On this day in history, August 20th… Events: • 636 – Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine away from the Byzantine Empire, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquests and the rapid advance of Islam outside Arabia. • 917 – Battle of Acheloos: Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria decisively defeats a Byzantine army. • 1000 – The foundation of the Hungarian state by Saint Stephen, celebrated as a National Day in Hungary. • 1083 – Canonization of the first King of Hungary, Saint Stephen and his son Saint Emeric. • 1308 – Pope Clement V pardons Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, absolving him of charges of heresy. • 1391 – Konrad von Wallenrode becomes the 24th Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order. • 1467 – The Second Battle of Olmedo takes places as part of a succession conflict between Henry IV of Castile and his half-brother Alfonso, Prince of Asturias. Births: • 1517 – Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French cardinal (d. 1586) • 1561 – Jacopo Peri, Italian composer (d. 1633) Deaths: • 535 – Mochta, Irish disciple of Saint Patrick • 651 – Oswine, king of Deira (England) • 917 – Constantine Lips, Byzantine admiral • 984 – Pope John XIV • 1153 – Bernard of Clairvaux, French theologian (b. 1090) • 1384 – Geert Groote, Dutch preacher, founder of the Brethren of the Common Life (b. 1340) • 1572 – Miguel López de Legazpi, Spanish conquistador, 1st Governor-General of the Philippines (b. 1502) • 1580 – Jerónimo Osório, Portuguese historian (b. 1506)
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 20:32:00 +0000
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