Editing August 17 (section)

===Pre-1600===
* [[310]] &ndash; [[Pope Eusebius]] dies, possibly from a [[hunger strike]], shortly after being banished by the Emperor [[Maxentius]] to [[Sicilia (Roman province)|Sicily]].
* [[682]] &ndash; [[Pope Leo II]] begins his pontificate.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Leo II {{!}} pope |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Leo-II |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=28 October 2020}}</ref>
* [[986]] &ndash; [[Byzantine–Bulgarian wars]]: [[Battle of the Gates of Trajan]]: The [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarians]] under the [[Cometopuli dynasty|Comitopuli]] [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Samuel]] and [[Aron (noble)|Aron]] defeat the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] forces at the [[Gate of Trajan]], with [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Basil&nbsp;II]] barely escaping.
*[[1186]] &ndash; [[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 I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg)|Frederick]] under the stipulation that Austria and Styria would henceforth remain undivided.
*[[1386]] &ndash; [[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 [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] in return.
*[[1424]] &ndash; [[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, 2nd Earl of Buchan|John Stewart]], and [[Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas|Earl Archibald of Douglas]].
*[[1488]] &ndash; [[List of bishops of Turku#Catholic bishops of Turku (Åbo, Aboa)|Konrad Bitz]], the [[Archdiocese of Turku|Bishop of Turku]], marks the date of his preface to ''[[Missale Aboense]]'', the oldest known book of [[Finland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.europeana.eu/fi/item/92002/BibliographicResource_1000093325379_source|title=Missale Aboense|publisher=Europeana|access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref>
*[[1498]] &ndash; [[Cesare Borgia]], son of [[Pope Alexander VI]], becomes the first person in history to resign the [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinalate]]; later that same day, King [[Louis XII of France]] names him [[Duke of Valentinois]].
*[[1549]] &ndash; [[Battle of Sampford Courtenay]]: The [[Prayer Book Rebellion]] is quashed in [[Kingdom of England|England]].
*[[1560]] &ndash; The [[Catholic Church]] is overthrown and [[Protestantism]] is [[Scottish Reformation Parliament|established]] as the national religion in [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]].
*[[1585]] &ndash; [[Eighty Years' War]]: [[Siege of Antwerp (1584–85)|Siege of Antwerp]]: [[Antwerp]] is captured by [[Spanish Empire|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 [[Dutch Republic|northern provinces]].
*  1585   &ndash; 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]].
*[[1597]] &ndash; [[Islands Voyage]]: [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex]], and Sir [[Walter Raleigh]] set sail on an expedition to the [[Azores]].