History Trivia

May 31, 1279 BC – Ramses II (The Great, 19th dynasty) became pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.526 A devastating earthquake struck Antioch, Turkey, killing 250,000. 1076 The execution of Waltheof of Northumbria ended the 'Revolt of the Earls' against William the Conqueror. 1443 Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII of England, was born. 1495 Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV of England and Richard III of England, died. 1859 Big Ben, located atop St. Stephen's tower, went into operation in London, ringing out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London for the first time.

History Trivia

May 30, 70 Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breached the Second Wall of Jerusalem. The Jewish wars financed the construction of the Flavian Amphitheater, which took ten years to build. 1381 English Boer uprising began in Essex. 1431 French heroine Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in Rouen by the English. 1536 King Henry VIII of England married Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting to his first two wives. 1593 Leading Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death in a pub brawl in Deptford.

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History Trivia

May 29, 363 Roman Emperor Julian defeated the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sassanid capital, but was unable to take the city. 1167 Battle of Monte Porzio – A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III was defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel. 1176 Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeated Emperor Frederick I. 1259 King Christopher I of Denmark died. 1414 Council of Constance. 1453 The Roman Empire in the east (Byzantine Empire) came to an end as Ottoman sultan Mehmet II captured Constantinople. 1660 Charles II arrived in London from exile in the Netherlands to reclaim his throne. Charles II was also born on this day.

History Trivia

May 28, 585 BC A solar eclipse occurred, as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes was battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This was one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated. 1291 Acre, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, fell to the Moslems, ending the Crusades. 1503 James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor were married according to a Papal Bull by Pope Alexander VI. A Treaty of Everlasting Peace between Scotland and England signed on that occasion resulted in a peace that lasted ten years. 1588 The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, set sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel. (It would take until May 30 for all ships to leave port).

History Trivia

May 27, 366 Procopius, Roman usurper against Valens, and member of the Constantinian dynasty was executed. 1153 Malcolm IV became King of Scotland. 1199 King John I of England crowned. 1328 King Philip VI of France crowned. 1564 John Calvin, one of the dominant figures of the Protestant Reformation, died in Geneva.

History Trivia

May 26, 17 Germanicus returned to Rome as a conquering hero; he celebrated a triumph for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti and other German tribes west of the Elbe. 451 Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire took place. The Empire defeated the Armenians militarily but guaranteed them freedom to openly practice Christianity. 604 St Augustine died. The Benedictine monk became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church. 961 German King Otto II was crowned.