According to tradition, Rome is founded by Romulus.
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What Happened in April?
Sieges, raids, and monumental deaths. Discover key historical events from April that influenced the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The traditional date for the founding of Rome. The city and surrounding region of Latium has continued to be inhabited with little interruption since around that time. According to tradition, Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC.
They were twin brothers, sons of a human mother and the god of war, Mars. After their birth, the king ordered them killed. They were placed in a basket and put into the Tiber River - left to die from exposure in the outdoors. Instead of drowning, the twins' basket washed ashore, where they were found and nursed by a she-wolf (lupa). Later, they were discovered and raised by a shepherd, Faustulus, and his wife. More
The Battle of Marathon occurs between the Greeks and the Persians, resulting in a Greek victory.
The Battle of Thermopylae takes place where King Leonidas and the Spartans valiantly resist the Persian invasion.
Socrates, the Greek philosopher, is sentenced to death in Athens.
218 BCE, April - September
Hannibal of Carthage crosses the Alps with his army during the Second Punic War.
208 BCE c. April
Scipio Africanus defeats Hasdrubal at the Battle of Baecula during the Second Punic War. It was another victory of Scipio Africanus over the Carthaginian armies in Spain, undermining Carthaginia status on the Peninsula and improving Rome's authority. More
The Battle of Actium takes place, marking the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of Augustus Caesar.
Cleopatra VII dies, marking the end of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.
According to tradition, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ takes place on Good Friday.
The Jewish fort of Masada falls to the Romans after a lengthy siege.
The Roman Emperor Philip the Arab celebrates the 1,000th anniversary of Rome, known as the Saeculum Novum.
Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman Emperor in the West, is deposed by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer.
The Islamic conquest of Spain begins with the landing of the Muslim General Tariq ibn-Ziyad armed forces at Gibraltar. By the end of the campaign most of the Iberian Peninsula (except for small areas in the north-west such as Asturias and the Basque territory were brought under Islamic rule. More
The Viking Age begins with the raid on Lindisfarne monastery in England.
The Viking invasion of England under the leadership of Ivar the Boneless results in the capture of Dumbarton.
The Battle of Cynwit takes place between the Wessex Saxons and the Vikings.
The Irish Viking fleet is defeated by the Franks at the Battle of Leuven in present-day Belgium.
Pope Formosus dies, on April 4, 896. He was Pope and ruler of the Papal States from October 6, 891 until his death. His pontificate was marked by interventions in power struggles and left a controversial legacy leading to a period of scandals and chaos in the papacy. Months after his death his remains were exhumed and put on trial it what is known as the Cadaver Synod. He was convicted and all his ordinations declared invalid. More
The city of Toledo in Spain falls to the forces of the Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III, establishing Umayyad control.