The Edict of Milan was issued by Constantine the Great and Licinius, on February 13, 313 granting religious tolerance in the Roman Empire and giving Christianity reprieve from persecution. Christianity became the state church of the Roman Empire, in 380 AD with the issuance of the Edict of Thessalonica.
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The Edict of Thessalonica is issued on February 27, 380, by Emperors Theodosius I, Gratian, and Valentinian II, declares Nicene Christianity as the official state religion of the Roman Empire., Mandating all subjects to follow the faith of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria, branding other Christian sects, specifically Arianism, as heretical.
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.
541 CE, February - The first recording of the Justinian Plague, an outbreak of bubonic plague during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.
c. 638 CE, February 22
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius issues the Ecthesis, (an Ekthesis, or "Exposition" of faith) c. February 22, 638 CE, promoting a compromise doctrine called monothelitism, in an attempt to unite different Christian factions in the Eastern Roman Empire.
Monothelitism teaching is that Jesus Christ, had two natures but only one divine will, rather than separate human and divine wills. It was rejected and condemned at the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680-681), affirming instead Dyothelitism—that Christ has two natural wills (human and divine) working in harmony.
The Fourth Council of Constantinople (869-870 CE), recognized as The Eighth Ecumenical Council by the Catholic Church, concludes on February 28, 870, having deposed and excommunicated Patriarch Photius I, restored Patriarch Ignatius, and affirmed papal authority. It solidified the veneration of icons, prohibited lay interference in episcopal elections, deepening the East-West schism.
It was quickly followed by the Council of (879–880 CE) which annulled the decisions of the 869–870 council. Restoring Photius as the legitimate Patriarch of Constantinople III and declared the previous council of 869–870 null and void, striking its acts from church records. The council condemned anyone who added to or subtracted from the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which was a direct rejection of the Latin addition of the Filioque clause.
Otto I's wife Adelaide is crowned Holy Roman empress in Rome by Pope John XII on February 2. 962, alongside her husband, Otto I, who was crowned Emperor.
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.
Otto III installs Gerbert of Aurillac as the new Pope, Sylvester II on February 14, 999 after Gregory V death; continuing his actions that had strengthened his imperial control over the Catholic Church throughout his life.
Pope Gregory V, the first German Pope. dies suddenly on February 18, 999, at approximately 27 years old, possibly due to malaria or suspected foul play. His brief, tumultuous pontificate was marked by conflict with Antipope John XVI.
Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and King of England dies on February 3, 1014 having ruled England for only five weeks. His son, Cnut the Great, was proclaimed king of England by his troops there, but his older brother, Harald II, became king of Denmark, leaving Cnut to fight for his claim to England.
The English nobility invited the exiled King Æthelred back to the throne, driving Cnut out of England. In 1016, Cnut returned to England and became king and went on to succeeded his brother as King of Denmark in 1019.
Cnut the Great becomes King of England after the death of Edmund II.
Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
The first stone of the Tower of London is thought to have been laid.
Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV on February 22, 1076, during a Lenten synod in Rome. Gregory VII excommunicated Henry IV again in March 1080, leading to Henry's appointing an antipope (Clement III).
Alfonso VI of Castile captures the city of Toledo, Spain, from the Moors.
The Crusaders besiege the city of Arqa, an important strategic point in Lebanon, during the First Crusade. The siege ended with the Crusaders failing to capture Arqa. They then continued their march along the coast towards Jerusalem.
Magnus III of Norway becomes King of Norway.
Baldwin II becomes King of Jerusalem upon the death of his cousin Baldwin I.
The Order of the Knights Templar is officially established.