887:

Asser Begins Instructing Alfred

The Welsh monk who taught and counselled Alfred the Great and became his friend and biographer began teaching him Latin on St. Martin's Day. Alfred went on to translate the work of Boethius into English.

1417:

Martin V Elected Pope

Elected unanimously during the Council of Constance, Martin was faced with the enormous task of restoring the Western church, the Papal States, and the papacy itself.

1572:

Tycho's Nova

Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe observed the Nova Cassiopeiae and, although other observers claimed to have spotted it earlier, his precise measurements revealed it was a distant phenomenon and that changes could occur among stars.

1606:

Peace of Zsitvatorok

The Peace of Zsivatorok ended a war between the Habsburgs and Ottomans in Hungary. Scholars believe this little-known conflict marked the turn from expansion to contraction for the Ottoman Empire.

The Peace of Zsivatorok was suggested by David Stokes. Thanks, David!

1491:

Martin Bucer

Protestant Reformer and liturgical scholar, Bucer is best known for his work to make peace between conflicting reform groups. He influenced the development of Calvinism and the liturgical development of the Anglican Church.

826:

Saint Theodore Studites

Theodore opposed iconoclasm, was exiled for opposing the marriage of the Byzantine emperor, and wrote homilies, letters, and polemical treatises against the Iconoclasts.