10 historical events that all happened on September 15th
Posted by staff / September 15, 2017
Unless you happen to have a birthday or anniversary on September 15th, it’s not a date that generally stands out on the calendar. Consider those days done.
TopTenz points out ten events dating back centuries that all fall on this particular day. Happy hour small talk galore!
10. 668 – Constans II is Assassinated
Constans II Pogonatus was born in Constantinople, which is now Istanbul, Turkey, in 630 AD. He was the son of Constantine III, and when his father died in 641, Constans assumed the throne of the Byzantine Empire at the age of 11.
As an adult, Constans was pretty sneaky when it came to protecting his throne. First, he named his son as co-ruler so that his brother, Theodosius, wouldn’t be able to succeed him as emperor. Then in 660, to guarantee that there was no way his brother could usurp the throne, Constans had Theodosius killed.
The murder of Theodosius angered the people of Constantinople, so Constans moved to Syracuse in Italy. Not long afterwards, he announced that he planned to permanently live there and make Syracuse the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The local citizens of Syracuse didn’t like this plan, so a few of them paid Constans’ eunuch chamberlain to kill him. The chamberlain hit Constans in the head with a silver bucket while he was bathing on September 15, 668. The blow to the head fractured his skull and he died as a result…
9. 1440 – Serial Killer Gilles de Rais is Arrested
…One of the worst of those historical serial killers is Gilles de Rais.
Born in 1404 in France, de Rais fought in many wars and was a notable soldier. Because of his reputation, he was promoted to Joan of Arc’s special guard. Once she was captured, de Rais retired from the army and lived on the land he had inherited from his family. De Rais also married rich, so he lived a life of luxury that rivaled the King of France.
As a nobleman, de Rais became obsessed with alchemy and in the pursuit of his knowledge he turned to Satanism. It was during this time that he apparently murdered 140 children. According to his own confessions, de Rais would decapitate them and save the heads…
Full story at TopTenz.
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