WHO WAS BORN
1512: Henry, King of Portugal
Henry,
a younger son of King Manuel I, chose to serve the church. He became
archbishop of Braga, Évora and Lisbon and at the age of 33
attained the rank of cardinal. He was a supporter of the Society
of Jesus, founded the Jesuit university in Évora, and
headed the Portuguese Inquisition.
In 1557, he became regent to his grandnephew Sebastian until the king achieved his majority in 1568. But when Sebastian was killed at Alcazarquivir ten years later, the crown went to the 66-year-old celibate Henry.
King Henry could not decide upon a successor, and he eventually named five governers to serve as regents upon his death. Henry died on his 68th birthday, and eight months later the crown went to Philip II when Spain occupied Portugal.
WHO DIED
1606: Guy Fawkes
Fawkes,
a member of a prominent Yorkshire family, converted to Roman
Catholicism and left Protestant England to enlist in the Spanish
army. When Robert Catesby, the instigator of the Gunpowder
Plot, sent an agent to enlist the aid of Fawkes in his scheme,
the now-renowned military man agreed without getting full knowledge
of the details Catesby had in mind.
The plot was discovered and Fawkes was arrested. After he was tortured on the rack, he revealed the names of his accomplices. He was tried and found guilty of treason, and was executed across from the Parliament building.
