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Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

November 14, 1567 – Birth of Maurits, Prince of Orange at Castle Dillenburg, the ancestral seat of the Orange branch of the House of Nassau now in Hesse, Germany 
Maurits was the only surviving son and the fourth of the five children of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and his second wife Anna of Saxony. In 1618, Maurits succeeded his childless half-brother Filip Willem. Maurits never married but he did have a number of illegitimate children.
Unofficial Royalty: Maurits, Prince of Orange

November 14, 1650 – Birth of Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England, at Binnenhof Palace in The Hague, the Dutch Republic now in the Netherlands
William was the only child of Willem II, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and Mary, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. William’s father died at age 24 of smallpox eight days before William’s birth, so from birth, William was the sovereign Prince of Orange. In 1677, William married his first cousin Mary, the elder surviving daughter of James, Duke of York, later King James II of England/James VII of Scotland. William followed Mary and her sister Anne in the line of succession to the English throne. In 1688, Mary’s father King James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution and Mary and her husband William became joint sovereigns as King William III and Queen Mary II. The couple had no children.
Unofficial Royalty: King William III of England, Prince of Orange

November 14, 1687 – Death of Nell Gwyn, mistress of King Charles II of England, in London, England; buried at the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England
Nell was an orange girl in the theater, selling fruit and sweetmeats within the theater. She later became an actress. The affair between Nell and King Charles II began in April 1668 when Nell was attending a performance at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theater. Charles II was in the next box and was more interested in flirting with Nell than watching the play. Charles II invited Nell and her escort to supper, along with his brother the Duke of York. Charles and Nell had one surviving son, Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans. The descendants of Nell and King Charles II have continued the line of the Dukes of St. Albans through the centuries. Nell remained one of Charles II’s mistresses until he died in 1685. On his deathbed, Charles remembered Nell when he told his brother James to look after his mistresses: “Let not poor Nelly starve.” King James II eventually paid most of Nell’s debts and gave her an annual pension of £1,500. In March 1687, Nell suffered a stroke, probably due to the effects of syphilis, that left her paralyzed on one side. Two months later, a second stroke left her confined to her bed. After suffering a third stroke, Nell died at the age of 37. Her funeral took place in a packed St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, where she was also buried, with many more mourners lining the streets outside the church.
Unofficial Royalty: Nell Gwyn, mistress of King Charles II of England

November 14, 1734 – Death of Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, mistress of King Charles II of England, in Paris, France; buried at the Church of the Carmelite Convent in Paris, France
Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth and King Charles II of England are the ancestors of Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom, Diana, Princess of Wales,  and Sarah, Duchess of York. In 1669, her parents arranged for her to be placed in the household of Henriette-Anne, Duchess of Orléans, at the Palace of Versailles, hoping Louise would catch the eye of King Louis XIV of France and become a royal mistress. In January 1670, Louise accompanied Henriette-Anne on a diplomatic mission to her brother King Charles II at Dover Castle in England. King Louis XIV hoped Louise would catch the eye of his first cousin King Charles II and then there would be a French mistress at the English court. When the diplomatic mission was completed, Henriette-Anne offered her brother his choice of jewelry from her jewelry box which Louise handed to her. Placing his hand on Louise’s hand, Charles is reputed to have said: “This is the only jewel I want!” Louise and Charles II had one child, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox.  Louise held on to the title of official mistress until the end of King Charles II’s life in 1685. The generous pension that Charles II had given her was rescinded in 1688 following the Glorious Revolution that deposed King James II and placed his daughter Queen Mary II and his nephew and Mary’s husband King William III upon the throne. Louise returned to France where King Louis XIV of France and King Louis XV  provided Louise with a pension and protected her against her creditors. Louise died in Paris, France, aged 85.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, mistress of King Charles II of England

November 14, 1812 – Birth of Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies, first wife of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies, in Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia, now in Italy
Full name: Maria Cristina Carlotta Giuseppa Gaetana Efisia
Maria Cristina was the daughter of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Maria Theresa of Austria-Este. In 1832, she married Ferdinando II, King of Two Sicilies. Maria Cristina was shy, modest, reserved, and a very devout Catholic. During the short time that she was Queen of the Two Sicilies, Maria Cristina prevented the carrying out of all death sentences. She was called “the Holy Queen” for her deep religious devotion. She endured her nearly constant illnesses with patience and piety and was popular with the people for her charity, modesty, and humility. On January 21, 1836, five days after giving birth to her only child, the future Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies, 23-year-old Maria Cristina died from childbirth complications. In 1859, a cause for the canonization of Maria Cristina as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church was opened. In 1872, Maria Cristina was declared a Servant of God and in 1937, she was declared a Venerable Servant of God. In 2013, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing a miracle due to her intercession and approved Maria Cristina’s beatification. She is known in the Roman Catholic Church as Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy and is one step away from canonization as a saint. On January 25, 2014, the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, Italy, the burial site of Maria Cristina, was the site of her beatification ceremony. Several thousand people attended the ceremony including the two branches of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
Unofficial Royalty: Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies

November 14, 1847 – Birth of Princess Yekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya, morganatic second wife of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, in Moscow, Russia
Princess Yekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Princess Catherine Dolgorukov in English, was first the mistress and then the second and morganatic wife of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. In 1880, six weeks after the death of his wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna from tuberculosis, Alexander II made a morganatic marriage with Catherine. This marriage caused a scandal in the Imperial Family and violated Russian Orthodox rules regarding the waiting period for remarriage following the death of a spouse. Alexander granted his new wife the title of Princess Yurievskaya and legitimized their four children who were then styled Prince/Princess. On March 13, 1881, Emperor Alexander was assassinated when a bomb was thrown into his carriage. Shortly after Alexander’s funeral, Catherine left Russia forever. She moved to France and, in 1888, settled in Nice on the French Riviera. where she died on February 15, 1922, at the age of 74, forgotten and ignored, her obituary only three lines long.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine Dolgorukov, Princess Yurievskaya

November 14, 1854 – Birth of Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe, Queen Victoria’s Acting Mistress of the Robes 1883–1885 and 1892–1895 and Lady of the Bedchamber 1897–1901, on Lower Brook Street in Mayfair, London, England
Born Lady Anne Spencer-Churchill, daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, she married James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe

November 14, 1866 – Death of the former King Miguel I of Portugal in exile in Bronnbach, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg; buried first in the Engelberg Monastery in Grossheubach, Kingdom of Bavaria; reburied in 1967 in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Miguel was the son of King João VI of Portugal who reigned until he died in 1826. At that time, João VI’s elder son succeeded to the throne as King Pedro IV. Pedro was king for only two months, abdicating in favor of his daughter Queen Maria II of Portugal. Maria Antonia’s father Miguel served as regent for his niece Maria II. As regent, Miguel claimed the Portuguese throne in his own right. This led to a difficult political situation, during which many people were killed, imprisoned, persecuted, or sent into exile, finally culminating in the Portuguese Liberal Wars. Ultimately, Miguel was deposed in 1834 and lived his last thirty-two years in exile. In 1851, Miguel married Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, and the couple had six daughters and a son. Through the marriages of their many children and grandchildren, Miguel and his wife Adelaide are the ancestors of the current monarchs of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Liechtenstein, as well as pretenders to the thrones of Portugal, Austria, Bavaria, and Italy. Miguel died while hunting at the age of 64.
Unofficial Royalty: King Miguel II of Portugal

November 14, 1893 – Birth of Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
Full name: Georg Philipp Albrecht Carl Maria Joseph Ludwig Lubertus Stanislaus Leopold
Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg was Head of the House of Württemberg, and pretender to the former throne, from 1939 until he died in 1975.
Unofficial Royalty: Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

November 14, 1923 – Death of Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover at Schloss Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria; buried in the mausoleum at Schloss Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria
The only son of King Georg V of Hanover, Ernst August was the last Crown Prince of Hanover and was the last to hold the British Dukedoms of Cumberland and Teviotdale. Ernst August became Crown Prince of Hanover upon his father’s accession in November 1851. However, in 1866, Hanover was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. The family went into exile in Austria but spent much of their time in Paris. In 1878, Ernst August married Princess Thyra of Denmark, the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and the couple had six children. Upon his father’s death in June 1878, Ernst August inherited his titles, becoming the 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, and Earl of Armagh in the United Kingdom, and became head of the House of Hanover. He was also made a Knight of the Order of the Garter by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, his father’s first cousin. However, Ernst August was removed from the roll of the Order of the Garter in 1915, and in 1917 was stripped of his title of Prince of the United Kingdom. As a result of the Titles Deprivation Act, in 1919 he was stripped of his British peerages for bearing arms against Great Britain during World War I. The titles – Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale – remain in abeyance, and his direct descendants could petition to have them restored. To date, no such petition has been made.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover

