904

Updated on Sep 26, 2024

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Year 904 (CMIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Byzantine Empire

July 29 – Sack of Thessalonica: A Muslim fleet, led by the Greek renegade Leo of Tripoli, appears of Thessalonica and begins their attack after a short and silent inspection of the fortification of the city. After attacks from the sea for two days, the Saracens are able to storm the city walls, overcome the Thessalonian's resistance and capture the city. The sacking continue for a full week, before the raiders depart for their base in the Levant. Having freed 4,000 Muslim prisoners and capturing 60 ships, and gaining a large loot and carries off 22,000 men and woman as slaves.

Arab–Byzantine War: The Byzantines under Andronikos Doukas, along with Eustathios Argyros, campaign against the Abbasids and defeat the Muslim garrisons of Mopsuestia and Tarsos, near Marash (modern Turkey).

Emperor Leo VI (the Wise) is forced to sign a peace treaty with Simeon I, ruler (knyaz) of the Bulgarian Empire. All Slavic-inhabited lands of Macedonia and southern Albania are ceded to the Bulgarians.

Europe

Summer – King Louis IV (the Child) invites Kurszán, an Hungarian leader (gyula) of the Magyar tribal confederation, and his entourage to negotiate at the Fischa River, but are killed in an ambush.

In Portugal, for the third time in less than 30 years, the Christians take control of Coimbra, this time for almost a century.

Britain

Prince Hywel ap Cadell of Seisyllwg (Wales) marries Princess Elen of Dyfed. Death of the latter's father, King Llywarch ap Hyfaidd. The throne of Dyfed is claimed by Llywarch's brother, Rhodri ap Hyfaidd, but he is probably forced to flee from Hywel's armies.

Arabian Empire

Winter – Shayban ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun succeeds his nephew Harun ibn Khumarawayh as emir of the Tulunid Dynasty, who is killed in a mutiny during the invasion of Egypt by the Abbasid Caliphate.

China

September 22 – The warlord Zhu Quanzhong kills Emperor Zhao Zong, along with his family and many ministers, after seizing control of the imperial government. Zhu places Zhao Zong's 13-year-old son Ai (Li Zhou) on the imperial throne as a puppet ruler of the Tang Dynasty.

Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty and the largest city in the ancient world, is destroyed.

Religion

January 29 – Pope Sergius III succeeds Leo V and the deposed Antipope Christopher (both of whom are murdered or exiled) as the 119th pope of the Catholic Church. The ascension of Sergius marks the beginning of the Pornocracy ('rule of the whores'), which will last for 150 years. During this time, the clergy will be sidelined and rule over Rome is dominated by the Roman nobility.

Sergius III allies himself with Theophylact I, count of Tusculum, who becomes ruler of Rome and the papal administration. Sergius rewards him (for his support and rise of power) with the position of sacri palatii vestararius and essentially becomes his puppet.