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Maria Pia of Savoy, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia
July 5, 1321 – Birth of Joan of the Tower, daughter of King Edward II of England and wife of David II, King of Scots, at the Tower of London in London, England
In 1328, England and Scotland signed the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton. The treaty formally ended the First War of Scottish Independence, which had begun with King Edward I of England’s invasion of Scotland in 1296. According to the treaty’s terms, six-year-old Joan would marry Robert I the Bruce, King of Scots’ heir, four-year-old David. The very young couple married on July 17, 1328, at Berwick-upon-Tweed, the northernmost town in England, 2 ½ miles from the border with Scotland. Although the couple was married for 34 years, they had no children.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of the Tower, Queen of Scots
July 5, 1554 – Birth of Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France, wife of wife of King Charles IX of France, in Vienna, Austria
Elisabeth was the daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1570, she married King Charles IX of France. Elisabeth gave birth in 1572 to her only child, a daughter Princess Marie Elisabeth, who lived for only six years. In 1574, Elisabeth’s husband Charles IX died at the age of 23 from tuberculosis. Widowed at the age of 20, Elisabeth was determined to return to Vienna. Having provided no male heirs to the French throne, her future life at the French court alongside her mother-in-law Catherine de Medici was a dismal prospect. In 1580, Elisabeth bought some land in Vienna and founded the Convent of Poor Clares, Mary, Queen of Angels, also known as the Queen’s Monastery, and retired there. Elisabeth devoted the rest of her life to the practice of piety, caring for the poor, and nursing the sick. On January 22, 1592, Elisabeth died of pleurisy at the age of 37.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France
July 5, 1717 – Birth of King Pedro III of Portugal at the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Full name: Pedro Clemente Francisco José António
The younger son of King João V of Portugal, Pedro co-reigned with his wife and niece Queen Maria I. However, the regal authority was vested entirely in Maria, the rightful heir to the throne. Since female succession to the throne of Portugal had never happened before, Maria’s father King José I of Portugal decided that she would marry his younger brother Pedro, the first male in the line of succession. Despite the 17-year age gap, the couple had a happy marriage and had six children.
Unofficial Royalty: Pedro III, King of Portugal
July 5, 1816 – Death of Dorothea Jordan, mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom, in Saint-Cloud, France; buried in the local cemetery in Saint-Cloud, France
Actress Dorothea Jordan had a 21-year affair with the future King William IV of the United Kingdom. Dorothea and William had ten children together, all of whom were given the surname FitzClarence They married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include many notable people. Upon the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, William and the other unmarried sons of King George III were pressured to marry to provide heirs to the throne. William ended his relationship with Dorothea and made a childless marriage with Adelaide of Saxe-Meinigen but he ensured Dorothea was very well-provided for. Dorothea had one condition to continue receiving her allowance from William, she could not return to the theater. When she did return to the theater to help pay the debts of her daughter and son-in-law, her allowance was canceled. Greatly in debt, she sold her house and moved to France to escape her creditors and settled in Saint-Cloud, just outside of Paris where she died virtually penniless.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea Jordan, mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom
July 5, 1866 – Wedding of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein at the Private Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
One of Queen Victoria’s requirements for Helena’s husband was that he had to be prepared to live near the Queen so that Helena could continue to be her companion and secretary. This eliminated many potential husbands. The final candidate in Queen Victoria’s search was a 35-year-old impoverished prince, Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, suggested by Queen Victoria’s uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians. In August 1865, Queen Victoria and all her children went to Coburg to unveil a statue of Prince Albert. It was there that Helena and Christian first met. The possibility of a marriage between Helena and Christian was not met with unanimous approval within the royal family. The fact that Christian was 15 years older than Helena certainly did not help that suggestion. However, Helena and Christian knew they did not have many marriage prospects and were both agreeable to the marriage. Their engagement was announced on December 5, 1865.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
July 5, 1911 – Death of Maria Pia of Savoy, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Luís I of Portugal, at the Stupinigi Palace in Turin, Italy; buried at the Basilica of Superga near Turin, Italy
The early 1900s were a difficult time for Maria Pia. Her brother King Umberto I of Italy was assassinated in 1900. Following the assassination of her son King Carlos I of Portugal and his son Crown Prince Luis Filipe in 1908, and the deposing of her grandson King Manuel II of Portugal two years later, Maria Pia fell into a deep depression. She returned to her native Italy soon after, where she died on July 5, 1911, at the Royal Chateau at Stupingi Palace. She is buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, Italy, making her one of just a few Portuguese consorts not to be buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza in Lisbon.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pia of Savoy, Queen of Portugal
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