Tag Archives: The Hanovers

August 21st

28 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Events:
1810 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France and renowned military leader is elected to be Crown Prince of Sweden, to succeed the childless Charles XIII. He is the founder of the current reigning House of Bernadotte in Sweden.

Birthdays:
1165 – Phillip Augustus is born in France as the son of Louis VII of France. In 1179, he was crowned as co-ruler with his father, and then became King in his own right in 1180. He was Phillip II, King of France, and the first to use that title, as his predecessors are called King of the Franks. He went on the Third Crusade with Richard the Lionheart and Frederick Barbarossa, and after Richard’s death, he successfully dismantled the Angevin Empire of France, now led by King John of England. He was popular with the commons, for taking power from the nobles, and is known as one of the more successful medieval monarchs.

1643- Afonso IV of Portugal is born as a younger son of John IV and Luisa of Medina-Sidonia. An illness as a toddler left his mentally unstable and partially paralyzed. He succeeded his father at age 13, with his mother acting as regent for six years. Despite his mental instability Portugal scored some major military victories under him, but in 1668, his brother Peter was appointed Prince Regent and ruled on Afonso’s behalf until his death in 1683.

1765 – The future William IV of the United Kingdom is born in Britain. He would become King in 1830, after the death of his elder brother, George IV. Like the other British Hanoverian kings, he was also ruler of the German province of Hanover, which he never visited as King. He had spent time in his youth in the Royal Navy, and later was active in the House of Lords. He enacted several reforms during his short reign, including restrictions on child labor, the abolition of slavery in the majority of the colonies, and gave Hanover a constitution. Although he had several illegitimate children, he had none with his wife, Queen Adelaide, when he passed. So the Crown of Britain went to his niece, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, now Queen Victoria. Hanover observed Salic law, so his brother, Ernest Augustus, became King there.

1858 – Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf is born as the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. Despite being groomed from an early age to be Emperor, he was quite different politically from his father. He married Princess Stephanie of Belgium and had a daughter. However he was unfaithful. In 1889, he was found dead from an apparent murder-suicide, next to a mistress of his. His mother wore black for mourning for the rest of her life.

Deaths:
1157 – Alfonso VII of Leon and Castile died at age 52. He was the son of Urraca of Castile and Raymond of Burgundy, and in 1111, as a child, he was named King of Galicia by his mother. In 1126, she died, leaving Alfonso as King of Leon and Castile. He called himself Emperor of All Spain. He also participated in the Reconquista of lower Spain, attempting to expel the Muslims. Before his death, he split his lands between his two elder sons, and his daughters would go on to be Queens of France, Navarre, and Aragon.

Advertisements

August 13th

24 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Events:
1704 – The Battle of Blenheim takes place in Bavaria, Germany, as part of the War of Spanish Succession. The British were fighting on the side of the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch, against French and German forces. Although the French would be ultimately successful, the Alliance would be victorious today.

1792 – French King Louis XVI was arrested and declared an enemy of the State. He was jailed and the following month, France was officially declared a Republic, with Louis being stripped of all titles. He was formally referred to as “Citizen Louis Capet”. The former King was executed the following January.

Birthdays:
1311 – Alfonso XI of Castile is born in modern day Spain as the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and Constance of Portugal. He became king in 1312 after the death of his father, and ruled under regents until 1325. He continued the Reconquista of Granada from the Moors. He would become known for his ruthless and sometimes bloody methods. He ruled until 1350 when he passed away at age 38. Two of his sons would later become Kings and Peter I and Henry II.

1752 – Another daughter is born in Austria to Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa. She is named Maria Carolina. As a child, she was said to be close to her younger sister, Maria Antonia, the ill-fated Marie Antoinette of France. In 1768, she married Ferdinand IV of Naples, and despite the marriage being a duty to both parties, she bore eighteen children, with seven becoming adults. Like her mother, she was active politically and instituted many policies. In early 1799, she and her husband would be overthrown in Naples, only to be restored again that year, ruling until 1806, when they would be deposed again. She died in 1814, in her native Austria. Among her children, she numbers a King of the Two Sicilies, a Holy Roman Empress, a Queen of France, a Queen of Sardinia, and a Princess of Spain.