November 14, 1935 – Birth of King Hussein I of Jordan in Amman, Jordan
King Hussein of Jordan was one of the most important figures in the Middle Eastern region. His efforts for peace in the region earned him the respect of millions around the world. His father King Talal suffered from mental illness and was forced to abdicate in 1952 after a reign of only one year. The 16-year-old Hussein became King of Jordan with a regency council established until he reached the age of 18. King Hussein had four marriages and a total of eleven children. After a battle with lymphatic cancer, King Hussein died in 1999 and was succeeded by his son King Abdullah II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Hussein I of Jordan

November 14, 1948 – Birth of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Charles Philip Arthur George
Upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Charles succeeded to the throne as King Charles III of the United Kingdom. King Charles III is the first British monarch to be descended from two children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. All monarchs after Queen Victoria have been descendants of her eldest son and heir King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Through his father, Charles is also a descendant of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, the second daughter and third child of Queen Victoria.
Unofficial Royalty: King Charles III of the United Kingdom

November 14, 1973 – Wedding of Princess Anne of the United Kingdom and Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey in London, England
It was through their mutual love of horses that Mark Phillips met Princess Anne. The couple first met at the equestrian events during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City where Mark was a reserve member of the British equestrian team. The couple became engaged in April 1973  at the Badminton Horse Trials, the major equestrian event in the United Kingdom, in which both Anne and Mark competed. Buckingham Palace announced their engagement on May 29, 1973.  The couple had one son and one daughter. Princess Anne and Mark Phillips separated in 1989 and their divorce was finalized in 1992. Both Anne and Mark remarried.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Anne of the United Kingdom and Captain Mark Phillips

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Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

November 13, 1312 – Birth of King Edward III of England at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
King Edward III of England is considered one of the important English rulers of the Middle Ages. After the disastrous reign of his father King Edward II, Edward made his kingdom into one of the most organized military powers in Europe. In 1328, Edward III married Philippa of Hainault. The couple had fourteen children. Their sons married into the English nobility, and their descendants later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses. Edward’s main preoccupation during his 50-year reign was his claim to the French throne which started the Hundred Years War. The hero of these battles was Edward III’s eldest son and heir, Edward, Prince of Wales, who has come to be known as the Black Prince. The Black Prince died at the age of 45, probably of dysentery, in 1376, a year before his father died, and his son succeeded his grandfather as King Richard II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward III of England

November 13, 1717 – Birth of Prince George William of Great Britain, son of King George II of Great Britain, at St. James’ Palace in London, England
Little Prince George William lived from November 13, 1717 – February 17, 1718, three months and four days, but an event in his short life caused a huge family argument. The principals in the argument were George William’s grandfather King George I of Great Britain and his father The Prince of Wales, the future King George II of Great Britain. It was the beginning of the battles between fathers and sons that would plague the House of Hanover.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George William of Great Britain

November 13, 1726 – Death of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, the divorced wife of King George I of Great Britain, after 32 years of imprisonment at Castle of Ahlden in Principality of Celle now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried at Stadtkirche St. Marien in Celle
The marriage between first cousins Sophia Dorothea and George, the future King George I of Great Britain, was happy at first, but soon they both found affection elsewhere. George fell in love with one of his mother’s ladies-in-waiting, Melusine von der Schulenburg.  Sophia Dorothea fell in love with a Swedish Count, Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, an officer in the Hanoverian army. Despite warnings, from her mother and friends, Sophia Dorothea and her lover wrote letters to each other, met secretly, and planned to escape Hanover together. On the morning of July 2, 1694, after a meeting with Sophia Dorothea, von Königsmarck disappeared from Leineschloss Castle in Hanover and was never seen again. It was widely believed that George ordered von Königsmarck’s death. A tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion. Because she was considered the guilty party, Sophia Dorothea was not allowed to remarry, would never again see her children, and would be kept in captivity at the Castle of Ahlden for the last 32 years of her life. Sophia Dorothea suffered a stroke in August 1726 and never again left her bed. She refused medical attention and food and died at the age of 60. King George I would not allow mourning at the British court and was furious when he learned that his daughter, who had married King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, had ordered court mourning in Prussia.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Dorothea of Celle

November 13, 1801 – Birth of Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia, wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Elisabeth Ludovika was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Princess Caroline of Baden. She was the twin sister of Amalie Auguste below. In 1823, Elisabeth Ludovika married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, after four years of negotiations regarding religion. Friedrich Wilhelm was required to be Lutheran, while Elisabeth Ludovika was Catholic. Eventually, it was agreed that she could retain her religion with the expectation that she would eventually convert. She did convert, but not until 1830. Other than a stillborn child born early in their marriage, the couple had no children.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia

November 13, 1801 – Birth of Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, Queen of Saxony, wife of King Johann of Saxony, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Amalie Auguste was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Princess Caroline of Baden. She was the twin sister of Elisabeth Ludovika above. In 1822, Amalie Auguste married the future King Johann of Saxony. Their marriage was a happy one, and the couple had nine children including two Kings of Saxony. Amalie Auguste’s husband became the heir presumptive to the Saxony throne in 1836, when King Anton died and was succeeded by Johann’s elder brother, King Friedrich August II. Amalie Auguste and her husband were close with the King and his wife Maria Anna, who was Amalie Auguste’s younger sister, and the two women worked together to support numerous charities and institutions.
Unofficial Royalty: Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, Queen of Saxony

November 13, 1810 – Death of Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy, wife of King Louis XVIII of France, in exile at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, England; first buried at  in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London, England, a year later reinterred at the Cathedral of Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy
Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy was the wife of King Louis XVIII of France, although he did not become King until after her death, during the Bourbon Restoration. The couple married in 1771 but had no children. In June 1795, Marie Joséphine’s husband became the titular King of France following the death of the only surviving son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. However, as the French monarchy had been abolished years earlier, the two remained in exile as Count and Countess of Provence. They continued living in different parts of Europe before moving to England in 1808, taking up residence at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, England. Marie Joséphine died at Hartwell House at the age of 57.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy, Countess of Provence

November 13, 1848 – Birth of Albert I, Prince of Monaco in Paris, France
Full name: Albert Honoré Charles
Albert was the only child of Prince Charles III of Monaco and Antoinette de Merode. He made an unsuccessful marriage to Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, daughter of William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and Princess Marie Amélie of Baden. The couple had one child, the future Prince Louis II of Monaco. Their marriage was annulled by the Catholic Church. In 1889, upon the death of his father, Albert became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. The following month, he married the Dowager Duchess de Richelieu, born Marie Alice Heine in New Orleans, Louisiana. The marriage was childless. Besides being the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Albert I left an interesting legacy. He was a pioneer of oceanography and founded the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. His interest in the origins of man caused him to found the Institute for Human Paleontology in Paris, which conducted many archeological digs. Because of his quest for world peace, the prince founded the International Institute for Peace, a predecessor of the League of Nations and the United Nations.
Unofficial Royalty: Albert I, Prince of Monaco

November 13, 1856 – Death of Karl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen at Waldleiningen Castle in  Mörschenhardt, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in Amorbach Abbey until 1866, when his remains were moved to Waldleiningen Castle
Karl was the maternal half-brother of Queen Victoria. At the age of ten, Karl became Prince of Leiningen upon his father’s death in 1814. However, in 1806, the Principality of Leiningen had been mediatized – annexed to another state(s), while allowing certain rights to its former sovereign. The Principality of Leiningen ceased to exist and was divided between the Grand Duchy of Baden, the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the Grand Duchy of Hesse. The family retained Amorbach Abbey in Amorbach, which remains the family seat of the Princes of Leiningen. Karl suffered a severe apoplectic attack in 1855 which greatly affected his health. A second attack the following year proved fatal. Karl died at the age of 52 with his sister Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg by his bedside.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen

November 13, 1907 – Birth of Giovanna of Italy, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria, wife of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria, in Rome, Italy
Full name: Giovanna Elisabetta Antonia Romana Maria
Giovanna was the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and Princess Elena of Montenegro. In 1930, she married Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria. The couple had two children including Tsar Simeon III who succeeded his father and later as Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005 and as party leader until 2009. After the Soviet invasion and the abolition of the monarchy in the 1940s, the family lived in exile. In 1993, following the fall of the communist regime, Giovanna made a memorable visit to Bulgaria, on the 50th anniversary of her husband’s death.
Unofficial Royalty: Giovanna of Italy, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria

November 13, 1929 – Death of Princess Viktoria of Prussia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at the Hospital of St. Francis in Bonn, Germany; buried at Schloss Friedrichshof, Kronberg im Taunus, Germany
Princess Viktoria, known in the family as Moretta, was the daughter of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia. In 1890, she married Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe. Moretta suffered a miscarriage early in the marriage and the couple never had children.  After Adolf’s death, she made a controversial marriage to Alexander Zoubkov, a Russian refugee described as a “dancer”, who was 35 years younger and carelessly spent her money. Moretta was forced to sell the contents of Palais Schaumburg, her home in Bonn, Germany, but the sale did not net much money and she moved into a single furnished room in the Bonn suburb of Mehlem. In 1929, Moretta announced that she was divorcing her second husband but she died of pneumonia a few days later at the age of 63.
Unofficial Royalty: Viktoria of Prussia, Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Mrs. Zoubkoff

