6 Important Historical Events in April
by chuheng wen 804
Events in U.S. History
American Revolution
April is a significant month in American history. It would be the month that the Revolutionary War would fully begin. To provide some historical context, the future US during this period of history was merely the 13 colonies. Left alone to govern themselves by their British overlords, the Colonists were able to do anything besides renouncing loyalty to the British. However, after the French-Indian War (or the 7 Years’ War) in the mid-18th century, the British would increasingly take back control in the 13 Colonies. One reason the British began to tax the Colonists was to pay off the debt they had accumulated after the French-Indian War. Thus, the infamous series of uncalled-for taxes would bleed into the war for American independence.
This war for American independence would begin when British Royal Governor, Thomas Gage, discovered there were stockpiles of rebel weapons within the town of Concord. Upon discovery, Governor Gage would send a force of 700-800 British regulars to deal with the colonist rebels. These British redcoats would then arrive near Lexington, where the citizens would prepare a defense. Thanks to the midnight ride of various riders, such as Paul Revere, the citizens of Lexington were able to summon around 77 minutemen.
The 77 American minutemen and the 700-800 British Redcoats would meet on the night of April 19th, 1775. It is unknown who shot the first bullet, it has since been a very contested subject since the Revolutionary War ended. Regardless of which side fired the first shot, the colonists at Lexington would be swiftly defeated. However, as the British entered Concord, they discovered that all of the military supplies of the Colonists had been obliterated or concealed.
While searching for these military supplies, the British would then be confronted by more than 300 Colonists and were promptly forced to withdraw. During this retreat, more minutemen would show up to attack the retreating British, forcing them back to Boston. These two battles on the night of April 19th would mark the dawn of the Revolutionary War and eventually ushered in the Siege of Boston the following year—a siege that defined the early phases of the Revolutionary War.
Sources;
And Wikipedia to get a general overview
American Civil War
While April may include the beginning of the Revolutionary War; April would also be the month in which the American Civil War would initiate and conclude. However, to provide some historical context; slavery had always been a dividing matter within the United States. There had been many compromises between the slave-free North and the slave South; however, none ever solved the issue, only prolonged it. This procrastination to solve the matter led to events such as Bleeding Kansas and John Brown’s insurrection at Harpers Ferry; all events which further split the nation. This all culminated in the results of one event, the Election of 1860, in which the anti-slavery man named Abraham Lincoln became president. This caused a rapid series of succeeding from the American Union within the South; these broken-off states would eventually form the Confederate States of America. This rebellion would directly lead to the Battle of Fort Sumter, the beginning of the war.
Sources;
FORT SUMTER
FORT SUMTER
When many Southern states began to secede from the Union to form the Confederacy, many military units would be trapped deep inside the South. Military units such as the one under Major General Robert Anderson in Charleston, South Carolina, would be trapped in the South. Knowing that his allegiance to the Union would make him a prime target of Confederate forces, Anderson would move his unit to Fort Sumter under the cover of night on December 26th, 1860; a modern fort on top of a man-made island in the center of Charleston Harbor.
Within this seemingly impregnable fort, Anderson’s forces practically had the power to halt any ships coming and out of Confederate Charleston. Being such a threat to commercial trade, Confederate President Jefferson Davis would send General P.G.T. Beauregard to kick Anderson out of Fort Sumter in March. Beauregard would first negotiate Anderson out of his position in Fort Sumter, but Anderson refused to speak.
With Anderson pinned down in Fort Sumter, Beauregard would ensure that the Union forces wouldn’t be able to resupply themselves at all—he did this by firing artillery upon any Union ships attempting to enter Fort Sumter. Eventually culminating in Beauregard ordering direct fire upon the fort beginning at 4:30 AM, April 12th, 1961. After constant bombardment from the Confederate forces, the Union would also fire back. This artillery clash would last for 34 hours, only truly ending when a Confederate shell sent the fort on fire. Anderson only had 85 soldiers with him. He couldn’t continue to fight against the Confederates and the fire within. Calling for a retreat, Anderson would negotiate with Beauregard, handing over Fort Sumter on the 14th for safe passage to New York on a Union supply ship. With the end of the Battle of Fort Sumter, would the beginning phases of the Civil War begin.
