ALL ABOUT TODAY

514:

Hormisdas becomes pope

Medieval History

1216:

Honorius III elected Pope

Chosen out of compromise, Honorius focused on the plans of his predecessor, Innocent III, working actively for Church reform. He is generally considered one of the ablest administrators ever to serve the papacy.

1610:

Caravaggio

Instrumental in the Baroque movement of art, Caravaggio had such influence that his style became known as "Caravaggism." Some of his works can be found at Carol Gerten's Virtual Art Museum.

1429 : Charles VII anointed King of France

With considerable help from Joan of Arc, the Dauphin gained popular and noble support as the next king at a time when the Hundred Years' War had thoroughly disrupted France. After Joan's victory at Orléans, Charles made his way to Reims, where tradition had it that kings had to be crowned for their kingship to be true.

Today In Medieval History

622: Hijrah begins

Muhammad and some of his followers emigrated from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. It is this event which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

1054:West excommunicates East

As the papacy sought to enhance its power in the west, it enforced Latin customs upon Greeks in southern Italy. In response, Latin churches in Constantinople were closed by the patriarch, Michael Cerularius. When Cardinal Humbert came to Constantinople to protest he was not welcomed warmly, and accordingly he left a bull excommunicating Michael Cerularius on the altar of the Hagia Sophia.

This event, while minor at the time, is seen as the final split between the two Churches.

1377:Richard II crowned King of England

WHO WAS BORN

1194: St. Clare of Assisi

Clare was profoundly influenced by St. Francis, and choosing a spiritual life over the marriage her parents wished for her, she founded the Poor Clares.