November 13, 1943 – Birth of Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, second wife of Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, pretender to the Serbian throne, born Katherine Clairy Batis in Athens, Greece
Katherine is the second wife of Alexander, Crown Prince of Serbia, the last heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and the current pretender to the throne of Serbia. She was previously married to Jack Andrews and has two children from that marriage. Katherine and Alexander have no children but Katherine is the stepmother to Alexander’s three sons from his first marriage to Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans Bragança. Katherine spends much time working with charitable organizations.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia

November 13, 1989 – Death of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein at a hospital in Grabs, Switzerland; buried in the Princely Crypt at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Franz Josef was named after Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria who was his mother’s paternal uncle and his godfather. In 1938, Franz Joseph succeeded his childless great-uncle Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Franz Josef was the first sovereign prince to live full-time in the principality and made his home at Vaduz Castle. In 1943, Franz Joseph married Countess Georgina von Wilczek. The couple had five children including the current Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II. In 1984, Franz Josef II handed over most of his powers to his son Hans-Adam. His wife Princess Gina died on October 18, 1989, at the age of 68 after a long battle with cancer. She had once said. “My husband and I have become one. Everyone believes we are not able to exist without the other.” Only 26 days after the death of his wife, Prince Franz Josef II died at the age of 83.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein

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Princess Grace of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

November 12, 1035 – Death of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway at Shaftesbury, Dorset, England; initially buried at the Old Minster in Winchester, England, remains now in Winchester Cathedral, Winchester, England
One of only two British monarchs to be given the epithet “the Great” (the other was Alfred the Great), Cnut was King of England, Denmark, and Norway, and his dominions were called the North Sea Empire. He was the elder son of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and Norway, and also King of England. Cnut the Great died when he was about 40 years old. He was buried at the Old Minster in Winchester, England. When the Old Minster was demolished in 1093, Canute’s remains were moved to Winchester Cathedral. They are among the remains in the mortuary chests that rest on top of the choir screen.
Unofficial Royalty: Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark and Norway

November 12, 1858 – Death of Prince Alois II of Liechtenstein at Lednice Castle in Eisgrub, Moravia, Kingdom of Bohemia, now Lednice, Czech Republic; buried at the Liechtenstein Crypt in Vranov near Brno, now in the Czech Republic
Full name: Alois Maria Josef Johann Baptista Joachim Philipp Nerius
In 1831, Alois married Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, and the couple had eleven children including two sovereign Princes of Liechtenstein. Upon the death of his father Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein in 1836, Alois became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1837, Alois went to the United Kingdom on a diplomatic mission and attended the coronation of Queen Victoria. Like his father and grandfather, Alois continued to modernize his estates and reorganize their administration. Prince Alois II was the first reigning prince to visit the Principality of Liechtenstein, as we know it today, but he did not live there.  He died, aged 62, on November 12, 1858, at Lednice Castle in Eisgrub, Moravia, Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, now Lednice, Czech Republic.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alois II of Liechtenstein

November 12, 1886 – Birth of Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera, son of Infante Antonio of Spain, Duke of Galliera (a grandson of King Ferdinand VII of Spain) and Infanta Eulalia of Spain (a daughter of Queen Isabella II), in Madrid, Spain
Full name: Alfonso María Francisco Antonio Diego
Alfonso was the husband of Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. In 1906, at the wedding of his first cousin King Alfonso XIII of Spain to Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Alfonso met the bride’s first cousin, Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The couple married in 1909 and had three sons.
Unofficial Royalty: Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera

November 12, 1929 – Birth of Grace Patricia Kelly, Princess Grace of Monaco, wife of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Grace was the daughter of John B. Kelly Sr., an American Olympic gold medalist in rowing, and Margaret Majer, the first coach of women’s teams at the University of Pennsylvania. Grace had a career as an actress and won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1954, for her role in The Country Girl. In 1955, Grace attended the Cannes Film Festival and was introduced to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. A relationship soon developed, and in December 1955, Rainier visited Grace and her family in Philadelphia. The couple’s engagement was announced in January 1956. They married on April 18, 1956, in Monaco and had three children including the current Prince of Monaco, Albert II. On September 13, 1982, while driving back to Monaco from the family’s home in France, Princess Grace suffered a stroke. The car veered off the road, and both Grace and her daughter Princess Stephanie were severely injured. Grace never regained consciousness, having suffered major internal injuries, and died on September 14, 1982.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Grace of Monaco

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Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

November 11, 1599 – Birth of Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, in Königsberg, Duchy of Prussia, now Kaliningrad, Russia
In 1620, Maria Eleonora married King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great of Sweden. Gustavus Adolphus is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history, making Sweden one of Europe’s largest and leading nations during the early modern period. Although Maria Eleonora’s husband Gustavus Adolphus was successful in many endeavors, he was not successful in providing a male heir. At the Battle of Lützen on November 16, 1632, Gustavus Adolphus was killed. His only surviving child was six-year-old Christina, Queen of Sweden who succeeded her father but never married,  abdicated, subsequently converted to Roman Catholicism, and moved to Rome. Already suffering from mental issues, Maria Eleonora’s grief was quite painful and her mental issues worsened considerably after her husband died in battle. Her young daughter’s regency government feared that Maria Eleonora’s mental instability would adversely influence the young Queen Christina. They decided to separate mother and daughter and Maria Eleonora was sent away from court. Years later, she was able to return to court and Nyköping Castle was granted to her as a residence by order of her daughter. Maria Eleanora survived her husband by twenty-three years, dying at the age of 55, on March 28, 1655, shortly after the abdication of her daughter Queen Christina.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden

November 11, 1748 – Birth of King Carlos IV of Spain at the Palace of Portici, Portici, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy
Full name: Carlos Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Januario Serafín Diego
In 1788, Carlos succeeded his father King Carlos III of Spain as King Carlos IV of Spain. Carlos IV would rather hunt than deal with government affairs and the running of the government was left mostly to his wife Maria Luisa of Parma and Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy. It is probable that de Godoy had a long-term relationship with Maria Luisa and that he was the father of her youngest son. In 1808, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII. Less than two months later, Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon I, Emperor of the French where he forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain. Carlos IV, his wife Maria Luisa, and some of their children were held captive. Napoleon kept Carlos and Maria Luisa’s son Fernando VII under guard in France for more than five years until the 1813 Treaty of Valençay provided for the restoration of Fernando VII as King of Spain. After Napoleon’s final defeat in 1815, King Fernando VII refused to allow his parents to return to Spain. Carlos IV and Maria Luisa settled in Rome at the Palazzo Barberini where they both died in 1819.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carlos IV of Spain

November 11, 1861 – Death of King Pedro V of Portugal at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon Portugal; buried at the  Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Pedro became King of Portugal in 1853 after his mother Queen Maria II of Portugal died in childbirth delivering her eleventh child who also died. As he was just sixteen, his father served as Regent until Pedro reached his majority two years later. Pedro quickly removed the Prime Minister and appointed more left-leaning politicians, ending years of unrest within the Portuguese government. In 1858, Pedro married Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who died two years later from diphtheria. King Pedro V died of typhoid fever in late 1861, along with two of his brothers. As he had no children from his brief marriage, Pedro was succeeded by his younger brother Luís.
Unofficial Royalty: King Pedro V of Portugal

 November 11, 1869 – Birth of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy in Naples, Italy
Full name: Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro
The only child of King Umberto I of Italy and Princess Margherita of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele III became King of Italy in 1900 upon the assassination of his father and reigned until his abdication in 1946. In 1896, Vittorio Emanuele III married Princess Elena of Montenegro. The couple had five children. After World War I, the Fascist movement, led by Benito Mussolini gained power. In 1922, all sense of democracy was pushed aside and Mussolini established himself as a dictator with Vittorio Emanuele III merely his puppet. After Italy’s defeat in World War II, a referendum was held to decide whether to retain the monarchy or become a republic. Hoping to save the monarchy, Vittorio Emanuele III abdicated in 1946, in favor of his son. However, his hopes were not realized, and the Italian monarchy was formally abolished just weeks later. The royal family was sent into exile. Vittorio Emanuele settled in Alexandria, Egypt, where he died on December 28, 1947.
Unofficial Royalty: King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy

