The oldest surviving valentine was a poem written from a prison cell
The world oldest known Valentine Day message was composed by a French duke while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following a major medieval battle.
Charles Duke of Orleans wrote the earliest surviving valentine in 1415 while being held captive after the Battle of Agincourt. He penned a melancholic poem to his wife Bonne of Armagnac referring to her as his very gentle Valentine and expressing the deep ache of their separation.
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