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Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia
February 9, 1670 – Death of King Frederik III of Denmark and Norway in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Frederik had an elder brother so he was not expected to become king. In 1643, he married Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and the couple had eight children. In 1647, Frederik’s 44-year-old childless elder brother Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark and heir apparent to the Norwegian throne, died and his death opened up the possibility for Frederik to be elected heir apparent to the Danish throne. However, when King Christian IV died less than nine months later, Frederik had not yet been elected heir apparent to the Danish throne. After long deliberations between the Danish Estates and the Rigsraadet (royal council), he was finally elected King of Denmark. In 1660, Frederik III used his popularity to end the elective monarchy in favor of a hereditary, absolute monarchy in which the legislature was dissolved and the monarch ruled by decree. This lasted until 1849 when Denmark-Norway became a hereditary, constitutional monarchy. Frederik was an enthusiastic collector of books and his collection became the foundation for the Royal Library in Copenhagen which he founded in 1648. Frederik died at the age of 60, after three days of a painful illness, on February 9, 1670.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik III of Denmark and Norway
February 9, 1763 – Birth of Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
As the third son, there was little expectation that Ludwig would succeed to the throne. He pursued a military career from a young age, serving in the Prussian army. He succeeded his nephew Karl Ludwig Friedrich as Grand Duke of Baden in 1818. Ludwig promoted the development of the country and strengthened the military forces. He also established several universities and churches. Ludwig never married, but he did have several illegitimate children. He had a long relationship with Katharina Werner and this relationship resulted in three children. When Ludwig died in 1830 after suffering a stroke, he was succeeded by his half-brother, Leopold.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden
February 9, 1834 – Birth of Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands, in Honolulu on the island of Oahu in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii
Birth name: Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolanian
Unofficial Royalty: Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands (article coming soon)
February 9, 1873 – Death of Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria, fourth wife of Emperor Franz I of Austria in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Caroline Augusta was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1808, to prevent Napoleon from arranging a marriage for his heir Crown Prince Wilhelm, King Friedrich I of Württemberg arranged for a marriage of convenience between his son Wilhelm and 16-year-old Caroline Augusta of Bavaria. The marriage was never consummated and the couple lived apart in separate wings in the Royal Palace in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. After the fall of Napoleon, the marriage was dissolved. In 1816, Caroline Augusta became the fourth wife of the thrice-widowed Franz I, Emperor of Austria. The couple had no children but Caroline was the stepmother to Franz’s numerous children from his second marriage to Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Caroline Augusta devoted herself to charitable activities. Through her efforts, child-care institutions, hospitals, and homes for workers were built. After her husband, Emperor Franz I of Austria died in 1835, Caroline Augusta lived in Salzburg to stay out of the way of her half-sister Sophie who had married Franz’s son Archduke Franz Karl in 1824. Emperor Franz I had been succeeded by his son Ferdinand who abdicated in 1848. At that time, Archduke Franz Karl was persuaded to renounce his succession rights in favor of his eldest son Franz Joseph, who reigned from 1847 – 1916. Caroline Augusta was on good terms with Franz Joseph, who was her nephew, and his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sissi) who was her niece. Caroline Augusta died on February 9, 1873, a day after her 81st birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria
February 9, 1977 – Death of Queen Alia of Jordan, third wife of King Hussein I of Jordan, in a helicopter crash in Amman, Jordan; first interred at the Royal Cemetery at Al-Maquar in Amman, Jordan, in 1980 was reinterred in a mausoleum King Hussein built on a hill outside of Amman
Queen Alia was the third of the four wives of King Hussein I of Jordan. Her father Baha Ad-Din Touqan served as Jordan’s first ambassador to the United Nations and as Jordanian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt. In 1972, Alia married King Hussein I of Jordan. The couple had two children (Princess Haya and Prince Ali) and one adopted daughter Abir Muhaisen. On February 9, 1977, Queen Alia was killed in a helicopter crash in Amman. She was returning from a trip to Tafileh, about 140 miles south of Amman, where she was inspecting a hospital after reading negative reports about it in the media. Flying in a violent rainstorm, the military helicopter crashed and all aboard were killed.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Alia al-Hussein
February 9, 2002 – Death of Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom, daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom, sister of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, at King Edward VII Hospital in London, England; cremated, ashes buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Princess Margaret was the second daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom and the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. Margaret fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend, Comptroller of her mother’s household Townsend, a former equerry to the late King George VI, and a former Deputy Master of the Household. Townsend proposed and Margaret accepted. At the time, the Church of England would not sanction the marriage of a divorced person. Eventually, Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, advised Queen Elizabeth II that Parliament would not approve the marriage unless Margaret was to relinquish her rights to the throne and her royal position. On October 31, 1955, Margaret issued a statement in which she announced that she would not be marrying Group Captain Townsend. She chose to put her royal role and duties ahead of her personal happiness. In 1960, Margaret married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones who was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley the following year. The couple had two children and divorced in 1978. Having suffered from ill health for many years, Princess Margaret made her last public appearance at the 100th birthday celebration for her aunt, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester in December 2001. In a wheelchair for several years, she suffered several strokes which left her a shell of her former self. On February 9, 2002, Princess Margaret passed away at King Edward VII Hospital in London, England having suffered another stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom
Unofficial Royalty: In Memoriam – The Princess Margaret (1930-2002)
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