November 11, 1882 – Birth of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf
In 1905, Gustav Adolf married Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple had five children. In 1920, Margaret was eight months pregnant with her sixth child when she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection set in, killing Margaret and her unborn child. In 1923, Gustav Adolf married Lady Louise Mountbatten (born Princess Louise of Battenberg). The couple had a stillborn daughter in 1925, and after that, they had no more children. Another tragedy hit in 1947 Gustav Adolf when his eldest son Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten was killed in an airplane crash. In 1950, Gustav Adolf became King of Sweden at age 67 upon the death of his father King Gustaf V. Gustaf Adolf’s personality, his informal and modest nature, and his expertise and interest in a wide range of areas made him popular with the Swedish people. It was said that he wrote 7,000 signatures per year and hosted 3,000 guests per year. He was the patron of about 200 scientific, sporting, and art organizations. King Gustaf VI Adolf died on September 15, 1973, just short of his 91st birthday, and he was succeeded by his 27-year-old grandson King Carl XVI Gustaf, the current King of Sweden.
Unofficial Royalty: King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden

November 11, 1917 – Death of Liliuokalani, former Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, the only queen regnant and the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, at her home, Washington Place in Honolulu, Hawaii
Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands was the only queen regnant and the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, reigning from 1891 until she was deposed in 1893. She composed Aloha ʻOe or Farewell to Thee, one of the most recognizable Hawaiian songs. In 1893, a group of local businessmen and politicians composed of six non-native Hawaiian Kingdom subjects, five American nationals, one British national, and one German national overthrew Queen Liliuokalani and took over the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Unofficial Royalty: Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands

November 11, 1953 – Death of Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess of Prussia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, died and buried at Schloss Hemmelmark in Barkelsby, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Irene was the daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and her husband Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. She is often overlooked, as history tends to focus on two of her sisters – Ella and Alix – who both married into the Russian Imperial Family and tragically lost their lives at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1918. Irene married her first cousin Prince Heinrich of Prussia, the son of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal. Like her mother and sister Alix, Irene was a hemophilia carrier and passed it to two of her three sons. They were two of the nine descendants of Queen Victoria who suffered from the disease. In 1894, Irene and Heinrich bought Hemmelmark, an estate in Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Germany, as it was close to Heinrich’s military base in Kiel. Hemmelmark would become the family’s primary home. It was there that Irene died at the age of 87.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess of Prussia
Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants

November 11, 1955 – Birth of former King Jigme Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan; born at Dechenchholing Palace in Thimphu, Bhutan
King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, 4th Dragon King of Bhutan reigned from 1972 until he abdicated in 2006 in favor of his son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Beginning his reign as an absolute monarch, Jigme Singye was instrumental in the democratization of the small nation, continuing the steps that his father had begun. He established and strengthened ties with neighboring India and put Bhutan on the map. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was the transition to a constitutional monarchy.
Unofficial Royalty: King Jigme Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan

November 11, 1981 – Birth of Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg; born at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Full name: Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie
Guillaume is the eldest of five children of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Cuban-born María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla and the heir to the throne of Luxembourg. In 2012,  Guillaume married Belgian-born Countess Stéphanie de Lanoy. The couple has two sons. Guillaume is a member of the State Council (Conseil d’Etat), composed of twenty-one citizens who advise the Chamber of Deputies, the legislature of Luxembourg, in the drafting of legislation. He also participates in the administration and fundraising of several organizations.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg

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King Leopold III of Belgium and Astrid of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

November 10, 1480 – Birth of Bridget of York, daughter of King Edward IV of England, at Eltham Palace in Kent, England
Destined to be a nun, Bridget of York was the youngest of the ten children of King Edward IV of England, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville. When Bridget entered Dartford Priory in Dartford, Kent, England to become a nun is unknown. Dartford Priory, founded by King Edward III and developed under his grandson and successor King Richard II, was chosen for Bridget because of its royal background and because it was common for daughters of the nobility to become nuns there. Very little is known about Bridget’s life once she entered Dartford Priory. Except for her mother’s funeral, there is no evidence that Bridget ever left Dartford Priory. Bridget died at Dartford Priory but exactly when she died is unknown. Bridget was interred in the choir of the Dartford Priory church. However, Dartford Priory was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 – 1541).
Unofficial Royalty: Bridget of York

November 10, 1495 – Death of Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, wife of two Danish kings, King Christopher and King Christian I; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
In 1445, 15-year-old Dorothea married 29-year-old Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Christopher suddenly died in 1448 without an heir. Dorothea married the new king Christian I in 1448. Christian I and Dorothea had five children. Their two surviving sons both became kings and their only daughter became a queen consort. Dorothea had a great influence on her husband and was the regent of his kingdoms when he was away. In 1481, Christian I died and was succeeded by his elder son Hans. Until her death, Dorothea remained politically active during Hans’ reign. Dorothea died in 1495 at the age of 65.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark

November 10, 1565 – Birth of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England, at Netherwood near Bromyard, Herefordshire, England
A favorite of Queen Elizabeth I but beheaded for treason, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex was the great-grandson of Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn, and the stepson of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite. Robert Dudley had much influence on his godson and stepson Robert Devereux. Robert served in the military under his stepfather’s command in the Netherlands. Several years before he died in 1588, Dudley introduced Robert to the Elizabethan court, and Elizabeth I increasingly became interested in the young man. Robert spent much time in the company of Elizabeth I and succeeded his stepfather in royal favor. Although Elizabeth I was thirty-two years older than Robert, she found it very pleasant to be adored by such a young man.
Unofficial Royalty – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England

November 10, 1683 – Birth of King George II of Great Britain at  Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
Full name: George Augustus
King George II  was the elder of the two children of Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George I of Great Britain), and his wife and first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle. Upon the death of Queen Anne in 1714, George II’s father became the first monarch from the House of Hanover. In 1705, George II married Caroline of Ansbach. The couple had eight children and through their children’s marriages, George and Caroline are the ancestors of many European royal families including the British, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish Royal Families. In 1727, King George I died in Hanover and was buried there. His son succeeded him as King George II. The composer George Frederick Handel was commissioned to write four new anthems for George II’s coronation, including the rousing Zadok the Priest which has been played at every British coronation ever since. You can see it performed here: YouTube: Zadok the Priest
Unofficial Royalty: King George II of Great Britain

November 10, 1697 – Birth of Louise Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco
Louise-Hippolyte was the second but the eldest surviving of the six daughters of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. Her father decided, with the permission of King Louis XIV of France, that Louise Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her. In 1715, Louise-Hippolyte married French noble Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon. They had nine children but only four survived to adulthood, including Honoré III, Prince of Monaco. When her father died, Louise-Hippolyte decreed that she would be the sole ruler, all documents would be issued in her name only, and her husband and children would stay in France. Louise-Hippolyte had a very short reign of ten months. Several weeks before Christmas of 1731, a smallpox epidemic spread through the Mediterranean coastal areas. Louise-Hippolyte died from smallpox, aged 34, on December 29, 1731.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco

November 10, 1710 – Birth of Adam Gottlob Moltke, favorite of King Frederik V of Denmark, in Riesenhof, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now Walkendorf in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Through the influence of his uncle, twelve-year-old Adam was employed as a page for Crown Prince Christian of Denmark in 1722. When Christian came to the throne in 1730 as Christian VI, King of Denmark, Adam was appointed chamberlain to Christian VI’s 7-year-old son Crown Prince Frederik (later Frederik V). The close relationship between Adam and Frederik was established and lasted until Frederik’s death. In 1746, when King Frederik V became King of Denmark, Adam was appointed Court Marshal of Denmark and was made a Privy Councilor. In addition, Adam was given the Bregentved estate in Haslev on the Danish island of Zealand and it is still owned by Adam’s descendants. In 1750, Frederik V created Adam a Count. Although Frederik V took part in the government by attending council meetings, he suffered from alcoholism, and therefore, most of his reign was dominated by his very able ministers led by Adam Gottlob Moltke.
Unofficial Royalty: Adam Gottlob Moltke, Favorite of King Frederik V of Denmark

November 10, 1720 – Birth of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco in Paris, France
Full name: Honoré Camille Léonor Grimaldi
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

November 10, 1849 – Birth of Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, husband of Louise, Princess Royal, in Edinburgh, Scotland
Full name: Alexander William George
Duff as he was called, was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay. In 1889, in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace, Duff married Princess Louise, the eldest daughter of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). Louise and Duff were third cousins via their mutual descent from King George III. Duff’s descent was via the future King William IV’s long-time relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan by whom he had ten children who married into the British aristocracy. The couple had three children but their only son was stillborn. Despite their age difference, the couple was well-matched and settled down to a life of country pursuits with the Duff managing his Scottish estates and Louise becoming an expert at salmon fishing.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

November 10, 1858 – Birth of Heinrich XXVII, 5th Prince Reuss of Gera in Gera, Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany
Heinrich XXVII was the last reigning Prince Reuss of Gera, abdicating after the German defeat in World War I, on November 11, 1918. In 1884, Heinrich XXVII married Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the daughter of Hermann, 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Leopoldine of Baden. Elise’s paternal grandmother was Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Heinrich XXVII and Elise had five children. After Heinrich XXVII abdicated, the new government of Reuss-Gera made an agreement with Heinrich XXVII that granted him some castles and land.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XXVII, 5th Prince Reuss of Gera

