History Trivia - Thomas Wolsey appointed English Lord Chancellor

December 24

563 The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by earthquakes.

1167 King John I of England was born. The youngest son of King Henry II, John lacked the trust of his barons and was maneuvered into signing the Magna Carta.

1515 Thomas Wolsey was appointed English Lord Chancellor.

History Trivia - Thomas Wolsey appointed archbishop of York

September 15

509 BC The temple of Jupiter on Rome's Capitoline Hill was dedicated on the ides of September. 

1159 Alexander III was crowned Roman Catholic pope. He is noted for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris. 

1514 Thomas Wolsey was appointed archbishop of York, the second most important seat in England. His failure to obtain an annulment of Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon led to his downfall. He built Hampton Court Palace, which Henry VIII coveted and acquired, and was one of Henry's favorite residences.

History Trivia - Battle of the Spurs - French routed

August 16

1513 The Battle of Guinegate (near Saint-Omer in the Pas de Calais, France)or Battle of the Spurs: As part of the Holy League under the on-going Italian Wars, English and Imperial troops under Henry VIII and Maximilian I surprised and routed a body of French cavalry under Jacques de La Palice. The English army was provided by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and combined several different types of martial forces, and included cavalry, artillery, infantry and longbows using hardened steel arrows designed to penetrate armor more effectively. The French forces were mostly companies of gendarmes and pikemen, with some other mixed forces as well. The battle became known as the "Battle of the Spurs" because of the haste of the French horsemen to leave the battlefield.

History Trivia - second dedication of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople

December 24

563 The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by earthquakes.

640 Pope John IV was elected. In his brief pontificate, John sent help to the victims of invaders in Dalmatia, opposed monothelitism and the Irish choice for the date of Easter, and defended the orthodoxy of Pope Honorius I.

1167 King John I of England was born. The youngest son of King Henry II, John lacked the trust of his barons and was maneuvered into signing the Magna Carta.

1476 400 Burgundy soldiers froze to death during siege of Nancy (Burgundian Wars, the battle finally being fought outside the walls on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine. René's forces won the battle, and Charles' mutilated body was found three days later.)

1515 Thomas Wolsey was appointed English Lord Chancellor.

History Trivia - Battle of Winwaed - Penda of Mercia defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria

November 15

655 Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Although the battle was said to be the most important between the early northern and southern divisions of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain, few details are available. Significantly, the battle marked the effective demise of Anglo-Saxon paganism.

1397 Pope Nicholas V was born. Known as the Humanist Pope, he had a significant role in the founding of the Vatican Library.

1515 England's Thomas Wolsey was invested as a Cardinal.

History Trivia - Leif Ericson lands in North America

October 9

 28 BC The Temple of Apollo was dedicated on the Palatine Hill in Rome.

768 Carloman I and Charlemagne were crowned Kings of The Franks.

1000 Leif Ericson, the great Norse explorer, became the first European to land in North America, which he called Vinland. The date is celebrated as Leif Ericson Day in Norway. 

1529 Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was indicted for using his power illegally. His failure to secure the annulment of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is widely perceived to have directly caused his downfall and arrest.

1536 The Pilgrimage of Grace, popular rising in York, Yorkshire, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances, began.

History Trivia - temple of Jupiter on Rome's Capitoline Hill dedicated

September 15

 509 BC The temple of Jupiter on Rome's Capitoline Hill was dedicated on the ides of September.

53 Trajan, Emperor of Rome 98-117, was born.

668 Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II was assassinated in his bath at Syracuse, Italy. Constans was the last emperor to become consul in 642, becoming the last Roman consul in history.

1159 Alexander III was crowned Roman Catholic pope. He is noted for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.

1514 Thomas Wolsey was appointed archbishop of York, the second most important seat in England. His failure to obtain an annulment of Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon led to his downfall. He built Hampton Court Palace, which Henry VIII coveted and acquired, and was one of Henry's favorite residences.

History Trivia 400 Burgundy soldiers froze to death during siege of Nancy

December 24

3 BC Servius Sulpicius Galba was born. He was emperor of Rome from 68-69AD.

563 The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by earthquakes.

 640 Pope John IV was elected. In his brief pontificate, John sent help to the victims of invaders in Dalmatia, opposed monothelitism and the Irish choice for the date of Easter, and defended the orthodoxy of Pope Honorius I.

1167 King John I of England was born. The youngest son of King Henry II, John lacked the trust of his barons and was maneuvered into signing the Magna Carta.

1294 Pope Boniface VIII was elected Pope, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned.

1476 400 Burgundy soldiers froze to death during siege of Nancy (Burgundian Wars, the battle finally being fought outside the walls on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine. René's forces won the battle, and Charles' mutilated body was found three days later.)

1515 Thomas Wolsey was appointed English Lord Chancellor.

History Trivia - Penda of Mercia defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria

November 15

655 Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Although the battle was said to be the most important between the early northern and southern divisions of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain, few details are available. Significantly, the battle marked the effective demise of Anglo-Saxon paganism.

1397 Pope Nicholas V was born. Known as the Humanist Pope, he had a significant role in the founding of the Vatican Library.

1515 England's Thomas Wolsey was invested as a Cardinal.

History Trivia - Cardinal Wolsey arrested

November 4

1333 The River Arno flooding caused massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani.

1429 Joan of Arc liberated Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier.

1501 Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII's first wife) met Arthur Tudor, Henry VIII's older brother – they would later marry.

1520 Christian II Crowned King of Sweden. Already king of Denmark and Norway, Christian conquered Sweden as well. But the subsequent massacre of his opponents led to a Swedish war of liberation, which was achieved a mere three years later.

1529 English Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was arrested. Wolsey's failure to secure the annulment for Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon is widely perceived to have directly caused his downfall and arrest.

History Trivia - Charles Martel defeats Islamic Army, halting expansion into Western Europe

October 17

539 BC King Cyrus The Great of Persia marched into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost 70 years of exile and making the first Human Rights Declaration.

532 Pope Boniface II died.

733 Battle at Tours: Charles Martel (grandfather of Charlemagne) defeated Abd al-Rachmans Omajjaden, and halted a northward Islamic expansion into western Europe.

1091 A tornado struck the heart of London which destroyed the rebuilt Norman London Bridge.

1346 Battle of Neville's Cross: King David II of Scotland was captured by Edward III of England near Durham, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years.

1404 Innocent VII became Pope. During his pontificate, Innocent summoned a council in an attempt to heal the Western Schism but it never assembled.

1529 Henry VIII of England stripped Thomas Wolsey of his office for failing to secure an annulment of his marriage.