Tag Archives: Henry II

August 27th

04 Saturday Jan 2014

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Events:
1172 – Henry, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, is crowned as co-King of England. It was the tradition in France at the time, so there would be no interruption in the succession. However, the young Henry would not survive his father, dying during a rebellion against the elder Henry, actually.

Birthdays:
1487 – Anna of Brandenburg is born in Germany to the Electoral family. At a young age, she was betrothed and later married to the Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, also the future Frederick I of Denmark. She would never become Queen though, dying in Kiel at age 26. However her son would go on to be Christian III of Denmark.

1669 – Anne Marie d’Orleans is born in France to Phillippe, Duke of Orleans, and his wife Princess Henriette of England. Phillippe was the younger brother of French King Louis XIV, and Henriette was the daughter of Charles I of England and Scotland. In 1684, she was married to the Duke of Savoy, Victor Amadeus I, who was the future King of Sardinia. They would have 6 children, the first coming just before Anne’s 16th birthday, and which nearly killed her. Her eldest daughter would go to be Dauphine of France, and give birth to Louis XV, another daughter would become Queen consort of Spain, and her son Charles, would become King of Sardinia. She was 59 when she died in 1728.
Its interesting to note, as well, that through her relations to the Stuarts of Britain, she inherited the Jacobite claim to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland after the death of Cardinal Henry Stuart.

1887 – George, Crown Prince of Serbia is born as the eldest son of King Peter I and Zorka of Montenegro. He would never succeed though, as he kicked a servant to death in 1909, and renounced his right to throne afterwards. His brother would later become King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and George would serve in the military during the Balkan and First World Wars. Later he was locked in an asylum by his brother, and not freed until World War II. He lived into old age, in the city of Belgrade.

Deaths:
1968 – Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark died in London. Born in 1906, her father was Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, younger son of George I of Greece, and her mother was Russian Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna. When she was 11 years old, her family was exiled, and she would live across Europe as a girl. In 1934, she married into the British Royal family, by her nuptials to Prince George, Duke of Kent. They actually had two ceremonies; one at Westminster Abbey, according to Anglican rites, the other according to Greek Orthodox tradition. The latter was conducted privately. They would have three children, before the Duke was killed in 1942. She remained an active member of the British royal family until her death.

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.

July 13th

19 Friday Jul 2013

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Events:
1174 – William I of Scotland is captured during the Revolt of 1173-1174. He was a key player in the rebellions against Henry II of England.

1249 – A seven year old Alexander III was crowned as the King of Scots at Scone. He would rule through regents until 1262, at age 21. Alexander ruled until his sudden death from a fall off his horse in 1286.

Birthdays:
1608 – The future Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Empire is born in Graz, Austria. He was the son of Emperor Ferdinand II, and ruled since 1637. While Emperor, Ferdinand granted the rights to set their own foreign policies to all the rulers of the small German states under his authority, thus beginning the slow break up of the Empire. He was also a major patron of music and was said to have composed some pieces himself.

1776 – Caroline of Baden is born in Germany to the Hereditary Princess and Princess of Baden. In 1797, she married Maximilian, who became the Elector of Bavaria in 1799. In 1806, at the breakup of the Empire, her husband was promoted to King of Bavaria, making Caroline Queen consort. They would have no sons that lived until adulthood, but her daughters would marry into other German and Austria Royal families.

1798 – Princess Charlotte of Prussia is born to King Frederick William III and Queen Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. On her birthday in 1817, she married the future Nicholas I of Russia, and converted to Russian Orthodoxy, taking the name Alexandra Feodorovna. The marriage was happy, and produced several children, including Alexander II. Her husband’s reign was marred but revolts and wars, and Alexandra suffered ill health for quite a while. She did outlive her husband though, dying in 1860 and age 62.