November 10, 1926 – Wedding of King  Leopold III of the Belgians and Princess Astrid of Sweden at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, Belgium
Astrid and Leopold first met during Leopold’s trip to Scandinavia in the fall of 1925. After that Leopold visited Astrid incognito. The two met again publicly at the christening of Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma in the middle of 1926. On September 21, 1926, shortly after the christening, Astrid and Leopold announced their engagement.  Astrid and Leopold had three children: Josephine-Charlotte who married Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, Baudouin, King of the Belgians, and Albert II, King of the Belgians. Their grandson Philippe, is the current King of the Belgians. Sadly, Astrid died in a car accident in 1935 at the age of 29.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Leopold III of the Belgians and Princess Astrid of Sweden

November 10, 1964 – Death of Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois, at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France; buried at the Chapelle de la Paix in Monaco 
Born Count Pierre de Polignac, Pierre was the husband of Princess Charlotte of Monaco, the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the father of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Once Pierre had produced a male heir, he was no longer necessary. His father-in-law Prince Louis II disliked him and Charlotte became unhappy shortly after the marriage. In the mid-1920s, the couple unofficially separated. Pierre and Charlotte were legally separated by a French court in 1930. On February 18, 1933, they were divorced by the ordinance of Prince Louis II, and the divorce was confirmed by a French tribunal in December 1933. During the reign of his son Prince Rainier III, Pierre lived in a villa near the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. Pierre died of cancer on November 10, 1964, and was buried at the Chapelle de la Paix in Monaco where his former wife Princess Charlotte, his daughter Princess Antoinette, and her deceased children have also been buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Pierre de Polignac, Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois

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King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

November 9, 1384 – Birth of Isabella of Valois, Queen of England, second wife of King Richard II of England, at Hotel du Louvre in Paris, France
Isabella was the daughter of King Charles VI of France and the elder sister of Catherine of Valois who married King Henry V of England. Soon after the death of his first wife Anne of Bohemia, the childless King Richard II of England began a search for a new wife. He turned to France seeking an alliance, and after negotiations, a marriage was arranged between Isabella and Richard who was 22 years older than his bride. Isabella lived apart from Richard at Windsor Castle. Richard visited her frequently and a strong affection developed between the partners of this unconsummated marriage. In 1399, Richard II was forced to abdicate in favor of his cousin who became King Henry IV. He was imprisoned at Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire where he died on or around February 14, 1400. The exact cause of his death, thought to have been starvation, is unknown. Eventually, Isabella returned to France and married her cousin Charles, Duke of Orléans. She died at the age of 19, a few hours after giving birth to her only child.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of Valois, Queen of England

November 9, 1620 – Death of Louise de Coligny, Princess of Orange, fourth wife of Willem I, Prince of Orange (the Silent) at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France; buried with her husband in the Old Crypt of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
Louise’s father Gaspard II de Coligny was a French nobleman and admiral but is best remembered as a leader of the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants). Both Louise’s father and her first husband Charles de Teligny were killed during the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572 when thousands of French Huguenots were murdered. In 1583, Louise became the fourth wife of Willem I, Prince of Orange.  Willem and Louise had one son Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange whose son Willem II, Prince of Orange was the father of Willem III, Prince of Orange who was later King William III of England. On July 10, 1584, a little more than six months after the birth of her son, Louise was widowed for the second time when Willem I, Prince of Orange was assassinated. Louise then raised her son and Willem’s six daughters from his third marriage to Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier. She remained an advocate of Protestantism all her life. Louise lived in Delft, the Netherlands until one year before her death when she went to the court of Marie de’ Medici, Queen Dowager of France, at the Château de Fontainebleau in France, where she died, aged 65.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise de Coligny, Princess of Orange

November 9, 1841 – Birth of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Albert Edward
In 1863, Bertie, as he was called in the family, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark (Alix) and the couple had six children. Bertie had several mistresses but apparently, Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. After waiting 59 years, Bertie became king upon the death of his mother Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901. Bertie and Alix had begun the idea of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign. Bertie had royal palaces repaired and reintroduced traditional ceremonies, such as the State Opening of Parliament, that Queen Victoria had ceased to participate in. Bertie was known as “the Uncle of Europe” because he was related to many other royals.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

November 9, 1907 – Birth of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, pretender to the Prussian throne from 1951 until he died in 1994, at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg
Louis Ferdinand was the son of Crown Prince Wilhelm, the last Crown Prince of the German Empire and Prussia, and the grandson of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. He married Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia. They were second cousins, once removed, through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

November 9, 1953 – Death of Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud), first King of Saudi Arabia, at Ta’if, Saudi Arabia; buried at Al Od Cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz was an Arab tribal leader who founded the Kingdom of  Saudi Arabia. He was King of Saudi Arabia from 1932 until he died in 1953. He had ruled parts of the kingdom since 1902, having previously been Emir, Sultan, and King of Nejd, and King of Hejaz. Abdulaziz had a polygamous household comprising several wives at a time and numerous concubines. It is thought he had a total of 22-24 wives. He was the father of almost a hundred children, including 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood. The six Kings of Saudi Arabia who followed King Abdulaziz were all his sons including Salman, the current King of Saudi Arabia. At the age of 78, Abdulaziz died in his sleep from a heart attack with his son Prince Faisal, a future King of Saudi Arabia, at his bedside.
Unofficial Royalty: King Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud) of Saudi Arabia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is not to be copied under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

November 8, 1622 – Birth of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden at Nyköping Castle, Sweden
Karl Gustav was the eldest of the three sons of Johann Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Princess Katarina of Sweden. In 1654, he became King of Sweden upon the abdication of his cousin Christina, Queen of Sweden. Four months after becoming king, Karl Gustav married Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. They had only one child, the future Karl XI, King of Sweden, who succeeded his father. Karl Gustav’s short reign concentrated on the healing of domestic discords from the reign of Queen Christina and the rallying of Sweden around his new policy of conquest. He achieved great military successes in the Second Northern War against Denmark-Norway and Poland-Lithuania.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl X of Sweden

November 8, 1715 – Birth of Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Queen of Prussia, wife of King Friedrich II of Prussia (the Great), at Schloss Bevern in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
In 1733, Elisabeth Christine married Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia. The marriage had been arranged between the groom’s father, King Friedrich Wilhelm I in Prussia, and the bride’s uncle, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. They had no children and lived separate lives until their deaths. In 1740, Elisabeth’s father-in-law died and her husband succeeded him. Despite their separation, Friedrich II understood the importance of court life and ensured that Elisabeth Christine had a prominent and official role. While Friedrich II rarely attended any court functions, Elisabeth Christine was always there, often representing him, even at his own birthday celebrations. Beloved by the people of Prussia, Elisabeth Christine became a symbol of strength during the Seven Years’ War. Further endearing herself to the Prussian people was her charity work. She donated the majority of her allowance to charitable causes each year. Widowed in 1786, the Dowager Queen continued to have a very prominent role at court and was often consulted on etiquette and court life matters. Eleven years after the death of her husband, Elisabeth Christine died at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia

November 8, 1746 – Birth of Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, first wife of the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia
In 1765, Elisabeth Christine married her first cousin, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II), in a marriage arranged by their mutual uncle, King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia. The couple had one daughter Frederica Charlotte who married Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second son of King George III of the United Kingdom. Elisabeth Christine’s marriage was not happy. Friedrich Wilhelm had constant affairs and completely ignored and neglected his wife. Elisabeth Christine soon began her own affair and found herself pregnant. Her lover, a musician, was arrested and reportedly beheaded, and Elisabeth Christine took some drugs to end her pregnancy. Her marriage ended in divorce and she spent the rest of her life under house arrest. She never saw her daughter Frederica again. Elisabeth Christine died on February 18, 1840, at the age of 93, after spending 71 years under house arrest.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia

November 8, 1768 – Birth of Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Princess Augusta was the second of the six daughters and the sixth of the fifteen children in her family. Augusta’s childhood was very sheltered and she spent most of her time with her parents and sisters.  The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Three of Augusta’s six sisters eventually married, all later than was the norm for the time. Starved for male companionship, Sophia got pregnant by her father’s 56-year-old equerry and secretly gave birth to a boy who was placed in a foster home.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom

November 8, 1777 – Birth of Anna Petrovna Lopukhina, mistress of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia
In 1798, Paul I, Emperor of All Russia visited Moscow. At a court ball, he noticed 21-year-old Anna Petrovna Lopukhina and became infatuated. In the fall of 1798, the Lopukhin family moved to St. Petersburg where they lived at 10 Palace Embankment, a street along the Neva River where the Winter Palace was located. Anna’s stepmother was made a lady-in-waiting at court and Anna was made a maid of honor. She quickly replaced Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova as Paul’s official mistress. In 1799, Anna asked Paul’s permission to marry a childhood friend, Prince Pavel Gavrilovich Gagarin. Upon her marriage, Anna was appointed a lady-in-waiting. Paul’s feelings for Anna did not change after her marriage and she continued to be his official mistress until his assassination in 1801.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Petrovna Lopukhina, mistress of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

