Gloria Gaynor

The Calendrier Julien was chosen by Jules César in 46 av. J. - C., in the capacity as '' pontifex maximus '', which gave him the responsibility to fix the beginning of each Année. This calendar was used starting from 45 av. J. - C. is into 709 after the foundation of Rome according to the Roman Calendrier.

History and operation

It was chosen by Jules César on the councils of sound Astronome Sosigène of Alexandria and was probably designed to reflect some Tropical year, with one year standard of 365 Jour S divided into 12 Mois and a “intercalary day” addition every 4 years. The calendar is remained of use until the 20th century in some countries in particular those of orthodoxe tradition . However, this system adds too many leap years compared to the astronomical seasons; they occur approximately 11 minute S earlier each year. It appears that César was with the current of this shift, but only little importance granted to it.

At the 16th century, the Gregorian Calendrier was introduced to improve its exactitude with regard to the period of the equinox, but the changes were relatively minors. When a confusion is possible between the two calendars, one employs the expression old style (shortened in a.s. ) to indicate the Julien calendar, and new style (shortened in n.s. ) for the Gregorian calendar.

Various systems of classification of the years were employed with the Julien calendar, starting with the Ab urbe condita , i.e. “starting from the foundation of the city” (supposed date of the foundation of Rome) or the year of reign of the sovereign in function.

Dioclétien instituted the anno Diocletiani , numbering starting from the beginning of its reign, which seems to be remained used after its death. In the neighborhoods of 527, Dionysius Exiguus proposed the system of the Anno Domini , i.e. “year of the Lord”, who gradually spread himself in the Christian world. The years were numbered starting from the supposed date of the incarnation or the advertisement of the Christ, the March 25th of the year 1 (either in the year 753 ab urbe condita ).

The Roman calendar previously used had various rules, including two lengths different for the intercalated Mois S as well as modifications from duration of the month of February during some leap years. This was still returned complicated by the policy more, with for result which the calendar took 90 days of delay compared to its original definition (67 days plus 23 days of the intercalated month of this year). In order to realign the calendar so that the Romans regarded as correct seasons, 90 days were inserted. Because its common length not very of 455 days, this extra-long year was, and, is indicated under the name of the year confusion .

Although the new calendar was much simpler than the old Roman calendar, the Pontife S, a group of priests which was Responsable to maintain the calendar in the Roman company and charged to apply the new calendar apparently badly included/understood the algorithm: they added one intercalary day every 3 years instead of every 4 years. This had like consequence a surplus of intercalary days. Auguste cured this anomaly while jumping several intercalary days after 36 years of such errors. It is probable that it decided to jump these intercalary days during the twelve years time going of 9 av. J. - C. to 3 a. J-C.. Thus the historical order of the leap years (years with one intercalary day) was probably the following: -43, -40, -37, -34, -31, -28, -25, -22, -19, -16, -13, -10, 4, 8, 12 etc, or if one can make confidence with the writings on papyrus of the Roman Egypt: -44, -41, -38, -35, -32, -29, -26, -23, -20, -17, -14, -11, -8, 4, 8, 12 etc

Because of the important contribution of Jules César and Auguste to the calendar, the Romans thereafter baptized two months of the name of each one of them, withdrawing Quintilis and Sextilis , the fifth month and the sixth month, March being the first and re-electing them by Iulius in -38 and Augustus in -8. It is to be noticed that there does not exist year 0, because the Romans did not know it: the first year preceding year 1 names the year 1 before J. - C.

The arrangement of the months in the Julien calendar was probably very regular, alternating long and short months with an exception to the end of the year in February. As the Romans counted the days with back , to know how much it remained about it before such or such fixed date, compared to the Calende S , in fact on March 1st, the 24 February was the sixth day before this one. The intercalary day became then, sixth (a) day before at the beginning of March, and the year remembered by this addition with the calendar became annus bissextilis . March was the first month because the beginning of the year started with the resumption of the war made possible with the return of the beautiful days. Later, January, month of election of the magistrates, took his place.

From January to December, the lengths of month, according to Sacrobosco, were the following ones:

Twelve months of the Julien calendar according to Sacrobosco

Januarius (31 days)
Februarius (28 or 29 days)
Martius (31 days)
Aprilis (30 days)
Maius (31 days)
Junius (30 days)
Julius (31 days)
Sextilis (30 days)
September (30 days)
October (31 days)
November (30 days)
December (30 days)

The majority of the scholars put Sacrobosco doubts it on this point. It is probable that there is confusion with the 10 months lengths of the Roman year original. Indeed, by remaking the account, it misses one day.

It is more probable than the year according to Jules César alternated exactly the months of 30 and 31 days (29 for February not-bissextile years).

Twelve months of the Julien calendar

Ianuarius (31 days)
Februarius (29 or 30 days)
Martius (31 days)
Aprilis (30 days)
Maius (31 days)
Iunius (30 days)
Iulius (31 days)
Sextilis (30 days)
September (31 days)
October (30 days)
November (31 days)
December (30 days)

The legend wants that in 8 av. J. - C. when the Sénat “offered” Sextilis to Auguste, it was decided that it deserved as many days as Jules. What changed the length of the days by deferring the shift until February: 31,28 (29), 31,30,31,30,31,31,30,31,30, and 31 giving us the irregular lengths of month that we employ always today. A thing which was not changed at the time of the passage to the new Julien calendar was the dates of the Nones and the Ides. In particular, Ides are late (15th rather than 13th) in March, May, July and October. This suggests that these months always had 31 days in the Julien calendar.

The Julien calendar was of general use in Europe of time of the Roman Empire until in 1582, when the pope Gregoire XIII promulgated the Gregorian Calendrier, which was quickly adopted by the majority of the catholic countries. At that time, so that the festival of Easter falls on March 21st, day of the vernal equinox, the pope decides to withdraw 3 days bissextile every four centuries, and to remove the days between the Thursday the 4th and on Friday, October 15, 1582. This year, only the Italy, the Portugal and the Spain take the advice of the pope, in France, Henri III will remove these in December days.

The Protestant countries followed later and the orthodoxe ones still later. The Sweden adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1753, but also used its clean Julien calendar modified between on March 1st 1700 and the February 29th 1712. The Russia continued to use the Julien calendar until the Révolution of October, which is called commonly thus but occurred in November according to the Gregorian calendar. The orthodoxe Églises of the East continued to employ the Julien calendar until in 1923, when much adopted their clean Calendrier Julien revised rather than the Gregorian one.

Easter, Christmas and the New Year's Day is still calculated according to the Julien calendar in the Eastern orthodoxe Churches, and some continue to employ the Julien calendar for all their calendar dates.

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