Indeed, May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, but believe it or not, there are many very significant events that took place on May 5 throughout history. Any holiday has some historical significant event that took place, but some of these are real large ones. The French Revolution and two civil wars in England had their roots in events beginning on May 5. Now you be the know it all at Cinco de Mayo parties without needing personal loans to go to school.
The First Barons’ War: May 5 1215
What happened was King John of England (the one from Robin Hood) signed a castle over to the Archbishop of Canterbury. That said, it was the beginning of the First Baron’s War, during which the king was forced to sign the Magna Carta. It restrained the power of the king, but most importantly, established the principle of Habeus Corpus.
The Short Parliament of May 5 1640
King Charles of England was not well liked. His spending and taxes were outrageous, and he wanted more money to go to war with Scotland. He convened Parliament in mid April of 1640 to get some. Parliament was not having it. On May 5, after 3 weeks of deliberation, he ordered Parliament dissolved. He reconvened Parliament that fall for a bailout following the war with the Scots bankrupted him. That was called the Long Parliament, who also weren’t amused. Armed conflicts began to break out, and King Charles was beheaded in 1649. A monarch wasn’t restored until 1660, under limited powers.
May 5, 1789 – The Estates General
The Estates General was a representative body in France. The Three Estates were, in order, the Clergy, the Nobility, and Everybody Else. The King of France, Louis the 16th, convened the Estates General for the first time in a lot more than 100 years to see about getting a lot more cash, as spending and taxes were out of control. Just like the Short Parliament, they weren’t having it and also the French Revolution started to take shape. Oddly enough, on May 5, 1821, 32 years later to the day, Napoleon Bonaparte the 1st died in exile on the island of St. Helena.
The Battle of Puebla
May 5 1862 saw the defeat of the army of Napoleon III by the Mexican forces of Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin at the Battle of Puebla. It freed Mexico from European oppression. That is where we get Cinco de Mayo from. Great strides toward independence and fair rule were made on May 5 many times over the centuries.
Citations
Habeus Corpus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus
