History Trivia

February 13, 1542, Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, was executed for adultery. 1633 Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. 1689 British Parliament adopted the Bill of Rights. 1692 Massacre of Glencoe where 38 members of the MacDonald clan were murdered by soldiers of the Campbell clan for not pledging allegiance to William of Orange.

History Trivia

February 12, 881 Pope John VIII crowned Charles the Fat, the King of Italy, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles was the grandson of Charlemagne who suffered from epilepsy and other illnesses; he also paid the Vikings to keep them from pillaging his empire. 1554 Lady Jane Grey, the nine day queen of England, was executed at the age of 16.

History Trivia

February 11, Norway folk-belief: Christ's Cross was hewn on this day, and therefore the axe should not be used. 55 Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, died under mysterious circumstances in Rome, clearing the way for Nero to become Emperor. 1466 Elizabeth of York Queen of England and mother of Henry VIII was born. 1531 Henry VIII of England was recognized as supreme head of the Protestant Church of England.

History Trivia

February 10, 60 it is believed St Paul was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta on this date. 1098 Crusaders defeated Prince Redwan of Aleppo at Antioch. 1162 Baldwin III, King of the crusader state of Jerusalem, died. 1306 Robert the Bruce murdered his leading political rival John Comyn in front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries and sparked revolution in the Scottish Wars of Independence. 1355 the St. Scholastica's Day riot broke out in Oxford, England, where 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals died.

History Trivia

February 9, 474 Zeno was crowned co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1119 Callistus II became pope. He settled the lay investiture disagreement and presided over the ninth Ecumenical Council (the First Lateran Council). 1540 The first recorded race meet in England (Roodee Fields, Chester) took place. According to official records, Chester Racecourse (Roodee Fields, Chester) is the oldest racecourse still in use in England. 1554 Battle at London: Sir Thomas Wyatt was defeated. 1555 Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper was burned at the stake. 1567 Lord Darnley, the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, was murdered in Edinburgh. 1649 Charles I was buried without a funeral at Windsor rather than Westminster to avoid public disturbances.

History Trivia

February 8, 421 Constantius III became co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. 1587 After twenty years of captivity in England, Mary, Queen of Scots was executed at Fotheringay Castle, Northamptonshire, on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. 1601 Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebelled against Queen Elizabeth I but the revolt was quickly crushed. 1622 King James I of England disbanded the English Parliament.

History Trivia

February 7, 457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1301 Edward, eldest son of Edward I was made the first English Prince of Wales, a tradition continued to this day. 1477 Saint Thomas More was born. More was martyred for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. 1497 the bonfire of the vanities occurred in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects like cosmetics, art, and books in Florence, Italy. 1550 Julius III became pope. He maintained excellent diplomatic relations with England's Queen Mary Tudor during her turbulent reign, and expanded the Vatican Library, supported universities, and was keenly interested in the arts.