This Day In European History

28th January

Events
1077: After a fierce dispute Pope Gregory VII absolves Holy Roman Emperor Henry; Henry isn't penitent for long.
1573: The Compact of Warsaw; Protestant factions in Poland group together to demand toleration from the crown.
1581: The King's Covenant/The Negative Confession signed by King Charles VI of Scotland to assure subjects of his Protestantism.
1807: The first street lit by gas lamps is Pall Mall in London.
1866: David Livingstone, a Scottish explorer, begins an expedition to find the source of the Nile; when contact is lost, people believe him dead.
1871: The Franco-Prussian war finishes as Paris surrenders to Prussia while France signs an armistice.
1896: England issues its first speeding fine.

Births
1457: King Henry VII of England; his mother is a thirteen year old widow.
1582: John Barclay, Scottish poet and satirist.
1608: Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physician.
1784: George Hamilton-Gordon, British Prime Minister.
1833: General Gordon, British soldier.
1873: Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, French author.

Deaths
814: Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor.
1547: King Henry VIII of England.
1596: Francis Drake, English sailor.
1754: Ludvig Holberg, considered the founder of Norwegian and Danish literature.
1829: William Burke, British killer and body snatcher.

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