1889 – Princess Louise Battenburg is born in Hesse, Germany. Her father was Prince Louis of Battenburg and her mother was Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. In 1917, her family’s name was changed to “Mountbatten” after her family renounced its German titles for British ones. She was then known as Lady Louise Mountbatten, after her father was created a Marquess. She traveled throughout Europe as a child and received several marriage proposals, but in 1923, she married Swedish Crown Prince Gustaf Adolph, later Gustaf VI Adolph. They would become King and Queen in 1950. It was a happy marriage and they were in love. She was respected in her new home, and had great love for it herself. However they only had one child, a daughter who was stillborn. She succumb to illness and died in 1965.

Deaths:
1189 – Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony died in Brunswick, Germany, in her early 30’s. She was the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Her husband was called Henry the Lion, and she would act as his regent while he was away on campaign. Her second son would go on to be Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

1807 – Henry Benedict Stuart died in Rome at age 82. He was the younger son of the “Old Pretender” James Stuart, and the younger brother of “Bonnie Prince Charlie”. He entered the Church at a young age and became a Cardinal. He was never recognized as King of England and Scotland, but he referred to himself publicly and privately as the Cardinal-Duke of York.

Have a good one!

July 6th

13 Saturday Jul 2013

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Events:
1483 – Richard III of England is crowned as King of England, after his two young nephews, Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, were declared illegitimate. Richard was the younger brother of Edward IV.

Birthdays:
1782 – Maria Luisa of Spain is born to Charles IV and Queen Maria Luisa. In 1795, she married her cousin, the Duke of Parma. Her husband was made King of Etruria, which was formed from Tuscany. Soon after Europe was engulfed in the Napoleonic Wars and she was a widow. Her lands were annexed by Napoleon, and she spent the rest of the wars in exile. After the war, her kingdom was dissolved, and she was compensated with the Duchy of Lucca. Her son Charles succeeded her as Duke of Lucca, and was also Duke of Parma.

1796 – The future Nicholas I of Russia is born to Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Wurttemberg. He became Emperor in 1825 after the death of his brother, Alexander I. He had another elder brother, Constantine, who refused his claim to the throne. At the onset of his reign, the Decembrist Revolt took place, and Nicholas developed harsh reactionary policies as a result. His rule also saw the failed Crimean War. However literary arts and ballet flourished under his reign, as did Russian nationalism.

1832 – Maximilian I of Mexico is born in Vienna, Austria. 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.

1868 – A daughter is born to Edward VII and Alexandra of the United Kingdom, to be christened Victoria. She was said to be close to her brother, who later became George V. She never married, or had children and remained as a companion to her parents, especially after her father died in 1910, she stayed with her mother. She died in 1935, just one month before her beloved brother. Called Toria, she was at one time courted by Carlos I of Spain, and Nicholas II of Russia.

Deaths:
1189 – Henry II of England died in Chinon, France at age 56, and after over 30 years on the throne of England. His father was Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, and his mother was Matilda, former Holy Roman Empress, and claimant of the crown of England as the daughter of Henry I. Henry had married the equally formidable Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. Through him, the House of Plantagenet was founded, who would rule England for the next 300 years. He spawned two of the most famous monarchs in English history, Richard I ‘the Lionheart’ and John I. He also held considerable lands in France, including Anjou, Normandy, Aquitaine, Maine, Nantes, and Brittany, ruling more of France than the King of France.

1249 – Alexander II of Scotland died of a fever on the Hebrides Islands. He had been king since 1214, after the death of his father, William I. Shortly after his accession, he provided support to the Barons in rebellion against King John of England. However after John’s death, the rebellion ended. Alexander’s first wife would be John’s daughter, Joan, the sister of the new king, Henry III. The rest of his reign was filled with keeping the peace with England and Norway.

1553 – Edward VI of England, the boy King, died at Greenwich Palace of Consumption. He was just 15 years old, and had been king since 1547, when at age 9, his father, Henry VIII died. He was the first truly Protestant ruler of England and made sweeping religious reforms. When his death was seen as immenent, steps were taken to disinherit his Catholic half-sister, Mary, who would undo his reforms. He attempted to have his cousin, Jane Grey set up as Queen, but her rule only lasted nine days, before Mary was installed as Queen.

