1197. Henry VI, emperor of Germany, died. He had the meanness to detain Richard of England, who had been shipwrecked on the coast of Dalmatia. With the large sum of money obtained for the ransom of his illustrious captive he made war against Sicily, and plundered and desolated the country.
1396. Battle of Nicopolis; the Turks under Bajazet achieved a famous victory
over the king of Hungary. The greater part of an army of 100,000 confederate Christians were slain, or driven into the Danube, and Sigismund, escaping by the river and the Black sea, returned after a long circuit to his exhausted kingdom. A rout preserved Europe.
1567. John Staininger died at Braunau, in Austria; he was remarkable for the length of his beard, which reached to the ground.
1582. George Buchanan, a learned Scottish historian, has his death placed on this day by several authorities. (See [Feb. 28].)
1616. Joshua Sylvester, an English poet, died.
1667. James Golius, an eminent Dutch orientalist, died. He traveled into several countries, and published some learned works.
1670. The London royal exchange, having been rebuilt, was opened.
1687. The Venetians under Morosini bombarded Athens, when a bomb fired the powder magazine kept by the Turks in the Parthenon. This noble building, which had stood nearly 2000 years, and was then nearly perfect, was by this calamity reduced to a ruin, and with it perished the ever memorable remains of the genius of Phidias. In attempting to remove the chariot of victory, which stood on the west pediment of the Parthenon, it fell and was dashed to pieces. Though the ancient edifices of the Greeks suffered much from the Turks, the siege of Morosini did infinitely more damage to the Parthenon than it had sustained during the 2000 years of its existence. A fine basso relievo, supposed to belong to the frieze of the building, has lately been discovered.
1708. The French defeated near Wynnendale, yet by means of 2000 horsemen each with a bag of powder behind him, contrived to throw supplies into Lisle.