Martin Luther (born 10 November 1483) nails his 95 thesis on the church door in Eisleben in the evening of 31 October 1517, because the next day, 1 November, is All Saints’ Day, when everyone would come to church.

In the 95 theses he explains his view based on the Gospel that salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned by good deeds or purchased by buying indulgences . This is often regarded as the starting point of the reformation.  While his original aim was to reform the church, the Pope saw it differently, which ultimately led to the split with the Catholic church.  As Luther was of the opinion that the Bible was the only source for knowledge of God, he translated it into German to make it accessible to everyone.

31 October is celebrated in the Lutheran church as Reformation Day commemorating Luther’s stand.

Coronation of Henry Tudor as Henry VII

Readeption of Henry VI

Death of King Alfred ‘The Great’, king of the West Saxons and of the Anglo-Saxons.  Alfred was born in 848/49, the son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex (d. 858) and of Osburh, daughter of Oslac, the king’s butler.  He was the youngest of at least six children.

He was eventually succeeded by his son Edward. About two years after his father’s death, Edward buried his father in the New Minster at Winchester.

Source: ODNB, ‘Alfred (848/9–899)’, by Patrick Wormald, online edition Oct 2006.

Birth of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, third of the four sons of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York,  and Cecily Neville who survived to adulthood.  He was born in Dublin, as his father was at that time lord lieutenant of Ireland.

Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III), is made Constable of England.

Birth of Edith Pargeter, author of historical and detective fiction.

Under the pseudonym of Ellis Peters, she wrote the Inspector Felse nolvels (from 1951) and the Brother Cadfael series (since 1977).  Under her own name she published the Heaven Tree trilogy of novels in the early 1960s. She also translated Czech poetry and prose, which were published in sixteen volumes.  She produced nearly eighty books as well as many short stories and articles.

Edith Pargeter died on 14 October 1995, while working on another Cadfael novel.

Source:  ODNB – Kate Fullbrook, ‘Pargeter, Edith Mary [Ellis Peters] (1913–1995)’

On 25 December 800 Charlemagne was crowned first Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome.

On 25 December 1066 William the Conqueror (William I) was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

Death of Anne of York, Countess of Surrey.  She was the seventh child and fifth daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville.