May 15
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Aoi Matsuri(Kyoto)
Aoi Matsuri is a historic Shinto festival held annually on May 15 in Kyoto, featuring a grand procession of participants dressed in Heian-period costumes.
Army Day(Slovenia)
Army Day in Slovenia commemorates the founding of the Slovenian Armed Forces on May 15, 1991, honoring the nation's military heritage.
Christianfeast day:
Achillius of Larissa, Athanasius of Alexandria(Coptic Church), Dymphna, Hallvard Vebjørnsson(Roman Catholic Church), Hesychius of Cazorla, Hilary of Galeata, Isidore the Laborer, celebrated with festivals in various countries, the beginning ofbullfightingseason inMadrid., Jean-Baptiste de La Salle(Roman Catholic Church), Peter, Andrew, Paul, and Denise(Roman Catholic Church), Reticius(Roman Catholic Church), Sophia of Rome(Roman Catholicchurch), May 15(Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar)
May 15 is observed as the feast day for numerous Christian saints across different traditions, and marks the traditional start of the bullfighting season in Madrid.
Constituent Assembly Day(Lithuania)
Constituent Assembly Day in Lithuania commemorates the first meeting of Lithuania's Constituent Assembly on May 15, 1920, laying the foundation for the nation’s modern governance.
Independence Day (Paraguay), celebrates the independence ofParaguayfrom Spain in 1811. Celebrations for the anniversary of the independence begin onFlag Day,May 14.
Independence Day in Paraguay commemorates the country’s declaration of independence from Spain on May 15, 1811.
International Conscientious Objectors Day
International Conscientious Objectors Day honors individuals who refuse military service on moral or religious grounds.
International Day of Families(International)
International Day of Families highlights the importance of families and their role in society, observed globally on May 15.
La Corsa dei Ceribegins on the eve of the feast day ofSaint Ubaldo. (Gubbio)
La Corsa dei Ceri is a centuries-old torch race in Gubbio, Italy, held on May 15 to honor Saint Ubaldo with a spectacular procession.
Mother's Day(Paraguay)
Mother’s Day in Paraguay honors mothers nationwide on May 15 with heartfelt celebrations and family gatherings.
Events
Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
In 221, Chinese warlord Liu Bei declared himself emperor of Shu Han, establishing a new regime following the fall of the Han dynasty.
Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.
In 392, Emperor Valentinian II was found dead in Vienne, ending his reign under mysterious circumstances.
King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholic, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility.
In 589, Lombard King Authari married Bavarian princess Theodelinda, forging a key political and religious alliance.
Abd al-Rahman I, the founder of the Arab dynasty that ruled the greater part of Iberia for nearly three centuries, becomes emir of Cordova, Spain.
In 756, Abd al-Rahman I established the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba, initiating nearly three centuries of Arab rule in Iberia.
Michael the Syrian reconsecrates the Mor Bar Sauma Monastery, which he reconstructed after its destruction by a fire. The monastery stays a center of the Syriac Orthodox Church until the end of the thirteenth century.
In 1194, Michael the Syrian reconsecrated the Mor Bar Sauma Monastery after its reconstruction from fire damage.
Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
In 1252, Pope Innocent IV issued the papal bull Ad extirpanda, permitting the limited use of torture in the Medieval Inquisition.
Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer were defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants' War in the Holy Roman Empire.
On May 15, 1525, peasant forces led by Thomas Müntzer were defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants' War.
Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest; she is condemned to death by a specially-selected jury.
In 1536, Anne Boleyn stood trial in London on charges of treason, adultery, and incest, leading to her condemnation.
Cape Cod is sighted by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold.
In 1602, English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold became the first European to sight Cape Cod.
Births
Sejong the Great
Sejong the Great was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea, acclaimed for his cultural and scientific advancements.
Maria of Austria
Maria of Austria was a 16th-century duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg known for her political acumen and cultural patronage.
Hendrick de Keyser
Hendrick de Keyser was a leading Dutch sculptor and architect who shaped Amsterdam's Renaissance skyline.
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian composer and priest whose work bridged the Renaissance and Baroque musical eras.
René Goupil
René Goupil was a French missionary whose martyrdom and faith led to his canonization as the first North American saint.
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban was a brilliant French military engineer who revolutionized fortress design and siege warfare.
George Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, was a notorious British judge infamous for his harsh sentences during the Bloody Assizes.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was an English aristocrat and writer famed for her vivid letters and her role in introducing smallpox inoculation to Britain.
Maximilian Hell
Maximilian Hell was a Hungarian Jesuit priest and astronomer renowned for his precise observations of the 1761 transit of Venus.
Deaths
Valentinian II
Valentinian II became Roman Emperor as a child and ruled amid the turmoil of the late Western Roman Empire.
Hilary of Galeata
Hilary of Galeata was a revered Christian hermit who founded a monastic community in medieval Italy.
Marinus I
Pope Marinus I led the Catholic Church from 882 to 884, guiding it through political struggles in the Frankish realms.
Hatto I
Hatto I was Archbishop of Mainz and a key political and ecclesiastical figure in early 10th-century Germany.
Zhuang Zong
Emperor Zhuang Zong was the founding ruler of the Later Tang dynasty, reigning from 923 until his death in 926.
Byrhthelm
Byrhthelm served as Bishop of Wells in the 10th-century English Church, noted for his commitment to monastic reform.
Go-Ichijō
Emperor Go-Ichijō was the 68th sovereign of Japan, whose reign marked a high point in Heian court culture.
Yuri Dolgorukiy
Yuri Dolgorukiy was a Rus’ prince famed for founding Moscow and expanding his rule across northeastern principalities.
Mleh
Mleh was a 12th-century Prince of Armenian Cilicia, known for his bold alliances and turbulent reign.