On This Day
1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily.
The Battle of Nocera or Scafati was the first major battle of Roger II of Sicily and the first of his two major defeats (the other being the Battle of Rignano) at the hands of Count Ranulf of Alife.
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677 – Climax of the Siege of Thessalonica by the Slavs in a three-day assault on the city walls.
The siege of Thessalonica in 676–678 was an attempt by the local Slavic tribes to capture the Byzantine city of Thessalonica, taking advantage of the preoccupation of the Byzantine Empire with the repulsion of the First Arab Siege of Constantinople. The events of the siege are described in the second book of the Miracles of Saint Demetrius.
811 – Battle of Pliska: Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I is killed and his heir Staurakios is seriously wounded.[1]
The Battle of Pliska or Battle of Vărbitsa Pass was a series of battles between troops, gathered from all parts of the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Nicephorus I, and the First Bulgarian Empire, governed by Khan Krum. The Byzantines plundered and burned the Bulgar capital Pliska which gave time for the Bulgarians to block passes in the Balkan Mountains that served as exits out of Bulgaria. The final battle took place on 26 July 811, in some of the passes in the eastern part of the Balkans, most probably the Vărbitsa Pass. There, the Bulgarians used the tactics of ambush and surprise night attacks to effectively trap and immobilize the Byzantine army, thus annihilating almost the whole army, including the Emperor. After the battle, Krum encased the skull of Nicephorus in silver, and used it as a cup for drinking. This is one of the most documented instances of the custom of the skull cup.
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Born On This Day
1468 – Catherine of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria (d. 1524)[7]
Catherine of Saxony (Katharina von Sachsen; 24 July 1468 – 10 February 1524),[1] a member of the House of Wettin, was the second wife of Sigismund, Archduke of Austria and Regent of Tyrol.
1016 – Casimir I the Restorer, duke of Poland (d. 1058)[12]
Casimir I the Restorer (Polish: Kazimierz I Odnowiciel; 25 July 1016 – 19 March 1058), a member of the Piast dynasty, was the duke of Poland from 1040 until his death. Casimir was the son of Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza of Lotharingia. He is known as the Restorer because he managed to reunite parts of the Kingdom of Poland after a period of turmoil. He reincorporated Masovia, and conquered Silesia and Pomerania. However, he failed to crown himself King of Poland, mainly because of internal and external threats to his rule.
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1030 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Polish bishop and saint (d. 1079)
Stanislaus of Szczepanów (Polish: Stanisław ze Szczepanowa; 26 July 1030 – 11 April 1079) was Bishop of Kraków known chiefly for having been martyred by the Polish King Bolesław II the Generous. Stanislaus is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Stanislaus the Martyr (as distinct from the 16th-century Jesuit Stanislaus Kostka).
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Word Genius: Word of the Day
Shuhada’ Sadaqat[7][a] (previously Magda Davitt; born Sinéad[b] Marie Bernadette O’Connor; 8 December 1966 – July 2023),[2][9] known professionally as Sinéad O’Connor, was an Irish singer and musician. Her debut studio album, The Lion and the Cobra, was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), received glowing reviews upon release and became her biggest success, selling over seven million copies worldwide.[10] Its lead single, “Nothing Compares 2 U”, was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards.[11]
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