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Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia
November 5, 1605 – The Gunpowder Plot, conceived by Guy Fawkes and ten accomplices, to kill King James I of England and all members of Parliament is scheduled by planting gunpowder under Parliament. The conspirators were tried, convicted, and beheaded.
Wikipedia: Gunpowder Plot
Wikipedia: Guy Fawkes
November 5, 1660 – Death of Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, favorite of Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England, at Little Salisbury House in London, England; buried in the Percy family vault at St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Petworth, West Sussex, England
Probably the inspiration for the character of Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, in 1626, Lucy was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, who had succeeded to the throne the previous year. Lucy soon became the queen’s favorite, was a popular figure at court, and started to engage in court intrigues. During the Second English Civil War between the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and the Royalists (Cavaliers), Lucy sided with the Royalists. She maintained communication with Charles, Prince of Wales (the future King Charles II), and served as an intermediary between the scattered bands of royalists and Queen Henrietta Maria. In 1649, Lucy was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London due to her actions. She was released on bail the following year but never regained her influence in royal circles. She died of a stroke at the age of 61, soon after the monarchy was restored.
Unofficial Royalty: Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, favorite of Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England
November 5, 1726 – Death of Lady Mary Tudor, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England by Mary ‘Moll’ Davis, in Paris, France
Mary’s mother Mary “Moll” Davis was an actress and singer in the Duke’s Theatre Company in London. King Charles II, an avid theatergoer, first saw Moll Davis on stage and she soon became his mistress and was given a house on Suffolk Street in London where her daughter Mary was probably born. Lady Mary Tudor was married three times and two of her sons, the grandsons of King Charles II, were beheaded for high treason. Fifty-three-year-old Mary died in Paris, France, on November 5, 1726. Her burial site is unknown.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Mary Tudor
November 5, 1755 – Birth of Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Mecklenburg- Strelitz, second wife of the future Grand Duke Carl II of Mecklenburg- Strelitz, in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Charlotte Wilhelmine Christiane Marie
In 1784, Charlotte married the future Grand Duke Carl II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Carl had previously been married to her older sister Friederike who died after giving birth to her tenth child two years earlier. Charlotte and Carl had one son, however, twelve days after giving birth to her son, Charlotte died of complications from childbirth.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Mecklenburg- Strelitz
November 5, 1802 – Death of Leopold I, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; first buried at the Church of the Redeemer in Detmold, his remains were later moved to the Mausoleum at the Büchenberg in Detmold
As a child, Leopold’s lack of strength of character, lack of interest, lack of concentration, and a tendency to mental disorders became apparent. In 1782, Leopold’s father died and the fourteen-year-old succeeded him. In 1790, Leopold’s mental disorders interfered with his role as reigning prince and he was deemed legally incapacitated and placed under guardianship. In 1795, the guardianship was conditionally lifted after Leopold’s condition improved. Leopold married Princess Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1796 and the couple had two sons. Because of Leopold’s tenuous mental condition, Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague. Within the next few years, Leopold developed intestinal tuberculosis, and his mental disorders returned with memory loss. He died at the age of 34 and his five-year-old son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe succeeded him with his mother Pauline very capably acting as Regent of the Principality of Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Prince of Lippe
November 5, 1828 – Death of Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, born Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, second wife of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, at Pavlovsk Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried at Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
In 1776, less than six months after the death of Paul’s first wife in childbirth along with their only child, 17-year-old Sophie Dorothea and 22-year-old Paul, the future Emperor of All Russia, were married. Paul and Sophie Dorothea, who took the name Maria Feodorovna after marriage, had ten children including two Emperors of All Russia. Only one of their children did not survive childhood. In 1796, after a reign of 34 years, Paul’s mother Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia died. Paul was now Emperor of All Russia and Maria Feodorovna was Empress. Because of Paul’s autocratic and despotic rule, he was assassinated by a group of conspirators in 1801. After Paul’s death, Maria Feodorovna made her home at Pavlovsk Palace. She demanded recognition as the highest-ranking woman in Russia and took precedence over the wife of her son Alexander I. Although Maria Feodorovna was unable to make direct political decisions, she did have a great influence on her son Alexander as well as on her other children. She actively participated in the marriage arrangements of her younger children with members of European royal families. The current Dutch royal family are her descendants. Maria Feodorovna lived long enough to see the first three years of the reign of her third son Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. She outlived five of her ten children, dying at the age of 69 after a short illness.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia
November 5, 1864 – Birth of Hilda of Nassau, Grand Duchess of Baden, wife of Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden, at Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Hilda Charlotte Wilhelmine
Hilda was the daughter of Adolphe, Duke of Nassau (later Grand Duke of Luxembourg) and Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. In 1885, she married Friedrich II, the future and the last Grand Duke of Baden. The couple had no children. As Grand Duchess of Baden, Hilda was a keen supporter of the arts. She often visited museums and exhibitions and helped to promote the arts throughout Baden. She also promoted education and several schools were named in her honor. Hilda’s husband was deposed and forced to abdicate when the German Empire ended in November 1918. Hilda and her husband then lived at their home on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Hilda of Nassau, Grand Duchess of Baden
November 5, 1881 – Birth of Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky, second husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, in Evstratovka, Voronezh Province, Russia
Nikolai, from a minor noble family, was a member of the Blue Cuirassier Guards where one of the commanders was Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, the younger brother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Michael’s sister, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, attended a military review of the Blue Cuirassier Guards. Olga was in an unsuccessful marriage with Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. At the military review, Olga saw a tall, handsome man in the uniform of the Blue Cuirassier Guards – Nikolai – and their eyes met. Michael arranged for Nikolai and his sister Olga to meet. After years of turmoil with Olga begging for a divorce and then asking her brother Nicholas II for permission to marry Nikolai, the couple finally married in 1916. Olga and Nikolai had two sons. Olga, Nikolai, and their two sons managed to leave Russia after the Russian Revolution. After living in Denmark, the family moved to Ontario, Canada where Nikolai died in 1958.
Unofficial Royalty: Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky
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