903



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

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.

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.

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)