November 8, 1777 – Birth of Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway, wife of King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway (born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte), in Marseilles, France
Full name: Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary
Désirée was the youngest of the nine children of François Clary, a wealthy French merchant. Through Désirée and her sister Julie, their parents are the ancestors of the royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Désirée became engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte in April 1795, but Napoleon soon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais, and the engagement ended in September 1795. In 1798, Désirée married Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a noted French general and future King of Sweden and Norway. They had one son, born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte, later King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. In August 1810, Désirée’s husband was elected Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway to succeed the childless King Carl XIII of Sweden and Norway. Not wanting to leave Paris, Désirée did not initially accompany her husband to Sweden. When she eventually did go to Sweden, she did not like it at all and returned to Paris. In 1818, King Carl XIII of Sweden died, and Désirée’s husband ascended the thrones of Sweden and Norway as King Carl XIV Johan. However, Désirée, now known as Queen Desideria, would not return to Sweden until 1823. Although she planned to make just a temporary visit, Désirée would remain in Sweden for the rest of her life.
Unofficial Royalty: Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden

November 8, 1830 – Death of Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies in the Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy; buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples
Francesco first married his double first cousin Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria.  They had two children before Maria Clementina died from tuberculosis in 1801. In 1802, Francesco married another first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain. They had twelve children over twenty-three years. Unusual for the time, all twelve survived childhood. In 1825, when his father died, Francesco became King of the Two Sicilies. His reign was only five years long as he died in 1830 at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies

November 8, 1859 – Death of Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz in Greiz, Principality of Reuss-Greiz, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried at the Stadtkirche St. Marien, now in Greiz, Thuringia, Germany
In 1834, Heinrich XX married Princess Sophie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg but their childless marriage lasted until Sophie’s death four years later. In 1836, Heinrich XX’s elder brother Heinrich XIX, 3rd Prince Reuss of Greiz died. Because his brother had no son to succeed him, Heinrich XX became the 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz. In 1839, Heinrich XX married Caroline Amalie of Hesse-Homburg and the couple had five children. Heinrich XX died at the age of 65, and his thirteen-year-old son Heinrich XXII succeeded him as the 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz. Heinrich XX’s widow Caroline Amalie was Regent during the minority of their son.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz

November 8, 1876 – Death of Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen of Spain, wife of King Amadeo I of Spain, at the Villa Dufour in San Remo, Italy; buried at the Basilica of Superga, Turin, Italy
Maria Vittoria was from an Italian noble family and inherited her father’s noble titles becoming Princess della Cisterna, Princess di Belriguardo, Marchioness di Voghera, and Countess di Ponderano in her own right. She married Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, the second son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy. Amedeo and Maria Vittoria had three sons. Their descendants through their eldest son have been the disputed claimants to the headship of the House of Savoy along with descendants of Amedeo’s brother King Umberto I of Italy. After Queen Isabella II of Spain was deposed in 1870, Amedeo was elected King of Spain and Maria Vittoria was Queen Consort. Without popular support, Amedeo abdicated the Spanish throne in 1873 and left Spain. Maria Vittoria had given birth to her last child only two weeks before the abdication. The recent childbirth, the stress of the abdication, and the exile from Spain exacerbated her poor physical condition and 29-year-old Maria Vittoria died from tuberculosis.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen of Spain

November 8, 1877 – Death of Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, Queen of Saxony, wife of King Johann of Saxony, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral
In 1822, Amalie Auguste married the future King Johann of Saxony. Their marriage was a happy one, and the couple had nine children including two Kings of Saxony. Amalie Auguste’s husband became the heir presumptive to the Saxony throne in 1836 when King Anton died and was succeeded by Johann’s elder brother, King Friedrich August II. Amalie Auguste and her husband were close with the King and his wife, Amalie Auguste’s younger sister, and the two women worked together to support numerous charities and institutions. Amalie Auguste’s husband became King of Saxony upon his brother’s death in 1854 and reigned until he died in 1873. Amalie Auguste survived her husband by four years, dying at the age of 76.
Unofficial Royalty: Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, Queen of Saxony

November 8, 1906 – Birth of Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, son of Ernst Ludwig, the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl
George Donatus was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria. In 1931, he married Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark. She was the daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, and a sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Cecilie and Georg Donatus were first cousins once removed through Cecilie’s mother. The couple had two sons and one daughter. When his father died in 1937, Georg Donatus became head of the family. However, as the throne no longer existed, he did not assume the title of Grand Duke. Despite the formal mourning, it was decided that Georg Donatus’  brother Ludwig would marry The Honorable Margaret Geddes in England as scheduled for the following month. On November 16, 1937, Georg Donatus, his wife Cecilie, their two sons Ludwig and Alexander, and his mother Grand Duchess Eleonore boarded a flight for London to attend the wedding. Tragically, the plane crashed in Belgium, and all aboard were killed.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse
Unofficial Royalty: November 16, 1937 – Deaths of the Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine

November 8, 1933 – Assassination of King Nadir Shah of Afghanistan at the Royal Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan; buried in the King Nadir Shah Mausoleum in Kabul
Mohammad Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan was shot and killed by an assassin while taking part in a high school awards ceremony at the Royal Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Mohammed Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan

November 8, 1948 – Death of Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria in St. Gilgen, Salzburg, Austria; buried in the local cemetery.
Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria, Prince of Tuscany was the Pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany from 1921 until he died in 1948.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria

November 8, 2003 – Birth of Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, England
Full name: Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary
Lady Louise was born prematurely and delivered by emergency cesarean section after The Countess of Wessex suffered placental abruption which caused significant blood loss to the Countess and fetal distress to Louise. Mother and daughter spent two weeks in the hospital. The titles and styles of Louise and her brother James are often disputed. Under the terms of King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917, as grandchildren of the sovereign in the male line, they are Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom, with the style of Royal Highness. However, at the time of Edward and Sophie’s marriage, a press release was issued from Buckingham Palace. Along with announcing Prince Edward’s new title as Earl of Wessex, it stated that Queen Elizabeth II, with the agreement of Edward and Sophie, had decided that any children born to them should not be given the style of Royal Highness, but instead, be given courtesy titles as children of an Earl.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor

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Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

November 7, 1713 – Death of Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein, the third cousin and first of the four wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
Maria Gabriele was the daughter of Hans-Adam I, the sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein who reigned 1684 – 1712. On December 1, 1712, in Vienna, twenty-year-old Maria Gabriele married twenty-two-year-old Josef Johann Adam, who became the sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein in 1721, after Maria Gabriele’s death. Sadly, after only eleven months of marriage, Maria Gabriele, aged twenty-one, died due to childbirth complications on November 7, 1713, while giving birth to her only child Prince Karl Anton of Liechtenstein who died in 1715.
Unofficial Royalty: The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

November 7, 1745 – Birth of Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, at Leicester House in London, England
Henry was the son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased his father, King George II of Great Britain, and the brother of King George III of the United Kingdom. Henry annoyed his brother King George III when he married Anne Horton, daughter of Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton, and the widow of Christopher Horton of Catton Hall. King George III did not approve of the marriage as Anne was a commoner and had previously married. This marriage led to the passing of the Royal Marriages Act in 1772.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn

November 7, 1827 – Death of Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of Saxony, second wife of King Anton of Saxony, in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried at the Dresden Cathedral in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Maria Theresia was the eldest child of Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (later Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor) and Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain. In 1787, she married the future King Anton of Saxony. The couple had four children, none of whom lived past infancy. In 1827, Maria Theresia and her husband became King and Queen of Saxony. Sadly, her tenure as Queen was short-lived. Just six months after her husband’s accession, Queen Maria Theresia died at the age of 60.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of Saxony

November 7, 1898 – Death of Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, at Schloss Ort in Gmunden, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Maria Antonia was the daughter of Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Isabella of Spain. In 1833, she became the second wife of her first cousin Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Saxony. They had ten children including Leopoldo’s heir, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinand IV. In 1859, the Grand Ducal family was forced to flee Tuscany permanently because of the wars caused by the Italian unification movement, and the family took refuge in Austria. Leopoldo II abdicated in favor of his son Ferdinand IV who was Grand Duke of Tuscany in name but never really reigned. The family settled in the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire ruled by Leopoldo’s Austrian Habsburg relatives.  After her husband died in 1879, Maria Antonia mostly lived at Schloss Ort in Gmunden, a town on the Traunsee, a lake in Austria. She survived her husband by twenty-eight years, dying at the age of 83.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

