896

896 in various calendars
Gregorian calendar	896; DCCCXCVI
Ab urbe condita	1649
Armenian calendar	345; ԹՎ ՅԽԵ
Assyrian calendar	5646
Balinese saka calendar	817–818
Bengali calendar	303
Berber calendar	1846
Buddhist calendar	1440
Burmese calendar	258
Byzantine calendar	6404–6405
Chinese calendar	乙卯年 (Wood Rabbit); 3593 or 3386; — to —; 丙辰年 (Fire Dragon); 3594 or 3387
Coptic calendar	612–613
Discordian calendar	2062
Ethiopian calendar	888–889
Hebrew calendar	4656–4657
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	952–953
- Shaka Samvat	817–818
- Kali Yuga	3996–3997
Holocene calendar	10896
Iranian calendar	274–275
Islamic calendar	282–283
Japanese calendar	Kanpyō 8; (寛平８年)
Javanese calendar	794–795
Julian calendar	896; DCCCXCVI
Korean calendar	3229
Minguo calendar	1016 before ROC; 民前1016年
Nanakshahi calendar	−572
Seleucid era	1207/1208 AG
Thai solar calendar	1438–1439
Tibetan calendar	阴木兔年; (female Wood-Rabbit); 1022 or 641 or −131; — to —; 阳火龙年; (male Fire-Dragon); 1023 or 642 or −130

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	8th century; 9th century ; 10th century;
Decades:	870s; 880s; 890s ; 900s; 910s;
Years:	893; 894; 895; 896 ; 897; 898; 899;

The Bulgarians rout the Byzantine army at Boulgarophygon (from the Madrid Skylitzes)

Year 896 (DCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events

By place

Europe

February – King Arnulf of Carinthia invades Italy at the head of an East Frankish expeditionary army. He storms Rome (the Leonine City), and has himself crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Formosus at St. Peter's. Arnulf sets out to establish his authority in Spoleto, but suffers a stroke; he is forced to call off the campaign, and returns to Bavaria.
March – King Lambert II proceeds to re-conquer Italy. Heading north, he captures western Lombardy, and decapitates count Maginulf of Milan. In the meantime, the deposed king Berengar I recovers Verona (March of Friuli) from Arnulf's candidate, count Walfred of Verona, who dies in office with "great fidelity to the emperor".^[1]
Battle of Southern Buh: Bulgarian forces under Simeon I ('the Great') defeat the Magyars, near the banks of the Southern Buh river (modern Ukraine). The Magyars withdraw from Bulgaria, and are forced to migrate to new pastures. Led by Árpád, they settle in the Carpathian Basin (modern Hungary).^[2]
Summer – Battle of Boulgarophygon: Simeon I invades the Theme of Thrace (in the southeastern Balkans). The Byzantines transfer a new army to Europe, to deal with the Bulgarian threat. The armies clash at Boulgarophygon (modern Turkey); the Byzantines are completely destroyed in battle.^[3]
November – Lambert II and Berengar I agree to sign a treaty at Pavia. Berengar receives the realm between the Adda and the Po, while the rest stays under the control of Lambert (including the March of Tuscany). They share Bergamo, and Lambert pledges to marry Gisela, Berengar's daughter.^[4]
Prince Klonimir, pretender to the throne of the Serbian Principality, is defeated by his ruling cousin, Petar. He is recognized as sole ruler of Serbia by Simeon I, resulting in a 20-year peace and alliance (approximate date).^[5]

Britain

Summer – King Alfred the Great orders the building of English warships (almost twice as long as the longships) on the Itchen at Southampton, against the Danish Viking raiders in Wessex.^[6]
A Viking pirate army under Hastein (a son of Ragnar Lodbrok) ravages the Welsh kingdoms of Brycheiniog and Gwent (approximate date).

Arabian Empire

Kharijite Rebellion: The Kharijite uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate in Jazira is ended. Caliph Al-Mu'tadid reunifies the entire province under central government, and installs his son and heir, Al-Muktafi, as governor.^[7]

China

Emperor Zhao Zong appoints Li Keyong, a Shatuo military governor (jiedushi), as Prince of Jin. He becomes the first ruler of Jin (see 907) following the collapse of the Tang dynasty.

By topic

Religion

April 4 – Pope Formosus dies at Rome, after a four-year reign. He is succeeded by Boniface VI, as the 112th pope of the Catholic Church.
April – Boniface VI dies (probably murdered), after a pontificate of 15 days. He is succeeded by Stephen VI, as the 113th pope of Rome.