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Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

March 23, 1429 – Birth of Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England, wife of King Henry VI of England, at Pont-à-Mousson, Duchy of Lorraine, now in France
In 1445, Margaret married King Henry VI of England and had one son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. Margaret was one of the principal players in the Wars of the Roses, the battle for the English crown between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.  Her son was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury where Margaret led the Lancastrian forces. Her husband was sent to the Tower of London, where he died, probably murdered on orders from King Edward IV from the House of York. Margaret was imprisoned at Wallingford Castle in England while her father René, Duke of Anjou worked tirelessly to arrange his daughter’s release. In 1475, King Louis XI agreed to pay Margaret’s ransom provided that her father would cede to France his territories of Anjou, Bar, Lorraine, and Provence. Margaret returned to France and died on August 25, 1482, at the age of 53.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England

March 23, 1801 – Assassination of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia at the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
Paul was the son of Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeievna (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, later Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia), and was recognized by Catherine’s husband, Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, later Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, as his son although he may be was Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov. His first wife Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt (Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna) died in childbirth with her only child. Paul’s second wife was Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg (Maria Feodorovna) with whom he had ten children. Paul became Emperor of All Russia upon the death of his mother Catherine II (the Great) in 1796. Paul agreed with the practices of autocracy and did not tolerate freedom of thought or resistance against it. Because he overly taxed the nobility and limited their rights, the Russian nobles were against him. Paul’s reign was becoming increasingly despotic. Eventually, the nobility reached their breaking point. On the night of March 23, 1801, at the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, Russia, a group of conspirators charged into the bedroom of 46-year-old Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, forced him to abdicate, and then strangled and trampled him to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

March 23, 1818 – Death of Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales, at Hanover Square in London, England; buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Augusta was the elder sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. She married Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, the future Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The couple had seven children including Caroline who married her first cousin, the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. (The marriage was a disaster.) Augusta never fully adapted to life in Brunswick nor was she well-liked. Any popularity she had was damaged by the fact that her three eldest sons were born with handicaps. Karl found Augusta dull and preferred to spend time with his mistresses. After her husband was killed during the Napoleonic Wars and Brunswick–Wolfenbüttel was occupied by the French, Augusta escaped to Sweden. Her brother King George III sent a British naval ship to transport his sister back home to England. Augusta lived in London with her daughter Caroline, Princess of Wales. Augusta got to know her granddaughter Princess Charlotte of Wales, who told her grandmother upon their first meeting “that she was the merriest old woman she ever saw.” Augusta died on March 23, 1813, at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

March 23, 1897 – Death of Sophie of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, wife of Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery in Weimar
In 1842, Sophie married Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and the couple had four children. With her own significant wealth, she founded numerous schools and hospitals throughout the grand duchy. Sophie was the sister of King Willem III of the Netherlands. When her brother died in 1890, the Dutch throne passed to his ten-year-old only surviving child Queen Wilhelmina, and Sophie was first in line to inherit the Dutch throne until she died in 1897. She was very close to her niece Wilhelmina and her sister-in-law Queen Emma and regularly visited the Netherlands to see them. After the death of her son in 1894, Sophie’s health began to deteriorate. She died on March 23, 1897, aged 73.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

March 23, 1931 – Death of Anna Nahowski, mistress of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria,  in Vienna, Austria; buried at Hietzing Cemetery in Vienna, Austria, adjacent to Schönbrunn Palace
Franz Joseph and Anna’s relationship lasted for fourteen years, overlapping Franz Joseph’s long-standing private relationship with actress Katharina Schratt. Franz Joseph was probably the father of at least one of Anna’s three children. After the suicide of Franz Joseph’s only son Crown Prince Rudolf, Franz Joseph broke off all contact with Anna. She was informed that she could determine her severance payment for her fourteen years in the emperor’s service. She asked for 200,000 guldens (millions of dollars today) and in return, she had to sign the following statement: “I hereby confirm that I received 200,000 guldens as a gift from His Majesty the Emperor today. I also swear that I will remain silent at all times about the relationship with His Majesty.” Anna never spoke publicly about her affair during her life. She did keep a diary which was released in 1976 after the death of her daughter Helene. The diary revealed the true nature of the relationship between Anna and Franz Joseph. Anna died in Vienna, Austria on March 23, 1931, at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Nahowski, Mistress of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria

March 23, 1947 – Death of Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony, wife of the future King Friedrich August III of Saxony, in Brussels, Belgium; buried at the Hedingen Monastery in Sigmaringen, Germany
In 1891, Luise married the future King Friedrich August III, the last King of Saxony and the couple had six children. From the beginning of her marriage, Luise was unhappy. She was unwilling to conform to the strict Saxon court which often caused conflicts with her father-in-law and others in the royal family. She sought refuge in several affairs, including her children’s French tutor, André Giron. Her affair with Giron was discovered when a telegram she sent him was intercepted.  With the help of two of her maids, Luise – pregnant with her youngest child – fled Dresden and headed toward Lake Geneva where she met up with her brother, Leopold Ferdinand, before reconnecting with Giron. Luise and Giron stayed in Geneva, often being seen in public. Their relationship ended just a few days before her divorce was announced on February 11, 1903. In 1907, Luise married for a second time to Enrico Toselli, an Italian musician 12 years younger, and the couple had one son. After World War I, Luise found herself virtually penniless. She spent some time living in Spain with an uncle before moving to Belgium where she spent the remainder of her life. Luise, aged 77, died on March 23, 1947. At the time, she was working as a flower seller to survive.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

March 23, 1990 – Birth of Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank, born at Portland Hospital in London, England
Full name: Eugenie Victoria Helena
Princess Eugenie is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson and the grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh. In 2018, she married Jack Brooksbank. Eugenie and Jack have two sons August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, born in 2021 and Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank born in 2023.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank

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Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

March 22, 1421 – Death of Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, son of King Henry IV of England, at the Battle of Baugé in France; buried at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, England
In 1411, Thomas married Margaret Holland, the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Alice FitzAlan but the couple had no children. Thomas accompanied his brother King Henry V on his campaigns in France during the Hundred Years’ War. He commanded the English army at the Siege of Rouen in 1418 which ended in Rouen’s capture by the English. On March 22, 1421, Thomas, aged 33, was killed at the Battle of Baugé in Anjou, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence

March 22, 1459 – Birth of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria at Wiener Neustadt Castle in Wiener Neustadt, Archduchy of Austria now in the state of Lower Austria in Austria
Maximilian I reigned as King of the Romans, the de facto leader of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 – 1508, Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 – 1519, and ruled his family lands as Archduke of Austria from 1493 – 1519. Maximilian married Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right, the only child of Charles I the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and the couple had three children. It was through the marriage of Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip to Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, Queen of Aragon that the Habsburg lands would be joined with the Spanish lands. Philip and Juana’s son Carlos, best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. After Mary died in a horseriding accident, Maximilian married two more times but neither marriage produced children. Maximilian suffered a stroke on December 15, 1518, that left him bedridden. However, Maximilian continued to read documents and receive foreign envoys. On January 12, 1519, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria died, aged 59 at the Castle of Wels in Wels, Upper Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria

March 22, 1759– Birth of Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Carl XIII of Sweden, in Eutin, Duchy of Oldenburg now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
In 1774, Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte married the future King Carl XIII of Sweden. Their marriage was distant and both Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte and Carl had extramarital affairs. Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte had two children – one stillborn and one who lived only six days. Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte was known for her invaluable diary describing the Swedish royal court from 1775-1817.  It was written in the form of unsent letters to her friend Countess Sophie von Fersen. The letters are an important source for historical research. Besides dealing with gossip and social events of the court, Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte also wrote about the French Revolution, the assassination of her husband’s brother King Gustav III, the Napoleonic Wars, and the deposing of her husband’s nephew Gustav IV Adolf which caused her husband to become King of Sweden. After her husband’s death in February 1818, Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte said she would not be able to survive without him. On June 20, 1818, after a private dinner with the new King Carl XIV Johan, she went to her room to write, fainted, and died at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden

March 22, 1797 – Birth of Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig
In 1829, Wilhelm married Augusta of Saxe-Weimar and the couple had two children. Wilhelm became King of Prussia in 1861 upon the death of his childless brother King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia. During Wilhelm I’s reign as King of Prussia, the work of Otto von Bismarck, Prussian Prime Minister resulted in the unification of Germany and Bismarck then served as Chancellor of the German Empire.  In 1867, the North German Confederation was created.  It was a constitutional monarchy with the Prussian king as the head of state. After the Franco-Prussian War, on  January 18, 1871, in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in France, Wilhelm was proclaimed German Emperor (Kaiser). Wilhelm I was succeeded by his son Friedrich III, husband of Victoria, Princess Royal.  Already ill with throat cancer, Frederick reigned only three months and was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II. 1888 is known as the “year of the three emperors.”
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia

March 22, 1837 – Birth of Virginia Oldoïni, Countess of Castiglione, mistress of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Virginia Oldoïni, Countess of Castiglione was the mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France from 1856-1857. Virginia’s affair with the Emperor ended in 1857, and she returned to Italy. Four years later, the Kingdom of Italy was established, and Virginia maintained that her influence had contributed to the unification. By 1861, she had moved to France where she settled in Passy before returning to Paris. By then a very wealthy woman, she devoted much of her time and fortune to her newfound passion, photography. She died at the age of 62.
Unofficial Royalty: Virginia Oldoïni, Countess of Castiglione, Mistress of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French

March 22, 1955 – Death of Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg at Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft in Trockenborn-Wolfersdorf, then in East Germany, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Cemetery in Trockenborn-Wolfersdorf
In 1898, Ernst married Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe and the couple had four children. Ernst became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg following his uncle’s death in 1908. He was a popular ruler and made an effort to be close to his subjects. He would hold audiences for anyone who wanted to meet with him. He also pursued his interests in science and technology, opening an airfield in 1911, and owning one of the first cars in the duchy. Ernst was the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, abdicating on November 13, 1918, following the end of World War I. He was the only former German ruler who was a citizen of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), and the last surviving sovereign from the German Empire. The East German government expropriated his beloved Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft in 1946, but Ernst was given the use of the residence for the remainder of his life. At the age of 83, Ernst died at Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft on March 22, 1955.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

March 22, 1956 – Birth of Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, wife of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, born Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista in Havana, Cuba
Born in Cuba, Maria Teresa grew up in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland. While attending the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, she first met her future husband, then Hereditary Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. The couple married in 1981 and have five children.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

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Princess Louise of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

March 21, 1795 – Death of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco in Paris, France, his burial place is unknown
Honoré III, Prince of Monaco is the longest-reigning sovereign of Monaco, but the French Revolution had dire consequences for his family and caused the Principality of Monaco to be annexed to France from 1793 until the defeat of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French in 1814. He married Maria Caterina Brignole and the couple had two sons including Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. Honoré III was imprisoned during the French Revolution. He died soon after his release from prison, in Paris on March 21, 1795, at the age of 74, but his burial place is unknown.
Unofficial Royalty: Honoré III, Prince of Monaco

March 21, 1801 – Birth of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Sardinia, wife of Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia, in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Maria Theresa Franziska Josepha Johanna Benedikta
Maria Theresa was the daughter of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his first wife Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily. In 1817, she married the future Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia. They had three children including Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, later King of Italy, who became the first king of a united Italy. Maria Theresa’s husband became King of Sardinia in 1831. In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austrian-ruled and supported states resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification. After being defeated by the Austrian forces, Carlo Alberto abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele and went into exile in Portugal. However, he became seriously ill during the trip and died soon after reaching his destination. After the death of her husband, Maria Theresa no longer appeared in public. However, she was a great influence on her son Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia. Her son became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. However, Maria Theresa did not live long enough to see her son become King of a united Italy. On January 12, 1855, in Turin, Maria Theresa died at the age of 53.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Sardinia

March 21, 1852 – Death of Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Frederick VI of Denmark, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Marie was the daughter of Prince Carl of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Louise of Denmark and Norway. Her father was the second son of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Her mother was the youngest child of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. In 1790, Marie married the future King Frederick VI of Denmark. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. For the rest of her life, Marie would lament her lack of sons and grandchildren. Injuries from her last childbirth prevented Marie from having any further marital relations and she was forced to accept her husband’s adultery. After her husband died in 1839, Marie retired from public life but remained a respected figure, living at Frederiksborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace. She died on March 21, 1852, at the age of 84.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