Sources;
End of Civil War
End of Civil War
After the Battle of Fort Sumter, a brutal Civil War lasting four years would commence. From bloody battles such as the Battle of Antietam and Gettysburg, those years of pure Civil War would eventually end in April too. After the crucial Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, the Confederacy would be sent into a death spiral as Union forces began to commit to a renewed offensive against the South. This offensive would be known as the Appomattox Campaign, led by Commander-in-Chief of the Union army, Ulysses S. Grant—one of the first true adversaries of the almost undefeatable Confederate General, Robert E. Lee.
Grant would begin this offensive using brutal tactics that would make him known as a "butcher" back in the North. Grant knew that his soldiers were replaceable (as he had over 114,000 men), unlike Robert E. Lee (who had under 60,000). Thus, Grant’s tactics often led to high casualties, but each battle he commanded ended with a Union victory. Grant’s tactics of worrying about casualties second, were so successful that he began a 9-month siege of Petersburg—a major railroad junction south of Richmond (Note: This is after I wrote this, but the Siege of Petersburg isn’t often considered a part of the Appomattox Campaign; only after its conclusion does the Appomattox Campaign begin. In fact, this period before Appomattox and after Grant’s commencing offensive is known as the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign).
With Anderson pinned down in Fort Sumter, Beauregard would ensure that the Union forces wouldn’t be able to resupply themselves at all—he did this by firing artillery upon any Union ships attempting to enter Fort Sumter. Eventually culminating in Beauregard ordering direct fire upon the fort beginning at 4:30 AM, April 12th, 1961. After constant bombardment from the Confederate forces, the Union would also fire back. This artillery clash would last for 34 hours, only truly ending when a Confederate shell sent the fort on fire. Anderson only had 85 soldiers with him. He couldn’t continue to fight against the Confederates and the fire within. Calling for a retreat, Anderson would negotiate with Beauregard, handing over Fort Sumter on the 14th for safe passage to New York on a Union supply ship. With the end of the Battle of Fort Sumter, would the beginning phases of the Civil War begin.
Sources;
General Election of South Africa
In April, 1994, the first South African general elections were held. These elections brought the oppressive regime of white supremacist apartheid Nationalist Party down in favor of a more friendly government under the administration of Nelson Mandela. However, to provide some historical context; South Africa had been a British colony after the events of the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. With the British Empire in command of South Africa, the previous Dutch colonists in South Africa decided to rebel. However, prior to this war for Dutch independence (Anglo-Boeian War) in South Africa (wacky, I know), England would discover a massive diamond mine in 1867 and the world’s largest gold deposits in 1886. With such massively prized materials in South Africa, the British would overwhelm the Dutch freedom fighters, forcing them to team up with the British—to further oppress the native Africans as according to the Peace of Vereeniging (May 31st, 1902).
This coalition would be proven very effective, with legislation such as the Mine and Work Acts in 1911 which reserved jobs for white workers. Not to mention, the tribal way of life would be further restricted to only 10% of South Africa’s total land mass. However, British control would continue to slip—fully disappearing after the Statute of Westminster (1931) which took away the last bit of British power in South Africa. Even with the British gone, segregation and racism would still plague the country. The white minority in South Africa would rapidly assume control, making the National Party.
For the next half-century, this National Party would pass 148 apartheid laws, which further oppressed the black majority and gave further power to the white minority. It got so tyrannical that many Africans were to live in the most underdeveloped lands within the country; all colored peoples in South Africa even had to have a passbook that marked their every possible opportunity. However, the opposition was apparent. One apparent event of resistance that garnered international attention would be on June 16th, 1976, when a band of school students protested against apartheid. These children would face the police spraying tear gas and, eventually, bullets. The government would later then ban all non-racial parties within South Africa. Incidents like this would cause South Africa to become very unpopular on the world stage.
