EVENTS
962: Otto I crowned Holy Roman Emperor
1317: Philip V recognized as King by French assembly
WHO WAS BORN
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.
WHO DIED
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.