March 21, 1871 – Wedding of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria, and John Campbell, Lord Lorne later 9th Duke of Argyll, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England
Louise broke with tradition and married a non-royal. Several foreign princes were put forward as possible husbands for Louise. However, the princes were not agreeable to Queen Victoria, and Louise wanted nothing to do with marriage to a prince. Instead, she fell in love with John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne and heir to the Dukedom of Argyll. Queen Victoria found this a wonderful match, infusing ‘new blood’ into the royal family. Others, including the Prince of Wales, found it appalling that Louise should marry below her class. Despite these misgivings, the couple became engaged on October 3, 1870.  Their marriage was childless. Louise’s husband served the crown as Governor-General of Canada for five years and Louise accompanied him to Canada.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Louise and John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll

March 21, 1924 – Death of Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, first husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, in Antibes, France; buried in the crypt of St. Michael the Archangel Russian Orthodox Church in Cannes, France
Peter was the only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg. Alexander Petrovich’s grandfather had married Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and their children and grandchildren were raised in Russia. Despite his German title, Alexander Petrovich, like his father, had grown up entirely in Russia, served in the Russian military, and was considered part of the Russian Imperial Family. Peter married Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, daughter of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia. Arranged by their mothers, the marriage was in name only. Two years after their marriage, Olga met Nikolai Kulikovsky, an army officer her own age. Over the years, Olga continued to ask her brother Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia for permission to marry Nikolai. In 1916, Nicholas II had a change of heart and he officially annulled her marriage to Peter, and Olga and Nikolai were married. After the October Revolution in 1917, Peter, his father, and his mother emigrated to France, where he lived in Paris and on a farm near Bayonne, France. In 1922, Peter married Olga Vladimirovna Ratkova-Rognova. Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg died at the age of 55.
Unofficial Royalty: Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

March 21, 1929 – Wedding of the future King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden at Oslo Cathedral in Oslo, Norway
As first cousins, Olav and Märtha had known each other since childhood, and in the late 1920s, they began a romantic relationship. They managed to keep the relationship private, with Olav often traveling to Sweden in disguise to see his future bride. While both were in Amsterdam in 1928 for the Summer Olympic Games (in which Olav was competing), they became secretly engaged. The following January, after Olav traveled to Sweden under an assumed name, the engagement was officially announced on January 14, 1929. The announcement was met with great support and excitement in both Norway and Sweden. Märtha never became Queen of Norway. She died from cancer before Olav became King of Norway.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden

March 21, 1943 – Birth of Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the pretender to the former ducal throne, and Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Full name: Andreas Michael Friedrich Hans Armin Siegfried Hubertus
Andreas is a grandson of Charles Edward, the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and is the pretender to the former ducal throne, and head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Unofficial Royalty: Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

March 21, 1985 – Birth of Princess Claire of Luxembourg, wife of Prince Félix of Luxembourg, born Claire Margareta Lademacher in Filderstadt, Germany
Claire has impressive academic credentials. She received a Bachelors degree in International Communication from the American University of Paris and a Masters degree in bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. After earning her Masters, remained in Rome to pursue a doctorate in organ donation ethics. As part of this program, she spent several months as a visiting scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University in the United States.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Claire of Luxembourg

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Tomb of King Henry IV of England and his second wife Joan of Navarre at Canterbury Cathedral; Photo Credit © Susan Flantzer

March 20, 1413 – Death of King Henry IV of England in the Jerusalem Chamber in the home of the abbot at Westminster Abbey in London, England; buried at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, England
King Henry IV of England, who usurped the throne from his first cousin King Richard II of England, and became the first Lancaster king, was the eldest surviving son of John of Gaunt (third surviving son of King Edward III of England) and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster. In 1380, Henry married heiress Mary de Bohun. Henry and Mary had six children but Mary died giving birth to their last child at the age of 25. In 1403, Henry married Joan of Navarre. They had no children but Joan got along well with her stepchildren. During much of King Henry IV’s 13-year reign, he was occupied with war. While in prayer at the shrine of Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey, Henry suffered a fatal attack, possibly a stroke.  He was carried to the Jerusalem Chamber, a room in the house of the abbot, where he died at age 45. Henry was not buried at Westminster Abbey but instead requested that he be buried at Canterbury Cathedral, presumably because of an affinity towards St. Thomas Becket whose shrine was there.
Unofficial Royalty: King Henry IV of England