1762 – Peter III of Russia is found dead at age 34. Just weeks before, he had been forced to abdicate as Tsar of Russia in a coup led by his wife, now Catherine II of Russia, who is now known as Catherine the Great. He was German by birth and blood, and his Prussian friendly policies had made him wildly unpopular. His rule only last six months before his deposition. It wouldn’t be until his son by Catherine, Paul, took the throne, that Peter was buried with the honors of a Tsar.

Have a good one!

June 11th

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

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Events:
1509 – The new king of England, Henry VIII, marries his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine was the wife of his deceased brother, Arthur, who died some years before. The marriage would last until 1533, when Henry had it annulled, so he could marry Anne Boleyn.

1917 – Alexander I of Greece assumes the throne after the forced abdication of his father, Constantine I, by the Triple Entente powers of Britain, France, and Russia.

Birthdays:
1456 – A girl named Anne was born into the powerful Neville family of England. She was born into a world of turmoil, namely, the Wars of the Roses, which her father, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was a key player. In 1470, she was married to Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, who was the son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. The marriage only lasted a year, when Edward was killed in battle. In 1472, she married Richard of Gloucester, and became Queen consort in 1483, when Richard was named king after the death of his brother, Edward IV died, and his nephews, the Princes in the Tower were declared illegitimate. Their only child died in 1484, and Anne herself died in 1485, at age 28.

1726 – Maria Theresa Rafaela of Spain is born in Madrid to King Phillip V and Elizabeth Farnese. In 1744 she was married by proxy to the Dauphin of France, Louis, son of Louis XV. In early 1745, she arrived in France, and the official marriage took place at Versailles. Her wedding was a diplomatic alliance which was supposed to cool tensions between France and Spain. Sadly when she was only 20 years old, she died just three days after giving birth to a girl, who would not see her second birthday.

1928 – In not so dead royalty, Queen Fabiola of Belgium is born today in Spain to an aristocratic family. In 1960, she married Baudouin, King of the Belgians. They had no surviving children, and her husband died in 1993, to be succeeded by his brother, Albert II. She is still active in social issues and said to be fluent in six languages.

1934 – Also in not so dead royals, Prince consort of Denmark, Henrik, is born in France. In 1967, he married the future Margrethe II of Denmark, and is the father of the heir presumptive, Crown Prince Frederik.

1968 – More not so dead royals; Alois, Hereditary Prince of Lichtenstein was born today in Zurich. He is the eldest son of Prince Hans-Adam II and is the current heir presumptive and regent for his father.

Deaths:
1183 – Henry the Young King, eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, died in France while rebelling against his father. He was 28 years old and died of dysentery. He had been crowned as joint king with his father in 1170, as was the French tradition at the time. He wanted more power and political involvement in the Angevin Empire, but his father would have none of it. This was Henry’s second rebellion against the elder Henry.

1488 – King James III of Scotland dies at the Battle of Sauchieburn. He had been king since 1460 and was highly unpopular due to his indecisiveness and his alliance with England. In 1482, the king had to defend himself against a group of English-backed nobles and was ousted from power for a short time. He was only 36 at his death, and was succeeded by his son, James IV.

1557 – John III of Portugal dies in Lisbon at age 55 of apoplexy. His parents were Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon, making him a grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. He continued to extend Portugal’s reach around the world, and under him, Portugal was the first country to make contact with China and Japan. He became king in 1521 and at his death in 1557 the Portuguese Empire spanned over 1 billion acres.

1727 – George I of the United Kingdom died of a stroke while on a trip to his native Hanover, in Germany. He had been King since 1698. He succeeded to the British throne as he was a descendant of Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James VI and I. He was Protestant as well, as Catholics were now barred from the throne. He was not popular in Britain, as he was seen as an outsider. It was believed for sometime the he never bothered to learn English, but it was found later that he did read and write in English at least. And despite being an absolute monarch in Hanover, he worked well with Parliament and his ministers.

