February 23
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Polycarpof Smyrna, Serenus the Gardener, February 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
A Christian feast day commemorating the martyr Polycarp of Smyrna and Serenus the Gardener in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar.
The Emperor's Birthday, birthday ofNaruhito, the currentEmperor of Japan(Japan)
The official celebration of Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, observed as a national holiday across Japan.
Mashramani-Republic Day(Guyana)
Guyana’s Republic Day, known locally as Mashramani, celebrates the nation becoming a republic in 1970.
National Day (Brunei)
Brunei’s National Day commemorates its full independence from British protection in 1984.
Red Army Dayor Day of Soviet Army and Navy in the formerSoviet Union, also held in various former Soviet republics:
Defender of the Fatherland Day(Russia), Defender of the Fatherland and Armed Forces day(Belarus), Armed Forces Day (Tajikistan)(Tajikistan)
Originally Red Army Day, this observance now honors the armed forces in Russia, Belarus, and Tajikistan.
Polycarpof Smyrna
The feast day of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, an influential early Christian bishop and martyr.
Serenus the Gardener
A liturgical remembrance of Saint Serenus the Gardener, venerated in Eastern Christian traditions.
February 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar’s commemoration of February 23 saints and feasts.
Defender of the Fatherland Day(Russia)
A Russian public holiday celebrating the nation’s armed forces and their role in history.
Events
Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
In 303, Emperor Diocletian ordered the demolition of the Christian church in Nicomedia, initiating the harsh Diocletianic Persecution of Christians.
Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia.
In 532, Byzantine Emperor Justinian I laid the foundation stone for the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, embarking on the construction of a masterpiece that would define Byzantine architecture.
Khosrow II, last Sasanian shah of Iran, is overthrown.
In 628, Khosrow II, the last powerful emperor of the Sasanian Empire, was deposed by his own son and court nobles, ending the golden age of ancient Persia.
Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty.
On February 23, 705, Empress Wu Zetian abdicated the throne, bringing an end to her Zhou dynasty and restoring the Tang dynasty in China.
Traditionally the date of publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
Traditionally dated to 1455, the Gutenberg Bible became the first major Western book printed with movable metal type, revolutionizing the spread of knowledge.
J. S. Bach leads his Tafel-Music Shepherd Cantata for the birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.
In 1725, Johann Sebastian Bach presented his Shepherd Cantata from the Tafelmusik series to honor the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels.
Berbice slave uprising in Guyana: The first major slave revolt in South America.
In 1763, enslaved Africans in Berbice (modern-day Guyana) launched the first major slave uprising in South America, challenging Dutch colonial rule.
American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to help train the Continental Army.
On February 23, 1778, Baron Friedrich von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge to train and instill discipline in George Washington’s Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed and the conspirators arrested.
In 1820, British authorities uncovered the Cato Street Conspiracy, a radical plot to assassinate the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers in London.
Births
Al-Zafir
Al-Zafir was the tenth Fatimid caliph who ruled Egypt and parts of the Levant in the mid-12th century.
Pope Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church from 1464 until his death in 1471.
Louis IX
Louis IX was Duke of Bavaria-Landshut in the 15th century.
Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus was a renowned Renaissance king of Hungary famous for his military campaigns and cultural patronage.
Onofrio Panvinio
Onofrio Panvinio was an Italian Dominican friar and pioneering Renaissance historian known for his studies of Roman antiquities.
Henry XI of Legnica
Henry XI of Legnica was a Silesian duke who navigated succession disputes and regional alliances in the 16th century.
Salima Sultan Begum
Salima Sultan Begum was a Mughal empress and one of the most influential wives of Emperor Akbar.
Jean-Baptiste Morin
Jean-Baptiste Morin was a French polymath who made significant contributions to mathematics, astrology, and astronomy in the early 17th century.
Balthazar Gerbier
Balthazar Gerbier was a Dutch-born painter, architect, and diplomat active at the court of King Charles I of England.
Deaths
Al-Walid I
Al-Walid I was the sixth Umayyad caliph who ruled from 705 to 715, overseeing the expansion and consolidation of the Islamic empire.
Li Keyong
Li Keyong was a prominent Shatuo warlord and military governor whose leadership during the late Tang dynasty laid the groundwork for the Later Tang state.
Herbert II
Herbert II was Count of Vermandois and a powerful Frankish noble who played a key role in 10th-century West Francia politics.
David I
David I was a medieval Georgian prince of Tao-Klarjeti known for his patronage of monastic culture and military leadership.
Willigis
Willigis was Archbishop of Mainz and archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, a leading statesman and church reformer of the 11th century.
Emperor Zhezong of Song was the ninth emperor of China’s Song dynasty, known for his early enactment of political reforms and support of Confucian scholarship.
Isabel of France was the eldest daughter of King Louis VIII, who became Queen consort of Navarre through her marriage to Theobald II.
Humphrey
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, was an English prince, regent, and patron of the arts, influential in the early reign of Henry VI.
Pope Eugene IV guided the Catholic Church through the Council of Basel and worked to reinforce papal authority during the 15th century.