Today's American Minute

Magnus Eriksson, II (1316-1374) was a king of Sweden, Norway and Skaane. He commissioned an Icelandic judge, Paul Knudsen, to lead an expedition to Greenland in 1354: <Magnus, by the grace of God, King of Norway, Sweden and Skaane, sends to all men who see or hear this letter good health and happiness. We desire to make known to you that you [Paul Knudsen] is to take the men who shall do in the knarr [royal vessel]; whether they be named or not named,..from my bodyguard, and also from among the retainers of other men, whom you may wish to...

Thomas Aquinas (c.1224-March 7, 1274) was a Catholic philosopher and theologian, who wrote Summa Theologica, using Aristotelian logic to reconcile faith with reason, proving the existence of God as the logical uncaused cause. His works rank with Saint Augustine in importance. In Pange, Lingua, a hymn for Vespers on the Feast of Corpus Christi, Thomas Aquinas wrote: <Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory, Of His Flesh the mystery sing; Of the Blood, all price exceeding, Shed by our immortal King.> 1224TA001. In Verbum Supernum Prodiens, a hymn for Lauds on Corpus Christi, Thomas Aquinas wrote: <O saving Victim, opening wide,...

Magna Carta (June 15, 1215) known as the "cornerstone of English liberty," was a constitutional charter signed by King John I of England (December 24, 1167-October 18, 1216) in the meadow of Runnymede, under pressure from the English barons. This was the first time the absolute power of a king was limited by law, guaranteeing certain rights to his subjects. In background, 'Norse' Vikings invaded the area that came to be called Normandy, in northern France around the year 911 AD. The Norman ruler, William I, married a Christian wife, Poppa of Bayeux, and was baptized in 912 AD. His...

Henry de Bracton (c.1210-1268) was a medieval jurist and priest whose treatise on Common Law and procedure provided a framework for the early English legal system. During the reign of England's King Henry III, Henry de Bracton wrote in 1240, "De Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliae" ("On the laws and customs of England") which borrowed from the Justinian Code (Corupus Iurus Civilis), compiled by the Byzantine Roman Emperor Justinian in 534 AD. De Legibus was the first encyclopedia of English Common Law, described as "the first great book on English law" and "the crown and flower of English jurisprudence," providing a...

Alfred the Great (c.849-October 26, 899) ruled the Britons from 871 AD to 899 AD. Alfred was for England what Charlemagne was for France. In 865 AD, pagan Vikings from Scandinavia, called 'Danes', invaded England and destroyed cities, churches, schools and libraries. Their last opposition was 23-year-old King Alfred, who they forced into the swampy, tidal marshes of Somerset. Alfred rallied the Anglos and the Saxons and began a resistance in 878 AD. According to biographer Bishop Asser's The Life of King Alfred, 893 AD: “Alfred attacked the whole pagan army fighting ferociously in dense order, and by divine will...