December 19
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Lillian Trasher(Episcopal Church), O Radix, Pope Anastasius I, Pope Urban V, December 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics), Saint Nicholas Day
A collection of Christian feast days celebrated on December 19 across various denominations.
Goa Liberation Day(Goa,India)
Annual observance marking the end of Portuguese colonial rule in Goa, India, on December 19, 1961.
National Heroes and Heroines Day(Anguilla)
Annual observance honoring Anguilla’s national heroes and heroines, celebrated on December 19.
Lillian Trasher(Episcopal Church)
Feast day commemorating Lillian Trasher, the pioneering missionary known as the 'Mother of Orphans' for her work in Egypt.
O Radix
Feast celebrating the Advent antiphon 'O Radix,' one of the traditional 'Great O Antiphons' sung in Christian liturgy.
Pope Anastasius I
Feast day commemorating Pope Anastasius I, who led the Catholic Church from 399 to 401.
Pope Urban V
Feast day commemorating Pope Urban V, who served from 1362 to 1370 and worked to return the papacy to Rome.
December 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Observance of various saints and liturgical commemorations in the Eastern Orthodox Church on December 19.
Saint Nicholas Day
Celebration of Saint Nicholas of Myra, known for his generosity and miracles, observed on December 19 in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.
Events
Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey.
On December 19, 1154, Henry II was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, marking the start of the Plantagenet dynasty.
Pope Clement III is elected.
On December 19, 1187, Paolo Scolari was elected Pope Clement III, beginning a papacy focused on restoring stability after turmoil.
Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy.
On December 19, 1490, Anne of Brittany married Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I by proxy, a union with far-reaching political implications.
The Battle of Dreux takes place during the French Wars of Religion.
On December 19, 1562, the Battle of Dreux marked a decisive clash in the French Wars of Religion between Catholics and Huguenots.
The ships Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery depart England carrying settlers who founded, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
On December 19, 1606, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery set sail from England, carrying the first settlers to Jamestown, Virginia.
The Great Swamp Fight, a pivotal battle in King Philip's War, gives the English settlers a bitterly won victory.
On December 19, 1675, the Great Swamp Fight saw English settlers and their Native allies defeat the Narragansetts in King Philip's War.
Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in The Pennsylvania Journal entitled "The American Crisis".
On December 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published the first of his stirring pamphlets titled 'The American Crisis' in The Pennsylvania Journal, rallying support for independence.
American Revolutionary War: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
On December 19, 1777, George Washington's Continental Army entered winter quarters at Valley Forge, enduring hardship that forged their resilience.
William Pitt the Younger becomes the youngest Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at 24.
On December 19, 1783, William Pitt the Younger, at just 24 years old, became the youngest Prime Minister in British history.
Births
William I
German nobleman who served as Margrave of Meissen and ruled a key principality in the Holy Roman Empire.
Andreas Osiander
German Protestant theologian and early Reformation scholar who influenced religious debate and publication of Copernicus’s work.
Philip William
German prince of the House of Orange who held the title Prince of Orange and governed territories under Habsburg rule.
Dorothea Sophia
German princess and Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg who led one of the Empire's most significant ecclesiastical territories during the Thirty Years' War.
First Bourbon king of Spain who reigned from 1700 to 1746 and centralized royal authority.
William Bowyer
English printer and publisher known as 'the learned printer' for his high-quality editions of classical and literary works.
John Winthrop
American astronomer and educator who made one of the earliest North American observations of the 1769 transit of Venus.
Daughter of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette who survived the French Revolution and became Duchess of Angoulême.
Manuel Bretón de los Herreros
Spanish Romantic-era poet, playwright, and critic known for his satirical comedies and influence on 19th-century theater.
Deaths
Pope from 399 to 401 known for reinforcing church discipline and combatting heretical teachings.
Sancho I
King of León from 956 to 966 who worked to consolidate his realm and defend its borders.
Adelaide of Susa
Influential Margravine of Turin who controlled key Alpine routes in medieval Italy.
Al-Ghazali
Renowned Persian theologian and philosopher whose works profoundly influenced Islamic thought.
Saint Berardo
Italian bishop celebrated for his piety and charitable leadership in the early 12th century.
Agnes of France
French princess who became Duchess of Burgundy and skillfully governed her territories.
Pope who sought to restore the papacy to Rome and championed educational and artistic initiatives.
Heiress of the Holy Roman Emperor who became Queen of Bohemia and Hungary.
Bernabò Visconti
Ambitious Lord of Milan known for his ruthless rule and military prowess.