The story of St. Valentine has perpetuated two millennia, and yet no one is quite sure of the correct details of the story. Because of this, the Catholic Church struck it from its list of feasts to be celebrated and removed it from its calendar in 1969. The most accurate story seems to be that around 270, during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius the Cruel, he was having trouble procuring men for his army. Because of this, he decided to ban all marriages and engagements, thinking that the desire to marry was preventing men from enlisting. However, a Roman priest named Valentine refused to stop marrying couples and would not cease despite the edict. As a result, Claudius has Valentine beheaded on the 14th of February, 278.
