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Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio; Credit – Wikipedia
November 22, 1392 – Death of Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, favorite of King Richard II of England, in or near Louvain, Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium, from injuries sustained during a boar hunt; buried at Colne Priory, the burial site of the Earls of Oxford, in Earls Colne, Essex, England
In 1376, Robert married Philippa de Coucy, daughter of Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy and Isabella of England, the eldest daughter of King Edward III of England. Robert was often at court in his role as Lord Great Chamberlain and as the husband of King Richard II’s first cousin. He quickly became a favorite of the young king and a member of the Privy Council. Robert became very unpopular with the other nobles and his close relationship with Richard II was one of the causes for the emergence of organized opposition to Richard called the Lords Appellant. In 1387, the Lords Appellant launched an armed rebellion against King Richard II and defeated an army under Robert de Vere at the Battle of Radcot Bridge on the River Thames, outside Oxford. Robert fled to France and was attainted, found guilty of treason, lost his titles and land, and sentenced to death in absentia. In 1392, in Louvain, Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium, 30-year-old Robert de Vere died in exile and poverty from the wounds received while hunting a wild boar.
Unofficial Royalty: Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, favorite of King Richard II of England
November 22, 1515 – Birth of Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots, second wife of James V, King of Scots, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine, France
In 1534, Marie married Louis II d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville in Paris. The marriage was a happy one, but sadly, a short one. Louis died in 1537, leaving Marie a pregnant widow. The couple had two children, but neither survived to adulthood. In 1537, Madeleine of Valois, daughter of King François I of France married James V, King of Scots but Madeleine died six months after the marriage. Madeleine’s father, King François I of France, suggested that Marie marry his widowed son-in-law. Marie and James V married in 1538 and had two sons and a daughter, the future Mary, Queen of Scots, but both sons died in early childhood. Six days after the birth of his daughter Mary, James V died at the age of 30. After Mary’s coronation, Marie was appointed as the principal member of the Council of Regency. In 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years. Mary’s mother Marie remained in Scotland as the principal member of the Council of Regency.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots
November 22, 1602 – Birth of Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal, daughter of King Henri IV of France, first wife of King Felipe IV of Spain (also Felipe III of Portugal), at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France
In 1610, when Elisabeth was eight years old, her father King Henri IV of France was assassinated. Five years later, Elisabeth married the future King Felipe IV of Spain. Elisabeth and Felipe had eight children but only their youngest child, Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain who married King Louis XIV of France, survived childhood. Besides having so many children die young, Elisabeth had three miscarriages. Her husband probably transmitted a venereal disease to Elisabeth that he had contracted with one of his mistresses. This would explain the miscarriages and the many dead infants. Throughout her marriage, Elisabeth suffered in silence over the deaths of her children and her miscarriages. The fact that her husband’s mistresses gave him children made her feel even worse. Weakened by her multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Elisabeth died at the age of forty-one, after miscarrying a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal
November 22, 1727 – Birth of Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio at the Ducal Palace in Modena, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, now in Italy
Ercole III d’Este was the last reigning duke from the House of Este that reigned in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio from 1452 – 1796. In 1741, Ercole married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, the reigning Duchess of Massa and Carrara, now in Italy. The marriage was made at the insistence of Ercole’s father who wanted the Duchy of Massa and Carrara because of its access to the sea. The marriage was not a happy one, the couple had one surviving daughter and eventually separated. Ercole III was considered an enlightened monarch who continued the reforms started by his father. He improved the infrastructure of his duchy, building bridges and roads. The arts and sciences flourished in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio during Ercole III’s reign. In 1796, Modena was occupied by a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte, who deposed Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio. He was forced to flee to Venice where he died in 1803.
Unofficial Royalty: Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio
November 22, 1728 – Birth of Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Originally, Margrave of Baden, Karl Friedrich was the first Grand Duke of Baden. In 1805, he fought on the side of the French, gaining territories from the Austrian Empire. In 1806, he joined the Confederation of the Rhine, and upon the end of the Holy Roman Empire, Karl Friedrich declared himself sovereign, as Grand Duke of the newly created Grand Duchy of Baden. He continued supporting the French, gaining more territory from the Kingdom of Württemberg in the Peace of Vienna in 1809. Through his efforts, Karl Friedrich had quadrupled the size of the Grand Duchy of Baden by the end of his reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden
November 22, 1748 – Death of Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, second wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, at Schloss Glücksburg in Römhild, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg was the second wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, her third husband whom she married in 1714. Their marriage was childless. She had previously married her first cousin, Friedrich Casimir Kettler, Duke of Courland (one surviving son), and Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (no children). She died at the age of 74.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
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