March 20, 1469 – Birth of Cecily of York, daughter of King Edward IV of England, at the Palace of Westminster in London, England
Cecily was the daughter of Edward IV, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville. In 1485, Cecily’s uncle King Richard III arranged for a marriage for Cecily to Ralph Scrope, who was much below her in status to rule out her claim to the throne. When Henry VII, the first Tudor king, came to the throne, Cecily’s marriage to Ralph Scrope was annulled because the marriage was not in the interests of the new Tudor dynasty. Cecily was married to a nobleman loyal to King Henry VII, John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles, the younger half-brother of King Henry VII’s mother Lady Margaret Beaufort. Cecily and John had two daughters who both died in childhood. After the death of her husband and daughters, Cecily returned to the court seeking comfort and protection from her older sister Elizabeth of York who had married King Henry VII. Lady Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII’s mother, also helped Cecily by protecting her rights to her deceased husband’s property that his half-sisters claimed. Cecily married Sir Thomas Kyme without the permission of King Henry VII.  Cecily died on August 24, 1507, aged 38, but her place of death and burial site are uncertain.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecily of York, Viscountess Welles

March 20, 1619 – Death of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, in Vienna, Austria; temporarily buried at the Poor Clares Convent of St. Maria, Queen of the Angels in Vienna; reburied on On Easter 1633 at the Capuchin Church in Vienna in what is now called the Founders Vault.
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1612 – 1619) was also King of Bohemia (reigned 1611 – 1617), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1608 – 1619), Archduke of Further Austria, (1608 – 1619), King of Hungary and Croatia (reigned 1608 – 1618). In 1611, Matthias married his first cousin Anna of Tyrol. Although Matthias was 54 years old, he hoped to have children with his 26-year-old wife but their marriage was childless. Although Matthias and his wife Anna did not leave any children, they left the future Habsburgs a burial site. Matthias and Anna founded the Capuchin Church (German: Kapuzinerkirche) in Vienna, Austria, where the Imperial Crypt (German: Kaisergruft), the traditional burial site of the Habsburgs, is located.
Unofficial Royalty: Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia

March 20, 1739 – Birth of Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria, the second of the two wives of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Maria Josepha of Bavaria was the second of the two wives of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor who also was the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Joseph never loved Maria Josepha, and the marriage was probably never consummated. Joseph avoided sharing a bedroom and even had their shared balcony in Schönbrunn Palace partitioned off so he would not have to see Maria Josepha. A severe smallpox epidemic broke out in 1767, and Maria Josepha came down with the disease. Although Joseph, who had survived smallpox at an earlier time, had nursed his first wife as she was dying from smallpox, he did not visit Maria Josepha while she was ill. Maria Josepha, aged 28, died from smallpox at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Full name: Maria Josepha Antonia Walburga Felizitas Regula
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress

March 20, 1811 – Napoleon II, Emperor of the French, son of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and his second wife Marie-Louise of Austria, at the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France
Full name: Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte
Napoléon I divorced his childless first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais telling her he needed to find another wife who could provide him with a son. He married Marie Louise of Austria and they had one son Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte. After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoléon I abdicated in favor of his four-year-old son and was exiled to the island of Saint Helena. Napoléon II “reigned” for two weeks, when King Louis XVIII of France, the elder of the two surviving brothers of the beheaded King Louis XVI of France, returned to France to resume the throne he had vacated earlier that year due to Napoléon I’s return from his first exile. Napoléon II and his mother lived in her homeland of Austria. He had been dealing with lung problems from a very early age and eventually developed tuberculosis. He died on July 22, 1832, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria at the age of twenty-one.
Unofficial Royalty: Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon II

