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Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia
November 18, 1630 – Birth of Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, the third of the three wives of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, in Mantua, Duchy of Mantua, now in Lombardy, Italy
Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria, the second wife and first cousin of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, died in childbirth in 1649. Ferdinand III’s stepmother, the Dowager Holy Roman Empress, also named Eleonora Gonzaga, was the second wife of his father Ferdinand II and Eleonora’s great aunt. It was Dowager Holy Roman Empress Eleonora who arranged the marriage between her stepson Ferdinand III and grand niece and goddaughter Eleonora. Twenty-year-old Eleonora and forty-two-year-old Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor were married in 1651 and had four children but only two daughters survived childhood. After the death of her husband, Eleonora did all she could to ensure that her seventeen-year-old surviving stepson would be elected Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Eleonora was highly respected by Leopold who consulted with her on many political and personal issues. Eleonora survived her husband by twenty-nine years, dying on December 6, 1686, in Vienna, Austria, at the age of fifty-six.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, Holy Roman Empress, 3rd wife of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
November 18, 1661 – Birth of Elisabeth Henriëtte of Hesse-Kassel, Hereditary Princess of Prussia, first wife of the future King Friedrich I of Prussia, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
Elisabeth Henriette and Friedrich were first cousins and had known each other for most of their lives. Elisabeth Henriette’s mother encouraged and promoted the marriage, and it proved to be a love match. The couple had one daughter. Elisabeth Henriette, aged 22, contracted smallpox and died just weeks before her fourth wedding anniversary.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Henriëtte of Hesse-Kassel, Hereditary Princess of Prussia
November 18, 1774 – Birth of Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, wife of King Willem I of the Netherlands, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Luise Wilhelmine
Wilhelmine was the daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1791, she married her first cousin Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau, later King Willem I of the Netherlands, and the couple had four children. Wilhelmine was not successful in her role as Queen. While she contributed generously to charities, the Dutch people thought her cold and distant because she only came in contact with family and her court ladies.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands
November 18, 1851 – Death of King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Schloss Herrenhausen, Kingdom of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried at the Chapel of Schloss Herrenhausen
In 1815, Ernest married his first cousin Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the couple had one surviving son. Ernest became king of Hanover upon the death of his brother William IV. Hanover had the Salic Law which forbids female succession. So while Victoria succeeded her uncle William on the British throne, she could not succeed to the Hanover throne. William’s next brother, Ernest did. Ernest Augustus died at the age of 80, after a short illness. Of his fifteen siblings, only Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester survived him. 30,000 people passed by his coffin as he lay in state in the throne room of Schloss Herrenhausen.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
November 18, 1861 – Death of Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria 1842–1855, at Government House in Calcutta, India where her husband was serving as Viceroy of India; buried in a small garden on the grounds of Government House
Born The Honorable Charlotte Stuart, daughter of Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay, she married Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning
November 18, 1940 – Birth of Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman in Salalah, Oman
Qaboos was Sultan of Oman from 1970 until his death in 2020. He staged a coup that overthrew his father Said bin Taimur. Qaboos immediately began efforts to modernize and develop the country, even changing the name to The Sultanate of Oman. In March 1976, he married his first cousin, Nawwal bint Tariq Al-Said. The couple had no children, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1979.
Unofficial Royalty: Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman
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