1187    Louis VIII of France (born) (died 1226) 1548    Catherine Parr (born), English wife of Henry VIII of England (born 1512) 1568    Tommaso Campanella (born), Italian theologian, philosopher, and poet (died 1639) 1590    Alexander Farnese’s army forces Henry IV of France to lift the siege of Paris. 1638   Louis XIV of France (born) (died 1715)… Continue reading →

422     Pope Boniface I (died) 1241    Alexander III of Scotland (born), (died 1286) 1537    Johann Dietenberger (died), German theologian (born 1475) 1596    Constantijn Huygens (born), Dutch poet and composer (died 1687) 1666    In London, England, the most destructive damage from the Great Fire occurs. 1681    Carl Heinrich Biber (born), Austrian violinist and composer (died 1749)… Continue reading →

301      San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world’s oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus. 673      King Wamba of the Visigoths puts down a revolt by Hilderic, governor of Nîmes (France) and rival for the throne. 1189    Richard I of England (a.k.a. Richard “the Lionheart”) is… Continue reading →

47 BC  Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. 44 BCCicero launches the first of his Philippics (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of them over the following months. 31 BC  Final War of the Roman Republic: Battle of Actium   off the western coast of Greece,… Continue reading →

717      Siege of Constantinople: The Muslim armada with 1,800 ships, is defeated by the Byzantine navy through the use of Greek fire. 1145    Ibn Jubayr (born), Muslim geographer and poet (died 1217) 1159    Pope Adrian IV (died) (born 1100) 1532    Lady Anne Boleyn is made Marquess of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII of… Continue reading →