March 20, 1816 – Death of Queen Maria I of Portugal at the Carmo Convent in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was initially interred at the Convent of Ajuda in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1821, Maria’s remains were transported to Lisbon where she was buried in the Estrela Basilica, a church she ordered to be built.
The first of the two Queen Regnants of Portugal, Maria was the eldest of the four children and the eldest of the four daughters of José I, King of Portugal. It was inevitable that Maria would become the reigning Queen of Portugal. However, since female succession to the throne of Portugal had never happened before, her father decided that Maria would marry his younger brother Infante Pedro of Portugal, the first male in the line of succession. In 1760, 25-year-old Maria married her 42-year-old paternal uncle Pedro. Maria and Pedro had six children. Maria is considered to have been a good ruler in the period before her mental instability, which was first noticed in 1786 when she had to be carried back to her apartments in a state of delirium. Her mental instability continued to worsen. The deaths of her husband Pedro in 1786, her eldest son and heir José in 1788, and her confessor Inácio de São Caetano, Archbishop of Salonica in 1788 may have caused major depressive disorder. Her second son João, now heir to the throne, then served as prince regent. Maria spent the last eight years of her life in Brazil, always in a state of mental instability. On March 20, 1816, Maria I, Queen of Portugal died, aged 81, at the Carmo Convent in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was initially interred at the Convent of Ajuda in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1821, when the Portuguese royal family returned to Portugal, Maria’s remains were transported to Lisbon where she was buried in the Estrela Basilica, a church she ordered to be built.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Maria I of Portugal

March 20, 1842 – Death of George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster, illegitimate son of King William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress Dorothea Jordan, by self-inflicted gunshot wound, at his home in Belgravia, London; buried at St. Mary’s Church in Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
George was the first of ten children of King William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. In 1819. George married Mary Wyndham, the daughter of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont and his mistress Elizabeth Fox. The couple had seven children. George served as an army officer during the Peninsular War (1807–1814) and then served in India. He attained the rank of Major-General in the British Army. His father was proud of George’s military record but was very concerned with his drinking and gambling, issues which also affected some of William’s brothers. On March 20, 1842, at his home in Belgravia, London, 48-year-old George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster killed himself with a pistol given to him by his uncle King George IV when he was Prince of Wales. His suicide came as no surprise to his family, who had long been concerned about his mental condition.
Unofficial Royalty: George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster

March 20, 1878 – Birth of Heinrich XXIV, 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz in Greiz, Principality of Reuss-Greiz, now in Thuringia, Germany
As a result of a childhood accident, Heinrich XXIV had physical and mental disabilities that prevented him from marrying and ruling the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. Two regents from the House of Reuss-Gera successively ruled the Principality of Reuss-Greiz: Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera from 1902 – 1913, and then his son Heinrich XXVII, 5th and last Prince Reuss of Gera from 1913 – 1918, when the German monarchies were abolished in 1918 at the end of World War I.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XXIV, 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz

March 20, 1895 – Death of Woldemar, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, Principality of Lippe now in Germany; buried in the Mausoleum at the Büchenberg in Detmold
In 1858, Woldemar married Princess Sophie of Baden but their marriage was childless. Woldemar succeeded his childless elder brother Leopold III, Prince of Lippe upon his death in 1875. Apart from his grandmother Princess Pauline, who served as Regent for eighteen years for her son Leopold II until he reached his majority, no other Prince of Lippe dealt with government affairs as successfully as Woldemar did. Woldemar and his elder brother Leopold were the only ones of eight siblings who married and neither had any children. Woldemar died in 1895, aged 70. His only surviving brother Alexander suffered from mental illness and had been declared incapacitated and therefore, was incapable of governing. A regency was necessary during Alexander’s reign. This created a succession crisis. After the death of Woldemar’s successor and brother Alexander and the extinction of the Lippe-Detmold line, the throne of the Principality of Lippe went to Count Leopold of Lippe-Biesterfeld who would be the last Prince of Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Woldemar, Prince of Lippe

March 20, 1926 – Death of Lovisa of Sweden, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Lovisa was the only surviving child of King Carl XV of Sweden and Princess Louise of the Netherlands. She has an interesting royal ancestry. Besides being descended from the Kings of Sweden, Lovisa is also a descendant of Empress Josephine of France via her first marriage, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King Willem I of the Netherlands, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, and King George I of Great Britain. In 1869, she married the future King Frederik VIII of Denmark. They had eight children including King Christian X of Denmark, Prince Carl of Denmark later King Haakon VII of Norway, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark whose children include Märtha Louise, Crown Princess of Norway and Astrid, Queen of the Belgians. Louise died on March 20, 1926, at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Lovisa of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

