Year 903 (CMIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.

Events

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By place

Europe

• King Berengar I of Italy proceeds to issue concessions and privileges to the Lombard nobility and monasteries. He grants concessions to Bobbio Abbey in Emilia-Romagna (Northeast Italy).

• King Louis IV ("the Child") promulgates the Raffelstetten customs regulations, a legal document for a toll-bridge on the Danube River in Asten (modern Austria).

Britain

• The Danish Vikings invade Anglesey after being driven out of Dublin (see 902). They fail to gain a foothold in Wales, and sail on to Chester.

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

Arabian Empire

• November 29 Battle of Hama: Abbasid forces under Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Katib defeat the Qarmatians near Hama, on the banks of the Orontes River (modern Syria). The Qarmatian army is scattered and pursued by Abbasid troops; Al-Husayn ibn Zikrawayh 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 of the Catholic Church. Leo is imprisoned and tortured by Antipope Christopher after a reign of just 1 month. Christopher makes himself the new pope of Rome.

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Births

• December 7 Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, Persian astronomer (d. 986)

• Feng Yanji, chancellor of Southern Tang (d. 960)

• Kūya, Japanese priest of Pure Land Buddhism (d. 972)

• Li Gu, chancellor of Later Zhou (d. 960)

• Wang Jun, chancellor of Later Zhou (or 902)

Deaths

March 6

• Lu Guangqi, Chinese official and chancellor

• Su Jian, Chinese official and chancellor

  March 26 Sugawara no Michizane, Japanese politician and poet (b. 845)

• June 10 Cheng Rui, Chinese warlord

• July 27 Abdallah II of Ifriqiya, Aghlabid emir

• July Benedict IV, pope of the Catholic Church

• December 24 Hedwiga, duchess of Saxony

• December 30 Tian Jun, Chinese warlord (b. 858)

• Adalhard of Babenberg, Frankish nobleman

• Moses Bar-Kepha, Syriac bishop and writer

• Théodrate of Troyes, Frankish queen (b. 868)

• Zhu Yanshou, Chinese governor (b. 870)

References