On This Day
553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.[1]
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and recognition of it are varied. Some Protestants, such as Calvinists, recognize the first four councils,[2] whereas Lutherans and most Anglo-Catholics accept all seven. Constantinople II was convoked by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I under the presidency of Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople. It was held from 5 May to 2 June 553. Participants were overwhelmingly Eastern bishops—only sixteen Western bishops were present, including nine from Illyricum and seven from Africa, but none from Italy—out of the 152 total.[1][3]
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1536 – The Siege of Cuzco commences, in which Incan forces attempt to retake the city of Cuzco from the Spanish.
The 10 month siege of Cusco by the Inca army under the command of Sapa Inca Manco Inca Yupanqui started on 6 May 1536 and ended in March 1537. The city was held by a garrison of Spanish conquistadors and Indian auxiliaries led by Hernando Pizarro. The Incas hoped to restore their empire (1438–1533) with this action, but it was ultimately unsuccessful.
1544 – The Burning of Edinburgh by an English army is the first action of the Rough Wooing.[5]
The Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English sea-borne army was the first major action of the war of the Rough Wooing. A Scottish army observed the landing on 3 May 1544 but did not engage with the English force. The Provost of Edinburgh was compelled to allow the English to sack Leith and Edinburgh, and the city was burnt on 7 May. However, the Scottish artillery within Edinburgh Castle harassed the English forces, who had neither the time nor the resources to besiege the Castle. The English fleet sailed away loaded with captured goods, and with two ships that had belonged to James V of Scotland.
1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
The siege of Orléans (12 October 1428 – 8 May 1429) was the watershed of the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. The siege took place at the pinnacle of English power during the later stages of the war. The city held strategic and symbolic significance to both sides of the conflict. The consensus among contemporaries was that the English regent, John of Lancaster, would have succeeded in realising his brother the English king Henry V’s dream of conquering all of France if Orléans fell. For half a year the English and their French allies appeared to be winning, but the siege collapsed nine days after the arrival of Joan of Arc.
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1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
The Norman conquest of southern Italy lasted from 999 to 1139, involving many battles and independent conquerors.
In 1130, the territories in southern Italy united as the Kingdom of Sicily, which included the island of Sicily, the southern third of the Italian Peninsula (except Benevento, which was briefly held twice), the archipelago of Malta, and parts of North Africa.
Born On This Day
1282 – Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (d. 1348)[13]
Don Juan Manuel (5 May 1282 – 13 June 1348) was a Spanish medieval writer, nephew of Alfonso X of Castile, son of Manuel of Castile and Beatrice of Savoy. He inherited from his father the great Lordship of Villena, receiving the titles of Lord, Duke and lastly Prince of Villena.[1] He married three times, choosing his wives for political and economic convenience, and worked to match his children with partners associated with royalty. Juan Manuel became one of the richest and most powerful men of his time, coining his own currency as the kings did. During his life, he was criticised for choosing literature as his vocation, an activity thought inferior for a nobleman of such prestige.
1464 – Sophia Jagiellon, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Polish princess (d. 1512)
Sophia of Poland (Polish: Zofia Jagiellonka, 6 May 1464 – 5 October 1512), was a princess, member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, great grand daughter of Emperor Sigismund and by marriage Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach.[1]
1488 – John III of the Palatinate, archbishop of Regensburg (d. 1538)
John III of the Palatinate (7 May 1488 in Heidelberg – 3 February 1538) was the 48th Archbishop of Regensburg. He reigned from 1507 until his death.
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1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)[19]
Joan I (8 May 1326 – 29 September 1360, Chateau d’Argilly) was ruling Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne from 1332 to 1360 and Queen of France by her marriage to King John II.
1147 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shōgun (d. 1199)
Minamoto no Yoritomo (源 頼朝, May 9, 1147 – February 9, 1199) was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first shogun in the history of Japan.[2] He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (shikken) after his death.
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Word Genius: Word of the Day
Virginia Apgar (June 7, 1909 – August 7, 1974) was an American physician[1][2] of Armenian ethnic background, obstetrical anesthesiologist[3] and medical researcher,[4] best known as the inventor of the Apgar Score, a way to quickly assess the health of a newborn child immediately after birth in order to combat infant mortality.[5] In 1952, she developed the 10-point Apgar score to assist physicians and nurses in assessing the status of newborns. Given at one minute and five minutes after birth, the Apgar test measures a child’s breathing, skin color, reflexes,[6] motion, and heart rate. A friend said, “She probably did more than any other physician to bring the problem of birth defects out of back rooms.” She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and introduced obstetrical considerations to the established field of neonatology.
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Platte Basin Timelapse: Counting Cranes
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