However, after the brutal protest and the world’s backlash, the National Party of South Africa began to make concessions to various freedom-fighting groups. These concussions would officially culminate in the General Election of 1994. From April 26th through April 29th, political leader and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela became President of a newly liberated South Africa. Along with that, the beginning of a new holiday which is celebrated in South Africa every year on April 27th, Freedom Day.
Sources;
Why South Africa is still so segregated - Vox News
Wikipedia to get a general overview
The Founding of Rome
The city of seven hills, Rome, was founded during this month. To provide some historical context; in the years 817–794 BC, the kingdom of Alba Longa was ruled by a Latin king named Procas. Procas was a direct descendant of the heroic Trojan hero Aeneas and, thus, the Roman Goddess Venus herself. Out of his entire family tree, it would be only he who would give birth to two sons: Numitor and Amulius. After the death of Procas in 794 BC, his son Numitor would succeed him, right before he was booted out of power by his brother Amulius. It would also be around this time that Numintor’s daughter, Rhea Silvia, would be impregnated by the war god Mars, giving rise to twins named Romulus and Remus. However, Amulius would be on a killing rampage, extinguishing Numintor’s bloodline, including all of his sons (such as Lausus) and then Rhea’s newborn sons.
Amulius and his supporters then would capture Romulus and Remus. However, Amulius wouldn’t dare harm the twins, after all, their father was the war god Mars. Thus, Amulius would send the twins to be drowned, only for the boys to survive and be nursed back to health by a she-wolf called Lupa within a cavern under Palatine Hill. A local shepherd named Paustulus would then save and raise the boys.
<- Paustulus bringing back Romulus and Remus to his house + Lupa.
The twins would then grow up, forming a band of shepherd warriors before discovering their lineage. After a raid on Alba Longa, they would somehow overthrow Amulius with their gang of shepherds and reinstall Numitor as the king of Alba Longa. Romulus and Remus would then travel back to Palatine Hill to build their own city along the Tiber River.
However, the twins couldn’t agree on where to build the city or their goals. Thus, this ended up being settled with an eagle-spotting game, which Romulus won. Remus was very petty over this loss, and the two began to clash. Romulus would then slay his brother over this shuffle and find the city of Rome (or Roma, in basically any other language besides English) on April 21st, 753 BC. Of course, this is the mythological version of the story; the story is most likely a bunch of Italian town-states combining into one city-state, but this story of Romulus and Remus is the most popular version. However, this connection with the ancient Trojans through Romulus provided the Romans with their ideals, role models, and overall culture from the mid-Republic (3rd to 2nd century BC) to the beginning of the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine (late-3rd century AD).
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The most consequential sacking in the medieval era was the sacking of the Eastern Roman capital of Constantinople by voracious Crusaders. Its implications would be massive within European history; however, it is key to understand the historical context behind this event. The Crusades were a series of religiously-charged military campaigns by Western kingdoms to retake the Holy Land (the Levant, or more specifically, Jerusalem). These crusades were first conceptualized by Eastern Roman Emperor Alexios Komnenos in the late 11th century—due to the Islamic expansion of Anatolia, a piece of land once firmly held by the Eastern Romans before the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. Although the Crusades were initially triumphant, allowing the establishment of multiple Crusader States deep within Islamic territory. These Crusader States eventually failed, such as the Crusader State in Jerusalem; which was eroded by a coalition of Islamic states under a man named Saladin after the Battle of Hattin.
Crusader Kingdoms ->
By the beginning of 1200, most of the Crusaders in the Levant had been exterminated. Thus, the current Pope, Innocent III, decided to send another crusade through Egypt to reconquer Jerusalem. Innocent would then spread the vision of this Fourth Crusade throughout France (mainly), England, and parts of the Holy Roman Empire. However, when Pope Innocent received a force of 4,000–5,000 knights and 15,000 supporters, he wasn’t able to transport them to Egypt. Thus, he decided to ask the local Venetians for aid in helping in the transit to Egypt.
