\nA clay tablet from the Sumerian era is believed to contain the oldest love poem that has survived to this day. The Sumerians are credited for being the inventors of written language.<\/p>\n
AD 197 : <\/b>Bishop Valentine, hailing from Interamna gains his title. He was also martyred for his faith, a victim of Emperor Aurelain\u2019s persecution. He also buried on the Via Flaminia. (Saint Valentine’s Day: Legend of the Saint<\/a>)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About this Timeline’s Curator:<\/strong> Are we missing anything? Do any of these entries NOT belong? Feel free to make some suggestions below! And hit the Facebook Like button if coming to this page made it worth coming to\u00a0HistoWiki.com<\/a>\u00a0today. Bookmark us now and follow the Timeline\u2019s up coming changes by hitting the “Subscribe to” button below in the comment section!\n<\/div>\n
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\nThe Valentines, early Christians who were martyred for their faith, honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni Valentine of Rome, who was a priest in Rome who was martyred on this date and was buried on the Via Flaminia. (Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"valentines-card\"](\"https:\/\/histowiki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/valentines-card-300x266.jpg\")
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\nIn defiance of the laws set forth by the Roman Empire, Catholic Priest St. Valentine helped Catholics to escape persecution and assisted them in the performance of Catholic sacraments such as marriage. He was martyred for his faith in Africa and his head is preserved in New Minster, Winchester, in the abbey. He was venerated after his death and is a recognized Catholic Saint. Legends state that he was personally interrogated by Emperor Claudius II who tried in vain to get him to convert to Roman Paganism and that St. Valentine performed a miracle by giving a blind girl her sight, leading many Romans to convert to Christianity in secret. He is rumored to have cut out hearts from parchment to give to Roman soldiers and Christians who faced persecution as a reminder of their faith, which is perhaps the origin of the Valentine\u2019s Day tradition of using hearts as a symbol for the day. Furthermore, he may have authored the first Valentine\u2019s Day card, addressed to the young girl whose sight he restored, and signed \u2018Your Valentine.\u2019 (Castleden, Rodney, “The Book of Saints”. 2006<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nPope Gelasius I established February 14 as the day when the feast of St. Valentine occurs. (“Pope St. Gelasius I”. Catholic Encyclopedia<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nGeoffrey Chaucer<\/a> wrote a poem that is said to contain the first reference to romantic love in connection with Valentine\u2019s Day, entitled Parlement of Foules. In the poem, Chaucer makes reference to birds pairing off and finding their mates. It is believed by many that Chaucer was referencing February 14 as Valentine\u2019s Day, although some historians still debate the issue, referencing the fact that February may be too cold a month for birds to begin mating. (“St. Valentine, Chaucer, and Spring in February”)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n![\"b_valentines-day-bouquet\"](\"https:\/\/histowiki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/b_valentines-day-bouquet-300x215.jpg\")
AD 1400 : <\/strong>
\nFrench Princess Isabel of Bavaria may have formally established a \u201cHigh Court of Love\u201d on January 6. Documents point to the \u2018Charter of the Court of Love\u2019 as the document that marks the beginning of its existence. Whether the court was just an imaginative creation of the Princess or an actual court that settled disputes of the heart such as contracts of love, settling perceived or alleged betrayals and violent acts committed against women is not known for certain. (Ansgar, 1986, Chapter 8, The Hibermantino of the Mating Season, pp. 131\u2013138)<\/p>\n
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\nCharles, Duke of Orl\u00e9ans wrote a rondeau (a form of poem) to his wife while he was a prisoner of war, being held in the Tower of London, after he was captured during the Battle of Agincourt. (A Farewell To Love<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nMargery Brewes wrote letters to her husband-to-be, John Paston and refers to him as \u201cmy right well-beloved Valentine.\u201d These letters are believed to be the first \u2018Valentines\u2019 written in English. (Davis, Norman The Paston Letters- A Selection in Modern Spelling Oxford University Press 1983 pp.233\u20135<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nIn playwright William Shakespeare\u2019s famed play Hamlet<\/i>, the character Ophelia sadly refers to Valentine\u2019s Day and tells her husband Hamlet how she wishes to be his Valentine. (William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nThe Faerie Queen<\/i>, by Edmund Spenser contains the first reference to the phrase \u2018Roses are Red, Violets are Blue\u2019 that is still widely used on Valentines to this day. (Spenser, The Faery Queene iii, Canto 6, Stanza 6<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nAmericans began to exchange hand-written and handmade Valentines during the 18th<\/sup> Century. These sentiments were sent to lovers and to friends, oftentimes delivered by hand, but sometimes delivered via the Postal Service, the first of which was created in the United States in 1692. (Our Postal System<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nGammer Gurton\u2019s Garland<\/i> was published. It contains a well-known Valentine\u2019s Day poem that is still echoed by many to this day, containing the words \u2018Roses are Red, Violets are Blue.\u2019 (Gammer Gurton’s Garland (London, 1784) in I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 375.<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"happy_valentines_day_hd-wide\"](\"https:\/\/histowiki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/happy_valentines_day_hd-wide-1024x640.jpg\")
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\nThe Young Man\u2019s Valentine Writer<\/i> was published. It was a guide to be used by young men who were not so creative or \u2018wordy\u2019 and needed a bit of help coming up with verses to write to their beloveds on Valentine\u2019s Day. During this time period many people began the custom of mailing their Valentines rather than delivering them in person. The first \u2018secret admirer\u2019 Valentines began to be sent as a result, which led Valentines to begin to be more racy than they had ever been before, due perhaps to the new ability to send them anonymously. (Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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\nThe first Valentines to be commercially available for sale were created by an American woman named Esther Howland, hailing from Worchester, Massachusetts. As her idea gained popularity, she went into business, naming her popular service the \u2018New England Valentine Company.\u2019 (\u00a0“Esther Howland”. Emotionscards.com.)<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nSweden established February 14 as \u201cAll Heart\u2019s Day,\u201d also known as Alla hjartans dag<\/i>, as the country began to have a larger American influence. Although it is still not a legally recognized holiday in the country, the flower industry and cosmetic industries of the country have many sales for the day, exceeded only by their sales for Mother\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n![\"Valentines-Day-Cupid-Wallpaper\"](\"https:\/\/histowiki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Valentines-Day-Cupid-Wallpaper-1024x576.jpg\")
AD 1980 : <\/strong>
\nThe jewelry industry begins to capitalize on the tradition of giving gifts to lovers on Valentine\u2019s Day and begins to market diamonds as the gift of the discerning gentleman to his lady on Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
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\nAs the Internet became more widely used, digital Valentines gained popularity and e-card Valentines began to be sent in addition to or in lieu of sending paper Valentine\u2019s Day cards to lovers, friends and other loved ones.<\/p>\n
\nJohn Alanis<\/a> \u00a0is a well known author of 10 books on Dating and Men’s issues. \u00a0His most recent book that can be found on Kindle, is Where to Find a Good Woman (Or a Bad Girl): The Secret Step by Step Method Revealed<\/a>. \u00a0John has been a keen observer and professionally paid pundit of Dating subjects for over 10 years now.<\/p>\n