On This Day
558 – Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks.
Chlothar I[a], sometime called “the Old” (French: le Vieux), (died c. December 561)[b] also anglicised as Clotaire,[2] was a king of the Franks of the Merovingian dynasty and one of the four sons of Clovis I.
Chlothar’s father, Clovis I, divided the kingdom between his four sons. In 511, Clothar I inherited two large territories on the Western coast of Francia, separated by the lands of his brother Childebert I’s Kingdom of Paris. Chlothar spent most of his life in a campaign to expand his territories at the expense of his relatives and neighbouring realms in all directions.
His brothers avoided outright war by cooperating with Chlothar’s attacks on neighbouring lands in concert or by invading lands when their rulers died. The spoils were shared between the participating brothers. By the end of his life, Chlothar had managed to reunite Francia by surviving his brothers and seizing their territories after they died. But upon his own death, the Kingdom of the Franks was once again divided between his own four surviving sons. A fifth son had rebelled and was killed, along with his family.
Chlothar’s father, Clovis I, had converted to Nicene Christianity, but Chlothar, like other Merovingians, did not consider that the Christian doctrine of monogamy should be expected of royalty: he had five wives, more from political expediency, for the purpose of forming alliances, than for personal motives. Although at the instigation of his queens he gave money for several new ecclesiastical edifices, he was a less than enthusiastic Christian and succeeded in introducing taxes on ecclesiastical property.
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640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor’s death.[2]
Pope John IV (Latin: Ioannes IV; died 12 October 642) was the bishop of Rome from 24 December 640 to his death. His election followed a four-month vacancy. He wrote to the clergy of Ireland and Scotland to tell them of the mistakes they were making with regard to the time of keeping Easter and condemned Monothelitism as heresy. According to sacred tradition, he created the Catholic Church in Croatia with Abbot Martin.
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274 – A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurelian.[2]
Sol Invictus (Classical Latin: [s̠ɔːl inˈwik.t̪us̠], “Unconquered Sun”), sometimes simply known as Helios, was long considered to be the official sun god of the later Roman Empire. In recent years, however, the scholarly community has become divided on Sol between traditionalists and a growing group of revisionists.[2]
In the traditional view, Sol Invictus was the second of two entirely different sun gods in Rome. The first of these, Sol Indiges, or Sol, was an early Roman deity of minor importance whose cult had petered out by the first century AD. Sol Invictus, on the other hand, was a Syrian sun god whose cult was first promoted in Rome under Elagabalus, without success. Some fifty years later, on 25 December AD 274, the Roman emperor Aurelian established the cult of Sol Invictus as an official religion, alongside the traditional Roman cults.[3][4]
Although the Syrian origin of Sol Invictus is undisputed in the traditional view, there has never been consensus on which Syrian solar deity he was: Some scholars opt for the sky god of Emesa, Elagabalus,[5] while others prefer Malakbel of Palmyra.[6][7] There was general agreement that, from Aurelian to Constantine I, Sol was of supreme importance, until Constantine abandoned Sol in favor of Christianity.[a] The last inscription referring to Sol Invictus dates to AD 387,[8] and there were enough devotees in the fifth century that the Christian theologian Augustine found it necessary to preach against them.[9]
In the revisionist view, there was only one cult of the Sun God in Rome, continuous from the monarchy to the end of antiquity. This was a Roman god who was simply called Sol. There were at least three temples of the Sun god in Rome, all active during the Empire and all dating from the earlier Republic.[10] They claim that there was never a separate solar deity named Sol Invictus.[11][12][13]
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1481 – Battle of Westbroek: An army of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers raised by David of Burgundy, Bishop of Utrecht, attacks an armed mob of people from nearby Utrecht who were trying to avenge the massacre of the inhabitants of Westbroek.[2]
The Battle of Westbroek was a battle that occurred on 26 December 1481 between the armies of the prince-bishopric of Utrecht and the county of Holland. It was one of the last battles of the Hook and Cod wars.
That war had already been won by the Cods and their Burgundian allies. In Utrecht, however, the Hooks revolted and seized the bishop, David of Burgundy at the outbreak of the Second Utrecht Civil War. Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I then won the bishop’s freedom.
