On July 2, 1849 the Roman republic falls to the French forces. Consequently, Pope Pius IX was restored to his papal throne.
Philanthropist William Wilberforce died on July 28, 1833 in London at the age of 74.
William Wilberforce was born in 1759. He was an English politician who became the voice of the abolition movement in Parliament. He was a slightly built man, about five foot three in height, and suffered from bouts of bad health.
He was born in Hull, into a rich merchant family. As a child, whilst living with his uncle in London, he was taken to hear John Newton preach. It made a great impression on him but he returned home and soon became part of fashionable society, attending the theatre and races, where he watched his own horse run.
He enrolled at Cambridge University and became friends with William Pitt. At the age of 21, Wilberforce was elected to Parliament. He was well suited to politics, as he was an extremely eloquent speaker and very witty. In 1783, he met James Ramsay and, for the first time, discussed slavery. Around 1784-86, he underwent a gradual but ‘intense religious conversion’ whilst travelling with a friend. He considered leaving Parliament but his friend and mentor, John Newton, advised him againt this; so, instead, he decided to serve God in public life.
From 1789, Wilberforce regularly introduced bills in Parliament to ban the Slave Trade. He was fiercely opposed by those making fortunes from the trade, who used all kinds of delaying tactics. The first time a bill was introduced, Wilberforce lost the debate by 163 votes to 88 but he never gave up.
In his late 30’s, Wilberforce married Barbara Spooner (also an evangelical Christian). He remained devoted to her throughout his life. Finally on 25th March, 1807, the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act abolished the Slave Trade in the British colonies. It was carried by 267 votes. The house rose to its feet and cheered wildly.
Despite the groundswell of public opinion, Parliament still refused to ban slavery, until parliamentary reform removed many of its supporters. Despite this, it was still not clear that Parliament would act. Wilberforce wrote a last petition. The Parliamentary debate lasted three months. On the 26th July, 1833, the Abolition of Slavery bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons. A messenger rushed to Wilberforce’s house. They told him that slavery in British colonies would finally be abolished. Just three days later, on 29th July, William Wilberforce died. Adapted from: http://abolition.e2bn.org/people_24.html#
Nine hundred convents in Spain were suppressed on July 29…
Some significant milestone in Christian history in July:
1015 Death of Vladimir the prince of Russia who made Orthodox Christianity the national religion. (1000th anniversary)
1115 Death of Peter the Hermit, one of the most famous names associated with the first crusade. (900th anniversary)
1415 The Council of Constance has reformer Jan Hus burned to death as a heretic. (600th anniversary)
1865 William Booth founds the organization that becomes the Salvation Army. (150th anniversary)
https://www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/anniversaries/
Beyond the Word 