March 20, 1934 – Death of Queen Emma of the Netherlands, born Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont, wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands, at the Palace Lange Voorhout in The Hague, the Netherlands; buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
In 1877, Queen Sophie, the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands died, and Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. One of his three children (all sons) had died and neither of the other two sons was married. At the suggestion of his only sister, he got in touch with the royal couple of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who had several marriageable daughters. In July 1878, Willem visited the family at their summer home where he met 23-year-old Princess Pauline and 20-year-old Princess Emma. His eyes first fell on Pauline, but soon he chose Emma and proposed to her. Willem was 61 years old, 41 years older than Emma. Emma had lessons in the Dutch language and history before her marriage because she wanted to come to her new country Dutch. The couple was married on January 7, 1879. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. Their only child Wilhelmina succeeded her father as Queen of the Netherlands. Emma ably served for eight years as Regent of the Netherlands when her ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina became Queen of the Netherlands. Emma died on March 20, 1934, at the age of 75 from pneumonia.
Unofficial Royalty: Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen of the Netherlands

March 20, 1947 – Birth of Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan in Amman, Jordan
Prince Hassan is the son of King Talal and Queen Zein and a younger brother of  King Hussein I. In 1965, King Hussein I named his brother Hassan Crown Prince, and he often served as Regent. He remained Crown Prince until just days before King Hussein died in 1999 when the King named his eldest son Abdullah as Crown Prince. In 1968, Hassan married Sarvath Ikramullah and the couple had four children. Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath often represent the Jordanian royal family at royal events around the world.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Hassan of Jordan

March 20, 2004 – Death of Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, formerly Queen Juliana, at the Soestdijk Palace in Baarn, the Netherlands; buried at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Hendrik of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 1936, she married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld and they had four daughters. After a reign of nearly 58 years, Queen Wilhelmina abdicated in favor of her daughter and Juliana became Queen of the Netherlands. Juliana was a much more relaxed monarch than her mother had been and this lessened the distance between the royal family and the Dutch people. She often appeared in public dressed like any ordinary Dutch woman, and preferred to be addressed as “Mevrouw” (Dutch for “Mrs.”) rather than her formal “Majesty”. Juliana’s love of bicycling for exercise gave rise to the royal family’s nickname, “the cycling family.” In 1980, Juliana abdicated in favor of her eldest daughter Beatrix. After 1995, when Juliana’s general health began to decline, she made fewer public appearances. Her last public appearance was in 1998 at the wedding of her grandson Prince Maurits. Juliana suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. She died in her sleep at the age of 94 due to pneumonia.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Juliana of the Netherlands

March 20, 2008 – Death of of Prince Ferdinando of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro in in Draguignan, France
Prince Ferdinando of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, was a claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and the former throne of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, from 1973 until he died in 2008.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ferdinando of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro

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Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

March 19, 1330 – Execution of Edmund, 1st Earl of Kent, son of King Edward I of England, for high treason at Winchester Castle in Winchester, England; initially buried at the Franciscan Friary in Winchester, in 1331 his remains were moved to Westminster Abbey
An unknown friar had persuaded Edmund that his half-brother, the deposed King Edward II, was still alive and he then set about raising forces to free him and restore him to the throne.  It later emerged that Roger Mortimer who helped overthrow Edward II was responsible for leading Edmund to believe the former king was still alive, in a form of entrapment.  Edmund was executed by beheading for high treason. The execution had to be held up for a day because no one wanted to be responsible for a prince’s death. Eventually, a convicted murderer agreed to be the executioner in return for a pardon.
Unofficial Royalty: Edmund, 1st Earl of Kent

March 19, 1604 – Birth of King João IV of Portugal at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, in Vila Viçosa, Portugal
João IV was the first King of Portugal from the Portuguese House of Braganza. The Braganzas came to power after deposing the Spanish Habsburg Philippine dynasty, which had reigned in Portugal since 1580. In 1633, João married Luisa de Guzmán. They had seven children including two kings of Portugal and Catherine of Braganza, the wife of King Charles II of England. In 1646, João IV placed the crown of Portugal on the head of a statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and proclaimed the Virgin Mary to be the queen, the patron saint, and the protector of Portugal. After this, no Portuguese monarch would ever wear the crown. Instead, the crown was always placed on a cushion beside the monarch. João IV, King of Portugal died on November 6, 1656, aged 52, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King João IV of Portugal