Sack of Constantinople 4th Crusade
Sack of Constantinople 4th Crusade
However, these Venetians would ask the Crusaders to take the city of Zara in honor of the Venetians from the Kingdom of Hungary. This theme of attacking other Christian nations to get the materials the Crusaders needed would persist throughout the rest of this crusade. This track record of attacking other Christian nations by the Crusaders would be exploited by a relative of the current reigning monarch of the Eastern Roman Empire, Alexios Angelos. Angelos would bribe the Crusaders with a large sum of money (which Angdiopselos didn’t have), convincing them to go attack his uncle, the reigning monarch. The Crusaders would then help Angelos overthrow his uncle in (1202) and place him and his father back on the throne.
<- Siege of Zara
Pope Innocent III hoped this could repair the damaged ties between the Pope in Rome and the Eastern Roman Empire; however, Angelos and his father were very disliked. For instance, while Angelos was away dealing with the last strongholds of his uncle, Constantinople would ignite after a brief conflict between the Greek and Latin civilians. This blaze would destroy most of the city, even the money Angelos had accumulated to pay the Crusaders. Upon Angelos’ return, the populace would rise against him and his father. A distant relative named Alexios Mourtzouphlos would ride the commotion to order the assassination of Angelos, which would prove successful. This new Alexios would then crown himself Emperor and attack the Crusaders. Alexios would dispatch fire ships and build further fortifications along the sea walls of Constantinople.
The actual fight would commence in early April 1204. which Alexios would attempt to bait out the Crusaders for a confrontation outside of the city. This endeavor would fail as the Crusaders would strike the city's sea walls due to its defenders going with Alexios. The Crusaders were able to breach the "Mother of all Cities". Although Alexios retreated into the city, the Crusaders, who had entered, would set fire to the urban streets. Seeing the city as unattainable to guard against the highly trained knights of Western Europe and the lack of morale among the populace, Alexios fled westward. Alexios had yielded the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for centuries to the Latin Crusaders.
<- Siege of Constantinople
What was lost during the Crusades
What was lost during the Crusades
The Latin Crusaders would attempt to keep the damage as light as possible, with all leaders threatening ex-communication for those who harm the citizens of the city or churches. This discipline, however, would not be followed by most. Mansions, treasures, arts, and so much more would be plundered and melted down to pay for Crusader expenses for the Venetian transit and profit. Some Crusaders would even loot the graves of past Eastern Roman Emperors such as Emperor Constantine (the first Christian Roman Emperor), Justinian (an emperor who reconquered Italy), Heraclius (the Emperor who demolished the Sassanid Persian Empire & oversaw early Islamic Expansion), and so much more. The Crusaders would even loot the Hagia Sophia. Almost every priceless relic within the city would also be stolen by the Venetians to be sold back in the West, such as the gates of the city. The remaining statues un-stolen or damaged would be melted down into bronze coins. 50% of the total population of Constantinople would be left homeless, forced to leave the city and out into Bulgaria or remaining Roman holdouts. Although I cannot list out all of the statues melted down, according to my sources, the video "What was lost in the Sack of Constantinople of 1204" explains it all at 6:43 mins in.
The implications of the Fourth Crusade would have devastating consequences upon the region until the end of the Medieval Era. The Eastern Roman Empire was the superpower in the European East; it defined the limits of the Islamic powers further east and protected the West against them. Thanks to the Crusades, it weakened the restored Eastern Roman Empire (refounded in 1261) so much that it couldn’t defend itself against the micro-state of the newly-born Islamic Ottoman Empire. Although there is one positive, it may have triggered the Age of Enlightenment sooner. After the conquest of Constantinople once in for all by the Ottoman Turks in May 1453, many Greek scholars left for Italy, bringing knowledge of antiquity with them—thus, sparking the age of Enlightenment a lot sooner, if the Eastern Roman Empire continued to exist.
Sources;
Sack of Constantinople - Kings and Generals
What was lost in the Sack of Constantinople in 1204? - Kings and Generals
Crusades from the Muslim Perspective - Kings and Generals (used for one sentence only, but this topic is very interesting, highly recommended to check out this video if interested).
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