Onyx Book Château: April 23

Saint George's Day

The feast day of Saint George celebrating the patron saint of England - Saint George. The tradition diminished after the union with Scotland at the end of the 18th Century and it has not been widely acknowledged. Traditional customs were to fly the St. George's flag and to wear a red rose in one's lapel. It the times of the crusades, it is said that St. George presented himself outside of Jerusalem and led the Crusaders into battle. It was after this, in the 14th Century, that the English soldiers began to wear a sign of St. George on their chests and on their backs, as the Saint was regarded as a special protector of the English. In 1348 King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter, the premier order of knighthood in England on St. George's Day and the Order was put under the Saint's patronage. It was in 1415 that St. George became the Patron Saint of England when the English were victorious at the battle of Agincourt during the 100 years war. Edward IV and Henry VII then oversaw the construction on the St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

April 23rd, 1661

King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned in Westminster Abbey

File:Charles II of England in Coronation robes.jpg

No coronation was attended by as much enthusiasm as that of Charles II - it was more than just a coronation; it was a restoration of everything that England had abandoned. It was joyous and hopeful occasion after twenty long years of Civil War, anarchy, and usurpation.