By Matthew Sakey
Florists, chocolatiers and the makers of those heart-shaped candies stamped with kind words have made a fortune because of Valentine's Day. When we think of the holiday, we think of cards and romantic dinners.
In truth, the history of Valentine's Day is equal parts blood, violence, persecution and paper hearts filled with romantic words.
Saint Valentine was a real person—though historians aren't exactly sure which real person the day refers to, as there are three saints with similar names from roughly the same time period. Historians theorize that the Saint Valentine of Valentine's Day fame was a third-century Christian priest serving in Rome.
Claudius II, the emperor at the time, made the strange decision that single men fought better than married ones. Since the Roman empire was at this point beset on all sides by unfriendlies, Claudius II banned marriage among young men.
Apparently Valentine — or Valens, or Valentius, or Valentinian, we're not sure of the name — continued performing secret marriages in defiance of the imperial edict. When Claudius found out (as emperors always do), Valentine got chucked into prison. While awaiting a doubtlessly painful execution, the legend goes, he fell in love with his jailer's daughter, and sent her secret love letters signed "From your Valentine." Valentine's execution was supposedly carried out on February 14, 270, and the rest is somewhat dubious history.
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