Tag Archives: Catherine de Medici

August 2nd

12 Monday Aug 2013

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Events:
1830 – Charles X of France, abdicated the throne of France. His son, Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angouleme, also abdicated his claim, twenty minutes later. Charles would be the last King of the mighty House of Bourbon.

Birthdays:
1858 – The future Queen Emma of the Netherlands is born in Germany. She was the wife of William III of the Netherlands, and would serve as regent for her young daughter, Wilhelmina, after her husband’s death in 1890. She stepped down as regent in 1898 as Wilhelmina turned 18. She remained active as the popular Queen mother until her death.

1868 – Constantine I of Greece is born in Athens to King George I and Queen Olga. He had actually been king twice, the first time from 1913-1917, when he abdicated in favour of his son Alexander. Alexander died suddenly just a few years later, and a national referendum was voted on, where the people decided to bring Constantine back as King. After his second abdication, he was forced into exile in Italy, where he died in 1923.

Deaths:
1100 – King William II of England was shot by an arrow while hunting and died. He was the eldest son of William the Conqueror, an succeeded him in 1087. He had a difficult relationship with the church. William was called “William Rufus” do to his red-faced appearance. He had no legitimate children, and would be succeeded by his younger brother as Henry I.

1589 – French King Henry III died at age 37. He was a younger son Henry II and Catherine de Medici. Before he was King of France, he was actually elected as King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1573 until 1575. He became King of France in 1574 after the death of his elder brother, Charles IX. He died at the hand of a Catholic assassin, Jacques Clement, who thought Henry was too tolerant of Protestants.

Have a great day!

June 30th

30 Sunday Jun 2013

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Events:
1559 – King Henry II of France was mortally wounded in a jousting tournament. He would not die immediately. Henry hung on for several days, due to the efforts of his royal surgeon, but he would succumb to his injuries and infection on July 10. Henry had asked for his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, but she was denied access to the King by his wife, Catherine de Medici. The new King was his 15 year old son, Francis II.

1688 – William, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Netherlands received a letter from seven British nobles asking him to invade Britain and take the throne along side his wife, Princess Mary Stuart. They asserted that the infant son of King James II and VII was an impostor, and the were unhappy with James’ Catholic rule, and the idea of it continuing. William’s wife, Mary, was also James’ daughter, but a Protestant, and William was James’ nephew and third in line for the British crown. William would successfully invade later that year, in what is now called the “Glorious Revolution”.

Birthdays:
1470 – The future Charles VIII of France is born to King Louis IX and Charlotte of Savoy. He succeeded his father in 1483, when just thirteen years old. His elder sister, Anne of France, served as regent along side her husband, Peter, Duke of Bourbon, until Charles took the reigns of government in 1491. He married Anne of Brittany, and they would have four children, none of which survived childhood. He also began the French invasions into Italy, but they would be postponed in 1498, when he suddenly died of a head injury at age 27.

1964 – In not so dead royalty, Alexandra, Countess of Fredericksborg is born in Hong Kong to part British, part Asian, and part Austrian parents. In 1995, she married Danish Prince Joachim of Denmark and had two sons with him. They divorced in 2005, and she remarried in 2007, losing her title of Her Royal Highness and Princess, but retaining her Countess title.

Deaths:
1670 – Princess Henrietta of England, died in France at just age 26. When she was three years old, she fled England with the rest of her family, and was just five when her father was executed. She would live in the court of her cousin, Louis XIV, and marry Phillippe, Louis’ brother, and also her first cousin, in 1660, after her brother’s restoration as King Charles II. She had two daughters with him, who went on to be Queen consorts of Spain and Sardinia, and was a key player in the secret Treaty of Dover, which attempted to reconcile France and England.

Have an awesome day!

June 27th

27 Thursday Jun 2013

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Events:
1743 – The Battle of Dettingen took place in Bavaria, Germany, as part of the War of Austrian Succession. The battle was fought between the French, and the “Pragmatic Army” which consisted of the Austrians, Hanoverians, and the British, led by King George II himself. It would be the last time a British monarch personally led troops in battle. They were called the Pragmatic Army because they were fighting to uphold the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which outlined that Maria Theresa of Austria would succeed her father. The battle would be a win in favor of the Pragmatic forces.

