The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One legend is that he was a Roman martyred during the reign of Claudius during the 3rd century around 270 A.D. The Roman Empire needed soldiers to protect their ever-expanding territories. Claudius had decided that unmarried men made better soldiers, so he decreed that young men could not  marry, effectively putting a ban on marriage (one of the defining aspects of militarism: subjecting all interests to the interests of the military). Legend has it that Saint Valentine defied the Emperor’s command and clandestinely married off young couples, leading to his imprisonment and death.