This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands,-- This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England. ~~William Shakespeare, Richard III



Friday, October 29, 2010

This Week in History...

October 24, 1537 - Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife, died from complications from childbirth at Hampton Court Palace. She is buried in St. George's Chapel.

October 25, 1154 - England's King Stephen died at Dover Castle. Henry II, son of the Empress Matilda, became the first of the Angevin kings.

October 25, 1400 - Geoffrey Chaucer, famous for his Canterbury Tales, died.

October 25, 1415 - Henry V's English army defeated a vastly superior French army at the Battle of Agincourt.

October 26, 899 - Alfred the Great is believed to have died on this day. He was a Saxon King of Wessex (south west England).

October 26, 1760 - George III was crowned. His is one of the longest reigns in history (60 years).

October 26, 1989 - The Globe Theatre reopened for the first time in 350 years.

October 27, 1401 – Catherine of Valois, future wife of Henry V, was born.

October 28, 1216 - Henry III was crowned King of England.

October 29, 1618 - Sir Walter Raleigh, English seafarer, courtier, writer and once a favorite of Elizabeth I was beheaded at Whitehall. Having been falsely accused of treason and sentenced to death under James I, he was released after 13 years to try and find the legendary gold of El Dorado. He failed and returned to an undeserved fate.

No comments:

Post a Comment