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
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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 city of Toledo in Spain falls to the forces of the Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III, establishing Umayyad control.
The Saxon king Henry the Fowler is elected King of the Germans.
King Edward the Elder of England dies, succeeded by his son Athelstan.
Battle of Riade: Henry I of Germany defeats a Hungarian invasion.
Edmund I succeeds his brother Athelstan as King of England.
Edgar the Peaceful is crowned King of England.
Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, wins the Battle of Glenmama, consolidating his power.
St. Brice's Day massacre in England: King Æthelred the Unready orders the killing of Danish settlers.
The Battle of Clontarf occurs near Dublin, Ireland, where the forces of Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland, defeat the Viking invaders. While Brian Boru's forces were victorious, the battle resulted in significant casualties, including Brian Boru himself. The battle is often seen as a pivotal moment in Irish history, marking a decline in Viking power in Ireland and contributing to the eventual unification of the country.
Battle of Clontarf, oil on canvas painting by Hugh Frazer, 1826
The Battle of Clontarf takes place at Clontarf, near Dublin, Ireland. between an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the forces of Sigtrygg Silkbeard, King of Dublin; Máel Mórda mac Murchada, King of Leinster; and a Viking army from abroad led by Sigurd of Orkney and Brodir of Mann. The battle It lasted from sunrise to sunset, and ended in a rout of the Viking and Leinster armies. More
Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as king of England.
Henry III, also known as Henry the Black is crowned King of Germany in the Cathedral of Aachen by Pilgrim, Archbishop of Cologne. Upon the death of his father on 4 June 1039 he became sole ruler of the kingdom and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II in Rome in 1046. More
Mieszko II Lambert is crowned King of Poland.
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, becomes the Duke at the age of 8 after the death of his father, Robert I.
Nizam al-Mulk, Persian scholar and vizier of the Seljuk Empire, is born.
Pope Damasus II is consecrated as the 151st pope.
Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet Omar Khayyam is born.
Pope Leo IX issues a papal bull excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael I Cerularius, sparking the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches.
Pope Victor II succeeds Leo IX as the 153rd pope. Born Gebhard of Dollnstein-Hirschberg, c. 1018. He was one of a series German-born Popes who led the Gregorian Reform. He died in 1057. More