be paired together until the next year.
This pagan practice went on until the reign of Claudius II, also known as Claudius the Cruel who had trouble manning his army since most men would not leave their wives or lovers. So he had it outlawed, as he believed that single men made better soldiers.
By this time Christianity had spread in Rome and there were at least three Christian Romans named Valentine or Valentinus who were all martyred one way or another. Amongst them was a priest who actually help many escape being drafted into the army by marrying couples in secret. Claudius soon caught up to them and had Valentine accosted in jail and afterwards executed on February 14, 269 A.D. It is now believed that he was able to befriend the Jailer’s daughter who believed in his cause and at the last day of his incarceration was able to leave a note for her prior to his execution. On this note was written the classic line “Love, from your Valentine”.
Christianity continued to spread and by the late 5th Century (496 AD), Pope Gelasius declared a holy day for honoring St. Valentine. As the centuries rolled on into the Renaissance, the pagan traditions of matchmaking were soon replaced with romantic art, poetry and music for a feast in the pursuit of love. Because of its surging popularity from the 15th to the 18th century, the English and the French took to this romantic tradition along with the act of using handwritten letters, sweets, flowers and other small tokens for passionate declarations of love.
By the 1700’s the American’s got