Birthdays:
1462 – The future Louis XII if born the Orleans branch of the royal Valois family. He succeeded his cousin, Charles VIII in 1498. He was married a total of three times, First to Joan of France, his cousin, whom he was able to get an annulment from after his accession. The case behind the annulment was far from solid, and was granted by Pope Alexander VI, for political reasons. He married again to Anne, Duchess of Brittany, who was his predecessors widow. The marriage produce 2 daughters, Claude, who became Queen consort as the wife of Francis I, and Renee, who became Duchess of Ferrara. Louis married again after the death of Anne, to Princess Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VIII, in 1514. The marriage would be extremely short, due to Louis’ death in 1515.

1550 – Charles IX of France is born to Henry II and Catherine de Medici. Because he was a younger son, he was Duke of Orleans from birth. He succeeded his brother, Francis II, when he was just ten years old, with his mother as regent. His reign was dominated with the bloody French Wars of Religion, and late in his reign he witnessed the horror of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. In 1574, he became fiercely ill with tuberculosis, from which he died that year when he was 23. His younger brother, Henry succeeded him as Henry III.

Deaths:
1458 – Alfonso I of Aragon died in Naples, Italy. He was King of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death. He was married to Maria of Castile after his accession, but they had no children. His illegitimate son, Ferdinand, succeeded him in Naples, and his brother John, succeeded him in his Spanish lands.

Have a great day!

June 19th

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

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Events:
1269 – Louis IX of France issues a proclamation that declares all French Jews must wear a yellow badge identifying themselves or be fined.

1850 – Crown Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway was married in Stockholm to Princess Louise of the Netherlands. It was not a happy marriage, due to their incompatible personalities, and Carl’s numerous affairs.

Birthdays:
1566 – James VI of Scotland is born at Edinburgh Castle as the only child to Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. In 1567, his mother was forced to abdicate in his favor, making James king before his first birthday. He would rule under a series of regents until he was 16. However in 1603, James was named the successor of the childless Queen Elizabeth I of England, making him the first ruler of the entire island. He would rule Scotland for 57 years, the longest at the time. He had some difficulties with the English Parliament, and even plots against his life. Under James, the literary community in the Isles continued to flourish, as well as exploration in the new world. He died at age 58, to be succeeded by his son, Charles I.

1896 – Wallis, Duchess of Windsor was born today in the US, as Bessie Wallis Warfield. She would marry twice, and while living as Wallis Simpson in Britain, she met the Prince of Wales, and future king Edward VIII. Edward’s intention to marry her after his accession to the throne caused a constitutional crisis which led to his abdication in 1936, before his coronation. They married in France in 1937, and lived abroad for the rest of their lives as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Deaths:
1282 – Eleanor de Montfort, Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon died giving birth to her only child. She was the daughter of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England, and thus a granddaughter to King John I. in 1275, she was married to the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, by proxy, and finally officially in 1278. She was only about 30 years old.

1584 – Francis, Duke of Anjou, died at age 29 of malaria. He was the youngest son of Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici, and thus the younger brother to three French kings, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. Despite being Catholic, he was heavily involved in the Dutch wars, fighting on the side of the Huguenots. He was also the last suitor to Elizabeth I of England, and she was said to be quite fond of him, but the marriage never took place, due to the unpopularity of the match in England.

1787 – Princess Sophie Helene Beatrice, the youngest daughter of French King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, died just before her first birthday. She had been having convulsions for five or six days, and had been growing new teeth.

1867 – Maximilian I of Mexico is killed by a firing squad. He was an Austrian Archduke as the grandson of Emperor Francis II, and a younger brother of Franz Joseph I. He had spent time in the Austrian Navy, and was married to Charlotte of Belgium. In 1859, he was offered to Imperial Crown of Mexico, which he refused, then refused again in 1861. In 1863 he accepted the crown and lost is Austrian royal status. However, the Mexican monarchists were not in the majority and he was quickly overthrown and captured. He had tried to implement several liberal reforms, and wanted to help the people, but was short sighted in his affairs.

Have an awesome day!

