16 January 1809 - Lt Gen Sir John Moore killed at the Battle of Corunna.

Moore was one of the great heroes of the Peninsula War, but his contribution has been overshadowed by the Duke of Wellington's achievements.

After service across three continents in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Moore took command of the British Forces in Portugal in 1808 after the three previous commanders were recalled to GB to face a disciplinary enquiry. Towards the end of the year he advanced deep into Spain aiming to take Madrid and expel the French invaders led by Napoleon himself. However his Spanish allies proved totally unreliable, outnumbered and in danger of being overwhelmed Moore called off the advance and turned for the port of Corunna in northern Spain where the Royal Navy would take his 26,000 strong army to safety.

The retreat covered 250 miles across mountains in winter constantly harassed by the French, nevertheless the British fought off a number of French attacks before reaching Corunna on 11 January. Here Moore found plenty of supplies but too few ships to evacuate the 16,000 of what remained of his army. A defence of the port had to be hastily organized as the first French arrived the following day. The transport ships eventually appeared on 14 January and the embarkation began. The next day the French began the attack overwhelming the outer defences and on 16 January the assault on the town took place. In fierce fighting the French failed to penetrate the inner defences, at the height of the fighting Moore was struck on the shoulder by a cannonball but continued to direct the battle for the hours it took him to die. Command passed to Gen John Hope who successfully held back the French and the evacuation was completed on 18 January. 

Around 900 were killed and wounded with 300 prisoners, the French lost a similar number. Moore was honourably buried by the French in the town.

Initial criticism of Moore's tactics were expunged when the Duke of Wellington returned later that year and praised Moore saying that without his contribution in tying up and denuding the French the task of expelling them from the peninsula could not have been completed. 

Remember he was subject to fits of religious mania, so the life of a monk held a certain attraction. 

The monks would have been better at handling his fits of religious mania.  In his "normal" times he would live comfortably.  Too bad he didn't go with his true wishes.

British troops were involved from 1793, they first saw action at the Battle of Raismes in May with 7200 men under Prince Frederick, Duke of York forming part of the 60,000 strong Allied army. Sir John Moore's first involvement was later that year at the siege of Toulon. 

17 January 1377 - The Papacy returned to Rome.

In 1304 Pope Benedict XI took up residence in Perugia when Rome became too dangerous due to the civil war in the city between rival noble factions. 

Benedict died that same year and it took 11 months for the Cardinals in Perugia to elect a new Pope, they did so under heavy pressure from the King of France Philip IV. Cardinal de Got, Bishop of Bordeaux was chosen taking the title Clement V. As a loyal supporter of Philip he refused to return to Rome and after a few years at Poitiers he settled the Papacy in Avignon in 1309. 

Under complete French influence every Pope thereafter for the next 60 years was a Frenchman including Gregory XI elected in 1370. In 1376 he decided that the Papacy should return to Rome. His decision was largely influenced by letters from Catherine di Benincasa (later canonized as St Catherine of Siena) urging him to restore the Holy See to its original home. Gregory made the journey in stages from September 1376 waiting each time in a location closer to Rome to test the waters. On 17 January 1377 he arrived in the Holy City, the Papacy had returned home after an absence of 73 years.

17 January 1377 - The Papacy returned to Rome.

In 1304 Pope Benedict XI took up residence in Perugia when Rome became too dangerous due to the civil war in the city between rival noble factions. 

Benedict died that same year and it took 11 months for the Cardinals in Perugia to elect a new Pope, they did so under heavy pressure from the King of France Philip IV. Cardinal de Got, Bishop of Bordeaux was chosen taking the title Clement V. As a loyal supporter of Philip he refused to return to Rome and after a few years at Poitiers he settled the Papacy in Avignon in 1309. 

Under complete French influence every Pope thereafter for the next 60 years was a Frenchman including Gregory XI elected in 1370. In 1376 he decided that the Papacy should return to Rome. His decision was largely influenced by letters from Catherine di Benincasa (later canonized as St Catherine of Siena) urging him to restore the Holy See to its original home. Gregory made the journey in stages from September 1376 waiting each time in a location closer to Rome to test the waters. On 17 January 1377 he arrived in the Holy City, the Papacy had returned home after an absence of 73 years.

Would this feller be known as Saint Gregory the Great? There is a church named that in my area. It does sound better than Saint Gregory the Pretty Good.

Gregory the Great, Pope Gregory I was centuries earlier, Pope 590-604. He was the Pope who sent St Augustine to convert the heathen English.  