March 19, 1629 – Birth of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia in Moscow, Russia
Alexei was the son of the first Romanov ruler, Michael I, Tsar of All Russia. Sixteen-year-old Alexei succeeded his father upon his death in 1645. In 1648, Alexei married Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. They had thirteen children including Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia and Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia. In 1669, Alexei’s wife Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya died due to childbirth complications. Alexei’s only surviving sons were the future Tsars, Feodor III, who was disabled by an unknown disease that left him disfigured and partially paralyzed, and Ivan V, who had serious physical and mental disabilities. Alexei married again to Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina and hoped his second marriage would give him a healthy son, and it did, Peter I the Great, Emperor of All Russia. On February 8, 1676, five years after marrying Natalya Kiillovna, Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia died of a heart attack at the age of 46.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia

March 19, 1749 – Birth of Princess Louisa Anne of Wales, daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales and sister of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Leicester House in London, England
Louisa Anne’s father Frederick, Prince of Wales predeceased his father King George II and her brother King George III succeeded their grandfather.  died from tuberculosis at the age of 19. In 1764, an agreement had been reached for Louisa Anne to marry Crown Prince Christian of Denmark and Norway, the heir to the Danish and Norwegian thrones. However, because of Louisa Anne’s poor health, it was decided that Louisa Anne’s younger sister Caroline Matilda would marry the future King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway. Later in 1764, Louisa Anne received a marriage proposal from Adolf Friedrich IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the brother of Queen Charlotte, King George III’s wife. However, the negotiations were once again broken off because of concerns about Louisa Anne’s health. By the time Caroline Matilda left for Denmark, Louisa Anne’s health was deteriorating due to tuberculosis and she became an invalid. On May 13, 1768, nineteen-year-old Louisa Anne died from tuberculosis.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Louisa Anne of Wales

March 19, 1819 – Birth of Princess Caroline Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, second wife of Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz, in Homburg vor der Höhe, Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Caroline Amalie Elisabeth Auguste Friederike Ludowike Christiane Josephine Leopoldine George Bernhardine Wilhelmine Woldemare Charlotte
45-year-old Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz needed an heir. His first wife had died childless and so he married 20-year-old Caroline Amalie and the couple had five children. Heinrich XX died in 1859, Heinrich XXIII, his thirteen-year-old son, succeeded him as the 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz. Caroline Amalie was Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz from 1859 until 1867. Carolina Amalie survived her husband by thirteen years, dying on January 18, 1872, aged 52.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, Princess Reuss of Greiz

March 19, 1851 – Birth of Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Friedrich Franz Paul Nikolaus Ernst Heinrich
A rather sickly child, Friedrich Franz suffered from severe bronchial asthma and a weak heart that would plague him his entire life. In 1879, Friedrich Franz married Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia and Princess Cecilie of Baden. The couple had three children and they are ancestors of the Danish royal family through his daughter Alexandrine who married King Christian X of Denmark. Friedrich Franz became Grand Duke upon his father’s death on April 15, 1883. Because of his asthma, it was agreed that he would reside in Schwerin for five months of the year and was free to live elsewhere the rest of the year provided that any further children would be born in Schwerin.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

March 19, 1871 – Birth of Baroness Mary von Vetsera, mistress of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, in Vienna, Austria
Mary was the younger of the two daughters and the third of the four children of Albin von Vetsera, a diplomat in foreign service at the Austrian court, originally from Bratislava, Slovakia, and his wife Helene Baltazzi, daughter of a wealthy Greek banker. The affair of Crown Prince Rudolf and Mary was short-lived. On October 14, 1888, Emperor Franz Joseph, Crown Prince Rudolf, and The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, attended the gala opening of the new Burgtheater in Vienna. The Prince of Wales noticed Mary von Vetsera in the audience and pointed her out to Rudolf. A meeting between Rudolf and Mary was later arranged by Countess Marie Larisch, Empress Elisabeth’s niece and Rudolf’s cousin, who had become Mary’s friend. On November 5, 1888, Countess Marie brought Mary to Rudolf’s rooms at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna and formally introduced them. On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods that Rudolf had purchased, 30-year-old Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and shot himself in an apparent suicide plot.
Unofficial Royalty: Baroness Mary von Vetsera, Mistress of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria

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