On 26 December 1481,[1] Bishop David sent an army of 4,000 to 5,000 men to retake Utrecht. When his forces reached the village of Westbroek on the northern edge of Utrecht, they burned the village to the ground and killed the inhabitants. An armed mob formed in Utrecht and headed toward Westbroek to take revenge. When the mob saw the size of David’s army, it tried to flee back to the city. Bishop David’s army pursued them and killed everybody they could. Sources vary widely on the number of deaths, from 50 prisoners and 100 dead to 500 dead to 1,500 dead.[1]
1521 – The Zwickau prophets arrive in Wittenberg, disturbing the peace and preaching the Apocalypse.[3]
The Zwickau Prophets (German: Zwickauer Propheten, Zwickauer Storchianer) were three men of the Radical Reformation from Zwickau in the Electorate of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire, who were possibly involved in a disturbance in nearby Wittenberg and its evolving Reformation in early 1522.
The three men, Nicholas Storch, Thomas Dreschel and Markus Stübner, began their movement in Zwickau. Though these three names are favored in recent scholarship,[1] others have been suggested. Lars Pederson Qualben used the name “Marx” for “Dreschel”,[2] and Henry Clay Vedder replaced Dreschel with Marcus Thomä[3] (William Roscoe Estep gave Stübner the middle name “Thomas”.[4]).
The relationship of the Zwickau Prophets to the Anabaptist movement has been variously interpreted. They have been viewed as a precursory foundation of Anabaptism before the rise of the Swiss Brethren in 1525, as unrelated to the movement except for the influence on Thomas Müntzer and as being a dual foundation with the Swiss Brethren to form a composite movement of Anabaptism.[5] Regardless of the exact relationship to Anabaptism, the Zwickau Prophets presented a radical alternative to Luther and mainstream Protestantism as demonstrated in their involvement in disturbances in Wittenberg.
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Born On This Day
968 – Emperor Zhenzong of Song, emperor of the Song Dynasty (d. 1022)
Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was changed to Zhao Yuanxiu in 983, Zhao Yuankan in 986, and finally Zhao Heng in 995. He was the third son of his predecessor, Emperor Taizong, and was succeeded by his sixth son, Emperor Renzong at the end of his reign. From 1020 he was seriously ill, but retained power despite this. Because of his illness, day-to-day rule of China was often placed in the hands of his third wife, Empress Liu.
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3 BC – Galba, Roman emperor (d. 69)[42]
Galba (/ˈɡælbə/; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was the sixth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 68 to 69. After his adoption by his stepmother, and before becoming emperor, he was known as Livius Ocella Sulpicius Galba. He was the first emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors and assumed the throne following Emperor Nero’s suicide.
Born into a wealthy family, Galba held at various times the positions of praetor, consul, and governor to the provinces of Aquitania, Upper Germany, and Africa during the first half of the first century AD. He retired from his positions during the latter part of Claudius’ reign (with the advent of Agrippina the Younger), but Nero later granted him the governorship of Hispania. Taking advantage of the defeat of Vindex’s rebellion and Nero’s suicide, he became emperor with the support of the Praetorian Guard.
Galba’s physical weakness and general apathy led to him being selected-over by favorites. Unable to gain popularity with the people or maintain the support of the Praetorian Guard, Galba was murdered by Otho, who became emperor in his place.
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1250 – John IV Laskaris, Byzantine emperor (d. 1305)
John IV Doukas Laskaris (or Ducas Lascaris) (Greek: Ἰωάννης Δούκας Λάσκαρις, Iōannēs Doukas Laskaris) (December 25, 1250 – c. 1305) was emperor of Nicaea from August 16, 1258, to December 25, 1261. This empire was one of the Greek states formed from the remaining fragments of the Byzantine Empire, after the capture of Constantinople by Roman Catholics during the Fourth Crusade in 1204.
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1194 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1250)[25]
Frederick II (German: Friedrich; Italian: Federico; Latin: Federicus; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of emperor Henry VI of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and Queen Constance of Sicily of the Hauteville dynasty.
Arms of the House of Hohenstaufen.
Arms of the House of Hohenstaufen as Holy Roman Emperor.
