiberius and proclaims him ...

–

Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ṣūfī (; 7 December 90325 May 986) was a Persian astronomer. His work '' '' ("''The Book of Fixed Stars''"), written in 964, included both textual descriptions and illustrations. The Persian polymath Al-Biruni wrote th ...

, Persian

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

(d.

986 Year 986 ( CMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * August 17 – Battle of the Gates of Trajan: Emperor Basil II leads a Byzantine expeditionary force (30,000 me ...

) *

Feng Yanji Feng Yanji () (per the ''Zizhi Tongjian'Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283. and the '' History of Song' History of Song'', vol. 478.) or Feng Yansi () (per the ''New History of the Five Dynasties'New History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 62. and ...

, chancellor of

Southern Tang Southern Tang ( zh, c=南唐, p=Nán Táng) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Located in southern China, the Southern Tang proclaimed itself to be the successor ...

(d.

960 Year 960 ( CMLX) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. It was the 960th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 960th year of the 1st millennium, the 60th year of the 10th century, and the firs ...

) *

Kūya was an itinerant Japanese Buddhist monk, or ''hijiri'' (聖), later ordained in the Tendai Buddhist sect, who was an early proselytizer of the practice of the nembutsu amongst the populace. Kūya's efforts helped promote the Pure Land teaching ...

, Japanese priest of

Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism or the Pure Land School ( zh, c=淨土宗, p=Jìngtǔzōng) is a broad branch of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Pure land, Pure Land. It is one of the most widely practiced traditions of East Asi ...

(d.

972 Year 972 ( CMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Emperor John I Tzimiskes divides the Bulgarian territories, recently held by the Kievan Rus', into six ...

) * Li Gu, chancellor of

Later Zhou Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ...

(d. 960) * Wang Jun, chancellor of Later Zhou (or

)

Deaths

March 6 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. * 1204 &ndas ...

Lu Guangqi Lu Guangqi (盧光啟) (died March 6, 903''Zizhi Tongjian'', :zh:s:資治通鑑/卷264, vol. 264.Academia Sinica]Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Zizhong (子忠), was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty, who ...

, Chinese official and Chancellor of the Tang dynasty, chancellor **

Su Jian Su Jian (蘇檢) (died March 6, 903''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 264.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Shengyong (聖用),''New Book of Tang'', vol. 7/ref> was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynast ...

, Chinese official and chancellor *

March 26 Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. * 624 – First Eid al-Fitr celebration. * 1021 – The death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret ...

–

Sugawara no Michizane , or , was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in '' waka'' and '' kanshi'' poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the famed poem anthology ' ...

, Japanese politician and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

(b.

845 __NOTOC__ Year 845 ( DCCCXLV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Arab War: A prisoner exchange occurs between the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate, ...

) *

June 10 Events Pre-1600 * 671 – Emperor Tenji of Japan introduces a water clock ( clepsydra) called ''Rokoku''. The instrument, which measures time and indicates hours, is placed in the capital of Ōtsu. * 1190 – Third Crusade: Frederic ...

–

Cheng Rui Cheng Rui (成汭 died June 10, 903''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 264.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), adoptive name Guo Yu (郭禹 used until c. 888), formally the Prince of Shanggu (上谷王), was a warlord late in the Chines ...

, Chinese

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

July 27 Events Pre-1600 *1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. This is known as the Battle of Dunsinane. *1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives a ...

–

Abdallah II of Ifriqiya Abu 'l-Abbas Abdallah II (, ''Abū l-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh''; died 27 July 903) was the Emir of Ifriqiya from 902 to 903. Mounting reports of the cruel atrocities of his father Ibrahim II made their way to Baghdad, prompting the Abbasid Caliph a ...

, Aghlabid

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

* July – Benedict IV, pope of the

December 24 Events Pre-1600 * 502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. * 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. * 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengd ...

–

Hedwiga Hedwig (also known as Hadewig or Hathui; died 24 December 903), was Duchess of Saxony (from about 880 until her death) by her marriage with the Liudolfing duke Otto the Illustrious. She was the mother of King Henry the Fowler. Her parentage is ...

, duchess of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

December 30 Events Pre-1600 * 534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. * 999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a cr ...

–

Tian Jun Tian Jun (; 858''New Book of Tang'', vol. 189. – December 30, 903''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 264.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Dechen (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord during the l ...

, Chinese warlord (b.

858 __NOTOC__ Year 858 ( DCCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – King Louis the German, summoned by the disaffected Frankish nobles, invades the West Frankish Kin ...

) *

Adalhard of Babenberg Adalhard of Babenberg (died 903) was a member of the Frankish Popponids ( Elder House of Babenberg). He was the son of Margrave Henry I of Babenberg and Judith of Friuli. During the Babenberg feud, he was arrested by the Conradine leaders in ...

, Frankish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

Moses Bar-Kepha Moses bar Kepha or Moses bar Cephas ( Syriac ''Mushe bar Kipho''; born in Balad in Nineveh, now in Iraq, about the year 813; died at the age of ninety, in 903) was a writer and one of the most celebrated bishops of the Syriac Orthodox Church of t ...

, Syriac

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and writer *

Théodrate of Troyes Théodrate of Troyes (also ''Théodérade, Théodrade''; 868—903) was the wife of Odo, Count of Paris and queen consort of West Francia In medieval historiography, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () constitu ...

, Frankish queen (b.

868 __NOTOC__ Year 868 ( DCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Charles the Bald meets his brother Louis the German at Metz. They agree to a partition of Lotharingia, which b ...

) * Zhu Yanshou, Chinese governor (b.

870 __NOTOC__ Year 870 (Roman numerals, DCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar, the 870th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 870th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th year of the 9th ce ...

)

References

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