The link between Henry VIII and Valentine’s Day.

From the article:

“Many blogposts and websites highlight how Henry VIII declared Valentine’s Day a holiday in 1537. Such a date is bang in the middle of Henry VIII’s religious reformation, having removed the power of the Pope through his Act of Supremacy in 1534, which then led to the dissolution of the monasteries later in the decade. Saint Valentine is a figure embraced by the the Catholic Church, which places him in opposition to all the things that England was attempting to reform during that period.

Valentine himself appears to have been active in the third century, and it is claimed that he secretly performed weddings for couples against the wishes of the Roman emperor. One historian notes how the celebrations has ‘its roots in a pagan fertility festival’, which:

‘involved lots of naked folk running through the streets spanking the backsides of young women with leather whips, supposedly to improve their fertility.’

The celebration came back into vogue in the medieval age, and it is now a big business in which billions are spent every year on cards, flowers, and other gifts. However, despite the various claims, there are many other counter-claims that dispute Henry VIII’s involvement in the holiday. What is clear is that it became more popular during the Tudor age, and by the early 1600s the holiday is mentioned in the work of William Shakespeare.”

Henry VIII & Valentine’s Day