THE KING OF HEARTS

By Peter Vuono   Dedicated to the families and students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School- Parkland Florida- 2/14/18


     In the year 270 AD, Rome was governed by the Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was nicknamed Claudius Gothicus which means conqueror of the Goths because of a bloody campaign where his armies defeated the Goths. There were other times where he was nicknamed Claudius the Cruel and with good reason. Claudius started out as a soldier and was a man of great stature and strength. He at one time, knocked out the teeth of a horse with one punch.
     When he became emperor, he wanted to insure that his men would fight fiercely and have nothing to live for. He therefore let out a decree which forbade marriage or engagement for ANY and ALL soldiers.
At about the same time, there lived a priest in Rome named Valentinius which is translated as Valentino in Italian and Valentine in English.
    Valentinius boldly defied the Emperor and went about Rome marrying whatever couple desired it. It wasn't long before the Emperor was made privy to it and the local Prefect was ordered to arrest Valentinius. The Emperor ordered that a three tiered execution would take place for this outrage. Valentinius would first be clubbed; then stoned and if he survived the first two, he would finally be beheaded.
     While in jail, Valentinius befriended the jailer Asterius and his daughter who was both blind and gravely ill. After blessing  the child, she almost immediately had her sight and health restored! They would remain friends until the bitter end. In the last correspondence that Valentinius made, he wrote a letter of farewell to the daughter of Asterius. At the conclusion of the letter he wrote,"From your Valentine".He was executed on February 14, 270 AD.
    After his death, Saint Valentine would be canonized a saint by the Catholic Church and regarded as the patron saint of love, marriage and young couples. If you spend Valentine's Day with a significant other, then bravo to you! You are both celebrating the power of love and the man who gave his life to enforce it- Saint Valentine, the King of Hearts.


" I HAVE GIVEN YOU MY HEART; DO NOT GIVE ME YOUR HEAD ONLY"- BRUCE LEE