1879 – William, Prince of Orange, died in France at age 38 of a combination of exhaustion and typhus. He was the eldest son of William III of the Netherlands and Queen Sophie. He was living in Paris in a self-imposed exile after a falling out with his parents over his choice in a bride. His younger brother would also predecease their father, leaving his half-sister, Wilhelmina as the heir to the throne.

1903 – Alexander I of Serbia was assassinated alongside his wife, Draga in their palace in Belgrade. He was just 26 years old and had been king since 1889. In 1898, he threw out the constitution his father implemented in 1888, in favor of a more conservative one. His popularity had waned greatly since he had married Draga, a commoner and a widow. Also in his dealings with the Senate, and his arbitrary suspensions of the constitution in order to change laws as he saw fit, led to his assassination.

Have a great day!

June 1st

01 Saturday Jun 2013

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Events:
1204 – Phillip II of France conquers the city of Rouen, which was part of English held France. Rouen was part of Normandy, which had been part of Henry II’s Angevin Empire.

1252 – Alfonso X of Castile succeeds his father, Ferdinand III, two days after his death.

1533 – Anne Boleyn was crowned as Queen of England in Westminster Abbey. She was the second wife of Henry VIII and her marriage to him had been proclaimed as valid earlier in May, while Henry’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon was invalidated. She was heavily pregnant at the time with the future Elizabeth I and is the last Queen consort to be crowned separately than her husband.

1670 – The secret treaty of Dover is signed by Charles II and Louis XIV which effectively started the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

Birthdays:
1815 – The future Otto of Greece is born in Bavaria as the son of Ludwig I. In 1832 he was proclaimed King of Greece after the Convention of London, which gave Greece its autonomy. In 1843, he gave Greece its first constitution. Unfortunately due to the political pressure and military failures during the Crimean War, Otto was deposed in 1862. He died in 1867 at home in Bavaria.

Deaths:
1879 – The 23 year old Prince Imperial of France, Napoleon, son of Napoleon III died in Africa while fighting in the Anglo-Zulu War. His father had died 6 years before after his overthrow as French Emperor. The younger Napoleon was considered the last of the dynastic Bonapartes and was the scion of the Imperialists in France.

1983 – Prince Charles, Count of Flanders died in Belgium at age 79. He was the second son of King Albert I and brother to Leopold II. He served in both World War I and II, and was regent for his brother during absences. He oversaw women getting the right to vote, Belgium’s admission to the United Nations, and reconstruction after war.

Have a great day!

May 18th

18 Saturday May 2013

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Events:
1151 – Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, married Henry, Duke of Normandy. Eleanor’s marriage to French King Louis VII had recently been annulled. When Henry and Eleanor’s lands were combined, they ruled more of France than Eleanor’s ex-husband did. In 1154, Henry became King of England, and Eleanor then Queen. They would have eight children, which include, 3 sons who would be English kings (2 of which are among the most famous, Richard I and John I), and 2 daughters who would be Queen consorts of Castile and Sicily. While definitely a medieval power couple, the marriage would later be tumultuous, when Eleanor assisted their sons in a revolt against Henry, and was imprisoned for it.

1804 – the French Senate declares Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, Emperor of the French. The following year he would be crowned as King of Italy.

Birthdays:
1797 – Frederick Augustus II of Saxony is born in Dresden. He was the grandson of Frederick Christian of Saxony and the son of Crown Prince Maximilian. He succeeded his uncle, Anton in 1836 as King. He gave into concessions after the Revolutions of 1848, but later went back on them. He was forced to flee after dissolving Parliament, but the uprisings were crushed. He later died suddenly after an accident horseback riding in 1854.

