Tag Archives: Dutch Royalty

September 1st

15 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Events:
1532 – Henry VIII creates Anne Boleyn Marquess of Pembroke, in her own right, in anticipation of their marriage, which happened the following year.

Birthdays:

1651 – Natalya Naryshkina is born into a minor noble family. However, in early 1671, she was catapulted to the front of Russian politics when she wed Tsar Alexis I. She would bear him three children, including the future Emperor Peter the Great. The Tsarina remained active in politics until 1676, when she was widowed. She lived at the court of her stepson, Feodor III, until his death 1682, and her son, Peter, was put forth as the ten-year-old Tsar. Natalya was put forth as regent, but was replaced by her stepdaughter, Sofia Alekseyevna, and sent away from court, while her son was named co-Tsar with his brother Ivan. When Peter assumed control of his government 1689, she returned to his court until her death in 1694.

1711 – William IV, Prince of Orange, and first hereditary stadtholder of the Netherlands. His father died just 6 six weeks before he was born, so he ruled under a regency until 1731. William married Princess Anne, the daughter of King George II of Britain. Popular with the people, he ended the indirect taxation, which made a small amount of people very rich. Dying early, at age 40, he was succeeded by his son, William V.

1878 – Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is born in Germany, as the daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and his wife, Russian Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. She was a grandchild of both Queen Victoria of Great Britain, and Alexander II of Russia. “Sandra” spent her childhood in Britain and Malta, where her father was stationed, but moved to Germany permanently when her father succeeded to the Ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1896, she was married to Prince Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and they would later have five children. After her father’s death in 1900, she served as regent briefly for her cousin, Charles Edward, the underage Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Prior to World War II, she was a supporter of the Nazi party, but she died at age 63 in 1942, without seeing the end of the war.

Deaths:
1715 – The indomitable “Sun King” of France, Louis XIV died at age 76. Born in 1638, he was the son of Louis XIII, whom he succeeded in 1643. His reign of 72 years is the longest in French history. Louis oversaw the building of the Palace at Versailles, and turned it into the center of his court and government. He firmly believed in the Divine Right of Kings, and ruled as an absolute ruler, after consolidating power when reaching majority. France was also a leading military power in Europe during his reign. He had 6 children by his first wife, Maria Theresa of Spain, and may have married again after Maria’s death, to Francoise d’Aubigne, although the marriage was never announced or made public. His son and grandson, both named Louis, had predeceased the King, leaving as heir the five-year-old Louis XV as king.

Have an awesome day!

August 31st

02 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Events:
1314 – King Haakon V Magnusson of Norway moves the capitol of the country from Bergen to Oslo, where the capitol remains today.

Birthdays:
1880 – The future Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands is born at The Hague. She was the only child of King William III and Queen Emma, and became Queen in her own right in 1890, with her mother as regent. She came to majority in 1898, and married Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1901. She would give birth to one surviving daughter, Juliana, but suffer several miscarriages. In 1948, she abdicated in favor of her daughter, Juliana, after a reign of 58 years, making Wilhelmina the longest serving Dutch monarch.

Deaths:
1158 – Sancho III of Castile died after just one year of rule. He was the eldest surviving son of King Alfonso VII of Leon and Castile and Berengaria of Barcelona. His death was sudden, while he was in his early 20’s but left a young son as his successor, Alfonso VIII of Castile.

1422 – King Henry V of England died suddenly of possibly dysentery. He was only 35 years old, and was on military campaigns in France. He is known for his military battles during the Hundred Years War, namely the Battle of Agincourt. Henry had been king since the death of his father, Henry IV, in 1413. The heir to the throne was Henry’s only child with Catherine of Valois, a nine-month-old baby boy, now Henry VI of England.

1997 – Tragedy struck in Paris, when Diana, Princess of Wales, was involved in a car crash while traveling with her companion, Dodi Fayed. Diana, Dodi, and the driver were all killed. She was 36 years old, and the former wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she divorced the previous year. She was survived by two sons, Princes William and Harry. After her divorce, she had continued her charity work, and was widely mourned by the people.