1792 – Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen is born in Germany. In 1818, she married Prince William, Duke of Clarence in a double ceremony, alongside William’s brother Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld. The younger sons of George III were trying to secure the succession after Princess Charlotte, daughter of the future George IV died. She would become pregnant several times, but she would either miscarry, or the baby would die early. In 1830, after the death of George IV, Adelaide became Queen consort. She was well loved by the people for her kindness and generosity, and got along well with her niece and future Queen, Victoria. William died in 1837, and she would not follow until 1849, well into the reign of Victoria.

Deaths:
1382 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Castile died giving birth to her third child, a daughter named for her, that died young as well. Eleanor was the daughter of Peter IV of Aragon and Eleanor of Sicily. In 1375, she married John I of Castile. They also had two sons, Henry who became king of Castile, and Ferdinand, who became King of Aragon. She was only 24 at her death.

Have an awesome day!

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 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 1st

12 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Events:
1192 – Richard I of England landed near the town of Jaffa in the Holy Land. The Lionheart and his Crusaders were ambushed by the Muslim army of Saladin, but it would a victory for Richard and his men.

1800 – The Acts of Union passed Parliament. The Acts officially combined the nations of Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Since 1603, the nations had operated under the same sovereign, but with separate Governments.

1893 – Alexander I of Greece was born near Athens. He was a younger son of Constantine I, and became King in 1917 when his father was forced to abdicate, and both his father and his brother, the Crown Prince, were exiled. Alexander had little to do with government though, as the Prime Minister held most of the power. In 1919, he married a commoner, Aspasia Manos, and they would have one daughter, barred from the Greek succession due to her mothers humble origins. The girl would later become Queen consort Alexandra of Yugoslavia. In 1920, Alexander was bitten by a macaque and developed an infection. His father would later be restored to the crown.

Deaths:
1137 – Louis VI of France died at age 55. He had been King since 1108, and was the son of Phillip I. Like other Kings of his time, he spent much time at war. However he would emerge as a stronger King than his predecessors. Months before his death, he would be made guardian of Eleanor of Aquitaine, heiress to the richest Duchy in France. He would marry Eleanor to his son and heir, the future Louis VII.

1402 – Edmund of Langley died at age 61. He was the younger son of Edward III of England and Phillippa of Hainault. The Yorkist claimants to the throne of England are descended from him. He would spend time on military campaigns in both France and Castilian Spain. Edmund also fought on the side of Henry Bolingbroke when he invaded England and overthrew Richard II, becoming Henry IV.

1714 – Queen Anne of Great Britain and Ireland died at Kensington Palace in London. She was 49 years old. She was the younger daughter of James II and VII and his first wife, and sister to Queen Mary II. In 1683, she was married to Prince George of Denmark. They were said to be devoted to each other, but they would have no children that survived childhood. She was supportive of her sister Mary, and her brother in law William, when they overthrew James in 1688, during the Glorious Revolution. Anne was a presence at court, but had a falling out with her sister, and they would be estranged until Mary’s early death. Anne would become Queen in 1702, when William died childless. Just a few years later, Anne gave Royal Assent to the Acts of Union, which united England and Scotland into Great Britain. Her successors would her German cousins, the Hanovers.

Have an awesome day!

July 31st

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Events:
1423 – The Battle of Cravant takes place in France as part of the Hundred Years War. It would be a victory for the English/Burgundian alliance against the French. It would be one of the few times the allies would fight together.

1492 – The Alhambra Decree takes affect in Spain, expelling Jews from all Spanish lands and territories. It would not be revoked until 1968.

1588 – The Spanish Armada is spotted off the English coast. Troops would be assembled on the ground, but the fleet would never make it to English shores.

