Saint Valentine is said to have lived in Rome during the third
century. That was a long time ago. During this time Rome was ruled
by an emperor named Claudius. Many people did not like the
ruler.
Claudius was having trouble getting men to serve in his army. He
felt many men would not volunteer to join because they did not want
to leave their wives and families. He thought that if men were not
married, they would join the army. So Claudius passed a new law
which did not allow any more marriages. Most people thought this
law was cruel. Valentine, who was a minister, did not support the
new law.
Even after Emperor Claudius passed the law, he kept performing
marriage ceremonies secretly. One night he was caught and thrown in
jail and told he would be put to death.
Many young people came to visit Valentine. One was the daughter of
the prison guard. On the day of his death Valentine wrote a note to
the daughter signed "Love from your Valentine". This was on
February 14, 269 A. D.
Some say this started the custom of exchanging love messages on
Valentine's Day.