March 31st

01 Monday Apr 2013

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Events:
1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches a sermon which inspires Louis VII of France and his wife, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, to join on the Second Crusade. The Crusade would be a massive failure.

1492 – The Alhambra decree is issued in the Spanish country of Castile ordering 150,000 Jewish residents to convert to Christianity to be expelled.

Birthdays:
1360 – Philippa of Lancaster is born in England to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Duchess Blanche, and thus was a granddaughter of Edward III of England. Her brother would later become Henry IV of England. She would later marry John I of Portugal and have six surviving children with him who would include King Edward of Portugal and the famous Henry the Navigator. She was widely loved in Portugal as a symbol of everything a good Queen and woman should be.

1519 – The future Henry II of France is born to Francis I and Queen Claude of France. He became King 1547 and married the infamous Catherine de Medici. He would die suddenly at 40 after an injury jousting. This would leave his wife to act as regent for his teenaged son, Francis II. Two of his other sons would also become kings as Charles IX and Henry III.

1718 – Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain is born in Madrid to King Phillip V and Elizabeth Farnese. She was of the Spanish Bourbons and related to French King Louis XIV. In 1750, she would marry Joseph I of Portugal, and serve as Queen consort until his death in 1777. She would also be regent for her husband during his last illness, then act as an advisor when her daughter, Maria, became Queen of Portugal.

1723 – Frederick V of Denmark and Norway is born in Copenhagen. He would succeed his father, Christian VI at age 23 in 1746. He kept Denmark out of wars during his reign, and was also an active Freemason, and set up the first Lodge in Norway.

Deaths:
1547 – King Francis I of France died at age 52. He was known as a warrior or knight king, because he was personally involved in fighting with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Henry VIII of England. He is also credited with being a major influence in the French Renaissance, and was even a patron of Leonardo DaVinci. He also sponsored exploration of the New World. He was also the first European monarch to form an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, and even sent an ambassador to Morocco.

1621 – Phillip III of Spain dies at 42 in Madrid. History has not been kind to Phillip, who has been described as a “miserable monarch” and a weak king who left governing to his ministers. He was also King during the Thirty Years War. Among his children he can number Phillip IV of Spain, a Holy Roman Empress, and a Queen consort of France.

1671 – Anne Hyde, Duchess of York and Albany died in London at age 34 of probable breast cancer. She was the first wife of the future James II and VII, before his accession. Later, her daughters with James would become both Queen Mary II and Queen Anne of the United Kingdom.

Have a great day!!

September 3rd!

03 Monday Sep 2012

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Good morning all! Here are a few things I’ve found for today, September 3rd!!
Today in 1189, the great King Richard I (the Lionheart) was crowned in London. He would spent 6 months of his 9 year reign in England, and famously said he would have sold London to finance his wars if he could have found a buyer. His Queen consort, whom he married on the way to the Third Crusade, never stepped foot in England.
Also, today marks the defeat of the Royalists in 2 battles in the English Civil War. The Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and the Battle of Worchester in 1651, both concluded today with losses for Charles II. Oddly enough, Oliver Cromwell would pass away today in 1658, leaving his son Richard, as Lord Protector. The Protectorate would not survive Richard.
And in birthdays today, we have a couple:
In 1499, Diane de Poitiers was born in France. She would be the mistress and favourite of King Henry II of France from when he was about 16, until his death from a jousting accident. He wore her favours when his accident occured, but the Queen, Catherine de Medici would not allow the King to see Diane, (even though he asked for her repeatedly) while he died.
And today marks the birth of Eugene de Beauharnais in 1781. Eugene was the stepson of Napoleon I and would go on the be one of his most successful and able commanders and politicians.
And lastly in birthdays today in 1851, Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna was born in Russia. She was the granddaughter to Alexander II and cousin to Alexander III of Russia. She would go on to be Queen of Greece and grandmother to the still living Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh.
And in other deaths today, we have Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany died today in 1420. He was the illegitimate son of Robert II, and would be regent at some point for Robert II, Robert III, and James I. He would be legitimatized nine years after his birth and would go on to have an infamous career in Scottish politics, inlcuding be suspected in the murder of his nephew, David, the Duke of Rothesay in 1402.
Have an awesome day everyone!!!