Tag Archives: Scottish Royalty

August 24th

10 Sunday Nov 2013

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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 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 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 15th

27 Tuesday Aug 2013

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Events:
1760 – The Battle of Liegnitz took place in Prussia between the forces of King Frederick the Great and the Austrians, being led by Ernst von Laudon. It would be a sound defeat for the Austrians, who lost almost 5000 soldiers in 30 minutes.

Birthdays:
1171 – Alfonso IX of Leon is born to King Ferdinand II of Leon, and Urraca of Portugal. He became King in 1188, and ruled until 1230. He convened the Cortes of Leon, which is said to be the oldest form of Parliament in Europe. He had been excommunicated by the Pope for a time, because of his unsanctioned marriage to Berengaria of Castile. When he died, his son, Ferdinand succeeded him. Ferdinand was already King of Castile, through his mother’s claim, thus uniting the two regions of Spain.

1769 – Napoleone Buonaparte is born on the island of Corsica. Later, while serving in the military in France, he adopted the French spelling of his name, making it Napoleon Bonaparte. He would move up through the ranks in the military, then in 1799, Bonaparte was declared First Consul of France. Five years later, he was given the title ‘Emperor of the French’. Through the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, he captured most of continental Europe, but after a failed invasion of Russia, things collapsed, with his eventual abdication and exile to the island of Elba. Napoleon escaped captivity on Elba, returned to France, and attempted to reclaim his throne, but he was thwarted again, and sent back to exile on the British controlled island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

1950 – Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom was born today in 1950 to the future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.

Deaths:
1038 – Stephen I of Hungary dies in Hungary. He had been Grand Prince of Hungary from 997 until about 1000, when he became the first king of Hungary. He was also a champion for the early Christian church in the nation, and was later sainted. He would unify Hungary also under his banner, and is still considered a national hero.

1057 – MacBeth, King of Scotland died in battle. He had been King of Alba since 1040, after the death of Duncan I. He was involved in the strife in England, between Godwin, Earl of Essex, and Edward the Confessor. In contrary to the Shakespearean play, he was a good and just ruler.

1369 – Philippa of Hainault died at age 55 in London. She was born in Valenciennes to the Count and Countess of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland. Her betrothal to the future Edward III of England was at first to gain her father’s support in Isabella, Edward’s mother’s, invasion of England. But Edward and Philippa did love each other and were said to be quite devoted. Edward trusted her enough to leave her as regent during his trips abroad and she would accompany him on some. They would have fourteen children. Philippa was well loved and admired by the people of England for her piety, charity, and compassion.

Have an awesome day!

August 14th

24 Saturday Aug 2013

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Events:
1385 – The Battle of Aljubarrota takes place between the forces of John I of Portugal and John I of Castile. The Portuguese were fighting for independence from Spain, and they one it with a decisive victory.

1415 – Prince Henry of Portugal, known as Henry the Navigator, fought for territory against the Kingdom of Morocco. The bad was a swift, decisive victory for the Portuguese, and they continued their expansion.

Birthdays:
1479 – Catherine of York was born to King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. She was their sixth daughter, and ninth child overall. The same year, her father tried to contract an advantageous marriage for her, betrothing her to John, Prince of the Asturias, heir of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, but nothing came of it. Later, after her sister Elizabeth became Queen consort with her marriage to Henry VII, Henry attempted to marry her to James III of Scotland, but to no avail. Finally in the 1490’s, she was married to William Courtenay, who later became the Earl of Devon. They would have three children, the eldest Henry, who was a courtier under his cousin, Henry VIII. Widowed at 31, she lived out her days in England, never marrying again, and outlived all her siblings.

1688 – Frederick William I of Prussia was born in Berlin, as the son of Frederick I and Sophia Charlotte of Hanover. He became King in Prussia in 1713, and was an active ruler in most aspects of government. His wife was Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, sister of George II of the United Kingdom. He kept Prussia out of war, except for one minor intervention in the Great Northern War, and left a sound economy. He did however, have a terrible relationship with his eldest son, the future Frederick II. The younger Frederick was even imprisoned, and there were rumors of his execution. Frederick William died in Berlin at age 51.

1727 – Twin girls are born at Versailles to King Louis XV and Queen Marie. They were Louise Elisabeth and Anne Henriette of France.The elder twin, Elisabeth, was married to Prince Phillip of Spain in 1739, to the chagrin of her sister, who was upset at the loss of her sister. Henriette would then pour herself into her music and become an accomplished musician. Elisabeth, despite having three children, was unhappy in Spain, and with her marriage. They were reunited at one point, but were of differing opinions on one of their father’s mistresses. In 1752, Henriette died of smallpox, while Elisabeth was living in Parma as its Duchess. She died in 1759 while visiting France, and the sisters are buried next to one another.

1876 – The future Alexander I of Serbia is born in Belgrade to King Milan I and Natalija Obrenovic. In 1889, his father suddenly abdicated, and Alexander became king under a regency until he was 16. He married in 1900, to a former lady in waiting to his mother, named Draga Masin. The match was wildly unpopular. In 1903, the couple were assassinated in their beds by a group of conspirators who didn’t want the king to name Draga’s brother as his successor. Alexander was only 26.

