#️⃣#️⃣#️⃣ A Valentine Written in Prison 💌🏰
#️⃣ When we think of Valentine’s Day, we imagine flowers 🌹, chocolates 🍫 and romantic dinners. But one of the oldest Valentine messages in history was written in a prison cell.
#️⃣ In 1415, during the Hundred Years’ War, Charles, Duke of Orléans, was captured at the Battle of Agincourt and taken to the Tower of London. From there, he wrote a love poem to his wife.
#️⃣ In the letter he called her “my very gentle Valentine.” 💕
В 1415 году герцог Орлеанский, попавший в плен после битвы при Азенкуре, написал своей жене любовное послание из Тауэра. Это считается одной из самых ранних сохранившихся валентинок.
#️⃣ The message was not a cheerful holiday card. It was filled with longing and sadness. He had no idea when — or if — he would return home.
#️⃣ Part of the poem said that he was already “sick of love.” Not because he stopped loving her — but because separation was painful.
Он писал, что «болен от любви», имея в виду тоску по жене и страдания разлуки.
#️⃣ Historians believe this is one of the earliest surviving Valentine’s messages in history. And it wasn’t bought in a shop — it was handwritten in captivity.
#️⃣ 💡 Interesting detail: Charles spent about 25 years in England before returning to France. Imagine writing a Valentine and waiting decades to see your beloved again.
#️⃣ So before Valentine’s Day became a celebration of gifts and greeting cards, it was a day of poetry, longing, and hope.
#️⃣ Sometimes love is not about roses. Sometimes it is abou
t patience.