1868 – The future Nicholas II of Russia is born today in St. Petersburg. He was the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodrovna. He became Tsar in 1894 after his father’s death. He ruled through the Revolutions of 1905 but violently put that down along with other skirmishes. During his reign we also saw World War I, which Nicholas mismanaged. He was forced to abdicate in favor of a new government, and his family was forced into imprisoned. He was later killed in 1918 alongside his wife, four daughters, and son. He was related to several other monarchs in Europe, including the Danish, British, and distantly the German royals.

Deaths:
1829 – Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony died in Spain at age 25 after a fever. She was German by birth, a daughter of Saxon Crown Prince Maximilian but married Ferdinand VII of Spain. She was only 15 when the married, but they were never able to have children.

Have a great day!

May 5th

05 Sunday May 2013

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Events:
1215 – Several English barons renounced their loyalty to King John. Just a couple months later, the King would sign the Magna Carta.

1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament after just three weeks. He called them to give funding for the Bishop’s War. This session of Parliament followed the period known as Charles’s Personal Rule, which had last 11 years, in which Parliament did not convene at all.

Birthdays:
1210 – Afonso III of Portugal is born in Coimbra. He was the younger brother of Sancho II and the son of Afonso II and Urraca of Castile. Through his mother, he was actually the great-grandson of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He came to the throne after the death of his brother in 1248. He was ahead of his time as an administrator and began taking steps to represent the commons in government, and reformed the judicial system. He died in 1279, leaving his eldest son, Denis as the 18 year old heir.

1747 – The future Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold II was born in Vienna. He was a younger son of Emperor Francis I, and the indomitable Empress Maria Theresa. He was the younger brother of another Emperor, Joseph II, whom he succeeded. Leopold was also the elder brother of the doomed Marie Antoinette, who her corresponded with in his last years, trying to give her advice. He had spent many years before his Imperial accession as the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and installed wide sweeping reforms. He was active in promoting a constitution for the people, made the smallpox vaccine widely available, and began building hospitals and demanding hospitalization for those deemed insane. He was unable to instill many reforms in Austria though, as he only lived two years after becoming Emperor in 1790.

1826 – Eugenie de Montijo is born in 1826 in Granada, Spain, into a noble family. She ended up living in France and caught the eye of Prince Louis Napoleon, President of France and nephew of Napoleon I. They wed in 1853, a year after he became Emperor Napoleon III. She was the counter influences to liberal policies and was blamed for the French interventions in Mexico. Her husband was overthrown in 1871, and she lived the rest of her days first in England, then later her native Spain, outliving both her husband and son.

Deaths:
1309 – Charles II of Naples died at age 55. He was the son of Charles I. He fought during the Wars of Sicilian Vespers, and was captured in 1284. Charles was held until 1288, when he was released in a peace negotiated by English king Edward I. He attempted to keep but lost, more than once, the island of Sicily. He would spend his last years improving the city of Naples until he was succeeded by his son, Robert the Wise.

1705 – Austrian Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I died in Vienna at age 64. A younger son of Ferdinand III, he inherited the imperial throne after his brother, Ferdinand IV died without children in 1658. During his reign, the Empire was embroiled in a war with the Turks, the Dutch War, the Nine Years War, and the War of Spanish Succession, which Leopold did not survive, and was considered a loss for the Austrians. He was a staunch supporter of the counter-reformation and believed in absolutism, and carried the famous Habsburg jaw.

1821 – French Emperor Napoleon I died in exile. He was 51 years old, and the autopsy performed said he died of stomach cancer. He had been living in exile on the island of St. Helena for the last six years after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Before that, he had risen to power through the army and had was declared Emperor in 1804. He invaded most of continental Europe and installed his relatives as their new monarchs. In 1812, things went south for Napoleon and he was defeated, forced to abdicate, and exile to the island of Elba. He escaped the following year, raised an army again, but this leads to his defeat and overthrow again. His son was recognized as Napoleon II by those still loyal to him, but the young man was never installed as Emperor.

