History Trivia

February 19,197 Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeated usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. 356 The Christian Roman emperor Constantius II issued a decree closing all pagan temples.607 Boniface III was elected Pope. Before his election as pope Boniface served as an ambassador to Constantinople,and as pontiff he worked to assure that the Bishop of Rome had supremacy over all the church in the face of attempts by the Bishop of Constantinople to use the title "Universal Bishop." 1601 Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, was tried for treason; he was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and a patron of many writers, including Barnabe Barnes, Thomas Nashe, Gervase Markham, and William Shakespeare (who dedicated Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece to the earl). A good friend of Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex, Henry accompanied him on his journeys until Elizabeth called him home. In February of 1601 he became involved in the Devereaux's rebellion, attempting to stir up the populace by reviving Richard II, which told the story of the deposition of a monarch. He was arrested, tried, and convicted; his titles were forfeited and he was sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment due to the intercession of Robert Cecil. When Elizabeth's successor James I ascended the throne, Southampton returned to court and was restored to the Peerage by an act of Parliament. He then pursued an illustrious career, becoming a Knight of the Garter, an active member of the Virginia and East India Companies,and a privy councillor.

History Trivia

February 18, 1229 The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor signed a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth,and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy. 1478 George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, was executed in private at the Tower of London. Clarence plotted against the king several times throughout Edward's rise and was given repeated chances by his family to return to the fold. In January, 1478, Edward finally had enough of his brother's faithlessness and threw him into prison, bringing charges of slander and rebellion against him. Both houses of Parliament passed a bill of attainder against the duke, and although his brother Richard protested, Clarence was executed in secret in the tower. Shortly after his death, rumors that he'd been drowned in a butt of malmsey wine began to circulate, but there is no proof of this rather odd claim. 1516 Mary Tudor was born. Eldest daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Queen Mary I of England was stubborn,courageous, and devoutly Catholic. Upon inheriting the throne from her fiercely Protestant brother Edward VI, she sought to turn England back to the Catholic Church, and in the process developed a reputation as a "bloody" fanatic. Her marriage to the Catholic prince Philip of Spain (whom she adored but who could not abide her)further exacerbated matters in England. She desperately wanted a child, and suffered several false pregnancies. Distrusted, disliked, and miserable, Mary died in 1558 at the age of 42. 1546 Martin Luther died.1564 Michelangelo Buonarrotti died.

History Trivia

February 17, 1370 – The Battle of Rudau - Teutonic knights defeated the Lithuanians in their attempt to Christianize the country.1461 Second Battle of Saint Albans -In the long-running Wars of the Roses, a previous battle had taken place at Saint Albans nearly six years earlier, a very brief incident that gave Richard, Duke of York, the upper hand in the conflict. But soon the opposition rose once more and war broke out again in 1459. The Duke had been dead some time when Henry's indomitable Queen Margaret and York's son Edward both sought to capture London. It was Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (also known as the Kingmaker), who met the queen at Saint Albans, but he lost the battle, leaving his prisoner, King Henry VI, to Margaret's forces. Margaret made a grave error when she allowed her forces to pillage the town and Abbey of Saint Albans. The people of London, hearing of this behavior, sent her a message saying she would not be welcome unless she could guarantee that her troops would not so mistreat Londoners. While Margaret thought this over, Edward York and Richard Neville entered London, where York soon was crowned King Edward IV.

History Trivia

February 16, 116 Emperor Trajan sent laureatae to the Roman Senate at Rome on account of his victories and being conqueror of Parthia. 1249 Andrew of Longjumeau was dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with Mongol Khagan of the Mongol Empire. 1646 – Battle of Great Torrington, Devon – was the last major battle of the first English Civil War.

History Trivia

February 15, 44 BC, Mark Antony offered Julius Caesar the diadem of royalty which he refused. 360 AD, the first Cathedral of Santa Sophia in Constantinople was dedicated. 1113 Knights Hospitaller was formally named and recognized. The Hospitallers were founded in the eleventh century to care for sick pilgrims in Jerusalem. Begun as the monastic Order of St. John, it became under the guidance of Blessed Gerard a collection of hostels and was recognized in a bull issued by Pope Paschal II. The order evolved throughout the Crusades and still exists today. 1564 Galileo Galilei was born. An extraordinary man of superb genius, Galileo not only made great strides in scientific discovery, he caused wild controversy with those advances. Convicted of heresy for supporting the Copernican view of the solar system, his life sentence was commuted to house arrest after he formally repudiated his support. He died in his villa in Arcetri. 1637 Ferdinand III became Holy Roman Emperor.

History Trivia

February 14,44 BC, Julius Caesar was made dictator of Rome for life, which turned out to be one month and a day. 842 Charles the Bald and Louis the German swore the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages. 1014 Henry II was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1076 Pope Gregory VII excommunicated Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. 1349 Approximately 2,000 Jews were burned to death by mobs or forcibly removed from the city of Strasbourg. 1556 Thomas Cranmer was declared a heretic.

History Trivia

February 13, 1542, Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, was executed for adultery. Catherine had been a bridesmaid in Henry's politically-motivated wedding to Anne of Cleves, at which time the young woman caught the king's eye. Henry had his loveless marriage to Anne annulled and less than three weeks later married Catherine in a private ceremony. A year or so later Catherine's past relationships came to light, and there was even some gossip that she had committed adultery with her secretary Francis Dereham after her marriage. Henry was incensed and had Parliament pass a bill of attainder that declared it treason for an "unchaste" woman to marry the king. He then had Catherine beheaded in the Tower of London. 1575 Henry III of France was crowned at Rheims and married Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont on the same day. 1633 Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. 1554 Lady Jane Grey, England's Nine Day Queen, was executed for treason.