Birthdays:
1527 – The future Maximilian II was born in Vienna. He became Holy Roman Emperor in 1564 after the death of his father, Ferdinand I. He married his cousin Maria of Spain, with whom he had sixteen children. Only nine would survive into adulthood. He was said to be very tolerant of the Protestants, despite previous tensions and opposition from his Spanish cousins. Two of his sons would later become Emperors and Rudolf II and Matthias I. His daughters Anna and Elizabeth would be Queen consort of Spain and Queen consort of France.

1737 – Princess Augusta of Great Britain is born in London to the Prince of Wales, Frederick, son of King George II, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. In 1764, she married Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, with whom she would have seven children, despite the unhappiness of the arranged marriage. One of their daughters, Caroline, would later marry the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. In 1807, after the death of her husband, she moved back to London, while her brother, George III was king.

Deaths:
1750 – John V of Portugal died in Lisbon at age 60. He had been King since 1706, at the death of his father, Peter II. In 1707, he married Austrian Archduchess Maria Anna, and they would have 3 surviving children, who include Joseph I and Peter III. He was known as a great patron of the arts, and amassed one of the greatest art collections in all of Europe. He overhauled the economic system of Portugal, which at first worked, but were unpopular with the nobility, but later they were shown to be ineffective.

1993 – King Baudouin of Belgium died at age 62 of heart failure, while in Spain. He had been King since 1951, when he was age 20. Under his reign, the Belgian Congo became independent, and he attended the ceremony. In 1990, he was actually declared unable to rule for a day, due to his refusal to give Royal Assent to a bill he disagreed with for religious reasons. On the day he did not rule the bill was signed into effect by the other members of the government, and he was declared capable of ruling again the following day. He was childless, and was succeeded by his brother, Albert II.

Have a great day!

July 23rd

01 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Events:
1745 – Charles Stuart, or ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ landed on the islands of Northern Scotland, planning to invade and install his father, James Stuart “The Old Pretender” on the throne of England and Scotland.

1914 – Austria-Hungary would issue to July Ultimatum to Serbia, demanding Austria be allowed to investigate the assassination of Archuduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne. Serbia would go on the reject the ultimatum, kicking off World War I.

1986 – Prince Andrew, Duke of York, married Sarah Ferguson. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey. The couple had two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, but divorced in 1996.

Birthdays:
1503 – Anne of Bohemia and Hungary was born today in 1503 in modern day Budapest. She was the daughter of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and Anne de Foix. In 1521, she married Austrian Archduke Ferdinand who later became Holy Roman Emperor as Ferdinand I. They had 15 children in all, which include a Holy Roman Emperor and two Polish Queens consort. All of her children were married into the various royal and noble families of continental Europe. She was 43 when she passed away in Prague.

Deaths:
1536 – Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, illegitimate son of Henry VIII died, possibly of tuberculosis, at age 17. At the time of his death, there was a bill going through Parliament disinheriting his half-sister Elizabeth. Part of that bill would have allowed Henry VIII to name his successor, whether illegitimate or not. Some modern historians believe this would have been used by Henry to allow his son to become King should he not have a legitimate son.

Have an awesome day!

July 11th

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Events:
1174 – Baldwin IV becomes King of Jerusalem at age 13. Soon after, he was found to have leprosy, which claimed his life at age 24.

Birthdays:
1274 – Estimated to be a possible birthday of Robert the Bruce, or King Robert I of Scotland. A claimant to the throne from an early age, he was crowned King in 1306. He was one of the primary leaders of the Scottish rebellions against the invasion and overlordship of Edward I of England. It wasn’t until the 1320’s after the death of Edward I, and major successes against Edward II, including the Battle of Bannockburn, that Robert was finally recognized by the Pope as King, and war with the new English King, the young Edward III, finally concluded. Robert would die in 1329. Nearly 700 years after his death, Robert is still a national hero of Scotland.

1657 – The future Frederick I of Prussia is born to Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and Louise Henrietta of Orange-Nassau. In 1701, he convinced the Holy Roman Emperor to allow Brandenburg-Prussia to be elevated from a Duchy to a Kingdom, making himself the first Prussian King. However, the new nation was still under the sovereignty of the Empire.