Deaths:
1040 – Duncan I of Scotland is killed in battle fighting fellow claimant to the throne, MacBeth. Duncan had been king since 1034, and was approximately 39 years old.

1433 – John I of Portugal died in Lisbon at age 75. He was the illegitimate son of Peter I of Portugal, and had become King in 1385, after the death of his half-brother Ferdinand I. In 1385, he married into the powerful English family of Lancaster, when he married Phillippa, daughter of John of Gaunt. He ended up being a successful ruler, and his son, Edward would succeed him.

Have a good one!

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.

Have a great day!

August 10th

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

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Events:
1628 – The state-of-the-art Swedish Warship, The Vasa, set sail, only to sink on her maiden voyage. The disaster is attributed to King Gustavus Adolphus’ insistence that she join the fleet as soon as possible to assist with the Thirty Years War, and his council’s reluctance to let him know that there were structural problems with the ship. In the 1960’s, she was recovered from the ocean floor, and is being stored in a museum built specifically to display the ship.

1792 – An angry mob stormed the palace of Tuileries as part of the French Revolution. The King and his family had been staying there, and six weeks later the French Monarchy was abolished.

Birthdays:
1267 – James II of Aragon is born Valencia as the son of Peter III of Aragon and Constance of Sicily. He became King of Sicily in 1285, after the death of his father, and in 1291, he succeeded his brother as King of Aragon. In 1295, he began a struggle with his younger brother over the island of Sicily, and ceased to rule the island. He was given rule of Sardinia and Corsica instead. He ruled those lands until his death in 1327, and was succeeded by his son, Alfonso IV.

1296 – John of Bohemia is born in Luxembourg to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and Margaret of Brabant. In 1310, he became king of Bohemia and titular King of Poland, by right of his wife, Elisabeth. He eventually lost his eyesight, earning him the nickname “John the Blind”. When the Hundred Years War broke out, John sided with King Phillip VI of France, and died while fighting at the Battle of Crecy, when he was about 50 years old.

1520 – Madeleine of Valois is born in France to Francis I and Queen Claude. She typically didn’t live at court, because of her delicate health, so she spent time being raised by her aunt, Marguerite of Navarre. In 1536, she was contracted to marry the Scottish King James V, which she did in early 1537. They married in Paris, and then left for Scotland a couple months later. By the time they arrived, she was already very ill. She died in July 1537, a month after her arrival. Madeleine was just 16 years old.

Deaths:
1759 – Ferdinand VI of Spain died at age 45 in Madrid. He had succeeded his father, Phillip V, in 1746, and was one of the early Spanish Bourbon monarchs. He over saw many reforms in his short reign, and reinforced the military might of Spain after the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. He had been married to Barbara of Portugal, but had no children. Ferdinand’s heir would be his brother, Charles, who was already King of Naples and Sicily.

Have a great day!

August 7th

18 Sunday Aug 2013

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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

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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.

Have an awesome day!

August 3rd

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

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Events:
No major events.

Birthdays:
1770 – The future Frederick William III of Prussia is born in Potsdam. He was the eldest son of Frederick William II and Frederika Louise. He was said to be shy and quiet as a child, and that carried over when he succeeded his father in 1797. He was slow to bring Prussia into the Napoleonic Wars, which led to an embarrassing defeat for the Prussians. After the war though, he refused to give Prussia the constitution he promised before the war. His eldest son would succeed him as Frederick William IV, and later his younger son, as Wilhelm I, who would unite all of Germany under Prussian rule.

1872 – Prince Carl of Denmark is born in Copenhagen, as a younger son of Frederick VIII of Denmark and Queen Louise of Sweden. He would be the younger brother of Christian X. In 1896, he married Maud of Wales, daughter of the future Edward VII of Great Britain and Queen Alexandra. In 1905, Sweden and Norway dissolved their union, and Carl was asked to be the first monarch of Norway. He asked for a referendum from the people stating they wanted a monarchy, and the people voted overwhelmingly yes. The following year, he and Maud were crowned, with Carl taking the name Haakon VII. He would be a popular King, and rule through both World Wars, and was a fierce resistor of Nazi occupation. He ruled until 1957, when he died at age 85.

1943 – In not so dead royalty, Swedish Princess Christina is born near Stockholm to Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sybilla. She is an elder sister of the current Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf. Because she married someone of unequal station in 1974, she is known as Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnusson.

1986 – Also in not so dead royals, Charlotte Casiraghi is born in Monaco to Princess Caroline of Monaco. She is a granddaughter of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, and a niece to the current monarch, Albert II.

Deaths:
1460 – King James II of Scotland died at age 29, when a cannon he was standing next to exploded. He was laying siege to Roxburgh Castle, which was still held by the English. He had been king since 1437, when his father was assassinated. James was just 6 years old, and ruled through regents until 1449. He would be popular with the common people, but he is also known for his struggle with the Douglas family, which culminated with beheading of William, 6th Earl Douglas. His young son would succeed him as James III.

Have an awesome day!