July 17
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Alexius of Rome(Western Church), Andrew Zorard, Cynehelm, Cynllo, Inácio de Azevedo, Jadwiga of Poland, Magnus Felix Ennodius, Marcellina, Martyrs of Compiègne, BlessedPavel Peter Gojdič(Greek Catholic Church), Pope Leo IV, Romanov sainthood(Russian Orthodox Church), Speratus and companions, William White(Episcopal Church), July 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
A collective liturgical celebration of various saints and martyrs across multiple Christian traditions on July 17.
Constitution Day (South Korea)
Commemorates the adoption of South Korea's first constitution on July 17, 1948, establishing the nation's democratic framework.
Gion Matsuri(Yasaka Shrine,Kyoto)
One of Japan’s grandest festivals held in Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine, famous for its elaborate float processions in mid-July.
Independence Day (Slovakia)
Celebrates Slovakia's declaration of independence from Czechoslovakia in 1992.
International Firgun Day(International)
Encourages people worldwide to practice 'firgun' — heartfelt, unselfish joy for others' achievements.
King's Birthday (Lesotho)
Honors the reigning monarch of Lesotho with national ceremonies and festivities.
U Tirot Sing Day(Meghalaya,India)
Remembers U Tirot Sing, a Khasi chief who fought British colonial forces in the early 19th century.
World Day for International Justice(International)
Recognizes the enforcement of the Rome Statute and promotes global justice through the International Criminal Court.
World Emoji Day(International)
A fun celebration of emojis and their impact on modern digital communication.
Events
Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
In 180 CE, twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa were executed for being Christians, marking the earliest record of the faith in the region.
Damasus II is elected pope, and dies 23 days later.
In 1048, Damasus II was elected pope but died just 23 days into his papacy.
The Fourth Crusade assaults Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos flees from his capital into exile.
In 1203, forces of the Fourth Crusade attacked Constantinople, leading to the exile of Emperor Alexios III Angelos.
Zhu Di, better known by his era name as the Yongle Emperor, assumes the throne over the Ming dynasty of China.
In 1402, Zhu Di seized the throne of the Ming dynasty and became known as the Yongle Emperor.
Hundred Years' War: Charles VII of France is crowned the King of France in the Reims Cathedral after a successful campaign by Joan of Arc.
In 1429, Charles VII was crowned King of France at Reims Cathedral following Joan of Arc’s pivotal military support.
Battle of Castillon: The last battle of the Hundred Years' War, the French under Jean Bureau defeat the English under the Earl of Shrewsbury, who is killed in the battle in Gascony.
In 1453, the Battle of Castillon marked the final engagement of the Hundred Years’ War, ending English rule in southwestern France.
Sikandar Lodi succeeds Bahlul Khan Lodi as Sultan of Delhi.
In 1489, Sikandar Lodi succeeded his father Bahlul Khan Lodi as Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate.
King George I of Great Britain sails down the River Thames with a barge of 50 musicians, where George Frideric Handel's Water Music is premiered.
In 1717, King George I travelled down the Thames in a musical barge to debut Handel’s Water Music.
Former emperor Peter III of Russia is murdered.
In 1762, the deposed Russian Emperor Peter III was murdered shortly after his overthrow.
Births
Ismail I was the founder of the Safavid dynasty and the first Shah of Iran, establishing Twelver Shi'ism as the state religion.
Maria Salviati
Maria Salviati was an Italian noblewoman of the powerful Medici family, known for her influence in Florentine politics and patronage of the arts.
Antoine de Créqui Canaples
Antoine de Créqui Canaples was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop during the Reformation period.
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter and theologian, often called the 'Father of English Hymnody' for his pioneering contributions to church music.
Christian Karl Reinhard was a German nobleman who served as Count of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim, overseeing his territories in the Holy Roman Empire.
Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Pierre Louis Maupertuis was a French mathematician and philosopher celebrated for his work on the principle of least action and contributions to probability theory.
Frederick Christian
Frederick Christian was the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, ruling a principality in the Holy Roman Empire for a brief period.
Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten
Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten was a German philosopher who coined the term 'aesthetics' and advanced the study of sensory knowledge.
Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Gerry was an American politician and Founding Father who served as the fifth Vice President of the United States and is known for the term 'gerrymandering.'
Deaths
Magnus Felix Ennodius
Magnus Felix Ennodius was a Gallo-Roman bishop of Pavia and a noted Latin poet and epistolary writer of the early 6th century.
Leo IV
Pope Leo IV led the Catholic Church during the mid-9th century and fortified Rome against Saracen incursions.
Wu Hanyue
Wu Hanyue was a Chinese noblewoman of the Five Dynasties period, known for her aristocratic lineage.
Du
Empress Dowager Du was the mother of the founder of the Song dynasty and served as empress dowager during its early years.
Baldwin VI
Baldwin VI, known as 'the Good', was Count of Flanders and Hainaut who ruled with relative peace and piety in the 11th century.
Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard was a Norman military leader who conquered southern Italy and laid the foundations of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily.
Baldwin VII
Baldwin VII, called 'Hapkin', was Count of Flanders whose brief reign ended due to a fatal battle wound.
Sverker II
Sverker II was King of Sweden at the turn of the 13th century, remembered for his dynastic struggles and death in battle.
Edmund Mortimer
Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer, was an English Marcher Lord known for his military service on the Welsh border under King Edward I.