Calendar date · August

What happened on August 17

On August 17, 986: Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.

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Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Leo

Featured moment · 986

Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.

The Byzantine–Bulgarian wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire which began after the Bulgars conquered parts of the Balkan peninsula after 680 AD. The Byzantine and First Bulgarian Empire continued to clash over the next century with varying success, until the Bulgarians, led by Krum, inflicted a series of crushing defeats on the Byzantines. After Krum died in 814, his son Omurtag negotiated a thirty-year peace treaty.

People

Born on August 17

Nastasja Schunk 2003– German tennis player
The Kid Laroi 2003– Australian singer (born 2003)
Lil Pump 2000– American rapper (born 2000)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto 1998– Japanese baseball player (born 1998)
Jake Virtanen 1996– Canadian ice hockey player
Gracie Gold 1995– American figure skater (b. 1995)
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 1995– New Zealand international rugby league footballer
Phoebe Bridgers 1994– American singer-songwriter (born 1994)
Jack Conklin 1994– American football player (born 1994)
Show 9 more — notable births on August 17
Taissa Farmiga 1994– American actress (born 1994)
Ederson Moraes 1993– Brazilian footballer (born 1993)
Sarah Sjöström 1993– Swedish swimmer (born 1993)
Xie Zhenye 1993– Chinese sprinter (born 1993)
Saraya Bevis 1992– British professional wrestler (born 1992)
Alex Elisala 1992– New Zealand rugby league footballer
Chanel Mata'utia 1992– Samoan/Australian rugby league footballer
Maru Teferi 1992– Israeli marathon runner (born 1992)
Austin Butler 1991– American actor (born 1991)

People

Died on August 17

Terence Stamp British actor (1938–2025)
Virginia Ogilvy British countess (1933–2024)
Silvio Santos Brazilian television presenter and business magnate (1930–2024)
Arthur Hiller Canadian film and television director (1923–2016)
Yvonne Craig American actress (1937–2015)
Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder German politician and sports administrator (1933–2015)
László Paskai Hungarian cardinal
Børre Knudsen Norwegian minister and activist (born 1937)
Wolfgang Leonhard German political author and historian
Show 9 more — notable deaths on August 17
Sophie Masloff American mayor (1917–2014)
Miodrag Pavlović Serbian writer (1928–2014)
Pierre Vassiliu Musical artist
Odilia Dank American politician
Jack Harshman American baseball player (1927–2013)
John Hollander American poet and literary critic (1929–2013)
David Landes American economist and historian
Frank Martínez American painter (1924–2013)
Gus Winckel Dutch World War II hero

Timeline

Every August 17 on record

  1. 986 Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.

    Conflicts in the Balkans (680–1355)

    The Byzantine–Bulgarian wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire which began after the Bulgars conquered parts of the Balkan peninsula after 680 AD. The Byzantine and First Bulgarian Empire continued to clash over the next century with varying success, until the Bulgarians, led by Krum, inflicted a series of crushing defeats on the Byzantines. After Krum died in 814, his son Omurtag negotiated a thirty-year peace treaty.

  2. 1186 Georgenberg Pact: Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria and Leopold V, Duke of Austria sign a heritage agreement in which Ottokar gives his duchy to Leopold and to his son Frederick under the stipulation that Austria and Styria would henceforth remain undivided.

    1186 treaty unifying the duchies of Austria and Styria

    The Georgenberg Pact was a treaty signed between Duke Leopold V of Austria and Duke Ottokar IV of Styria on 17 August 1186 at Enns Castle on the Georgenberg mountain.

  3. 1386 Karl Topia, the ruler of Princedom of Albania, forges an alliance with the Republic of Venice, committing to participate in all wars of the Republic and receiving coastal protection against the Ottomans in return.

    14th century Albanian prince and warlord

    Karl Thopia sometimes written as Charles Thopia, was an Albanian feudal prince and warlord who ruled Albanian domains from 1358 until the first Ottoman conquest of Albania in 1388. Thopia usually maintained good relations with the Roman Curia.

  4. 1424 Hundred Years' War: Battle of Verneuil: An English force under John, Duke of Bedford defeats a larger French army under Jean II, Duke of Alençon, John Stewart, and Earl Archibald of Douglas.

    Medieval Anglo-French conflicts, 1337–1453

    The Hundred Years' War was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a claim to the French throne made by Edward III of England. The war grew into a broader military, economic, and political struggle involving factions from across Western Europe, fuelled by emerging nationalism on both sides.

  5. 1488 Konrad Bitz, the Bishop of Turku, marks the date of his preface to Missale Aboense, the oldest known book of Finland.

    The Archdiocese of Turku is the oldest diocese in Finland. Medieval bishops of the Catholic Church were also de facto secular leaders of the country until the end of the 13th century.

  6. 1498 Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, becomes the first person in history to resign the cardinalate; later that same day, King Louis XII of France names him Duke of Valentinois.
  7. 1549 Battle of Sampford Courtenay: The Prayer Book Rebellion is quashed in England.
  8. 1560 The Catholic Church is overthrown and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland.
  9. 1585 Eighty Years' War: Siege of Antwerp: Antwerp is captured by Spanish forces under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who orders Protestants to leave the city and as a result over half of the 100,000 inhabitants flee to the northern provinces.
  10. 1585 A first group of colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under the charge of Ralph Lane lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina.
  11. 1597 Islands Voyage: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on an expedition to the Azores.
  12. 1668 The magnitude 8.0 North Anatolia earthquake causes 8,000 deaths in northern Anatolia, Ottoman Empire.
  13. 1717 Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18: The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian troops capturing the city from the Ottoman Empire.
  14. 1723 Ioan Giurgiu Patachi becomes Bishop of Făgăraș and is festively installed in his position at the St. Nicolas Cathedral in Făgăraș, after being formally confirmed earlier by Pope Clement XI.
  15. 1740 Pope Benedict XIV, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope.
Show 15 earlier entries from August 17
  1. 1784 Classical composer Luigi Boccherini receives a pay rise of 12,000 reals from his employer, the Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón.
  2. 1798 The Vietnamese Catholics report a Marian apparition in Quảng Trị, an event which is called Our Lady of La Vang.
  3. 1807 Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.
  4. 1808 The Finnish War: The Battle of Alavus is fought.
  5. 1827 Dutch King William I and Pope Leo XII sign concord.
  6. 1836 British parliament accepts registration of births, marriages and deaths.
  7. 1862 American Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Dakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River.
  8. 1862 American Civil War: Major General J. E. B. Stuart is assigned command of all the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
  9. 1863 American Civil War: In Charleston, South Carolina, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held Fort Sumter.
  10. 1864 American Civil War: Battle of Gainesville: Confederate forces defeat Union troops near Gainesville, Florida.
  11. 1866 The Grand Duchy of Baden announces its withdrawal from the German Confederation and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with Prussia.
  12. 1876 Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung, the last opera in his Ring cycle, premieres at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
  13. 1883 The first public performance of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional.
  14. 1896 Bridget Driscoll became the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in the United Kingdom.
  15. 1907 Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opens in Seattle, Washington.

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