November 7, 2000 – Death of Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Frederik IX of Denmark, at Fredensborg Castle in Fredensborg, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
A great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Ingrid was the only daughter of the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught. In 1935, she married the future King Frederik IX of Denmark. The couple had three daughters including the current monarch of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II. As Queen, Ingrid reformed some outdated practices at court and created a more relaxed atmosphere. She was interested in gardening and art. After doing her own research on the original appearance of Gråsten Palace, she oversaw the renovations there. Queen Ingrid died at the age of 90, surrounded by her three daughters and her ten grandchildren.
Unofficial Royalty: Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

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Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

November 6, 1479 – Birth of Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon in Toledo, Kingdom of Castile, now in Spain
Juana was the daughter of Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León, and the elder sister of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. She married Philip of Austria, often called Philip of Habsburg or Philip the Handsome. He was the heir of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right, the ruler of a collection of states known as the Burgundian State, and Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. Juana was declared insane and confined in the Royal Convent of Santa Clara in Tordesillas under the orders of her father, who ruled as regent until he died in 1516 when she inherited his kingdom as well. From 1516, when her son Charles I ruled as king, she was nominally co-monarch but remained confined until her death. Joanna’s death resulted in the personal union of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, as her son Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, also became King of Castile and Aragon. Most historians now agree Juana was clinically depressed and not insane as commonly believed.
Unofficial Royalty: Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon

November 6, 1550 – Birth of Karin Månsdotter, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Eric XIV of Sweden, in Stockholm, Sweden
Karin Månsdotter was one of several mistresses of Erik XIV, King of Sweden, and then briefly his Queen Consort. Erik first met Karin at an inn where she was a serving girl. Erik brought Karin into the palace where she worked as a chambermaid for Erik IV’s half-sister. Erik suffered from occasional bouts of mental illness and those closest to him noted that Karin had a calming effect on him. Erik and Karin had four children. The first two were born before the second official marriage in 1568 but were later legitimized. The last two died in early childhood. In 1567, Erik and Karin were married morganatically in a secret ceremony. In 1568, Karin was ennobled and a second official wedding was held in Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden, followed the next day by Karin’s coronation as Queen of Sweden. Due to Erik’s behavior and his marriage to Karin, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against him that ended in his removal as King of Sweden in 1568. Erik was imprisoned as was Karin for a while. After Erik’s death, probably a murder from arsenic poisoning, Karin was granted an estate in Kangasala, Finland by Erik’s half-brother King Johan III  where she lived comfortably for the rest of her life.
Unofficial Royalty: Karin Månsdotter, Queen of Sweden

November 6, 1612 – Death of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales at St. James’ Palace in London, England, son of King James I of England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
The heir to the thrones of England and Scotland, by the time he was 18 years old, Henry was physically mature, well-educated, an independent thinker, and ready to assume some government responsibility. He was on his way to making an excellent and popular king. Henry died of typhoid fever at age 18.  His brother Charles (later King Charles I) became heir to the throne.  Henry’s death was considered a national tragedy. In October 1612, Henry developed several symptoms including a fast pulse, a fever, a red face, a swollen stomach, gastrointestinal symptoms, and severe thirst. Later he developed delirium and violent convulsive movements. His doctors suspected poisoning but with modern medical knowledge, it is now suspected that Henry died from typhoid fever. Henry’s death caused immense grief across England and Scotland and in his family. King James I was too distraught to attend the funeral. Months later, in the middle of a meeting, he broke down, crying, “Henry is dead, Henry is dead.” His mother Queen Anne could not bear to have Henry’s death mentioned and people were advised not to give her condolences.  Henry’s brother, the future King Charles I, who was now the heir to the throne, felt the loss deeply and insisted until the end of his life that Henry had been poisoned. We can only wonder how different English history might have been if Henry Frederick had been King instead of his brother King Charles I.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales

November 6, 1650 – Death of Willem II, Prince of Orange from smallpox at The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands; buried in the Royal Vault of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
In 1641, at the Chapel Royal of the Palace of Whitehall in London, England, 15-year-old Willem married nine-year-old Mary, Princess Royal, the daughter of King Charles I of England. Because of Mary’s young age, the marriage was not consummated for several years. In 1650, Mary was pregnant with her first child when her husband Willem II fell ill with smallpox. He died on November 6, 1650, at the age of 24. Eight days later, Mary gave birth to her only child Willem III, Prince of Orange who married his first cousin Mary, the eldest surviving child of the future King James II of England. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which James II was deposed, they jointly reigned as King William III and Queen Mary II. At later dates, King William III’s mother Mary, Princess Royal, and his wife Queen Mary II of England also died from smallpox.
Unofficial Royalty: Willem II, Prince of Orange

November 6, 1656 – Death of King João IV of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal; buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, 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 next to 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

November 6, 1661 – Birth of King Carlos II of Spain at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid, Spain
Carlos II was the last Spanish king from the House of Habsburg. He had physical and mental conditions probably caused by the continued inbreeding of the House of Habsburg. Carlos was a weak, sick child from birth. He did not learn to talk until he was four years old and could not walk until he was eight years old. Like many of the Habsburg family, Carlos had the Habsburg jaw (mandibular prognathism), a disfiguring genetic disorder in which the lower jaw outgrows the upper jaw. When Carlos died without children, the Spanish House of Habsburg became extinct. Carlos II was succeeded by his half-sister’s grandson Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou who reigned as Felipe V, King of Spain, the first monarch of the House of Bourbon which still reigns in the Kingdom of Spain today.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carlos II of Spain

November 6, 1754 – Birth of King Friedrich I of Württemberg at Treptow Palace in Treptow an der Rega, Pomerania, now Trzebiatów, Poland
Full name: Friedrich Wilhelm Karl
Friedrich first had a very unsuccessful marriage to Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. She was the daughter of Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and Princess Augusta of Great Britain (sister of King George III of the United Kingdom). Her younger sister Caroline later married the future King George IV of the United Kingdom and also had a very unsuccessful marriage. Friedrich and Augusta had four children. In 1797, Friedrich married again to Charlotte, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom. They had one stillborn daughter born in 1798. Upon his father’s death in December 1797, Friedrich became Duke of Württemberg.  When the Holy Roman Empire was reorganized following France’s annexation of the west bank of the Rhine, Württemberg was raised to an Electorate and Friedrich became Elector in 1803.  In exchange for providing France with a large armed force, Napoleon allowed Friedrich to raise Württemberg to a kingdom in 1805.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich I of Württemberg

November 6, 1796 – Birth of Leopold II, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
When Leopold II was just five years old, his father Leopold I, Prince of Lippe died at the age of 34. Leopold II’s mother Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg very capably acted as Regent of the Principality of Lippe until 1820. In 1820, Leopold II married Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. They had nine children including three reigning Princes of Lippe. Leopold, shy by nature, lived a restrained life. He had two passions: hunting and the theater. The Lippe Princely Court Theater (Hochfürstliches Lippisches Hoftheater) he established in Detmold was among the best in the German monarchies. The theater established by Leopold II is still in existence today. Now called the Landestheater Detmold, it is a theater for operas, operettas, musicals, ballets, and stage plays in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold II, Prince of Lippe

November 6, 1816 – Death of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried at the New Crypt of the Johanniterkirche in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Carl was the brother of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III of the United Kingdom. Carl married two sisters Princess Friederike and Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt. Friederike died in childbirth delivering her tenth child and Charlotte died in childbirth giving birth to her only child. After the death of his childless brother in 1794, Carl succeeded him as Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was raised to a Grand Duchy. In the summer of 1816, while Carl was throughout the German monarchies and visiting to visit family, he developed an inflammation of the lungs. Despite appearing to recover, he fell ill again that autumn and died at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

November 6, 1817 – Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of The Prince of Wales (later King George IV), in childbirth after delivering a stillborn son, at Claremont House in Esher, Surrey, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Charlotte was the only child of George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV). She married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, the future uncle of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the future king of Belgium. Had Charlotte lived, she would have succeeded her father as Queen, but on November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family. After a labor of over 50 hours, Charlotte delivered a stillborn son. Several hours later, twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte, King George III’s only legitimate grandchild, died of postpartum hemorrhage. Charlotte was mourned by the British people in a manner similar to the mourning of Diana, Princess of Wales. Charlotte’s pregnancy and delivery were grossly mismanaged and the doctor in charge, Sir Richard Croft, later died by suicide.
Unofficial Royalty: Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth and its impact on the succession to the British throne
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Wales