1827 – King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony died at age 76 in Dresden. He was the Elector of Saxony at first, but during the Napoleonic Wars he was declared King in 1806. He allied with Napoleon in some battles, and Saxony was almost not recognized during the Congress of Vienna. As part of the peace treaties he gave up his Polish lands, and he returned a hero, spending the remaining years of his reign in peace. However, he did little for reforming the government, which his brother and successor felt the brunt of.

Have a great day!

April 6th

06 Saturday Apr 2013

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Events:
1320 – Scotland reaffirms its independence with a document called the Declaration of Arbroath, named for the Abbey in which it was probably written. It was sealed by 51 nobles and magnates of the land. One copy survives today.

1385 – The Portuguese Council of the Kingdom meets in Coimbra and declares John, Master of Aviz, King of Portugal. He was the illegitimate son of Peter I, but there had been civil war before him, as his sister, Beatrice was married to John I of Castile, and thus with their accession, Portugal would have been annexed by Castile.

Birthdays:
1632 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria is born in Innsbruck. She was he daughter of and Archduke of Austria, thus making her and Archduchess. She would marry Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor in 1648, and thus be Empress consort. They were first cousins. A year later, Maria would die after a difficult labour with the couples only child. She was 17 years old.

1871 – A baby boy is born to the future Edward VII and Alexandra of the United Kingdom. He would be christened as Alexander John, but would die within 24 hours of his birth.

Deaths:
1199 – King Richard I of England dies in France of injuries while laying siege to a castle. He had been King of England for 10 years, but spent most of the time on the Third Crusade or protecting his vast lands in southern France. He was the son of first Plantagenet king, Henry II, and the equally indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine. His legacy lives on in the Royal Arms of England, which still bear his standard, three gold lions. He is also the only English king better known by his nickname , the Lionheart, rather than his number.

1490 – Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, and Duke of Austria, dies in Vienna at age 47. He had been king of Hungary since age 14 and acquired the other titles in time. He was one of the first rulers to fully embrace the Italian Renaissance, and fashioned himself a philosopher king after Plato’s Republic. However his empire would not last after him, as he had only one illegitimate son, and he was not accepted as ruler in most lands.

2005 – Prince Rainier III of Monaco dies at age 81. He had been sick for some time, and suffered from multiple illnesses. He came to the throne in 1949 after the death of his father, Louis II. He famously married American movie star, Grace Kelly in 1956 and they had three children, including the current ruler, Albert II. But more than that, he expanded Monaco’s economy from more than just gambling revenues, which were 95% of the country’s revenue at his accession, and less than 5% at his death.

Have an awesome day!!

April 1st

02 Tuesday Apr 2013

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No major events.

No major birthdays.

Deaths:

1204 – The formidable Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, died in her early 80’s. She was the Duchess of the richest and largest region of France. She was Queen consort of France from 1137 until 1152, while she was married to Louis VII of France. She would even accompany him on the Second Crusade. After their marriage was dissolved, she married the Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou, Henry. In 1154, Henry acceded to the throne of England, thus making Eleanor Queen of England now. They would have 8 children, with two daughters becoming Queens in Europe, and three sons becoming King in England. After her husbands death, she served as regent for her son, Richard I, when he went on the Third Crusade. She had lived well into the reign of her youngest child, John, and was living in an Abbey in her native Aquitaine. Her direct descendants would rule England for the next 300 years and is still looked at as one of the most influential women of Europe during the Medieval period.

1922 – The deposed Charles I of Austria died at age 34 of pneumonia. He had become Emperor of Austria in 1916 after the death of Franz Joseph I. World War I was in full swing when he took over. He never officially abdicated, but in 1918, he renounced participation in all state affairs of both Austria and Hungary. He attempted to reclaim the thrones after the war, but they were unsuccessful. He was the last Emperor of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family.

1947 – King George II of Greece dies in Athens at age 56. He had originally become king in 1922, but was deposed in 1924. However he would be restored in 1935. He ruled through the tumultuous period of World War II. His brother Paul would become king after him, and be the last King of the Hellenes.

Have an awesome day!!