MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 579

History Trivia

March 6,1454 Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of the Prussian Confederation pledged allegiance to King Casimir IV of Poland who agreed to commit his forces in aiding the Confederation's struggle for independence from the Teutonic Knights. 1475 Michelangelo Buonarrotti was born. 1619 Cyrano de Bergerac was born. The real Cyrano was a soldier, duellist, dramatist and satirist, and inspired several romantic legends, the most famous of them Edmund Rostand's play. While the fictional and factual Cyrano share some traits, including a large nose, much of the legend is pure speculation.

History Trivia

March 5,363 Roman Emperor Julian moved from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. 493 AD the German barbarian leader Odovacar (Odocacer), who had ended the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 476, was executed at age 59 by the Ostrogoths. 1133 King Henry II of England was born. 1496 King Henry VII of England issued letters patent to John Cabot and his sons, authorising them to explore unknown lands. 1616 Church declared Copernicanism "false and erroneous."Galileo had stirred up a great deal of interest in theories that contradicted Aristotelian tradition, and conventional professors saw this as a threat to their own work. They united in an attempt to set Church authorities against him, since the Copernican theories he was developing included contradictions to Scripture. The Church's chief theologian, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, unable to appreciate the significance of Galileo's work, saw only the danger of anything that could undermine Catholicism in its fight against Protestantism. He issued the decree against Copernicanism, though he warned Galileo in advance.

History Trivia

March 4,51 Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, was given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth. 303 or 304 Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
932 Translation of the relics of martyr Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, Prince of the Czechs. 1152 Frederick I was elected Holy Roman Emperor. Also known as "Barbarossa" (red-beard), Frederick was frequently at odds with the papacy over issues of authority and was even excommunicated by Pope Alexander III. He was able to consolidate power in Germany but lost territory in northern Italy. Frederick drowned while crossing the Saleph River during the Third Crusade. 1193 Saladin died.
1215 King John of England made an oath to Pope Innocent III as a crusader to gain his support. 1461 Edward IV took over the English throne. In the long and convoluted English Wars of the Roses, Edward and his supporters (including Warwick the Kingmaker,after a victory at Mortimer's Cross,reached London before the rival Lancastrians and was proclaimed king. He then sealed his ascent to the throne with a victory at Towton from which his primary opponent,Henry VI's queen Margaret of Anjou, fled.

History Trivia

March 3, 1046 Sylvester III died. After a Roman faction drove Pope Benedict IX out of Rome, they elected Sylvester, but he was expelled a month later by Benedict's supporters. The faction then sold the papacy to Giovanni Graziano, who became Pope Gregory VI. Recognizing Gregory as the legitimate pope, Sylvester returned to his old bishopric of Sabina. He and Gregory are usually considered antipopes. 1284 The Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England.

History Trivia

March 2, 462 Total Lunar Eclipse. This eclipse was observed by Bishop Hydatius in Portugal, who described the moon as having been "turned to blood." 672 Saint Caedda died. Also known as St. Chad, Caedda was educated at Lindisfarne and spent time in Ireland before succeeding his brother as Abbot of Laestingaeu in Yorkshire. After a minor administrative dispute he was named Bishop of York. His story was told in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, Book IV. 986 Louis V became King of the Franks. 986Lothair died. As king of France Lothair had set his sights also on Lotharingia (Lorraine), but was prevented by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. After Otto's death, however, he prepared another expedition into Lorraine, but died before it could be carried out. 1127 Charles the Good died. Count of Flanders and crusader, Charles deserved the epithet "Good" for his wisdom, generosity, and his promotion of the welfare of his people. He was murdered while at prayer in the church of St. Donat at Bruges, apparently by black marketeers. 1316 King Robert II of Scotland was born.
The first Stewart king, Robert had a fairly peaceful reign following his career as co-regent, then sole regent, while his predecessor King David was exiled.


.

History Trivia

March 1, This day was the feast of Juno Lucina, the goddess of childbirth. 752 BC Romulus, first king of Rome, celebrated the first Roman triumph after his victory over the Caeninenses, following The Rape of the Sabine Women. 86 BC Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army, entered Athens, removing the tyrant Aristion who was supported by troops of Mithridates VI of Pontus. 286 AD Roman Emperor Diocletian raised Maximian to the rank of Caesar. 293 Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appointed Constantius Chlorus and Galerius as Caesares, thus beginning the Tetrarchy. 317 Crispus and Constantine II, sons of Roman Emperor Constantine I, and Licinius Iunior, son of Emperor Licinius, are made Caesares. 499 Symmachus held a Synod at Rome. This synod decided that any Roman cleric who engaged in electioneering for a pope's possible successor during the lifetime of the pope would be deposed. 707 John VII was elected Pope. Noted for his devotion to the Virgin Mary, John beautified and restored several churches during his short papacy.

History Trivia

February 28,590 AD Gregory I (The Great) became Roman Catholic pope. 870 The Fourth Council of Constantinople closed. 1638 The Scottish National Covenant was signed in Edinburgh.

History Trivia

February 27, 280 Constantine I (The Great) was born. He was Roman emperor from AD 306-337 and made Christianity the religion of the empire. 380 Roman emperor Theodosius declared the orthodoxy of the Nicene Creed. 1560, The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, was signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland. 1594 Henry IV was crowned King of France.

History Trivia

February 26,364 Valentinian I was proclaimed Roman Emperor.1266, Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeated a combined German and Sicilian force led by King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred was killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invested Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.

History Trivia

February 25, 38 The Emperor Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor. 1570 Elizabeth I was declared a heretic by Pope Pius V and was excommunicated.