Valentine’s Day became an official English holiday in this year.
1722
1602
1537
1841
In 1537, King Henry VII declared February 14, St. Valentine’s Day, as a holiday in England. The day’s origins lie in Rome’s pagan festival Lupercalia, but in 496 Pope Gelasius I declared Feb. 14 a Christian feast day honoring St. Valentine. In 1601, Shakespeare mentioned St. Valentine’s Day in his play Hamlet.