The Roman's celebrated a festival called Lupercalia on February 14. This festival was held to ward off the danger of wolves to their flocks and honored their God Lupercalia. This is one idea. The Christian Church had two Saints named Valentine and two other ideas center around them. The Roman Emperor, Claudius the II forbade young men to marry in 200 A.D. He believed single men made better soldiers, free of family concerns. A priest named Valentine disobeyed the Emperor and married couples in secret. The next Saint Valentine was a lover of children but, was imprisoned when he would not honor other gods. The children missed him and wrote messages of affection to him. They threw their notes through the bars of his cell. This may have been the beginning of exchanging messages. He was executed on February 14, 269 A.D. Pope Gelasius in 496 A.D. named February 14th, Valentine's Day, after him. The fourth idea concerning the celebration of Valentine's Day is based on the belief that birds or fowl pick their mates on February 14th. It was believed love birds in particular, chose this day to begin mating.
He was captured by the English during the battle of Agincourt in 1415. On Valentine's Day he sent his wife a rhyming love letter from the tower of London, where he was imprisoned.
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