His political and cultural ambitions were enormous as he ruled a vast area, beginning with Sicily and stretching through Italy all the way north to Germany. As the Crusades progressed, he acquired control of Jerusalem and styled himself its king. However, the Papacy became his enemy, and it eventually prevailed. Viewing himself as a direct successor to the Roman emperors of antiquity,[1] he was Emperor of the Romans from his papal coronation in 1220 until his death; he was also a claimant to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. As such, he was King of Germany, of Italy, and of Burgundy. At the age of three, he was crowned King of Sicily as a co-ruler with his mother, Constance of Hauteville, the daughter of Roger II of Sicily. His other royal title was King of Jerusalem by virtue of marriage and his connection with the Sixth Crusade. Frequently at war with the papacy, which was hemmed in between Frederick’s lands in northern Italy and his Kingdom of Sicily (the Regno) to the south, he was excommunicated three times and often vilified in pro-papal chronicles of the time and after. Pope Gregory IX went so far as to call him an Antichrist.
Speaking six languages (Latin, Sicilian, Middle High German, French, Greek and Arabic[2]), Frederick has a reputation as a Renaissance man avant la lettre, as scientist, scholar, architect, poet and composer.[3][4][5] As an avid patron of science and the arts, he played a major role in promoting literature through the Sicilian School of poetry. His Sicilian royal court in Palermo, beginning around 1220, saw the first use of a literary form of an Italo-Romance language, Sicilian. The poetry that emanated from the school had a significant influence on literature and on what was to become the modern Italian language.[6] He was also the first king to formally outlaw trial by ordeal, which had come to be viewed as superstitious.[7]
After his death his line did not survive, and the House of Hohenstaufen came to an end. Furthermore, the Holy Roman Empire entered a long period of decline during the Great Interregnum.[8]
Historian Donald Detwiler wrote:
A man of extraordinary culture, energy, and ability – called by a contemporary chronicler stupor mundi (the wonder of the world), by Nietzsche the first European, and by many historians the first modern ruler – Frederick established in Sicily and southern Italy something very much like a modern, centrally governed kingdom with an efficient bureaucracy.[9]
His complex political and cultural legacy has attracted fierce debates until this day.
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1350 – John I of Aragon (d. 1395)
John I (27 December 1350 – 19 May 1396), called by posterity the Hunter[a] or the Lover of Elegance,[b] but the Abandoned[c] in his lifetime, was the King of Aragon from 1387 until his death.
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FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
By Jeff Haden, Inc.: 27 Words You Should Never Use to Describe Yourself Some are incredibly overused. Others just make you sound full of yourself. Either way, you lose.
Messy Nessy, 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DCXXIX): A giant snowman measuring 17 ft., made by two girls in Aberdeen, Scotland, Jan. 3, 1963; The Man Who Invented More Than 800 Iconic Toys; Hobby Horsing is a competitive sport and now I’ve seen everything; Christmas dinner on the Apollo VIII (1968) as it headed to the moon and more ->
Messy Nessy, 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DCXXVIII): Retro Paper Architecture; Tracing the tracks of Paris chimneys; After the war, German helmets were upcycled into kitchen utensils; Brion Tomb and Sanctuary by Carlo Scarpa; American-made sparkler brands 1910-1950; The Work of Georgiana Houghton, a Victorian Visionary; Tour the Great Pyramid of Giza – without leaving your home and more ->
MessyNessy, 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DCXXVII): Tiny Love Stories: reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words; A Pawnee Star Map; The Beach Party Genre; Inside one of America’s last roller skate factories; Gift Idea: Create Your Own Custom Reel Viewer; Some Vintage Bollywood Awesomeness and more ->
Ernie Smith, Andrew Egan, Tedium: Hallmark Card Sharks
KPAX TV: Montana singer, songwriter living his music dreams in Nashville
Recipes
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- Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel June 12, 2026Firstly, thank you for the Jaffle love. 🥰 Hit the Jaffle button above to see what he got up to today! Secondly – cake. Specifically, Coffee Cake! A classic crumb cake with a jammy cinnamon ribbon, loaded with lots and lots of nubbly, extra crunchy cinnamon streusel. Outrageously good. Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel This... […]Nagi
- Introducing Jaffle! June 10, 2026Meet Jaffle! Future Chief Taste Tester. Son of a Dozer friend. A little bundle of golden, fluffy joy! 48 hours of instant happiness I didn’t expect to get a new puppy so soon after saying goodbye to Dozer. To be honest, I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready. And I had it in my head... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 14 June 14, 2026Picture of the day Wulfenite crystals with calcite, found in the Erupción Mine, Sierra de Los Lamentos, Ahumada Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 13 June 13, 2026Picture of the day An image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on a stained-glass window located in a church in St. Peters, Missouri. Today is the feast day of the Immaculate Heart in the Roman Catholic Church.
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