On This Day
392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.
Valentinian II (Latin: Valentinianus; 371 – 15 May 392) was a Roman emperor in the western part of the Roman empire between AD 375 and 392. He was at first junior co-ruler of his brother, was then sidelined by a usurper, and only after 388 sole ruler, albeit with limited de facto powers.
A son of emperor Valentinian I and empress Justina, he was raised to the imperial office at the age of 4 by military commanders upon his father’s death. Until 383, Valentinian II remained a junior partner to his older half-brother Gratian in ruling the Western empire, while the East was governed by his uncle Valens until 378 and Theodosius I from 379. When Gratian was killed by the usurper emperor Magnus Maximus in 383, the court of Valentinian in Milan became the center of Italy where several religious debates took place. In 387, Maximus invaded Italy, spurring Valentinian and his family to escape to Thessalonica where they successfully sought Theodosius’ aid. Theodosius defeated Maximus in battle and re-installed Valentinian in the West. However, Valentinian soon found himself struggling to break free from the control of general Arbogast. In 392, Valentinian was discovered hanged in his room under unknown circumstances.
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Born On This Day
1397 – Sejong the Great, Korean king of Joseon (d. 1450)[11]
Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹; RR: I Do), widely known as Sejong the Great (세종대왕; 世宗大王; Sejong Daewang), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea, and a Neographer. Initially titled Grand Prince Chungnyeong (충녕대군; 忠寧大君; Chungnyeong Daegun), he was born as the third son of King Taejong and Queen Wongyeong. In 1418, he was designated as heir in place of his eldest brother, Crown Prince Yi Je. Today, King Sejong is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in Korean history.
Despite ascending to the throne after his father’s voluntary abdication in 1418, Sejong was a mere figurehead; Taejong continued to hold the real power and govern the country up until his death in 1422. Sejong was the sole monarch for the next 28 years, although after 1439 he became increasingly ill,[2] and starting from 1442, his eldest son, Crown Prince Yi Hyang (the future King Munjong), acted as regent.
Sejong reinforced Korean Confucian and Neo-Confucian policies, and enacted major legal amendments (공법, 貢法). He personally created and promulgated the Korean alphabet (today known as hangul),[3][4] encouraged advancements in science and technology, and introduced measures to stimulate economic growth. He dispatched military campaigns to the north and instituted the Samin Jeongchaek (“Peasants Relocation Policy”; 사민정책, 徙民政策) to attract new settlers to the region. To the south, he helped subjugate Japanese pirates, during the Ōei Invasion.
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