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Maria Leszczyńska, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia
June 23, 1456 – Birth of Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scots, daughter of King Christian I of Denmark and wife of James III, King of Scots, in Copenhagen, Denmark
Margaret was a popular queen and was described as beautiful, gentle, and reasonable. Many later historians called her far better qualified to rule than her husband. During the crisis of 1482, when her husband was deprived of power for several months, Margaret showed a greater interest in the welfare of her children than that of her husband, and this led to the couple’s alienation. When Margaret died at the age of 30, there were suspicions that she had been poisoned by John Ramsay, 1st Lord Bothwell, a confidant of James III, although no evidence was found to support the charge. At the request of James III, Pope Innocent VIII commissioned an investigation of Margaret’s virtues and alleged miracles for possible canonization, but without result.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scots
June 23, 1703 – Birth of Maria Leszczyńska of Poland, Queen of France, wife of King Louis XV of France in Trzebnica, Silesia, now Lower Silesia in Poland
Full name: Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja
As Queen of France, Marie maintained the strict protocol and etiquette of the French court and fully embraced her role and responsibilities of her ceremonial role. However, when not at official functions, she preferred to retreat to her private apartments, spending time with a small group of close friends and confidants. Having held her position for nearly 43 years, Queen Marie was the longest-serving Queen consort in the French monarchy.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Leszczyńska of Poland, Queen of France
June 23, 1763 – Birth of Empress Joséphine, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I, Emperor of the French), born Marie Josèphe Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie on Martinique in the West Indies
Joséphine was unable to give Napoleon an heir. Without a son, Napoleon named Joséphine’s grandson (and his nephew), Napoleon Charles Bonaparte, his heir. After the young Napoleon died in 1807, Emperor Napoleon considered finding another wife who could provide him with a son. In November 1809, he told Joséphine that he planned to divorce her and find a new wife. She agreed to a divorce, and an elaborate divorce ceremony was held. Joséphine retained her title as Empress and her rank at court and received an annual pension of 5 million francs.
Unofficial Royalty: Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French
June 23, 1820 – Death of Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg, Countess of Hochberg, morganatic second wife of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Luise Karoline was the second, and morganatic, wife of the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden. Luise Karoline and Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden had five children. At the time of the marriage, Karl Friedrich created Luise Karoline Baroness of Hochberg, and their children were not included in the line of succession. In 1817, Karl Friedrich and Luise Karoline’s children were elevated to Prince/Princess of Baden, and in the following year, the Baden Congress formally confirmed their succession rights.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg, Countess of Hochberg
June 23, 1859 – Death of Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach at Schloss Belvedere in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried at the Russian Orthodox Chapel adjoining the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery in Weimar
Maria Pavlovna of Russia was the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. In 1804, she married the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. They had four children including Augusta who married Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany. Maria strongly supported and promoted the arts in Weimar, and her patronages included the noted composer Franz Liszt who was appointed to her court. She maintained lifelong correspondences with several prominent writers, poets, and musicians including Vasily Zhukovsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Schiller. Following her husband’s death in 1853, Maria retired from public life. Two years later, she returned to Russia for the last time, for the coronation of her nephew Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
June 23, 1894 – Birth of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom at White Lodge in Richmond Park, Surrey, England
Full name: Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David
Upon the death of his father King George V in 1936, Edward, known as David in his family, succeeded to the throne. Only months into his reign, a constitutional crisis was caused by his proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had divorced her first husband and was seeking a divorce from her second. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the self-governing countries of the British Empire opposed the marriage, arguing a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a prospective queen consort. When it became apparent he could not marry Wallis and remain on the throne, Edward abdicated and was succeeded by his younger brother George VI. After his abdication, Edward was created Duke of Windsor. He married Wallis in France on June 3, 1937, after her second divorce became final.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, Duke of Windsor
June 23, 2021 – Death of Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria
Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria was the Pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany from 1984 until renouncing his rights in favor of his son in 1993.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria
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