August 24th

10 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Events:

1200 – King John of England marries his second wife, the teenaged Isabella of Angouleme. The marriage would last until John’s death, and produce several children, including the future Henry III.

1561 – William the Silent, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Netherlands marries his second wife, Anna of Saxony. The married would only last nine years, until William died. The marriage was unhappy, but they managed to have five children.

Birthdays:

1113- Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou is born in France. At age 15, he was married to Matilda, former Holy Roman Empress, and daughter of King Henry I of England. She was 11 years his senior, and the marriage was unhappy. Geoffrey fought for his wife’s cause during The Anarchy, a civil war in which she pressed her claim to rule England. He died suddenly at age 38, but his son, Henry, would go on to be King Henry II of England.

1198 – Alexander II of Scotland is born to William I Ermengarde de Beaumont. In 1214, he succeeded his father as King of Scots, after spending time in the English court, even being knighted by King John. He even married John’s daughter, Joan of England. However, he would spend part of his reign at war with his brother in law, Henry III of England. Sadly Joan died early, and they had no children. Alexander remarried in 1239, and with his second wife, Marie de Coucy, they would have the future Alexander III. He died in 1249, at age 50, while in the Hebrides, trying to reclaim them from Norway.

1758 – Duchess Sophia Frederica of Schwerin-Mecklenburg is born in Germany. In 1774, she married Danish Hereditary Prince Frederick. They were not unhappy, and mostly friendly to each other, but carried on affairs. Sophia and Frederick had five children to survive, including the future King Christian VIII. She died in 1794, at the age of 36.

1772 – William I of the Netherlands was born in The Hague. His parents were William V, Prince of Orange, and last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia. As a young man, he served in the Dutch military against the First French Republic. However, in 1795, they were defeated, and his family was overthrown and forced to flee. Later, he returned to the continent and fought against the French again, during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1815, after the defeat and overthrow of the Bonaparte family, who briefly ruled the Netherlands, he was installed as King of the Netherlands. His rule was eventful, and saw the Belgian revolution and many constitutional changes, and the conservative William abdicated in 1840, three years before his death.

1865 – The future Ferdinand I of Romania is born in Sigmarigen, Germany. In 1886, after his father renounced his claim, Ferdinand became heir to his uncle, Carol I of Romania. He was not forced to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy from Catholicism, but was required by Parliament to raise his children in the state religion. He was excommunicated for this, but later re-admitted to the church. In 1893, he married the indomitable Marie of Edinburgh, also known as Marie of Romania. In 1914, he became King, and ruled through the whole of World War I, fighting against the German House of Hohenzollern, who Ferdinand was related to, to great offense of Wilhelm II of Germany. He passed away in 1927, leaving the Romanian throne to his young grandson, Michael I, the last king of Romania.

No major deaths.

August 12th

24 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Events:
1831 – King William I of the Netherlands abandons the campaign started ten days prior, to bring the newly created state of Belgium back under Dutch rule. The new Belgian king Leopold I had already taken the oath as king just a few weeks prior.

Birthdays:
1503- Christian III of Denmark is born as the son of Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg. He became King of Denmark in 1534, and King of Norway in 1537, and was a zealous reformer, having heard Martin Luther speak at the Diet of Worms. His establishment of the Protestant religions as the state religion cause some strife and rebellions that he quelled. Christian was a member of the Schmalkaldic League, opposing the Holy Roman Empire. He died in 1559, with his son succeeding him as Frederick II.

1762 – The future King George IV of Great Britian is born in London. He was the eldest son of King George III and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. As a young man, George quickly showed his differences from his father, and enjoyed drinking, gambling, and womanizing. In 1785, he illegally married a Catholic widow, Maria Fitzherbert, causing a political scandal. He was later forced to publicly deny the marriage, and in 1795, his father forced him to marry Caroline of Brunswick, agreeing to pay his debts. The marriage was terribly unhappy and produced one daughter, Charlotte. With his father’s later descent into mental illness, George was made Prince Regent and ruled on his father’s behalf for 9 years, finally becoming king in 1820. Charlotte, his daughter, died in 1817, during childbirth, and George himself passed in 1830, with his brother William succeeding him.

