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What Happened in February?

Emperor ascensions, legendary battles, and assassinations. Discover what happened this month in history. Explore pivotal events from February that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

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2 BCE, February 5

The Roman Senate and people honor Caesar Augustus with the title "Pater Patriae" (Father of the Country).

62 CE, February

Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy, causing significant damage.

303 CE, February 23

Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp in Smyrna, an important figure in early Christian history.

313 CE, February 27

Estimated date in February when the Edict of Milan was issued by Constantine the Great and Licinius, granting religious tolerance in the Roman Empire.

380 CE, February 27

Edict of Thessalonica, Emperor Theodosius I declares Nicene Christianity as the official state religion of the Roman Empire.

395 CE, February 17

Roman Emperor Theodosius I dies, leading to the division of the Roman Empire between his sons Arcadius and Honorius.

423 CE, February 17

Emperor Theodosius II is born, becoming one of the longest-reigning emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire.

457 CE, February 7

Leo I becomes the Byzantine Emperor on February 7, 457 following the death of his predecessor Marcian, on January 27, 457. Leo I was the first Eastern emperor to be crowned by a patriarch (Anatolios), a shift from the previous Roman tradition of the legions acclaiming the emperor, setting a precedent for later coronations.

476 CE, February 28

Deposition of the last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustulus by Odoacer, marking the end of the Western Roman Empire.

541 CE, February

541 CE, February - The first recording of the Justinian Plague, an outbreak of bubonic plague during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.

628 CE, February 11

Battle of Nineveh, Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeats the Sassanid Persian Empire, marking a turning point in the Byzantine-Sassanid wars.

628 CE, February 22

Byzantine Emperor Heraclius issues the Ecthesis, an attempt to reconcile monophysite Christians with the Chalcedonian Church.

740 CE, February 25

Battle of Bagdoura, Berber forces under Uqba ibn Al-Hajjaj defeat the Berghouata tribe in North Africa.

869 CE, February 28

Eighth Ecumenical Council, the Fourth Council of Constantinople, concludes with decisions against Photius and reaffirming Nicene Christianity.

869 CE, February 28

Fourth Council of Constantinople concludes, condemning Photius and reconciling the East-West Schism temporarily.

962 CE, February 2

Otto I is crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII on February 2, 962 in Rome, marking the beginning of the Ottonian dynasty and solidifying Otto's role as protector of the Church. Their relationship quickly soured and Otto deposed John XII later that year.