November 6, 1836 – Death of former King Charles X of France at the palace of Count Michael Coronini von Cronberg in Gorizia, in present-day Italy; buried at the Church of Saint Mary of the Annunciation on Kostanjevica Hill in present-day Nova Gorica, Slovenia
King Charles X was the last King of France from the House of Bourbon. He was the third son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and the younger brother of the ill-fated King Louis XVI. When Napoleon was overthrown in 1814, the Bourbons were restored and Charles’ elder brother became King Louis XVIII. In 1824, King Louis XVIII died, and Charles succeeded to the French throne as King Charles X. He would be very unpopular with the French people, and would not remain on the throne for very long. His actions led to the July Revolution of 1830, which led to his abdication. Charles lived in exile for the rest of his life. He died from cholera at the age of 79.
Unofficial Royalty: King Charles X of France

November 6, 1894 – Birth of Elisabeth Franziska von Bischoff-Korthaus, known as Ellen Bischoff-Korthaus, the wife of Adolf II, the last reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Ellen was an actress under the stage name Ellen Korth. Besides her stage work, she had roles in two silent films in 1918. In 1918, she married Prince Eberwyn of Bentheim and Steinfurt but the couple divorced in 1919. In 1920, Ellen married Adolf II, the last reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. Ellen and Adolf’s marriage was childless. After the end of the German Empire, Adolf was exiled from the Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe and he and Ellen lived mostly in the Brionian Islands, then Italy, now in Croatia. Ellen and Adolf died in an airplane crash in Zumpango, Mexico. Adolf and Ellen were killed along with eight other passengers from Germany, Austria, and Hungary, and four crew members. Their plane developed engine trouble and crashed between the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl as they were flying from Mexico City, Mexico to Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Unofficial Royalty: Ellen Bischoff-Korthaus, Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe

November 6, 1896 – Birth of Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse, Head of the Electoral House of Hesse-Kassel and Head of Grand Ducal House of Hesse and by Rhine, at Rumpenheim Castle in Offenbach, Germany
Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse became head of the Electoral House of Hesse (also known as Hesse-Kassel) in 1940. In 1968, upon the death of his childless distant cousin, Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, Philipp inherited the headship of the former Grand Ducal House of Hesse and by Rhine. This reunited the last two remaining branches of the historic House of Hesse which had been divided in 1567.
Unofficial Royalty: Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse

November 6, 1929 – Death of Prince Maximilian of Baden, Margrave of Baden, pretender to the former throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden and the Head of the House of Zähringen from 1928 until his death, in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in the Mimmenhausen Cemetery in Salem.
Full name: Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm
Maximilian was heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden and served briefly as Chancellor of the German Empire. On August 9, 1928, the last reigning Grand Duke of Baden, Friedrich II, died, and Max became the pretender to the former throne and the Head of the House of Zähringen. At that time, he assumed the historic title of Margrave of Baden. Just over a year later, on November 6, 1929, he died of kidney failure following several strokes.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Maximilian of Baden, Margrave of Baden

November 6, 1935 – Wedding of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, son of King George V of the United Kingdom, and Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott at the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace in London, England
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott were married on November 6, 1935, at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace in London, England. The wedding was originally set to be held at Westminster Abbey but the wedding venue was changed after the death of the bride’s father less than three weeks before the wedding date. Because of the circumstances, it was deemed more appropriate to have the wedding at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott

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Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

November 5, 1605 – The Gunpowder Plot, conceived by Guy Fawkes and ten accomplices, to kill King James I of England and all members of Parliament is scheduled by planting gunpowder under Parliament.  The conspirators were tried, convicted, and beheaded.
Wikipedia: Gunpowder Plot
Wikipedia: Guy Fawkes

November 5, 1660 – Death of Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, favorite of Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England, at Little Salisbury House in London, England; buried in the Percy family vault at St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Petworth, West Sussex, England
Probably the inspiration for the character of Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, in 1626, Lucy was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, who had succeeded to the throne the previous year. Lucy soon became the queen’s favorite, was a popular figure at court, and started to engage in court intrigues. During the Second English Civil War between the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and the Royalists (Cavaliers), Lucy sided with the Royalists. She maintained communication with Charles, Prince of Wales (the future King Charles II), and served as an intermediary between the scattered bands of royalists and Queen Henrietta Maria. In 1649, Lucy was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London due to her actions. She was released on bail the following year but never regained her influence in royal circles. She died of a stroke at the age of 61, soon after the monarchy was restored.
Unofficial Royalty: Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, favorite of Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England

November 5, 1726 – Death of Lady Mary Tudor, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England by Mary ‘Moll’ Davis, in Paris, France
Mary’s mother Mary “Moll” Davis was an actress and singer in the Duke’s Theatre Company in London. King Charles II, an avid theatergoer, first saw Moll Davis on stage and she soon became his mistress and was given a house on Suffolk Street in London where her daughter Mary was probably born. Lady Mary Tudor was married three times and two of her sons, the grandsons of King Charles II, were beheaded for high treason. Fifty-three-year-old Mary died in Paris, France, on November 5, 1726. Her burial site is unknown.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Mary Tudor

November 5, 1755 – Birth of Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Mecklenburg- Strelitz, second wife of the future Grand Duke Carl II of Mecklenburg- Strelitz, in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Charlotte Wilhelmine Christiane Marie
In 1784, Charlotte married the future Grand Duke Carl II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Carl had previously been married to her older sister Friederike who died after giving birth to her tenth child two years earlier. Charlotte and Carl had one son, however, twelve days after giving birth to her son, Charlotte died of complications from childbirth.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Mecklenburg- Strelitz

November 5, 1802 – Death of Leopold I, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; first buried at the Church of the Redeemer in Detmold, his remains were later moved to the Mausoleum at the Büchenberg in Detmold
As a child, Leopold’s lack of strength of character, lack of interest, lack of concentration, and a tendency to mental disorders became apparent. In 1782, Leopold’s father died and the fourteen-year-old succeeded him. In 1790, Leopold’s mental disorders interfered with his role as reigning prince and he was deemed legally incapacitated and placed under guardianship. In 1795, the guardianship was conditionally lifted after Leopold’s condition improved. Leopold married Princess Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1796 and the couple had two sons. Because of Leopold’s tenuous mental condition, Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague. Within the next few years, Leopold developed intestinal tuberculosis, and his mental disorders returned with memory loss. He died at the age of 34 and his five-year-old son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe succeeded him with his mother Pauline very capably acting as Regent of the Principality of Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Prince of Lippe

November 5, 1828 – Death of Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, born Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, second wife of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, at Pavlovsk Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried at Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
In 1776, less than six months after the death of Paul’s first wife in childbirth along with their only child, 17-year-old Sophie Dorothea and 22-year-old Paul, the future Emperor of All Russia, were married. Paul and  Sophie Dorothea, who took the name Maria Feodorovna after marriage, had ten children including two Emperors of All Russia. Only one of their children did not survive childhood. In 1796, after a reign of 34 years, Paul’s mother Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia died. Paul was now Emperor of All Russia and Maria Feodorovna was Empress. Because of Paul’s autocratic and despotic rule, he was assassinated by a group of conspirators in 1801. After Paul’s death, Maria Feodorovna made her home at Pavlovsk Palace. She demanded recognition as the highest-ranking woman in Russia and took precedence over the wife of her son Alexander I. Although Maria Feodorovna was unable to make direct political decisions, she did have a great influence on her son Alexander as well as on her other children. She actively participated in the marriage arrangements of her younger children with members of European royal families. The current Dutch royal family are her descendants. Maria Feodorovna lived long enough to see the first three years of the reign of her third son Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. She outlived five of her ten children, dying at the age of 69 after a short illness.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia

November 5, 1864 – Birth of Hilda of Nassau, Grand Duchess of Baden, wife of Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden, at Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Hilda Charlotte Wilhelmine
Hilda was the daughter of Adolphe, Duke of Nassau (later Grand Duke of Luxembourg) and Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. In 1885, she married Friedrich II, the future and the last Grand Duke of Baden. The couple had no children. As Grand Duchess of Baden, Hilda was a keen supporter of the arts. She often visited museums and exhibitions and helped to promote the arts throughout Baden. She also promoted education and several schools were named in her honor. Hilda’s husband was deposed and forced to abdicate when the German Empire ended in November 1918. Hilda and her husband then lived at their home on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Hilda of Nassau, Grand Duchess of Baden

November 5, 1881 – Birth of Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky, second husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, in Evstratovka, Voronezh Province, Russia
Nikolai, from a minor noble family, was a member of the Blue Cuirassier Guards where one of the commanders was Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, the younger brother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Michael’s sister, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, attended a military review of the Blue Cuirassier Guards. Olga was in an unsuccessful marriage with Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. At the military review, Olga saw a tall, handsome man in the uniform of the Blue Cuirassier Guards – Nikolai – and their eyes met. Michael arranged for Nikolai and his sister Olga to meet. After years of turmoil with Olga begging for a divorce and then asking her brother Nicholas II for permission to marry Nikolai, the couple finally married in 1916. Olga and Nikolai had two sons. Olga, Nikolai, and their two sons managed to leave Russia after the Russian Revolution. After living in Denmark, the family moved to Ontario, Canada where Nikolai died in 1958.
Unofficial Royalty: Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky

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