The Roman Senate and people honor Caesar Augustus with the title "Pater Patriae" (Father of the Country).
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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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Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy, causing significant damage.
Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp in Smyrna, an important figure in early Christian history.
Estimated date in February when the Edict of Milan was issued by Constantine the Great and Licinius, granting religious tolerance in the Roman Empire.
Edict of Thessalonica, Emperor Theodosius I declares Nicene Christianity as the official state religion of the Roman Empire.
Roman Emperor Theodosius I dies, leading to the division of the Roman Empire between his sons Arcadius and Honorius.
Emperor Theodosius II is born, becoming one of the longest-reigning emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire.
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.
Deposition of the last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustulus by Odoacer, marking the end of the Western Roman Empire.
541 CE, February - The first recording of the Justinian Plague, an outbreak of bubonic plague during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.
Battle of Nineveh, Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeats the Sassanid Persian Empire, marking a turning point in the Byzantine-Sassanid wars.
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius issues the Ecthesis, an attempt to reconcile monophysite Christians with the Chalcedonian Church.
Battle of Bagdoura, Berber forces under Uqba ibn Al-Hajjaj defeat the Berghouata tribe in North Africa.
Eighth Ecumenical Council, the Fourth Council of Constantinople, concludes with decisions against Photius and reaffirming Nicene Christianity.
Fourth Council of Constantinople concludes, condemning Photius and reconciling the East-West Schism temporarily.
Otto I is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII in Rome. The coronation marked marking the formal revival of the Western Roman Empire. Otto had been invited to Rome to help the Pope, who was under pressure from Berengar of Ivrea. After successfully suppressing Berengar, Otto was crowned, establishing the Holy Roman Empire and Otto's authority as its secular head. He held that role until his death in 973.
Otto I is crowned Holy Roman Emperor, initiating the Ottonian dynasty in Germany.
Pope John XII crowns Otto I as Holy Roman Emperor.
Benedict V becomes Pope.
Pope John XII crowns Otto I's son Otto II as co-emperor.