This Day in History: 14 February 2020
14 February 270
1750 years ago, today, Valentine, a Roman holy priest, was executed. Under the rule of Claudius, the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and ruthless campaigns, and the emperor had to maintain his strong army. However, he had a difficult time getting anyone to join his military, so he believed that Roman men were unwilling to join due to their attachment to their wives and families. As a result, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements. Valentine defied this by continuing the practise of marriages for young lovers in secret. When these actions were discovered, Claudius ordered his death, and Valentine was arrested. The Prefect of Rome condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off, and so this was done on this day.
It is rumoured that while in jail, Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who became his friend, and had signed it "From Your Valentine". Valentine was named a saint after his death, for his great service. According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, three different Saint Valentines are mentioned under the 14th February, all of them martyrs. One was a priest in Rome, one was a bishop in Interamna, and the other a martyr in the Roman province of Africa. It is debated on how Valentine became connected with romance, however. The date of Valentine's death may have become tangled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a festival of love, where names of young women were placed in a box and were drawn by men. Pope Gelasius ended the festival in 496 AD and declared February 14 as 'St. Valentine's Day'.
Want to find out more about the history of Valentine's Day? Click here for more details.
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