The Death of Richard III (August 22nd)

In 1455, the War of the Roses broke out between two families in England: the Lancasters and the Yorks. The two families fought for the throne of England, and during the fight, most nobles in England took a side.

In 1483, Richard, Duke of York, was crowned as Richard the III of England after he usurped the throne from his twelve-year-old nephew, Edward V. The War of the Roses, however, was not over with the crowning of a York.

Richard was contested for the throne by Henry Tudor, the last remaining male member of the House of Lancaster. Because of this, Henry Tudor had the Lancaster family's strongest claim on the throne of England. Henry Tudor had gathered his forces in Frances, and then sailed his army to Milford Haven, Wales.

On August 21, 1485, twelve miles west of Leicester, on Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor's forces met Richard's in battle. Richard could have, for his army was of greater numbers, but at the last minute, several of his most important and powerful barons defected, giving Henry a decisive victory. Though he knew of his impending defeat, Richard is reported to have said, "I will not budge a foot. I will die king of England." Soon afterwards, Richard was unhorsed and killed, leaving Henry Tudor as Henry VII of England. Richard was only thirty-two years old and had been king for only two years when he died.

The Foundation of the Jesuit Order (August 15th)

Saint Ignatius of  Loyola was a soldier for the kingdom of Castile in what is now Spain. For many years, he fought Moors, helping to remove their presence from the Iberian Peninsula. In 1521, Ignatius had a leg broken and the other injured by a cannonball. While recovering, Ignatius read De Vita Christi by Ludolph of Saxony. This commentary on the Gospel gave Ignatius a better understanding of Christianity.

While recovering, Ignatius continued to read religious texts. After he was healed, Ignatius set his armor and weapons in front of the altar at a monastery. For a year, Ignatius lived in a cave, practicing self-denial and sacrifice. In 1523, Ignatius continued these practices while he visited the Holy Land.

Ignatius began to gain companions in his practice of sacrifice. Soon, he had six companions with him: Francis Xavier, Alfonso Salmeron, Diego Laynez, Nicholas Bobadilla, Peter Faber, and Simao Rodrigues. On August 15th, 1534, these seven men took apostolic vows and formed the Society of Jesus, which became better known as the Jesuit Order.

The Jesuit Order is engaged in evangelical and apostolic ministry. The path of sacrifice that Ignatius of Loyala used became a central part of the Jesuit Order. The Jesuits would sacrifice all they had to spread across the globe and educate people on the Gospel.

Ignatius of Loyala went on to become the Father General and leader of the Jesuits. St. Francis Xavier became famous in his own right for being one of the first people to visit Japan and evangelize to the people there. The Jesuit Order has continued to grow since its foundation and has spread out into 112  nations on six continents.

The Battle of Aljubarrota (August 14th)

John, known as John the Bastard, was the illegitimate son of King Pedro I of Portugal. John kept a low political profile, sitting quiet while his half-brother took the throne. When his half-brother died, the late king's widow, Queen Leonor, worked to get a different John, John I of Castile (north-central Spain) as the recognized ruler of Portugal.

This recognition of a Spaniard ruling over the Portuguese sparked some patriotism in the Portuguese. Many Portuguese nationalists, led by Pereira Nuno Alvares, approached John the Bastard to rise up and seize power. John agreed, killed Leonor's chief minister, and took the throne. Queen Leonor fled the country and went to John of Castile to ask him for aid.

John of Castile marched on Portugal with a large army, but John the Bastard and Pereira, aided by a small group of English archers, led their army into battle on the road to Lisbon, and on August 14th, 1385, Portugal won a great victory against John of Castile. This confirmed Portugal's identity as an independent state.

The next year, John of Portugal signed the Treaty of Windsor, pledging friendship between the two countries for all eternity. The alliance is still in force today. John of Portugal went on to marry Philippa, and English duke's daughter. She turned the Portugese court into a high court of Europe. The couple also had several children, one of which was Henry the Navigator. Pereira Nuno Alvares became rich after fighting in the battle, and used the money to create a monastery, where he became a friar.  Pereira later was declared a saint.

The Battle of Boyacá (August 7th)

Battle of Boyaca

In the year 1819, Colombia and Venezuela were both fighting a war against the Spanish to secure independence. Venezuela was deep in the middle of a civil war, but in Colombia, or New Granada, as it was called, the Spanish had gained were in a time of relative peace, due to the iron-fisted government of Viceroy Juan José de Sámano, who took orders from the Spanish. Due to its time of peace, Bogota, the capitol of New Granada, was undefended against outsiders.

Simon Bolivar, who was at war in Venezuela, was eager to help liberate Colombia, and decided to leave Venezuela to attack Bogota. The only problem was that the Andes divided the two regions. Nonetheless, Bolivar led his men over the pass through the mountains, which was over 13,000 feet about see level. The snow, winds, and ravines were so dangerous, Bolivar lost a third of his men in the crossing, but by early July, Bolivar had made his way to New Granada and the Spanish had no idea he was there. 

Bolivar was quick to regroup his men, and many Colombian nationals were eager to join him in his march towards Bogota. On July 25th, Bolivar led his men against the Spanish forces under General José María Barreiro at Vargas Swamp. Though the battle was a draw, the battle showed Barreiro that Bolivar was a force to be reckoned with. He also discovered that Bolivar was headed for Bogota.

On August 7th, 1819, as Bolivar regrouped and headed for Bogota, Barreiro rushed to cut him off. Barreiro sent his elite warriors, the vanguard, ahead to the bridge of the Boyacá River to keep Bolivar occupied until the main army arrived. Bolivar, however, was closer than expected. The vangaurd reached the bridge, where they waited for the rest of the Spanish army to arrive. Bolivar, however, arrived first. Bolivar sent a small group of his men, led by General Francisco de Paula Santander, to engage the vanguard while Bolivar went back for Barreiro. Bolivar surrounded Barreiro and his forces and then attacked. Barreiro, who realized he was surrounded and seperated from his best soldiers, quickly surrendered. 

Hearing news of Bolivar's smashing victory, many Spanish royalists, including Bogota's Viceroy Juan José de Sámano, fled the city. Several days later, Bogota was captured and Colombia had gained its independence from Spain. The Battle of Boyacá is now considered to be the the battle in which Colombia gained its independence.

The Battle of the Nile (August 1st)

In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte left his fleet of seventeen French ships at the mouth of the Nile while he went on his campaign through Egypt. Close behind, Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson was preparing for an attack with five British men-o'-war.

On August 1st, a few hours before sunset, Nelson order his ships to attack by going in between French ships and firing on both sides. The French would fire back, but they were in danger of hitting their own ships as well due to overshooting their target.

When the Orient, the 120-gun French flagship, exploded, the battle was close to its end. In the end, the British captured or sank all but two of the French ships. About 10,000 French lives and 1,000 British lives were lost in the attack.

This battle was the turning point of the British naval campaign against the French, and when Nelson, realizing the importance of the battle, famously said, "Before this time tomorrow I shall have gained a peerage, or Westminster Abbey." Luckily for Nelson, he recieved the former and went down in history as the famous Lord Nelson.