18 January 1486 - Henry VII married Elizabeth of York.

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond seized the English Crown in 1485 after the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. Henry was the representative of the Lancastrians, so in order to reconcile with the defeated Yorkists he married the heir to the Yorkist claim, Elizabeth daughter of Edward IV and niece to the recently deceased Richard III.

But first he had to repeal the Act of 1484 which King Richard had passed proclaiming Edward IV's marriage invalid and therefore his children, including Elizabeth, illegitimate. This done by the end of the year he married Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey in January.

The red and white Tudor Rose, designed on Henry's orders, became the emblem of the union of the Houses of York and Lancaster in the persons of King Henry and Queen Elizabeth.

The Act of 1484 proclaiming the children of Edward IV illegitimate was a move by Richard III to legitimise his seizing of the Throne the year before. Elizabeth and her sisters had a better claim than he did, so he simply had them declared illegitimate, thus he was the "rightful" King. The Act that overturned it in 1485 was justice restored and of course she had to be properly recognized before Henry would marry her.

in common with most noblewomen from that era she had little say in her choice of husband, nevertheless it developed into a genuine love match. 

It's similar to us here, I didn't like you for years - loud, rude, insulting, but I quite like you now. 

It's similar to us here, I didn't like you for years - loud, rude, insulting, but I quite like you now. 

Yes Tom, you're not at all refined like what I is.

It's similar to us here, I didn't like you for years - loud, rude, insulting, but I quite like you now. 

Yes Tom, you're not at all refined like what I is.

Well I have learned a lot from youse guys.

Henry VII lives in the shadow of his successors, yet he established a settled peace in England after the Wars of the Roses and restored the finances after decades of unrest. Such things make him a "boring" study compared to the reigns of his son and granddaughter.  

19 January 1915 - The first Zeppelin raid on GB.

Two German Naval airships. the L3 and L4 set out with the aim of attacking the docks of the Humber Estuary. However strong winds forced them much further south and they crossed the English coast over north-east Norfolk around 2000hrs. 

The commander of the L3 recognized where he was, so he turned south and bombed the port of Great Yarmouth at 2025hrs killing two and injuring three, the first casualties of the war in an air raid.

The commander of the L4 however was totally lost, he headed west looking for suitable targets dropping a few bombs on the villages of north Norfolk, until he reached King's Lynn at 2250hrs. Here he released most of his remaining bombs killing two and injuring 13.

Both airships returned to base unchallenged.    

20 January 1265 - The First Parliament held in England.

In 1264 a major rebellion against King Henry III erupted led by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. King Henry, his wife and heir Prince Edward were captured after the Battle of Lewes leaving de Montfort as the most powerful figure in the country. In order to give his rule an air of legitimacy he called a Parliament, one to be made up of not only the Lords and Bishops but two knights from each County and two burgesses from each Borough. 

It met in Westminster Hall in January 1265 and sat until March. However Prince Edward escaped from captivity in May and raised an army to rescue the King. He was victorious at the Battle of Evesham in which de Montfort was killed. Nevertheless the principle of a Parliament had been established and King Henry continued to hold them until his death. 

Over the centuries Parliament grew in power eventually becoming the sole body able to raise taxation, thus the power of the Monarch became restricted as they had to appeal to Parliament to raise money for wars etc.

It must also be remembered that the 1265 Parliament was quite unlike Parliament we know today; no elections and no representatives from the vast majority of the population, nevertheless the principle had been established.     

20 January 1265 - The First Parliament held in England.

In 1264 a major rebellion against King Henry III erupted led by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. King Henry, his wife and heir Prince Edward were captured after the Battle of Lewes leaving de Montfort as the most powerful figure in the country. In order to give his rule an air of legitimacy he called a Parliament, one to be made up of not only the Lords and Bishops but two knights from each County and two burgesses from each Borough. 

It met in Westminster Hall in January 1265 and sat until March. However Prince Edward escaped from captivity in May and raised an army to rescue the King. He was victorious at the Battle of Evesham in which de Montfort was killed. Nevertheless the principle of a Parliament had been established and King Henry continued to hold them until his death. 

Over the centuries Parliament grew in power eventually becoming the sole body able to raise taxation, thus the power of the Monarch became restricted as they had to appeal to Parliament to raise money for wars etc.

It must also be remembered that the 1265 Parliament was quite unlike Parliament we know today; no elections and no representatives from the vast majority of the population, nevertheless the principle had been established.     

Mark, burgesses means ordinary folks? We had a House of Burgesses in Virginia during colonial times. I surmise it would be like the House of Commons in GB or the House of Representatives here today. 

More like middle class merchants, people of importance in a borough but not from the nobility. They were the closest peasants had to representatives in early Parliaments.