1872 – Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein is born in London. She was the daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, and was a grandchild of Queen Victoria. In 1891, she was married to Prince Aribert of Anhalt, however, the marriage was annuled after nine years and was childless. She would spend the rest of her life in Britain, undertaking royal duties and patronages.

1904 – Alexei Nikolaevich, the last Tsarevich of Russia is born as the youngest child and only son of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra. At a young age, it was discovered that he was a haemophiliac and his mother believed that Grigori Rasputin could cure him, but the relationship with the family caused great national scandal. He was said to be a sweet, affectionate child, but also a bit spoiled by his family. In 1917, his father abdicated and the family was forced into exile, and a year later they were all executed. Alexei’s remains were found and identified in 2007.

Deaths:
2013 – Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, younger son of Queen Beatrix, died in a hospital after being in a coma for over a year. He had been removed from the succession when he married in 2004 without Parliamentary consent. He had been skiing in Austria when an avalanche struck, burying him. He was 44 years old, and left behind two children.

Have a great day!

August 11th

22 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Events:
1332 – The Battle of Dupplin Moor took place in Scotland as part of the Second War of Scottish Independence. It was fought between the English backed forces of Edward Balliol, and those loyal to the young heir of the deceased Robert Bruce, now David II. The Balliols would be successful, and Edward would be crowned at Scone, but later he would be overthrown, chased out of Scotland, and died in England.

1804 – Holy Roman Emperor Francis II formally adopted the title ‘Emperor of Austria’ as Francis I, in response to Napoleonic aggression. The Habsburg-Lorraine family wanted to keep Imperial status, in case the Holy Roman Empire were to be dissolved, which it was, two years later.

Birthdays:
1467 – Mary of York was born at Windsor Castle to King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Not much is known about Mary’s life, other than she died young, at age 14, in London.

1968 – In not so dead royalty, the future Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau is born in the Netherlands. In 2004, she married Dutch Prince Friso, younger son of Queen Beatrix. Because they married without the approval of the Dutch Parliament, Friso and his children with Mabel are excluded from the line of succession. However in 2012, Friso was in a skiing accident, and Mabel was left a widow in 2013.

No major deaths.

Have a great day!

August 7th

18 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Events:
1514 – Henry VIII signed a peace treaty with France. Part of the treaty was a betrothal of Henry’s 18 year old sister to the 52 year old Louis XII, King of France. Louis had no heir at the time and needed a young bride to try and conceive. Mary would be sent to France in October, and Louis would be dead in January.

1549 – A 5 year old Mary, Queen of Scots would be whisked away by boat to be raised at the French Royal Court, as the future wife of the Dauphin. She had been Queen of Scotland since shortly after her birth, and would be Queen of France as a teenager.

Birthdays:
1751 – Wilhelmina of Prussia is born in Berlin to Prince Augustus William and Princess Louise. In 1767, she was married to Prince William V of Orange, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. She was a staunch supporter of her husband during the revolutions of the 1780’s and used her political abilities to negotiate support from her German relatives, and was able to keep him in power until 1795, when they were exiled for a time. They lived in various places in Germany until William’s death in 1806. In 1813 though, her son would be installed as King William I of the Netherlands, the first King of the modern Dutch monarchy. She returned shortly after and lived at her son’s court, even receiving important guests, such as Russian Tsar Alexander I. She died in 1820.

1783 – Princess Amelia, the youngest child of King George III and Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom was born in London. She was well loved by her family, but her father would suffer his first major decline into mental illness when she was just 5. She would also suffer from several afflictions throughout her life as well, including developing tuberculosis at age 15. “Emily” as her father called her, never married, but was in love with Charles Fitzroy, the son of a Baron, to the point of telling one of her brothers that she considered herself married to him. In 1808, she developed measles and other illnesses, which plunged her closer to death, which finally took her in 1810. Her father was crushed by the news, and it is believed this is one of the events that pushed him to his final bout of madness. Her eldest brother, the future George IV, who was also her godfather, asked for a death mask, and was said to be affected by the mention of her name for the rest of his life. Amelia was just 27 at her death.

1862 – Victoria of Baden is born in Germany to Grand Duke Frederick I and Princess Louise of Prussia. In 1881, she married the future King Gustaf V of Sweden, and they would be succeed to the titles of King and Queen in 1907. Despite having three children, the marriage was unhappy, and she lost her initial popularity. She was also thought to be too Pro-German during World War I. After the war, and as she got older, she spent less and less time in Sweden, leaving for months at a time, and only returning for events like birthdays. At the time of her death at age 67, she was living in Rome. Her eldest son later became King Gustaf VI Adolph of Sweden.

Deaths:
1106 – Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor died in Germany at age 55. He had been forced off the Imperial throne the previous year. He had been Emperor since age 6, and was fighting his sons for authority when he died. His elder son, Conrad, had been crowned King of Italy, and his younger son, would go on to be Emperor as Henry V.

1972 – Aspasia Manos, the wife of the deceased Greek King Alexander, died at age 75 in Greece. In 1919, she had married Alexander in secret civil ceremony, because of her status as a commoner. She was never referred to as Queen, only as Madame Manos, until years after her husband’s death, when she was retroactively given the title Princess of Greece and Denmark, and elevated to the title of Her Royal Highness. She and Alexander had one child, a daughter named Alexandra, who when on to be Queen consort of Yugoslavia. She lived in England for a time, and helped raise her grandson.

Have a great day!

August 6th

18 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Events:
1514 – Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scotland and Princess of England, married her second husband, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus. Margaret was the older sister of Henry VIII, mother to James V of Scotland, and grandmother to Mary, Queen of Scots.

1806 – Holy Roman Emperor Francis II formally abdicated the Imperial Crown and dissolved the Empire. However, he remained Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia.

1942 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands became the first sitting Queen to address a dual session of the United States Congress. She was visiting the US at the time, while her nation was being occupied by the Nazis. During her exile, her picture was used as a symbol of the Dutch resistance movement, and she gave radio broadcasts funneled through the BBC to the Dutch people.

Birthdays:
1666 – Maria Sophia of Neuburg is born in Dusseldorf, Germany to Phillip William, Elector Palantine and Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse. In 1687, she became Queen consort of Portugal with her marriage to Peter II. She was a popular Queen and known for her charitable causes. She would give birth to 9 children, with only five living into adulthood. She died in 1699, just two days before her 33rd birthday.

1697 – The future Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor is born in Brussels to the Elector of Bavaria and his wife. He married a daughter of an Emperor too, Maria Amalia, daughter of Joseph I. In 1741, he was elected to be Holy Roman Emperor after the death of Charles VI, the first non-Habsburg to be Emperor in over 300 years. He had rejected the Austrian Pragmatic Succession, and attempted to prevent the previous Emperor’s daughter, Maria Theresa, from ruling. However, in 1745, Charles died, and Maria Theresa’s husband was elected to Imperial rule.

1844 – Prince Alfred is born at Windsor Castle to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He spent his youth in the Royal Navy, and in 1866, was created Duke of Edinburgh. Alfred also became the first member of the royal family to visit Australia. In 1874, he married Russian Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II. They would have five children survive into adulthood, who include Queen Marie of Romania. Finally in 1893, he became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha after his brother, the future Edward VII renounced his claim. Alfred would remain in Germany, dying there in 1900.

Deaths:
1272 – Stephen V of Hungary died suddenly at age 33. He was on his way to rescue his infant son, the future Ladislaus IV of Hungary, who had been kidnapped by nobles who Stephen had been fighting with. He had been king on his own since 1270 after the death of his father, Bela IV. In 1246, he had been crowned as co-king with his father to ensure the succession.

Have an awesome day!

August 5th

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Events:
1100 – Henry I of England was crowned King in Westminster Abbey, just days after the mysterious death of his brother, William II.

1305 – William Wallace, one of the rebel leaders of the Scots in their war for independence against England, was captured by the English and sent to London for trial.

Birthdays:
1461 – Alexander Jagiellon is born in Krakow to Casimir IV Jagiellon and Elisabeth Habsburg of Hungary. In 1492 he was elected Grand Duke of Lithuania, and in 1501, he succeeded his brother as King of Poland. He principally favored his Lithuanian courtiers, and spent most of his time there, until his death in 1506.

1828 – Louise of the Netherlands is born in The Hague as a granddaughter of William I. In 1850, she was married to the future Charles XV of Sweden and Norway. The marriage was unhappy, and Charles had many public mistresses. They would have two children, despite their arranged marriage. As Queen, she did not intervene in politics but was active with charity works, although she avoided ceremonial duties. She died early at age 42 of pneumonia.

1833 – Carola of Vasa is born in Vienna to the deposed Swedish Royal Family. She was born Lutheran, but to the chagrin of her father, she converted to Catholicism. In 1853, she married Albert, Crown Prince of Saxony. She was popular and supported the building of new hospitals, and entertained soldiers. Albert became King of Saxony in 1873, and they ruled until 1902, when he died. She died in Dresden just five years later.

1939 – Princess Irene of the Netherlands is born to Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. She is the younger sister of the former Queen Beatrix and the aunt of the current Dutch King, Willem Alexander. In 1963, she secretly converted to Catholicism and married the Spanish Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and pretender to the Spanish crown. They had four children before their divorce in 1981, and she returned to the Netherlands, where she resides today.

Deaths:
1877 – Gustav, Prince of Vasa died in Austria. He was the one time Crown Prince of Sweden, until his family was deposed when he was ten. He had also spent time in the military of Austria, under the Habsburg family, receiving grants and titles in appreciation. He would be buried in Stockholm, by his father.

1901 – Victoria, German Empress and Princess Royal died in Germany under the reign of her son, Wilhelm II. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and was in close communication with her mother for all her life. She was actually only German Empress for only 3 months, as her husband, Fredrick III, was already terminally ill at his accession. Vicky had a very strained relationship with her son, who suspected her of supporting liberal policies.

Have a good one!

August 2nd

12 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

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!

July 30th

09 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Events:
1635 – The Siege of Schenkenschans began as part of the Eighty Years War. The fortress was being held by Spanish Imperial forces, but the Dutch rebels, being led by the Stadtholder, Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, were successful, nine months later, in capturing the important fort.

1656 – The Battle of Warsaw takes place as part of the Second Northern War. The belligerents were the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden, with back up from Germany. It would be a victory for the Swedish, but it would not affect the overall outcome of the war.

Birthdays:
1872 – Princess Clementine of Belgium is born to King Leopold II and Queen Marie Henriette. In 1910, she would marry Prince Napoleon Victor Bonaparte, heir to the Bonaparte claim to the French throne. Unlike her sisters, she married older, and chose her spouse for love. They would have a daughter and a son within the first five years of their marriage. Clementine was widowed in 1926, and would never remarry. She lived to her 82nd year, dying in France.

1936 – In not so dead royalty, Spanish Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz is born in France. Her father was Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and Maria-Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The Spanish royal family was exiled at the time, but years later, her brother was restored and is the current King, Juan Carlos I.

Deaths:
1683 – Maria Theresa of Spain died at Versailles. She was the Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis XIV. She stayed out of politics and handled Louis’ numerous affairs, giving him six children. However, only one child would survive into adulthood, a son also named Louis. Her grandson through the younger Louis would go on to be King Phillip V of Spain.

1900 – Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburg, and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, died in Coburg, Germany. He was the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He spent his youth in the Royal Navy, and in 1866, was created Duke of Edinburgh. Alfred also became the first member of the royal family to visit Australia. In 1874, he married Russian Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II. They would have five children survive adulthood, who include Queen Marie of Romania. Finally in 1893, he became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha after his brother, the future Edward VII renounced his claim.

Have a great day!