By Month: Historical Events in April

According to tradition, Rome is founded by Romulus.

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 Roman Republic is established after the overthrow of the Roman monarchy.

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.

Alexander the Great, Macedonian king and conqueror, is born in Pella.

Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia at the Battle of Gaugamela.

Alexander the Great dies in Babylon, leaving his empire to his generals.

Hannibal of Carthage crosses the Alps with his army during the Second Punic War.

Julius Caesar is assassinated by a group of Roman senators, including Brutus and Cassius.

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.

Herod the Great, King of Judea, dies in Jericho.

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.