962:

Otto I crowned Holy Roman Emperor

1317:

Philip V recognized as King by French assembly

1208:

James I of Aragon

Known as "the Conquerer" (Jaime el Conquistador), James was only five years old when his father King Peter I of Aragon was killed. When his uncle Sancho resigned the regency in 1218, rebellions flared up, and James, who had been placed with the Knights Templar at Monzón, often faced grave personal danger and even fought in hand-to-hand combat.

At age 19 James took control of his government and began reconquering Aragon piece by piece. He was a man of extraordinary personal courage, and his reign saw many beneficial improvements in spite of the frequent wars necessary to rebuild his nation.

1594:

Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina

Palestrina was a prolific composer whose career was strongly bound to the Catholic church during the Counter-Reformation. The tragic loss of his wife and two sons to plague is the subject of an opera by Hans Pfitzner.