While Christmas Day is synonymous with the birth of Jesus Christ, festive gatherings, tucking into turkey dinners, giving and receiving presents, December 25 also marks major historical moments for notable leaders throughout history.
In this article, The Leaders Council explores some of the most significant events to have taken place on Christmas Day involving some of the leaders of yesteryear in various fields.
Christmas Day, 800 AD: The coronation of Charlemagne
On this day in 800 AD, Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned as ‘Emperor of the Romans’ by Pope Leo III, the first to receive the title in around 300 hundred years following the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Throughout his lifetime, Charlemagne managed to unite most of Western Europe in the Carolingian Empire, which was the first inception of the Holy Roman Empire that would go on to stand for a thousand years. He reigned as Emperor for 13 years and oversaw an expansion of Christianity and cultural revival across Europe.
1066 AD: The coronation of William the Conqueror
Following his victory over King Harold II’s army at the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy advanced on London and completed his conquest of England. On Christmas Day that year, he was crowned the first Norman king of England, which saw more than 600 years of Anglo-Saxon rule come to an end.
William’s reign culminated in significant cultural, social and political changes which would have ramifications for not only the future of the country, but that of Europe, too.
1642: The birth of Isaac Newton
Hailed as one of the most influential scientists of his time, Isaac Newton [pictured] was born on December 25, 1642. Newton would go on to characterise gravity, define the laws of motion, and become a pioneer in mathematics, astrology, and philosophy. Quite the Christmas present for humankind!
1776: Washington crosses the Delaware River
By Christmas 1776, the American Revolutionary War looked to be heading for a crushing defeat for the American colonies at the hands of British forces. Enter General George Washington, the man who would become the first president of the independent United States: he led his army of 2,400 men across the Delaware River on the night of December 25, 1776, to ambush a Hessian garrison operating under British command as they were enjoying their Christmas festivities.
Washington’s assault was a resounding success, defeating the garrison quickly having taken them by surprise and capturing vital provisions and prisoners which they took back across the river with them. This small but significant victory provided a major boost to morale and led to a string of victories in the coming weeks. The Christmas Day raid had started a domino effect which would turn the tide of the war and the future of America.
1914: The Christmas Day truce
While no political leaders of note were directly involved in this event, it is one of the most iconic examples of humanity amid bloodshed, hatred and war. Rightly so, the Christmas Day truce on December 25, 1914, is revered as one of the most incredible events in the First World War and human history at large.
British, French and German troops fighting in the trenches along the Western Front of the war put down their weapons and crossed into No Man’s Land to meet and exchange gifts. The unofficial truce lasted a few hours until both sides returned to the trenches to resume hostilities, but this example of peace even in the most horrific times has remained a beacon of hope throughout history since.
1991: Gorbachev’s resignation and the end of the Soviet Union
On Christmas Day, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev, president of the USSR, resigned from his position and turned over his presidential powers to Boris Yeltsin. The very next day, the Soviet Union was officially dissolved and Yeltsin would lead the new Russian Federation into the future.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union marked the end of a global power that had influenced global politics and history on a seismic scale throughout the 20th Century. Not only was the Soviet Union a major belligerent in World War II, but from 1947 it would become embroiled in almost 45 years of geopolitical tension with the US known as the Cold War, involving intense competition and both sides vying for dominance by exercising their influences in a series of proxy wars, with the tension often threatening to boil over into nuclear warfare. The Soviet Union’s dismantlement in 1991 finally brought the Cold War period to a halt.
The facts in this article were sourced from history.co.uk
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons
