Tag Archives: Habsburg dynasty

August 28th

04 Saturday Jan 2014

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Events:
1619 – Ferdinand II is elected Holy Roman Emperor, succeeding his childless cousin, Matthias. Under his rule, the Thirty Years War would start.

1913 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands officially opened the Peace Palace in The Hague. The concept of diplomats and philanthropists (including Andrew Carnegie). It is the home of the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague Academy of International Law, and other organizations.

1996 – The divorce of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana, would be final. Diana would die suddenly in a car crash the following year.

Birthdays:
1667 – Louise of Mecklenburg-Gustrow is born in Germany to the Ducal family of Mecklenburg-Gustrow. In 1695, she married the future Frederick IV of Denmark, and they became King and Queen in 1699. Frederick was famously unfaithful, even entering into bigamous marriages. She was dutiful, but never very popular. Louise amassed a large collection of religious books during her time, which was donated after her death, with much praise from the clergy. Her son would become Christian IV, but Louise would die in 1721.

1691 – Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel is born in Germany. Elisabeth was the oldest daughter of Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen. In 1708, she married Austrian Archduke Charles in Spain, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. In 1711, they succeeded to the Imperial throne, but Charles went alone, leaving Elisabeth as Governor of Catalonia, where we was said to be a wise and effective ruler. She joined him later, and gave him four children, with only two surviving into adulthood. Her oldest surviving child would be the indomitable future Empress Maria Theresa. Elisabeth would live well into her daughter’s reign, dying in Vienna at age 58.

1694 – Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg is born to the Duke and Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She shared a birthday with her elder sister, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Charlotte was married in 1711, to Tsarevitch Alexei, the son of Peter the Great of Russia. She was isolated at court, and never fully assimilated into the Russian court. Charlotte gave birth to two children, a daughter named Natalia, then a son, the future Peter II. Her death came just a few days after the birth of Peter. She was only 21 years old.

Deaths:

1481 – Afonso V of Portugal died in Lisbon, at age 49. He was the son of King Edward of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon. In 1438, He became king at age 6, under the rule of a regency. He spent many years on campaign in North Africa, fighting the Muslims by Papal decree. He would attempt to claim the throne of Castile from Isabella I, but to no avail. Afonso would retire after, abdicating in favour of his son, and spending the rest of his life in a monastery.

1943 – Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria died of heart failure in his home country. He had just met with Adolf Hitler a few days before, and it has been suspected that the German leader poisoned him. Her had been Tsar since the abdication of his father, Ferdinand I, in 1918, after World War I. During World War II, Bulgaria was allied with Germany, but Boris did not cede control to the Nazis. Boris also refused to deport Bulgarian Jews, and helped many escape to other countries.

1972 – Prince William of Gloucester died in a crash at an air show. He was the son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, a grandson to King George V, and a cousin to Queen Elizabeth II. William was just 30 years old, and unmarried. In 1968, he had been diagnosed with porphyria, a blood disorder, but had continued to attend to royal duties. He was close to his cousin, Charles, Prince of Wales, who would name his eldest son in his honor.

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August 19th

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

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Events:
1561 – Mary, Queen of Scots lands back in Scotland after living in France since childhood. She had been widowed earlier in the year by Francis II of France.

1745 – Charles Edward Stuart, or “Bonnie Prince Charlie” raises his standard in Glenfinnan, Scotland. This is considered the start of the second Jacobite Rebellion to restore the Catholic Stuarts to the thrones of Great Britain instead of the Protestant Hanovers.

1772 – Swedish king Gustav III enacts a new constitution in a coup d’état that takes power from the Riksdag and gives to the King.

Birthdays:
1342 – Catherine of Bohemia is born in Prague to Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and Blanche of Valois. In 1356, she entered into a political marriage to the Duke of Austria, Rudolf IV. He left her a widow after a nine year childless marriage. The following year, she was married to Otto V, Duke of Bavaria, and was later caught in territorial disputes when her father invaded her husbands Brandenburg lands. She died in Austria in 1395.

1596 – Elizabeth Stuart is born in Scotland to King James VI and Anne of Denmark. She stayed in Scotland for a while after her father became King of England as well, and actually during the Gunpowder Plot, it was said that she was to be set up as an alternative Catholic monarch to her fathers and brothers. In 1613, she was married to Frederick V, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Three years later, Frederick was elected to be King of Bohemia, only to be overthrown a few months later, earning Elizabeth the nickname, “The Winter Queen.” In 1621, she ended up in The Hague, where she would be widowed in 1632. Elizabeth continued to try and parent her remaining children as possible. Her youngest daughter, Sophia, would be the mother of the future George I of Great Britain. In 1661, she returned to Britain, living out her days in the court of her nephew, Charles II.

Deaths:
1186 – Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany died at age 27 in Paris. There are two accounts of his death, one saying he was trampled to death in a tournament, the other saying he died after a sudden illness. Geoffrey was the son of Henry II of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He had participated in his brother Henry’s rebellion against their father, and had been close to Phillip II of France. His son and heir, Arthur, would later come into conflict with Geoffrey’s younger brother, John.

1493 – Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III died in Austria at age 77. A son of the Habsburg family, he was born in 1415. He became Archduke of Austria in 1424, King of Germany and the Romans in 1440, and finally Holy Roman Emperor in 1452. He was the first Habsburg Emperor, and the last Emperor to be crowned in Rome. For the last ten years, his son, Maximilian I, ruled jointly with him as co-ruler.

August 17th

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

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Events:
1424 – The Battle of Verneuil takes place in France as part of the Hundred Years War. The English and Burgundians were victorious over the armies of the French and the Scottish. While it was strategically important, the battle was particularly bloody.

Birthdays:
1473 – Another son was born to King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth, christened Richard. When he was a year old, he was created Duke of York, and since it has been tradition for the second son of the monarch to be given the title. Edward IV died in 1483, when Richard was only 9 years old. Both he and his brother were taken to the Tower of London to await the coronation of Richard’s brother as Edward V. However, he would never be crowned, and the boys would never be seen again after that summer. All the children of Edward IV were deemed illegitimate by an act of Parliament, and thus unable to rule. The elder Edward’s brother took the throne as Richard III. Exactly what happened and the parties responsible are still debated by historians.

1629 – The future John III Sobieski of Poland is born. He had been elected King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1674. He was an able ruler, and his 20+ years on the throne offered much needed stability to the people of the Commonwealth. John is also famous for his defeat of the advancing Ottoman army in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. He still one of the most popular and well-loved rulers in Poland.

1786 – Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld is born in Germany. She was a younger daughter of Duke Francis of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld and Countess Augusta of Ruess-Ebersdorf. She was the elder sister to the future Leopold I of Belgium. In 1803, she married for the first time, to Prince Charles of Leiningen, whom she bore two children by. In 1814, Charles died, leaving her a widow. However, in 1818, she remarried, this time to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who was a son of George III of Great Britain. In 1819, she gave birth to their only child, a daughter named Alexandrina Victoria. Edward died suddenly just a few months later. With her young daughter in direct succession for the throne, Duchess Victoria was very strict in raising her daughter, and clashed with her daughter’s uncle, now King William IV. When her daughter became Queen in 1837, as Victoria, they had a strained relationship, though eventually reconciling. Duchess Victoria died in 1861, at age 74.

1887 – Charles I of Austria was born. He was the grandnephew of Emperor Franz Joseph I, and the nephew of the doomed Franz Ferdinand. In 1911, he married Italian Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, and they would have eight children. After the death of his uncle, Charles was the heir apparent to the Imperial Austrian throne. In 1916, he became Emperor, and would be the last of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After only two years of rule, he refused to further participate in state affairs, but did not formally abdicate. He attempted to regain the crown of Hungary, but to no avail. He died young, at age 34, while in Portuguese exile, in 1922.

Deaths:
1786 – Frederick the Great of Prussia died in Potsdam at age 74. He had been King in Prussia since the death of his father, Fredrick William I, in 1740. In his early years, he had a poor relationship with his father, and was imprisoned for a time. During his reign, he became renowned for his military acumen and was also a great patron of the arts. He married in 1733 to Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, but the marriage was unhappy and childless.

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August 16th

25 Wednesday Sep 2013

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Events:
1513 – The Battle of Guinegate takes place in France between the French and the English forces led by King Henry VIII. The French were caught off-guard, and England would win the day. However, it was joked that when the French sounded the retreat, all the English could see was glare from their spurs, leading to the English calling it, “The Battle of the Spurs.”

1858 – Queen Victoria of Great Britain and American President James Buchanan communicate through the first transatlantic telegraph cable, in its first communication.

1859 – The National Assembly of Tuscany formally deposes the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine from its standing as Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

Birthdays:
1573 – Anne of Austria was born to Charles II, Archduke of Austria and Anne of Bohemia. She was a granddaughter to Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and a member of the mighty Habsburg family. In 1592, she married Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland and Sweden. She didn’t spend much time in Sweden, as she believed them to be heretics, but she agreed to respect their beliefs in exchange for properties. Between 1593 and 1598, she had five children, but only one lived to adult hood as Vladislaus IV Vasa of Poland. Her last pregnancy would claim her life. Anne was only 24 years old. Later, her husband married her sister, Constance.

1682 – Louis de France, Duke of Burgundy is born at Versailles to Louis, the Dauphin. Versailles was the court of his grandfather, Louis XIV. As he grew up, he was known as the Petit Dauphin, and his father the Grand Dauphin, until 1711, when the Grand Dauphin died. When he was twenty, he began to take a role in politics and was a part of his grandfathers council. At age 15, he had married Marie-Adelaide of Savoy, by which he had two children. However, sadly, in 1712, both he and his wife died from the measles, leaving their only son, the future Louis XV, an orphan.

Deaths:
1419 – Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia died in Prague. He had been King of Germany since 1376, and King of Bohemia since 1378. He spent most of his time in Bohemia, and because of his lack of time in Germany, he was deposed as King in 1400, but remained King of Bohemia. He had married twice, but no children.

1445 – Margaret Stewart, Dauphine of France died of a fever at approximately age 20. She was the eldest child of James I, and the sister of the future James II. When she was about 11 years old, she was sent to France to marry the Dauphin, the future Louis IX. The marriage was a political alliance, and they would have no children. She was popular at court for her grace and beauty.

1921 – King Peter I of Serbia died at age 77. Born in 1844 he became King of Serbia in 1903, and attempted to make Serbia like other modern constitutional monarchies. He became very popular for his leadership during the Balkan Wars, and despite being somewhat inactive during World War I, he still visited the front lines. During the war, his health began to fail, so his son, Prince Alexander, took on most of his duties. In 1918, the Kingdom of Serbia became the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Even after his death, he remained popular as a hero and father of the Serbian and Yugoslavian nations.

August 11th

22 Thursday Aug 2013

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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.

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August 6th

18 Sunday Aug 2013

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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.

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July 22nd

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

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Events:
1298 – Edward I of England scored a victory in the Scottish War of Independence at the Battle of Falkirk. William Wallace’s army was ill-equipped against Edward’s longbowmen. The loss would cause Wallace to resign as Guardian of Scotland.

1706 – The Acts of Union were agreed upon by commissioners sent by both England and Scotland. The acts were then sent to each Parliament for passage. These acts would lead to the union of England and Scotland into Great Britian.

Birthdays:
1210 – Joan of England is born to King John of England and Isabella of Angouleme. She married Alexander II of Scotland in 1221 when she was eleven, and he 23. They had no children, but she died suddenly at age 27.

1478 – Phillip I of Castile is born in Belgium to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. He married Joanna of Castile, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. They had six children, two of which would become Holy Roman Emperors, and daughters who were Queen consorts of various European countries. After Isabella died, he and Joanna became King and Queen of Castile until Phillip’s early death in 1506.

1535 – Catherine Stenbock is born in Sweden to humble beginnings. But she was the niece of Margareta Leijonhufvud, who was previously married to King Gustav I of Sweden. After her aunt’s death, Catherine caught his eye, and they married in 1552. They were only married for 8 years before Gustav’s death. She stayed in Sweden and attempted to remarry, but was prevented by politics. She lived out her days and worked with children until her death at age 86.

2013 – A prince is born to Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. He is named George Louis Alexander, and is currently third in line for the British throne.

Deaths:
1461 – A 58 year old Charles VII of France died. He had become King after the military successes of troops led by Joan of Arc. The French were able to finally push the English out in 1453, and Charles had a relatively quiet reign remaining. However, the last part of his time was marred by conflicts with his son, Louis, to the point Charles banished him in 1446, never to see him again. That same son succeeded him as Louis XI.

1832 – Napoleon II, son of Napoleon Bonaparte, died at age 21 of Tuberculosis. He never actually ruled France, and spent most of his life in Austria, known as Franz, Duke of Reichstadt. Its been joked that because he never actually ruled France, he was France’s best leader, since he brought no wars, taxation, or tyranny.

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July 15th

22 Monday Jul 2013

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Events:
1381 – Richard II oversees the execution of John Ball, one of the leaders of the failed Peasant’s Rebellion.

