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.