1751 – Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain was born in London. She was the sister of George III of Great Britain and in 1766 she married Christian VII of Denmark at the ripe age of 15. In 1768, she gave birth to the future Frederick VI. But her marriage was unhappy, as Christian was mentally ill, and acted indifferent to his wife. In 1770, she most likely started an affair with Christian’s physician, Johann Struensee, who, it was rumored, fathered her second child, although Christian recognized the girl as his daughter. In 1772 though, Christian had enough apparently, and both Caroline and Struensee were arrested, and the marriage was dissolved. Her lover was executed and Caroline died suddenly of scarlet fever in 1775.

1866 – Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine was born in Darmstadt, Germany. She was a middle child of Grand Duke Ludwig IV and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, and thus, a grandchild of Queen Victoria. She was also the elder sister of the doomed Empress Alexandra of Russia. Irene was married to Prince Heinrich of Prussia, a younger brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Like her sister, Irene turned out to be a carrier for the haemophilia gene, which affected two of her sons.

Deaths:
1766 – Elisabeth Farnese died in Spain. She was the Queen consort of Spain as the wife of Phillip V of Spain. Italian by birth, she was of the powerful Farnese family, who were the Dukes of Parma. Early in the marriage she exercised great influence on her husband, but it waned eventually. Among her children, she numbers a King of Spain, and Queen of Portugal and a Duke of her ancestral Parma. She was 73 years old at her death.

1920 – Eugenie de Montijo died in Madrid, Spain. She had lived in France while young 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.

Have an awesome day!

July 8th

14 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Events:
1709 – The Battle of Poltava takes place between the Swedish forces of Charles XII and Peter the Great of Russia as part of the Great Northern War. It would be a decisive victory for the Russians and signaled the nations rise in prominence.

1808 – The Bayonne Statute is signed by Joseph Bonaparte, brother of French Emperor Napoleon I. The document was to act as a foundation for his Kingship of Spain, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

Birthdays:
1545 – Carlos, Prince of Asturias is born in Spain to the future King Phillip II of Spain and Maria Manuela of Portugal. Because of the close family relations of his parents and grandparents, Don Carlos as we was called, was said to be mentally unstable from a young age. In 1568, he was part of a plot to overthrow his father, because he was passed over for a military appointment. He was arrested, imprisoned, and left in solitary confinement. He died in prison just six months later, with rumors that Phillip had him poisoned.

1792 – Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen is born to the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg. In 1810, she married Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, the future Ludwig I. The celebration of their marriage became known as the first Oktoberfest, which continues today. She was loved by the Bavarian people, and was popular despite her husbands affairs which he was not discreet about. In 1848 he was forced to abdicate because of the scandal associated with an affair. But Therese’s son by him became Maximilian II of Bavaria, and her younger son, Otto, became King of Greece.

1830 -Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg is born in Germany. She married Russian Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaevich, a younger son of Tsar Nicholas I. She took the name Alexandra Iosfina when she converted to Russian Orthodoxy. Their eldest daughter Olga married the King of Greece and is the grandmother of the British Duke of Edinburgh. She tried to bear her husbands affairs and illegitimate children as best she could. In 1889 he was incapacitated by a stroke, and she was his caretaker for the rest of his life.

Deaths:
1850 – Prince Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge, died in London at age 76. He was the youngest child of British King George III and Queen Charlotte. He spent his youth in military training in Hanover, Germany, and even fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He married a Hessian Princess, and was the grandfather of the future Queen Mary of Britain. He would spend over 20 years as the Viceroy of Hanover, ruling the nation on behalf of his two elder brothers, George IV and William IV. He returned to England after the accession of another brother, Ernest Augustus, as King of Hanover.

1859 – King Oscar I of Sweden died in Stockholm at age 60. 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.

Have a great day!

June 27th

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Daily Posts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

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

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

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

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

Have a great day!