Birthdays:
1737 – Princess Louise of France is born at Versailles to King Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczynska. She was their tenth and youngest child. She grew up at Fontevraud Abbey, but returned to live at Versailles at her father’s court. She later took the vows of a nun, and was prioress of the convent at Saint-Denis. Louise died there in 1789 at the age of 50.

1837 – Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen is born in Germany to the Prince Hohenzollern, Charles Anthony, and his wife, Josephine of Baden. In 1858, she was married to Peter V of Portugal. She founded a few hospitals, but within a year of the marriage, she died of diphtheria in 1859. She was just 22 years old, and Pedro never remarried.

Deaths:
1291 – Rudolph I of Germany died at age 73 in Speyer, Germany. He was elected King of Germany in 1273, he was one of the early monarchs of the House of Habsburg and helped push them into prominence in Europe. He attempted to consolidate his power by establishing peace among the German regions, but was unsuccessful. His attempts at peace would continue until shortly before his death.

1685 – James Scott, Duke of Monmouth was executed in London. He was an illegitimate son of the late King Charles II. Monmouth was also a Protestant, and tried to overthrow his Catholic Uncle, now King James II and VII. The rebellion failed, and the Duke was captured and executed.

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July 5th

11 Thursday Jul 2013

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Events:
1295 – John Balliol, King of Scots and Phillip IV of France signed a treaty against Edward I of England. Called the “Auld Alliance” this friendship would go on for another 400 years with the two countries helping each other militarily. In 1942, Charles De Gaulle would call it the ‘oldest alliance in the world.’ The treaty has never been revoked and is technically still active today.

Birthdays:
1321 – A daughter is born to king Edward II and his Queen Isabella of France. She would be named Joan, and called “Joan of the Tower” because she was born within the confines of the Tower of London while he mother was residing for protection. While a child, she was married to David II of Scotland. They would be married be for over thirty years, but have no children. Joan would pass away in 1362 at just age 41.

1554 – Elisabeth of Austria is born in Vienna to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and Empress Maria. In 1570, she married Charles IX of France. She was not involved in affairs of state, and Charles spent more time with his mistress, although he was not unkind to his wife. She devoted her time to her household of ladies and charitable works. Charles died shortly after the birth of their daughter. She lived out her days in her native Austria, and did not see her daughter after age three.

1717 – Peter III of Portugal was born to John V of Portugal and Maria Anna of Austria. In 1777, he became married to the Portuguese heiress, Maria, who was also his niece. In 1777, they succeeded Joseph I as co-rulers. They ruled together until his death in 1786. They would be succeeded by their son, John VI of Portugal.

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July 4th

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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Events:
1187 – The Battle of Hattin takes place between the Christian forces of Jerusalem and the Muslim forces loyal to Saladin. It was a decisive victory for the Muslims and would be one of the events leading to the Third Crusade.

1534 – Christian III of Norway and Denmark is elected as King. He was a fervent Protestant and his election helped spread the Reformation in Continental Europe.

1569 – The Union of Lubin is signed by Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. The treaty merged the two countries into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

1914 – The funeral of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie took place. They were shot six days prior in Sarajevo and the even would help spark World War I.

Birthdays:
1799 – The future Oscar I of Sweden is born in Paris, France. In 1810 his father, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected to succeed Charles XIII. He succeeded his father in 1844, and ruled until 1859. Before his accession, he married Josephine of Leuchtenberg, daughter of Eugene de Beauharnais, and granddaughter of Josephine de Beauharnais. He was very liberal in his youth, but settled down after his accession. But under him, Norway was given more equality, and early freedom of the press laws and gender equality laws.

1937 – In not so dead royalty, Queen Sonja of Norway is born in Oslo. In 1968, she married Crown Prince Harald of Norway, and in 1991, they became King and Queen of Norway. Her son, Haakon, is the current Crown Prince and future ruler of Norway.

1942 – Prince Michael of Kent is born in England to Prince George and Princess Marina. He is a grandson of King George V, and thus a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth. Through his mother, he is also a first cousin to Prince Phillip. He undertakes royal duties on his cousin’s behalf although he lost is place in the line of succession in 1978, when he married a Roman Catholic.

Deaths:
2011 – Otto von Habsburg died in Germany at age 98. He was the last Crown Prince of Austria, as the son of Charles I of Austria and Zita of Bourbon-Parma. He fled Europe during World War II but returned to the continent after the war, never living in Austria again. He was a member of the European Parliament and a strong supporter of the European Union. His father never abdicated, and by his family and supporters he was still considered to be Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.